Story By Dr. David Bachman
Every once in awhile I like to get off the beaten track and write a non-medical article. It gives me the feeling of having a cerebral cleansing. Friends sent me some things I did not know and I’d like to pass along some of this information.
OUR CRAZY ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The longest word typed with the left hand – stewardess.
The longest word typed with the right hand – lollipop
No word in the English language rhymes with mouth, orange, silver or purple.
The only word that ends with the letter “mt” – Dreamt.
There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous” – horrendous, tremendous, hazardous and stupendous.
GOLF
There are three million golfers in Japan but only 1200 golf courses Before 1850, most golf balls were stuffed with feathers.
The first golf course with 18 holes was in St. Andrews in Scotland. More people die playing golf than any other sport – leading causes – strokes and heart attacks.
It is about 10 times easier to shoot a hole in one than to score a 300 game while bowling. Fewer people golf on Tuesday than on any other day of the week.
GREAT INVENTIONS
OUR CRAZY ENGLISH LANGUAGE
The longest word typed with the left hand – stewardess.
The longest word typed with the right hand – lollipop
No word in the English language rhymes with mouth, orange, silver or purple.
The only word that ends with the letter “mt” – Dreamt.
There are only four words in the English language which end in “dous” – horrendous, tremendous, hazardous and stupendous.
GOLF
There are three million golfers in Japan but only 1200 golf courses Before 1850, most golf balls were stuffed with feathers.
The first golf course with 18 holes was in St. Andrews in Scotland. More people die playing golf than any other sport – leading causes – strokes and heart attacks.
It is about 10 times easier to shoot a hole in one than to score a 300 game while bowling. Fewer people golf on Tuesday than on any other day of the week.
GREAT INVENTIONS
Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
WEIRD FACTS ABOUT SOME ANIMALS
A goldfish has a memory span of only three seconds.
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear – no wonder those hairy things hear so well. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. A snail can sleep for three years. In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. There are more chickens than people in the world. An elephant is the only animal that cannot jump. Why do earthworms go on the sidewalk when it rains? The popular assumption that earthworms go to the surface when it rains to prevent drowning in their tunnels is incorrect. Rainwater that filters down through the ground has very little oxygen – the real reason worms go to the surface when it rains is to breathe. Once above the ground, earthworms are very sensitive to light – even a brief exposure to the sun’s rays paralyzes them. Since they are unable to crawl back to their burrows, they eventually dry up and die on the sidewalk.
TALES ABOUT FAMOUS PEOPLE
Benjamin Franklin once wrote an essay on the possibility of waterskiing.
What did Christopher Columbus look like? – No one knows – his portrait was never painted.
Jimmie Hoffa’s middle name was Riddle.
Mahatma Gandhi is buried in California.
Cleopatra was married to both her brothers.
Sigmund Freud smoked 20 cigars a day.
Albert Einstein couldn’t read until the age of 9.
WEIRD FACTS ABOUT SOME ANIMALS
A goldfish has a memory span of only three seconds.
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear – no wonder those hairy things hear so well. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes. A snail can sleep for three years. In the last 4,000 years, no new animals have been domesticated. There are more chickens than people in the world. An elephant is the only animal that cannot jump. Why do earthworms go on the sidewalk when it rains? The popular assumption that earthworms go to the surface when it rains to prevent drowning in their tunnels is incorrect. Rainwater that filters down through the ground has very little oxygen – the real reason worms go to the surface when it rains is to breathe. Once above the ground, earthworms are very sensitive to light – even a brief exposure to the sun’s rays paralyzes them. Since they are unable to crawl back to their burrows, they eventually dry up and die on the sidewalk.
TALES ABOUT FAMOUS PEOPLE
Benjamin Franklin once wrote an essay on the possibility of waterskiing.
What did Christopher Columbus look like? – No one knows – his portrait was never painted.
Jimmie Hoffa’s middle name was Riddle.
Mahatma Gandhi is buried in California.
Cleopatra was married to both her brothers.
Sigmund Freud smoked 20 cigars a day.
Albert Einstein couldn’t read until the age of 9.
