Arizona Daily Wildcat Online
sections
Front Page
News
Opinions
· Election 2004
Sports
· Football
Go Wild
Police Beat
Datebook
Comics
Crossword
Photo Spreads
Classifieds
The Wildcat
Letter to the Editor
Wildcat Staff
Search
Archives
Job Openings
Advertising Info
Student Media
Arizona Student Media Info
UATV -
Student TV
 
KAMP -
Student Radio
The Desert Yearbook
Daily Wildcat Staff Alumni

Fast facts


Photo
Illustration by Arnie Bermudez
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Monday, August 30, 2004
Print this

Things you always never wanted to know

  • A queen bee may lay as many as 3,000 eggs in a single day.

  • By 1940, a total of 94 patents had been taken out on shaving mugs.

  • Diamonds mined in Brazil are harder than those found in Africa.

  • Catgut strings are not made from catgut, but from sheep intestines.

  • Contrary to popular belief, the mongoose is not immune to the venom of the cobra. The mongoose is able to defeat its archenemy in battle simply because it is faster and has better reflexes.

  • A housefly can transport germs as far as 15 miles away from the original source of contamination.

  • In ancient Rome, it was considered a sin to eat the flesh of a woodpecker.

  • Punctuation did not come into use until the advent of printing in the 15th century. Before that, words written by scribes rantogetherlikethis.

  • The term "disc jockey" was coined by Variety in 1937 to describe radio announcers who stayed up all night "riding" records.

  • The word "horse" in "horseradish" has no relationship to the animal of the same name. It is used to mean "coarse" or "rough," as in the terms "horse mackerel" and "horse bean."

  • In the early 19th century the words "trousers" and "pants" were considered obscene in England. Women referred to trousers as "inexpressibles" or "a pair of dittoes."

  • The short-term memory capacity for most people is between five and nine items or digits. This is one reason why phone numbers are seven digits long.

  • "Belonephobia" is the fear of needles and sharp, pointed objects.

  • President John Tyler had 15 children.

  • After Sir Isaac Newton died, a sealed trunk was found among his belongings containing nearly 100,000 pages he had written on the subject of alchemy, astrology and the occult.

  • One of Napoleon's drinking cups was made from the skull of the famous Italian adventurer Cagliostro.


    Write a Letter to the Editor
  • articles
    Tucsonans protest start of RNC
    divider
    Pima CC student shot at No Anchovies
    divider
    Eller lures top MIT professor to UA
    divider
    Profs sound off on Al-Jazeera documentary
    divider
    Illegal downloads will continue despite warnings, students say
    divider
    $10M grant creates math center
    divider
    On the spot
    divider
    Flashback
    divider
    Fast facts
    divider
    Police Beat
    divider
    Datebook
    divider
    Campus Guide
    Search for:
    advanced search Archives

    CAMPUS NEWS | SPORTS | OPINIONS | GO WILD
    CLASSIFIEDS | ARCHIVES | CONTACT US | SEARCH



    Webmaster - webmaster@wildcat.arizona.edu
    © Copyright 2004 - The Arizona Daily Wildcat - Arizona Student Media