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February 25, 2005

35 Facts You Were Perfectly Happy Not Knowing

Just because it’s Friday and some of these are actually interesting, here’s a list I picked up somewhere (sorry, can’t find the source).

1. Rubberbands last longer when refrigerated.
2. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
3. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
4. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
5. The shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
6. There are more chickens than people in the world.
7. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
8. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
10. All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.
11. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.
12. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
13. All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
14. Almonds are a member of the peach family.
15. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.

16. Maine is the only US state whose name is just one syllable.
17. There are only 4 words in the English language that end in "dous" - tremendous, horrendous, stupendous and hazardous.
18. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula"
19. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
20. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
21. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
22. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10
23. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
24. The Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life."
25. Some dragonflies have a life span of 24 hours.
26. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
27. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
28. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
29. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
30. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
31. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
32. Mr. Rogers was an ordained minister.
33. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
34. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
35. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand

Posted by Jim at February 25, 2005 07:12 AM

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Comments

The scary part of this is that somewhere...someone had enough time on their hands to make this list.

Posted by: Thunder Runner at February 25, 2005 05:14 PM

So-called useless information is only useless if you never use it.

Posted by: Jeremy at February 25, 2005 05:31 PM

Re: number 18

The "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" Angels of Anaheim.

Has a nice ring.

Take care,
RICHARD
lawreligionculturereview.blogspot.com

Posted by: Richard at February 26, 2005 01:13 PM

Re: number 18

The "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" Angels of Anaheim.

Has a nice ring.

Take care,
RICHARD
lawreligionculturereview.blogspot.com

Posted by: Richard at February 26, 2005 01:14 PM

Re: number 18

The "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" Angels of Anaheim.

Has a nice ring.

Take care,
RICHARD
lawreligionculturereview.blogspot.com

Posted by: Richard at February 26, 2005 01:14 PM

That bit about the Speaker of the House is misleading. He/she can speak in parliamentary sessions (it is their job to do so - keep order and so on) and select who 'Speaks' next. I put the latter in apostrophes because that might be what the 'fact' refers to i.e. that 'Speaking' is where a Member of Parliament asks a question of the Government (via the Speaker of the House)e.g. "Mr Speaker, would the Right Honourable gentlemen confirm... etc etc". He/she doesn't just sit there mute, in other words.

Posted by: Wono at February 26, 2005 05:20 PM

El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula was the original name of the pueblo when it was originally founded (your list calls it "Los Angeles' full name"), but it was soon shortened several times until it was just Los Angeles. There are only two cities in California that have an official name longer than it's common name: Ventura, whose "legal" name is San Buenaventura; and Paso Robles, whose official name is El Paso de Robles.

Posted by: Pedantic John at February 28, 2005 10:41 PM