Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts: And Bizarre Information (27 page)

Robins become drunk after eating holly berries and often fall off power lines.

Octopus eyes resemble human eyes—the U.S. Air Force once taught an octopus to “read” by distinguishing letterlike shapes.

A woodpecker’s beak moves at a speed of 100 mph.

Polar bears are so perfectly insulated from the cold that they spend most of their time trying to cool down.

Whales can communicate with each other from over 3,000 miles away (but the message takes over an hour to get there).

The average office chair with wheels will travel eight miles this year.

One percent of U.S. businesses allow their employees to take naps during working hours.

Twenty-four percent of commuters say that when stuck in traffic, they think “deep thoughts.”

Four out of every ten people are satisfied with their jobs.

If you work nights, you’re nearly twice as likely to have an accident than if you work days.

Once you file something, there’s a 98 percent chance you’ll never look at it again.

The average American worker receives 201 phone, paper, and e-mail messages per day.

The average American worker has held eight different jobs by the age of 40.

Thirty-two percent of managers say “looking too young” can make a salesperson’s job more difficult.

The average American CEO’s pay has increased more than 600 percent since 1990.

Need time off? Move to Italy. On average, Italians get 42 vacation days per year.

The average office worker spends 50 minutes a day looking for lost files and other items.

For every 1,470 résumés an employer receives, one person is hired.

Twenty-six percent of American men say their workplace filing system consists of “putting things in piles.”

People who work at night tend to weigh more than people who work during the day.

Three things a helicopter can do that a plane can’t:

        
1.  Fly backward

        
2.  Rotate as it moves through the air

        
3.  Hover motionless

It takes both hands and both feet to fly a helicopter, which, many say, makes it much more complex than flying a plane.

The helicopter pilot has to think in three dimensions. In addition to cyclic control (forward, backward, left, and right), and collective control (up and down, and engine speed), there is rotational control (spinning in either direction on the axis).

In 1956 Bell Aircraft Corporation introduced the
UH-1
. The Huey became the best-known symbol of the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

The first U.S. president to fly in a helicopter: Dwight D. Eisenhower, in 1957.

In 1982 a Bell 206 completed the first solo crossing of the Atlantic by a helicopter.

In 1483 Leonardo da Vinci made drawings of a fanciful craft he called a helical air screw, but it never got off the drawing board. His concept of “compressing” the air was similar to that used by today’s helicopters. However, when a prototype was built recently at the Science Museum of London, it didn’t work.

Tomatoes have more flavor at room temperature than they do when chilled.

Ketchup cleans copper. Apply, wait a minute, and rinse. Voilà!

Is your soup too salty? Slice up two potatoes and boil them in it for a short time.

Chew gum while peeling onions. It may keep you from crying.

Egg whites will turn pink when left overnight in a copper bowl.

If you don’t remove an avocado’s pit, it won’t turn black, even when you peel it.

Add honey to peanut butter to keep it from sticking to the roof of your mouth.

How long does it take a frozen sandwich to thaw at room temperature? About three hours.

If you refrigerate your rubber bands, they’ll last longer.

Pour leftover cola into your toilet. It’ll give it a nice shine.

If you have to give your dog a pill, put it far back on its tongue, then blow in its nose.

Baby wipes are the perfect fix for carpet stains.

If you can find where ants are coming in, a barrier of sprinkled cinnamon or ground pepper will stop them.

Lipstick on your collar will disappear with petroleum jelly.

Mix baby powder with your kitty litter to keep it smelling fresh.

Yes, your down comforter can be washed in the washing machine—cold water, gentle cycle. Toss a few tennis balls into the dryer to fluff it up again.

Disappearing ink: try rubbing alcohol on ink stains before washing.

Only state with official vegetables: New Mexico, which honors both the chili and the frijole.

Hawaii is the only state in the United States with a royal palace: Iolani Palace.

There are 122 Hawaiian islands.

In 39 of the 50 states in the United States, the travel industry is the largest single employer.

New Jersey is number one in the nation for hazardous waste sites, with more than 1,000.

Technically speaking, there are only 46 states in the United States. Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Virginia are commonwealths.

The Thousand Islands of New York and Ontario actually number about 1,500.

There’s a producing oil well beneath the Oklahoma State capitol building.

Official state dance of Utah: square dance.

In what state can you find the Alabama swamps? New York. Wyoming Valley? Pennsylvania.

States with the lowest percentage of senior citizens: Alaska, Utah, Colorado, Texas, and Georgia.

States with the highest percentage of senior citizens: Florida, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, North Dakota, Iowa.

The most crowded street corner in the United States: 59th and Lexington in New York City.

State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska.

Q: WILL RUBBER TIRES PROTECT A CAR FROM BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING?

