Fast Facts


Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, April 18, 2005

Things you always never wanted to know

  • Ralph Lauren's original name was Ralph Lifshitz.

  • A flea expert is a pullicologist.

  • A bear has 42 teeth.

  • Dudley DoRight's horse's name was "Horse."

  • Babies are born without kneecaps. They don't appear until the child reaches 2-6 years of age.

  • A bullet fired from the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge (also called the .308 Winchester) is still supersonic at 1,000 yards.

  • Bananas do not grow on trees, but on rhizomes.

  • Almonds are members of the peach family.

  • The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.

  • The two longest one-syllable words in the English language are "screeched" and "strengths."

  • Great Britain was the first country to issue postage stamps. Hence, the postage stamps of Britain are the only stamps in the world not to bear the name of the country of origin. However, every stamp carries a relief image or a silhouette of the monarch's head instead. Images for picture stamps in the United States are commissioned by the U.S. Postal Service Department of Philatelic Fulfillment.

  • The little lump of flesh just forward of your ear canal, right next to your temple, is called a "tragus."

  • For 62 years, baseball's greatest slugger, Babe Ruth, alone held the record (nine) for pitching the most one-season shutouts in the American League. In 1978 he became the co-holder, with Ron Guidry, of the record.

  • "The Andy Griffth Show" was the first spin-off in TV history. It was a spin-off of "The Danny Thomas Show."