04:13 PM PST on Tuesday, January 4, 2005

Evening Magazine

Mount Rainier is named after Peter Rainier... Rainier fought against US in Revolutionary War. 1 billion Valentines sent each year. In Finland, marriage only permitted for those who can read. Greek drivers can lose license for being poorly dressed. Seeing-eye dogs only canines allowed into Iceland. Brown rice from other nations illegal in Japan. Neckties illegal in Micronesia. Illegal in Sweden to insult children. Europeans eat with fork in left hand, knife in right. Married women in India wear nose rings. Chewing gum impolite in New Zealand. Kids do not generally have sleepovers in Brazil. Taboo to touch heads in Asia... especially children's. Considered impolite to be on time in Philippines. Belching after meals polite in Taiwan.

Pancakes are dinner food in Australia. Bad luck to step on doorsills in Thailand. Ethiopian women sometimes shave heads as sign of beauty. French children celebrate their saint's day, not birthday. In Bangladesh, left hand considered unclean. Eating in streets considered crude in Taiwan. In S. Korea, pushing in crowds considered OK... not OK in WA. Remove glasses when speaking to elders in S. Korea. In India, do not wear shoes in kitchen. Pakistani grooms wear garlands of money. More than 2,700 languages in the world. . . 7,000 dialects... 1,000 languages spoken in Africa. Most difficult language to learn is Basque. All intn'l pilots must speak English. Somalia only African country where whole population speaks same language... Somali. Many African languages include "click" sound... must learn in childhood to speak properly. Berbers of N. Africa have no written language.

B-ball first played using soccer ball... and peach baskets. Over 61,000 pizzerias in the U.S. No English word rhymes with "month." Sun could hold 1 million Earths. Emus cannot walk backwards. . . neither can kangaroos. 32 official ways to spell Muammar Khadafi. Longest one-vowel word: "strengths." James Joyce thought "cuspidor" most beautiful word in English language. Longest word in English language is pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis. . . a lung disease. Some say "smiles" is longest word. . . there's a "mile" between the 2 S's. Queen Mary I first queen of England. . . 1553. World's 1st soft-serve ice cream machine was in Olympia. 1st woman issued a US patent... 1809. 1st woman to climb Matterhorn. . . 1871. 1st US train robbery. . . 1866. 1st woman to run for President. . . 1872. 1st woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal. . . 1900. 1st U.S. policewoman. . . 1910. 1st American awarded Nobel Peace Prize. . . Theodore Roosevelt, 1901. 1st Miss America. . . 1921.

FDR first US president on TV. WA only state named after US president. 1st African American NBA player. . . 1950. 1st sex-change operation. . . 1952. All clams start out as males. . . some change sex. 1st black USAF general. . . 1954. First Best Actor Oscar to black leading man. . . 1964. 1st male on cover of Playboy. . . Peter Sellers, 1964. 1st human heart transplant. . . 1967. 1st artist on cover of Rolling Stone. . . John Lennon. 1st African American Supreme Court justice. . . Thurgood Marshall, 1967. 1st woman with seat on NYSE... 1967. 1st black mayor of major US city. . . Carl Stokes of Cleveland, OH, 1967. Attila the Hun died of nosebleed. Horses eat 7 times their weight each year. Newborn kangaroos just 1 inch long. Cow stomachs have 4 parts. Polecat is actually a type of weasel. ¼ of all US horses died of virus in 1872.

Rats can go without water longer than camels. Typical bed has 6 billion dust mites. Woodpeckers peck 20 times per second. Zebras are white with black stripes. All pet hamsters descended from a single female. Amazon ants depend entirely on slave ants for survival. Lion's roar can be heard 5 miles away. Albatross can sleep while they fly. Iguana can stay under water 28 min. Ostrich eye bigger than brain. Shortest gestation… American opossum, 12 days. Longest gestation… Asian Elephant, 20 months. Ants don't sleep. Ant colonies have up to 500,000 members. Aphids born pregnant. Illegal to kiss in London movie theaters. Blue whale loudest animal. Beaver teeth can be used as knife blades. John Curley appears in Seattle Prep 2000 Yearbook. Insects eat 1/3 of the Earth's food crop each year. Green Darner Dragonfly is WA State insect. Dragonflies can fly 60 mph. Elephants can communicate below human hearing range. $1.5 billion per year spent on pet food... 4 times amount spent on baby food. Felix the Cat first cartoon character parade float.

