Random Facts
People facts
What is the deadliest animal in Africa?
Hippos have killed more than 400 people in Africa - more than any other wild animal. Reference:
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Strange fact about alcohol and societal norms
Among the Abipone people of Paraguay, individuals who abstain from alcohol are thought to be "cowardly, degenerate and stupid." Reference:
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The world's least appealing alcohol
Chicha, an alcohol beverage which has been made for thousands of years in Central and South America, begins with people chewing grain and spitting into a vat. An enzyme in saliva changes starch in the grain to sugar, which then ferments. Reference:
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Surprising fact about the prohibition
So confident were some people that alcohol was the cause of virtually all crime that, on the eve of Prohibition, some towns actually sold their jails. Reference:
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How much money are won in lotteries put together?
In 1996, lotteries in North America awarded $52 million in prizes every day – that’s $36,000 every minute, 24 hours a day. This didn’t just suddenly happen. Lotteries have been around nearly as long as civilization has been around. People love lotteries. Reference: http://www.nmlottery.com/Miscellaneous/facts_myths.htm
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In 1864 Abraham Lincoln could see a serious problem emerging
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country . . . Corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed." Abraham Lincoln, 1864 Reference:
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A surprising danger lurks on your desk
On average, 100 people choke to death on ball-point pens every year. Reference:
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A scary fact about personal ads
Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. Reference:
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Interesting fact about the declaration of independence
Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, 1776 John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, 1776 but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. Reference:
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Why does Donald Trump say you're fired?
Clans of long ago that wanted to get rid of their unwanted people without killing them used to burn their houses down - hence the expression "to get fired." Reference:
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Why do people say "playing possum"
When possums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing." They actually pass out from sheer terror. Reference:
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Sad fact about personal ads
Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for dating are already married. Reference:
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Urban legend fact about ballpoint pens
The average person loses two ballpoint pens a week Reference: doubtful
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Fact that is only true for some people. Good Luck!
Chewing gum while cutting onions will prevent crying Reference:
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What is the most sensitive finger?
Try it, you will find that the most sensitive finger is the forefinger. Reference:
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Fun fact about your tummy
Your stomach has to produce a new layer of mucus every two weeks otherwise it will digest itself. Reference:
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Creepy crawly fact about planet Earth
The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1. Reference:
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The population of China
If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction. Reference:
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Alcohol is a problem, but it's not the only problem.
So confident were some people that alcohol was the cause of virtually all crime that, on the eve of Prohibition, some towns actually sold their jails. Reference:
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BEWARE
On average, 63 people each year in the UK die due to inhalation of animal hair. Reference: the pets at home research institute
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Toilet Injuries
More than 40,000 people each year die from Toilet Injuries. These could be from drowning in the toilet to tripping and knocking their head on the toilet. Reference:
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People like it hot
In 2001 Death Valley saw a record of 153 consecutive days with daytime high temperatures above 100 degrees. Somehow, that same year the National Park had 1,064,784 visitors. Reference: http://www.yellowecho.com/travel/death_valley_facts.htm
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Your happiness depends on other people
"The pain of having less is much stronger than the joy of having more." Workers who discover they're earning more for the same work may be happy, but those who earn less can quickly feel slighted, killing motivation and often the quality of their output. Reference: http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1687725,00.html
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Sadness May Encourage More Extravagance
A new study (2/08) suggests that sadness leads to shopping.According to the study that will be published in the June 2008 number of Psychological Science, sadness leads to ego-centrist thinking. In other words, a sad person tends to transform into a shopaholic, willing to spend extra money on the same item than neutral-emotion people would buy for a lot less.
“It is the combination of sadness and self-focus that drives the effect, and it turns out that sadness leads to an increase in self-focus,” said Cynthia Cryder, co-author to the study, AFP quotes. “What we think is going on is that sad and self-focused people are feeling pretty bad about themselves and have a decreased valuation, and one way to do this is by acquiring material goods.”
Oh yeah, it also says this therapy does not work. If you’re sad and feel like shopping, don’t!
Reference: http://www.efluxmedia.com/news_Feeling_Sad_Shopping_Is_Not_The_Answer_Study_Warns_13799.html
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What is a radio wave?
Radio waves are the radiation and detection of a range of frequency of electromagnetic waves. Frequency is the number of wavelengths that pass a particular point in one second and for radio waves the frequency is from 3 kHz to 300 GHz. Radio waves like all electromagnetic waves are able to carry information through space. Radio waves can travel unimpeded through objects like buildings or people but light waves can not. This is because radio waves have a very long wavelength allowing them to pass through objects that have shorter wavelengths like you and me without problem. Reference:
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How people measured things in the early days
In early times various body parts were used as tools and guides, hence the word "feet," or "the rule of thumb." Reference:
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What is an IPO?
Initial public offering (IPO) — The first time a company sells stock to the public. An IPO is a type of a primary offering, which occurs whenever a company sells new stock, and differs from a secondary offering, which is the public sale of previously issued securities, usually held by insiders. Some people say IPO stands for "Immediate Profit Opportunities." More cynicIt's Probably Overpriced." Reference: http://moneycentral.hoovers.com/global/msn/index.xhtml?pageid=1954
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What saturation of sulfur dioxide will cause people to cough
Sulfur dioxide is a colorless gas with a suffocating, choking odor. It is toxic to humans and concentrations as low as 8 ppm will produce coughing. Incredibly, in the Odyssey, Homer describes the burning of sulfur (formation of SO2) as a way that homes were 'fumigated'. Reference: http://mattson.creighton.edu/SO2/SO2_Info.html
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When did people in the united states start paying Income Tax?
In 1862, to support the Civil War, Congress enacted the nation's first income tax law. Congress eliminated the income tax in 1872 and it had a short-lived revival in 1894 and 1895.In 1913 the income tax was brought back and became a permanent part of American life. It provided a seemingly unlimited source of funds to finance ever-growing government, and it gave the government an excuse to pry into every aspect of your life.
Reference: http://www.harrybrowne.org/articles/LandOfFree.htm, http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0005921.html
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The thirties were tough times ... building dams helped
The nineteen thirties were a challenging decade with the Great Depression and the stock market crash.President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a plan called The New Deal a set of initiatives to build infrastructure including dams for the exploding demand for electricity while providing people with jobs.
Reference:
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U.S. population, and how many people do you have to poll?
When a poll tells us a candidate for president of the United States is favored by ___% of the population, they tell us it has a "margin of error" of +-__% .For example, August 6, 2008, CBS poll on the president of the United States put John McCain with 39% of the vote and Barrak Obama 45% of the vote, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
The World Fact Book reports U.S. population at over 300 million, 301,139,947 (estimate as of 2007).
How many people do you think you'd have to poll to get within plus or minus 3% or 300,000 of the correct vote?
10 million? 1 million? This particular CBS pre-poll accurately extrapolates the minds of over 300 million people by polling just 906 people, or .00009 % of the population.
We're not so different after all!
Reference: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/06/opinion/polls/main4325670.shtml
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