Strange Things You Probably Never Knew !!!

A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks or it will digest itself.

The dot over the letter "i" is called a tittle.

A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and
down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

A female ferret will die if it goes into heat and cannot find a mate.

Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying.

A 2 X 4 is really 1-1/2" by 3-1/2".

During the chariot scene in "Ben Hur," a small red car can be seen
in the distance (and Heston's wearing a watch).

On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily!
(That explains a few mysteries....)

Sherlock Holmes NEVER said, "Elementary, my dear Watson."

Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per
side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.

There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with orange,
purple and silver.

Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space
because passing wind in a spacesuit damages them.

The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin in World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.

Weatherman Willard Scott was the first Ronald McDonald.

If one places a tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion, it will
instantly go mad and sting itself to death. (Who was the sadist who
discovered this??)

Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to s-l-o-w film down
so you could see his moves. That's the opposite of the norm.

The first CD pressed in the US was Bruce Springsteen's "Born in
the USA."

The original name for butterfly was flutterby.

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.

The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player
for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.

Roses may be red, but violets are indeed violet.

By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you cannot
sink into quicksand.

Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a
piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with.

Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin
look-alike contest.

An old law in Bellingham, Washington, made it illegal for a woman
to take more than three steps backwards while dancing!

The Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book
most often stolen from public libraries.

The glue on Israeli postage is certified kosher.

Bats always turn left when exiting a cave!

Thanks to Deborah for submitting this!!

And another via email --this comes by Suzie T....

In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"

The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.

Men can read smaller print then women can; women can hear better.

It is impossible to lick your elbow.

The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska

The average number of people airborne over the US any given hour: 61,000

Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.

The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.

The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.

111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?

A. Their birthplace.

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?

A. One thousand

Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All invented by women.

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

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. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the "honeymoon".

What you don't know about Soccer ?

Soccer has become increasingly more popular in the United States in the last 30 years, with nearly 3 million children between the ages of 5-19 now playing in youth soccer leagues throughout the nation.

Soccer began in England in the mid-1800's, and was originally played by the higher, more aristocratic English classes in their boarding schools and private clubs. The ease and inexpense of the sport quickly moved it ahead as a sport for the masses however. Today soccer is ranked as one of the world's leading sports for commoners.

#1. Soccer is called football in other countries besides America.

#2. Major League Soccer set all-time attendance record for a United States-based professional soccer league game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on June 16, 1996. That day, 92,216 fans watched the Los Angeles Galaxy win a 3-2 shootout victory over the Tampa Bay Mutiny.

#3. His real name is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, But the soccer world knows him as Pele. A native of Brazil, Pele retired as a player in 1977 but is still considered by many the greatest soccer player who ever lived. Since his retirement, he has been a worldwide ambassador for his sport. Wherever soccer is played, the name of Pele will always be magic.

#4. A standard soccer ball is made of leather and is between 27 and 28 inches in circumference. Unlike basketball, young players can use a smaller ball. For kids 8 years old or younger, a ball of 23 to 24 inches in circumference is recommended. For kids 9 to 12, a ball of 25 to 26 inches is often used.

The London Football Association was founded and 1863 and is responsible for standardizing game rules throughout Europe. In less than 20 years, professional players and teams were hitting the field.

Soccer began to spread throughout Europe almost immediately, with Spain, Germany, Italy, and France all taking up the game b the early 20th century. As interest in the sport grew throughout the world, so did an interest in formal competition. In 1900, the first soccer game was played at the Olympics, with medals introduced just eight years later. Professional players, however, were exempt from competition in the Olympic Games for more than 80 years.

In 1904, The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), was formed, followed by the first World Cup international competition in 1930. A round-robin style tournament that pits teams from individual nations against each other every four years, the World Cup has grown into an international affair, with nearly 200 teams now seeking admittance. Only 24 are permitted to compete.

Although it took the United States years to enter the soccer arena on a widespread basis, the U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) was formed in 1913. Unfortunately, most Americans preferred watching (and playing) a different form of the sport -- American football -- until a Brazilian named Pele, (considered to the greatest soccer player of all time), joined the N.Y. Cosmos team in 1975. With such an amazing player to watch in America, popularity of the sport grew throughout the states, until his retirement in 1977, when soccer once again took a backseat to football. Following Pele's retirement, the North American Soccer League slowly lost fan support, finally dissolving in 1985.

It wasn't until the men's World Cup competition, was held in the United States in 1994, that soccer interest was renewed among American youth. The Major League Soccer (MLS), was founded in 1993, and began its first season in 1996 with 10 teams and 32 regular season games. More than 3 million fans watched the playoffs that year. By 1991, women were finally allowed to play on a professional level, when the Women's World Cup competition was introduced for the first time.

The interest in youth soccer remains strong throughout the United States today. Sports teams and leagues are now available in nearly every American community. From pee-wee players who aren't even in school yet, to semi-professional high school teams, players of all interest and abilities are now hitting the soccer field for both spring and fall competition. The U.S. Youth Soccer, a division of the USSF, now includes nearly 3 million official players.

