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     The Blue Spruce, American Holly and Douglas Fir are the official state trees of Colorado, Delaware and Oregon, respectively. 
          — 2008 Blum's Farmer's and Planter's Almanac 

     Billionaire Ted Turner's first name is actually Robert. 
          — 2007 Forbes 400

     Alaska has almost twice as many reindeer (caribou) as people.
           — 2008 Farmers' Almanac

     A new study done by researchers at the University of Leeds suggests that Neanderthals were not wiped out by climate change. 
          — November BBC Focus

     The sugar maple is the official state tree of New York, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Vermont. 
          — 2008 Blum's Farmer's and Planter's Almanac

     Female bats don't have babies until they're two-years-old and they generally have only one baby a year. 
          — 2008 The Almanac for Farmers & City Folk

     Pikes Peak State Park is in Iowa. 
          — Sept/Oct. Midwest Living

     The warthog can reach speeds of 35 mph. 
          — 2008 Old Farmer's Almanac

     The best time to fish this Hallowe'en will be at 5:48 am. 
          — 2008 Blum's Fisherman's Almanac

     There are currently at least 1,870 Wiccans serving in the U.S. military.
           — July Harper's

     Asian martial arts movie star Maggie Q shortened her name from Margaret Quigley. 
          — August Empire

     When milking a cow by hand it's a good idea to secure the cow's tail to keep it from being swished in one's face. 
          — July Reminisce

     A liger is the offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. A tion is the offspring of a male tiger and a female lion. 
          — August Outside

     At 27.3 miles long, Chicago's longest street, Western Avenue, is as long as 266,112 Superdawg hot dogs laid end-to-end or 26,208 Oprahs. 
          — July 26 Time Out Chicago

     Some caterpillars have 4,000 muscles, five times as many as humans, who have fewer than 800.
           — July Birds & Blooms Extra

     In the average year there are 36,000 chainsaw accidents in the U.S. 
          — August Popular Mechanics

     Neanderthals went extinct in Europe 24,000 years ago. 
          — July BBC Focus

     At least two books in Harvard University's libraries are bound in human flesh. 
          — Sept. Harper's

     Next year the Hunter's Moon will appear on October 25th. 
          — 2007 Harris' Farmer's Almanac

     Armadillos can leap eight feet in the air when startled. 
          — 2007 The Almanac for Farmers & City Folk

     The daisy gets its name from a word that means "day's eye", because it closes at night. 
          — 2007 Old Farmer's Almanac

     Elvis Presley, Vivian Leigh, Judy Garland, Jim Morrison and Catherine the Great all died in the bathroom. 
          — Aug. 21 SUN

     Since 1960, 55 films have featured evil albino characters. 
          — August Harper's

     The second man to successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel died fourteen years later after slipping on an orange peel. 
          — July/Aug. Mental Floss

     In Pac-Man, the movement of the blue ghost is based on your position versus the red ghost. 
          — Spring Oxford American

      There are nearly 18,000 bowling-related injuries in the U.S. annually. 
          — July/Aug AARP the Magazine

     The average state is forested over 44.6% of its area, but North Dakota is only 1% forest. New Hampshire, on the other hand, is 83% forested. 
          — July/Aug Midwest Living

      Coots, voles, muskrats, Ohio horsemint, and Hine's emerald dragonfly can all be found in Illinois' Lockport Prairie Nature Preserve. 
           — Summer Chicago Wilderness

     The world's smallest guitar is only 10 micrometers long.
           — Apr/May Seed

     An estimated 77% of women in U.S. prisons & jails are single mothers. 
          — June Harper's

     Round bales of hay, recycled milk jugs without lids, and wooden electrical spools all make excellent toys for goats. 
          — May/June Dairy Goat Journal

     Today, digital cameras outsell film cameras fifteen to one. 
          — May BBC Focus

     Americans receive roughly 100 BILLION pieces of junk mail each year. 
          — June Discover

     Three of the four top-selling vehicles in the United States are pickup trucks.
          — May/June Mental Floss

     There are at least 56 ranches in Texas where one may shoot a zebra. 
          — May Harper's

     A new study shows that between the ages of 25 and 80 men's brains generally shrink while women's brains remain about the same size. 
          — Apr/May Scientific American Mind

     Everyone farts. 
          — April BBC Focus

     Paul McCartney owns the rights to the "I Love Lucy" theme. 
          — May/June AARP the Magazine

     Beanie Baby billionaire Ty Warner is Chicagoland's richest resident with a cool $4.4 billion, 3 billion more than Oprah.
          — April Chicago

     Grey squirrels have four toes on each front foot and five toes on each hind foot. 
          — March BBC Wildlife

     Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, was named after U.S. President James Monroe. 
          — Mar/Apr Mental Floss

     90 percent of the world's ice is found in Antarctica. 
          — January BBC Focus

