OT Some more Interesting (though useless) Facts

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

INTERESTING STUFF

 

 

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'

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

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The first couple to

be shown in bed together on prime time TV was Fred and Wilma

Flintstone.

 

 

 

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Every day more money

is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.

Treasury.

 

 

 

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Men can read smaller

print than women can; women can hear better.

 

 

 

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Coca-Cola was

originally green.

 

 

 

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It is impossible to lick

your

 

elbow.

 

 

 

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The State with the

highest percentage of people who walk to work:

 

Alaska

 

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The percentage of

Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get

this...)

 

 

 

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The percentage of

North America that is wilderness: 38%

 

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The percentage of

Australia that is wilderness: More than 40%

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The cost of raising

a medium-size dog to the age of eleven:

 

$ 16,400

 

 

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The average number

of people airborne over the U.S. in any given

hour:

 

61,000

 

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Intelligent people

have more zinc and copper in their hair..

 

 

 

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The first novel ever

written on a typewriter, Tom Sawyer.

 

 

 

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The San Francisco

Cable cars are the only mobile National

Monuments.

 

 

 

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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

 

 

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111,111,111 x

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

 

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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 because of wounds received in battle.

If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died

of natural causes

 

 

 

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Only two people

signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4, John Hancock

and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but

the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.

 

 

 

 

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Q. Half of all

Americans live within 50 miles of what?

 

 

 

A. Their birthplace

 

 

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Q. Most boat owners

name their boats. What is the most popular boat name

requested?

 

 

 

A.

Obsession

 

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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

 

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Q. What do

bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers and laser

printers have in common?

 

 

 

A. All were invented

by women.

 

 

 

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Q. What is the only

food that doesn't spoil?

 

 

A.

Honey

 

 

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Q. Which day are

there more collect calls

 

than any other day of the year?

 

 

 

A. Father's Day

 

 

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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'

 

 

 

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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..

 

 

 

 

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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'

 

 

 

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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.

 

 

 

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At least 75% of

people who read this will try to lick their

elbow!

[Herr Prop-Wasche 7]

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

Interesting!

 

Q. Which day are

there more collect calls

 

than any other day of the year?

 

 

 

A. Father's Day

Ha ha!

 

At least 75% of

people who read this will try to lick their

elbow!

Who, me?

[MigBuster 2,884]

 

 

At least 75% of

people who read this will try to lick their

elbow!

 

 

thought that must be possible!

[Olham 164]

Every day more money

is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.

Treasury.

 

Well printing money for Monopoly seems pretty much the same as printing money for states.

There is always printed more than has been really earned by true labour,

and still it's never enough for all to live on the Schloßallee / Boardwalk.

Edited September 24, 2010 by Olham

[+daddyairplanes 10,241]

could Gene Simmons lick his elbow?

there is always and exception somewhere.

[AROTH 0]

'Intelligent people

have more zinc and copper in their hair..'

 

 

Mine is all falling out....I'm doomed!

[carrick58 23]

At lest 75% of the people who read this will try to lick their elbow. Make it 75% plus one. &^%$

[Slartibartfast 153]

Me Thinks someone has too much time on his hands....

[Flyby PC 23]

I'm sure there's more to the one eyed King of Diamonds, but I forget....

 

I do know the nine of diamonds is known as the death card in Scotland. It is a commonly held belief that the cryptic orders for the Cambells to massacre the MacDonalds at Glencoe was actually written on the back of the nine of diamonds. Sounds a little implausible, but the orders came from Sir John Dalrymple, Early of Stair, and seen through the eyes of someone who perhaps couldn't read or count, I suppose there is a similarity, and what was taken to be a playing card, could have been headed paper bearing the Dalrymple crest.

 

There's a similar story that after Culloden, the Duke of Cumberland is supposed to have written "no quarter" on the back of the nine of diamonds, thus condemning many Highlanders to brutal slaughter. It is said he was playing cards at the time. It sounds a bit implausible, not least because he would wreck the pack he was playing with. But then again, if he was aware in 1746 that the Highlanders had held the nine of diamonds to be the "Card of Death" since Glencoe in 1692, who is to say that isn't exactly what he did do? He was out to destroy them mind and body.

