Information Science and Technology News in One Place: 11/4/07

1. It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body.

2. It's been proven that people can lessen reactions to allergies by laughing.

3. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system.

4. Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day.Adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day.

5. In the middle ages, people would pin the name of their sweetheart to their sleeve on Valentine's Day and keep it there for a week, hence 'wearing their heart on their sleeve'.

6. It was during the Victorian era that the formerly nude Cupid was redesigned as wearing a skirt.

7. The human heart creates enough pressure while pumping to squirt blood 30 feet!!

8. February 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon.

9. Tomato Ketchup was once used as medicine in the United States. Was sold as "Dr.Miles Compound Extract of Tomato"

10. When you blush, the lining of your stomach also turns red

11. Dating back to the 1600's, thermometers were filled with Brandy instead of mercury

12. The quartz crystal in your wristwatch vibrates 32,768 times a second

13. An earthquake on Dec. 16, 1811 caused parts of the Mississippi River to flow backwards.

14. Shoe sizes were standardized in Britain in 1885

15. The average person's eyes will be closed about 30 minutes a day due to blinking.

16. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.

17. Every day 200 million couples make love, 400,000 babies are born, and 140,000 people die.

18. There are at least 40 known carcinogens in cigarettes.

19. The earliest British expeditions tackling Everest wore tweed jackets, woolen underwear, and leather boots.

20. The amniotic fluid that surrounds a baby in the womb is completely replaced every three hours.

21. During World War II, twice as many fighter pilots were killed during training than combat

22. In 1962 an outbreak of contagious laughter in Tanganyika lasted for six months and caused schools to be closed

23. A nautical mile measures 6,080 feet while a land or statute mile is 5,280 feet

24. No one can drown in the Dead Sea. It is 25 percent salt, which makes the water very heavy

25. Plants watered with warm water grow larger and more quickly than plants watered with cold water

26. Earth's oceans contain 7 1/2 million tons of gold, dissolved in the water

27. Children who are breastfed tend to have an I.Q. seven points higher than children who are not.

28. The bird flu virus could evolve into a form that is easily spread between people, resulting in a highly contagious and lethal disease.

29. The Chinese, in olden days, used marijuana only as a remedy for dysentery.

30. If you are right handed, you will tend to chew your food on the right side of your mouth. If you are left handed, you will tend to chew your food on the left side of your mouth.

31. To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers

32. Heroin is the brand name of morphine once marketed by 'Bayer'.

33. Communications giant Nokia was founded in 1865 as a wood-pulp mill by Fredrik Idestam.

34. Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult!

35. People in nudist colonies play volleyball more than any other sport.

36. Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.

37. Astronauts can't belch- there is no gravity to separate liquid from gas in their stomachs.

38. Ancient Roman, Chinese and German societies often used urine as mouthwash.

39. The average person who stops smoking requires one hour less sleep a night.

40. The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows. In the Renaissance era, it was fashion to shave them off!

41. Because of the speed at which Earth moves around the Sun, it is impossible for a solar eclipse to last more than 7 minutes and 58 seconds.

42. The night of January 20 is "Saint Agnes's Eve," which is regarded as a time when a young woman dreams of her future husband.

43. There are over 25 million bubbles waiting to burst out of each bottle of Champagne

44. Google is actually the common name for a number with a million zeros

45. It takes glass one million years to decompose, which means it never wears out and can be recycled an infinite amount of times!

46. The "heat" of peppers is rated on the Scoville scale

47. Gold is the only metal that doesn't rust, even if it's buried in the ground for thousands of years

48. Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end

49. If you stop getting thirsty, you need to drink more water. For when a human body is dehydrated, its thirst mechanism shuts off.

50. Each year 2,000,000 smokers either quit smoking or die of tobacco-related diseases.

51. When it originally appeared in 1886 - Coca Cola was billed as an Esteemed Brain Tonic and Intellectual Beverage.

52. Zero is the only number that cannot be represented by Roman numerals

53. Kites were used in the American Civil War to deliver letters and newspapers.

54. The song, "Auld Lang Syne" is sung at the stroke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world to bring in the new year.

55. For every real Christmas tree harvested, two to three seedlings are planted in its place.

56. Drinking water after eating reduces the acid in your mouth by 61 percent

57. Peanut oil is used for cooking in submarines because it doesn't smoke unless it's heated above 450°F

58. The Shell Oil Company originally began as a novelty shop in London that sold seashells

59. The roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear.

60. Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean

61. The banana cannot reproduce itself. It can be propagated only by the hand of man

62. Airports at higher altitudes require a longer airstrip due to lower air density

63. Fish and Chip selling officially remained an offensive trade until 1940 due to the smell it produces

64. The University of Alaska spans four time zones

65. The tooth is the only part of the human body that cannot heal itself.

66. In ancient Greece, tossing an apple to a girl was a traditional proposal of marriage. Catching it meant she accepted.

67. Do you know the names of the three wise monkeys? They are: Mizaru(See no evil), Mikazaru(Hear no evil), and Mazaru(Speak no evil).

68. Warner Comm. paid $28 million for the copyright to the song 'Happy Birthday'

69. Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

70. A comet's tail always points away from the sun

71. The "Swine flu" vaccine in 1976 caused more death and illness than the disease it was intended to prevent

72. Caffeine increases the power of aspirin and other painkillers, that is why it is found in some medicines.

73. The military salute is a motion that evolved from medieval times, when knights in armor raised their visors to reveal their identity.

74. If you get into the bottom of a well or a tall chimney and look up, you can see stars, even in the middle of the day.

