Random Facts 25

Oil Bits
Oil companies spend $150 billion a year hunting for new reserves. Gasoline is cheaper at night when it is dense in cooler temperatures, and gas pumps measure gas by volume. Open window drag reduces fuel efficiency by 10%. Cleaning out 100 pounds from your car gets you up to 2% more miles per gallon.In California alone, vapors from gas stations account for enough gasoline to fill two tanker trucks each day. In the US oil had first been bottled and sold as a health tonic, selling about several hundred thousand.
Discover, July 2008, v.29, n.7, p.80.

Macadamia Shells
It takes 300-punds per square inch of pressure to break the shell of Macadamia nuts.
Do Penguins Have Knees, David Feldman, 1991, p.82.

Black Dot in White Bird Droppings
The black dot is fecal matter, the white stuff is urine. The urine is slightly sticky in consistency and clings to the fecal matter.
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise, David Feldman, 1987, pg 83.

Perfume Wrists
Placing perfume/cologne on locations where pulse points (heartbeats) are close to the surface of skin, intensify the fragrance because of the heat generated by the pulse.
Are Lobsters Ambidextrous, David Feldman, 1993, pg. 90.

M&M Color Percentages (as of 5.28.08)
Plain: 30% brown, 20% yellow & red, 10% orange, green & blue.
Peanut: 20% brown, yellow, red & blue, 10% green & orange.
Peanut Butter & Almond: 20% brown, red, yellow, green & blue.
Crispy: 16.6% brown, red, yellow, green, orange & blue.
- In 1987
Plain: 30% brown, 20% yellow & red 10% orange, green & tan.
Peanut: 30% brown, 20% yellow, red & green 10% orange, 0% tan.
M&M Site FAQ, & Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise, David Feldman, 1987, pg 229.

Plastic Coding System
Classified by their resin composition, the most common plastics receive a lower number. Containers made from more than one material are coded by the primary material.
1: Polyethylene Terephthalate - PET (soda bottles)
2: High Density Polyethylene - HDPE (milk or juice jugs)
3: Vinyl - V
4: Low-Denisty Polyethylene - LDPE
5: Polypropylene - PP
6. Polystyrene - PS
7. Other
Are Lobsters Ambidextrous, David Feldman, 1993, pg. 156.

Whip Speed
Whips can attain a speed of more than 700 mph when snapped, breaking the sound barrier with a mini sonic boom.
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise, David Feldman, 1987, pg 74.

Why Clocks Move Clockwise
In the northern hemisphere (where clocks were invented) sundials moved in the direction we call clockwise, and clock movements mimic this.
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise, David Feldman, 1987, pg 150.

Hot Water Whistle in Shower
Occurs when there is a restriction of water flow in the pipes. If piping is copper, noise is from undersized piping. If pipes are galvanized steel, noise is caused by a buildup of lime reducing the area of flow. Commonly restrictions are from hot water because additional air in the hot water form when the molecules expand in the heating process. Water pipes may also transmit and amplify the crackling sounds of water heaters expanding and contracting - and lime accumulation in the tank breaks and fall to the bottom.
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise, David Feldman, 1987, pg 199-200.

College Student Work
In 1996, a quarter of America's college students held full time jobs.
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 124.

Constitutional Amendments
Congress has proposed 10,679 amendments to the US Consitution since 1789, 27 made it.
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 156.

Kiss
You brun 26 calories with a one-minute long kiss.
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 316.

Counterfeit
In 1994, $25,285,127 in counterfeit US bills were found circulating here and abroad.
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 212.

Inspirations
George Train: For Around the World in 80 Days, did so in 1870...and later made the trip in 60 days.
Mary Tyler: for Sarah Josepha Hale's 1830 poem Mary Had a Little Lamb.
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 228, 231.

Big Numbers
After Million (a 1 followed by 6 zeros), Billion (9) and Trillion (12), there is; Quadrillion (15), Quintrillion (18), Sextillion (21), Septillion (24), Octillion (27), Nonillian (30), Decillion (33), Undecillion (36), Duodecillion (39), Tredecillion (42), Quattuoordecillion (45), Quindecillion (48), Sexdecillion (51), Septendecillion (54), Octodecillion (57), Novemdecillion (60), Vigintillion (63). Since most everyday phenomena can be covered by these, there hasn't been a need to mention anything beyond Vigintillion. Others that have been mentioned are Googol (100), Centillion (303), Googolplex (Googol), and Zillion (like Jillion, Gazillion and Umpteen - are misleading since it usually just means a tremendous amount and not necessarily an -illion).
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 275.

Munsters & Addams
The Munsters premiered on April 30, 1964, the same week ABC first aired the Addams Family. Both ironically cancelled the same week in 1966. Munsters and ranked #18 as most popular shows of 1964-5 and Addams ranked #23. The novelty wore off for both by the second season.
Uncle John's Ultimate Bathroom Reader, 1996, pg. 229-230.

Popular Easter Egg Color
The most popular egg color is blue, then purple and then pink.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 56.

Milk to Butter
It takes about 21 pounds of milk to make 1 pound of butter.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 60.

Increased Tips
When a waitress draws a happy face on a check, tips go up 18%, when a waiter does, tips rise 3%.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 84.

Reindeer Arrangement
Assuming Rudolph's in front, there are 40,320 ways to arrange Santa's eight other reindeer.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 98.

Lettuce vs Airlines
In 1993 Delta Airlines was looking for ways to reduce costs. They discovered by eliminating the decorative piece of lettuce served under the vegitables on in-flight meals, they could save $1.4 million annually in labor and food costs.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 161.

Tootsie Pop Lick
It takes 2,893 licks to get to the center of a tootsie pop.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 179.

Smokers & Vitamin C
Smokers need to ingest 40% more vitamin C than non-smokers just to stay even.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 193.

Dictionary & Letters
The average dictionary contains entries for 278,000 words.
J is the youngest letter in the English alphabet added in the 1600's.
O is the oldest letter in the English alphabet, its more than 3000 years old.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 230, 236, 480.

Revolutionary & WWII Costs
Cost per day of fighting the Revolutionary War $20,411. World War II $409.4 million.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 234.

IQ Test
Charles Darwin's cousin invented the IQ test.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 251.

Web Strand Strength
About .00012" in diameter, a spider's silk is stronger than steel of equal diameter. It is more elastic than nylon, more difficult to break than rubber, and is bacteria and fungi resistant.
Uncle John's Giant 10th Anniversary Bathroom Reader, 1997, pg. 286.

Q-Tips
Created by Leo Gerstenzang in the 1920's, they were originally called Baby Gays, and the name started to change in 1926, evolving into Q-Tips. The Q is short for Quality. Chesebrough-Ponds owns the Q-tip name.
Are Lobsters Ambidextrous, David Feldman, 1993, pg. 210.