1,001 Facts That Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader (80 page)

597

FACT :
The Western diamondback is among the largest and most aggressive rattlesnake species,
biting more people in the United States every year
than any other venomous snake.
The Western is almost identical to his cousin, the Eastern diamondback, except for the little cowboy hat.

“Snakes,” Photo Gallery, National Geographic,
www.animals.nationalgeographic.com
.

“Western Diamondback Rattlesnake,” Washington Nature Mapping Program,
www.depts.washington.edu
.

598

FACT :
Pigs can
become alcoholics
.
No. Too easy.

FactLib.com
,
www.factlib.com
.

599

FACT :
Two snakes cause more human deaths than any others in the world: the Russell’s viper and the spectacled cobra, named for the eyeglass design on its flared hood.
Both are extremely venomous
and found in highly populated areas in Southeast Asia.
Highly populated for now, that is.

“Snakes,” Photo Gallery, National Geographic,
www.animals.nationalgeographic.com
.

600

FACT :
The cassowary is the world’s most dangerous bird: it weighs over a hundred pounds, can run thirty miles per hour, and jump over three feet high. New Guinea tribesmen use the cassowary’s sharp claws as spearheads. Attacks on humans have
resulted in broken bones and even death
.
Why aren’t we eating these things?

Brendan Borrell, “Invasion of the Cassowaries,” Smithsonian Magazine, October 2008,
www.smithsonianmag.com
.

CHAPTER 13
The Fruited
Plain
Frightening Facts
about America
and Americans

601

FACT :
It is illegal in Alabama to operate a vehicle
while you are blindfolded
.
It is also illegal in Alabama to marry your sister, but that doesn’t stop anybody.

Alex Wade, “The World’s Strangest Laws,” Times Online, August 15, 2007,
www.business.timesonline.co.uk
.

602

FACT :
It is illegal
to get a fish intoxicated
in the state of Ohio.
And not really necessary if you buy it a nice dinner and sweet talk it a little.

Alex Wade, “The World’s Strangest Laws,” Times Online, August 15, 2007,
www.business.timesonline.co.uk
.

603

FACT :
It is illegal for unmarried women
to parachute in Florida on Sundays
; violators can be arrested.
As they should be. From that altitude, Florida looks like a giant penis, and no unmarried woman should be looking at that, especially on the Lord’s day.

Alex Wade, “The World’s Strangest Laws,” Times Online, August 15, 2007,
www.business.timesonline.co.uk
.

604

FACT :
You should never carry concealed weapons
longer than six feet
in the state of Kentucky—the offense is punishable by law.
Is that a howitzer in your pants or are you just glad to see me?

Alex Wade, “The World’s Strangest Laws,” Times Online, August 15, 2007,
www.business.timesonline.co.uk
.

605

FACT :
It is
not legal to own pets
in Boulder, Colorado—locals are considered “pet minders” only. It is also illegal to kill a bird.
Two good laws, because anyone who owns a bird usually wants to kill it after a day or two.

Alex Wade, “The World’s Strangest Laws,” Times Online, August 15, 2007,
www.business.timesonline.co.uk
.