75. When a person dies, hearing is the last sense to go. The first sense lost is sight

76. Trivia is the Roman goddess of sorcery, hounds and... the crossroads

77. In ancient times strangers shook hands to show that they were unarmed

78. Strawberries are the only fruits whose seeds grow on the outside

79. Avocados have the highest calories of any fruit at 167 calories per hundred grams

80. It cost the soft drink industry $100 million a year for thefts committed involving vending machines

81. The moon moves about two inches away from the Earth each year

82. The Earth gets 100 tons heavier every day due to falling space dust

83. Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 meters

84. Men's shirts have the buttons on the right, but women's shirts have the buttons on the left

85. Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy

86. Soldiers do not march in step when going across bridges because they could set up a vibration which could be sufficient to knock the bridge down

87. The painting that won second place in a competition held by the US National Academy of Design was hanging upside down when it was judged

88. Everything weighs one percent less at the equator

89. For every extra kilogram carried on a space flight, 530 kg of excess fuel are needed at lift-off

90. The letter J does not appear anywhere on the periodic table of the elements

91. Snake venom is ninety percent protein

92. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature

93. Pizza Hut is the world's largest pizza restaurant serving close to 1.7 million pizzas a day

94. Beer foam will go down by licking your finger then sticking it in the beer

95. Those stars and colors you see when you rub your eyes are called phosphenes

96. A full-moon is nine times brighter than a half-moon

97. If all of the blood vessels in your body were placed end to end, they would stretch 12,000 miles

98. If you were to roll a lung from a human body and out flat it would be the size of a tennis court

99. Everyone's tongue print is different, like fingerprints

100. Two-thirds of the people in the world have not made a phone call

101. Contrary to popular belief, a swallowed chewing gum doesn't stay in the gut. It will pass through the system and be excreted

102. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket

103. The Nobel Peace Prize medal depicts 3 naked men with their hands on each others shoulders

104. Earth is traveling through space at 660,000 miles per hour

105. In 1643, the British Parliament officially abolished the celebration of Christmas

106. Santa's Reindeers are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen

107. In 1875 the director of the US patent office resigned. He said that there was nothing left to invent

108. The Channel between England and France grows about 300 millimeters each year

109. The average person's field of vision encompasses a 200-degree wide angle

110. Offered a new pen to write with, 97% of all people will write their own name

111. On average, a person has two million sweat glands

112. Grapes explode when you put them in the microwave.

113. Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

114. Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.

115. The attachment of the human skin to muscles is what causes dimples

116. 97% of the earth's water is undrinkable

117. The Earth gets heavier each day by tons, as meteoric dust settles on it

118. All babies are color blind when they are born

119. Babies' eyes do not produce tears until the baby is approximately six to eight weeks old

120. 14 million people were killed in World War I, 20 million died in flu epidemic in the years that followed

121. There are more than 40,000 characters in the Chinese script

122. Vision requires more brain power than the other four senses

123. On average, men are 40% muscle and 15% fat; women are 23% muscle and 25% fat

124. There are no public toilets in Peru

125. Urine and tears have the same basic ingredients

126. The reason honey is so easy to digest is that it's already been digested by a bee.

127. Every time you sneeze some of your brain cells die.

128. Historically, a blue ribbon has been awarded for first prize

129. The motto of M-G-M movie studios is Art for Art's Sake

130. The lion that roars in the MGM logo is named "Volney"

131. It cost 7 million dollars to build the Titanic and 200 million to make a film about it

132. The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal.

133. The Mercedes-Benz motto is 'Das Beste oder Nichts' meaning 'the best or nothing'.

134. The color blue has a calming effect. It causes the brain to release calming hormones.

135. There are more Rolls Royce cars in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world

136. X-ray technology has shown there are 3 different versions of the Mona Lisa under the visible one

137. The pupil of the eye expands as much as 45 percent when a person looks at something pleasing.

138. It takes only about 8 minutes for the Space Shuttle to accelerate to a speed of more than 27,359 km/hour

139. Hydroponics is the technique by which plants are grown in water without soil

140. Time magazine named the computer its "Man of the Year" in 1982

141. Chewing on gum while cutting onions can help a person from producing tears

142. Your left lung is smaller in size than your right lung, it is like that in order to make room for your heart.

143. Until babies are six months old, they can breathe and swallow at the same time

144. Male human brains are about 10 percent heavier than female brains

145. Before 1800 there were no separately designed shoes for right and left feet

146. The glossy look to lipstick comes from fish scales, which are iridescent

147. To find out if a watermelon is ripe, knock it, and if it sounds hollow then it is ripe

148. Honey is used as a center for golf balls and in antifreeze mixtures

149. The original name for the butterfly was 'flutterby'

150. Your body weight is lower at 9 A.M. than at any other time of the day

151. The average person is about a quarter of an inch taller at night

152. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals

153. Without any greenhouse effect, Earth would be cold and lifeless with an average temp of 0.4ºF

154. The primary purpose of growing rice in flooded paddies is to drown the weeds surrounding the young seedlings. Rice can, in fact, be grown in drained areas

