Each day, 100 or more whales are killed by fishers - whale-killing is illegal in most areas of the world but Japan refuses to observe international moratoriums on whale-hunting
Early guns took so long to load and fire that bows and arrows — in trained hands — were twelve times more efficient
Medical experts have observed that people who stutter rarely do when they are alone or talking to a pet
The smallest post office in the United States is a converted 8-foot x 7-foot shed that serves the 200 families living in and around Ochopee, Florida, zip code 33843
Statistics based on more than a half-million births occurring in New York City hospitals between 1948 and 1957 show a significantly greater number of births taking place during the waning moon than during a waxing moon
With about 865 people per square mile, the island of Madeira is one of Europe's most densely populated regions
Sounds too low for human beings to hear are called infrasonic
"Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" was conceived by author Robert May in 1939. Two other names he considered before deciding on Rudolph were Reginald and Rollo
In the United States, sales of used household merchandise are called “rummage sales;” in Britain, they’re called “jumble sales”
Graffito is the little-used singular of the much used plural word graffiti
Aluminum, glass, and paper are the three materials most easy to recycle - countries that lead the developed world in recycling efforts are Switzerland, the UK, Denmark, and the US
The Roman Catholic population of the world is larger than that of all other Christian sects combined
The Popsicle was invented by 11-year-old Frank Epperson in 1905 in wintertime Michigan, USA. He left a container of soft drink and a stirrer outside overnight, and in the morning discovered them frozen together - he did not seek a patent right away, but in 1923 he began marketing the Epsicle, got his patent in 1924, and shortly after, in 1925, changed the name to Popsicle and sold the rights (Pictured below is a promotional sign circa 1925)
Inside an asbestos suit coated with aluminum, a fire fighter may experience a sweaty, but tolerable, 85 degrees to 100 degrees F, while attempting to extinguish an inferno of jet fuel raging at over 2,000 degrees
When commercial telephone service was introduced between New York and London in 1927, the first three minutes of a call cost $75.00
Leonardo da Vinci was the first to suggest using contact lenses to see back in 1508 in Codex of the eye, Manual D, where he described a method of directly altering corneal power by submerging the eye in a bowl of water (Pictured below is a copy of his sketch for the idea)
Diamonds were first mined in India over 4,000 years ago
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, launched his business career in 1969, at age 14 by forming a company named Lakeside Programming Group. Gates and his friend Paul Allen signed an agreement with Computer Center Corporation to report bugs in PDP-10 software, in exchange for computer time
A healthy adult human breathes almost 7 quarts of air every minute
Built in 1967, the world’s only flying saucer launching pad is in St. Paul, Alberta, Canada
A huge 52-foot-high (16-meter), fiberglass pineapple icon greets visitors outside The Big Pineapple, a huge pineapple plantation and tourist attraction at Queensland, Australia
Ales usually have a fuller flavor and body than lagers or pilsner. The length of time the malt is roasted determines the color and flavor of the ale. Pale ales have malts that are dried rather than roasted. Therefore, they have a light gold or copper color and a crisp, lighter flavor
In Japan they have square watermelons. They get square watermelons by growing them inside of square glass cases. That way they can fit easily into a refrigerator, and you can stack things on them. Square watermelons are expensive though (10,000 yen or about $82). Compare that to regular round watermelons which cost about $15-20 in Japan
Two-percent of the world's population have red hair
India has more mobile phones than toilets
Dysania is the state of finding it difficult to get out of bed in the morning
One typical human male ejaculation contains 150 mg of protein, 11 mg of carbohydrates, 6 mg of fat, 3 mg cholesterol, 7% of the US Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of potassium, 3% US RDA of zinc and copper. The protein is the equivalent of that found in one egg white
Breathing the air in Mumbai, India for just ONE DAY, is equivalent to smoking 2.5 packs of cigarettes
NEWS FEED:
Two hundred boredom "activists" gathered in London in December at James Ward's annual banal-apalooza conference, "Boring 2010," to listen to ennui-stricken speakers glorify all things dreary, including a demonstration of milk-tasting (in wine glasses, describing flavor and smoothness), charts breaking down the characteristics of a man's sneezes for three years, and a PowerPoint presentation on the color distribution and materials of a man's necktie collection from one year to the next. Another speaker's "My Relationship with Bus Routes" seemed well-received, also. Observed one attendee, to a Wall Street Journal reporter, "We're all overstimulated. I think it's important to stop all that for a while and see what several hours of being bored really feels like."
A sculpture on display at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, Minnesota, was stolen in December 2010. The piece, by artist John Ilg, consisted of wire mesh over a frame, with 316 rolled-up dollar bills stuffed in the mesh. The piece was titled, "Honesty." (When the piece was first presented, at the Minnesota State Fair, visitors liked it so much that they added rolled bills to the display.)
A 41-year-old woman, arrested in Callaway, Florida, in December 2010 for beating her husband with a rock,
explained that she was angry that he was endangering his health by smoking despite being ill. Said she, "A woman can only take so much."
Suspected of stealing scraps of copper in Riverside, Ohio, in December 2010: Jesus Christ Superstar Oloff, 33.
Arrested for sex abuse against a 6-year-old boy in Oklahoma City in October 2010: Lucifer Hawkins, 30.
On trial in December for extortion in Britain's Southwark Crown Court (threatening to reveal a sexual affair): Ms. Fuk Wu.
Sought as a suspect in a convenience store killing in Largo, Florida, in December (and an example of the highly revealing "Three First Names" theory of criminal liability), Mr. Larry Joe Jerry--who actually has four first names (Larry Joe Jerry, Jr.)
