More Facts '08

12/23/08 - In the Thomas Nast cartoon that first depicted Santa Claus with a sleigh and reindeer, he was delivering Christmas gifts to soldiers fighting in the U.S. Civil War. The cartoon, entitled "Santa Claus in Camp," appeared in Harper's Weekly on January 3, 1863.

12/21/08 - In the Netherlands, Christmas centers on the arrival of Saint Nicholas, who is believed to come on horseback bearing gifts. Before going to bed, children leave out their shoes, hoping to find them filled with sweets when they awaken.

12/18/08 - After "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens wrote several other Christmas stories, one each year, but none was as successful as the original.

12/16/08 - In 1752, 11 days were dropped from the year when the switch from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar was made. The December 25, date was effectively moved 11 days backwards. Some Christian church sects, called old calendarists, still celebrate Christmas on January 7 (previously December 25 of the Julian calendar).

12/15/08 - In France, Christmas is called Noel. This is derived from the French phrase "les bonnes nouvelles," which means literally "the good news" and refers to the gospel.

12/14/08 - In Finland and Sweden an old tradition prevails, where the twelve days of Christmas are declared to be time of civil peace by law. It used to be that a person committing crimes during this time would be liable to a stiffer sentence than normal.

12/12/08 - In 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a little happier for children by organizing its first Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters.

12/11/08 - La Befana, a kindly witch, rides a broomstick down the chimney to deliver toys into the stockings of Italian children. The legends say that Befana was sweeping her floors when the three Wise Men stopped and asked her to come to see the Baby Jesus. "No," she said, "I am too busy." Later, she changed her mind but it was too late. So, to this day, she goes out on Christmas Eve searching for the Holy Child, leaving gifts for the "holy child" in each household.

12/10/08 - In Norway on Christmas Eve, visitors should know that after the family's big dinner and the opening of presents, all the brooms in the house are hidden. The Norwegians long ago believed that witches and mischievous spirits came out on Christmas Eve and would steal their brooms for riding.

12/08/08 - If traveling in France during the Christmas season, it is interesting to note that different dishes and dining traditions reign in popularity in different parts of the country. In south France, for instance, a Christmas loaf (pain calendeau) is cut crosswise and is eaten only after the first part has been given to a poor person. In Brittany, buckwheat cakes and sour cream is the most popular main dish. In Alsace, a roasted goose is the preferred entrée. In Burgundy, turkey and chestnuts are favored. In the Paris region, oysters are the favorite holiday dish, followed by a cake shaped like a Yule log.

12/05/08 - Frankincense is a sweet smelling gum resin derived from certain Boswellia trees which, at the time of Christ, grew in Arabia, India, and Ethiopia. Tradition says that it was presented to the Christ Child by Balthasar, the black king from Ethiopia or Saba. The frankincense trade was at its height during the days of the Roman Empire. At that time this resin was considered as valuable as gems or precious metals. The Romans burned frankincense on their altars and at cremations.

12/04/08 - George Washington spent Christmas night 1776 crossing the Delaware River in dreadful conditions. Christmas 1777 fared little better - at Valley Forge, Washington and his men had a miserable Christmas dinner of Fowl cooked in a broth of Turnips, cabbage and potatoes.

12/03/08 - In Guatemala, Christmas Day is celebrated on December 25; however, Guatemalan adults do not exchange gifts until New Year's Day. Children get theirs (from the Christ Child) on Christmas morning.

12/02/08 - During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States.

12/01/08 - Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria's husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is in the diary of a German who settled in Pennsylvania.

11/25/08 - The Pilgrim leader, Governor William Bradford, had organized the first Thanksgiving feast in the year 1621 and invited the neighboring Wampanoag Indians also to the feast.

11/21/08 - Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

11/20/08 - The word "set" has the highest number of separate definitions in the English Language (192 definitions according to the Oxford English Dictionary.)

11/19/08 - Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.

11/18/08 - The strawberry is the only fruit with its seeds on the outside.

11/17/08 - Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most often stolen from Public Libraries.

10/09/08 - The Earth weighs around 6,600,000,000,000,000,000,000 tons. (5,940 billion billion metric tons)

10/08/08 - Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.

10/07/08 - It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

10/06/08 - Every time you lick a stamp, you're consuming 1/10 of a calorie.

09/19/08 - WD-40 removes all traces of duct tape.

09/18/08 - WD-40 keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.

09/04/08 - There are more than 10 million bricks in the Empire State Building.

08/27/08 - Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter 'A'?
A. One thousand

08/21/08 - Cats average 17 to 18 hours of sleep in a twenty four hour period.

08/20/08 - Sir Issac Newton, discoverer of the principles of gravity, also invented the cat door.

08/15/08 - A group of kittens is called a kindle. A group of adult cats is called a clowder.

08/14/08 - Wd-40 removes tomato stains from clothing.

