More Facts '07

12/26/07 - American billionaire Ross Perot tried to airlift 28 tons of medicine and Christmas gifts to American POW's in North Vietnam in 1969.

12/22/07 - Jesus Christ, son of Mary, was born in a cave, not in a wooden stable. Caves were used to keep animals in because of the intense heat. A large church is now built over the cave, and people can go down inside the cave. The carpenters of Jesus' day were really stone cutters. Wood was not used as widely as it is today. So whenever you see a Christmas nativity scene with a wooden stable -- that's the "American" version, not the Biblical one.

12/20/07 - During the ancient 12-day Christmas celebration, the log burned was called the "Yule log." Sometimes a piece of the Yule log would be kept to kindle the fire the following winter, to ensure that the good luck carried on from year to year. The Yule log custom was handed down from the Druids.

12/14/07 - Murphy's Oil Soap is the chemical most commonly used to clean elephants.

12/13/07 - The oldest recipe in existence is a recipe for beer.

12/12/07 - Your thumb is the same length as your nose.

12/11/07 - Woodward Avenue in Detroit, Michigan carries the designation as M-1 because it was the first paved road anywhere in the world.

12/10/07 - Charles Dickens' initial choice for Scrooge's statement "Bah Humbug" was "Bah Christmas."

12/06/07 - Nose prints are the most reliable way of identifying dogs.

12/04/07 - New Zealand is the only country that contains every type of climate in the world.

12/03/07 - Tasmania has the cleanest air in the inhabited world.

12/02/07 - An elephants trunk can hold four gallons of water.

12/01/07 - During the Christmas/Hanukkah season, more than 1.76 billion candy canes will be made.

11/30/07 - The driest place on earth is a series of valleys near Ross Island in Antarctica, where for at least the last two million years no rain has fallen.

11/28/07 - A quarter of all mammal species are bats.

11/26/07 - Electric Christmas tree lights were first used in 1895. The idea for using electric Christmas lights came from an American, Ralph E. Morris. The new lights proved safer than the traditional candles.

11/17/07 - Cats in Halifax, Nova Scotia have a very high probability of having six toes.

11/13/07 - Two thousand pounds of space dust and other debris fall on earth everyday.

11/11/07 - A fully mature oak tree sheds about seven hundred thousand leaves a year.

11/09/07 - Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

11/08/07 - The only vegetable or fruit never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh ~ Lettuce.

11/05/07 - The blood of an octopus is pale bluish green

10/27/08 - Gambrinous is a word meaning "being full of beer."

10/27/07 - The Australian slang term hooloo means good-bye.

10/25/07 - Richard Gere's middle name is Tiffany.

10/24/07 - Very tall buildings naturally lean toward the course of the sun.

10/21/07 - According to the Bible there are twelve pearly gates.

10/17/07 - Of the 102 people on board the Mayflower, thirteen of them were named John.

10/16/07 - Virginia Wolf wrote all her books standing up.

10/11/07 - Peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.

10/08/07 - Each year the moon's orbit moves about one and a half inches away from the earth.

10/07/07 - Rip Van Winkle's dog was called Victor.

10/05/07 - Camel milk is the only milk that doesn't curdle when boiled.

10/04/07 - Owls are the only birds that can see the color blue.

10/03/07 - The real Butch Cassidy did not die in Bolivia but returned home, minus the Sundance Kid, and became an adding-machine manufacturer.

10/01/07 - A squirrel will break the shell of a nut with its teeth, then clean the nut by licking it or rubbing on its face before it is buried. This action applies a scent to the nut which helps the squirrel find it later, even under a foot of snow.

09/30/07 - A can of Spam is opened every 4 seconds.

09/28/07 - Shirley Temple always had fifty-six curls in her hair.

09/27/07 - Cats have five pads on their front feet and only four on their back feet.

09/26/07 - A cat has four rows of whiskers.

09/25/07 - A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.

09/22/07 - Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour.

09/21/07 - Attila the Hun died of a nosebleed on his wedding night in AD 453.

09/20/07 - When you sneeze all your bodily functions stop... including the heart.

09/19/07 - Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

09/12/07 - The human tooth has about 55 miles of canals in it.

09/11/07 - A four year old child asks an average of 437 questions a day.

09/10/11 - Most elephants weigh less than the tongue of the blue whale.

09/09/07 - Compact discs read from the inside to the outside edge..the reverse of how a record works.

09/08/07 - Before he became a comedian Bob Hope was a boxer known as Packy East.

09/07/07 - A bird has to fly a minimum speed of 11 miles per hour to be able to keep itself aloft.

09/05/07 - On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year.

09/03/07 - The sweat glands of a tree squirrel are located on their feet, between the foot pads and on their paws between the toes. When hot or excited a squirrel will leave wet tracks on a dry surface. This scent is also used to mark the trees in their territory.

09/02/07 - Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times.

08/30/07 - Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats could have over a million descendants.

08/29/07 - The word "assassination" was invented by Shakespeare.

08/28/07 - The term "throw one's hat in the ring" comes from boxing, where throwing a hat into the ring once signified a challenge. Today it nearly always signifies political candidacy.

