Fast Facts
September 6, 2006
- The bra Marilyn Monroe wore in the movie “”Some Like It Hot”” was sold for $14,000.
Sidewinders are snakes that move by looping their bodies up in the air and pushing against the ground when they land. Their tracks in the ground would look like a series of straight lines angling in the direction the snake was traveling.
During World War I, almost 14 million people died in battle.
In the marriage ceremony of the ancient Inca Indians of Peru, the bride and groom were considered officially wed when they took off their sandals and handed them to each other.
Badminton used to be called “”poona.””
If you divide the Great Pyramid’s perimeter by twice its height, you get pi to the 15th digit.
Since the Lego Group began manufacturing blocks in 1949, more than 189 billion pieces in 2,000 different shapes have been produced. This is enough for about thirty Lego pieces for every living person on Earth. Five-thousandths of a millimeter is the tolerance of accuracy at the Lego mold factories.
The 16th-century astronomer Tycho Brahe lost his nose in a duel with one of his students over a mathematical computation. He wore a silver replacement nose for the rest of his life.
Stainless steel was discovered by accident in 1913.
We speak of a bale of turtles, a clowder of cats, a gam of whales and a streak of tigers.
Anne Boleyn, Queen Elizabeth I’s mother, had six fingers on one hand.
No pearls of value are ever found in North American oysters.
The phrase “”sleep tight”” originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to tighten the rope.
The most common name for a goldfish is Jaws.
In 1983, a Japanese artist made a copy of the “”Mona Lisa”” completely out of toast.
Most toilets flush in E flat.
