fun "facts"

[+ Tom Isern]

I've verified none of these, but received them today and found them fun. Hope you do too!

 

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In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

 

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Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.

 

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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

 

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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S. Treasury.

 

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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.

 

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Coca-Cola was originally green.

 

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It is impossible to lick your elbow.

 

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

 

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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)

 

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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%

 

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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400

 

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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000

 

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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

 

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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

 

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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

 

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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

 

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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

 

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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.

 

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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

 

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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

 

A. Their birthplace

 

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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?

 

A. Obsession

 

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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

 

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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?

 

A. All were invented by women.

 

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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?

 

A. Honey

 

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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?

 

A. Father's Day

 

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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on b ed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

 

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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.

 

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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 ge t the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"

 

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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.

 

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~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow! I did. Did you?

[DelawareGuy]

RE: fun "facts"

 

>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

 

The statue of Caesar Rodney in Rodney Square, Wilmington, Delaware, the horse has both front legs in the air; Mr Rodney did not die in battle. But the statue represents him riding to Philadelphia on July 2, 1776 to case a vote for the Declaration of Independence. At age 48, he was one of only three bachelors to sign the Delcaration. This statue is alleged to be the only one where the horse has both front legs in the air and the horse's tail is not attached to the base.

 

This is probably more Delaware history than you guys need to know :+

 

And yes, I tried to lick my elbow.

[JT Brooklyn]

Tom.. But of course! Very Interesting and a Fun Fact Read! :P

[LovesYng]

RE: fun "facts"

 

>The statue of Caesar Rodney in Rodney Square, Wilmington,

>Delaware, the horse has both front legs in the air; Mr Rodney

>did not die in battle. But the statue represents him riding

>to Philadelphia on July 2, 1776 to case a vote for the

>Declaration of Independence. At age 48, he was one of only

>three bachelors to sign the Delcaration. This statue is

>alleged to be the only one where the horse has both front legs

>in the air and the horse's tail is not attached to the base.

>

>This is probably more Delaware history than you guys need to

>know :+

>

>And yes, I tried to lick my elbow.

 

I'll bet Delaware was just as boring back then as it is now. The real reason why Caesar Rodney left Delaware is to head up to the party City of Philadelphia Never knew Delaware had any history for it's size

 

Is there anything else that you tried to Lick

 

When in doubt I whip it out :+

[DelawareGuy]

RE: fun "facts"

 

>The real reason why Caesar Rodney left Delaware is to head up to the party City of Philadelphia

 

Yes, I heard he went to Woody's after signing the Declaration. I hear some of the guys are still there.

 

 

>Is there anything else that you tried to Lick

 

 

Yes, but you'll have to wait until my next review for the details.

[Juan Vancouver]

Before getting to the end of your post I was laughing my head off and was about to post:

 

"Am I the only simpleton who tried to lick his elbow?"

 

Now I know.

 

There is some strange comfort in numbers.

[JamesK840]

Similar vein...

 

Some "facts" about the 1500s:

 

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

 

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, "Don't throw the baby out with the bath water."

 

Houses had thatched roofs-thick straw-piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and off the roof. Hence the saying "It's raining cats and dogs."

 

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protection. That's how canopy beds came into existence.

 

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying "dirt poor." The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on the floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until when you opened the door it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entranceway. Hence the saying a "thresh hold."

 

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, "Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old."

 

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could "bring home the bacon." They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and "chew the fat."

 

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning or death. This happened most often with tomatoes, so for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

 

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or "upper crust."

 

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whisky The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of holding a "wake."

 

In England, the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a "bone-house" and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the "graveyard shift") to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be "saved by the bell" or was considered a "dead ringer."

[Curitibano]

RE: fun "facts"

 

Yeah, I heard that the horse-statue-rules thing only applies to certain statues in certain parks.... like Gettysburg National Park in PA.