Language, Folklore & Myths...

• The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." Uses every letter in the alphabet. (developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications)
• The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
• No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple
• "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt"
• There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous
• The word "racecar," "kayak," and "radar" are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left
• "a man a plan a canal panama" spelled backwards is still "a man a plan a canal panama"
• "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand
• "Go," is the shortest complete sentence in the English language
• No word in the English language rhymes with "month."
• Gilligan of Gilligan's Island had a first name that was only used once, on the never-aired pilot show. His first name was Willy Beelzebub, another name for the devil, is Hebrew for "Lord of the Flies", and this is where the book's title comes from
• The term "devil's advocate" comes from the Roman Catholic church. When deciding if someone should be sainted, a devil's advocate is always appointed to give an alternative view
• It is believed that Shakespeare was 46 around the time that the King James Version of the Bible was written. In Psalms 46, the 46th word from the first word is 'shake' and the 46th word from the last word is 'spear'
• The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."
• Maine is the only state (in USA) whose name is just one syllable
• Between 1937 and 1945 Heinz produced a version of Alphabetic Spaghetti especially for the German market that consisted solely of little pasta swastikas
• People say Bless you when you sneeze because when you sneeze, your heart stops for a millisecond
• In 1843, the first Christmas card was printed in England for Sir Henry Cole. He was busy man who wanted to save time in his own Christmas letters, but was also interested in encouraging the expansion of the postal system. 1000 copies of the card were sold at one shilling each. It was not until the 1860s that the production of cards accelerated, with cheaper printing methods. Then in 1870, the Post Office introduced a half penny stamp for sending cards
• The term "the whole 9 yards" came from WWII fighter pilots in the Pacific.When arming their airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."
• The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law that stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb
• If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in he 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
• Avoid people who talk to themselves. According to Ukrainian legend, that could indicate a dual soul and the second one doesn't die! Also watch out for the seventh son of a seventh son, a person born with a red caul (amniotic membrane covering the head), or a child born with teeth.
• A vampire can result if a cat or dog walks over a fresh grave, a bat flies over the corpse, or the person has died suddenly as a result of suicide or murder. Unfinished business can also cause a body to rise, as can inadequate burial rites, including a grave that is too shallow
• Long ago, the people of Nicaragua believed that if they threw beautiful young women into a volcano it would stop erupting
• According to folklore, there are a number of ways to protect yourself from vampires, including the ever-popular wearing of garlic or a religious symbol. You can slow a vampire down by giving him something to do, like pick up poppy seeds or unravel a net. (They're quite compulsive.) Cross water and he can't follow. If you can find the body, give it a bottle of whiskey or food so it doesn't have to travel. If that doesn't work, either shoot the corpse (may require a silver bullet) or drive a stake through the heart. And remember, the vampire won't enter your dwelling unless invited
• An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck
• Breaking of a glass is traditional in some wedding ceremonies. This custom symbolizes different things. To some its the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and for some its the represents the fragility of a relationship
• The Sphinx at Giza in Egypt is 240 feet long and carved out of limestone. Built by Pharaoh Khafre to guard the way to his pyramid, it has a lion's body and the ruler's head
• The Vikings believed that the Northern lights which are seen from time to time in the north sky were caused by the flashing armor and spears of Odin's handmaidens as they rode out to collect warriors slain in battle
• The reason one wears a wedding ring on the third finger is that (tradition says) there is supposed to be a vein which goes directly from that finger to the heart -i.e., the seat of love. Also, not everyone wears that wedding ring on the third finger of the LEFT hand. In some traditions, such as the Jewish one, it is worn on the right hand. Also, I'm given to understand that nuns ("brides of Christ") wear a wedding ring, again on the right hand
• The ace of spades in a playing card deck symbolizes death
• In the 1700's you could purchase insurance against going to hell, in London England

..Science F(R)iction..

In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined

Paranormal experts say people reach the peak of their ability to see ghosts when they're 7 years old

As much as six percent of the world's population may experience sleep paralysis, the inability to move and speak for several minutes after awakening

The location of the Mars face on Mars matches the location of Stone Henge in England
Venus's day is longer then its year

The rotation of the Earth will eventually slow down to match the moon

Sound doesn't travel in space

In space, astronauts cannot cry, because there is no gravity, so the tears can't flow

If you fart consistently for 6 years and 9 months, enough gas is produced to create the energy of an atomic bomb

Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue

It takes 42 muscles in your face to frown.

