Make Sure You Smile – It’s Fact Day.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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It’s not that the facts today are particularly funny, in fact some of them are the exact opposite.

But if you are in Milan and reading this post I bet you are smiling anyway.

Find out why.

Enjoy.

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did you know5

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Trakr, a German shepherd survivor detection dog,

made history when he became the dog that found the

last survivor of the World Trade Center attack on September 11.

For his accomplishments, Trakr was named

one of history’s most heroic animals by Time.

Trakr died in 2009 at age fourteen.

Trakr, a German shepherd survivor detection dog, made history when he became the dog that found the last survivor of the World Trade Center attack on September 11

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75% of the world’s population

speaks more than one language,

but 75% of the world’s population

speak no English.

Homer Simpson English

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Having a pet makes you happier

because petting an animal

releases oxytocin in our brains,

which is sometimes known as

the “cuddle hormone”.

cuddle hormone oxytocin

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The eyes blink on an average of

17 times per minute,

that’s 14,280 times per day

or 5.2 million times a year.

obama-blink

 

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In the early Middle Ages,

Europeans divided the day

into seven hours of equal length and,

because summer days are longer than winter ones,

a winter hour was about sixty minutes,

but a summer one was about 150 minutes.

A little bit confusing I think.

Middle Ages, Europeans divided the day into seven hours of equal length

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Trampolines contribute to at least

two deaths and numerous serious injuries

each year.

Trampoline

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Giacomo Casanova was an 18th century

Italian adventurer and nobleman famous for

his numerous elaborate affairs with women.

Today, if a man is referred to as a ‘Casanova’,

it can mean anything from an

attentive seducer to a mere lecher.

Giacomo Casanova

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In January 2012, dozens of turtles

were found dead in Keystone Heights, Florida,

at the end of Pinon Road.

No one, including the

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission,

has been able to figure out what happened.  

turtle deaths unexplained

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The most powerful non-nuclear bomb

ever created by the US military is the

Massive Ordinance Air Blast bomb,

better known as ‘MOAB’.

It is also more popularly known as

the “Mother of All Bombs”.

Mother of All Bombs

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Charles Dickens’s house had a secret door

in the form of a fake bookcase.

The fake books on its shelves included

titles such as ‘The Life of a Cat’

in 9 volumes of course.

bookshelves-hidden-door

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Ford’s F-150 has been the best-selling

vehicle in America for the past 33 years

and the best-selling truck since 1977.

Ford have sold over 34,000,000 of them

since they started production in 1948.

Last year alone they sold 753,851,

which is an incredible 2,065 a day,

or one every 35 seconds.

If you parked every Ford F-150

ever made side by side,

they would stretch for 49,802 miles (80,150 km),

the equivalent to twice around the Equator.

Ford F150

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The first black astronaut was Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.,

but he died before he could travel to space.

The first black astronaut in space

(spending more then 28 days there)

was Guion Bluford in 1983.

He was inducted into the

International Space Hall of Fame in 1997 and into

the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2010.

Guion Bluford first black astronaut in space

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The world’s greatest disaster suffered

as a result of animal attacks on humans

happened on Ramree Island during WWII.

The island is infested with saltwater crocodiles

and nearly 500 Japanese troops were eaten alive there.

The-Crocodile-Massacre-of-Ramree-Island

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When Star Wars: A New Hope was

first being shown in movie theaters

France was still executing people by guillotine.

guillotine

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Ending today’s facts on a happy note,

if you want to visit Milan, Italy,

make sure to smile all the time as the

Italian city has imposed a ban on frowning.

It is a legal requirement to smile at all times,

except during funerals or hospital visits.

If you don’t you can face a fine.

Milan

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Final Fasab Quiz For February.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Last quiz for February already.

How are you quizzers doing this year?

Scores don’t matter though, as long as you enjoy doing the quizzes.

Usual format today, general knowledge, geography, history, science, nature and even a little music.

