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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday, October 28, 2003
Things you always never wanted to know
When ancient Egyptian priests held a banquet, a large mummy was often carried into the feast chamber and propped up on the table where all the priests could see it, a reminder that even while at pleasure, death was ever near.
A thousand tons of meteor dust fall to earth every day.
Utility workers in the desert of southern California have developed a unique system for finding gas leaks. The desert areas of southern California are heavily populated by a bird known as the turkey buzzard, which has an exceptionally keen sense of smell. The utility companies add a substance to the natural gas - which is odorless in its pure state - that gives it a smell that arouses the turkey buzzard's mating instincts. Whenever there is a break in the line, vast numbers of excited birds are drawn to the spot. By looking for clusters of these anxious birds, linemen are able to determine the precise location of the leak.
In 1914, the first year income tax was collected, Americans paid an average per capita tax of 41 cents, and only one percent of the population was obliged to pay taxes at all.
The famous western star Bronco Billy Anderson, who had a bit part in the first western movie ever made (The Great Train Robbery, 1903), was so inept at horseback riding that it took three men to lift him into the saddle.
A snake charmer does not charm snakes with a flute. The instrument he uses is a large gourd to which several bamboo stems are attached by means of a piece of beeswax. The sound of this ancient instrument is closer to that of the bagpipe than to the flute.
The state of New Hampshire bears the name of a county in England. New York was named after an English royal family. Rhode Island commemorates the Greek Island of Rhodes. Louisiana was named for the French king Louis XIV. Georgia was named for George II of England. Virginia and West Virginia were named to honor the "Virgin Queen," Elizabeth I. North Carolina and South Carolina were named for England's Charles I.
There is more than one Kremlin in Russia. In fact, there are many. Kremlin is simply a word used to designate the seat of any town or city government in Russia. It is derived from an ancient word meaning "fortress."
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