     One is more likely to be killed by an asteroid impact than a mountain lion attack. 
          — March Discover

     The banana split was invented by David "Doc" Strickler in Latrobe, Pennsylvania in 1904. He sold them in his drugstore for a dime. 
          — Feb/Mar Eating Well

     Chimpanzee Today Show co-host, J. Fred Muggs, once bit a guest, the late comedienne Martha Raye. 
          — Jan/Feb Mental Floss

     The first bear killed during Maryland's hunting season last fall was killed by an eight-year-old girl. 
          — January Harper's

     It's illegal for Adult males in Shamrock, TX to go beardless on St. Patrick's Day without first buying a license. 
          — Winter 2005-06 Route 66

     The oldest tree on Earth is a 4,800-year-old bristlecone pine growing in the White Mountains of California. 
          — Harris' Farmer's Almanac 2006 Seasonal Gardening Guide

     Last year, American spent over $2,000,000,000 dollars on fantasy football. 
          — November Harper's

     The South Pole is 30Ί C colder than the North Pole. 
          — Autumn BBC Focus

     Unlike most dog breeds which mature at one year, the Labrador Retriever is considered a puppy for the first 3 years of his life. 
          — Pups: The Official Nintendogs Companion

     The official uniform of the World Champion Chicago White Sox includes black socks. 
          — Nov. 3 Time Out Chicago

     American candy companies manufacture 9 billion kernels of candy corn for Hallowe'en. 
          — October Harper's

     Looping the drawstrings of your leaf bag around the handles of your wheelbarrow will hold the bag open for you while you rake. 
          — November Martha Stewart Living

     Wham-O, the company that popularized the Hula Hoop, got its name from the sound made by their original line of merchandise — slingshots. 
          — 2006 Old Farmer's Almanac

     Pumpkins are full of the healthful antioxidant, beta-carotene. 
          — 2006 Farmers' Almanac

     Work on Mt. Rushmore ended on Hallowe'en, 1941. 
          — 2006 Harris' Farmer's Almanac

     Mt. Rushmore was named after NY lawyer Charles E. Rushmore long before the carving was conceived. 
          — October Travel America

     No hurricane or any other tropical storm has ever been observed crossing the equator. 
          — July / August Weatherwise

     Bruce Willis proposed to Demi Moore at Pink's, a hot dog stand in Los Angeles. 
          — July/Aug National Geographic Traveler

     Actor Michael Caine was born Maurice Micklewhite. 
          — July /August Movieline's Hollywood Life

     In 2004, Delta Airlines shipped 42,175 corpses. 
          — August Harper's

     The Pechanga Casino in Temecula, CA has hired a feng shui master to promote a healthy flow of chi in their high-limit gaming area. 
         — July Strictly Slots

     No planet outside the solar system was discovered until 1995 — 145 more have been discovered since. 
          — July Harper's

     For every 16 point jump in IQ a man's chances of getting married increase 35% and a woman's chances decrease by 40%. 
          — May Australian Cosmopolitan

     There are 500 species of eucalyptus in the world. Koalas will eat only 6 of them and nothing else.
           — June Focus

     The Bill Murray comedy Stripes was originally conceived as a vehicle for Cheech and Chong. 
          — July FHM

     Al Capone collected lucky elephant figurines. 
          — Bizarre #98

     Ed McMahon's middle name is Leo. 
          — Vol. XXVII, no. 2 Emmy

     Inventor Thomas Edison was almost entirely deaf. 
          — May-June Mental Floss

     The word hormone was first introduced on June 20, 1905. 
          — June Discover

     After a 12-hour binge with fellow actor Colin Farrell on Easter Sunday, Jamie Foxx has given up drinking. 
          — April Modern Drunkard

     Comedian Jackie Gleason smoked five packs a day until the day he died. 
          — March Modern Drunkard

     The top-selling CD in Belgium is by Captain Freebee. 
          — April 23 Billboard

     Actor Fess Parker (Davy Crockett) is now a respected winemaker. 
          — Apr. 21 Time Out Chicago

     In the Star Wars movies, the Wookies come from a planet called Kashyyyk. 
          — May Premiere

     The presser foot, throat plate, and handwheel are all parts of a sewing machine. 
          — HomeCare Hints and Tips

     The insect repellent Deet doesn't actually repel mosquitoes — it confuses them. 
          — April Discover

     The museum portion of the brand-new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum will open on April 19^th in Springfield, IL 
          — April Chicago

     2.1 inches of rain fell in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 28th-29th last year. 
          — Mar/Apr Weatherwise

     The state prescribed maximum hair length for men in North Korea is 5 centimeters. 
          — April Harper's

     Two of Cleopatra's sisters were also named Cleopatra.
          — Mar/Apr Mental Floss

     At 106.7 decibels, the African cicada's calling song makes it the world's loudest insect. 
          — January Focus