Varying degrees of difficulty, but if you get stuck you can find the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

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Quiz 07

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Q.  1:  What city is known as the ‘Peace Capital’ of the world?

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Q.  2:  What is the only gemstone to be composed of one single element?

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Q.  3:  What type of monkey possesses a blood factor that is shared with humans and was the first type of monkey launched into space?

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Q.  4:  If the ‘DC’ in Washington DC was actually Roman Numerals, what number would it represent?

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Q.  5:  What term is given to a territory which is part of a country but is surrounded by other countries so it is physically separate from the rest of the country?

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Q.  6:  The ‘First Battle of Bull Run’ and the ‘Battle of Edgehill’ were the first battles of which wars? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you answer both correctly.)

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Q.  7:  What is the title of the head of the Church of England?

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Q.  8:  What is the home of a Beaver called?

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Q.  9:  Which famous action painter was nicknamed ‘Jack the Dripper’ ?

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Q. 10:  Orbiting 35,900km above the equator, what term is given to satellites that remain above the same point on the Earth’s surface in their orbit?

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Q. 11:  In which city are the Petronas Towers, formerly the world’s highest building?

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Q. 12:  What name is given to the condition created by too much bile in the bloodstream that causes a distinct yellowing of the skin?

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Q. 13:  What do 1,000 ‘gigabytes’ make?

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Q. 14:  Where was a speed record of 11.2mph set in 1972?

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Q. 15:  Of which republic are ‘English’, ‘Malay’, ‘Mandarin Chinese’ and ‘Tamil’ the four official languages?

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Q. 16:  Which Ray Bradbury novel, also made into a famous movie, opens “It was a pleasure to burn”?

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Q. 17:  The name of the human-like inhabitants of the land of the Houyhnhnms, discovered by Captain Lemuel Gulliver in 1711, has become one of the best known names in the modern business world, what is it?

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Q. 18:  Among other meanings this word as a noun can mean a large wading bird, or a device for lifting and moving heavy weights, and as a verb it can mean to stretch out one’s neck, especially to see better –  what is the word?

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Q. 19:  ‘JAT’ airways is the national carrier of which country?

            a) Switzerland          b) Serbia          c) Senegal          d) Somalia

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Q. 20:  Who sang about an ‘Uptown Girl’ in 1983?

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ANSWERS

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Q.  1:  What city is known as the ‘Peace Capital’ of the world?

A.  1:  Geneva, Switzerland.

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Q.  2:  What is the only gemstone to be composed of one single element?

A.  2:  Diamond.

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Q.  3:  What type of monkey possesses a blood factor that is shared with humans and was the first type of monkey launched into space?

A.  3:  The Rhesus monkey.

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Q.  4:  If the ‘DC’ in Washington DC was actually Roman Numerals, what number would it represent?

A.  4:  DC in Roman Numerals is 600.

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Q.  5:  What term is given to a territory which is part of a country but is surrounded by other countries so it is physically separate from the rest of the country?

A.  5:  An Exclave.

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Q.  6:  The ‘First Battle of Bull Run’ and the ‘Battle of Edgehill’ were the first battles of which wars? (A point for each correct answer and a bonus point if you answer both correctly.)

A.  6:  The American and English Civil Wars respectively.

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Q.  7:  What is the title of the head of the Church of England?

A.  7:  He is called the ‘Archbishop of Canterbury’.

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Q.  8:  What is the home of a Beaver called?

A.  8:  A ‘Lodge’.

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Q.  9:  Which famous action painter was nicknamed ‘Jack the Dripper’ ?

A.  9:  Jackson Pollock.

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Q. 10:  Orbiting 35,900km above the equator, what term is given to satellites that remain above the same point on the Earth’s surface in their orbit?

A. 10:  Geostationary.

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Q. 11:  In which city are the Petronas Towers, formerly the world’s highest building?

A. 11:  Kuala Lumpur.

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Q. 12:  What name is given to the condition created by too much bile in the bloodstream that causes a distinct yellowing of the skin?