155. Not a single new livestock animal has been domesticated in the last 4,000 years

156. Bone China is so called because powdered animal bone is mixed with the clay to give it translucency and whiteness

157. The original reason for tablecloths was as a towel to wipe one's fingers and hands on after eating

158. Mount Everest moves approximately 2.4 inches (10 cm) in a Northeasterly direction every year

159. Mickey Mouse has four fingers on each hand

160. The bark of a redwood tree is fireproof. Fires that occur in a redwood forest take place inside the trees

161. The storage capacity of human brain exceeds four Terra bytes

162. There are an average of 178 sesame seeds on a McDonald's Big Mac bun

163. Because of the rotation of the earth, an object can be thrown farther if it is thrown west

164. In 2001, the five most valuable brand names in order were Coca-Cola, Microsoft, IBM, GE, and Nokia

165. After the "Popeye" comic strip started in 1931, spinach consumption went up by 33 percent in the US

166. A rainbow can only occur when the sun is 40 degrees or less above the horizon

167. At 40° Centigrade a person loses about 14.4 calories per hour by breathing

168. Most gemstones contain several elements. Except the diamond it's all carbon

169. Onions help reduce cholesterol if eaten after a fatty meal

170. It has been calculated that in the last 3,500 years, there have only been 230 years of peace throughout the civilized world

171. Feb 1865 and Feb 1999 are the only months in recorded history not to have a full moon

172. The citrus soda 7-UP was created in 1929; "7" was selected because the original containers were 7 ounces. "UP" indicated the direction of the bubbles

173. The "crack" from a whip is actually the tip of the whip traveling faster than the speed of sound, emitting a small sonic boom

174. If the information contained in the DNA could be written down, it would fill a 1000 volume encyclopedia

175. It would take 13 years and eight months to stay one night in every room at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas

176. Brain damage occurs at an internal temperature of 105 degrees Fahrenheit

177. The sound you hear when you crack your knuckles is actually the sound of nitrogen gas bubbles bursting

178. If you gave each human on earth an equal portion of dry land, (including the uninhabitable areas) everyone would get roughly 100sqft

179. Just twenty seconds worth of fuel remained when Apollo 11's lunar module landed on the moon

180. There are more than 1,000 chemicals in a cup of coffee

181. Pearls melt in vinegar

182. There is about 200 times more gold in the worlds oceans, than has been mined in our entire history

183. Human hair and finger nails continue to grow after death

184. Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland

185. Eighteen per cent of all global carbon dioxide emissions are from cars

186. Onions get their distinctive smell by soaking up sulfur from the soil

187. Mango is the number one selling fruit in the World. India is the biggest producer of mangoes in the World

188. The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the air

189. No nation has ever won the Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss International Pageant in the same year?

190. About 85% of the plant life on earth is in the oceans

191. In most watch advertisements the time displayed on the watch is 10:10 because then the arms frame the brand of the watch and make it look like it's smiling

192. If a person counted at the rate of 100 numbers a minute and kept counting for 8 hrs a day, 5 days a week, it would take a little over 4 weeks to count to one million and just over 80 years to reach a billion

193. An average person perspires a gut-wrenching 278 gallons of sweat each year

194. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made out of wood

195. A banana is about 75% water. They grow on a rhizome, not a tree. You are more likely to be a target for mosquitoes if you consume bananas.

196. TOP

197. Geography:

198. Iceland is the world's oldest functioning democracy

199. Mongolia is the largest landlocked country

200. Because heat expands the metal, the Eiffel Tower always leans away from the Sun

201. There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower

202. In Calama, a town in the Atacama Desert of Chile, it has never rained

203. The only man-made structure visible from space is the Great Wall of China

204. Birth-control campaigns in Egypt in the late 1970s failed because village women ended up wearing the pills in lockets, as talismans

205. Niagara Falls has moved about ten miles upstream in the last 10,000 years. The falls are eroding at the rate of 5 feet per year

206. The Sahara desert is expanding half a mile south every year

207. The Channel between England and France grows about 300 millimeters each year

208. The Hudson River along the island of Manhattan flows in either direction depending on the tide.

209. There is now an ATM at McMurdo Station in Antarctica, which has a winter population of 200 people

210. The Australian term for extras in cricket are 'sundries'

211. In early Rome, March 1 was New Year's Day. Later, the ancient Romans made January 1 the beginning of the year

212. Ancient Persians gave New Year's gifts of eggs, symbolizing productivity

213. Due to precipitation, for a few weeks K2 is bigger than Mt Everest

214. Vietnamese currency consists only of paper money; no coins

215. Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women

216. There are more Rolls Royce cars in Hong Kong than anywhere else in the world

217. Until 1896, India was the only source for diamonds to the world

218. It snowed in the Sahara Desert in February of 1979

219. Australia's national anthem is called Advance Australia Fair

220. The only nation whose name begins with an A, but doesn't end in an A is Afghanistan

221. The Atlantic Ocean gets wider by a little more than one inch every year

222. The world's only city whose name consists solely of vowels is Aiea, in Hawaii, USA.

223. Soldiers in the Netherlands are not required to salute officers

224. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula" . In English this means 'The City of Angels'

225. The Netherlands has built 800 miles of massive dikes and sea walls to hold back the sea. If it wasn't for these walls, 40% of the country would be flooded.

226. Big Ben is actually the name of the largest bell inside the London clock tower, not of the clock itself.

227. In 1867 the United States paid Russia only $7.2 million (2 cents an acre) for Alaska

228. Every year in France there is a "Thieves Fair" where people are encouraged to try to steal things from the stalls

229. The world's longest street is in Canada. Toronto's Yonge Street runs 1,190 miles

230. In the kingdom of Bhutan, all citizens officially become a year older on New Year's Day

231. Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in the ancient southeastern Turkish town of Lycia early in the fourth century

