As a means of furthering peoples’ knowledge of that which spurs curiosity, amazement and disbelief (and maybe apathy), here is another set of odd but true snippets of information.
•The more full a refrigerator is, the more energy-efficient it is.
Maybe, but I don’t think that justifies leaving lots of yucky outdated stuff in there.
•Squirrels are to blame for most power outages in the U.S.
Maybe, but I’m convinced some of those squirrels are about 6-feet tall, walk on two legs and wear hard hats. Incidentally, the American Public Power Association’s “Squirrel Index” indicates that squirrel attacks on electrical systems are most common from May to June and October to November.
•There’s a sport called “squirrel fishing,” in which participants try to catch squirrels and lift them into the air by using a nut on a fishing pole.
Right. And largemouth bass sometimes cause power outages.
•In the time it took for you to read this sentence, about 50,000 cells in your body died and were replaced by new ones.
So if I read a lengthy novel, do I become a brand new person?
•The opposite of an albino animal is a melanistic animal, which is black instead of white.
But there’s no such thing as a melanistic panther, right?
•An Australian man once tried to sell New Zealand on eBay.
The bidding went up to $3,000 before eBay noticed and deleted the post. Heck, I’d give $4,000 for Auckland alone.
•Fossils have been found of a “mega penguin” that was over six feet tall and weighed more than 250 pounds.
I’ll bet the Mega Penguins gave the Mondo Seals everything they could handle when both squads made it to the Antarctic Bowl.
•The average person spends two weeks of their life sitting at traffic lights.
Maybe, but they also spend about four months listening to stupid music while on hold.
•Some financial experts consider Lego toys a better investment than stocks, bonds or gold.
Just once, I’d like to see a TV commercial with William DeVane urging people to buy Legos.
•In Slovakia, people have “Christmas Carp” that live in the family bathtub for a few days before being eaten.
Wow, I hope there’s a shower, because I don’t like the idea of sharing the tub with dinner.
•China censored the word “censorship.”
And I’ll be they also promote the idea of not promoting anything, because it’s a country where the government CAN have it both ways.
•There’s a village in Norway named Hell.
I feel like there is epic irony in the fact the place freezes over every winter.
•In Utah, birds have the right of way on a highway.
Have I missed something? Do people in Utah cruise around in airborne vehicles like on The Jetsons?
•Only 4.5% of applicants are accepted into Harvard University, but only 2.6% of applicants land a job at Walmart.
So maybe you were right that time you said a person working at Wally World was “a rocket scientist.”
•Barry Manilow didn’t write his hit song, “I Write the Songs.”
So now I’m questioning who sang it. Maybe it was one of those Milli Vanilli guys.
•In Switzerland, you can hire clowns to scare the heck out of your kids on their birthday.
I always knew it: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean those clowns aren’t out to get you.
•A group of unicorns is called a blessing.
But I’d say that if you see a group of unicorns, you’re probably more cursed than blessed.
•Hunting unicorns is legal in Michigan.
“Hey, there’s a bunch of ’em! What a blessing!”
•When watermelons are grilled or baked, they can be used as a meat substitute.
So maybe restaurants should offer “watermelon steak” for vegetarians and vegans. Maybe it could be served with a side of cantaloupe fries.
•An art collector once paid $10,000 for a “non-visible” sculpture called “Endless Tank of Oxygen.”
And lots of politicians get paid far more than that for non-visible work called “Endless Flow of Hot Air.”
•George Washington opened a whiskey distillery after his time as president.
I imagine ol’ George could not tell a lie about his product’s quality.
•Allodoxaphobia is the fear of opinions.
In my opinion, some opinions should indeed be feared. Incidentally, allomyaphobia is the fear of personal opinion, and I don’t think anybody in America suffers from it.
•Cows moo with regional accents.
So I guess cows from Georgia go “moo, y’all,” and cows from Manitoba go “moo, eh.”
•Most residents of Iceland believe in elves.
Sorry Santa, but to Icelanders, elves are not tiny figures who build toys, but resemble humans and can range in size. Welcome to Rivendell.
•A human could swim through a blue whale’s veins.
I figure that’s gonna take a while.
So there you go; just a handful of examples of how there’s just no end to the wonder in this wild, wacky and whimsical world.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald. Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.