A. 12:  Jaundice.

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Q. 13:  What do 1,000 ‘gigabytes’ make?

A. 13:  A ‘Terabyte’.

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Q. 14:  Where was a speed record of 11.2mph set in 1972?

A. 14:  On the Moon (by John Young of Apollo 16 driving the Lunar Rover!)

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Q. 15:  Of which republic are ‘English’, ‘Malay’, ‘Mandarin Chinese’ and ‘Tamil’ the four official languages?

A. 15:  Singapore.

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Q. 16:  Which Ray Bradbury novel, also made into a famous movie, opens “It was a pleasure to burn” ?

A. 16:  Fahrenheit 451.

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Q. 17:  The name of the human-like inhabitants of the land of the Houyhnhnms, discovered by Captain Lemuel Gulliver in 1711, has become one of the best known names in the business world, what is it?

A. 17:  They were called Yahoos.

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Q. 18:  Among other meanings this word as a noun can mean a large wading bird, or a device for lifting and moving heavy weights, and as a verb it can mean to stretch out one’s neck, especially to see better  –  what is the word?

A. 18:  The word is ‘crane’.

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Q. 19:  ‘JAT’ airways is the national carrier of which country?

            a) Switzerland          b) Serbia          c) Senegal          d) Somalia

A. 19:  The correct answer is b) Serbia.

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Q. 20:  Who sang about an ‘Uptown Girl’ in 1983?

A. 20:  Billy Joel.

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Did You Know? It’s Another Furious Fact Feast.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Another furious fact feast it is.

And I bet there are at least some of these you didn’t know.

So read on and….

Enjoy.

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did you know5

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The bible is available

in 2454 languages.

king-james-bible

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There are 2,400 languages classified as being ‘endangered’.

231 languages are now completely extinct.

One language dies about every 14 days.

language-extinction-hotspot

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If you have 3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19.

You also have the largest amount of money in coins

without being able to make change for a dollar.

3 quarters, 4 dimes, and 4 pennies, you have $1.19

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In the average lifetime, a person will walk

the equivalent of 5 times around the equator.

the equator

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In the early days of the telephone,

operators would pick up a call and use the phrase,

“Well, are you there?”.

It wasn’t until 1895 that someone suggested

answering the phone with the phrase

“number please?”

telephone operators 1800s

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The surface area of

an average-sized brick

is 79 cm squared.

jumbo_brick

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It would take 11 Empire State Buildings,

stacked one on top of the other,

to measure the Gulf of Mexico at its deepest point.

Empire State Building

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It took Leo Tolstoy six years to write “War & Peace”.

(It took me longer to read it!)

War_and_Peace_book

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The names of the two stone lions in front of the

New York Public Library are Patience and Fortitude.

They were named by then-mayor Fiorello LaGuardia.

New York Public Library lions

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When Concorde was flying from London to New York,

due to the time zones crossed,

you could arrive 2 hours before you departed.

Concorde

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Many Police dogs are trained to react to commands in a foreign language;

commonly German but more recently Dutch or Hungarian.

Police dogs training

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On the new hundred dollar bill the time

on the clock tower of Independence Hall is 4:10.

$100 bill back

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In ancient Rome,

it was considered a sign of leadership

to be born with a crooked nose.

stephen-fry

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Minus 40 degrees Celsius

is exactly the same as

minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Minus 40 degrees Celsius is exactly the same as minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit

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Stressed

spelled backwards is

Desserts!

stressed scale

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Did You Know? More Fab Facts From The Files

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Yes, more fab facts from the files here at the fasab blog.

These posts are as random as they get so hopefully you should be able to get something out of them no matter what your interests are.

Check them out below.

And enjoy.

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did you know3

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The phone number to the white house is:

(202) 456-1414.

US-WhiteHouse-Logo

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It takes about 63,000 trees to make the newsprint

for the average Sunday edition of New York Times.

The_New_York_Times

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Pucks hit by hockey sticks have reached speeds

of up to 150 miles per hour.