232. Belgium is the only country that has never imposed censorship for adult films

233. The Nullarbor Plain of Australia covers 100,000 square miles without a tree.

234. Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country

235. Australia is the only continent on earth without an active volcano.

236. In Turkey, in the 16th and 17th centuries, anyone caught drinking coffee was put to death

237. There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people.

238. There are no public toilets in Peru

239. Mickey Mouse is known as "Topolino" in Italy

240. The oldest national flag still in existence, that of Denmark, dates back to the 13th century

241. Nepal is the only country that doesn't have a rectangular or square flag

242. In 1949, the temperature in part of Portugal soared to 158 degrees F for a couple of minutes. No one knows why

243. Nauru is the only country in the world with no official capital

244. Windmills always turn counter-clockwise. Except for the windmills in Ireland

245. It was once against the law to slam your car door in a city in Switzerland

246. In 1980, Bhutan was the only country in the world with no telephones

247. There is a hotel in Sweden built entirely out of ice; it is rebuilt every year.

248. In the great fire of London in 1666 half of London was burnt down but only 6 people were injured.

249. The longest fence in the world is in Australia and it runs for over 3,436 miles (5,530 km)

250. In Switzerland, it is illegal to flush the toilet after 10 P.M. if you live in an apartment.

251. Holland is the lowest country in the world. It is estimated that 40 percent of the land is below sea level.

252. Tokyo has had 24 recorded instances of people either killed or receiving serious skull fractures while bowing to each other with the traditional Japanese greeting

253. Netherlands, most densely populated country in the world, followed by Belgium, then Japan

254. Perth, Australia, is the most isolated city on the planet..200 miles across impenetrable desert from the next city of any size.

255. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina delos Angeles de Porciuncula" . It means the City of Angels.

256. India never invaded any country in her last 10000 years of history.

257. In Thailand, it is illegal to leave your house if you are not wearing underwear

258. In Israel, picking your nose is illegal.

259. In Sweden, while prostitution is legal, it is illegal for anyone to use the services of a prostitute.

260. On every continent there is a city called Rome.

261. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world with a population of 1,000 and a size of 108.7 acres.

262. China has only about 200 family names.

263. The country with the most Post offices is India with over 152,792 compared with just over 38,000 in the United States.

264. Colombia produces the most emeralds of any country in South America.

265. The world's largest gold mine is in Juneau, Alaska

266. Namibia, Africa, supplies the most valuable diamonds of the 18 countries in southern Africa rich with diamonds.

267. Switzerland attracts the most suicide tourists.

268. India has no rabbits in the wild – only hares

269. In Tokyo, a bicycle is faster than a car for most trips of less than 50 minutes!

270. It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis, Missouri!

271. It's against the law to pawn your dentures in Las Vegas!

272. It's against the law to burp, or sneeze in a certain churches in Omaha, Nebraska!

273. The state of Florida is bigger than England!

274. In Natoma, Kansas, it's illegal to throw knives at men wearing striped suits.

275. It was once against the law to have a pet dog in a city in Iceland!

276. There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!

277. About 3000 years ago, most Egyptians died by the time they were 30!

278. In Bangladesh, kids as young as 15 can be jailed for cheating on their finals!

279. A company in Taiwan makes dinnerware out of wheat, so you can eat your plate!

280. Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States!

281. In Tokyo, they sell toupees for dogs!

282. TOP

283. People:

284. Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined

285. Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His parents thought he might be retarded

286. In 1935, Jesse Owens broke 4 world records in 45 minutes

287. Mother Teresa's real name was Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu

288. George Washington died the last hour of the last day of the last week of the last month of the last year of the 18th century

289. St Francis of Assisi introduced Christmas Carols to formal church services

290. The quickest ascent of Everest, in 10 hours, 56 minutes, was achieved by Sherpa Lhakpa Gelu

291. Abraham Lincoln held a liquor license and operated several taverns

292. Walt Disney was once fired by a newspaper editor for lack of imagination

293. Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts

294. Alexander the Great was an epileptic

295. Mozart wrote the music for the song Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star when he was just five years old.

296. Thomas Edison's total school education consisted of three months

297. Santa Claus, St. Nicholas, was born in the ancient southeastern Turkish town of Lycia early in the fourth century

298. TOP

299. The Most/ Longest/ Shortest/ Tallest/ Smallest/ Biggest/ Fastest:

300. The oldest national flag still in existence, that of Denmark, dates back to the 13th century

301. The longest movie made lasts 85 hours and is fittingly titled "The Cure for Insomnia.

302. The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail (HP), India, 2444 mts above sea level.

303. The most common disease in the world is tooth decay

304. Ninety percent of all species that have become extinct have been birds

305. The youngest Pope was 11 years old.

306. The quickest ascent of Everest, in 10 hours, 56 minutes, was achieved by Sherpa Lhakpa Gelu

307. The longest fence in the world is in Australia and it runs for over 3,436 miles (5,530 km)

308. The country with the most Post offices is India with over 152,792 compared with just over 38,000 in the United States.

309. TOP

310. The First/The Last:

311. The first Valentine's Day card was sent by the imprisoned Duke of Orlean to his wife in 1415.

312. Richard Cadbury invented the first Valentine's Day candy box in the late 1800s.

313. The first novel, called The story of Genji, was written in 1007 by Japanese noble woman, Murasaki Shikibu.

314. The first company that Bill Gates ever ran created machines that would record the number of cars passing a given point on a street.

315. The first personal computer was called the Altair and was made by a company called MITS in 1974. It came in a kit and had to be assembled by the user.

316. The Hollywood sign was first erected in 1923. Conceived as a real estate ad, it originally read Hollywoodland.

317. The celebration of the new year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago.

318. 26 December, Boxing day, was traditionally known as St. Stephen's Day, after the first Christian martyr.

319. The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531.

320. Great Britain was the first country to issue postage stamps, and they're the only nation today that doesn't use a national name on their stamps.