George Washington's favorite horse named "Lexington"... Napoleon's favorite: "Marengo"... U.S. Grant had 3 favorites... "Egypt," "Cincinnati," and "Jeff Davis." German Shepherds bite humans more than any other breed. Goldfish lose color if kept in darkness. Spokane smallest city to host World's Fair. Hummingbirds are smallest birds... one enemy is insect, praying mantis. Over entire lifetime, worker bee produces 1/12th teaspoon of honey. Infant beavers called kittens. Takes 35 minks to produce coat... 15 beaver. Takes 7 years for lobster to grow to 1 pound. 40 minutes to hard-boil ostrich egg. Kangaroos jump more than 30 feet. Lassie first appeared in 1930 novel... played onscreen by several male dogs. Types of penguins... Macaroni, Gentoo, Chinstrap, Emperor. Mockingbirds can imitate cat meowing.

Moles can tunnel through 300 feet a day. Mosquitoes dislike citronella because it irritates their feet. Mosquitoes prefer children, blondes. No 2 spider webs are the same. Only 10 percent of all known animals still exist. Pigs live about 15 years. Only female mosquitoes bite. Only male crickets chirp. Owls can't move eyes. Chocolate and avocados toxic to parrots. Pigs, walruses, horses can sunburn. Prairie dog is rodent, not dog. Rats eat dead and dying members of own species. Rats can't vomit. Sharks never get sick... immune to all known diseases. Snails can crawl along edge of razor without cutting themselves. Snakes immune to own poison. Some giraffes more than 6 feet tall at birth. Swans only birds with penises. Tapeworms can surpass 50 ft. length. 1st buffalo born in zoo... 1884. Animal responsible for most human deaths: mosquito.

Ostrich can weigh 350 pounds. Lion can weigh 530 pounds. Mammal blood is red... insect blood, yellow... lobster blood, blue. Bloodhound only animal whose evidence admissible in US court. Bones of pigeon weigh less than feathers. Calories burned daily by Iditarod sled dogs: 10,000. Canary Islands named for breed of dog, not bird. King County first named for VP William King... now named for M.L. King, Jr. Cat lover: ailurophile... cat hater: ailurophobe. Honeybee kills more people than all poisonous snakes combined. Hummingbird can't walk. . . neither can loon. . . nor kingfisher. Kiwi can't fly. . . but has survived more than 70 million years. Largest animal ever seen alive was 113.5 foot, 170-ton blue whale. Largest cockroach on record. . . 3.81 inches long. Largest pig. . . 2,552 lbs. Everett site of the world's largest building. Last member of Bonaparte family died in 1945. . . tripped over dog's leash.

Mouse is most common mammal in USA. World record frog jump: 33 feet 5.5 inches. World's shortest commercial aired on Evening Magazine, 1996. . . 1/10 second ad for Frango's. World's largest mammal, blue whale, 50 tons at birth. . . grows to 150 tons. World's largest rodent is the Capybara. . looks like a guinea pig. . . more than 100 pounds. World's smallest mammal is bumblebee bat of Thailand. . . weighs less than a penny. Frogs live on every continent except Antarctica. More insects in square mile of rural land than humans on entire earth. More than 100 million dogs and cats in the United States. More than 900,000 known species of insects in the world. Ancient Chinese artists never painted pictures of women's feet. World's tallest building: Petronas Tower in Malaysia. . . 1,483ft. Stonehenge 1500 years older than Colosseum.

If heads on Mt. Rushmore had bodies, would be 500 feet tall. 1925: world's 1st motel opened in San Luis Obispo, CA. Nobody buried in Grant's tomb. . . President & Mrs. Grant entombed there. . . buried means placed in the ground and covered with dirt. Picasso's career 78 yrs. long. Eiffel Tower: 984 feet high. . . fresh coat of 300 tons reddish-green paint every 7 yrs. Estimated weight of Great Pyramid of Egypt: 6.6 million tons. Extended arm of Statue of Liberty 42 feet long. First footprints at Mann's Chinese Theater made by Norma Talmadge, 1927. . . accidentally stepped in wet concrete. Hoover Dam built to last 2,000 years. . . concrete will not be fully cured for another 500 yrs. Largest movie theater in world is Radio City Music Hall in NYC. . . opened in 1932. Largest stained-glass window in the world at Kennedy International Airport in NYC. . . measures 300 ft. long by 23 ft. high. Mona Lisa is 2'6" by 1'9".

