1. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses
were secured on bed frames by ropes when you pulled on the ropes the mattress
tightened, making the bed firmer to
sleep on. That's where the phrase, goodnight, sleep tight" came from.
2. When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror.
3. The Main Library at Indiana
University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers
failed
to take into account the weight of
all the books that would occupy the building.
4. The phrase "rule of thumb"
is derived from an old English law which stated that you couldn't beat
your wife with
anything wider than your thumb.
5. The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
6. Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
7. No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium has ever won a Super Bowl.
8. In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a hunting license.
9. It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather for a year's supply of footballs.
10. There are an average of 178 sesame seeds on a McDonald's Big Mac bun.
11. When Heinz ketchup leaves the bottle, it travels at a rate of 25 miles per year.
12. Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from the sale of vodka.
13. On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year.
14. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases
more energy than all the world's nuclear weapons combined. 
15. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters
had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When
they
needed a refill, they used the whistle
to get some service. "Wet your whistle," is the phrase inspired by this
practice.
16. The venom in a Daddy Long-Legs
spider is more poisonous than a Black Widow's or a Brown Recluse, but they
cannot
bite humans because their jaws won't
open wide enough.
17. A pig's orgasm lasts for 30 minutes.
18. On average, people fear spiders more than they do death.
19. The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue.
20. Mel Blanc (the voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.
21. Humans and Dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.
22. 101 Dalmatians and Peter Pan (Wendy)
are the only two Disney cartoon movies that feature both parents, neither
of
which dies throughout the movie.
23. There's no Betty Rubble in Flintstones Chewable Vitamins.
24. Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.
25. Did you know that you are more likely to be killed by a champagne cork than by a poisonous spider?
26. In Minnesota it is illegal to cross state lines with a duck on your head.
27. In Indiana it is illegal to ride public transportation for at least 30 minutes after eating garlic.
28. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
29. A crocodile cannot stick its tongue out.
30. Polar bears are left-handed.
31. A cockroach will live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
32. Some lions mate over 50 times a day.
33. The average chocolate bar has 8 insects' legs in it.
34. A rhinoceros horn is made of compacted hair.
35. The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
36. A polar bear's skin is black. Its fur is not white, but actually clear.
37. Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties are registered blood donors.
38. Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
39. More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.
40. Marilyn Monroe had six toes.
41. If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.
42. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
43. The word "lethologica" describes the state of not being able to remember the word you want.
44. TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.
45. If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
46. A snail can sleep for 3 years.
47. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first-class.
48. China has more English speakers than the United States.
49. The electric chair was invented
by a dentist.
50. Vatican City is the smallest country
in the world, with a population of 1,000 and a size 108.7 acres.
51. The longest word in the English language is 1909 letters long and it refers to a distinct part of DNA.
52. No president of the United States was an only child.
53. The Eisenhower interstate
system requires that one-mile in very five must be straight. These straight
sections are usable as airstrips in times of war or other emergencies.
