Interesting And Amazing Facts
Science & Nature
BullwhipThe tip of a bullwhip moves so fast that it breaks the sound barrier. The crack of the
whip is actually a tiny sonic boom.
Chromosomes
The complexity of the organism has no bearing on the number of chromosomes it has
: humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes while a species of fern holds the
record for the most, with 630 pairs.
Leonardo da Vinci,
While known as a painter, sculptor, architect, and engineer, Leonardo da Vinci was
the first to record that the number of rings in the cross section of a tree trunk
reveals its age. He also discovered that the width between the rings indicates the
annual moisture.
Energy
If 10 kilograms of matter spontaneously turned into energy there would be enough
energy to power a 100-Watt light bulb for 300 million years.
Flowers
There is a flower called the Scarlet Pimpernel that can forecast the weather. If the
flower is closed up, rain is coming and if it is opened up, the day will be sunny.
Forest Fires
Forest fires move faster uphill than downhill.
Glass
When glass breaks, it showers towards, not away from the force that broke it.
Hemp
One acre of hemp will produce as much paper as four acres of trees (and can be
replaced next season).
Hurricanes
The energy in one hurricane is equal to about 500,000 atomic bombs.
Hydrogen
The hydrogen molecules in water are 14 billion years old, they were created at the
same time as the universe.
Lightning
The temperature of lightning bolts is sometimes hotter than the surface of the sun, up
to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightning strikes the earth somewhere more than seventeen million times every day,
or about two hundred times every second.
A lightning strike in the Democratic Republic of Congo killed all 11 members of one
soccer team while leaving the opposing team in the match untouched, leading to
accusations of witchcraft by the survivors.
Lightning travels towards the earth an average speed of 200,000 miles per hour.
The average flash of lightning contains 125 million volts of electricity.
2.5% of lightning strike victims are talking on the phone; the lightning travels through
the lines.
A charge of 100 million to 1 billion volts of electricity needs to be generated in a
cloud to start a cloud to earth strike.
Rainbows
Every rainbow is unique - each rainbow is formed from light hitting your eye at a very
precise angle. Someone standing next to you will see light coming from a
slightly different angle than you and therefore see a different rainbow
. Spores
Scientists have successfully revived some bacterial spores that were found enclosed in
amber. The spores were at least 25 million years old.
Sound
Sound travels a mile in five seconds through the air; under water it travels a mile in
one second.
Trees
A notch in a tree will remain the same distance from the ground as the tree grows.
The California redwood - coast redwood and giant sequoia - are the tallest and largest
living organism in the world.
The oldest living thing in existence is not a giant redwood, but a bristlecone pine in
the White Mountains of California, dated to be aged 4,600 years old.
A redwood trees roots are only 5-6 feet deep but they spread out over an acre.
Weather
Weather is a factor in about 40 percent of all aviation accidents.
Interesting & Amazing Facts
Entertainment
Andy Griffith ShowThe Andy Griffith Show was the first spin-off in TV history. It was spun-off from the
Danny Thomas Show.
Ben Hur
During the chariot scene in 'Ben Hur' a small red car can be seen in the distance.
Cast (Largest)
The largest cast ever assembled was 300,000, for the funeral scene in the movie
Ghandi.
Charlie Chaplin
In 1916, Charlie Chaplin was making $10,000 a week, making him the highest paid
actor of his time.
Ray Combs Ray Ray Combs (Family Feud) hanged himself on the night of June 2, 1996, with bed
sheets in his hospital room at Glendale Adventist Hospital while on a 72-hour
"suicide watch."
Jamie Lee Curtis
Actress Jamie Lee Curtis invented a special diaper for a baby that has a pocket.
Disney World
Disney World in Orlando, Florida covers 30,500 acres (46 square miles), making it
twice the size of the island of Manhattan, New York
. Drive-In Theatres
The first movie to be shown in a Drive-In Theatre was "Wife Beware" in 1933.
Elvis
It was at a concert in Minneapolis in 1954 that Al Dvorin first closed Elvis's concerts
with: "Ladies and Gentleman, Elvis has left the building. Thank you and
good night."
Elvis was an avid gun collector. His collection of 40 weapons included M-16s and a
Thompson submachine gun.
W.C Fields
During World War II, W.C. Fields kept US $50,000 in Germany 'in case the little
bastard wins'.
Flintstones
The Flintstones cartoon was the first thirty-minute cartoon to be aired during prime
time.
Freddy Krueger
Wes Craven reportedly named the evil character of his Nightmare on Elm Street film
after a kid at high school who harassed and bullied him.
