The average human adult scalp contains between 120,000 and 150,000 hairs
Whirly Girls is the name of the International Association of Women helicopter pilots
Extracted from a flower, echinacea is the most widely used botanical in the creation of herbal medicines in the U.S. Clinical studies have suggested that when it is taken at the onset of a cold, echinacea stimulates the immune system
There are 35 million digestive glands in the human stomach
The only country in the world that has a Bill of Rights for Cows is India
Madam de Montespan, second wife of Louis XIV, once lost 4 million francs in a half-hour at the gambling table
The first U.S. Census was authorized on March 1, 1790. The results showed that the U.S. population in 1790 was 3,929,325 (Pictured below is the original final report, showing on the right page the final total of people counted in the US)
According to the Gregorian calendar, which is the civil calendar in use today, years evenly divisible by 4 are leap years, with the exception of centurial years that are not evenly divisible by 400. Therefore, the years 1700, 1800, 1900 and 2100 are not leap years, but 1600, 2000, and 2400 are leap years
Almost no worms in Alaska, and the flies fill that ecological niche — birds of many species are seen feeding on flies and maggots. Fish even eat the maggots from rotting salmon in the streams
The now-extinct ancestor of the horse, eohippus, had a short neck, a pug muzzle, and stood no higher than a medium-sized dog
A hibernating woodchuck breathes only ten times per hour. An active woodchuck breathes 2,100 times an hour
The world's largest art gallery is the Winter Palace and Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. Visitors would have to walk 15 miles to see the 322 galleries which house nearly 3 million works of art
Increasing herbicide use has created a jungle of at least 48 "super-weeds" that are resistant to chemicals
In 1910, magician Harry Houdini purchased a Voisin biplane in Germany. He had the plane dismantled and shipped to Australia, where he planned an extended tour. His plane was the first flown in Australia, and he was the first to pilot a plane there. Interestingly, he taught himself how to drive a car during that time, so that he could get out to the airfield. After his Australian tour, Houdini abandoned the plane and coincidentally, also never drove again
Florence, Italy was the first city to mint its own gold coins in 1252. The fiorino became known as the florence, then the florin
Rubber bands were first made by Perry and Co. of London in 1845
Birds may travel great distances on their migrations. The Arctic tern travels from the top of the world, the Arctic — to the bottom, the Antarctic. Round trip in a single year: 25,000 miles in all
NEWS FEED:
Researchers learned from reports in early 2010 of a new monkey species in Myanmar, with a nose so recessed that it habitually collects rainfall and constantly sneezes. However, according to an October National Geographic dispatch, by the time scientists arrived to investigate, natives had eaten the monkey
Parents of the 450 pupils (aged 3-11) at Applecroft primary school in Welwyn Garden City, England, were given individualized yearbooks recently with all the children's faces obscured by black bars over the eyes (except for photos of the recipient's own children, which had no obstructions). The precautions (described by one parent as "creepy," like kids were "prisoner[s]") were ordered by headmistress Vicky Parsley, who feared that clear photos of children would inevitably wind up in child pornography. Last year, Parsley famously prohibited parents from taking photographs during school plays--of their kids or any others--for the same fear
Among the few commercially successful enterprises in North Korea is its General Federation of Science and Technology's video game unit, which has produced such popular programs as a bowling game based on the American cult classic movie, "The Big Lebowski," and another based on the "Men in Black" film series. Bloomberg News revealed in 2010 September that a major international partner of the Federation's marketing arm Nosotek is the News Corporation--the umbrella company of Rupert Murdoch's vast enterprises that include the conservative Fox News (which is generally provocative toward the North Korean government)
