If you think any of these are true, please indicate "probably" or "definitely" by your answer. Thanks

1. Marilyn Monroe had six toes.
2. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
3. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
4. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.
5. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
6. All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are stuck on 4:20.
7. Two thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
8. The longest one syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
9. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
10. There are more chickens than people in the world.
11. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.
12. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
13. All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. (old or new design or both?)
14. Almonds are a member of the peach family.
15. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
16. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
17. There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
18. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula".
19. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
20. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
21. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
22. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
23. Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
24. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "It's A Wonderful Life".
25. A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
26. A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
27. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
28. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON'T try this at home!)
29. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
30. In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
31. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tub and a chocolate bar in his pocket melted.
32. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
33. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
34. The average chocolate bar has eight insects' legs in it.
35. The average human eats eight spiders in their lifetime at night.
36. A cockroach can live nine days without its head before it starves to death.
37. A polar bear's skin is black. Its fur is not white, but actually clear.
38. Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
39. More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes.
40. Stewardesses is the longest word typed with only the left hand.
41. Shakespeare invented the word "assassination" and "bump."
42. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
43. If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.
44. Women blink nearly twice as much as men.
45. Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people do.
46. The sentence "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter in the English language.
47. The continents' names all end with the same letter with which they start.
48. TYPEWRITER, is the longest word that can be made using the letters on only one row of the keyboard.
49. If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
50. The words radar, racecar and kayak are the same whether they are read left to right or right to left.
51. A snail can sleep for 3 years.
52. American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one olive from each salad served in first class.
53. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
54. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, with a population of 1000 and a size of 108.7 acres.
55. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.
56. No President of the United States was an only child.

These are probably all true except for #33 - there is no regulation number of dimples on a golf ball (as per the USGA)

12. has got to be wrong. What about the word 'undreamt'.

30. is wrong also. The Speaker of the House speaks all the time.

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"I am perplexed.."

[This message has been edited by Scott (edited 08-11-2000).]

#38. Bogus

47. The continents' names all end with the same letter with which they start.

Not true for North America and South America (unless you leave off the North and South).

Root17,

Rather that just indicate what I think is true, here’s some documentation on a few of your questions.
Probably wrong (or phrased wrong): #2, #5
Wrong: #1, #12, #14, #15, #18, #33, #38, #47, #49.
I did include comments on some questions that have the correct answer, but are not often explained: #31, #37
And one for fun: #11

1. Marilyn Monroe had six toes.
False.
“Number of toes - 10. (There is a false rumor that she had 6 toes on each foot, but baby pictures show otherwise, and people who knew her intimately say that she was perfect in all her measurements and dimensions.)” [From: www.marilynmonroepages.com/facts.html/#general]

2. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
Probably false.
There do not appear to be any peanuts in dynamite. However, peanut shells might be a possibility as a substitute for wood pulp, which is used as an absorbent. Yet, no reference stated that.

Also, I corresponded with "Anna" who had put that question on another web site, asking her for her source. She replied "That list i just got in an email one time and i put it up on my site. sorry i can't be of any more help."

Consider these references:

“Dynamite, blasting explosive, patented in 1867 by Swedish physicist Alfred Nobel, based on nitroglycerin but much safer to handle than nitroglycerin alone. By mixing the nitroglycerin with kieselguhr, a porous siliceous earth, in proportions that left an essentially dry and granular material, Nobel produced a solid that was resistant to shock but readily detonable by heat or percussion. Later, wood pulp was substituted as the absorbent, and sodium nitrate was added as an oxidizing agent to increase the strength of the explosive. Nobel also invented gelatinous dynamite, a mixture of nitrocellulose and nitroglycerine.”

“Pure nitroglycerin is a colourless, oily, somewhat toxic liquid having a sweet, burning taste. It was first prepared in 1846 by the Italian chemist Ascanio Sobrero by adding glycerol to a mixture of concentrated nitric and sulfuric acids.” [Encyclopedia Britannica]
5. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
True for the number.

