Fast Facts

November 8, 2007

The world’s one-minute rainfall record occurred on July 4, 1956, in Unionville, Ma., when 1.23 inches of rain fell in 60 seconds.

Giraffes can run up to 35 mph.

Heroin was once marketed as cough medicine.

Singer Cat Stevens’ first single was “”I Love My Dog.””

Every part of the hemlock plant is poisonous, including the seeds.

Ancient Egyptians would place their right hands on onions when swearing an oath.

The Queen Mother used to describe her clothes as “”my props.””

The mathematical problems “”twelve plus one”” and “”eleven plus two”” not only contain the same letters but also have the same solution (13).

Female gorillas go through menopause.

Nearly nine out of 10 Valentine’s Day cards are purchased by women.

Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote.

Male seahorses, not females, become pregnant and give birth.

Queen Victoria was prescribed marijuana for menstrual cramps.

Hibbing, Minn., was the original home of the Greyhound bus line. There is currently no Greyhound stop there.

The design on the Partridge Family’s bus was based on one of the paintings of Piet Mondrian.

Paperback books were once made of cheap newsprint, so publishers stained the edges with color to conceal the quality of the paper.

Dr. Seuss’s “”Green Eggs and Ham”” uses only 50 unique words; he wrote the book on a bet.

The Daily Wildcat