Fast Facts

October 18, 2007

The original meaning of the word “”clue”” was a ball of thread or yarn. Like its modern namesake, it often took some time to unravel.

Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s pet cocker spaniel was named Flush.

The only president to be head of a labor union was Ronald Reagan.

In 75 percent of American households, the women manage the money and pay the bills.

Violet Gibson Burns typed continuously at her typewriter for 264 hours – a world record.

The average person laughs 13 times a day.

When Karl Marx was asked if he had any last words before his death, he answered, “”Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.””

If cooked at too high a temperature, scrambled eggs may turn green. This does not make them harmful, however.

The nonsense characters that stand in for swear words in cartoons and comics are known as “”grawlix.””

The string on boxes of Barnum’s Animal Crackers are meant to be used to hang them from Christmas trees.

The word eternity appears only once in the Bible – in the 57th chapter of the Book of Isaiah.

Edgar Allan Poe’s “”The Murders in the Rue Morgue”” is widely considered the world’s first detective story.

In parts of Greece and other European nations, giving the “”thumbs up”” sign is widely considered a rude gesture akin to “”flipping the bird.””

South Africa used to have two official languages. Now it has 11.

Britain’s shortest river is the Brun.

On Nov. 29, 2000, Pope John Paul II was made an honorary Harlem Globetrotter.

Linus and Lucy’s last name in “”Peanuts”” is Van Pelt. They have a younger brother named Rerun.

The city with the highest per capita viewing of TV evangelists is Washington, D.C.

Brigham Young, the Mormon leader, married his 27th, and last, wife in 1868.

During a 100-meter race, a top sprinter makes contact with the ground only about 40 times.

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