Official name of St. Louis Gateway Arch is "The Jefferson National Expansion Monument." Only signed Michelangelo sculpture: The Pieta, completed 1500. "American Gothic" depicts the sister and dentist of artist Grant Wood. Statue of Liberty arrived in NYC 1885. . . came on French ship "Isere". . . weighs 225 tons. Taj Mahal built 1630 by Shah Jehan to honor dead wife. World's largest Gothic cathedral in NYC. . . Cathedral of St. John the Divine. . . 601 feet long. 1,792 steps to the top of Eiffel Tower. 132 rooms in White House. 403 steps to top of Statue of Liberty. Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt are the 4 presidents carved on Mt. Rushmore. St. Peter's Basilica in Rome took over a century to build. Evening Magazine intern Jenna has never tried catsup. . . but once had pet camel.

Evening Magazine intern Lucas in rap group called "Franchise." Evening Magazine reporter Josephine Cheng once won national science fair. . . and a calypso dance contest. Mimi Gan won talent show for singing Hey Jude while wearing apron. Almonds, pistachios only nuts mentioned in Bible. 2 thieves crucified same time as Jesus were Dismas and Gestas. Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer are 3 angels mentioned by name in Bible. Easter derives name from pagan goddess Eostre. Salt more than 30 times in Bible. 7 suicides recorded in Bible. 1st Mormon temple. . .Kirtland, Ohio, 1836. 4 Horsemen of Apocalypse are Conquest, Slaughter, Famine, Death. Hindu holy day begins at sunrise. . . Jewish holy day begins at sunset. . . Christian holy day begins at midnight. Lngest name in Bible. . . Mahershalalbaz. Patron saint of dentists, St. Apollonia, had teeth pulled in 249 AD by angry mob. Shortest verse in the Bible is 2 words: "Jesus wept." 49 different foods mentioned in Bible.

"The Mouse Trap," by Agatha Christie is longest running play in history. All proceeds from book "Peter Pan" go to Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children in London. Barbara Bush's book about her dog on the bestseller list for 29 weeks. . . Millie most popular "First Dog" in history. Jim Dever once scolded by Secret Service for petting Clinton's cat, Socks. Cinderella's slippers originally fur. . . story changed in 1600s by translator. Cheetahs can't retract claws. Elephant became GOP symbol in 1874. Eskimos originated phrase "three dog night". . . means very cold night. Fastest bird is Spine-tailed Swift. . can reach speeds of 220 mph. Fastest-moving land snail is common garden snail. . . reaches speeds of 0.0313 mph. First house rats in America: Boston, 1775. Giant Squid is largest creature without backbone. . weighs up to 2.5 tons. . . grows up to 55 feet long. . . eyes 1 foot or more in diameter. Dr. Seuss wrote "Green Eggs and Ham" after editor dared him to write using fewer than 50 different words. First fictional detective in 1841. . . Edgar Allen Poe's "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."

"Oz" named after a file cabinet labeled "O to Z." "Uncle Tom's Cabin" first American novel to sell one million copies. . . 1852. 2200 persons quoted in "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations". . . only 164 are women. Sherlock Holmes never said 'Elementary, my dear Watson.' Three Musketeers names… Porthos, Athos, Aramis… D'Artagnan joins later. Romans originated bagpipes. Hee Haw was longest-running weekly first-run syndicated show in TV history. . . aired from late '60s to early '90s. Walt Disney awarded 35 Oscars. C3P0 is first character to speak in Star Wars. Captain Jean-Luc Picard's fish named Livingston. Captain Kirk never said "Beam me up, Scotty." He did say, "Beam me up, Mr. Scott." Chocolate syrup used for blood in Hitchcock's " Psycho" shower scene. First openly gay main character on network television. . . Billy Crystal's Jodie on ABC's Soap… 1977. Camel milk does not curdle. Camels have three eyelids. Cat Scratch Disease transmitted by many kinds of scratches besides cats. Catfish have 100,000 taste buds.

Catnip also affects lions and tigers... works by mimicking female excretion. Some frogs can be frozen solid, thawed without dying. Cheetahs make "chirping" sound like bird... can be heard 1 mile away. Pigeons navigate by following roads. Cats eat 28 times their weight each year. Greyhounds developed in Egypt 5,000 years ago... used in England 1,000 years ago to hunt hares. Donald Duck's address is 1313 Webfoot Walk, Duckburg, Calisota. Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy. Fauntleroy Cove in Seattle named after Robert Fauntleroy. . . father-in-law of area's official mapmaker. Beatles continue to sell more records each year than Rolling Stones. George Harrison was 1st Beatle to have #1 hit single after group's breakup.