     Actor and sometime recording artist William Shatner has put out a new CD appropriately entitled "Has Been." 
          — Jan/Feb Comedy Entertainment Magazine

     It gets colder at night on Mercury, the closest planet to the sun (-300°), than it does on Earth's moon (-250°).This is because a night on Mercury is about 3 months long. 
          — February Discover

     Smoking may be related to erectile dysfunction. 
         — Time A to Z Health Guide

     There are 20,000 alligators in the Okefenokee swamp. 
          — Vol. II No. 4 American Road

     Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz is second only to Elvis Presley on the 2003 list of top-earning dead celebrities. 
          — December/January Giant

     There are about 105,000 stay-at-home dads in the United States. 
          — December Psychology Today

     At night, the Wrigley Building in Chicago is bathed with white, yellow and green lights that represent their 3 main lines of chewing gum: Doublemint, Juicy Fruit & Spearmint. 
          — Jan./Feb. Midwest Living 

     Californians speak 95 languages.
          — The World in 2005    

      Genghis Khan had 500 wives. 
          — December Discover

     The only rainforest in the U.S. National Parks system is El Yunque in Puerto Rico. 
          — Dec. Caribbean Travel & Life

     The largest raindrops in the world are 8 millimeters in diameter. 
          — October Focus

     Adult Americans bought an average of 52 items of clothing in 2002. 
          — December Harper's

     Santa Claus will be on hand when they light up the Banyan trees in Lahaina on December 4th. 
          — Fall Maui nō ka 'oi

     Global warming is improving the quality of the wine made from grapes grown in Oregon. 
          — Sept./Oct. Weatherwise    

     Heroin was marketed as a cough remedy from 1898 to 1913. 
          — October National Geographic

      A tapeworm can grow up to 85 feet long inside one's intestine without its host even showing symptoms. 
          — November Outside

     The sound mosquitoes make registers as an A above high C. 
          — 2005 Almanac for Farmers & City Folk

     Jelly, unlike jam, contains fruit juice(s) but no fruit pulp. 
          — 2005 New Millennium Farmers Almanac

     Some fisherman believe that the more cows that are standing in a pasture (as opposed to laying down) the better the fish will bite that day. If they're eating, better still. 
          — 2005 Old Farmer's Almanac

     While filming the Sermon-on-the-Mount scene, Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ, was struck by lightning. 
          — Sep./Oct. Phenomena

     The word "velcro" comes from "velour" and "crochet", which are the French words for "velvet" and "hook". 
          — 2005 CA Farmer's Almanac

     In the 18th century the Average American man was 3.1 inches taller than the average Brit. Today, the average Brit is .4 inches taller than the average American man.
           — July Harper's

     It took 20,000 people 22 years to build the Taj Mahal. 
          — Time Great Buildings of the World

     It was recently discovered that King Tut was entombed with jars of red wine. 
          — June Discover

     According to Premiere magazine's annual Power 100 list, in Hollywood, Steve Jobs is now more powerful than Steve Spielberg and Tom Hanks is more powerful than Tom Cruise. 
          — June Premiere

     The term "hatchet men" came from hired Chinese assassins in 1850s San Francsico who killed their victims with cleavers.
           — June True West

     Last winter there were 86 below-freezing days in Hell, Michigan. 
          — January Harper's

     A blue whale can weigh up to 400,000 pounds. 
          — November Focus

     More than 43 million pounds of avocados are eaten on Super Bowl Sunday. 
          — Jan. 31 TV Guide

     Hawaii and Alaska are the only two states in the union whose temperatures have never exceeded one hundred degrees. 
          — 2004 The New Millennium Farmers Almanac

     The Sundance Kid's real name was Harry Longabaugh. 
          — vol. 2, iss. 5 Mental Floss

     Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair. 
          — 2004 Blum's Farmer's and Planter's Almanac

     The average peapod contains eight peas. 
          — 2004 Country Accents Farmer's Almanac

     Driftwood doesn't rot because the salt in seawater preserves it. 
          — August Focus

     The blood of lobsters is blue. 
          — 2004 Almanac for Farmers & City Folk

     Fish can drown if the water they're in doesn’t contain enough oxygen. 
          — May Ralph

     Sacagawea, the Shoshone woman who appears on the U.S. dollar coin, was called 'Janey' by her American friends. 
          — 2004 Harris Farmer's Alm.

