According to a survey by the National Mental Health Association (US), nearly half of all psychiatrists have been attacked by one of their patients
Anthropologists have discovered that the Incas and certain other pre-Columbian tribes in Peru developed the decimal system hundreds of years before it was used in Europe
Astronomers believe that the universe contains one atom for every 88 gallons of space
In New York City, Consolidated Edison has more than 80,500 miles (129,524 kilometers) of underground electrical cable in the city. Some of the power is purchased from Hydro-Quebec, a sprawling series of hydroelectric dams that harness the power of the La Grande River in northern Quebec and Ontario
Camel milk is the only milk that doesn't curdle when boiled
Men over the age of 24 without beards shave an average of six times a week
Laughing is aerobic: It provides a workout for the diaphragm and increases the body's ability to use oxygen
You blink every 2-10 seconds. As you focus on each word in this sentence, your eyes swing back and forth 100 times a second, and every second, the retina performs 10 billion computer-like calculations
A mature, well-established termite colony with as many as 60,000 members will eat only about one-fifth of an ounce of wood a day
Mice, whales, elephants, giraffes, and humans all have seven neck vertebra
The first toy product ever advertised on American television was Mr. Potato Head®. Introduced in 1952, Mr. Potato Head® took advantage of TV's explosive growth to gain access to tens of millions of newly "plugged-in" households
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| Original Mr. Potato Head game, 1952 |
A python can swallow a rabbit whole and may eat as many as 150 mice in a 6-month period
The human heart creates enough pressure when it pumps out to the body to squirt blood 30 feet
Mechanical clocks were invented in the late Middle Ages. The length of an hour had varied prior to that, depending on the time of year
Pope Julius II set the time of his coronation in 1503 according to astrological calculations, despite the fact that the church during the Renaissance frowned on the occult as bordering on heresy
The majestic Habsburg's Schounbraun Palace in Vienna has 1,441 rooms, of which 40 are opened to public tours. At age six, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart performed for the royals in this palace
While many people believe that a camel's humps are used for water storage, they are actually made up of fat. The hump of a well-rested, well-fed camel can weigh up to eighty pounds
Every day in the U.S., about a hundred people over the age of 14 commit suicide, a 50 percent "jump" in the last decade
A chicken will lay bigger and stronger eggs if you change the lighting in such a way as to make them think a day is 28 hours long
St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan religious order in 1209, was a layman born rich. When he embarked on a career of charity, his father disowned him
Noology derives from the Greek words νοῦς "mind" and λόγος "logos". Noology thus outlines a systematic study and organization of everything dealing with knowing and knowledge, i.e.: cognitive neuroscience. It is also used to describe the science of intellectual phenomena. It is the study of images of thought, their emergence, their genealogy, and their creation
Virginia Dare, born in 1587 on Roanoke Island, was the first child born of English parents in the New World
There are about 2 million sweat glands in the average human body. The average adult loses 540 calories with every liter of sweat. Men sweat about 40% more than women
Indonesia is the world's largest producer of liquefied natural gas
When potatoes first appeared in Europe in the 17th century, it was thought that they were disgusting and were blamed for starting outbreaks of leprosy and syphilis. As late as 1720 in America, eating potatoes was believed to shorten a person's life
The first successful parachute jump to be made from a moving airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1912
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| Barry poses on the left standing near the plane, while on the right he jumps with his parachute and a harness that provided an almost-seated position |
A snake's stomach is located in the front one-fifth portion of its body
All mammals have tongues
Sunbeams that shine down through clouds are called crepuscular rays
NEWS FEED:
At Clive's, of Victoria, British Columbia, Glenfiddich Scotch whiskey is only one ingredient in the signature
cocktail, "Cold Night In," which, according to a January New York Times review, combines "molecular mixology" and comfort food. An especially buttery grilled-cheese sandwich is soaked overnight in the Scotch, along with Mt. Gay rum and Lillet Blanc wine. Following a brief freeze to congeal any remaining fat, and double-straining, it is ready to serve--with a celery stick and other garnishments
Equal justice under the law might just depend simply on whether a judge's stomach is growling when he or she pronounces sentence, according to a study of 1,000 parole decisions during 50 courtroom days observed by students from Columbia University and Israel's Ben Gurion University for an April journal article. The students
found that, day after day, judges were increasingly stingy with parole as a morning or afternoon session wore on but that dramatic spikes in generosity took effect immediately following lunch or a snack break. The lead researcher, Columbia Prof. Jonathan Levav, expressed satisfaction with the scholarship but disappointment "as a citizen" with the findings
Motorist Joel Dobrin, 32, was pulled over in a traffic stop in February in Moro, Oregon and rushed to hide his alleged drug stash, which was in a sock. However, his dog intercepted the sock for an impromptu game of
dog-tug-of-war in the car. Dobrin won but lost his grip, and the sock flew out the driver's window, right in front of the officer. Dobrin was cited, and later indicted, for drug possession
Dalia Dippolito, 30, of Boynton Beach, Florida was convicted in May 2011 of hiring a hit man to kill her husband, but not before offering an ultra-modern defense: Her lawyer told the jury that it was all a fake scheme to pitch a reality-TV show about one spouse's ordering a hit on the other (and that her husband Michael had originally come up with the idea). As Dippolito's plan unfolded, her boyfriend alerted police, who set up a sting and witnessed Dippolito dictating exactly what she wanted done. (In fact, the sting itself was captured on video for the "Cops" TV show.) Michael denied any involvement, and the jury appeared not to give her story any credence