Original artists sold all rights to character Superman for $130. Popular dances in 1962. . . Mashed Potato. . . Loco-Motion. . . Frug. . . Monkey. . . Funky Chicken. Midnight Cowboy only X-rated production to win Best Picture Oscar, 1969. Humphrey Bogart never said "Play it again, Sam." In Disney's Fantasia, Sorcerer's name is Yensid. . . Disney spelled backward. Elizabeth Taylor 1st star paid $1 million for single picture. . . Cleopatra, 1959. Evening Magazine reporter Saint Bryan's grandfather hunted UFOs for the CIA. . . Production Associate Teresa Pape's grandfather worked in mysterious Area 51. . . reporter Jim Dever's grandfather awarded US Patent number 4878683 at age 80 for Unitary Hub Assembly, a car part. The original Jethro Tull was an English horticulturalist who invented the seed drill.

Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. . . all 27 yrs. old when they died. Mickey Mouse known as 'Topolino' in Italy. Dirty Harry's badge number. . 2211. 1st MTV music video. . . "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. MTV's original VJ's. . . Martha Quinn, Nina Blackwood, Mark Goodman, J.J. Jackson, Alan Hunter. Historical figures most portrayed on film. . . Napoleon, 194 movies. . . Jesus Christ, 152 movies. . . Abe Lincoln, 137 movies. First woman film director with $100 million box office movie… Penny Marshall with 1988's "Big." Rudolph, Red-Nosed Reindeer, created 1939 for Montgomery Ward department store promotion. 364 gifts given in "Twelve Days of Christmas" song.

1st Academy Awards telecast. . . 1953. 1st Academy Awards presented. . . 1927. 1st Grammy Awards. . . 1959. 1st comic strip. . . "The Yellow Kid," 1896. 1st feature-length animated film. . . "Snow White." 1st kiss in a movie. . . 1896. 1st interracial kiss on TV. . . Captain James T. Kirk and Lt.Uhura. . . "Star Trek," 1968. 1st live televised murder. . . 1963. . . Jack Ruby killed JFK's assassin, Lee Harvey. 1st presidential news conference for TV. . . 1955. . . Eisenhower was president. 1st time "f-word" spoken in a movie. . . Marianne Faithfull in 1968 film, "I'll Never Forget Whatshisname." In 1984's "Scarface," the word is spoken 206 times. . . average of once every 29 seconds. Least-known Beatle. . . Stu Sutcliffe. "The Black Hole," 1979. . . Disney's first PG-rated movie. Sesame Street's Bert and Ernie named after cop Bert, taxi driver Ernie in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life."

Simpson's creator Matt Groening's real-life father, mother, and two sisters named Homer, Marge, Lisa, Maggie. Capon is a castrated rooster. Chameleon can move eyes two directions at same time. Chameleon's tongue 2 times length of its body. Chimps can recognize selves in mirror. . . monkeys can't. Headless cockroach can live for a full week. Evening Magazine reporter John Stofflet lives in John Curley's basement. Cornish game hen is actually young chicken, 5 to 6 weeks of age. . . weighs less than 2 pounds. 1st CD pressed in US. . . Bruce Springsteen's 'Born in the USA'. 1st issue of People Magazine cost 35 cents. . . 1974. Longest Oscar acceptance speech. . . Greer Garson for 1924's "Mrs. Miniver". . . 1 hour. Looney Tunes theme song actually called "The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down." Mills Brothers recorded most songs of any artist. . . about 2,250. Monty Python movie "The Life of Brian" was banned in Scotland.

Official state song of Georgia since 1922 has been "Georgia on My Mind". Professor on "Gilligan's Island" named Roy Hinkley. . . Skipper named Jonas Grumby. . both names used only once, on first episode. Russian Imperial Necklace loaned out by Joseff jewelers of Hollywood for 1,215 feature films. "Happy Birthday to You" originally called "Good Morning to You." "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" . . . written by German who never visited Ireland. Karaoke means "empty orchestra" in Japanese. Cow gives about 200,000 glasses of milk in lifetime. Father Emperor penguins fast 60 days and remain standing to protect eggs, which are kept on feet. Sea catfish keep eggs in mouth until ready to hatch. Mackerel lay about 500,000 eggs at a time. No 2 cows have exactly same pattern of spots. Leeches can fill with 4 times body weight in blood. Title role of Dirty Harry originally for Frank Sinatra. . . then offered to John Wayne. . . then Paul Newman. . . finally Clint Eastwood. Wizard of Oz was Broadway musical 37 years before movie made. 11 points Kermit the Frog's collar. Time magazine's "Man of the Year" for 1938. . . Adolf Hitler. Walt Disney's first cartoon character. . . Oswald the Rabbit.