321. The Chinese first invented the system of zoos, and called them Parks of Intelligence.

322. The first striptease dance was performed in Paris, France on March 13, 1894.

323. The first time the color khaki was used for uniforms in a war was in 1880, during the Afghan War.

324. Butter was the first food product allowed by law to have artificial coloring.

325. The term skyscraper was first used in 1888, to describe 11-story building.

326. Benjamin Franklin was America's first newspaper cartoonist.

327. When tennis was first invented in 1874, it was called sphairistike.

328. When volleyball was first invented in 1895, it was called mintonette.

329. The first animal in space was a female dog named "Laika".

330. The first hard drive available for the Apple II had a capacity of 5 Megabytes.

331. China was the first country to introduce paper money (in 812).

332. The first Harley Davidson motorcycle was built in 1903, and used a tomato can for a carburetor.

333. The first Academy Awards (or Oscar's) were presented on 16 May 1929.

334. Australia's first police force was a band of 12 of the most well behaved Convicts.

335. In 1937, the first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria.

336. The first recorded reference to cricket dates back to 1272.

337. The first domain name ever registered was Symbolics.com in Mar 85.

338. The first music video was aired on August 1, 1981 "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Bugles on MTV.

339. The first police force was established in Paris 1667.

340. The first product to have a UPC bar code on its packaging was Wrigley's gum.

341. France became the first reigning World Cup champions who fail to win a match.

342. Pamela Lee-Anderson is Canada's Centennial Baby, being the first baby born on the centennial anniversiary of Canada's independence.

343. The first city in modern history to reach 1 million people was London in 1811.

344. Toronto was the first city in the world with a computerized traffic signal system.

345. King Charles VII, assassinated in 1167, was the first Swedish king with the name of Charles. Charles I, II, III, IV, V, never existed.

346. The value of "pi" was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century long before the European mathematicians.

347. The World's first university was established in Takshila, India in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.

348. The first place in the western world to give women the right to vote was an island known as "Man".

349. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo

350. TOP

351. The Phobias:

352. If you are afraid you might die laughing, you are suffering from cherophobia

353. Someone with an irrational fear of meat is called a carnophobic.

354. Unatractiphobia is the fear of ugliness or ugly people.

355. If you are a 'scoptophobic' , you have an intense fear of being seen.

356. 'Mageiricophobia' is the intense fear of having to cook.

357. Syngenesophobia is the fear of relatives

358. Automatonophobia is a fear of ventriloquist' s dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues or anything that falsly represents a sentient being

359. Paedophobia is a fear of children

360. Clinophobia is the fear of beds

361. "Hippopotomonstrose s quippedaliophobi a" is the fear of long words

362. Phobatrivaphobia is a fear of trivia about phobias

363. Lyssophobia is a morbid fear of insanity

364. Hypnophobia is a morbid fear of sleep and falling asleep

365. Elizabeth I of England suffered from anthophobia, a fear of roses

366. Arachibutyrophobia is a fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth

367. The fear of vegetables is called Lachanophobia! ..

368. Taphephobia is the fear of being buried alive!

369. Clinophobia is the fear of beds!

370. Acrophobia is the fear of heights

371. Claustrophobia is the fear of being closed in.

372. Arachnophobia is the Fear Of Spiders

373. Hemophobia is the fear of blood.

374. Hydrophobia/ Aquaphobia is the fear of water.

375. Fear of Beautiful women is Caligynephobia.

376. Fear of Men is Androphobia.

377. Fear of Kissing is Philemaphobia or Philematophobia

378. Fear of Love, sexual love is Erotophobia.

379. Fear of falling in Love, or being in Love is Philophobia

380. Fear of Love play is Malaxophobia or Sarmassophobia.

381. Words:

382. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange, purple,and month

383. The real name of Jesus was Yeshua. Jesus is the Greek version of the name.

384. A "funambulist" is a tight-rope walker.

385. Ernest Vincent Wright's novel Gadsby has 50,110 words, none of which contains the letter "E".

386. The word encyclopaedia comes from two Greek words meaning "a circle of learning."

387. Carol comes from the Greek word Choraulein which referred to a dance accompanied by a flute.

388. The word Christmas comes from the English phrase, Christes Masse, literally Christ's mass.

389. The word 'puppy' comes from the French poupee', meaning doll.

390. When two words are combined to form a single word (motor + hotel = motel, breakfast + lunch = brunch) the new word is called a "portmanteau" .

391. The term "hooch" for liquor comes from the Hoochinoo Indians, known for their ability to make liquor so strong it could knock someone out.

392. Seoul, the capital of South Korea, is a Korean word meaning "capital".

393. The word "tattoo" comes from the Tahitian word "tattau," which means "to mark".

394. The two lines that connect your top lip to the bottom of your nose are known as the philtrum

395. The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English language.

396. The word "novel" originally derived from the Latin novus, meaning "new".

397. The word "gymnasium" comes from the Greek word gymnazein which means "to exercise naked".

398. The word Karate means, empty hand.

399. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.

400. The word salary came from the word salt in Roman times. Salt was used as a trading medium - money.

401. The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate.

402. Someone who is "pauciloquent" uses as few words as possible when speaking.

403. Poliosis is the graying of the hair. It comes from polios, the Greek word for "gray".

404. The word 'denim' comes from 'de Nimes', Nimes being the town.

405. The largest crossword puzzle ever published had 2631 clues across and 2922 clues down. It took up 16 sq. feet of space.

406. The phrase "honeymoon" came from the Greeks. It was customary for the bride's family to supply the groom with a month (or full moon cycle) of the wedding wine, which tasted like honey.

