Skip to content
BOL Conferences
Learn More - Click Here!

Thread Options
#352530 - 04/28/05 12:39 AM Interesting facts (?)
thomasj Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 5,063
Pennsylvania
Some interesting facts I received in my e-mail today. Well they are interesting I am not sure on the "fact" part.

Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"


The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.


Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury.


Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.


Coca-Cola was originally green.


It is impossible to lick your elbow.


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 first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.


The 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 ofIndependenceon July 4th, John Hancock and CharlesThomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.


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. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

A. Father's Day


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 . which 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 your 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~~~~~~~~~~~~







At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow
_________________________
Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.

Return to Top
Chat! - BOL Watercooler
#352531 - 04/28/05 12:53 AM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Anonymous
Unregistered

That is hilarious! I am soooo busted. By the time I scrolled down, I had already tried to lick BOTH elbows.

By the way, it's not impossible . . .

Return to Top
#352532 - 04/28/05 10:23 AM Re: Interesting facts (?)
E.E.G.B Offline
Power Poster
E.E.G.B
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 6,726
the sandy shore
I tried it too.... (and couldn't do it.)
_________________________
I disbelieved what he was saying so hard, I probably created an alternate universe where it wasn't true.

Return to Top
#352533 - 04/28/05 12:17 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
thomasj Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 5,063
Pennsylvania
I am ROTFL at the thought of MBG trying to lick her elbows !! I have a pinched nerve in my neck and didn't even attempt it, but if I had been injury free, I may have tried it too !
_________________________
Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.

Return to Top
#352534 - 04/28/05 12:49 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Anonymous
Unregistered

Impressive - I could only get to my bicep!

I've heard several of these before...Here's a few more. Hopefully, I'll get them right because I'm going from memory:

The Whole Nine Yards: This originated in the World War II. A B-17s .50 cal machine gun boasted a nine yard magazine belt. To 'give them the whole nine yards' meant to use up the entire belt on the enemy.

'Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey' This very common description of the British winter weather actually comes from the times when the navy fought with cannon balls. These were stored on deck, besides the actual cannon. With the rolling of the ship the balls would roll aound the ship. They were welded to small stable upright called, a brass monkey. In the bitter cold the weld could snap and the let loose the balls!

On the 'graveyard shift' they would know if someone was 'saved by the bell' or he was a 'dead ringer': When the English in the 1300s started running out of places to bury people they would dig up coffins after so many years and reuse the graves. In reopening these coffins about 1 in 25 were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realised they had been burying people alive. So they tied a string on the decease's wrist and led it through the coffin lid and up through the ground and tied it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night and listen for the bell. If they heard it ring, they'd dig the person up...Hence, "saved by the bell."

'Don't throw the baby out with the bath water': Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May and were still smelling pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the B.O. Baths were a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of nice clean hot water. Then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all were the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it.

Enjoy!

Return to Top
#352535 - 04/28/05 12:51 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
waldensouth Offline
Power Poster
waldensouth
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 7,983
FINALLY ABOVE the gnat line
Honey may not spoil but it will turn to sugar when it's left in the back of the cabinet and you forget its there until you're cleaning out the pantry. And no, I can't lick my elbows.
_________________________
"Once you learn to read, you will be forever free."

- Frederick Douglass




My Opinion Only.

Return to Top
#352536 - 04/28/05 01:28 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Beagles22 Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 3,626
State of confusion
I can't either, but the people I work with now know that I am nuts, they used to just think it!
_________________________
Going to church doesn't make you a christian any more that standing in your garage makes you a car.

Return to Top
#352537 - 04/28/05 01:37 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Bengals Fan Offline
Power Poster
Bengals Fan
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 8,990
Cincinnati, OH
Quote:

Honey may not spoil but it will turn to sugar when it's left in the back of the cabinet and you forget its there until you're cleaning out the pantry.




Yeah, and I'm pretty sure twinkies don't spoil

Return to Top
#352538 - 04/28/05 01:51 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Okie Dokie Offline
Platinum Poster
Okie Dokie
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 798
Quote:

Yeah, and I'm pretty sure twinkies don't spoil




I have never been able to keep any long enough to see if they will spoil. (P.S. I can't lick my elbow either.)
_________________________
Children seldom misquote. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said. ~Author Unknown

Return to Top
#352539 - 04/28/05 02:56 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
tahdah Offline
Platinum Poster
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 932
Tuesday was the 75th anniversary of Twinkies, so we had a twinkies day at work (go figure). Here's some trivia:
They got their name from a St.l Louis billboard ad for the Twinkle Toe shoe.
They were chosen to be included in the White House Millennium time capsul, representing an object of enduring American symbolism.
500 million Twinkies are baked each year.
Twinkies have a shelf life of 14 days. (So they do spoil)
Twinkies filling switched from banana to vanilla during WW II.
52000 twinkies can be filled with creme in 1 hour at the bakery
It takes 45 seconds for a twinkie to explode in the microwave.
More than 1/2 million hens are needed to lay the 160 million grade A large eggs used to make twinkies each year.
So now you know about Twinkies.