Bugs Bunny first called Happy Rabbit. Typical American eats 28 pigs in lifetime. Americans eat 20.7 pounds of candy per person annually. . . Dutch eat three times as much. First meal in space. . . applesauce. . . John Glenn, 1962. First ready-mix food. . . Aunt Jemima pancake flour, 1889. Popsicle invented by 11-year-old. China's Beijing Duck Restaurant can seat 9,000 people at one time. Seattle home to first revolving restaurant. Sliced bread outlawed in US during WWII. . . government never explained how unsliced loaves helped war effort. Fortune cookies invented in 1916 by Los Angeles noodle maker. Fried chicken most popular meal ordered in US restaurants. . . next are roast beef, spaghetti, turkey, baked ham. Haggis, national dish of Scotland… boiled heart, liver, lungs, small intestines of calf or sheep, add suet and oatmeal. Twinkies invented in 1931. Potato chips American's favorite snack food… 1.2 billion pounds consumed a year. Pound of potato chips… 200 times more expensive than pound of potatoes. 100 cups of coffee over 4 hours will kill average human. 6 billion Oreos sold each year. . . invented in 1912.

Tradition of coloring eggs began 3,000 B.C. Refried beans are not fried twice. Rice is staple food of more than half of world population. Saffron is most expensive cooking spice. McDonald's in New Delhi, India makes mutton burgers. Swiss Steak, Chop Suey, Russian Dressing. . . all originated in US. Tequila made from root of blue agave cactus. Agen plum, basis of US prune industry, first planted in CA, 1856. Average child will eat 1,500 PBJ sandwiches by high school graduation. John Curley failed 4th grade twice. California grape and wine industries started by Count Agoston Haraszthy de Moksa, 1857. Chile color no indication of spiciness. . . smaller pepper usually hotter. Tootsie Rolls named after inventor Leo Hirschfield's daughter, Tootsie. Apple cider is pasteurized. . . cider is not. Word "soup" comes from the Middle Ages word "sop". . . slice of bread covered in roast drippings. 1st soup, 6000 B.C., main ingredient was Hippo bones. FDA allows 30 or more insect fragments, 1 or more rodent hairs per 100 grams of peanut butter.

1st ring donuts produced in 1847 by 15-year-old baker's apprentice. . . knocked soggy center out of fried doughnut. Fungus called truffles can cost $800 to $1,500 per pound. . . sniffed out by female pigs. Hamburger invented, 1900. Herring most widely eaten fish in world. . . calories equal to beefsteak. Hottest chile in world is habanero. Ice cream soda invented, 1874, Philadelphia. Largest menu item in world is roast camel. . . stuffed with sheep carcass, which is stuffed with chickens, which are stuffed with fish, which are stuffed with eggs. Pillsbury Bake-off held every year since 1948. Ellie Mathews of Seattle won 1 million dollars for her Salsa Couscous Chicken, 1998. Pound cake got name from pound of butter in recipe. Sandwich named for 4th Earl of Sandwich. . . sandwiches made so he could stay at gambling table during meals. Vintage date wine indicates year grapes were picked, not bottled. White part of egg is albumen.

White potato from Andes mountains, brought to Britain by Sir Francis Drake, 1586. World's 1st chocolate candy produced, 1828. World's costliest coffee, at $130 a pound, Kopi Luwak. . . droppings of marsupial that eats finest coffee beans. . . workers track and scoop precious poop. World's deadliest mushroom is Amanita phalloides, death cap. . . diarrhea and vomiting within 12 hours of ingestion, followed by coma, death. Van Camp's Pork and Beans, staple food for Union Soldiers in Civil War. Vanilla comes from orchids.

Honey enters blood stream within 20 minutes. Potatoes 1st seen in Europe in the 1600's, thought disgusting, blamed for leprosy and syphilis. As late as 1720 in America, potatoes believed to shorten life. Holes in Swiss cheese called "eyes." Hamlet is village without a church. . town is not city until it has cathedral. 1/10 of Earth permanently covered with ice. WA has more glaciers than other 47 contiguous states combined. Mt. Everest grows 1/6th inch a year. All gondolas in Venice, Italy must be painted black. Number of climbers to reach top of Mt. Everest: 1350. . . number of deaths: 167. Greenland is largest island in the world. . . 3 times size of Texas. Canada is Indian word meaning 'Big Village'. Damascus, Syria oldest continuously inhabited city in existence. Oldest continuously operating gas station in WA.

Disney World twice the size of Manhattan. Dueling legal in Paraguay. . . if both parties registered blood donors. French was official language of England for 600 years. Grand Rapids, MI 1st city in the US to put fluoride in water. Hawaii only US state to grow coffee. If Monaco's ruling family runs out of heirs, country will cease to be sovereign state. 1771, Poland was largest European country except Russia. In US seal, eagle grasps 13 arrows and olive branch. Permanent no-fly zone over Taj Mahal. Japan world's leading importer of iron ore. La Paz, Bolivia highest large city in world, 11,900 feet.