It only takes 4 muscles to extend your arm and smack someone upside the head

At a glance, the Celsius scale makes more sense than the Fahrenheit scale for temperature measuring. But its creator, Anders Celsius, was an oddball scientist.

When he first developed his scale, he made freezing 100 degrees and boiling 0 degrees, or upside down. No one dared point this out to him, so fellow scientists waited until Celsius died to change the scale

Did You Know??

Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food FROM freezing

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades (King David) Clubs (Alexander the Great) Hearts (Charlemagne) and Diamonds (Julius Caesar)

You are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider.

Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than Left-handed people do.

The first automatic vibrator was invented in 1869 and was steam powered. It was used to treat female disorders

Americans use over 16,000 tons of aspirin a year

Feb 1865 is the only month in recorded history not to have a full moon

Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors

Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes

Shakespeare invented the word "assassination" and "bump."

If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white

Women blink nearly twice as much as men

The name of all the continents end with the same letter that they start with

The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want

The word racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left

TYPEWRITER, is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard

George Washington grew marijuana in his garden

Einstein couldn't speak fluently when he was nine. His,parents thought he might be retarded

The origin of the word "penis" is Latin, meaning "tail."

Only 55% of all Americans know that the sun is a starOdds of being killed by falling out of bed- 1 in 2 million

About 50% of women have one breast that is larger than the other

Average number of times a man will ejaculate in his lifetime: 7,200

In 1709 it was believed that the widespread infertility of Spanish women was due to singing during sex

The electric chair was invented by a dentist

Jimmy Carter was the first U.S. president to have been born in a hospital

The name Wendy was made up for the book "Peter Pan." Is False, the name can be traced backed to the early 1800's. The name was very rare and only became popular after the book was written

There is an average of 178 sesame seeds on a McDonald's Big Mac bun

It is impossible to lick your elbow

On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year

The cigarette lighter was invented before the match

More People use blue toothbrushes then red ones

Internationally, Baywatch is the most popular TV show in history

The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola,and Budweiser, in that order

The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the General Purpose" vehicle, GP

The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is uncopyrightable
The average human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap

The reason people say "God Bless you" when you sneeze is because your heart actually stops as long as it takes for you to sneeze

Pacing yourself with your finger allows you to read faster

More people have a phobia of frogs than rats

More people have a phobia of vomiting than death

The human brain only accounts for 2% of your body weight, but takes up more than 20% of your blood flow

Males sweat 40% more then females

Testosterone in males decreases 10% every 10 years

Plain grain products lower your IQ, while whole grain products increase your IQ

Cows milk gives 8 in 10 people coronary heart disease

Eating lemons make you live longer

Broccoli is the food with the best anti-cancer properties

Eating half an orange a day reduces your chances of getting a heart attack by 50%

Eating one meal of fish a week reduces your chances of getting a heart attack by 50%

There are more plastic flamingos in the U.S, than real ones!

A sneeze travels out your mouth at over 100 m.p.h.

Your ribs move about 5 million times a year, every time you breathe

Recycling one glass jar, saves enough energy to watch T.V for 3 hours

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure

On average people fear spiders more than they do death

In the course of an average lifetime you will, while sleeping, eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders. (This is nice to know!)

Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the bacteria in your ear by 700 times

If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib

Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different

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

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes

There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball

It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open

Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister

In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10

Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer

Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula"

All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill

Almonds are a member of the peach family

Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance

The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing

All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20

Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated

Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite

There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar

Most lipstick contains fish scales

On average, a human being will have sex more than 3,000 times and spend two weeks kissing in their lifetime.

More than 50% of the people in the world have never made or received a telephone call

If Barbie were life-size, her measurements would be 39-23-33. She would stand seven feet, two inches tall

If you yelled for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days, you will have produced enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee

If you put a raisin in a glass of champagne, it will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom

8 Things I Hate About Everyone

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2. People who are willing to get off their ass to search the entire room for the TV remote because they refuse to walk to the TV and change the channel manually.

3. When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too".?...Damn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4. When people say "it's always the last place you look"....Of course it is. Why would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they?

5. When people say while watching a film "did you see that?"...No, I just paid €10 to come to the cinema and stare at the floor.

6. People who ask "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya luv?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. ...Which is...? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, it couldn't be new..!

8. When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?".... If the bus came would I be standing here, smarty?