"46 " Amazing Facts About New York

1. The first American chess tournament was held in New York in 1843.

2. The 641 mile transportation network known as the Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway is the longest toll road in the United States.

3. A brewer named Matthew Vassar founded Vassar College in Poughkeepsie in 1861.

4. In 1979 Vassar students were the first from a private college to be granted permission to study in the People's Republic of China.

5. The Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan is the only school in the world offering a Bachelor of Science Degree with a Major in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing.

6.Union College in Schenectady is regarded as the Mother of Fraternities because Delta Phi is the oldest continually operating fraternity and Kappa Alpha and Sigma Phi Societies were started on the campus.

7. The Woodstock Music and Arts Fair was actually held in Bethel.

8. Dairying is New York's most important farming activity with over 18,000 cattle and or calves farms.

9. In 1807 The Clermont made its maiden voyage from New York City to Albany making the vessel the first successful steamboat.

10. Sam Schapiro began the Kosher wine industry on New York's Lower East side with their famous extra heavy original concord wine in 1899.

11. New York City has 722 miles of subway track.

12. Power Mill Park situated outside Rochester has a house on Park Road shaped like a group of mushrooms.

13. Chittenago is the home of L. Frank Baum, author of the "Wizard of Oz". It features a yellow brick inlaid sidewalks leading to Aunti Em's and other Oz-themed businesses. Chittenago is the location of an annual Munchkins parade.

14. Oneida has the world's smallest church with the dimensions of 3.5' X 6'.

15. The first daily Yiddish newspaper appeared in 1885 in New York City.

16. The first international sports hero, boxer Bill Richmond of Staten Island, was born August 5, 1763.

17. The "New York Post" established in 1803 by Alexander Hamilton is the oldest running newspaper in the United States.

18.John Babcock invented both the indoor rowing machine and the sliding seat during the winter of 1869/1870.

19. The first railroad in America ran a distance of 11 miles between Albany and Schenectady.

20. The first capital of the United States was New York City. In 1789 George Washington took his oath as president on the balcony at Federal Hall.

21. Hartsdale has a pet cemetery established in 1896 and containing 12,000 plots.

22. In November for Boy Scouts and in March for Girl Scouts the annual Urban Camp-Outs are hosted at the Empire State Building.

23. The Catskills are the home of the legend of Rip Van Winkle, brown trout and flycasting.

24. The first presentation of 3D films before a paying audience took place at Manhattan's Astor Theater on June 10, 1915.

25. Sam Wilson, a meatpacker from Troy who's caricature Uncle Sam came to personify the United States is buried at Troy's Oakwood Cemetery. During the War of 1812, he stamped "U.S. Beef" on his products which soldiers interpreted the U.S. abbreviation as meaning Uncle Sam.

26. The Genesee River is one of the few rivers in the world that flows south to north.

27. Rochester is known as both the Flour City and the Flower City. The community is home to the first abolitionist group, bloomers, marshmallows, Jell-O, French's Mustard, baby shoes, gold teeth and the mail chute.

28. Gennaro Lombardi opened the first United States pizzeria in 1895 in New York City.

29. On July 28, 1945 an Army Air Corps B-25 crashed into the Empire State Building at the 79th floor level.

30. New York's largest lake in Oneida measures 79.8 square miles.

31. New York's highest waterfall is the 215 foot Taughannock.

32. The Erie Canal, built across New York State in the 1820s, opened the Midwest to development and helped New York City become a worldwide trading center.

33. The first Boy's Club was established in New York City in 1876.

34. European settlers who brought seeds to New York introduced apples in the 1600s.

35. The Big Apple is a term coined by musicians meaning to play the big time.

36. The first Eagle Scout was Arthur R. Eldred from Troop 1 in Oceanside. He was bestowed the honor in May 1912.

37. Ten Mile River Boy Scout Camp in Narrowsburg is the largest council owned camp in the country.

38. Joseph C. Gayetty of New York City invented toilet paper in 1857.

39. Wade Boggs and Cal Ripken Jr. played against each other in Rochester vs. Pawtucket Red Sox in the longest game in baseball history. The game went a total of 33 innings.

