Random Facts 30

Extra Cat Whiskers
Cats have whiskers on the backs of their forelegs.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 374.

Oldest Candy
America’s oldest candy brand is Necco Wafers, sold since 1847. NECCO is short for the New England Confectionery Company. The eight flavors include; lemon (yellow), orange (orange), lime (green), clove (purple), cinnamon (white), wintergreen (pink), licorice (black), and chocolate (brown). Recently they releases a new roll of Necco Wafers, Smoothies with five flavors; Blueberry, Banana Caramel, Tropical, Peach and Strawberry Crème. They have also (for some time) released a chocolate only roll.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 63. Additional info from Wiki, & Site.

Song Factoids
She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain was originally a slave spiritual about the second coming of Jesus where “she” referred to the chariot he’d be driving. Railroad workers evolved “she” to mean the train itself. Blue Tail Fly was an African-American folk song, the lyric Jimmy Crack Corn derived from Gimcrack Corn, a slave slang for whiskey…so Jimmy crack corn and I don’t care, my master’s gone away thus means that the master has died, slaves are drinking and celebrating.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 69-70.

Men & Sleep
One in 8 men snore, and 1 in 10 grind their teeth when they sleep. Men are four times more likely than women to sleep in the nude.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 75 & 350.

Initial Radio Craze
In 1921 only 9 radio stations received licenses to broadcast. By the end of 1922 another 550 stations around the country were on the air.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 79.

Strawberry Seeds
An average strawberry has 200 seeds.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 174.

Movie Sales
An average movie makes about 5 times more from its video sales than its ticket sales.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 189.

Walmart Employs
Wal-Mart has nearly 1.4 million employees worldwide, which is the entire population of Phoenix, Arizona – or 4% of the population of Canada.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 242.

Oldest School
The oldest continuously operating high school in America is Boston Latin, established in 1635.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 259.

Loss of Smell
You will have lost 20% of your sense of smell by the age of 20.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 284.

Angels in the Bible
There are four angels mentioned in the Bible – Gabriel, Michael, Abaddon and Lucifer.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 311.

America’s Most Wanted
The Fox show, America’s Most Wanted, by the end of 1989 (its first year) aided by viewer tips, helped to arrest 73 fugitives – an average of one arrest every 16 days with a success rate of 44%. As of August 2006 – 900 fugitives have been captured and 42 missing children returned safely.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 332-333.

Bank Teller Losses
The average bank teller loses about $250 each year.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 354.

Max Caffeine Absorption
You can absorb 300mg of caffeine (4 cups of coffee) at a time, any more goes right through.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 469.

Mountain Dew Character
Early Mountain Dew bottles featured a cartoon character called, "Willy the Hillbilly."
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 376.

Lucky Charms Marshmellows
The marshmellows in Lucky Charms cereal are tecnically known as "marbits."
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 422.

1000 Billionth Crayon
Crayola's 100 billionth crayon was made by Mr. Rogers in 1996, it was "Blue Ribbon."
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 476.

First Science Fiction Novel
Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth is considered the first science fiction novel.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 502.

Super Bowl Sunday
Americans consume 30 million pounds of snack foods, including; 11.2 million lbs potato chips, 8.2 million lbs of tortilla chips, 4.3 million lbs pretzels, 3.8 million lbs popcorn, 2.5 million lbs nuts, and 13.2 million lbs of avocados. Americans spend $50 million on Super Bowl snacks, and $237 million on soft drinks.
Uncle John’s Bathroom Reader – Curiously Compelling, V.19, 2006, p. 418.