My Nose Is Itchy, I Wonder Why. Maybe The Facts Will Tell Me.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Itchy or not it’s time for another fact day.

This selection includes music, movies and Mexican general elections.

So hopefully something for everyone.

Enjoy.

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facts 02

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Earth’s seasons are not due to our proximity to the sun,

but rather due to Earth’s 23.4 degree tilt on its axis.

 earth's tilt on axis

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Did you know that in Romania many people believe

that when your nose is feeling itchy,

it means that someone wants to kiss you.

In some other countries the superstition says

that an itchy nose is a sign that

you are going to be angry later.

Take you choice which to believe, or both, or neither.

 itchy nose

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When you are trying to listen to someone in a noisy situation,

use your right ear because it picks up words better,

while your left ear is better at picking up sounds and music.

 listening

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Famous people who served during World War One (WWI)

include the writers A. A. Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh,

JRR Tolkien, author of Lord of The Rings,

sculptor Henry Moore, and the actor Basil Rathbone.

 

Basil Rathbone WWI
Basil Rathbone WWI

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Although it is commonly said and believed that

lightning doesn’t strike in the same place twice,

the fact is that it can and does.

Lightning tries to find the fastest path to the ground,

and therefore tall buildings, trees, and such are at the

greatest risk because the higher the object,

the more likely it is to be struck.

 lightning striking tree

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The most subscribed channel

on YouTube is ‘Music’.

 YouTube music channel

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In the Mexican general election of 1988,

during the count the government claimed

that the computers had crashed.

Although the early results showed that

Cárdenas was winning comfortably,

when the computers were “repaired,”

his political opponent, Salinas, had supposedly

eked out a narrow victory.

Years later, a former president of Mexico,

Miguel de la Madrid, admitted to the New York Times

that the 1988 general election had been rigged

to make the Institutional Revolutionary Party win,

and that three years after the election,

all ballots were burned in order to

remove all evidence of the fraud.

 Mexican flag

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The techniques used for pyramid

construction developed over time;

later pyramids were not built

the same way as earlier ones.

 techniques used for pyramid construction

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 In the H G Wells novel entitled “The World Set Free”,

written at a time when little was known

about the power of radioactive elements,

he predicted that a city-destroying atomic bomb

would destroy lives in the future.

Years later the atomic bomb was launched

through the Manhattan Project and eventually

dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima,

causing radiation sickness and deaths years after.

 The World Set Free by H G Wells

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In 1929, German surgeon Werner Forssmann

examined the inside of his own heart by

threading a catheter into his arm vein.

This was the first cardiac catheterization,

a now common procedure.

 cardiac catheterization

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The chef was one of the male survivors

from the Titanic disaster,

and his survival is credited to the amount

of liquor he drank right before going underwater,

which kept his body temperature up.

 Titanic chef survivor

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Marijuana is known to increase

appetite and food consumption.

Pigs in Bhutan are fed cannabis to make

them hungrier and consequently fatter.

 Pigs in Bhutan are fed cannabis

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Vodka is the world’s most popular liquor by a huge margin,

with about 5 billion liters consumed every year.

 stolichnaya vodka

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Cocoa trees can live up to 200 years but they only

produce usable cocoa beans for about 25 years.

 Cocoa trees

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In the famous movie Psycho,

Alfred Hitchcock used Bosco chocolate syrup

for blood in the legendary shower scene.

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If It’s Facts You Want Here They Are!

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Yes, here they are.

Fifteen more fabulous facts for you.

Hope you find something of interest in this selection.

Enjoy.

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did you know2

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When Canada’s Northwest Territories considered renaming itself

in the 1990s, one name that gained support was “Bob.”

nw-territories

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Some cats are allergic to humans.

cat

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The largest flag ever made was unveiled in Romania on May 27th 2013;

it weighed 5 tons and used 44 miles of thread.

largest flag ever made

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Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland

in the early 1960s because he had made “that disgusting movie Psycho.”

psycho

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George Washington insisted his continental army be permitted

a quart of beer as part of their daily rations.

quart of beer

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In Japan,

letting a sumo wrestler make your baby cry

is considered good luck.

sumo-wrestlers-make-babies-cry-in-japan-1

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Alaska is so big you could fit 75 New Jerseys in it.

Alaska's size relative to contiguous USA

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Sunglasses were actually invented by the Chinese but not to block the sun.

They were used by judges in courtrooms to hide their emotions.

Chinese-Judge

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In 1999, the U.S. government paid the Zapruder family

$16 million for the film of JFK’s assassination.

