·Bobbing for apples at Halloween originated as part of a divinatory technique practiced by the Druids. Participants floated apples in a tub of water on Oct. 31 (the Druid New Year's Eve) and attempted to fish for them without using their hands. Those who succeeded were guaranteed a prosperous year.

·In ancient Japan, town contests were held to see who could break wind loudest and longest. Winners were awarded many prizes and received great acclaim.

·In the year 1800, American

men and women spat on the floors of their own homes and bathed only once a week.

·If people started counting the moment that they were born and continued counting without stopping until they reached the age of 65, they still would not have counted to a billion.

Illustration by Arnie Bermudez

·In 1374, at Aix-la-Chapelle during the siege of the Black Death, 1,000 men, women and children lost all control, joined hands and danced in the streets, shrieking and maiming each other until they all died of wounds or fatigue.

·Twenty minutes before the pain of a migraine headache begins, many sufferers experience a phenomenon called "the aura." During that time, the sufferer may see intense colors, flashing lights ÷ even monsters and apparitions. Lewis Carroll, a migraine victim most of his life, is supposed to have taken some of his characters for Alice in Wonderland from the apparitions he saw before attacks.

·More than $1 million belonging to Adolf Hitler and other prominent Nazis is still unclaimed in American banks. The money was deposited several years before America entered World War II, and no one knows what to do with it today.

·During the casting of the film "Gone with the Wind," more than 1,400 candidates were interviewed for the part of Scarlett O'Hara, and more than $92,000 was spent in the search.

·The song most frequently sung in the Western world is "Happy Birthday to You." The song was written in 1936 by Mildred and Patty Hill, and their estate still collects royalties on it.