Twisted Trivia

As many of you may know, I'm a trivia fan ... here I will share some of my favourite little tidbits ...

Health & Science

There are only three physicists that have won bets with Stephen Hawking

Despite the widespread belief that bats are blind, most have eyesight comparable to humans.

According to the American Dental Association, only one family in 150 gives out sugar free candy to trick-or-treaters.

Eighty percent of the oxygen in a breath is not used.

The use of headsets for cell phones has been shown to reduce occurrences of brain cancer, but unfortunately has resulted in an increase in lower intestinal cancer from cell phone users leaving phones in their pockets for extended periods of time.

Napalm is named for the scientists who invented it: Nedrick Adams, Pamela Allminsen and Louis Mercer.

Business

Xerox is the world's most management-heavy corporation.

The web site of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation runs on Linux.

On a weekday, an average photocopy machine will be used to carry out 31 copyright infringements.

Nature

Some parts of Alaska get less than 1 inch of snow each year.

At any given moment, there are more individual waves in the Pacific Ocean than people in the world.

There are no naturally occurring flowers with seven petals.

Roughly 500,000 mistletoe plants will give their lives to match hopeful suitors each Christmas season.

The hottest day on record was 158° F, and was recorded in the city of Majubea in northern Sudan.

A hermit crab can live for months on the nutrients found in candle wax alone.

Food & Drink

After a federal examination of bottled beverage factories, analysts found that bottled water is the only bottled and sold drink to take any filtering measures on their water before production. Soft drinks, juices and other beverages use water "straight from the tap" according to the report.

McIlhenny Tobasco sauce is the oldest condiment in America still being produced with the original recipe.

The dense core section of a cabbage is sometimes referred to by its traditional name, babchka.

Under USDA guidelines, it is illegal to pass off yams as sweet potatoes.

Baskin Robbins has had mustard flavored ice cream among its 31 flavors for a total of 4 months 3 days over the past 72 years. The last time it was on the menu was Labor Day, 1954.

Driving School

The Mechanics' League of North America estimates that 1.7 percent of all cars in North America in 2006 had their "Check Engine" light lit.

A bicycle helmet provides virtually no protection in an accident with a net speed difference more than 30 miles per hour. (Keep this in mind when speeding down streets where children play)

Accelerating the moment you start to go over a speed bump will reduce its effects.

Crime & Punishment

There are eight countries in the United Nations that still execute people through the method of crushing to death by elephants.

No convicted American serial killer had ever attended pre-school as a child.

Seven U.S. cities have laws on the books prohibiting unaccompanied women from being in a public place after 9 p.m.

Fashion

People are twice as likely to own an odd number of socks as an even number.

23 percent of garments labeled "dry clean only" can be traditionally washed without causing any damage.

Statistics

A can-sized amount of shaving cream can expand to 17 cubic feet.

A University of Chicago study recently found that when asked to read 100 randomly selected surnames from a phonebook, subjects incorrectly pronounced 61. There were eight surnames that were incorrectly pronounced by all 721 participants.

The average American who paints a bathroom in his/her home will spend 7 hours 17 minutes on prep work, painting and cleanup.

There are at least 4 pirate ships still actively pillaging transoceanic shipments.

The average commencement address at high school graduation ceremonies lasts 26 minutes. In college ceremonies the address averages 42 minutes.

When choosing a random number between 1 and 10, 70 percent of people choose 6.

Cigarettes are responsible for starting 29 percent of household fires.

Media & Entertainment

72 percent of major newspapers decreased the width of their margins between 1994 and 2004 to save paper in order to compete with online media.

It is possible to determine with 91 percent accuracy what TV shows are currently on the top five major broadcast networks by monitoring the top 250 searches in Yahoo.

Jim Lehrer (of PBS' The NewsHour) does not, and is not registered to, vote, so as not to appear politically biased.

Life American Style

Rhode Island has the highest per capita usage of FaceBook among all states east of the Mississippi

In 2008, 87 percent of airline passengers made a phone call within 5 minutes of disembarking from the plane. Among those who did not make a phone call, 72 percent sent an SMS text message.

The original draft of the United States Constitution contains nine spelling errors.

Pennies cost more than one cent to make.

To prevent "mix ups" in delivery rooms many hospitals now tag newborns with a temporary barcode tattoo.

Sports & Games

An average deck of cards has been used at least once in 6 different games.

On average, a basketball used by the NBA will be slam dunked seven times during its usable life.

While at racing speeds (200 mph), NASCAR vehicles have a fuel efficiency of 4 gallons to the mile.

Kids

For every 10-year-old who can't correctly identify Ronald McDonald, there are 15 who can't correctly identify the president.

The average age of children living with their parents after the age of 18 has risen from 21 to 25.5 in the last 40 years.

Pets

2001 was the first year that pet cats out numbered pet dogs in the U.S.

Traditions & Superstitions

One in 58 people refuse to leave their house on a Friday the 13th.

The Russian tradition of matryoshka nesting dolls is descended from the medieval practice of burying the dead in concentric circles around the corpses of the previously deceased family members.

Just Plain Stupid

Ashlee Simpson Wendt's son is named Bronx Mowgli because his father is a fan of the Denver Broncos (a/k/a "The Bronks") and his mother likes skiing on slopes that have lots of moguls, what she calls "mogul-y".

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