Return to Top
#352540 - 04/28/05 03:08 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Retired DQ Offline
10K Club
Retired DQ
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 40,766
Turnpike Exit 10
I am going to have to try the microwave thing...
_________________________
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please. - Mark Twain

Return to Top
#352541 - 04/28/05 03:46 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Anonymous
Unregistered

Quote:

I am ROTFL at the thought of MBG trying to lick her elbows !! I have a pinched nerve in my neck and didn't even attempt it, but if I had been injury free, I may have tried it too !




Well, all I can say is that it's a good thing I do my own laundry. I noticed last night that I ended up with lipstick in the elbow region on both shirts.

FYI -- I could only lick the left one, and only on the side, not the point, but I still felt like I had accomplished something.

Return to Top
#352542 - 04/28/05 04:04 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Anonymous
Unregistered

I guess whether it is impossible or not to lick your elbow depends on if you tried to lick the inside or outside of the elbow. I can get to the inside elbow, but not the outside.

Return to Top
#352543 - 04/28/05 04:07 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
thomasj Offline
Power Poster
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 5,063
Pennsylvania
Now I am ROTFL at the thought of MBG cursing me when she realized that there was lipsick on her sleeves! Not sure why I find this so funny, it is just the image in my head....

BTW, congrats on your accomplishment, I'm sure I couldn't get that close if I used my dogs tounge!
_________________________
Knowledge is knowing what to say. Wisdom is knowing when to say it.

Return to Top
#352544 - 04/28/05 05:49 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Anonymous
Unregistered

the penquin is the fastest bird....underwater. -- p.w.

Return to Top
#352545 - 04/28/05 06:06 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Princess Romeo Offline

Power Poster
Princess Romeo
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 8,272
Where the heart is
I had learned that "Mind your p's and q's" was from the old typesetting days when newspapers used hand set printing presses. The type was "backward" so that the image would be "forward", and the lower case "p's" and "q's" could easily get mixed up.
_________________________
CRCM,CAMS
Regulations are a poor substitute for ethics.
Just sayin'

Return to Top
#352546 - 04/28/05 06:11 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Circle of the Crone Offline
Platinum Poster
Circle of the Crone
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 698
I don't know I'm not that good...
The peregrine falcon is the fast animal on the earth.
It has been recorded going up to 200 mph.

The escape velocity to get off earth is 25,000 mph.

Caffine has a half-life of 6 hours.
_________________________
Hidden sins of seven times cursed eyes GluttonyGreedSlothEnvyWrathPrideLust

Return to Top
#352547 - 04/28/05 06:41 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
cbu3 Offline
Gold Star
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 336
CA
Quote:

Honey may not spoil but it will turn to sugar when it's left in the back of the cabinet and you forget its there until you're cleaning out the pantry. And no, I can't lick my elbows.




To turn the sugared honey back into a liquid form, try giving it a warm water bath by placing the jar in a saucepan about half-filled with water. Put the pan on the stove, turn the heat on to about medium. Make sure you've loosened the lid!

If you're in a rush, you can microwave the honey, but zap it on either a low power or for very short bursts on higher power levels.

And I can't lick my elbows, either!!!
_________________________
Opinions expressed are mine, and might not be those of my employer, regardless of my continuing efforts ;-D

Return to Top
#352548 - 04/28/05 07:00 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
Ginlyn, CRCM Offline
Gold Star
Ginlyn, CRCM
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 300
Oklahoma
I never have honey long enough to turn to sugar, either. Peanut butter and honey -- my favorite! (Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter, of course)
_________________________
Ginger M CRCM

Return to Top
#352549 - 04/28/05 07:29 PM Re: Interesting facts (?)
MB Guy Offline
10K Club
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 10,124
Way, way south.
Try the Honey Nut Peanut Butter (Peter Pan Brand I believe).

I grab the honey nut peanut butter, the strawberry preserves, a spoon and a glass of milk for a terrible late night snack.

It's terrible because the preserves raise your blood sugar and changes your insulin level (goes up or down - I forget which - whichever one slows your metabolism) and you eat all the fat from the peanut butter. Bad combo for a dieter.
_________________________
Giddy up.

Return to Top