NHL puck

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Intelligent people have more

zinc and copper in their hair.

albert-einstein

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In every episode of Seinfeld

there is a Superman somewhere.

Seinfeld Superman

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The most poisonous spider is the black widow.

Its venom is more potent than a rattlesnake’s.

Black_widow_Spider

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Fish that live more than 800 meters below

the ocean surface don’t have eyes.

deep sea fish

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Mercury is the only planet

whose orbit is coplanar with its equator.

Mercury

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There is actually no danger in swimming right after you eat,

though it may feel uncomfortable.

wait_30_minutes

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Starfish have no brains.

(I know several people like that!)

starfish-2

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The national anthem of Greece has 158 verses.

greek anthem

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Los Angeles’ full name is

“El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula”.

LA

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Al Capone’s business card

said he was a used furniture dealer.

capone card 2

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A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.

A quarter has 119.

quarter

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John Lennon’s first girlfriend

was named Thelma Pickles.

Thelma-Pickles

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You can lead a cow upstairs

but not downstairs.

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The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

HomerSleeping

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There are 336 dimples on a regulation US golf ball.

In the UK its 330.

golf ball

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At the height of its power in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta

had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.

Sparta

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In “Silence of the Lambs”,

Hannibal Lector (Anthony Hopkins) never blinks.

silence of the lambs

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Further Fabulously Fascinating Facts From Fasab!

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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I don’t know what it is about the letter ‘F’ but it seems to lend itself better to alliteration than any of the others – if your blog is called Fasab, that is 🙂 

Anyhow, here we go with another selection of those fabulously fascinating facts.

Enjoy.

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To manufacture a new car approximately 148,000 liters of water is needed.

 Car Manufacture

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In 1985, a pregnant women was falsely accused of shoplifting a basketball

pregnant

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The study of twins is known as gemellology

 the-study-of-twins-is-known-as-gemellology-fact

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Dalmatian puppies do not have any spots on them when they are born.

They actually develop them as they get older

dalmatian puppies

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At the equator the Earth spins at about 1,038 miles per hour

speed of earth

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In World War II, the German submarine U-1206 was sunk by a malfunctioning toilet

WWII-german-u-boat

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As a defense mechanism, the North American Opossum closes its eyes and becomes totally limp.

Basically it plays dead, hence the term ‘playing possum’.

cartoon possum

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Approximately 18 billion disposable diapers end up in landfills each year.

These diapers can takes as long as 500 years to finally decompose

disposable diapers

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Only one out of every three people wash their hands when leaving a public bathroom

washing hands in toilet

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The Eisenhower interstate system requires that one mile in every five must be straight.

These straight sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.

 Eisenhower interstate system

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Two objects have struck the earth with enough force to destroy a whole city.

Each object, one in 1908 and again in 1947, struck regions of Siberia.

Not one human being was hurt either time

Tunguska asteroid strike 1908
Tunguska asteroid strike 1908

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When Scott Paper Co. first started manufacturing toilet paper

they did not put their name on the product because of embarrassment

scott-toilet-paper

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Ian Fleming named his character “James Bond” after real-life ornithologist and author

Bond+birds+book

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A Canadian, Troy Hurtubise, spent $100,000 and almost went bankrupt

building a RoboCop style suit so that he could withstand a bear attack

Troy Hurtubise bear suit

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The big toe is the foot reflexology pressure point for the head

reflexology-ftchart

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In November 1999, two women were killed by a lightning bolt.

The underwire located in their bras acted as a electrical conductors,

and when the lightning bolt hit the bra they left burn marks on their chest

 Lightning

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Average life span of a major league baseball: 7 pitches.

a worn out baseball

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Every U.S. bill regardless of denomination costs just 4 cents to make

100000-Dollar-Bill

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The average day is actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds.

We have a leap year every four years to make up for this shortfall

day_night

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Approximately 10.5 gallons of water is used in a dishwasher.

Washing the dishes by hand can use up to 20 gallons of water

dishwasher

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