-
From the Middle Ages until the 18th century the local barber's duties included dentistry, blood letting, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originates from when patients would grip the pole during an operation.
-
The US nickname Uncle Sam was derived from Uncle Sam Wilson, a meat inspector in Troy, New York.
-
The living does not outnumber the dead: since the creation about 60 billion people have died.
-
The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
-
Midday refers to the moment the sun crosses the local meridian.
-
Due to earth's gravity it is impossible for mountains to be higher than 15,000 metres.
-
If you ask someone to pick a number between five and ten and tried to guess, it you'd be wrong five out of six times. But here's a way to improve your odds: Write the number 7 on a piece of paper and hide it. Now ask someone to respond quickly to these questions: "Five times five?" "Six times Six?" "Name a color?" "Name a number between five and ten?" Most people will respond seven.
-
Ladybugs bleed to protect themselves. When alarmed, they release drops of a reddish or yellowish bitter tasting liquid from their mouths and from the pores at their joints. This repels prospective attackers.
-
The stomach of a dissected gray shark contained the hindquarters of a pig, the front half of a dog, 300 pounds of horsemeat, and eight sheep legs.
-
Sleep like a baby? 77% of pediatricians surveyed had recommended nonprescription sleep medications for kids in the previous six months. 58% had prescribed one, and about 15% had recommended herbal remedies.
-
The muscle that lets your eye blink is the fastest muscle in your body. It allows you to blink 5 times a second. On average, you blink 15 000 times a day. Women blink twice as much as men.
-
A typical athlete's heart churns out 25 to 30 litres (up to 8 gallons) of blood per minute.
