[1099669]

-In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have the 'rule of thumb'

-Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled 'Gentlemen Only... Ladies Forbidden'... and thus the word GOLF entered the English language.

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

-Men can read smaller print than women; women can hear better.

-Coca cola was originally green

-The state with the highest percentage of people that walk to work: Alaska

-It is impossible to lick your elbow

-The percentage of Africa that is still wilderness: 28%

-The percentage of North America that is still wilderness: 38%

-The cost of raising a medium size dog to age eleven: $16,400

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

-More money is printed for Monopoly than the US Treasury

-Intellegent people have more zinc and copper in their hair

-The first novel written on a typewritter: Tom Sawyer

-The San Francisco cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments

-Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king in history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs - Alexander the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caeser

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

-If a statue in a park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, that person died in battle. If the horse has one leg in the air, that person died later from wounds received during battle. If the horse has both front legs on the ground, that person died of natural causes.

-Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2nd, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

-Half of Americans live within 50 miles of their birth place

-The most popular boat name requested: Obsession

-If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to g to find letter 'A'?
One Thousand

-What do bullet proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wiper blades, and laser printers have in common?
They were all invented by women

-What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
Honey

-Which day is there more collect calls made than any other day of the year?
Father's Day

-In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured to bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence th phrase 'Goodnight... Sleep tight"

-It was 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 calender was lunar based, this period was called the "Honey Month" which we know today as the honeymoon

-In English pubs, ale is ordered in pints and quarts...So in Old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them, 'Mind your Pints and Quarts, and settle down!'
It's where we get the phrase 'Mind your P's and Q's'

-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 blew the whistle to get some service. "Wet your Whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

-At least 75% of you who read this will try to lick your elbow.

[hheath541]

-It is impossible to lick your elbow

Actually, it's not, and I have a picture somewhere that proves it.

[adam_89]

Yea I have heard some people actually can lick their own elbow

[hheath541]

comes from having a really long tongue ^_^

[adam_89]

comes from having a really long tongue ^_^

Yea. A long tongue can come on handy. Haha

[hheath541]

Yea. A long tongue can come on handy. haha

I have been told that ^_~

[shazamataz]

That list was really cool :D

[adam_89]

i have been told that ^_~

I guess you use that to your advantage huh?

[hheath541]

I guess you use that to your advantage huh?

Once or twice.

[1099669]

That list was really cool :D

Thank you

[adam_89]

once or twice.

Oh yea, now that is thinking smart. Haha.

[NeedKarma]

The golf one is incorrect. It is one of those nonsense stories that circulate on the Internet.

[s_cianci]

comes from having a really long tongue ^_^

Or a really flexible arm!

[hheath541]

Or a really flexible arm!

A little of both.

[HelpinHere]

Just so you know, the "mind you P's and Q's" is not proven.

There's that possibility, there's also the p and q that look similar to kids learning to write, there's the supposed "typo-writers" which had switched P's and Q's, and if you type by sight you would mix them up. There's also different variations for different languages.

There are others on that list that aren't true/confirmed, but it's still fun! :D

[aliseaodo]

I enjoyed you list too, just something to add, I was always told that the "mind your P's and Q's" phrase came from typesetters - back in the days when people had to set each letter by hand for printing, like newspapers and such. The letters would be put down backwards, so when they were pressed, they would show up on the paper the correct way. Needless to say, lowercase p's and q's were sometimes switched by mistake! I wonder why there's not a phrase of "mind your b's and d's :)