 

Mary Queen of Scots was supposed to have her death warrant written on a playing card, the nine diamonds form the cross of the Scottish Saltire, in the 16th C there were 9 diamonds stolen from the Scottish crown, (by a Campbell), and a tax known as the Curse of Scotland was levied to replace them...

 

All very "Scottish", and mysterious, but you'll need to make your own minds up. Of them all, I find the Glencoe story the most plausible, and what can't be denied is that the nine of diamonds has been known as the death card for more than 300 years.

 

[Flyby PC 23]

The other curiousity about the nine of diamonds is nine being the 'universal' number of evil to some people. It doesn't matter what number you use, but multiply it by 9, and the answer will add up to 9. For example, 3x9=27, 2+7=9. 4x9=36, 3+6=9. Try it for yourself, with any number. 384x9=3456, 3+4+5+6=18, 1+8=9! For the nine to be everywhere, it must be the work of the devil! Get on your knees and pray!!!

 

There's a small derivative between evil and death. Nine is universal and never ending, just like death....

 

You can always tell if a number divides by nine if the sum of those numbers adds up to nine. The sum for bigger numbers might not be 9, but 18, or 27etc, but when you add those numbers, and you get 9.

 

9 is the number of the devil? Doo-do-do-do-do...(Twilight Zone tune)

 

Course it isn't, but one mans voodoo is another man's mathematics. It is kind of neat the way it works though.

Edited September 25, 2010 by Flyby PC

[Flyby PC 23]

Remembered the King of Diamonds thing, - but after all that, it's a bit naff. The King of Diamonds is indeed Ceasar, and he's the only one without a 'knife'. - "Et Tu Brute?"

[gaw 5]

great stuff....love etymology.....thanks UK

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

Fascinating Insight from Flypc too...thanks

[Flyby PC 23]

Thanks guys, but such superstitions, while real enough superstitions, don't bear scrutiny. Yes the nine of diamonds is spooky, but there are three other nines in a deck. And making up the saltire? OK, if 9's do, then so do 7's and 5's. Not far off a quarter of the pack 'makes up the saltire'. Even if the order was written on a card, even if that card was the nine of diamonds, even if the nine was cursed, what does it actually mean? The actions of the culprits were guided by a greater supernatural evil? I don't think so. The men themselves were quite evil enough, and their motives were only too secular.

 

As I said, I can see how the Dalrymple crest could be misinterpreted, and assume a malign significance with the curse of a playing card, but it seems to me, the backdrop for the vast majority of such stories is nothing supernatural, but invariably that their audience tends to be people of limited education or who may be just a bit naive. I don't want to be controversial in saying so, nor cause any offence, but playing on peoples fear of what the cannot understand has gone on from the dawn of time, and created more than one religion. (See how I bottled out of saying ALL religions? - BURN THE HERETIC!!!)

 

Scotland should be proud of it's education and build on it as it once did for an all too brief period, not languish in its misty superstitions, bigotry and religious divisions.

 

To be even more contoversial, if the West wants to stem the rise of islam, forget bombs, education is the key. Why do you think the Taliban ban schools and education for women? The last thing the Taliban needs is a population that thinks for itself. Unfortunately, the same could be true for the west. We all take it as read that our TV's deliver the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. I think our respective societies would all be much healthier if more people thought for themselves a lot more. Everybody read '1984' again please..... Is Afghanistan Eastasia and Iraq or Euroasia? Or was it the other way around? That's not a pacifist point I'm making, I'm right behind our troops, but my point is how easily our TV's blur the lines which define our enemies.

[UK_Widowmaker 571]

I agree flypc..I used to believe all the non stop bull poured down my throat by the Media, and Governments of the world...and then I discovered two people who changed my views forever

 

George Carlin and John Pilger

 

Now I believe NOTHING they say...and the small percentage that's true...I can have very little effect on...and am much happier for it!

[Burning Beard 14]

On that note I read a Gallup poll today that says less the half the people (I am supposing US) believe the media anymore. Apparently the higher the education the less the individual trusts the media.

 

Beard

[Rickitycrate 10]

I find the origins of sayings to be very interesting. As I began reading books dealing with life at sea aboard ship I became aware of how many sayings are still being used to this day by land lubbers with no idea of the original context. Thanks to all for sharing.