     Collectors of matchbook covers are called phillumenists. 
          — v.2, i.4 Mental Floss

     The father of Spiderman actor Tobey Maguire was a convicted bank robber. 
          — Summer Radar

     In the U.S. more people die as a result of medical errors than from motor vehicle accidents. 
          — July Discover

     Rolling Stone Mick Jagger turns 60 years old on July 26th. 
          — July Vanity Fair

     Mother Teresa’s real name was Agnes. 
          — Wise Women

     Wal-Mart has 1.3 million employees. 
          — 2003 Fortune 500

     In Hawaii, goose bumps are called “chicken skin.” 
          — May / June Hawaii

     Despite inventing the Olympics, Greece ranks 28th overall in modern Olympic medals. 
          — vol.2 iss.3 Mental Floss

     36% of motorists admit to changing clothes while driving. 
          — Spring Route 66

     Don Gorske of Fond du Lac, WI has eaten over 19,000 Big Macs. 
          — February Bizarre

     “Chicago,” this year’s Best Picture at the Academy Awards, was filmed in Toronto. 
          — Entertainment Weekly Academy Awards Special

     70% of all the fresh water in the world is in Antarctica — where it makes up an ice sheet 7,200 feet thick. 
          — vol.2 issue2 Mental Floss

     The word psychedelic means “mind-revealing”. 
          — February Discover

     International TV Turnoff Week is April 22-28. 
          — Jan/Feb Adbusters

     The state of Wisconsin plays host to 400 different species of birds. 
          — February Wisconsin Trails

     Wilco is a radio operator’s slang term for “will comply.” 
          — February 20 Rolling Stone

     Shaquille O’Neal has starred in 3 feature films. 
          — 2002-03 Lakers Off’l Yrbk.

     172 colleges currently have organizations to elect Evanston-born actor John Cusack to the U.S. presidency in 2004. 
          — November Harper’s

     Among the 31 known orders of insect are jumping bristletails, scorpionflies, and thrips. 
          — Nov. Scientific American

     The first two animals of the Lincoln Park Zoo were a pair of swans sent from the Philadelphia Zoo in 1863. 
          — Oct./Nov. History Magazine

     President Bush’s twin daughters Barbara and Jenna are named after their grandmothers. 
          — People The Greatest Weddings of All Time     

     There are 500 cranberries to a pound. 
          — November Traverse

     There is a whole fleet of seven Oscar Mayer Weinermobiles. 
          — October Wisconsin Trails

     Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny, was allergic to carrots. 
          — 2003 Blum’s Farmer’s and Planter’s Almanac

     The plastic letter indicator that comes with a Ouija board is called a planchette. 
          — Autumn Happy Halloween Magazine

     One day on the planet Jupiter lasts 9 hours and 55 minutes. 
          — Skywatch ‘03

     The proper term for the pound sign (#) is an anoctothorpe. 
          — vol.1, issue 5 Mental_Floss

     Otters are pregnant for 285 days — longer than humans. 
          — 2003 New Millennium Farmer’s Almanac

     A female guinea pig is called a sow. 
          — 2003 Critters USA

     A Mongolian wild ass can run 8 m.p.h. faster than a reindeer. 
          — 2003 Country Accents Farmer’s Almanac

     Next August, Mars will be the closest to earth that it’s been in 73,000 years. 
          — 2003 Farmers’ Almanac

     Bird watching is the nation’s fastest-growing outdoor activity. 
          — October Midwest Living

     Saturday Night Live came about when, in 1974, Johnny Carson demanded that NBC stopped showing Tonight Show reruns on weekends. 
          — September Vanity Fair

     Chocolate is rated one of the 10 most dangerous foods to consume while driving, by Hagerty Classic Insurance, a Michigan-based car insurer. 
          — Summer Route 66 Magazine

     Roughly 12,000 umbrellas are lost every year on the London Underground. 
          — August Focus

     Dollar bills cost about four cents apiece to produce. 
          — January Reader’s Digest

     Exactly 12 humans have set foot on the moon. 
          — January Focus

     A sheep can remember another sheep’s face for two years. 
          — March Harper’s

    The tenth most historic-looking small town in the U.S. is Quincy, IL.
           — February Utne Reader

     Jasper Newton (Jack) Daniel wore size four shoes. 
          — Winter American West

     Arizona has the smallest percentage among the 50 states, of obese people. 
          — Feb. Scientific American

     Legally Blonde actress Reese Witherspoon was born in 1976, two hundred years after her ancestor John Witherspoon signed the Declaration of Independence. 
          — Feb/Mar Adam

     There are no stoplights in Winter, Wisconsin. 
          — February Wisconsin Trails

     Vanilla is derived from a type of orchid. 
          — January North Shore

     Urbana, IL will host the 19th annual ‘Insect Fear Film Festival’ on February 23rd. 
          — February Midwest Living

     When he was six years old, Ringo Starr spent two months in a coma. 
          — Life The Beatles

     Boy Band ‘N Sync recently performed at the Bat Mitzvah of one very lucky 13-year-old Maryland girl. 
          — February Talk

     Lemurs are left-handed. 
          — January Discover

     The late, great, lion Tamer extraordinaire, Gunther-Gebel Williams was only 5’4”. 
          — January 7 People