FEEDING OUR HUNGRY MOUTHS
On any given day, half the people in the world will eat rice.
The French eat an average of 200 million frogs a year.
Horseradish ice cream can be bought in Japan.
Peruvians eat about 65 million guinea pigs a year.
A Snicker is the best selling candy bar in Russia.
On any given day, half the people in the world will eat rice.
The French eat an average of 200 million frogs a year.
Horseradish ice cream can be bought in Japan.
Peruvians eat about 65 million guinea pigs a year.
A Snicker is the best selling candy bar in Russia.
Germans eat more potatoes per capita than any other people, averaging 370 pounds per person a year.
The most popular Campbell’s soups in Hong Kong are watercress and duck gizzard.
Domino’s Pizza sells reindeer sausage pizza, but only in Iceland.
STRANGE THINGS ABOUT MEN
Male gamblers bet more money when their wives are with them.
Men without hair on their chest are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.
Eighty five percent of obscene phone calls are from men.
Most common plastic surgery performed on men – liposuction.
If a man’s tie is too tight, his vision worsens.
The average single man is one inch shorter than a married man.
In 1898 cheer leaders were all male –today three percent are.
Most married men sleep on the right side of the bed – divorced guys often switch to the left side.
OUR CRAZY LAWS
It is illegal to ship live mice in the United States.
In Brooklyn New York, it is illegal to let a dog sleep in your bathtub.
In Atlanta, it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a streetlight or telephone pole – doges are okay.
A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in Indiana.
Kentucky residents are required by state law to bathe at least once a year.
In Oklahoma, you can be fined for making funny faces at a dog.
It’s illegal to drink beer in Cedar City, Utah, if your shoelaces are untied.
In Cleveland Ohio, it’s illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
TV CULTURE
An average 7-year-old American watches 20,000 commercials a year.
Approximately 14% of U.S. homes have a television in the kitchen.
THE COST OF THINGS IN 1936
A first class stamp – 3 cents
Six pack of Coca-Cola (bottles) – 25 cents Quart of milk – 12 cents
Loaf of bread – 5 cents
Full dinner at a first class restaurant – 75 cents
FDR’s presidential salary – $75,000 a year
Average starting salary for a college graduate – $20 to $35 a week
Addendum: The world isn’t crazy, just the people who live in it.
The most popular Campbell’s soups in Hong Kong are watercress and duck gizzard.
Domino’s Pizza sells reindeer sausage pizza, but only in Iceland.
STRANGE THINGS ABOUT MEN
Male gamblers bet more money when their wives are with them.
Men without hair on their chest are more likely to get cirrhosis of the liver than men with hair.
Eighty five percent of obscene phone calls are from men.
Most common plastic surgery performed on men – liposuction.
If a man’s tie is too tight, his vision worsens.
The average single man is one inch shorter than a married man.
In 1898 cheer leaders were all male –today three percent are.
Most married men sleep on the right side of the bed – divorced guys often switch to the left side.
OUR CRAZY LAWS
It is illegal to ship live mice in the United States.
In Brooklyn New York, it is illegal to let a dog sleep in your bathtub.
In Atlanta, it is illegal to tie a giraffe to a streetlight or telephone pole – doges are okay.
A monkey was once tried and convicted for smoking a cigarette in Indiana.
Kentucky residents are required by state law to bathe at least once a year.
In Oklahoma, you can be fined for making funny faces at a dog.
It’s illegal to drink beer in Cedar City, Utah, if your shoelaces are untied.
In Cleveland Ohio, it’s illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
TV CULTURE
An average 7-year-old American watches 20,000 commercials a year.
Approximately 14% of U.S. homes have a television in the kitchen.
THE COST OF THINGS IN 1936
A first class stamp – 3 cents
Six pack of Coca-Cola (bottles) – 25 cents Quart of milk – 12 cents
Loaf of bread – 5 cents
Full dinner at a first class restaurant – 75 cents
FDR’s presidential salary – $75,000 a year
Average starting salary for a college graduate – $20 to $35 a week
Addendum: The world isn’t crazy, just the people who live in it.