Zapruder film Screen-Shot-1963-11-22-at-6.16.58-AM

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The last widow of a Civil War soldier died in 2003.

Gertrude Janeway was 18 when she married 81 year old John Janeway in 1927.

When she died she was still receiving a monthly check for $70

from the Veterans Administration for a military pension

earned by her late husband on the Union side of the American Civil War.

The amount spanned three centuries.

last widow of a Civil War soldier

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Tasmania, Australia has the cleanest air in the inhabited world.

Tasmania-in-Australia_Splendid-beaches_27

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The Code of Hammurabi decreed that bartenders

who watered down beer would be executed.

(And quite right too.)

Code of Hammurabi

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During WWI, British tanks were initially categorized into “males” and “females.”

Male tanks had cannons, while females had heavy machine guns.

British WW1 Tank

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Bikini designer Louis Reard said

a two-piece bathing suit couldn’t be called a bikini

“unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring.”

Bikini

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Sigourney Weaver actually made that

‘impossible’ basketball shot in, Aliens: Resurrection.

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Did You Know? Another Fact Feast.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Another fact feast today.

Fifteen more random pieces of trivia to store away in your mind just ready to impress when you get the chance. (If you get the chance!)

As always, enjoy.

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did you know3

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The Playboy bunny costume was the first service uniform

to be registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

playboy costume

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Chickens with white ear lobes lay white eggs,

whereas chickens with red ear lobes lay brown eggs.

Chickens and earlobes

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Alexander H. Stephens was the only Vice President

of the Confederate States of America

Alexander H. Stephens

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In 1897, Indiana tried to pass a bill stating that pi is equal to 3.2,

as opposed to its truly infinite value,

but it never became law due to intervention

by a Purdue University professor

Indiana pi bil

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The urine of patients with diabetes tastes sweet

because the extra sugar in a diabetic’s bloodstream

overwhelms the kidney’s ability to reabsorb it.

nephron-diabetes

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The total cost of WWI for all involved is an estimated $185 billion.

When indirect costs are factored in, it was even greater.

WWI Cost of War

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During the shower scene in Psycho,

what looks like blood funneling down the drain

is actually Bosco chocolate syrup.

Hitchcock thought it looked more real in

black-and-white than the fake red stuff.

psycho1

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Morse Code was made for letters, not numbers.

In fact, signaling the number “one” requires a dot and four dashes.

International_Morse_Code

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In horse racing the Preakness Stakes doubles as

the Run for the Black-Eyed Susans.

138th-Preakness-Stakes-logo

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Freddie Mercury,

the lead singer of British music group Queen,

was born in Zanzibar as Farrokh Bulsara.

Freddie mercury and Queen Perform At Live Aid At Wembley

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Jerry Lynn Ross and Franklin Chang-Diaz hold

the record for most spaceflights by an astronaut.

JerryLRoss-NASA

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Habitual singing causes the lungs to release leptin,

a protein manufactured by the body’s fat cells

that is involved in the regulation of appetite.

This may partially explain why in operas

the fat lady does sing.

fatlady

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When Mario made his debut in the original Donkey Kong in 1981,

he was known as Jumpman.

mario-vs-donkey-kong-2

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Trees do not grow higher than 130m as it is

physically impossible for the water to rise higher.

tall trees

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Despite his amazing success as a songwriter in the early 60s,

Paul McCartney wanted to test the theory whether it was

the Lennon-McCartney name that made hit songs.

He wrote “Woman” for Peter & Gordon using the pseudonym “Bernard Webb.”

The song became a hit.

I wouldn’t have bought it, but here it is anyway.

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Golf: Putting The Putting Into Putting!

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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As if you didn’t know from the title – it’s pun day again!

More word play jokes to be enjoyed or endured depending on your taste.

Try them out.

And enjoy!

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rofl

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My wife and I were happy for 25 years.

Then we met.

wife-husband-cartoon(3)

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I went for an audition the other day.

They were casting 13 people to be clouds.

14 showed up.

It was overcast.

films-standing_in_line-stands-queues-audition-auditioning-tzun414l

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Billy: “Did you that movie yesterday where

the actress that was stabbed by a psycho?

Reese…what’s her name?”

Tommy: “Witherspoon?”

Billy: “No with a knife.”

Reese Witherspoon

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Have you ever had an accident at work?

Yes, my secretary is pregnant.

secretary pregnant

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Rats are under rated.

Just check your dictionary.

dictionary rat

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I woke up this morning and there was a bloke stealing my gate.

I didn’t want to say anything in case he took a fence.