08/13/08 - If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle.. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

08/07/08 - The world's largest alphabet is Cambodian, with 74 letters.

08/06/08 - From May through August, fireflies may be seen flying and are easiest to catch at dusk, about one hour before the sun goes down.

08/04/08 - A quarter has 119 grooves on its edge, a dime has one less groove.

08/03/08 - The white part of your fingernail is called the lunula.

08/01/08 - "Ough" can be pronounced in eight different ways. The following sentence contains them all: "A rough-coated, dough-faced ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing thoughtfully.

07/31/08 - In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names from a bowl to see who their valentines would be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now means that it is easy for other people to know how you are feeling.

07/28/08 - An ear of corn has one strand of silk for each kernel of corn.

07/14/08 - I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh?

07/13/08 - Almost half the newspapers in the world are published in the United States and Canada.

07/10/08 - More people brush with blue toothbrushes than red.

07/09/08 - The word "coach" is derived from the village of Kocs, Hungary, where coaches were invented and first used.

06/18/08 - In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand.

06/16/08 - Use peroxide instead of mouthwash. (Small print says mouth wash and gargle right on the bottle) No more canker sores and your teeth will be whiter without expensive pastes.

06/13/08 - If a squirrels nest becomes infested with fleas or other parasites, it will move to, or build a new nest. This is why there may be more nests than squirrels in a given area.

06/12/08 - After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

04/28/08 - A strange black cat on your porch brings prosperity. - Scottish superstition

04/17/08 - The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

04/08/08 - When the bee stings, the stinger, poison sac and several others parts of the bee's anatomy are torn from the bee's body. It soon dies, a fact that offers little relief to the person who is stung. The action of the sting takes place almost instantaneously. The sting has barbs on it, and if it is not immediately removed, the reflex action of the muscles attached to the sting drive it deeper and deeper into the skin. This gives more time for the discharge of poison from the poison sac.

04/07/08 - Squirrels eyes are located high, and on each side of their head. This allows them a wide field of vision, without turning their head.

03/24/08 - The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $ 16,400.

03/19/08 - A range for baking time is often given in recipes to allow for variations in the temperatures in household ovens. Be sure to set the timer for the shorter recommended baking time and test for doneness before there is any chance of overcooking.

03/18/08 - WD-40 cleans and removes bugs from front grills and bumpers of automobiles.

03/17/08 - WD-40 keeps flies off of cows.

03/10/08 - To test the freshness of an egg without breaking it, place it in enough water to cover it well. If it sinks and lies on its side, it is fresh. If it sinks but stands on end, it is not very fresh. If it floats, don't use it.

03/05/08 - Historians believe St. Patrick’s real name was "Maewyn Succat."

03/03/08 - All windmills in Ireland turn in a clockwise direction, while the rest of the windmills in the world turn counter-clockwise.

02/27/08 - The most common type of squirrel bite is a result of feeding a squirrel by hand. Never hold the food between your fingers, chances are very good you will be bitten. A squirrel's eyes are always looking for predators and they rarely focus on what they are eating.

02/22/08 - The male tree squirrel takes twice as long, as the female, to groom itself. They are the cleanest animal in the rodent family.

02/20/08 - When a squirrel senses danger, its first instinct is to stand motionless. If on the ground it will race to the closest tree, or other climbable object to escape. If it is in a tree, it will circle the trunk with its body pressed tightly to the bark.

02/19/08 - In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England , when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them 'Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.' It's where we get the phrase 'mind your P's and Q's'

02/14/08 - Many years ago in England , pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. 'Wet your whistle' is the phrase inspired by this practice.

01/13/08 - Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

02/12/08 - The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

02/11/08 - The human brain stops growing at the age of eighteen.

02/10/08 - The average human brain is 80% water.

02/06/08 - Water, which boils at 212 degrees F at sea level, will boil at 150 degrees F at the top of Mount Everest.

02/05/08 - Hot water is heavier than cold water.

01/30/08 - Over 10,000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.

01/29/08 - Americans use 16,000 tons of aspirin each year.

01/28/08 - Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day.

01/27/08 - Mark Twain failed to graduate from elementary school.

01/26/08 - On November 29, 2000, Pope John Paul II was made an honorary Harlem Globetrotter.

01/12/08 - Germany has a beer ice cream in popsicle form. It's alcohol content is lower than that of a normal beer.

01/10/08 - More people are allergic to cow's milk than to any other food.

01/09/08 - Cream does not weigh as much as milk.

01/08/08 - The squirrel's erratic path while crossing a street is an attempt to confuse the oncoming vehicle... thereby causing it to change direction. This is obliviously the squirrels biggest, and often last mistake.

01/07/08 - The highest point in Pennsylvania is lower than the lowest point in Colorado.

01/04/08 - St. Paul, Minnesota was originally called Pig's Eye after a man that ran a saloon there.