Clark Gable
Clark Gable worked 71 days on Gone With The Wind and earned $120,000.00.
Vivien Leigh worked 123 days and earned $25,000.00.
Lorne Greene
Lorne Greene had one of his nipples bitten off by an alligator while he was host of
"Lorne Greene's Wild Kingdom."
Halloween
The mask used by Michael Myers in the original "Halloween" was actually a Captain
Kirk mask painted white.
Happy Birthday
Warner Communications paid $28 million for the copyright to the song "Happy
Birthday"
. Donny Hathaway
Donny Hathaway in 1979 committed suicide by jumping from his room on the 15th
floor of New York's Essex House Hotel
. Hollywood
The are six fictional characters that have stars on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame."
Chris Hubbock
Chris Hubbock (Newscaster) in 1970 shot herself in the head during prime time news
broadcast on Florida TV station WXLT-TV. She died 14 hours later.
Michael Hutchence
Michael Hutchence (Inxs) in 1997 hanged himself with a belt in his room in the Ritz-
Carlton Hotel, in Sydney, Australia.
India
India's movie industry, Bollywood, is the largest in the world producing over eight hundred movies a year. Hollywood only produces half of this number in a year.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel's CD, "52nd Street" was the first CD to be released to the public. This
occurred in Japan in October of 1982.
Terry Kath
Terry Kath (Chicago) rock musician, in 1978 committed suicide playing Russian
roulette
. Kiss (Longest)
The longest Hollywood kiss was from the 1941 film, "You're in the Army Now." It
lasted for three minutes and three seconds.
Leave It To Beaver
The first television show to show any portion of a toilet was on "Leave it to Beaver."
After fighting for ten weeks to show the toilet, CBS would only allow the
producers to show the toilet tank, and not the whole toilet.
Susan Lucci
Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.
Michelin Man
The first Michelin Man costume (Bidenbum) was worn by none other than Col
. Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame
Mickey Mouse
The most reproduced image in the world is Mickey Mouse, which can be found on
over 7,500 different items.
Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse after Mickey Rooney, whose mother he dated for
some time.
Movies
A theatre manager in Seoul, Korea felt that The Sound of Music was too long, so he
shortened it by cutting out all the songs.
Movie Lines That Were Never Said
* Smile when you say that, pardoner.
* Me Tarzan, you Jane.
* Play it again, Sam.
* Judy, Judy, Judy.
* I want to be alone.
* Come with me to the Kasbah.
* No, Luke, I am your father.
* Come up and see me some time.
Mr. Potato Head
In 1946, the first TV toy commercial aired. It was for Mr. Potato Head.
Muppets
The name "Muppet" was coined by Jim Henson. The word was made from a
combination of the word "marionette" and "puppet."
Oscars
* The first television broadcast of the Oscars took place in 1953, hosted by Bob Hope
on NBC.
* The longest acceptance speech in the history of the Oscars was by Greer Garson in
1942. She received an Oscar for Best Actress for the movie Mrs. Miniver, and
her speech was five minutes and 30 seconds long.
Pamela Lee-Anderson
Pamela Lee-Anderson is Canada's Centennial Baby, being the first baby born on the
centennial anniversary of Canada's independence.
Psycho
The first toilet being flushed in a motion picture was in the movie "Psycho."
Robert Redford
Robert Redford attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship.
Rocket Launch
The concept of a countdown before a rocket launch originated as a tension building
device in the 1929 movie "The Woman on the Moon".
Seinfeld
In every episode of TV's Seinfeld, there is a Superman somewhere in at least one
scene.
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed character on film, having been played by 72
actors in 204 films.
Sylvester Stallone
Actor Sylvester Stallone once had a job as a lion cage cleaner.
Star Trek
* The first time the word "hell" was spoken on TV was in an original "STAR TREK"
episode entitled "City on the Edge of Forever". The exact quote was "...let's get
the hell out of here...", spoken by William Shatner.
* The first inter-racial kiss on TV was in an original "STAR TREK" episode entitled
"Plato's Stepchildren". The kiss was between Michelle Nichols and William
Shatner.
Star Wars
Four people played Darth Vader: David Prowse was his body, James Earl Jones did
the voice, Sebastian Shaw was his face and a fourth person did the breathing.
Theatres
The first theatre to show motion pictures was the Nickelodeon on June 19, 1905 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Harry Davis on Smithfield Street opened it.
