Did you Know ?

[FUBAR69]

Did you Know ?​

The only human remains on the moon are those of geologist Eugene Shoemaker who was an expert on planetary collisions. His ashes were carried aboard NASA’s Lunar Prospector spacecraft, which was crashed into a crater on the 31st July 1999

There are in excess of 8746 man made objects orbiting the earth, over 6000 of these are no longer used and classed as “debris”

Amazingly, very few animals died in the massive tsunami that hit Sri Lanka and surrounding areas in 2004. Elephants, buffalo and tigers, as well as smaller animals, all managed to move to higher ground in time. Scientists think that they sensed soundwaves and changes in air pressure in advance of the deadly wave and this gave them time to escape.

The deepest “sea trench” was discovered in 1951, the Marianes Trench is thought to be 10,911 metres, this is almost 11 Km down, or almost 29 times the height of the Empire State Building.

Coldest place on earth is Vostok, Antarctica, -89.2C recorded July 1983.

There was a freak snow storm in the Sahara Desert, Algeria 18th Feb 1979

On 20th April 1888 in Moradabad, India, 246 people (along with more than 1,600 sheep and goats) were killed by hailstones, some as big as cricket balls !

A Peregrine Falcon can reach 298 Km/h during a hunting dive.

A dog lost on a family holiday in Indiana USA, arrived home 6 months later, to Silverton, Oregon, 4,828Km away!

More than 1000 people have climbed Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak, since it was conquered in 1953. They, and their support reams, have dropped more than 50 tonnes of rubbish, making Everest the world’s highest rubbish dump. In 2001 Nepalese sherpas (local guides) collected more than six tonnes of paper bags, tents, ropes, clothes, aluminium ladders, batteries, oxygen bottles and plastic cans. Nepal now charges a £3000 deposit which is returned only if they remove all their rubbish.

The Popsicle or ice lolly was invented in 1905 by Frank Epperson aged 11, who had the idea when he accidentally left a fruit drink out on a winter’s night, originally to be called an Epsicle it was changed to Popsicle when he applied for a patent in 1923.

On average you will release 2 litres of gases from your intestines today as burps or farts.

Your fingernails grow 4 times faster than your toenails.

There is enough carbon in your body to fill 900 pencils, enough fat to make 75 candles, enough phosphorus to make 220 match heads and enough iron to make a 7.5cm nail.

The only bone in the Human body not connected to another bone is the Hyoid bone, a U shaped bone at the base of the tongue. It is supported by the muscles in the neck, but it is not connected to any other bone.

In 7.5 hours of sleep, you will sleep lightly for 60 percent of the time and deeply for 18 percent. You will dream for 20 percent of the time. ( please don’t ask me where the missing 2 percent is, as I aint got a clue lol )

In 1977 Maureen Weston of Peterborough, UK stayed awake for 449 hours during a rocking chair marathon. She suffered hallucinations but was otherwise unharmed.

The only city to be in 2 continents is Istanbul, Turkey, in Europe & Asia.

The only city with no cars is Venice.

The longest marriage recorded is 86 years long.

The only person to have won the Nobel Prize & an Oscar is George Bernard Shaw (Irish Playwright)

There is no building in Paris that bears the number 13.

Italy omits the number 13 from its lottery.

There is estimated to be approx 27,600 nuclear warheads in the world.

Anyone detonating a nuclear weapon within the city limits of chico, California, USA is liable to a $500 fine.

Owners of monkeys in Indonesia must have an identity card for the animal, complete with a photo of the monkey.

In France, no pig may be called Napoleon.

It is illegal to sell a teddy bear or play with a yo-yo on Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee, USA

In England it is illegal to impersonate a Chelsea Pensioner.

In Thailand on the 27th July 1989, fraudster Chamoy Thipyaso and his seven accomplices were each sentenced to 141,078 years.

The longest jail sentence served was 68 years 245 days, for 4 murders.

Charles Dickens always placed his bed north to south and carried a pocket compass so that he could adjust it.

Both Benjamin Franklin & Winston Churchill had 2 beds in their room so that they could move to a fresh bed during the night.

The first ever cheque was issued in London on the 22nd April 1659, it was for £10 and made payable to the “bearer” by Nicholas Vanacker. The original cheque was sold at Sotheby’s in 1976 for £1300.

£1 million pounds in £1 coins would weight 9.5 tonnes, in 1p coins it would weight 356 tonnes, $1 million dollars in $1 bills would weight exactly 1 tonne.

In 2006 the British Museum paid £357,832 for a single ancient British penny, it was found near the River Ivel, Berkshire.

The largest antique ever sold was the old London Bridge, to American Businessman Robert P. McCulloch who paid $2,460,000, it was shipped to the USA and rebuilt in Lake Havasu City of Arizona, it is also the largest structure ever moved.

The first use of the word “Skyscraper” was in the 18th century and was a small triangular flag flown on the main mast of a ship.

Even though most countries drive on the right hand side of the road, over 70 countries and territories still drive on the left, the reason for this dates back to the time when most road users were horse riders, one is that it is usual to mount the horse on the left, and it is easier to stay on the left, another is that most people are right handed, riding on the left allowed them to use a sword to defend themselves against approaching riders.

The only time that a train was powered by fish was during a coal shortage in Turkestan in 1919, almost 9000 tonnes of dried fish were used to stoke the trains boilers.

The most valuable stamp is a Swedish Treskilling Yellow issued in 1855 and used in 1857 to mail a letter, it was printed with the wrong ink (yellow instead of green) and was sold in Switzerland 1996 for £1.4 million.

The Scottish song “Auld lang Syne” (meaning old long since) is used in Taiwan as a graduation song.

The song “Happy Birthday to You” was originally “Good Morning to You” until it was changed in 1924, the song will be in copyright until 2030.

Mel Blanc was the voice of many famous cartoon characters, from Bugs Bunny to the Flintstones Barney Rubble, the headstone on his grave in the Hollywood forever cemetery has the sign-off line used at the end of Looney Tunes cartoons “That’s all Folks”

If an athlete could run a marathon at the same rate as the 100m sprint, he would be finished in 43 minutes.

The first World Cups goal was scored by Lucien Laurent of France. The goal came 19 minutes into the first World Cup game on the 13th July 1930

Pocahontas died at the age of 22 in 1617

Joan of Arc was only 19 when she burnt at the stake 1431

King Alexander of Greece died after being bitten by his pet monkey 1920

American dancer, Isadora Duncan was strangled by her scarf when it became caught in the wheel of a Bugatti in which she was a passenger.

Fredrick, Prince of Wales died in 1751 after being hit by a cricket ball.

Houdini the famous escapologist who claimed he could withstand being punched in the stomach, died in 1926 – after being punched in the stomach.

Prince Philippe, heir to the French throne died when his horse tripped over a pig in the street in Paris 1131

And famous last words​

Billy the Kid – “who is it”

Caligula (Roman Emperor”) - “I am still alive!”

Catherine de Medici (Queen of France) – “Ah, my God, I am dead”

Douglas Fairbanks (Actor) – “I never felt better”

John Sedgwick (American Civil War General shot by sniper) – “they couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance”