Humans are the only species that demonstrates a strong preference for right-handedness across the species -- about 90% of all humans are right hand dominant
The fresh, living human brain is very soft and jelly-like, and a deep red -- it only appears firm and gray after being preserved
Benjamin Franklin invented the rocking chair
The only exterior parts of a human that do not sweat are the fingernails, toenails, the upper earlobes, the head of the penis, and the center portion of the lips of the mouth
Before Barack Obama, no U.S. president had had brown eyes
A single molecule of DNA could stretch to over three feet long
The equator passes through 13 countries: Ecuador, Columbia, Brazil, Gabon, Sao Tome and Principe, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, Maldives, Indonesia, and Kiribati
Museum of... and where to find it...
Bad Art --- Dedham, MA
Angels --- Beloit, WI
Asphalt --- Rohnert Part, CA
Baking --- Manhattan, KA
Bananas --- Auburn, WA
Barbed Wire --- Lacrosse, KA
Bathroom Fixtures --- Worcester, MA
Fasteners --- Julian, CA
KKK and Rednecks --- Laurens, SC
Mustard --- Mount Horeb, WI
Pez Dispensers --- Burlingane, CA
Pretzels --- Philadelphia, PA
Sand --- Freeport, ME
Sandpaper --- Two Harbors, MN
Sewing Machines --- Arlington, TX
Snowmobiles --- Saymer, WI
SPAM --- Austin, MN
Telephones --- Leslie, GA
A dragonfly can fly as fast backwards as forwards
Technical term for an "ice cream headache": Spheno Palatine Gangleoneuroalgia
Ice is a mineral
By age 60, most humans have lost half their taste buds
A full moon always rises at sunset
Clouds fly higher during the day than at night
Animals listed in order by number of neurons in their brain:
Human --- 100 billion
Rat --- 21 million
Elephant --- 20 million
Whale --- 20 million
Frog --- 16 million
Octopus --- 3 million
Cat --- 2 million
Cockroach --- 1 million
Fruit Fly --- 100,000
Honey Bee --- 850,000
Ant --- 10,000
The condom is named after Charles Condom (1630-1685), who had devoted much of his life's work to making a prophylactic that was comfortable for men to use
USA at a Glance:
Protestant: 51.3%
Roman Catholic: 23.9%
Mormon: 1.7%
Jewish: 1.7%
Other Christian: 1.6%
Buddhist: 0.7%
Mulsim: 0.6%
Unspecified: 2.5%
Unaffiliated: 12.1%
Atheist: 4%
- Since 1975, nearly all gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households
- Imported oil accounts for 2/3 of U.S. consumption - largest importer is Canada, largest consumer is U.S. military
- Population below federal poverty line: 13%
- Population without health care coverage of any kind: 46.5 million
- Exports: Canada- 22%; Mexico- 12.9%; Japan- 5.8%; China- 5.3%; U.K.- 4.4%
- Imports: Canada- 16%; China- 15.9%; Mexico- 10.4%; Japan- 7.9%; Germany- 4.8%
- National unemployment rate (July 2009): 9.7%
- U.S. population: approximately 350 million (we'll know for sure when the Census is complete)
- 50 million reside in rural areas, 255 million in urban areas, 45 million in suburban areas
- Per capita income: $36,714 ($27,670- rural - $43,624- urban)
- Median age: 36.7 years
- 950,000 living with HIV/AIDS
- Land line telephones: 172 million
- Cellular/Mobile telephones: 233 million
- Televisions: 297 million
- Internet users: 208 million (Fastest growing group is women over age 50)
- Airports: 14,947
- Number of U.S. veterans who will sleep homeless tonight: about 70,000
- Overall homeless population on any given day in the United States: 1 million (1/3 under age 15)
