I love, and I mean love, boring facts so here are a few… some of them are just too hillhairyarse!
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” (there I was thinking it was Tom thumb!)
Many years ago in Scotland , a new game was invented. It was ruled “Gentlemen Only…Ladies Forbidden”…and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language. (so its not geriatric old lady fumble??? that is what I was told it meant dangit!)
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.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by 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 used the whistle to get some service. “Wet your whistle” is the phrase inspired by this practice.
Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.Treasury.
Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
CocaCola was originally green (like polony gross!).
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this…)
The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
The cost of raising a medium size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000
Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. (think I need to get mine tested, def some copper in there, zinc is gray right???)
The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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
111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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.
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn’t added until 5 years later.
Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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 were invented by women.
Q. What is the only food that doesn’t spoil?
A. Honey
Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father’s Day
At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow! Admit it… you did din’t you???
glaize
•15 years ago
Err no, I didn’t try to lick my elbow *shrugs innocently*. Love these boring facts too – they’re so boring I’d go “Woah, wait a sec, is this true?”
Nay, actually they’re good to read to pass the time š stranger than fiction I’d say!
SanityFound
•15 years ago
I didn’t try it either shock horror, I just knew my neck wasn’t long enough to get there, can you touch your nose? *innocent* yeah yeah
@mmonyte
•15 years ago
Brit in California has a pewter tankard with a whistle in the handle, which used to be kept behind the bar at his local, but I don’t recall him being brave enough to order another pint by using the whistle.
SanityFound
•15 years ago
How cool is that! Sheesh!
Aye the barman was probably South Afreekan and they can be quite scary at the best of times!
vishesh
•15 years ago
ya i did,even though i knew it š
SanityFound
•15 years ago
rofl least you admitted it some don’t – I never tried honest honest honest
Elaine Saunders
•15 years ago
Whilst writing my book about pub history I discovered that āMind your Ps and Qsā might also be another kind of warning. When landlords chalked pints and quarts up āon the slateā they werenāt averse to adding a few extra marks. Itās therefore a warning to customers to watch the bill.
Instead of chalking up on the slate, London Market porters had their drinks marked on a strip of leather or tab, hence ārunning a tabā. Itās also said to give us the expression āstrapped for cashā
britinla
•15 years ago
I think when writing out numbers you will will encounter your first “a” at one hundred and one.
SanityFound
•15 years ago
Finally someone picked it up!!! Phew lol ta!
Elaine – Thanks I def know the latter one well