Only state one-syllable state: Maine. Mexico City sinking 8 inches a year. Most landfilled trash stays same weight, volume, form for 40 years. New Jersey has most hazardous waste sites: 96. Quito, Ecuador said to have the most pleasant climate in world. . . temperature rarely below 46 or above 72 degrees Fahrenheit. St. Augustine, Florida oldest city in the US. 1st US zoo. . . Philadelphia. . . 1876. Abbreviation 'ORD' for Chicago's O'Hare airport comes from old name 'Orchard Field.' Arctic ocean smallest and shallowest. Atlantic saltier than Pacific. 1st city of 1 million people. . . Rome, Italy, 133 B.C. London, England reached 1 million in 1810, NYC in 1875. Today, over 300 cities bigger than 1 million. Flag of the Philippines officially flown upside-down in time of war. Great Lakes contain 6 quadrillion gallons of fresh water, 1/5 of world's fresh surface water. Hollywood sign built in 1923 as real estate ad. . originally read Hollywoodland. International dialing code for Antarctica: 672. Jordanian city Amman once called Philadelphia. Largest US city in area is Juneau, Alaska. . . 3,108 square miles. Only continent without reptiles or snakes is Antarctica. Original name of Los Angeles. . . El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del rio Porciuncula.

Pantheon is largest building from ancient Rome still intact. WA has last state capitol building built with rotunda. San Diego Zoo largest in the world. Smallest island nation, Pitcairn in Polynesia, 1.75 square miles. Tallest monument in US, Gateway Arch, St. Louis, 630 feet tall. US city with highest murder rate is Detroit. Vatican's Swiss Guard still wears uniform designed by Michelangelo. Great Salt Lake 4 times saltier than ocean. Wettest spot on earth in Kauai. . . 500 inches per year. World's longest railway in Peru. Shortest war on record, Britain vs. Zanzibar, 1896, lasted 38 minutes. US income tax. . . started in 1862, ended 1872, re-started in 1894, ended again 1895, brought back forever in 1913. In 1965, Secret Service began protecting former presidents and spouses for lifetime. Acupuncture first used as a medical treatment in 2700 BC by Chinese emperor Shen-Nung. Armored knights raised visors to ID selves for king. . . custom became modern military salute. Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves in 400 BC. Bock's Car was name of B-29 Bomber that dropped the Atom Bomb on Nagasaki. Britain's present royal family originally named Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. . . name changed during WWI because it sounded German. Name Windsor suggested by staffer.

Christmas became national holiday in US, 1890. Lemon juice issued on British Navy ships after Capt. Cook lost crew to scurvy, vitamin C deficiency. 200,000 black soldiers in Union Army during Civil War. . . 38,000 died. . . 22 won Medal of Honor. Aristotle believed heart was seat of intelligence. Grover Cleveland only president to win non-consecutive terms. 1865, veterans of Confederate Army formed private social club called Ku Klux Klan. 1892, Italy raised minimum marriage age for girls. . . to 12. 1752 only had 354 days. . . that year, type of calendar changed, 11 days lost. Martha Washington only woman to appear on US paper money. . . $1 silver certificates, 1886 to 1896. Sacagewea and Susan B. Anthony only women on US coins. Members of Nazi SS had blood type tattooed on armpits. Napoleon created history's 1st nationwide laws. Nevada 1st state to use gas chamber, 1924.

New Orleans' 1st Mardi Gras celebration, 1826. New York's first St. Patrick's day parade, 1762. 33 of 262 popes have died by violence. Only 2 people signed Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. . . last signature added 5 years later. George Washington created Order of the Purple Heart, 1782, to start line of US royalty. President Lincoln proclaimed 1st nat'l Thanksgiving Day, 1863. 7 of the 8 presidents who died in office elected at precisely 20-year intervals. 1st 20 African slaves brought to colony of Virginia, 1619. 1st nuclear-powered submarine, 1955. 1st federal law against narcotics, 1909. 1st federal prison, 1906. 1st minimum wage law, 1938. . 25 cents per hour. Ancient Egyptians slept on pillows of stone. The Black Death reduced Europe's population by 1/3 in period from 1347 to 1351. Dollar established as US currency, 1785. 1st coin minted in US, silver dollar, 1794.

