FastFacts
November 7, 2006
- Since 1978, at least 37 people have died as a result of shaking vending machines in an attempt to get free merchandise. More than 100 have been injured.
Woodpecker scalps, porpoise teeth and giraffe tails have all been used as money.
There were about 60 million bison when the Europeans landed in America. By the 1880s, all but 500 bison were killed. Today there are 350,000 bison in America.
It is estimated that at any one time, 0.7 percent of the world’s population is drunk.
A full moon is nine times brighter than a half-moon.
The U.S. government spent $277,000 on “”pickle research”” in 1993.
Worcestershire sauce is basically anchovy ketchup.
Four people played the character of Darth Vader: David Prowse was his body, James Earl Jones did his voice, Sebastian Shaw was his face and a fourth person did his breathing.
Paul McCartney’s mother was a midwife.
The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma in an emergency.
Human birth control pills work on gorillas.
You should never eat a crayfish with a straight tail. It was dead before it was cooked.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
When the divorce rate goes up in the United States, toymakers say the sale of toys also rises.
