Fast Facts
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
Emus cannot walk backwards.
The white part of your fingernail is called the "lunula."
The word "posh," which denotes luxurious rooms or accommodations, originated when ticket agents in England marked the tickets of travelers going by ship to the Orient. Because there was no air conditioning in those days, it was always better to have a cabin on the shady side of the ship as it passed through the Mediterranean and Suez area. Because the sun is in the south, those with money paid extra to get cabin's on the left, or port, traveling to Asia, and on the right, or starboard, when returning to Europe. Hence their tickets were marked with the initials for Port Outbound Starboard Homebound, or POSH.
The top layer of a wedding cake, known as the groom's cake, traditionally is a fruitcake. That way it will save until the first anniversary.
The German Kaiser Wilhelm II had a withered arm and often hid the fact by posing with his hand resting on a sword, or by holding gloves.
The forward pass was created by the football team at St. Louis University.
The only city whose name can be spelled completely with vowels is Aiea, Hawaii, located about 12 miles west of Honolulu.
The tune for the "A-B-C" song is the same as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."
When a coffee seed is planted, it takes five years to yield its first consumable fruit.
Hacky Sack was invented in Turkey.
The "Calabash" pipe, most often associated with Sherlock Holmes, was not used by him until William Gillette (an American) portrayed Holmes onstage. Gillette needed a pipe he could keep in his mouth while he spoke his lines.
Most American cars' horns beep in the key of F.
A person from the country of Nauru is called a Nauruan; this is the only palindromic nationality.
The name "Jeep" came from the abbreviation used in the army for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.
A.1. Steak Sauce contains both orange peel and raisins.