The San Andreas Fault, which runs north-south, is slipping at a rate of about 2 inches per year causing the city of Los Angeles to move toward the city of San Francisco -- scientists predict that within 15 million years, these two cities will merge
At the end of the 20th century, 90% of data on Africa was stored in Europe and the U.S.
It took radio broadcasts 38 years to reach an audience of 50 million; it took television 13 years to reach an audience that large and the Internet just 4 years
Globally, for every one dollar spent on development assistance to the poorest nations, ten dollars are spent on military budgets
Currently, 2 bullets exist for every person on Earth and 1 gun for every 10 people
In Ireland, consumers used 1.2 billion plastic bags a year (316 per person) until 2002, when a plastic bag consumption tax was enacted that reduced use by 90% -- as a result, about 18 million liters of petroleum have been saved
Introduced just 25 years ago, more than 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide each year -- these petroleum-based products do not biodegrade, they photodegrade by breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways around the world
Number of alcoholics worldwide, as estimated by the World Health Organization: 76.3 million
U.S. Population:
--15 to 64 years (66%)
--under 15 years (21%)
--over 64 years (13%)
DECIBEL SOUND SCALE:
Decibels -- Sound
180 -- Rocket launching pad
140 -- Jet plane
140 -- Gunshot blast
130 -- Pain threshold
120 -- Discomfort
120 -- Automobile horn
90 -- Subway/Metro
80 -- Noisy restaurant
75 -- Busy automobile traffic
66 -- Normal conversation
50 -- Average home
30 -- Whisper
About 147 million people (2.5% of world population) consumes marijuana each year -- people in nearly every country admit to using marijuana at some point in their lives
Thousands of years ago, the Ancient Persians thought the Earth was flat and conceived of it as a stone tablet -- they later postulated that it might be an egg since all life came from it -- shortly after this formulation, they returned to believing the Earth was flat since no one had slid off the egg's surface
In 1462, Pope Pius II declared that baptized Africans should not be enslaved
French philosopher Voltaire predicted that within 100 years of his lifetime Christianity would be obsolete -- 50 years after his death, the Geneva Bible Society began using Voltaire's former printing press and publishing house to produce Bibles
The first six months of our calendar have 181 days, while the last six months have 184 days -- on July 2 at Noon, you are exactly halfway through the year
Proportionally and compared to other primates, human males have massive genitalia
THE SCIENTISTS BEHIND THE SCIENCE:
- Richard Feyman was a physicist and part of the Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb -- his hobby was picking locks
- Jack Parsons co-founded the Jet Propulsion Laboratory despite having no formal education -- in his spare time he practiced magic and claimed he was the Anti-Christ -- he died by accidentally blowing himself up during a lab experiment in his home in 1952
- Nikola Tesla, credited with the invention of the wireless radio and the AC generator that kick-started the electrical age, was born in 1856 during a violent lightning storm
- Albert Einstein did not speak until the age of 3 and did not speak fluently until age 9, by which time his parents feared he was mentally retarded -- he never memorized his home telephone number or learned to drive a car, and after age 30 refused to wear socks ever again
- Dr. Kellogg declared sexual desire was an illness and invented corn flakes as a treatment and remedy in the 1930s-- the initial lack of flavor of his invention made his product unpopular and only after adding flavor did Kellogg's Corn Flakes become a leading cereal brand
- Born and raised in Germany's Castle Frankenstein, 17th century alchemist Johann Dippel became noted as the inventor of Prussian Blue, one of the first synthetic chemical dyes -- he became even more famous for his endless search for immortality and rumors of his experiments on corpses -- he was the inspiration for Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein"
- Charles Richter, the American scientist who developed the Richter Scale to measure the strength of earthquakes, was an avid nudist, which ultimately led to his divorce once his wife realized she could not dissuade his insistence on frequent nude parties at their home and his unwillingness to wear clothing unless in public
In a recent study, crickets on the Atkins diet were found to be exceptionally persistent in seeking a sexual mate, and began calling for a mate at a younger age than is typical -- they also died much sooner than normal after expending so much of their energy seeking sexual partners -- this was only true for the males, however, and the females, who also called for sex as frequently as the males did not die any sooner than is typical for a cricket
75% of commercial fishing catch will be used to feed people -- the remaining 25% is used to make products such as glue, soap, lip sticks, and fertilizer
A recent study revealed that over 80% of millionaires drive pre-owned cars
Number of millionaires globally: more than 7 million (most are Americans - 1 out of 3)
The praying mantis is the only insect that can turn its head
You have a greater chance of being infected with flesh-eating virus than being struck by lightning -- unless you are living in Cuba
The more than 4,600 species of mammals represent 0.3% of animals in the world
Summer on Uranus lasts 21 years, and so does winter
In 1653, New York City had one lawyer, Adriaan van der Donck
Your likelihood of being shot and killed during a bank robbery is highest if you are the robber
Scientists recently discovered that Florida, USA and Hudson Bay in Canada are getting about 1 inch closer every 36 years
The average bra is designed for 180 days of use
Besides the genitals and breasts, the inner nose of the human is the only other body part that routinely swells during sex
Six 8-studded Lego pieces can be combined into 102,981,500 different configurations
33 nipples are visible in Madonna's music video for the song "Vogue"
In the time it took you to read this sentence, five babies were born
When folding their arms across their chest, 7 out of 10 people cross their left arm over their right
The "You Are Here" arrow on a map or directory is called an "ideolocator"
Soldiers from every country salute with their right hand
Ants stretch when they wake up from sleep
Your nose takes up 7% of your face