1st country to ban capital punishment: Austria, 1787. 1st losing candidate in presidential election was Thomas Jefferson. . . lost to John Adams. . . George Washington unopposed. 1st Marines wore high leather collars to protect necks, origin of name "leathernecks." 1st contraceptive was crocodile dung, 2000 BC. Hundred Year War actually lasted 116 years. Longest reigning monarch in history: Pepi II. . . ruled Egypt 90 years. 2nd longest: France's Louis XIV. . . 72 years. Miss America Contest created in Atlantic City, 1921, to extend tourist season past Labor Day. Wright Bros. named their 1st flight airplane Bird of Prey. Only repealed amendment to the US Constitution: the prohibition of alcohol. Peace symbol created, 1958, as nuclear disarmament symbol used at UK peace marches. . . symbol combines semaphore signals N and D: nuclear disarmament. Titanic was first ship to use SOS signal. . . adopted as signal for distress just weeks before Titanic struck iceberg.

Total number of Americans killed in Civil War greater than combined total of Americans killed in all other wars. Union ironclad, Monitor, 1st US ship to have flush toilet. USSR set off the largest nuclear explosion in history, 2600 times Hiroshima bomb, in 1961 test blast. Very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during WWII killed the only elephant in Berlin Zoo. Evening Mag reporter John Miller once nearly killed by softball fired from high-powered cannon. White House was originally gray. . . painted white to hide smoke stains after torched in 1812 war. "Spanish Flu" epidemic, 1918, killed 30 million people in less than a year. 1965, driving in Sweden changed from left-hand to right-hand side of road. . . all traffic stopped at 5pm, people switched sides.

Rosellini Bridge on 520 longest floating bridge in world. Vermont became 14th state, 1791. Wyoming first state to allow women to vote. Yellowstone world's 1st national park, 1872. Fetus acquires fingerprints at age of 3 months. A person will die from total lack of sleep sooner than starvation. . . 10 days without sleep, starvation takes weeks. Risk of heart attack is highest on Mondays. After hours looking at computer display, blank piece of white paper will appear pink. Average human drinks 16,000 gallons of water in lifetime. Average human scalp has 100,000 hairs. Average person uses bathroom 6 times per day. Babies born with 300 bones, by adulthood have only 206. Beards are fastest growing hairs on body. . . untrimmed beard would reach 30 feet in lifetime. By age 60, most people have lost 1/2 their taste buds. By age of 70, heart will have beat 2.5 billion times. John Curley has 1 square inch tattoo on bottom. . . wife does not approve.

1 square inch of human skin has 20 ft. of blood vessels. Every human spent about 1/2 hour as single cell. Every person has unique tongue print. Every square inch of human body has 32 million bacteria. You consume 1/10 of a calorie by licking stamp. Humans shed about 600,000 particles of skin every hour. . . 1.5 pounds a year. By age 70, you'll lose 105 pounds of skin. Humans shed, regrow outer skin continuously. . . almost 1,000 new skins in a lifetime. Small intestine is 22 ft. long. In sealed room, you'd die of carbon dioxide poisoning before lack of oxygen. If blind in one eye, you'll only lose about 1/5 vision. Average American consumes 50 tons of food, 13,000 gallons of liquid in lifetime. In 1800's, millions of human mummies used as fuel for trains in Egypt. . . wood and coal was scarce, mummies plentiful. Jaw muscles use 200 pounds of force for chewing. Lab tests can detect alcohol in urine 12 hours after drinking.

Laughing strengthens immune system. Six-year-olds laugh average of 300 times a day, adults 15 to 100 times a day. Ashes of average cremated person weigh nine pounds. Average duration for sex: 2 minutes. Evening Magazine commercial break: 2 min. 30 sec. Average human body contains enough iron to make a 3 inch nail, sulfur to kill all fleas on average dog, carbon for 900 pencils, potassium to fire toy cannon, fat to make 7 bars of soap. Average human produces 25,000 quarts of spit in lifetime, enough to fill 2 swimming pools. Average person releases 1 pint of gas by flatulence every day. Most due to swallowed air. . . the rest from undigested food. Feet account for 1/4 of all bones. Muscles 40% of body's weight.

Human brain 85% water. Largest human cell is the female ovum, smallest cell is sperm. . . takes 175,000 sperm cells to weigh as much as egg cell. Largest human organ is skin. . . surface area about 25 square feet. Left lung is smaller than right lung to make room for the heart. Little lump of ear flesh right next to temple is called tragus. Longest muscle in the human body is the sartorius. Rarest blood type is A-H, found in less than a dozen people. Neanderthal's brain was bigger than yours is. Only bone not connected to another is the hyoid, at base of tongue. Snore be as loud as pneumatic drill. Tips of fingers and soles of feet covered by thick skin called stratum corneum. 45 miles of nerves in human skin. 300 million cells die in human body every minute. Women burn fat more slowly than men, 50 fewer calories a day. Women's hearts beat faster than men's. 32 percent of Americans afraid of heights. 10% of world's population left-handed.

