Fast Facts
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Things you've always never wanted to know
Since Neptune's discovery in 1846, it has made about three-quarters of one revolution around the sun.
Given their sheer volume, the oceans account for 99 percent of the living space on the planet.
The U.S. Automobile Association was formed in 1905 for the purpose of providing "scouts" who could warn motorists of hidden police traps.
Asparagus is a member of the lily family. The name "asparagus" comes from the Greek language and means "sprout" or "shoot."
In the Middle Ages, chicken soup was believed to be an aphrodisiac.
It takes an estimated 2,893 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll lollipop.
Baby giraffes can grow as much as 1 inch every two hours.
A 1989 law in Florida forbids the release of more than 10 lighter-than-air balloons at a time to protect marine life, which often mistake balloons for food.
A dinner party consisting of 13 people in England during the Middle Ages was considered the worst of omens because it supposedly foretold the impending death of one in the group.
The U.S. interstate highway system requires that one mile in every five must be straight so the sections can be used as airstrips in a time of war or other emergency.
In 1880, there were about 2 billion passenger pigeons in the U.S. By 1914, the species was extinct.
The Romans had three words for kissing: Basium was the kiss exchanged by acquaintances; osculum the kiss between close friends; and suavium the kiss between lovers.
An "androphobe" has an extreme, irrational fear of men.
Albert Einstein never learned to drive a car.
There are 1,792 steps leading to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
Al Gore was the first U.S. vice president to attempt the "Macarena" in public.
There is a sign on the Utah-Wyoming border that reads, "Real Men Don't Use Pornography."
Australia was the only continent to slow its HIV infection rate between 1996 and 1998.