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Author
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Topic: Useless Fact's
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 07-10-2003 12:21 PM
Rated G ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Useless fact - Do other mammals lose their baby teeth the
way humans do?
Baby teeth are more scientifically called deciduous teeth,
because they are shed like leaves.They are also called milk
teeth,which is a clue to the answer.
Mammals, with a few exceptions, have two sets of teeth. The key
to mammalian success is specialized teeth for many different
foods, and two sets, often with different mixes of types, provide for even more adaptability as the animal grows and changes diet.
There are three basic kinds:incisors,to bite and gnaw,like the beaver,whose hard-worn teeth grow all its life;canines, to stab and seize, like the dog or tiger,and molars and premolars, to grind and chew,like the cow.
While mammals are little and growing, the initial source of food
is milk, and they do not need teeth at all. The first teeth
emerge and develop as needs change; they may have some utility
for eating solid foods. Then, as the animal gets a full-sized
jaw, it loses the baby teeth and the second set of teeth emerges
for the adult diet.
Some mammals have more than two sets and some have none. The
baleen whale's teeth never erupt above the jaw. Anteaters do not
need them for their diet of termites and ants. Some herbivores
have one set of molars that continue to grow through life.And
elephants, with their diet of coarse vegetation,have six sets of molars to last them through their long lives.
~source used: "Book of Science Questions and Answers" by C. Craiborne Ray~
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 07-13-2003 06:41 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Dracula and vampire bats.
Count Dracula,a fictional character invented by Bram Stoker
(1847-1912),was not called a vampire because he sucked the blood
of living beings,like the vampire bats of Central and South
America.In fact,the vampire bats,which do indeed suck the blood of cattle and other domestic animals,were named after the vampires (Slavic "vampir") of Tran-sylvanian legend:corpses that
arise from the grave at night and suck the blood of sleeping victims.Though they subsist entirely on blood,vampire bats would pose little danger of anemia unless they attacked en masse:they live on about a teaspoon of blood a day.They are far more
hazardous as carriers of disease,including rabies.There was,
incidentally,a real Transylvanian Dracula,but Stoker borrowed his name rather than his exploits.He was Vlad IV,a fifteenth-
century prince of Walachia (a region south of the Transylvanian
Alps).Vlad's father was Vlad Dracul— Vlad the Devil hence
"Dracula," for the devil's son.The protagonist of the 1897 novel
was "finally" killed when a pointed stake was driven through his heart.The real Dracula also has an association with pointed stakes:he mounted his captive enemies on them.So, besides
"Dracula," he has become known as Vlad the Impaler.
~source used: "More MisInformation" by Tom Burnam~
[ 07-14-2003, 02:27 AM: Message edited by: Bob Maar ]
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-14-2003 08:52 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Dr. Seuss:
Is Dr. Seuss the author's real name?
Seuss was Theodor Geisel's middle name. He initially used it out of necessity in college: When he was busted for having gin in his dorm room at Dartmouth during Prohibition, Geisel was forced to resign as editor from the school's humor rag as punishment.
Instead, he called himself "Seuss" and stayed at the paper. Years later, after some success, he added the "Dr." to sound more scientific, he claims. But it became a legitimate tide in 1957 when his alma mater awarded Geisel an honorary doctorate.
How did Dr. Seuss come up with his book ideas?
Here's the rundown on a few Seuss classics:
* "Green Eggs and Ham" was written on a bet with the founder of Random House, Bennett Cerf. Geisel wagered that he could write a good book using only 50 different words, and Cerf was sure it was impossible. Geisel won the bet but never collected on it. It was the only one of his books, the author claimed, that made him laugh.
* "Yertle the Turtle" was based on Adolf Hitler.
* "Marvin K. Mooney, Will You Please Go Now?" features a skulking character who is constantly asked to go away. The character was based on then-president Richard Nixon.
* "The Cat in the Hat" was an answer to a 1957 report about children who were struggling to read in school. The study showed that children responded to illustrations and retained more from "fun" books than from traditional but boring readers like "Dick and Jane". Geisel was hired by a publisher to come up with a book that would fit this bill. He was given a list of 400 words and asked to choose 220 —t he number of words kids were thought to be able to absorb at one time. Unfortunately, the word restrictions made the book difficult for Geisel to write. He found two words on the list that rhymed—"cat" and "hat" —then
spent nine months writing the story.