     The pecan was named the ‘Official Health Nut of Texas’ by the state’s senate. 
          — January Texas Monthly

     Romania is planning to spend $20 million to build a Count Dracula theme park.
           — October Harper’s

     Univ. of Wisc. Geochemist Ilya Bindeman predicts a volcanic eruption in Yellowstone Park that could have 1,000 times the force of the Mt. St. Helens eruption and plunge the earth into winter for years. When? Sometime in the next 100,000 years.
           — November Discover

     Abraham Lincoln didn’t grow a beard until he was 51 years old. 
          — Mental Floss #2

     For $3 you can buy “Invisible Jim”, which is really just an empty doll box. 
          — August Harper’s

     Hastings, Nebraska is the birthplace of Kool-Aid. 
          — August Midwest Living

     Kassan Island in British Columbia is for sale at $19,000. 
          — August Talk

     Most mosquitoes live only two weeks. 
          — August Discover

     Actor Danny DeVito went to hairdressing school. 
          — August Biography

     Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas didn’t only debate each other — the both dated Mary Todd, the future Mrs. Lincoln. 
          — April Las Vegas Style   

     When cleaned and cooked, the prickly pear cactus tastes a lot like green beans. 
          — May Discover

     Easter can come as early as March 22nd or as late as April 25th.
          — April Focus  

     Clippit, the animated paper clip helper in Microsoft Office will be eliminated from future versions.
          — May On

     There are 300 lb. jaguars running wild in Arizona.
          — May Arizona Highways

     One third of adult Americans have diarrhea at least once a month.
          — March 5th New Yorker

     Actor Willem Dafoe (Shadow of the Vampire) was born in Appleton, Wisconsin.
          — Academy Movie Special Edition

     A cumulonimbus cloud can weigh up to a million tons.
          — January Focus

     The average American consumes 20 pounds of chemical food additives each year.
          — Jan./Feb. FHM

     Fortune is among the top ten U.S. magazines by advertising revenue, but is not among the top 100 U.S. magazines by circulation.
          — 2001 NY Times Almanac

     William Shatner, the actor who played Capt. Kirk on Star Trek, can’t program a VCR.
          — December Bizarre

     The Raiders and the Rams played their last games for Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, 1994.
          — December Los Angeles

     A swindler named Victor Lustig sold the Eiffel Tower for scrap, twice —once for $100,000.
          — December Maxim UK Edition

     Godzilla is featured on a postage stamp issued in Japan this year.
          — October Bizarre

     The oldest known photograph of a presidential inauguration was taken in 1857, featuring James Buchanan.
          — November American Heritage

     Rock geek Marilyn Manson is offended by bad grammar.
          — November Talk

     The Mongolian wild ass can run at a top speed of 40 mph.
          — 2001 Country Accents Farmer’s Almanac

     McCarran International is the world’s seventh busiest airport.
          — September Las Vegas Style

     There are an estimated 35,000 Elvis impersonators in the world.
          — October Gear

     The Cincinnati Zoo is 125 years old this year.
          — October Midwest Living

    Wasps and hornets collide with trees after eating fermented fruit.
          — September Bizarre

     Don’t touch a dead snake — they’ve been known to bite and inject venom up to an hour after death.
          — 2001 Almanac for Farmers & City Folk

     There’s a bristlecone pine tree in California that’s over 4,600 years old.
          — 2001 Farmers’ Almanac

     The Leaning Tower of Pisa leans 5.3 degrees — a little more when the sun is shining.
          — August Discover

     It took 214 crates to ship the Statue of Liberty here from France.
          — July Focus

     Guitar great Les Paul was born Lester Polfus.
          — Summer Atomic

     Television journalist John Stossel has a stutterering problem.
          — August Premiere

     Every day the world loses about 100 species of animals and plants.
          — August Talk

     According to veterinarians, the three worst things your dog is apt to chew on are rocks, socks, and sticks.
          — Spring Bark

     Knob-tailed geckos eat spiders, scorpions, and smaller geckos.
          — Jul-Sep Australian Geographic

     The word "pretzel" is derived from the Italian "pretzola" which means "little reward."
          — August Central Pennsylvania Life

     More tourists visited Graceland last year (700,000) than any other home in the U.S. except the White House.
          — Elvis A Celebration in Pictures

     John Travolta’s favorite Beatle was Paul.
          — June People Profiles

     Demand for tulips in the United States was up 15 to 20 percent last year.
          — June Saturday Evening Post

     Oprah’s dogs have leashes that cost $140.
          — May/June O

          The Bush campaign has spent $1,881 on pizza.
           — May George

     When actor Marlon Brando was making Superman he wanted to wear a costume that made him look like a bagel.
          — May Bizarre

     Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise are the 11th and 12th most powerful people in Hollywood for the second year in a row.
          — May Premiere