40. The oldest cattle ranch in the US was started in 1747 at Montauk on Long Island.

41. Adirondack Park is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Olympic Parks combined.

42. New York was the first state to require license plates on cars.

43. Niagara Reservation became the first state park in the United States.

44. Washington's Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh was the first publicly owned historic site.

45. New York State is home to 58 species of wild orchids.

46. New York has over 70,000 miles of rivers and streams.

Statue of Liberty (U DID NOT KNOW)

Event at which a gift from France to the US was conceived: Dinner Party Date: 1865 Location: Glatigny, France (near Versailles) Host: Edouard-Rene Lefebvre de Laboulaye (1811-83) Honored Guest: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (As accounted by Bartholdi in 1885 - ref: Trachtenberg)

Date Construction of the Statue began in France: 1875 Title of Statue: "Liberty Enlightening the World"

Sculptor: Frederic Auguste Bartholdi Bartholdi's Military Rank: Quartermaster to a force of five thousand soldiers Bartholdi's Commander at Autun during Franco-Prussian War in 1870: Giuseppe Garibaldi (FS1986)

Structural Engineer: Gustave Eiffel Method of Fabrication: Repousse Process

Statue completed in Paris: June 1884 Statue presented to America by the people of France: July 4, 1884 Statue dismantled and shipped to US: Early 1885

Number of individual pieces shipped to US: 350 Number of crates required: 214 Location of Statue: Liberty Island, formerly Bedloe's Island and Fort Wood (fortress for protection of New York Harbor 1811) Reaction in Paris to Liberty leaving for New York: On July 4, 1889 the American community in Paris offered the French people a gift of a bronze replica of the Statue of Liberty, 1/4 scale, about 35 feet high. It still stands now, on Ile des Cygnes an island in the Seine River, next to the Pont de Grenelle, a bridge crossing the Seine, 1.5 km downstrean (South) of the Eiffel Tower.

TEN MYTHS ABOUT NUCLEAR WEAPONS

1. Nuclear weapons were needed to defeat Japan in World War II. This is not the opinion of many leading US military figures in the war. General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander in Europe during World War II and later US president, wrote, “I thought that our country should avoid shocking world opinion by the use of a weapon whose employment was, I thought, no longer mandatory as a measure to save American lives.
It was my belief that Japan was, at that very moment, seeking some way to surrender with a minimum loss of ‘face’….”

2. Nuclear weapons prevented a war between the United States and the Soviet Union. There were many deadly conflicts and “proxy” wars carried out by the superpowers in Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Vietnam War, which took several million lives, is a prominent example. These wars made the supposed nuclear peace very bloody and deadly.

3. Nuclear threats have gone away since the end of the Cold War. In the aftermath of the Cold War, a variety of new nuclear threats have emerged. Among these are the following dangers:
•
Increased chances of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists willing to use them;
•
Policies of the US government to make nuclear weapons smaller and more usable;
•
Use of nuclear weapons by accident, particularly because of decaying Russian infrastructure; and
•
Spread of nuclear weapons to other states that may perceive them to be an “equalizer” against a more
powerful state.

4. The United States needs nuclear weapons for its national security. US national security would be far improved if the US took a leadership role in seeking to eliminate nuclear weapons throughout the world. Nuclear weapons are the only weapons that could actually destroy the United States, and their existence and proliferation threaten US security.

5. Nuclear weapons make a country safer. By threatening massive retaliation, the argument goes, nuclear weapons prevent an attacker from starting a war. There are many ways, though, in which deterrence could fail, including misunderstandings, faulty communications, irrational leaders, miscalculations and accidents.

6. No leader would be crazy enough to actually use nuclear weapons. US leaders, considered by some to be highly rational, have used nuclear weapons in war, against Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Globally and historically, leaders have done their best to prove that they would use nuclear weapons.

7. Nuclear weapons are a cost-effective method of national defense. The cost of US nuclear weapons research, development, testing, deployment and maintenance has exceeded $7.5 trillion.

8. Nuclear weapons are well protected and there is little chance that terrorists could get their hands on one. In the aftermath of the Cold War, the ability of the Russians to protect their nuclear forces has declined precipitously.

In addition, a coup in a country with nuclear weapons, such as Pakistan, could lead to a government coming to power that was willing to provide nuclear weapons to terrorists.

9. The United States is working to fulfill its nuclear disarmament obligations. The United States has failed for nearly four decades to fulfill its obligations under Article VI of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, requiring good faith negotiations to achieve nuclear disarmament. The United States has failed to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and has withdrawn from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

10. Nuclear weapons are needed to combat threats from terrorists and “rogue states.”
The threat of nuclear force cannot act as a deterrent against terrorists because they do not have a territory to retaliate against. If the leaders of a rogue state do not use a rational calculus regarding their losses from retaliation, deterrence can fail


More Details at :
http://www.wagingpeace.org/articles/2007/10/facts_myths.pdf

White House Facts.....

· White House has 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, and 6 levels in the Residence. There are also 412 doors, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 staircases, and 3 elevators.

· The White House has been known as the "President's Palace," the "President's House," and the "Executive Mansion." President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.

· Presidential Firsts while in office... President James Polk (1845-49) was the first President to have his photograph taken... President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) was not only the first President to ride in an automobile, but also the first President to travel outside the country when he visited Panama... President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45) was the first President to ride in an airplane.

· With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve dinner to as many as 140 guests and hors d'oeuvres to more than 1,000.


· The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.

· For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to its residents, including a tennis court, jogging track, swimming pool, movie theater, and bowling lane.


More Info On: http://www.whitehouse.gov