407. The word "Oral-B" is a combination of oral hygiene and the letter B, which stands for the word better.

408. Graffito is the little-used singular of the much used plural word graffiti.

409. Orange and black became Halloween colors because orange is associated with harvests and black is associated with death "Hallow" is an old word meaning holy, while "e'en" is Scottish for evening.

410. The word "alphabet" Comes from the first 2 letters of the Greek alphabet, Alpha and Beta.

411. Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village'.

412. The word 'Checkmate' in chess comes from the Persian phrase 'Shah Mat,' which means 'the king is dead'.

413. There are only four words in the English language which end in '-dous': tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.

414. President Kennedy was the fastest random speaker in the world with upwards of 350 words per minute.

415. First newspaper crossword puzzle was published in a Sunday supplement to the New York World in 1913

416. The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent".

417. The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable" .

418. "Almost" is the longest word in the English language with all the letters in alphabetical order.

419. The word "samba" means "to rub navels together."

420. Did you know that the words 'lakh' and 'crore' do not exist in the English language? The two words are only used in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh and are derivatives of the Hindi words laakh and karod.

421. The scientific term for nose-picking is "rhinotillexonamia" .

422. In England, in the 1880's, "Pants" was considered a dirty word!

423. Skepticisms is the longest word that alternates hands when typing!

424. Know what Mafia means? "Morte Allafrancia Italia Anela "Death to the French is Italy's cry!"

425. A fireplace is called a mantelpiece because, at one time, people hung their coats over the fireplace to dry them.

426. The "left bank" of a river is the left side as you look downstream

427. The Rx sign that pharmacists use was originally the astrological sign for Jupiter

428. Taresthesia is what you call it when your foot falls asleep

429. The original name for the butterfly was 'flutterby'

430. Women who wink at men are known as "nictitating" women

431. The letters KGB stand for Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti

432. Hydroponics is the technique by which plants are grown in water without soil

433. The permanent teeth that erupt to replace their primary predecessors (baby teeth) are called succedaneous teeth

434. The raised reflective dots in the middle of highways are called Botts dots

435. Sunbeams that shine down through the clouds are called crespucular rays

436. A "pogonip" is a heavy winter fog containing ice crystals

437. The thin line of cloud that forms behind an aircraft at high altitudes is called a contrail

438. The forward slash character on your keyboard is also known as a slant, virgule or solidus

439. In the Chinese written language, the ideograph for "trouble" represents two women under one roof

440. A misomaniac is someone who hates everything

441. The infinite sign is called a Lemniscate

442. Priests in Australia advise you to say Happy Christmas, not Merry Christmas, because Merry has connotations of getting drunk.

443. The act of yawning and stretching is called "pandiculation. "

444. A group of crows is called a murder

445. A "clue" originally meant a ball of thread. This is why one is said to unravel the clues of a mystery

446. In circus parlance, a "Joey" is a clown with at least five years of experience.

447. 'Smithee' is a pseudonym that filmmakers use when they don't want their names to appear in the credits.

448. A collector who attempts to collect an example of every item in a particular field is called a 'completist' .

449. Mummies, are so called because of the wax (or 'mum' ) which is smeared on to the bandages for waterproofing

450. The "O" when used as a prefix in Irish surnames means "descendant of"

451. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle

452. A 'bibliophile' is one who collects rare books.

453. A 'bibliopole' is a seller of rare books.

454. A nihilist believes in nothing

455. The little bits of paper left over when holes are punched in data cards or tape are called "chad"

456. The name "piano" is an abbreviation of Cristofori's original name for the instrument: piano et forte, or soft and loud

457. The loop on a belt that holds the loose-end is called a "keeper"

458. Blype is the skin that peels off after a bad sunburn

459. The relationship of a godparent to the real parent of a child is called 'compaternity'

460. A 'nullipara' is a woman who has never given birth to a child.

461. "Whirly Girls" is the name of the International Association of Women Helicopter Pilots.

462. Obsessive nose picking is referred to as rhinotillexomania

463. Switching letters is called spoonerism. For example, saying jag of Flapan, instead of flag of Japan

464. The chef's tall hat is called a "toque".

465. A building in which silence is enforced, like a library or school room, is referred to as a "silentium"

466. Fiat stands for Fabbrica Italiana Automobile Torino, the name of the Italian manufacturer

467. "Steatopygia" means an accumulation of fat in the buttocks

468. The little bumps on the surface of a table tennis paddle are called pips

469. A "quidnunc" is a person who is eager to know the latest news and gossip

470. The 'v' in the name of a court case does not stand for 'versus', but for 'and' (in civil proceedings) or 'against' (in criminal proceedings)

471. The ZIP in Zip-code stands for Zoning Improvement Plan

472. In genealogy, the female side of the family is called the distaff side the male side is the spear side.

473. If you are taking a class in pistology, you are not studying pistols, but rather, faith.

474. The science of determining characteristic traits by examining a person's shoes is scarpology

475. The study of stupidity is called 'monology'

476. The search for the existence of ghosts is Eidology

477. The study of word origins is called etymology

478. Synesthesia is a rare condition in which the senses are combined.

479. Synesthetes see words, taste colors and shapes and feel flavors.

480. Groaking is to watch people eating food hoping they'll offer you some.

481. The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P

482. The little hole in the sink that lets the water drain out, instead of flowing over the side, is called a "porcelator"

483. The 'You are here' arrow on a map is called the IDEO locator.

484. The term Cop comes from Constable on Patrol, which is a term used in England.

485. Colgate faced a big obstacle marketing toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries. Colgate translates into the command "go hang yourself."

