My Strange-But-True post seemed to entertain quite a few people last week, so I'm back with more (I found enough of these to go on for the next 8 or 9 Thursdays):
1. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying! I've never heard this one. I'd try it, but I'm a fast chopper and don't usually spend enough time cutting onions to make my eyes tear.
2. Fortune cookies were actually invented in America, in 1918, by Charles Jung! Not really surprised with this one.
3. America once issued a 5-cent bill!
4. You'll eat about 35,000 cookies in a lifetime! And we wonder why we're an overweight nation.
5. Q is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any of the United States! Nifty!
6. A lump of pure gold the size of a matchbox can be flattened into a sheet the size of a tennis court! Ooh, niftier! I knew this about aluminum, but not gold. I wonder if most metals are like this.
7. Smelling bananas and/or green apples (smelling, not eating) can help you lose weight! I wanna know more about this one.
8. Bulls are colorblind, therefore will usually charge at a matador's waving cape no matter what color it is -- be it red or neon yellow!
9. The opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven!
10. The original name for the butterfly was 'flutterby'! That's what I always call 'em. Well, actually, I call them flutterbee's, but I think that's influenced by my 3yo.
11. Of all the words in the English language, the word 'set' has the most definitions! Huh.
12. Ernest Vincent Wright wrote a novel, "Gadsby", which contains over 50,000 words -- none of them with the letter E (the most used letter in the alphabet)! How did he string a sentence together, then?
13. The electric chair was invented by a dentist! I knew these guys were sadists. (The irony here: I originally went to college considering dentistry, but then I developed some kind of weird thing about hands and mouths [don't even know why] and now the thought of putting my hands in anyone's mouth or having someone else's or my own hands in my mouth makes me nauseated and gives me the willies.)
Check out more participants HERE.
Some interesting facts. I'd love to know more about the bananas. I could do with some weight loss.
ReplyDeleteMe, too. I really need to research that!
DeleteLOL I knew it! Evil dentists...
ReplyDeleteFun list. Happy T13!
Yep, totally evil!
DeleteI wonder that the little bit of pure gold would be worth today?
ReplyDeleteA whole lot, I imagine. :D
DeleteSo cool! Fun TT!
ReplyDelete*hugs*
Paige
My TT is at http://paigetylertheauthor.blogspot.com/
Thank you!
DeleteI'm another one who could do with hearing more about the bananas/green apples weight loss aid. Hmmmm...
ReplyDeleteI plan to look it up soon!
DeleteI don't have a TT this week, but I thought I'd check other people out. I jsut got back from the dentist (the numbness is being replaced by soreness) and i believe the bit about the electric chair.
ReplyDeleteYep, they're evil. :D
DeleteVery cool facts. I had heard the first one before, and that cookie count sounds low. ;)
ReplyDeleteLOL! The cookie count sounds low to me, too.
DeleteGreat TT, some of those I had heard before, but quite a few were new to me.
ReplyDeleteHmm..does it count if I smell the bananas while I am eating 35,000 cookies? ;)
Hmmm...maybe? Okay, probably not. :D
DeleteDentists are TOTALLY sadists, and now I will throw that fact in the face of any dentist who tries to tell me they're "actually a really nice guy/gal."
ReplyDeleteELECTRIC CHAIR. NICE TRY!
Yep, sadists, I tell you!
DeleteI thought the word "up" had most varied definitions. I heard once that dentists also had the highest suicide rate, maybe because they felt bad about causing people pain.
ReplyDeleteI am flabbergasted how anyone could write a book and not use the letter E!!! It always wears off on my keyboard first.
I want to check out the book just to see if there really aren't any E's.
Deleteneat set of strange but true.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteIt's knowing stuff like this (actually, it's being willing to say these things out loud at parties) that keeps me from having friends. Maybe if I just kept my mouth shut...
ReplyDeleteWell...that's kind of sad. :(
Deletefascinating, especially #1, but I love #4. I think that I am behind on the cookie count. Thanks for visiting today.
ReplyDeleteThe Food Temptress
You're welcome!
DeleteAnd I love #4, too. Sounds a little low, though. :D
Those are really interesting!!! I always call them flutterbies, too. or is it flutterbys? I don't think the gum and the onion thing works. I gotta try the apple smell, though. I'll try most things at least once. This was an awesome post!
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting! :D
DeleteYou just reminded me of the fact that I need to find more cookie recipes. :-)
ReplyDeleteLOL! Glad to help. :D
Deletethat is so true about hands and mouths! I literally close my eyes and block the thought of what they are doing!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, it bothers the heck out of me. :shudders:
DeleteThese are fun. And they are flutterbys in this house too :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks! My daughters favorite day is when we both wear our teal flutterbee shirts. She gets to be just like mommy.
Delete