Television
* The first TV commercial was a 20-second ad for a Bulova clock, broadcasted by
WNBT, New York during a game between the Brooklyn Dodgers and the
Philadelphia Phillies in July 1941.Bulova paid $9 for that first TV spot. Bulova
also was the first watch in space.
* The first televised sporting event was a Japanese elementary school baseball game,
broadcast in September 1931.
UB40
The music band UB40 got its name from an unemployment form in England.
Walt Disney
* Walt Disney's autograph bears no resemblance to the famous Disney logo.
* The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923, and in 1927 Walt came up with
the idea for an animated mouse called Mortimer Mouse. His wife Lillian
convinced him to change it to Mickey Mouse.
John Wayne
John Wayne holds the record for the most leading roles in movies at 141.
Vanna White
The first letter Vanna White ever turned on the game show Wheel of Fortune was the
letter "T."
Harvey & Daeida Wilcox
In 1888, Hollywood was founded by Harvey and Daeida Wilcox, who named the city after their summer home in Chicago
Robin Williams
Robin Williams got no money for being the voice of the genie in the Disney film
Aladdin. He was, however, given a Picasso painting worth $7 million
Wizard Of Oz
* In the movie "The Wizard Of Oz," Toto the dog's salary was $125 a week, while
Judy Garland was $500 a week.
* The name for Oz in "The Wizard of Oz" was thought up when the creator, Frank
Baum, looked at his filing cabinet and saw A-N, and O-Z, hence "Oz."
* The ruby red slippers in the movie "The Wizard of Oz" were sold off at an auction
for $660,000.
Business & Inventions
AAAThe American Automobile association was formed in 1905 for the sole purpose of
warning motorists of police speed traps.
American Airlines
American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad
served in first class.
Bayer Aspirin
In 1897, Bayer, who is the makers of Aspirin, once marketed the drug heroin.
Can Opener
The can opener was invented 48 years after cans were introduced.
Checks
In the late 1650's the first known check was written in Europe.
Chrysler
Chrysler built B-29's that bombed Japan. Mitsubishi built the Zeros that tried to shoot
them down. Both companies now build cars in a joint plant call Diamond Star.
Cigarette Lighter
The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
Condom
The condom - made originally of linen - was invented in the early 1500s.
Corinthian Leather
There is no such thing as Corinthian leather; the term was made up by Chrysler's ad
agency for 1970 commercials featuring Ricardo Montalban.
Credit Cards
The Diners’ Club issued the first credit card. Back in 1949, when Frank McNamara
was at a restaurant, he realized he did not have enough money to pay for his
meal, and had to call his wife to bail him out. He then came up with the idea of
the Diners Club, which later issued the first credit card.
Documents
On average a business document is copied 19 times.
Thomas Edison
Thomas Edison filed 1,093 patents, including those for the light bulb, electric
railways and the movie camera. When he died in 1931, he held 34 patents for the
telephone, 141 for batteries, 150 for the telegraph and 389 patents for electric
light and power.
Hamsters
All pet hamsters are descended from a single female wild golden hamster found with
a litter of 12 young in Syria in 1930.
Horses
Argentina's Falabella horses are only 16 inches tall, the smallest horses on earth.
Hummingbirds
The smallest bird in the world is the Hummingbird. It weighs 1oz.
Impala
When an impala is alarmed by a predator it can jump 3 meters in air and 11 meters
along the ground. This beats both the world high jump and world long jump
records in one go.
Koala Bear
The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans,
so much so that they could be confused at a crime scene.
Leech
The leech has 32 brains.
Mice
The mouse is the most common mammal in North America.
Miscellaneous
* Of all known forms of animal’s life ever to inhabit the earth, only about 10 percent
still exist today.
* No animal, once frozen solid (i.e., water solidifies and turns to ice) survives when
thawed, because the ice crystals formed inside cells would break open the cell
membranes. However there are certain frogs that can survive the experience of
being frozen. These frogs make special proteins, which prevent the formation of
ice (or at least keep the crystals from becoming very large), so that they actually
never freeze even though their body temperature is below zero Celsius. The
water in them remains liquid: a phenomenon known as 'super cooling.' If you
disturb one of these frogs (just touching them even), the water in them quickly
freezes solid and they die.
Mockingbird
Mockingbirds can imitate any sound from a squeaking door to a cat meowing.
Octopus
An Octopus has 3 hearts.
Cornflakes
There are more nutrients in the cornflake package itself than there are in the actual
cornflakes
Ketchup
*Ketchup was sold in the 1830s as medicine.
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