     The world’s fastest roller coaster (92 m.p.h) is Millennium Force at Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio.
          — Apr. 24 US News & World Report

       1999 was about 3% weirder than 1998.
          — April Fortean Times

     Chicago is the 53rd windiest city in the U.S.
          — April Harper’s

     Frank Philbin attended Regis High School and named his TV host son after it.
          — Regis Uncensored

     The average white birch tree can be turned into about 400,000 toothpicks.
          — April Popular Science

     It costs $240,000 to raise a child to age 17, but only about $7,000 to own a cat.
          — April Scientific American

     Time magazine was first published on March 3rd, 1923.
          — Mar. Vanity Fair

      The only western Hollywood ever made where no pistol was fired was Three Faces West, with Joel McCrae.
          — March True West

     1,215,734 people attended last year’s Chicago auto show.
          — Feb. Chicago

     A 1956 Elvis Presley magazine recently sold for $27.66 on e-Bay.
         --  March Ebay Mag.

     Ireland not only has no snakes, it also has no toads.
          — January Focus

     The Four Seasons hotel at Mandalay Bay is the first hotel in Las Vegas to get the five-diamond rating from the American Automobile Association.
          — Jan. Las Vegas Style

     10-14% of Americans suffer from aviophobia, the fear of flying.
          — Feb. Dog World

     The late comic Andy Kaufman once pulled a quick one on the Graceland tour and used the very toilet that Elvis Presley died on.
          — Jan. 14 Goldmine

      Time’s Person of the Century, Albert Einstein, didn’t speak until he was three years old.
          — Jan. Harper’s

     The middle name of USA’s Happy Hour co-host, Ahmet Zappa, is Rhodan, after the giant flying monster in Japanese sci-fi films.
          — Nov. Bizarre

     Caviar should be served with spoons made of natural materials such as mother-of-pearl or bone, so an unpleasant metallic taste is not added.
          — Martha Stewart Entertaining

     Bats: Mark McGwire uses a 33 oz. ash; Babe Ruth used a 47 oz. hickory.
          — Nov. Premiere     
    
     Poinsettias are not toxic.
          — Old Farmer’s Almanac 2000

     Four out of five stutterers are men.
          -- September Focus

     Philip Glass has composed a new soundtrack for the 1931 Bela Lugosi version of the film Dracula.  It will be available on video soon.
          -- November Talk          

     In America there are no confirmed deaths caused by doctored Halloween candy from strangers.
          -- October Harper's

     In America there is one confirmed death caused by doctored Halloween candy from a relative.
          -- October Harper's

     The box jellyfish is arguably the most poisonous of all animals, having enough venom in its tentacles to kill three men.
          -- September Bizarre

     Every year, birds cause up to $400,000,000 in damage to commercial and military aircraft in the U.S.
          -- September Scientific American

     Every year, commercial and military aircraft cause damage to over 5,000 birds in the U.S.
          -- September Scientific American

     It's been 131 years since an elected New York City mayor went on to higher office.
          -- September Harper's

     The last Tasmanian tiger in the world died on Spetember 7, 1936.
          -- Summer Endangered Species

     Bob Hope's radio program ran for twenty years, from 1938 to 1958.
          -- August / September Civilization

     In California, packages of bullets must display this warning: "This product contains lead and may be hazardous to your health."
          -- September San Diego Magazine

     Phases of the Moon always increase from right to left and diminish from right to left.
          -- Skywatch 2000

     Albert Brooks owns a George Foreman grill.
          -- September Esquire

     Women are twice as likely to play roulette as men.
          — August Focus

     The use of the word ‘spam’ to describe unwanted e-mail is derived from a Monty Python sketch.
          — Aug. Smart Computing

     Michael Jordan’s absence last season cost the NBA at least $10 million.
          — Sept. Penthouse

     41,000 new jobs were created in Clark County, Nevada in 1998.
          -- July Las Vegas Style

     1 billion pieces of junk mail are delivered in the U.S. every week.
          -- June Focus

     A moose can lose as much as a pint of blood a day to Arctic mosquitoes.
          -- July Reader's Digest

     It would have taken 543 jet fighters to match the horsepower of Apollo 11 when it was launched 30 years ago this month.
         -- July Focus

     For shapelier legs, try lifting you knees as high as possible and kicking your heels to your butt while jogging on your toes.
          -- July Cosmopolitan

     A little baking powder in the flour will make fried chicken more crunchy.
          -- July / August Martha Stewart Living

     Telly Savalas' first name was really Aristotle.
          -- July Later

     Of the 7 Illinois drive-in movie theaters that were situated along Route 66, only one is still open, the Sky View D.I. in Litchfield.
          -- Summer Route 66 Magazine

     Nicotine lowers sperm production, alters sperm shape and impairs sperm movement.
          -- Scientific American Presents MEN The Scientific Truth