486. The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called aglets.

487. A person who collects teddy bears is called an archtophilist.

488. The term karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese.

489. TOP

490. Sports/Games:

491. Most soccer players run 7 miles in a game.

492. Holes in a golf course must be 4.25 inches in diameter, and at least 4 inches deep.

493. In tennis, zero points is referred to as love, which is possibly derived from the French word for egg, l'oeuf, referring to the physical appearance of the number zero.

494. The Olympic was the sister ship of the Titanic, and she provided twenty-five years of service.

495. The sport with the most number of officials with relation to players is tennis. There are 13 officials for two players.

496. The spots on dice are called "pips."

497. If you add up all the number on a roulette wheel, that is 1through 36, you get '666', the biblical number of fallen man.

498. The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail (HP), India, 2444 mt above sea level

499. The Australian term for extras in cricket are 'sundries'

500. Since 1896, the beginning of the modern Olympics, only Greece and Australia have participated in every Games

501. In 1935, Jesse Owens broke 4 world records in 45 minutes

502. The metal instrument used in shoe stores to measure feet is called the Brannock device

503. Sunbeams that shine down through clouds are called crepuscular rays

504. TOP

505. Animal Kingdom:

506. Bats always turn left when exiting a cave.

507. Sharks have no air bladders, so they must swim constantly or they'll sink.

508. Cockroaches can go without eating for three months, as long as they have water.

509. Birds are largely unaffected by spicy things, like chillies, as they are not sensitive to capsaicin, the hot stuff in chilies.

510. The male penguin incubates the single egg laid by his mate. During the two month period he does not eat, and will lose up to 40% of his body weight.

511. "Mako sharks" show cannibalistic tendencies while still in mother's womb; older embryos will eat the younger embryos and eggs.

512. Dalmatians are born without spots.

513. Birds do not sleep in their nests. They may occasionally nap in them, but they actually sleep in other places.

514. The owl is the only bird to drop its upper eyelid to wink. All other birds raise their lower eyelids.

515. "Sanguinary ants" raid the nests of other ant tribes, kill the queen, and kidnap many of the workers

516. Frogs do not need to drink water as they absorb the water through their skin.

517. Humans, Ants and Chimpanzees are the only organisms that wage organized warfare.

518. The penguin is the only bird that can swim but can't fly.

519. Kiwis are the only birds that hunt by smell.

520. Ninety percent of all species that have become extinct have been birds.

521. The elephant is the only mammal with four knees.

522. Elephants are the only animals that can't jump.

523. Mosquitoes are attracted to the color blue twice as much as any other color

524. There are twice as many kangaroos in Australia as there are people.

525. Centipedes always have an uneven pairs of walking legs.

526. Roosters cannot crow if they cannot extend their necks.

527. Male and female giraffes tend to eat from different parts of a tree to ensure that the sexes do not compete for food.

528. The albatross can glide on air currents for several days and can even sleep while in flight.

529. A crocodile always grows new teeth to replace the old teeth.

530. Bulls are colorblind, it is the motion of the cape which angers them.

531. Giraffes rarely sleep more than 20 minutes a day

532. Not a single new livestock animal has been domesticated in the last 4,000 years.

533. Honeybees navigate using the sun as a compass, even when it is hidden behind clouds

534. An ant can survive for up to two weeks underwater.

535. Eel-skin wallets have been known to demagnetize credit cards

536. In the magic world of seahorses it is the male who gets pregnant and has the babies.

537. A blind Chameleon is still able to change colours to match its environment.

538. Spiders inject their victims with a chemical that dissolves them. Then the spiders drink their lunch with their mouths which are soda straw-like.

539. When hippos are upset, their sweat turns red.

540. If you cut the head off a cockroach, it will continue to live for up to many more weeks.

541. Male mosquitoes are vegetarians. Only female bites.

542. A cheetah can accelerate from 0 to 70 km/h in 2 seconds

543. Nine out of every 10 living things live in the ocean

544. Sharks never get sick, as far as is known, they are immune to every known disease including cancer

545. Sharks will eat anything. The only exception, is that they will not eat anything in the vicinity of where they give birth. This is because they are so stupid, this is the only way nature protects them from accidentally eating their own babies

546. If a drop of liquor gets on a scorpion, it will immediately commit suicide with its own stinger

547. The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight

548. Female black widow spiders eat their husbands after mating. That's how they got that name

549. All shrimp are born male, but slowly grow into females as they mature

550. Frogs never drink. They absorb water from their surroundings by osmosis

551. About 70% of all organisms in the world are Bacteria

552. Male bats have the highest rate of homosexuality of any mammal

553. Ants stretch when they wake up. They also appear to yawn in a very human manner before taking up the tasks of the day

554. To make half a kilo of honey, bees must collect nectar from over 2 million individual flowers

555. Fish that live more than 800 meters below the ocean surface don't have eyes

556. Tiger Snake of Australia is the most poisonous snake in the world. 1 mg of its venom is enough to kill a man

557. The common silkworm has eleven brains. It only uses five of them.

558. A newborn kangaroo is about 1 inch in length.

559. Cats, camels and giraffes are the only animals in the world that walk right foot, right foot, left foot, left foot, rather than right foot, left foot