Fence Main

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The fattest man in Britain has recently relocated

from Bath to Poole as he ‘needs more living space’.

bath

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Some terms are really misleading.

I went into the changing room several times.

It was still the same.

Changing-Room-Door

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I used to feed gorillas at the Zoo from a distance using a golf club.

I’d drive them bananas.

monkey_likes_banana_golf_ball

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I was asked to describe my life in a nut shell.

“Very dark and cramped,” I replied.

Nutshell

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I lost my watch earlier.

I would have looked for it but I didn’t have the time.

Watch

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My friend Daniel wouldn’t believe me when

I told him that his name was an anagram.

He’s in denial.

denial

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I was going to start taking self defense lessons

but I decided on a math class instead.

I’m a firm believer there’s safety in numbers.

sums25eq

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I saw a billboard on the way to work this

morning that read “Future Events.”

Well, that’s a sign of things to come.

Future_Events

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A Zulu walking through the jungle comes across a pygmy standing over a dead lion.

“Did you kill that lion?” asks the Zulu.

“Yeah, I beat it to death with my club,” the pygmy replies.

“Wow, you must have a big club,” says the Zulu.

“Yes,” replies the pygmy. “There’s about thirty of us.” 

pygmy

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Did You Know? Facts, Facts And More Facts.

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Fact day again on the fasab blog.

Another twenty things you probably don’t know now, but not to worry, you will do soon if you read on.

Enjoy.

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did you know1

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Before Gmail, “G-Mail” was the name of a free

email service offered by Garfield’s website.

gmail-logo-transparent

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In America the bonnets and caps of city fire hydrants

are painted certain colors to alert firefighters

to the amount of water pressure available from that hydrant.

fire hydrant

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It isn’t water itself that conducts electricity,

but the impurities found in it.

short_circuit water and electricity cartoon

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Richard Hollingshead of Camden, N.J., built the first

drive-in theater in his driveway.

The idea was inspired by his mother who was a large woman

who found the seats at regular movie theaters uncomfortable.

He made it with a sheet strung between two trees and

a movie projector mounted to the hood of his car.

drive-in-theater

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Washington state’s Mt. Rainier is the tallest

volcano in the contiguous United States,

measuring nearly 14,500 feet in height.

It last erupted in 1854.

mount rainier washington us

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Despite their menacing appearance and fierce name,

dragonflies cannot sting and are harmless to human beings.

dragonfly

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When referring to China, make sure

to say the People’s Republic of China.

Leave off “People’s” and you’re talking about Taiwan.

china_taiwan

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Approximately one quarter of the United States’

homeless population are war veterans.

(Shameful statistic!)

homeless_veterans

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The inventors of bubble wrap,

Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes,

were originally trying to make plastic wallpaper.

bubble-wrap

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The toilet featured in Hitchcock’s Psycho

was the first flushing toilet to appear on-screen.

psycho toilet

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Frankincense, one of the precious items

the wise men gave the baby Jesus,

was actually an ancient form of chewing gum

Frankincense

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The poinsettia is named after former

congressman and ambassador Joel Poinsett,

who introduced the plant to the United States in the 1800s.

Joel Poinsett

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Peridots are the only gems that

have been found in meteorites.

Peridot August Birthstone

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The longest jellyfish on record measured 160 feet,

more than half the length of a football field.

Jellyfish

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All holly trees are gender specific – male or female.

Only the female holly tree bears fruit (berries),

and in order to do so there must be a male

pollinated tree within a two mile radius of her.

holly tree in park

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Two-thirds of the world’s lawyers live in the United States.

LawyersProtectArtists

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The Hard Rock Café got its name from a now-defunct bar that

appeared on the back of the Doors’ album Morrison Hotel.

Doors album cover Morrison Hotel - Hard Rock Cafe

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When cranberries are ripe, they bounce like a rubber ball.

cranberry

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Due to the “naughty” dancing of the can-can girls and

the scantily clad models on 1800s French postcards,

the British equated anything risqué with France.

In fact, that’s how the phrase “pardon my French” entered the vernacular.

can can dancers

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Scott Joplin’s famous piano song, “Maple Leaf Rag,”

was not named for the leaf or for Canada:

it was named for the Maple Leaf Club,

a social gathering place in Sedalia, Missouri.

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Forty-one Facts About Chocolate You Probably Didn’t Know

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

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Last week we talked about peanuts and peanut butter. Today another delicacy that is a favorite of many. I’m sure some people out there will be allergic to it and of course diabetics have to be careful about their intake of it, but that aside I don’t think there are too many people who don’t like ….

chocolate

In fact when you think about it, it plays a big part in our lives right from early childhood to adulthood.