08/27/07 - The term "honeymoon" is derived from the Babylonians who declared mead, a honey-flavored wine, the official wedding drink, stipulating that the bride's parents be required to keep the groom supplied with the drink for the month following the wedding.

08/16/07 - So far this year, wildfires have burned 594,572 acres in Idaho.

08/15/07 - People spray WD-40 on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.

08/13/07 - A squirrels teeth grow continuously. Their incisor's will grow six inches per year, but stay short due to the constant wear they receive.

08/12/07 - A female squirrel will choose the strongest male during mating season, but is unlikely to breed with that male again. This is natures way of reducing inbreeding, and to preserve the species.

08/07/07 - The placement of a donkey's eyes in its head enables it to see all four feet at all times.

07/31/07 - The Poe Cabin fire has burned 54,000 acres and is 55 percent contained. This fire is 23 miles southwest of Grangeville.

07/30/07 - For paper cuts use crazy glue or chap stick.

07/29/07 - If you counted 24 hours a day, it would take 31,688 years to reach one trillion.

07/28/07 - The term "devil's advocate" comes from the Roman Catholic Church. When deciding if someone should be sainted, a devil's advocate is always appointed to give an alternative view.

07/24/07 - The term "dog days" has nothing to do with dogs. It dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun from July3 to August 11, creating exceptionally high temperatures. The Romans called the period dies caniculares, or "days of the dog."

07/18/07 - The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.

07/15/07 - A "Blue Moon" is the second full moon in a calendar month (it is rarely blue).

07/07/07 - The basic ingredient in WD-40 is fish oil.

07/06/07 - The word 'news' did not come about because it was the plural of 'new.' It came from the first letters of the words North, East, West and South. This was because information was being gathered from all different directions.

06/29/07 - The side of a hammer is a cheek.

06/28/07 - "Rhythms" is the longest English word without the normal vowels, a, e, i, o, or u.

06/11/07 - The term, "It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye" is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during wrestling matches was, "No eye gouging." Everything else was allowed, but the only way to be disqualified is to poke someone's eye out.

06/07/07 - Theodore Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to deliver an inaugural address without using the word "I". Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower tied for second place, using "I" only once in their inaugural addresses.

06/04/07 - The "O" when used as a prefix in Irish surnames means "descendant of."

05/30/07 - The ZIP in Zip-code stands for "Zoning Improvement Plan."

05/24/07 - In 1945 a computer at Harvard malfunctioned and Grace Hopper, who was working on the computer, investigated, found a moth in one of the circuits and removed it. Ever since, when something goes wrong with a computer, it is said to have a bug in it.

05/18/07 - The right side of a boat was called the starboard side due to the fact that the astronavigators used to stand out on the plank (which was on the right side) to get an unobstructed view of the stars. The left side was called the port side because that was the side that you put in on at the port.

05/15/07 - In the 19th century, craftsmen who made hats were known to be excitable and irrational, as well as to tremble with palsy and mix up their words. Such behavior gave rise to the familiar expression "mad as a hatter". The disorder, called hatter's shakes, was caused by chronic mercury poisoning from the solution used to treat the felt. Attacking the central nervous system, the toxin led to behavioral symptoms.

05/13/07 - Frank Wright, an employee of Allen's at the original store in Lodi, became Allen's business partner, and in 1922, the drink took its official name from the first letter of both men's last names. In 1971, A&W root beer hit the shelves at local grocery stores.

05/11/07 - The very first A&W root beer stand opened its doors in June of 1919 in Lodi, California. Roy Allen purchased the formula for the heady brew from a pharmacist in Arizona, mixed up a batch, and sold it for a nickel a mug. The restaurant was a success, and Allen opened a second location in Sacramento.

05/03/07 - The water in the Salton is 25% saltier than the ocean.

05/02/07 - The Salton Sea was created in 1905 when flood waters from the Colorado River burst past a series of dams and settled in a naturally salty depression more than 228 feet below sea level.

05/01/07 - The word "honcho" comes from a Japanese word meaning "squad leader" and first came into usage in the English language during the American occupation of Japan following World War II.

04/30/07 - The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th Century England. During heavy downpours of rain, many of these poor animals unfortunately drowned and their bodies would be seen floating in the rain torrents that raced through the streets. The situation gave the appearance that it had literally rained "cats and dogs" and led to the current expression.

04/29/07 - Second string, meaning replacement or backup, comes from the middle ages. An archer always carried a second string in case the one on his bow broke.

04/24/07 - The phrase "sleep tight" originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to tighten the rope.

04/22/07 - In the United States, approximately seven billion pounds of chocolate and candy are manufactured each year.

04/20/07 - 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.

04/18/07 - Some horticulturists suspect that the banana was the earth's first fruit. Banana plants have been in cultivation since the time of recorded history. One of the first records of bananas dates back to Alexander the Great's conquest of India where he first discovered bananas in 327 B.C.

04/16/07 - The Republic of Ireland is about the same size as West Virginia.

04/12/07 - "Kemo Sabe" means "soggy shrub" in Navajo.

04/10/07 - A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.

04/09/07 - The first US Marines wore high leather collars to protect their necks from sabres, hence the name "leathernecks."