     This year's Musky Festival will be held June 18-20 in Hayward, WI.
          -- June Wisconsin Trails

     Planet Hollywood stock, which once traded at over $32 a share has plummeted to less than $1 a share.
          -- June Los Angeles

     The father of actor-writer John Cleese, of Monty Python fame, was born with the name Cheese.
          -- June Vanity Fair

     Ewan McGregor, who plays Obi-Wan Kenobi in the new Star Wars film, is the nephew of Denis Lawson, who played Wedge Antilles in the first three.
         -- May / June Gear

     Roll-on deodorants were first tested in the U.S. in 1952.
          -- May Cover

     Martian rocks land on Earth at an average rate of 4 per month.
          -- June Harper's

     The 1st amusement park roller coaster opened at Coney Island in 1884.
          -- June / July P.O.V.

     More than 100,000 couples get married in Las Vegas every year.
          -- May Las Vegas Style

     Roger Ebert on the pronunciation of Cannes (as in the film festival): "can" -- not "con," not "canz" -- "can."
          -- June ICON

     In 1997, we Americans lost more money gambling than we spent on movies, theme parks, recorded music, and sporting events combined.
          -- June Reader's Digest

     The Hotel San Remo in Las Vegas serves a complete prime rib dinner for $4.95.
          -- March Las Vegas Style

     The introduction of the Gregorian calendar to Britain in 1752 caused riots because people actually thought that the Pope had shortened their lives.
          -- April History Today

     Philanthropist Paul Mellon gave away 70% of his wealth during his lifetime.
          -- April Worth

     Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft and often considered the world's richest man, has donated 0.00245% of his wealth to charity.
          -- April Worth

     Eternal Ink, the official newsletter of the Christian Tattoo Association, has 23 subscribers.
          -- May Harper's

     One birth in 250 produces identical twins.
          -- May Bizarre

     In Burma, possession of a water baloon can get you a year in prison and three years if you throw it.
          -- April / May Colors

     Men wrinkle less than women because their skin is thicker.
          -- April Front

     Global warming?  The 1990s are the warmest decade in the past 1,000 years and the growing season is now 11 days longer than it was in the 1960s.
          -- May Scientific American

     15 of the top 20 videos on the recreational sports chart are professional wrestling videos.
          -- Feb. 27 Billboard

     Among the artists topping the charts in Germany right now are Xavier Naidoo, Liquido, and Guano Apes.
          -- March 13 Billboard

     95% of members of the Three Stooges Fan Club are men.
          -- April Reader's Digest

     28 American children have been crushed to death by television sets since 1990.
          -- March Harper's

     Orson Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
          -- April Wisconsin Trails

     A good time to make an airline reservation is shortly after midnight, when the airlines load up a whole new batch of discounted fares.
          -- Spring Budget Travel

     On many passenger airliners, the seats in front of an exit row do not fully recline.
          -- 1999 Consumer Reports Best Travel Deals

     The late Mayor Richard J. Daley, father of Chicago's current mayor, was 5' 7½" tall.
          -- March Chicago

     It takes 40 to 50 gallons of maple sap to make 1 gallon of syrup.
          -- 1999 Almanac for Farmers & City Folk

     Sammy Sosa fans take note: In 1941, Joe DiMaggio hit 30 home runs and struck out only 13 times all season.
          -- March 22 Time

     In May of 1995, Australian media mogul Kerry Packer won over $20 million playing blackjack at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.   Two years later, when he won a mere $7.5 million, he gave the dealer a million dollar tip.
          -- Feb. Bizarre

     Australians spend more on betting than food.
          -- Feb. Bizarre

     7 Canadians have been in space.
          -- Jan. Focus

     Although colds can't be treated by antibiotics, (since they're caused by viruses) 60% of American cold patients receive one as treatment.
          -- Feb. Discover

     A man's beard contains as many hairs as a woman's legs and underarms combined.
          -- Dec. Focus

     The Rose Theater set, which cost "Shakespeare in Love" producers $800.000 to build, was given to star Dame Judi Dench after shooting ended.
          -- Feb. 8-14 Variety

     Radio shock jock Mancow Muller gets $5,000,000.
          -- Feb. Milwaukee

     The first entertainer to perform at the new Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas when it opens its performing arts center will be Luciano Pavarotti.
          -- January Las Vegas Style

     Among the top 20 singles in Japan are "Hikari No Sasuhoue" by Mr. Children, "Kokodo Kiss Shite" by Ringo Shiina, and "Karappo" by Yuzu.
          -- Feb. 6 Billboard

     Danish entertainer Victor Borge will be 90 this month.
          -- 1999 World Almanac

     January 5 is freak-rocker Marilyn Manson's birthday.
          -- 1999 World Almanac

     January 5 is the "birthday" of Beanie Baby "Kuku the Cockatoo."
          -- Winter Beanie Babies Collector's Guide