560. Polar bears are the only mammal with hair on the soles of its feet

561. A monotreme is a mammal that lays eggs but suckles its young on milk once they have hatched

562. Flamingos get their pink color from the shrimp they eat. The more shrimp they eat the deeper pink they become

563. Water based mammals like dolphins and whales swish their tails up and down. Only fish move them sideways

564. A lion's roar can be heard from five miles away

565. Snails can sleep for 3 years without eating

566. Termites eat wood twice as fast when listening to heavy metal music

567. Dolphins don't automatically breath; they have to tell themselves to do it

568. Ostriches stick their heads into the sand to find underground drinking water

569. Pigeons can be killed by feeding them uncooked rice, either coz their stomach can't handle the carbohydrates or it swells in their throats and chokes them

570. The two-foot long bird called a Kea that lives in New Zealand likes to eat the strips of rubber around car windows!

571. To make just one pound of honey, bees must collect nectar from over two million seperate flowers

572. Cuban bee hummingbird is the smallest hummingbird, only 57 mm (2¼ in) long and half of this is tail and bill. It weighs less than 2 g and is the smallest warm-blooded animal

573. The color white in the animal kingdom means 'danger' or 'caution'. On safari in Africa it is recommended not to wear white because it can scare away the animals

574. Cockroach can detect movement as small as 2,000 times the diameter of a hydrogen atom

575. The cockroach is the fastest animal on 6 legs, covering a meter a second

576. The cockroach has a high resistance to radiation and is the creature most likely to survive a nuclear war

577. The only 2 animals that can see behind itself without turning it's head are the rabbit and the parrot

578. Did you know that a giraffe can kill a lion with one kick

579. A sea urchin walks on the tips of its teeth

580. Humans are the only animals to sleep on their backs

581. Perfume is frequently made from - among other things- a slippery, musky substance called Ambergris which is vomited up by certain species of whales from time to time

582. The female angler-fish weights up to half a ton. The male, however, is only a few millimeters long, and spends his whole life attached to her nose

583. The Panda bear is expected to become extinct by about 2040, barring a drastic change of events

584. Hummingbirds are the only animal that can fly backwards

585. Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants

586. It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky

587. Elephants have been known to remain standing after they die

588. The embryos of tiger sharks fight each other while in their mother's womb, the survivor being the baby shark that is born

589. A crocodile can't move its tongue and cannot chew. Its digestive juices are so strong that it can digest a steel nail.

590. The heart of a blue whale is the size of a small car. The tongue of a blue whale is as long as an elephant

591. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes

592. Giraffes are unable to cough

593. Dolphins swim in circles while they sleep with the eye on the outside of the circle open to keep watch for predators. After a certain amount of time they reverse and swim in the opposite direction with the opposite eye open

594. A newborn turkey chick has to be taught to eat, or it will starve

595. Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue.

596. A hippopotamus can run faster than a man.

597. It would take 27,000 spiders, each spinning a single web, to produce a pound of web

598. A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body

599. A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second

600. Ants don't sleep

601. Aphids are born pregnant without the benefit of sex. Aphids can give birth 10 days after being born themselves

602. Camel milk does not curdle.

603. Each day in the US, animal shelters are forced to destroy 30,000 dogs and cats

604. German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed of dogs.

605. Large kangaroos cover more than 30 feet with each jump

606. It takes forty minutes to hard boil an ostrich egg

607. It takes a lobster approximately seven years to grow to be one pound

608. No two spider webs are the same
609. It takes 35 to 65 minks to produce the average mink coat. The numbers for other types of fur coats are: beaver - 15; fox - 15 to 25; ermine - 150; chinchilla - 60 to 100

610. In its entire lifetime, the average worker bee produces 1/12th teaspoon of honey.

611. The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat

612. The Pacific Giant Octopus, the largest octopus in the world, grows from the size of pea to a 150 pound behemoth potentially 30 feet across in only two years, its entire life-span.

613. The penalty for killing a cat, 4,000 years ago in Egypt, was death.

614. The fastest -moving land snail, the common garden snail, has a speed of 0.0313 mph.

615. Swans are the only birds with penises

616. Snails produce a colorless, sticky discharge that forms a protective carpet under them as they travel along. The discharge is so effective that they can crawl along the edge of a razor without cutting themselves

617. The animal responsible for the most human deaths world-wide is the mosquito.

618. The dachshund is one of the oldest dog breeds in history (dating back to ancient Egypt.) The name comes from one of its earliest uses - hunting badgers. In German, Dachs means "badger," Hund is "hound."

619. A zebra is white with black stripes

620. The turkey was named for what was wrongly thought to be its country of origin

621. The venom of a female black widow spider is more potent than that of a rattlesnake

622. The world's largest mammal, the blue whale, weighs 50 tons at birth. Fully grown, it weighs as much as 150 tons

623. There are more insects in one square mile of rural land than there are human beings on the entire earth

624. When a female horse and male donkey mate, the offspring is called a mule, but when a male horse and female donkey mate, the offspring is called a hinny

625. When a queen bee lays the fertilized eggs that will develop into new queens, only one of the newly laid queens actually survives. The first new queen that emerges from her cell destroys all other queens in their cells and, thereafter, reigns alone

626. When ants find food, they lay down a chemical trail, called a pheromone, so that other ants can find their way from the nest to the food source

627. If an octopus is hungry enough, it will eat its own arms.

628. Insects consume 10% of the world's food supply every year

629. The placement of a donkey's eyes in its' heads enables it to see all four feet at all times

630. The longest recorded flight of a chicken is 13 seconds!

631. Cat's urine glows under a black-light!

632. The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1

633. Research indicates that mosquitoes are attracted to people who have recently eaten bananas.

634. Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning strike.

635. Over 10000 birds a year die from smashing into windows

636. The Puffer Fish contains a poison that is 500 times deadlier than cyanide, yet it's a delicacy in Japan.

637. India has no rabbits in the wild – only hares

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