Absolutely Useless Facts #2

[jender]

Absolutely Useless Facts #2
===============================================

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV
was Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~------
Coca-Cola was originally green.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US
Treasury.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear
better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to
work: Alaska
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% ( now get
this...)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:
$6,400
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The average number of people airborne over the US any given
hour: 61,000
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in
1910.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The youngest pope was 11 years old.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Those San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National
Monuments.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king
from history:
Spades - King David,
Hearts - Charlemagne,
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front
legs in the air, the person died in battle.
If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died as a
result of wounds received in battle.
If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of
natural causes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July
4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed
on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years
later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"I am." is the shortest complete sentence in the English
language.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hershey's Kisses are called that because the machine that make
them looks like it's kissing the conveyor belt.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has
ever won a Super bowl.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The only two days of the year in which there are no professional
sports games (MLB, NBA, NHL, or NFL) are the day before and the
day after the Major League all-stars Game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month?
A. Conception.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What separates "60 Minutes," on CBS from every other TV show?
A. No theme song
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular
boat name requested?
A. Obsession
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to
go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers,
and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. There are more collect calls on this day than any other day
of the year?
A. Father's Day
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the
most ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q. What is an activity performed by 40% of all people at a
party?
A. Snoop in your medicine cabinet.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by
ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened,
making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight,
sleep tight".
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for
a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his
son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey
beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was
called the honey month or what we know today as the honeymoon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old
England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at
them mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's
where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked
into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed
a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your
whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen
Only Ladies Forbidden ... and thus the word GOLF entered into
English.

 

[Telan]

I found these quite entertaining to read....thus making them not completely "useless"

 

[jazper]

Thanks Jen^^ These facts were very entertaining....now back to useless stuff aka work projects.

 

[Kurgon]

At least one fact is wrong. One dome team in NFL history has won the Super Bowl... St. Louis Rams in 1999 (year could be wrong) I believe.

Oh and the Golf tidbit reminds me of this fact/myth. Rumor has it that at one point in time, the court of the king, would have to have the approval of the king to have "relations". An official sign would be hung from the couples bedroom door with these initaials...

Fornication
Under
Consent of
King

 

[Mr.Wonko]

Oh and the Golf tidbit reminds me of this fact/myth. Rumor has it that at one point in time, the court of the king, would have to have the approval of the king to have "relations". An official sign would be hung from the couples bedroom door with these initaials...

Fornication
Under
Consent of
King

Myth yes, but not quite fact.

Popular etymologies agree, unfortunately incorrectly, that this is an acronym meaning either Fornication Under Consent of the King or For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, the latter usually accompanying a story about how medieval prisoners were forced to wear this word on their clothing. [...]
The root is undoubtedly Germanic, as it has cognates in other Northern European languages: Middle Dutch fokken meaning to thrust, to copulate with; dialectical Norwegian fukka meaning to copulate; and dialectical Swedish focka meaning to strike, push, copulate, and fock meaning penis. Both French and Italian have similar words, foutre and fottere respectively. These derive from the Latin futuere.

While these cognates exist, they are probably not the source of fuck, rather all these words probably come from a common root. Most of the early known usages of the English word come from Scotland, leading some scholars to believe that the word comes from Scandinavian sources. Others disagree, believing that the number of northern citations reflects that the taboo was weaker in Scotland and the north, resulting in more surviving usages. The fact that there are citations, albeit fewer of them, from southern England dating from the same period seems to bear out this latter theory.

There is also an elaborate explanation that has been circulating on the internet for some years regarding English archers, the Battle of Agincourt, and the phrase Pluck Yew! This explanation is a modern jest--a play on words. However, there may be a bit of truth to it. The British (it is virtually unknown in America) gesture of displaying the index and middle fingers with the back of the hand outwards (a reverse peace sign)--meaning the same as displaying the middle finger alone--may derive from the French practice of cutting the fingers off captured English archers. Archers would taunt the French on the battlefield with this gesture, showing they were intact and still dangerous. The pluck yew part is fancifully absurd. This is not the origin of the middle finger gesture, which is truly ancient, being referred to in classical Greek and Roman texts.

Source is www.wordorigins.org

 

[Mr.Wonko]

And it is much appreciated, jen. ^^

 

[Kipsy]

Q. What trivia fact about Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) is the
most ironic?
A. He was allergic to carrots.


I actually knew that one...even though he was allergic, he still chewed on them when he recorded, he had a bath tub near by, that he'd spit the carrot into...

 

[chpal]

Absolutely Useless Facts #2
===============================================

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace.

.

0_0 omg, is that true? ><
if it is, thats pretty sad ; ;

 

[Lokkin]

Absolutely Useless Facts #2

In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen
Only Ladies Forbidden ... and thus the word GOLF entered into
English.

I'm scottish. you huwt my feewings.

 

[Mr.Wonko]

Absolutely Useless Facts #2
===============================================

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace.

.

0_0 omg, is that true? ><
if it is, thats pretty sad ; ;

Why?

 

[Lecan]

NIfty shtuff Jen ^_^, meh brain always craves knowledge XD

and Lokkin, just in the event you are interested to know....i have a sort of irish/scottish speaking taru for rp XDD. Perhaps you should coach me on the proper way an scottish accent should be respresented in text? Dun want ya to feel misrepresented or anythin'.

 

[chpal]

becuase Wonko. Living 50 miles fo wehre they were born ><
I live like 3k miles from where I was born. It makes you think that most people never really travel away from their hometowns.

 

[Mr.Wonko]

But why is that bad? Why does it make your brows furrow in consternation and distress? I live about five hundred miles from where I was born, but I don't see what is so bad about living fifty miles or less from it.

 

[Lokkin]

NIfty shtuff Jen ^_^, meh brain always craves knowledge XD

and Lokkin, just in the event you are interested to know....i have a sort of irish/scottish speaking taru for rp XDD. Perhaps you should coach me on the proper way an scottish accent should be respresented in text? Dun want ya to feel misrepresented or anythin'.

lol sure, though I don't do scottish typing, I'll just say it out loud and type it out that way hehe, what typeof words are you likely to be saying?

P.S. I was only kidding about having my feelings hurt, most other scots are like that.