A:
No. Lightning is strong enough to travel through or around the rubber. According to the Boston Museum of Science, your tires would have to be solid rubber a mile thick to actually insulate you from a lightning bolt. The good news is that your car is the safest place to be if you’re outside during a storm—the lightning will most likely travel around the metal shell of your car and not do any damage to it or you. That is, if you have a metal car and don’t park under a tree or touch the metal. The bad news is that if you have a convertible or plastic car, or if you touch the metal skin of your automobile when lightning strikes, you may be in for a profoundly shocking experience. (
Just Curious, ]eeves
, by Jack Mingo and Erin Barrett)

Q: DO THE POLICE REALLY OUTLINE A MURDER VICTIM’S POSITION WITH CHALK?

A:
At one time, maybe, but according to investigators we surveyed, it’s really not done anymore. Why? While chalk or tape might make for dramatic TV, they also contaminate the crime scene, and contamination is a major headache for crime scene investigators. (
The Straight Dope
, by Cecil Adams)

Q: DO ANIMALS CRY?

A:
Many land mammals seem to cry from distress, especially young animals that are separated from their mothers (e.g., chimpanzees, bears, elephants), and many of these also produce tears to clean their eyes. But these mammals do not produce tears when they “cry.” Of marine animals, it seems that seals, sea otters, and saltwater crocodiles (the so-called crocodile tears) produce tears to get rid of the salt in their eyes. However, one scientist, Dr. G. W. Steller, a zoologist at Harvard University, thinks that sea otters are capable of crying emotional tears. According to Dr. Steller, “I have sometimes deprived females of their young on purpose, sparing the lives of their mothers,
and they would weep over their affliction just like human beings.” (
The Odd Body
, by Dr. Stephen Juan)

Q: WHY DO WORMS GO ONTO THE SIDEWALK WHEN IT RAINS?

A:
Most people assume that earthworms come to the surface during heavy rains to avoid drowning in their tunnels. In fact, worms can live totally submerged in water, so drowning isn’t the problem. But the rainwater that filters down through the ground contains very little oxygen, so the real reason earthworms come to the surface is to breathe. Once above ground, earthworms are very sensitive to light, and even a brief exposure to the sun’s rays can paralyze them. Unable to crawl back into their burrows, they eventually dry out and die on the sidewalk. (
101 Questions & Answers About Backyard Wildlife
, by Ann Squire)

Q: WHAT CAUSES TRAFFIC JAMS, AND WHY DO THEY SUDDENLY CLEAR UP?

A:
It’s the shock-wave effect. Highway drivers operate best at speeds of 35 mph and higher. When highway traffic volume nears its capacity, some stragglers begin driving under 35 mph and a traffic jam is born. Slower speeds, theoretically, should increase control and maneuverability, but drivers grow fearful as their pace declines. The shock-wave effect occurs because drivers look for the reason they had to slow down in the first place: They overreact to any stimuli, particularly the brake lights of cars ahead of them. A few drivers at 25 mph can set off a shock-wave effect for miles behind them and create bumper-to-bumper traffic without any ostensible reason. Why do these traffic jams suddenly disappear? Usually, it’s because there is enough breathing room ahead to prompt even slowpoke victims of the shock-wave effect to risk peeling away at 35 mph or more. (
Imponderables
, by David Feldman)

Q: WHY DO CLOCKS RUN CLOCKWISE?

A:
No one knows for sure, but here’s one answer: “Before the advent of clocks, we used sundials. In the Northern Hemisphere, the shadows rotated in the direction we now call ‘clockwise.’ The clock hands were built to mimic the natural movements of the sun. If clocks had been invented in the Southern Hemisphere, [perhaps] ‘clockwise’ would be in the opposite direction.” (
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise, and Other Imponderables
, by David Feldman)

Semiology:
The study of signs and signaling

Cetology:
The study of whales and dolphins

Vexillology:
The study of flags

Deontology:
The study of moral responsibilities

Axiology:
The study of principles, ethics, and values

Phantomology:
The study of supernatural beings

Histology:
The study of tissues

Trichology:
The study of hair

Malacology:
The study of mollusks

Dendrochronology:
The study of trees’ ages by counting their rings

Morphology:
The study of the structure of organisms

Oology:
The study of eggs

Eschatology:
The study of final events as spoken of in the Bible

Among other things, ancient Egyptian embalmers preserved mummies with cinnamon.

King Tut had garlic bulbs buried in his tomb with him.

Ancient Egyptian tombs are decorated with pictures of watermelons.

Neanderthals are believed to have buried their dead.

The Japanese express grief and mourning after the death of a loved one by wearing white, not black.

It is legal for a dead person to vote if he or she died after mailing in an absentee ballot.

When a person is dying, hearing is the last sense to go. Sight is the first.

The most common word spoken by a dying person is “Mother” or “Mommy.”

According to a German doctor who weighed patients at the moment of death, the human soul weighs three-fourths of an ounce.

In 2003, 29 percent of Americans were cremated after they died.

In the Congo professional corpse painters charge admission to see their work.

Tombstones were originally put over graves so the dead couldn’t escape.

Gail Borden (inventor of condensed milk) is buried beneath a headstone shaped like a milk can.