Somebody mailed me a list of "Sixty Amazing-but-True Facts"
which I was very interested in reading. I'm always on the
lookout for bizarre "factoids" that I can share with you.
The first few were certainly bizarre, but seemingly within
the realm of reality, such as, "Male rhesus monkeys often
hang from tree branches by their amazing prehensile
penises."
Or...
"SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or
below."
But after the first dozen they became so ridiculous as to
be completely unbelievable. However, they still have some
entertainment value. So I have listed a few of the high-
lights for you below.
------------------------------
-------
The first McDonald's restaurant opened for business in 1952
in Edinburgh, Scotland, and featured the McHaggis sandwich.
The typewriter was invented by Hungarian immigrant Qwert
Yuiop, who left his "signature" on the keyboard.
The volume of water that the Giant Sequoia tree consumes in
a 24-hour period contains enough suspended minerals to pave
17.3 feet of a 4-lane concrete freeway.
Because printed materials are being replaced by CD-ROMs,
microfiche and the Internet, libraries that previously sank
into their foundations under the weight of their books are
now in danger of collapsing in extremely high winds.
In 1843, a Parisian street mime got stuck in his imaginary
box and consequently died of starvation.
[This one I kind of believe.]
Until 1978, Camel cigarettes contained minute particles of
real camels.
University of Virginia researchers released a study
promoting the practice of nose picking, claiming that
the health benefits of keeping nasal passages free from
infectious blockages far outweigh the negative social
connotations.
If you put a bee in a film canister for two hours, it
will go blind and leave behind its weight in honey.
[Seems like somebody forgot about the Conservation of
Matter law.]
Due to the angle at which the optic nerve enters the brain,
staring at a blue surface during sex greatly increases the
intensity of orgasms.
[Get out the paint brushes and rollers, boys.]
In WWII the US military planned to airdrop over France
propaganda in the form of Playboy magazine, with coded
messages hidden in the models' turn-ons and turn-offs.
The plan was scrapped because of a staple shortage due
to rationing of metal.
[That would have been quite an achievement since Playboy
was founded by Hugh Hefner in 1953.]
Although difficult, it's possible to start a fire by
rapidly rubbing together two Cool Ranch Doritos.
which I was very interested in reading. I'm always on the
lookout for bizarre "factoids" that I can share with you.
The first few were certainly bizarre, but seemingly within
the realm of reality, such as, "Male rhesus monkeys often
hang from tree branches by their amazing prehensile
penises."
Or...
"SCUBA divers cannot pass gas at depths of 33 feet or
below."
But after the first dozen they became so ridiculous as to
be completely unbelievable. However, they still have some
entertainment value. So I have listed a few of the high-
lights for you below.
------------------------------
-------
The first McDonald's restaurant opened for business in 1952
in Edinburgh, Scotland, and featured the McHaggis sandwich.
The typewriter was invented by Hungarian immigrant Qwert
Yuiop, who left his "signature" on the keyboard.
The volume of water that the Giant Sequoia tree consumes in
a 24-hour period contains enough suspended minerals to pave
17.3 feet of a 4-lane concrete freeway.
Because printed materials are being replaced by CD-ROMs,
microfiche and the Internet, libraries that previously sank
into their foundations under the weight of their books are
now in danger of collapsing in extremely high winds.
In 1843, a Parisian street mime got stuck in his imaginary
box and consequently died of starvation.
[This one I kind of believe.]
Until 1978, Camel cigarettes contained minute particles of
real camels.
University of Virginia researchers released a study
promoting the practice of nose picking, claiming that
the health benefits of keeping nasal passages free from
infectious blockages far outweigh the negative social
connotations.
If you put a bee in a film canister for two hours, it
will go blind and leave behind its weight in honey.
[Seems like somebody forgot about the Conservation of
Matter law.]
Due to the angle at which the optic nerve enters the brain,
staring at a blue surface during sex greatly increases the
intensity of orgasms.
[Get out the paint brushes and rollers, boys.]
In WWII the US military planned to airdrop over France
propaganda in the form of Playboy magazine, with coded
messages hidden in the models' turn-ons and turn-offs.
The plan was scrapped because of a staple shortage due
to rationing of metal.
[That would have been quite an achievement since Playboy
was founded by Hugh Hefner in 1953.]
Although difficult, it's possible to start a fire by
rapidly rubbing together two Cool Ranch Doritos.