     In Greece there is a soft drink called "Zit."
          -- Nov. Focus

There are 370 species of sharks.
          -- January Details

     A recent survey of U.S. college students shows that the Internet has surpassed drinking beer as their most popular activity by 73% to 71%.
          -- January Bizarre

     Lewinski-gate figure Linda Tripp's annual salary is now $90,767.
          -- January Esquire

     The numbers 1, 3 & 20 singles on the German pop chart are "Believe" by Cher, "If You Believe" by Sasha, and "When You Believe" by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey.
          -- Dec. 19 Billboard

     Hilton has reportedly agreed to pay actor-singer-pianist Harry Connick, Jr $1.5 million to perform at their hotel in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve 1999.
          -- December Las Vegas Style

     The Coca-Cola Co. employs one million people.
          -- Dec./Jan. Colors

     In 1997, 75 elderly Americans ended up in the emergency room as result of injuries incurred while snowboarding.
          -- January Harper's

     Cows can smell an odor up to six miles away.
          -- October Wisconsin Trails

     Musician Stevie Wonder lost his sense of smell in a car accident in 1973.
          -- October Deluxe for Men

     Cockroaches won't eat cucumbers.
          -- September Focus

     Last year, Hustler publisher Larry Flynt offered free subscriptions to all 535 members of Congress.   Only 16 turned him down.
          -- October Bizarre

     Male ants live 6 to 10 weeks.   Some female ants live up to 15 years.
          -- October Cosmopolitan

     The record for cat longevity belongs to a female tabby named Ma who died in 1957.  It was 34 years old.
          -- June Luxury Lifestyles

     The life expectancy for men is a full 10 years shorter in Washington, D.C. than in the rest of the U.S.
          -- October Maxim

     Octopuses play.
          -- November Discover

     10 of Sammy Sosa's record breaking 63 home runs in 1998 came against the Milwaukee Brewers.
          -- Gold Collectors Series Baseball

     Michael Jackson, over the course of a week, played to over half a million people in Wembley Stadium in 1988, a world record.
          -- Wembley Venue of Legends

     The wingspan of a 747 is longer than the Wright brothers' first flight.
          -- October Focus

     An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
          -- October Focus

     During the infamous 'witch trials' held in Salem, Massachussetts in 1692, two dogs were hanged for giving children 'the evil eye'.
          -- October FATE

     Thassophobia is the fear of sitting.
          -- August Focus

     Actress Jessie Royce Landis played Cary Grant's mother in Hitchcock's classic, "North by Northwest."   In real life, Grant was 10 months her elder.
          -- September Premiere

     Abraham Lincoln had a dog named Jip.
          -- What Do Dogs Dream About?

     A couple of drops of ammonia will loosen a rusty screw.
          -- 501 Household Tips

     Pluto is less than half the size of the moon.
          -- August Outside

     The one song that is cool enough to have been recorded by the likes of Bing Crosby, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Mel Torme, The Rolling Stones, Sammy Davis, Jr, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Humble Pie, Louis Prima, and Depeche Mode is Bobby Troup's "Route 66."
          -- Summer Route 66 Magazine

     Playboy founder Hugh Hefner's middle name is Marsden.
          -- September / October Gear

     The best day to interview for a job is Thursday, because it's ruled by Jupiter, the planet associated with success in business.
          -- Llewellyn's 1999 Magical Almanac

     A portrait of A.B. "Banjo" Paterson, the man who wrote the lyrics to "Waltzing Matilda", appears on the front of the Australian $10 bill.
          -- August Smithsonian

     Scientists analyzing hundreds of images from the Mars Pathfinder mission were able to detect the presence of several dust-devils -- those mini-tornadoes that are common on dry windy terrains on Earth.
          -- July Discover

     Judy Garland wore a size 6 shoe.
          -- July Premiere

     The name 'Elvis' means "all wise."
          -- More Baby Names

     Okra should be picked when it is no longer than your index finger.
          -- Hints and Handy Tips for the Weekend Gardener

     September the 3rd is the birthday of Beanie Baby Claude the Crab as well as the birthday of actor Charlie Sheen.
          -- 98 Beanie Digest

     Teddy Roosevelt had a cat named Tom Quartz.
          -- Why Do Cats Sulk?

     The "South Park" movie has received an "R" rating from the MPAA.
          -- Access 6.3

     If you have 23 people in a room, the odds are 50-50 that 2 of them share a birthday.
          -- August Focus

     In the 1960s, the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Blindness linked certain rare forms of epilepsy with listening to Tommy Dorsey's recording of "String of Pearls."
          -- September Popular Mechanics

     The heaviest Florida alligator on record was killed in 1989 and weighed 1,040 pounds.
          -- June Maxim

     There are about 390,000 bartenders in America and only 182,000 bakers, which proves that man does not live by bread alone.
          -- May P.O.V.