How many kids did Dr. Seuss have?
Theodor Seuss Geisel once said, "You have 'em, I'll amuse 'em." He was married twice but never had any children of his own.
~source used: "Just Curious, Jeeves" by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo~
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-14-2003 05:24 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - What are the most dangerous volcanoes around the world today?
Topping volcanologists' A-list is Popocatepetl,a 17,887-foot
peak that's been spewing ash on Mexico City since 1992.
Scientists fear that even a minor eruption could melt the snow on Popo's flanks and create a massive,fast-moving mud surge, known as a "lahar",that could overrun the large communities
along its drainages.(A lahar from Colombia's Nevado del Ruiz
volcano buried some twenty-three thousand people alive in 1985.)
Experts also fear an encore from Italy's legendary Vesuvius, the
source of recent rumblings and not a few nights of lost sleep in
nearby Naples. Closer to home, the rock interior of Washington's
Mount Rainier has been so hollowed out by erosion that a small
tremor could cause the steep slopes to cave in on themselves,
unleashing a devastating lahar. Says Ed Klimasauskas, of the
U.S. Geological Survey's Cascades Volcano Observatory, "We're
worried that Rainier may be rotting from the inside out."Even
more worrisome,however, is the ever-energetic Mount St.Helens,
whose steam blasts of late have prompted a few bold researchers
to predict a major eruption in the next several years.But
volcanology is a notoriously inexact science, so don't hold your
breath.
~source used: "Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison" by Hampton Sides~
[ 07-15-2003, 03:42 PM: Message edited by: Bob Maar ]
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-15-2003 03:46 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - Who invented the first condom?
Condoms have been with us much longer than you might have
imagined.Condoms are supposedly named after the apocryphal "Dr.
Condom," or Conton,who is supposed to have made them for Charles
II,out of lamb's intestines,which were dried and then well oiled.The male sheath,however,had been around long before the
time of Charles II.Before the time of Christ,the Chinese made
them with oiled silk paper (the first lubricated condom!).It is
rumored that Roman soldiers would make condoms from the muscle
tissue of their defeated foes.By medieval times,the spread of
syphilis increased the use of condoms greatly.
In the 1800s condoms were made from animal intestines that were
soaked in an alkaline solution,scraped,disinfected with the
vapor of burning brimstone,washed,inflated,dried,cut to
approximately seven inches,and fitted with a ribbon on the open
end.
The Catholic Church wasn't too crazy about this prophylactic profusion and in 1826 Pope Leo XIII condemned their use.Despite the objections of his holiness,condoms were here to stay!
~source used: "Thoughts for the Throne" by Don Voorhees~
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 07-17-2003 10:21 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Who invented the zipper?
In 1893 Whitcomb Judson, a Chicago mechanical engineer, patented
a device called the "clasp locker," which was the forerunner
of the modern zipper. It had only two problems: it didn't work
and no one wanted to buy it. Judson displayed it at the 1893
Chicago World's Fair. Although around 20 million people went to
the fair, he sold only 20 of his new hookless fasteners.The U.S. Postal Service bought them to put on their mailbags.
Undaunted,Judson founded the Universal Fastener Company to manufacture his new device.One of the company's employees was
Gideon Sundback,a Swedish immigrant who eventually became head
designer.
Sundback made a number of improvements to Judson's original
design,and by 1913 he had designed the zipper as we know it today.A patent was issued in 1917 for Sundback's design.It was
called the "separable fastener."
When B. F. Goodrich ordered a huge quantity of them for the
rubber galoshes he was manufacturing,he liked the "z-z-zip"
sound they made and coined the name zipper.
At first,zippers were used mainly for boots and tobacco pouches.
Almost 20 years later, in the 1930s,the fashion industry began
promoting zippers for children's clothes.In the famous fashion
"battle of the fly," the zipper beat the button hands down as French fashion designers started putting zippers in men's trousers.
Today zippers are found everywhere,on clothes,luggage,handbags, jumpsuits,and countless other products.In spite of competitive products such as snaps and Velcro,it appears that the zipper is here to stay.
