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| 1. In Shakespeareís 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. Thatís where the phrase, ìgoodnight, sleep tightî came from. |
| 2. The sentence ìThe quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.î uses every letter in the alphabet (It was developed by Western Union to test telex/twx communications). |
| 3. The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch every year because when it was built, engineers failed to take into account the weight of all the books that would occupy the building. |
| 4. The phrase ìrule of thumbî is derived from old English law, which stated that you couldnít beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb. |
| 5. Ten percent of the Russian governmentís income comes from the sale of vodka. |
| 6. On average, 100 people choke to death on ballpoint pens every year. |
| 7. Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older. |
| 8. In Cleveland, Ohio, itís illegal to catch mice without a hunting license. |
| 9. Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. |
| 10. The worldís termites outweigh the worldís humans 10 to 1. |
| 11. The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, sand Budweiser, in that order. |
| 12. In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than the entire worldís ënuclear weapons combined. |
| 13. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the brideís father would supply his son-in-law ëwith all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the ìhoney monthî or what we know today as the ìhoneymoon.î |
| 14. In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So, in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. Itís where we get the phrase ìmind your Pís and Qís.î |
| 15. 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, hey used the whistle to get some service. ìWet your whistle,î is the phrase inspired by this practice. |
| 16. In ancient England, you could not have sex without the consent
of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to
have a baby, they got consent of the King. The King would give them a placard
to hang on their door while they were having sex. The placard
had F.U.C.K. which stood for (Fornication Under Consent of the King) Now you know where that came from. |
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