Christmas, birthdays, St Valentines, anniversaries, any and all occasions are appropriate for the gift of a nice box of chocolates. Any day with a ‘Y’ in it really!

And it is so versatile – think candies, chocolate bars, chocolate cake, chocolate milk, chocolate syrup, chocolate ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate drinks, a nice cup of café mocha even.

But enough of that, I’ve made myself hungry and thirsty. Here are the forty-one facts about chocolate that you probably didn’t know.

Enjoy.

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American and Russian space flights have always included chocolate.

 

One ounce of chocolate has about 20 mg of caffeine in it. A one ounce milk chocolate bar has 6 mg of caffeine.

 

In Belgium, 172,000 tons of chocolate are produced in a year

Belgian chocolates
Belgian chocolates

 

 

In 1657, the first chocolate house was opened in London, England. The cost of chocolate was about 13 shillings per pound and was a drink that only the elite enjoyed

 

Americans collectively eat one hundred pounds of chocolate every second

 

Adolf Hitler loved chocolate cake

Chocolate Cake

 

There are some types of chocolates that are actually good for the arteries and heart. Eating chocolate three times a month helps people live longer as opposed to people who overeat chocolate or do not eat chocolate at all

Chocolate maker Cadbury (now part of the Kraft organization) uses more than sixty thousand tonnes of cocoa each year, in the United Kingdom alone

Cadbury chocolate

 

Approximately 71% of American chocolate eaters prefer to eat milk chocolate

 

The Snickers chocolate bar was invented in 1930

Snickers

 

The country with the highest consumption of chocolate per capita is Switzerland, with 22 pounds per person, per year

 

The chocolate chip cookie was invented in 1933

Chocolate chip cookie

 

A single chocolate chip gives enough energy to a human being to walk 150 feet

 

The rarest chocolate bar in the world is the Porcelana bar. There are only 20,000 of these bars produced a year, and they sell for $90 per pound

Porcelana bar

 

Over $7 billion a year is spent on chocolates by consumers

 

Kit Kat chocolate bar was introduced to the market in 1935. It is said to have been the most popular chocolate bar in the United Kingdom for the last 15 years.

 

The amount of Kit Kat chocolate bars that are made at the York factory every 15 minutes are enough to outstack the Eiffel Tower

KitKat

 

Milk chocolate was invented in Switzerland by David Peter in 1876

 

The triangular shape that Toblerone chocolates are packaged in, is protected by law

Toblerone

 

Consuming chocolate was once considered a sin during the 16th and 17th century. During that time it was provided in the form of a drink and since drinking wine during lent was a sin, so was drinking chocolate

 

The best selling chocolate syrup in the world is Hershey

Hershey's chocolate syrup

 

Chocolate was used as medicine during the 18th century. It was believed that chocolate could cure a stomach ache

During the Easter season, 600 million Marshmallow Peeps are bought my Americans. The Marshmallow Peep is the most popular Easter candy besides chocolate

Marshmallow Peeps

 

40 percent of the almonds in the world are used by manufacturers of chocolate

 

For people that are lactose intolerant, chocolate aids in helping milk digest easier

 

The popular chocolate bar “Three Musketeers” got its name because when it was first introduced in 1932 there were three individual bars. The flavours were strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla

3 musketeers bar.jpg

 

In the movie Psycho by Alfred Hitchcock, chocolate syrup was used for blood in the shower scene

 

In China, people eat a bar of chocolate for every 1,000 chocolate bars eaten by the British

 

In Spain, it is common to pour chocolate milk or cafe au lait on cereal for breakfast

 

The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.

microwave

 

Chocolate can kill dogs; it directly affects their heart and nervous system.

 

Parrots cannot eat chocolate because it is poisonous to their body

dead parrot 

The average chocolate bar has 8 insects’ legs in it.

 

The most popular gift that teachers receive in the United States from their students is chocolate

 

In October 1973, Swedish sweet maker Roland Ohisson of Falkenberg was buried in a coffin made of nothing but chocolate

chocolate casket

 

In the United States, approximately seven billion pounds of chocolate and candy are manufactured each year

 

During World War II, Kit Kat was unavailable due to milk shortages, so the chocolate bar was made without milk

 

Singer Chaka Khan came out with a line of chocolates called “Chakalates.”

chakalates

 

Chocolate accounts for less than two percent of the fat in the American diet

 

Contrary to popular beliefs, chocolate does not cause acne

 

Sex is biochemically no different from eating large quantities of chocolate.

 Chocolate-lust

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