If you look closely at a zipper,you'll probably see the letters
YKK stamped on the pull tab.In 1934 a Japanese company called
Yoshida Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha,which means Yoshida Manufacturing
Company,Limited, started manufacturing zippers.The company
abbreviated its name to YKK,which became its trademark and was
stamped on its zippers.Today,the YKK corporation has plants
around the world.Its National Manufacturing Center in Macon,
Georgia,is the largest manufacturer of zippers in the world.
Since the center produces well over 1.5 billion zippers a year,
there's a good chance that your zipper will have YKK stamped on
it.
~source used: "What Makes Flamingos Pink?" by Bill McLain~
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-18-2003 06:27 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Why is Europe considered a continent?
A continent is defined as "a large,continuous mass of land,"
though how large and how continuous are open to interpretation.
The line of size demarcation falls somewhere between Australia
(the world's smallest continent) and Greenland (the largest
island). Europe meets the size definition; it's the continuity
criterion that creates problems, for a casual glance at a map
tells you that Europe is really only a western addendum to Asia.
Although some professional cartographers use the term "Eurasia",
most consider the Ural Mountains, which extend from the
Arctic Ocean to the Caspian Sea, a boundary of continental
proportions. Perhaps, but Europe's lofty landmass status still
seems specious somehow (as does the term "continental
breakfast"). When asked about this, a spokesman at atlas-
publisher Rand McNally began to free-associate: "It's a gestalt,
if you will. The cartographers looked at huge chunks of land and
said, 'That's the way it is.' Some things we can't explain,
despite all our education."
~source used: "Why Moths Hate Thomas Edison" by Hampton Sides~
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-20-2003 06:57 AM
Rated G
Useless fact(s) - ON THE BOOKS:
What people first kept written records?
That honor probably goes to the ancient Babylonians.Clay books
have been found containing land sales,business agreements,and judgments—dated at more than 5,000 years ago.
Who invented the modern book?
Most people credit the Chinese with inventing books as we know
them today.Five hundred years before Johannes Gutenberg became
famous for printing with movable type,the Chinese had begun
doing so using porcelain or metal plates.In addition,the
Chinese were creating covers and tide pages and were binding
manuscripts in a similar way to our modem book.
Who was the first writer to submit a typewritten manuscript?
Mark Twain with "Life on the Mississippi" (1883).A sucker for
new gadgets,he was one of the first people to buy a typewriter,
calling it a "curiosity-breeding little joker."
How much does the average writer or editor make in a year?
According to the latest from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and
Statistics,beginning salaries for writers and editorial
assistants average $21,000,making them some of the lowest-paying
jobs of all.After five years on the job,writers and editors make
about $30,000.Senior editors at the largest newspapers can earn
up to $67,000.These figures are for salaried positions;a large
proportion of writers and editors freelance,making their job
security virtually nonexistent.
Who is the most successful book author writing in the English
language?
While the richest author is Stephen King,whose estimated worth
is over $84 million,the top-selling author of all time is Agatha
Christie.She wrote 78 mystery novels that have sold an estimated
two billion copies.
~source used: "Just Curious, Jeeves" by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-21-2003 06:46 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Who was the first European to "discover" the New World?
No it wasn't Christopher Columbus, Leif Eriksson, or Erik the
Red. According to the Book of Flatey, a collection of Icelandic
stories compiled in the 1300s, it was a Norse trader named Bjarni Herjulfsson. Supposedly, Herjulfsson was blown off course in A.D. 986 on his way from Iceland to Greenland. He sighted what is now believed to be Cape Cod. As he was behind schedule and also not very curious, he did not land. Instead, he traveled northeast toward Greenland, possibly sighting Nova Scotia and Newfoundland along the way.
It wasn't until fourteen years later, in A.D. 1000 that Viking
Leif Eriksson landed in Newfoundland. Leif was the son of Erik
Thorvaldson, also known as Erik the Red. Eric's father had been
exiled from Norway to Iceland lor having committed murder, when
Erik was ten years old. After his father died, Erik became
involved in several killings and was expelled from Iceland for
three years, in approximately A.D. 985. With nowhere else to go,
Erik and a group of his supporters sailed west to find a land
rumored to have been sighted by another Norwegian, Gunnbjorn
Ulfsson, around A.D. 900. They made landfall on an ice-covered
island and settled on one of the few grassy areas along the
coast. Erik decided to turn land promoter and persuaded
Icelanders to settle in the new land, which he misleadingly
called Greenland.