04/08/07 - The first brand of Wrigley's chewing gum was called "Vassar", after the New England woman's college. Next were "Lotta" and "Sweet Sixteen Orange."

04/04/07 - Ohio is the only US state without a rectangular flag. Ohio's flag is a pennant.

04/03/07 - Squirrels communicate through a series of chirps. The frequency, and the duration of the notes communicate everything from laughter to alarm. Their frequency range is normally between .01 KHz. and 10 KHz. These sounds when used in conjunction with tail gestures, form the basis for squirrel communication.

03/29/07 - Hawaii has the only royal palace in the United States - Iolani.

03/23/07 - One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year.

03/21/07 - Morphine was given its name in 1803 by the discoverer, a 20 year old German pharmacist named Friedrich Saturner. He named it after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams.

03/20/07 - California's Frank Epperson invented the Popsicle in 1905 when he was 11-years-old.

03/15/07 - Almonds are the oldest, most widely cultivated and extensively used nuts in the world.

03/14/07 - Approximately 850 peanuts make a 18 oz jar of peanut butter.

03/13/07 - Bats have only one baby a year.

03/12/07 - There is one slot machine in Las Vegas for every eight inhabitants.

03/11/07 - John Jay was the first United States Supreme Court Chief Justice. The year was 1789.

02/22/07 - In M&M candies, the letters stand for Mars and Murrie, the developers of the candy in 1941.

02/21/07 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992. The vehicle weighed in at 6,300 lbs and was 7 feet wide.

02/20/07 - James Madison, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, was the shortest president of the US. Abraham Lincoln was the tallest at six feet, 4 inches.

02/19/07 - There's no doubt about it: cats sure know how to sleep. Although the amount of time spent napping varies from cat to cat, and depends on the cat's age and personality, felines spend an average of 13 to 16 hours each day curled up in slumber. Only the opossum and the bat sleep more – napping away almost 20 hours a day.

02/18/07 - For a long time people assumed that cats could see only gray tones. In the meantime we have learned that they can distinguish between some colors: for example, red and green or yellow and blue. Colors do not play a major role in a cat's life. A cat's eye orients itself to light and dark. It acts like a camera. In bright sunshine the pupils contract; at dusk they expand and catch even the tiniest glimpse of light. In this way your cat sees about six times better than you do .Cats can also "hear" with their eyes. Cats' eyes have nerve cells that transmit to the brain sounds that the ears no longer perceive. That's how even blind cats can catch flies.

02/17/07 - Sea water is approximately 3.5 percent salt.

02/16/07 - An average beaver can cut down two hundred trees a year.

02/11/07 - A Holstein's spots are like a fingerprint or snowflake. No two cows have exactly the same pattern of spots.

02/07/07 - Aspirin went on sale as the first pharmaceutical drug in 1899, after Felix Hoffman, a German chemist at the drug company Bayer, successfully modified Salicylic Acid, a compound found in willow bark to produce Aspirin.

02/06/07 - Aunt Jemima pancake flour, invented in 1889, was the first ready-mix food to be sold commercially.

02/05/07 - German chocolate cake did not originate in Germany. In 1852, Sam German developed a sweet baking bar for Baker's Chocolate Co. The product was named in honor of him -- Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate.

02/01/07 - The puma and the leopard are the highest jumping mammals. They are able to reach a height of 16.5 feet.

01/31/07 - 84% of a raw apple is water.

01/30/07 - A honey bee must tap two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

01/29/07 - A cluster of bananas is called a hand and consists of 10 to 20 bananas, which are known as fingers.

01/28/07 - Abraham Lincoln, who invented a hydraulic device for lifting ships over shoals, was the only US president ever granted a patent.

01/27/07 - Ireland is the ninth most oil-dependent economy in the world.

01/20/07 - A Cornish game hen is really a young chicken, usually 5 to 6 weeks of age, that weighs no more than 2 pounds.

01/19/07 - The Denver Children's hospital has 80 pet volunteers. I hope some of them are cats!

01/18/07 - Tourists visiting Iceland should know that tipping at a restaurant is considered an insult.

01/17/07 - The gray squirrels diet consists of nuts, seeds and fruit. It will eat bird eggs, bugs, and even an animal carcass if there is no other food source available.

01/16/07 - Tablecloths were originally meant to be served as towels with which dinner guests could wipe their hands and faces after eating.

01/15/07 - Ireland has the second highest number of lawyers per capita in the world - after the United States.

01/12/07 - Squirrels are the most active in late winter, when the mating season begins. The males will chase a females, as well as, chase off other suitors. This ritual of chasing, occurs through the trees at top speed.

01/09/07 - WD-40 literally stands for Water Displacement, 40th attempt. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts.

01/08/07 - A squirrel's brain is about the size of a walnut.

01/06/07 - In the summer squirrels are most active two to three hours after sunrise, then they'll rest in the afternoon. Resuming activity again two hours before sunset. The squirrel will retire to its nest well before dark, and will rarely leave the nest in the dark. In the winter, the squirrel will complete its activities between dawn and mid- day, and will remain in or around the nest until the next day.