America's first nudist organization founded in 1929, by 3 men. Average American uses 168 gallons of water per day. Gerald Ford, George Bush, Ted Koppel, JFK Jr., Bill Clinton left handed. Dyslexic. . . Hans Christian Andersen, Cher, Tom Cruise, Albert Einstein, Whoopie Goldberg, Greg Louganis, Lee Harvey Oswald, Gen. George S. Patton, John Curley. Only 4 automobiles in the US in 1894. In 1900, average age at death in the US was 47. In 1960, 4,000 people were over 100 years old in U.S. . . in 1995, 55,000 over 100. Wedding ring cannot be seized by creditors, no matter how much bankrupt person owes. Isaac Newton, Peter Tchaikovsky, Annie Lennox born on Christmas. Shortest president was James Madison, 5 feet, 4 inches tall. . . tallest was Abe Lincoln, 6 feet, 4 inches. Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte both epilectic. Men commit suicide 3 times more frequently than women. . . women attempt suicide 3 times more than men. More people killed by donkeys than air crashes. Offered new pen, 97% of all people will write own name. 80% of pro boxers suffer brain damage. Average bank teller loses about $250 every year.

Average person falls asleep in 7 minutes. Average person walks equivalent of twice around world in lifetime. Average US male spends 2,965 hours shaving during lifetime. Most common name in world is Mohammed. NYC phone book. . 22 Hitlers listed before WWII, none after. Vocabulary of average person. . . 6,000 words. WA state once part of Columbia Territory... name changed to Washington to avoid confusion with Dist. of Columbia... WA State now confused with Washington, D.C. anyway. Presidents buried in Washington, D.C. . . Taft, Wilson, JFK. Presidents who died on July 4th. . . Adams, Jefferson, Monroe. Assassinated presidents. . . Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley, Kennedy. Presidents who never attended college. . Cleveland, Lincoln, Truman, Washington. Presidents who never had children. . Washington, Madison, Jackson, Polk, Buchanan, Harding.

Presidents who never held other elective office. . . Grant, Taft, Hoover, Eisenhower. Presidents who owned slaves. . . Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Jackson, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Andrew Johnson, Grant. Presidents who served entire term without vice president. . . Tyler, Fillmore, Andrew Johnson, Arthur. Presidents survived by fathers: John F. Kennedy and Warren Harding. 1/8 of men snore, 1/10 grind teeth. William Henry Harrison first US president to die in office. . . at 32 days, also had shortest term. Women shoplift more 4 times more often than men. "Fortnight" is contraction of 14 nights. Jiffy is actual unit of time, 1/100 second. Typical lightning bolt is 3 inches wide and 2 miles long. Any month that starts on Sunday will have a Friday the 13th. If sun stopped shining, would take 8 minutes for people on earth to know. Numbers 1-100 consecutively added total 5050. Half of all bank robberies take place on Friday. John Curley mugged 3 times. Lowest temperature recorded in world was minus 129 degrees, Vostok, Antarctica.

Metal instrument used in shoe stores to measure feet called Brannock device. World's first speed limit was 20 mph, 1903. 31,557,600 seconds in a year. 84% of raw apple is water. WA produces more apples than any other state. Cucumber is 96% water. Pineapple is a berry. Almonds are most used nuts in world. Average ear of corn. . . 800 kernels, 16 rows. Eggplant is a member of the thistle family. Morphine named after Morpheus, Greek god of dreams. Oak trees have no acorns until 50 years or older. Peanuts are beans. Americans consume 42 tons of aspirin per day. Chewing gum patented in 1869. Dismal sales. . . VW Beetle sold 330 1st year. . . Scrabble sold 532 1st year. . . Coke sold 25 bottles 1st year. King Louis XIV of France took 3 baths in his life.

Dog on the Cracker Jack box named Bingo. Only dog to appear in Shakespearean play. . Crab in Two Gentlemen of Verona. Only domestic animal not mentioned in Bible is cat. Penalty for killing cat in ancient Egypt… death. Phrase "raining cats and dogs" from 17th Century England. Pigmy shrew is smallest mammal in N. America. . . weighs less than a dime. Poison-arrow frog… enough poison to kill 2,200 people. Poisonous copperhead snake smells like fresh cucumbers. The turbot fish lays 14 million eggs during lifetime. Turkey named for what was wrongly thought its country of origin. Underside of horse's hoof called frog. Black widow more poisonous than rattlesnake.