In the year A.D. 1000, having heard of Bjarni's sightings, Erik's son Leif sailed west once again,landing in Newfoundland.
He then sailed south to land in Nova Scotia, and then in Cape
Cod, where he and his men spent the winter.The discovery of
grapes on the Cape prompted Leif to name this new land Vinland
(land of wine). Upon his return home he encouraged other Vikings
to colonize this New World. Legend has it that the Vikings
explored all along the East Coast of the United States.
The Vikings established a short-lived colony on Newfoundland.
For about fifteen years people from Greenland sailed to the new
colony. Native Indians are said to have attacked and killed
several Norse settlers, including Eriksson's brother Thorwald.
Probably because of this, the settlers returned to Greenland,
never to visit the New World again. One wonders, how much better
could things have been in Greenland?
~source used: "Thoughts for the Throne" by Don Voorhees~
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
|
posted 07-22-2003 06:30 AM
Rated G
Useless fact - Was Henry Ford a Nazi?
Henry Ford was a renowned anti-Semite who was highly regarded by Hitler and the Nazis,not only for his car-making abilities but for his politics as well.
You don't see much of this side of Ford early on, when he paid
high wages and provided fair working conditions for blacks and
other minorities. Granted, he didn't play fair with his female
workers (believing they were temporary and wouldn't prove useful
to him in the long term), but at the onset of WWI, he was paying
blacks equal wages and promoting them to supervisory positions
within his company—a rare exception back then. And after the war,a quarter of his workforce was made up of people with
disabilities long before any laws dictated fair hiring practices.
It was after Ford got fame and money that his anti-Semetic views
surfaced. His newspaper, "The Dearborn Independent", made it
clear in issue after issue how Ford felt about Jews. Using his
paper to express his opinions about a worldwide Jewish conspiracy against gentiles earned him a unique honor: He's the only American Hitler praised in his infamous "Mein Kampf". Hitler reportedly lifted whole sections of editorials out of
Ford's "Dearborn Independent" and used them in his book. Rumors
that Ford provided direct financial aid to the Nazis in their
early years have never been definitively proved or disproved.
Another interesting fact about Ford is that, in his experimental
gardens, he grew marijuana in the hopes of figuring out a way to make plastic from it. Apparently nothing, aside from a distinct feeling of relaxation, came of this youthful experimentation. And strangely, there's nothing that mentions these efforts at the Ford history museum.
~source used: "Just Curious About History, Jeeves" by Erin Barrett & Jack Mingo
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Bob Maar
(Maar stands for Maartini)
Posts: 28608
From: New York City & Newport, RI
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 07-23-2003 12:30 PM
Rated G
Useless fact - "dord", and other "ghost words":
A persistent story that crops up in academic circles, and
sometimes in newspaper columns,is that "dord," defined as a term
in physics and chemistry for "density," was a made-up word
deliberately inserted in Merriam-Webster unabridged dictionaries
in order to catch plagiarizers.
(See the entry on "WHO'S WHO IN AMERICA".)
And sure enough, it does appear in early printings of the famous
1934 (second) edition of the Merriam-Webster unabridged.But it
isn't there to catch the copycat.It was all a mistake - most
unusual,for the Merriam-Webster people.Allen Walker Read,the
renowned linguist,tracked down the story. What happened is that
a preliminary entry reading "D or d," for the upper-case and
lower-case "abbreviations" for "density," got misread as one
word: "dord."
A staff member discovered the error in 1940,and the "word" was
ordered deleted.For whatever reason, however,the deletion
did not actually occur until 1947,giving the incorrect story all
the more time to become established.The expression "ghost word,"
as used by Professor Read,who points out that the philologist W.
W. Skeat used it in 1886,identifies words that, like "dord," for
various reasons (often,a mere misprint) pop up and then
disappear.In a paper read before a seminar on lexicography at
the Modern Language Association meeting in New York in 1976, Read gave several other examples. Among them are "Iconic," a
misspelling by Thomas Wolfe for "leonine," and the changing by a
printer of Robert Louis Stevenson's howf (Scottishfor "shelter")
to "howl"— which was then carefully explained as a Scottish
spelling for "hovel"!
Obviously a ghost word ceases to be such when it comes into
widespread use. Before it does, however—if it does, and few do —
it poses a constant problem for dictionary makers: to include or
not to include?
~source used: "More MisInformation" by Tom Burnam~
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