A dime has 118 “reeds” around the edge. The number is correct, the term is wrong.

8. The longest one syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
False.
There are two, the other is “strengths,” both having nine letters.

11. No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or purple.
See examples below:

They say that no word rhymes with orange, but I have my favorite poems:
It seems, said the poet, so strange
that despite my remarkable range
of prosodiac skill
that somehow I still
can’’t find a rhyme for orange.
- Anonymous
A pronouncing gazetteer
In Webster’’s seems clear
““stonehenge:”” (Ston henj)
““orange:”” (or enj)
Truely rhymesters must persevere.
- Don Alborell of Birmingham, AL, as published in the Mensa Bulletin, Jan/Feb 1984, page 10
In Sparkhill buried lies that man of mark
Who brought the Obelisk to Central Park
Redoubtable Commander H.H. Gorringe
Whose name supplies the long-sought rhyme for ““orange.””
- Arthur Guiterman (““The Game of Words,”” William Espy, p. 143)
For the others, you can rhyme by hyphenating a word:
To find a rhyme for silver
Or any “rhymeless” rhyme
Requires only will, ver-
bosity and time.
- Stephen Sondheim
. . . or by syncope:
How many weeks in a month?
Four, as the swift moon runn’th.
- Christina Rossetti

12. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
False.
Also: adreamt - “to be visited by a dream”; and undreamt - “not apprehended (even) in a dream, not imagined or thought of” [Oxford English Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged].
I have read at one location that “redreamt” and “daydreamt” are also such words. However, neither is in the OED.

14. Almonds are a member of the peach family.
False, but close..
The Almond tree (species Prunus dulcis) is related to the Peach tree (species Prunus persica), which are both a member of the rose family (Rosaceae). In other words, there is no “peach family”; the peach tree is a species within the rose family, as is the almond tree. It would be correct to say: The almond and peach tree are related, both being a member of the rose family.

“Almond (Prunus dulcis), tree native to southwestern Asia and its edible seed, or nut.
“The almond tree, growing somewhat larger than the peach and living longer, is strikingly beautiful when in flower. The growing fruit resembles the peach until it approaches maturity; as it ripens, the leathery outer covering, or hull, splits open, curls outward, and discharges the nut.
“The tree greatly resembles the related peach, with which it occasionally hybridizes
“Peach (species Prunus persica), fruit tree of the rose family (Rosaceae), . . . “ [Encyclopedia Britannica]

15. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
False.

“Winston Churchill was born in 1874, half way through the Victorian Era. That November, his mother, Lady Randolph Churchill, then less than seven months pregnant, had slipped and fallen while walking with a shooting party at Blenheim Palace. A few days later, while riding in a pony carriage over rough ground, labour began. She was rushed back to the Palace, where, in the early hours of November 30, her son was born.” [Churchill: A Life,” Martin Gilbert, Henry Holt and Company, NY, 1991, page 1]

“Spanked into life like the rest of us, Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill was born on Monday, November 30, 1874, in Blenheim Palace.
“His parents, twenty-year-old Jennie and twenty-five-year-old Randolph, wed that April, had come to Blenheim for the hunting. An outstanding horse-woman, Jennie was determined not to let childbearing interfere with her activities – in any case, she was only a little more than seven months pregnant. she fell while walking with a party of shooters, and a rough ride back to the palace in a pony-drawn carriage brought the pains on Saturday night.
“Jennie continued in labor all though Sunday, refusing the relief of chloroform as she lay heaving in the brass bed in the small ground-floor room where she had been carried after her fall.” The rest of this long paragraph makes it plain that she gave birth to Winston Churchill in that room, not in “a ladies’ room during a dance.” [“Churchill: Young Man in a Hurry: 1874 - 1915,” Ted Morgan, Simon & Schuster, NY 1982, page 15.]

18. Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles de Porciuncula".
Probably.
Wrong.
That may have been its name when it was established as a town, but that has not been the correct name of the city since 1850. Read on:
“Originally founded by Spanish settlers in 1781 as El Pueblo de la Reyna de los Angeles (the Town of the Queen of the Angels), . . . “ [Encyclopedia Britannica]
Sometimes Los Angeles is called: El Pueblo de Nuestra Senora la Reina de Los Angeles del Rio Porciuncula (i.e., “del Rio” versus “de”). Which translates to “The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porciúncula River.” The river was named by a Spanish expedition headed by Gaspar de Portolá which camped near it on August 2, 1769. “Porcuincula” is an Spanish ecclesiastic term for a Franciscan jubilee. [Encyclopedia Britannica and VOX New College Spanish and English Dictionary.]

“Los Angeles, California. Spanish missionaries founded Los Angeles in 1781. They named it El Pueblo de la Reina Nuestra de Los Angeles de Porcincula, meaning “the town of the Queen Our Lady of the Angels of the Porciuncula.” Porciuncula is a chapel in Assisi, Italy, that was the cradle of the Franciscan Order. Most of the name was dropped when the city was incorporated in 1850.” [“Why Do They Call it Topeka?: How Places Got Their Names,” John W. Purcell, Citadel Press, NY 1995, p. 77]
If you look at the city’s seal, you will see “City of Los Angeles, Founded 1781.”

31. The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tub and a chocolate bar in his pocket melted.
Typo here: Change to “walked by a radar tube”
Microwave ovens generate radiation at a frequency of about 2,450 megahertz by means of a magnetron, which is a kind of electron tube. [Encyclopedia Britannica].
“Percy L. Spencer of Raytheon, having observed that a microwave device in a Raytheon laboratory melted a candy bar in his pocket and having experimented almost immediately will microwaved popcorn, patented the ‘high frequency dielectric heating apparatus’ that we know as the microwave oven.” [The Timetable of Technology, Bryan Bunch and Alexander Hellemans, Simon and Schuster, NY, 1993.]

33. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
False.
The Pro Golfers Association (PGA)does not have a standard for the number of dimples on a golf ball.
“Some have 336 dimples, some have 492 dimples. There are hundreds of different golf ball designs." [Get Real web site: //www.wpt.org/getreal!/400/410/BALL/BALL.HTM]
Top-Flite XL 2000 series gold balls all have 422 dimples. [Top-Flite specifications sheet]

37. A polar bear's skin is black. Its fur is not white, but actually clear.
True
“The fur of the white bear is not actually white. Rather, the hairs are free of pigment and are transparent. The hairs are also hollow, which allows them to work as efficient solar collectors. the hollow hairs conduct the heat of ultraviolet light, carrying it to the bear’s skin, which is black, a color ideal for absorbing radiant heat. Polar bears look white because the pigment-free fur reflects light, just as snow and ice do.” [Polar Bears: Living the with White Bear,” Nikita Ovsyanikov, Voyageur Press, Stillwater, MN, 1969, p. 46]

38. Donald Duck comics were banned in Finland because he doesn't wear pants.
False.
This is an “urban legend.” It began in 1977, when a Helsinki politician sought to save the city some money, suggested that the Board of Youth Affairs discontinue its subscription to Donald Duck comics. Later the press picked up the story that “Finns Ban Donald Duck” and made up the reason that it was because Donald doesn’t wear pants and questioned his marital status. [See the Urban Legends web site: www.snopes.com]

47. The continents' names all end with the same letter with which they start.
False.
According to "The New York Times Almanac," page 461, "North America" is a continent and "South America" is another continent.

49. If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproduction.
False.
In 1997, the population was estimated at 1,221,592,000 with an annual growth rate of 0.9%
[Cosmi 3D World Atlas, 1999]. Thus, we can calculate that there will be approximately 11 million persons born each year. If people were to walk with a distance of three feet from the center of one person to the center of another (that’s real close) at a good pace of three miles an hour, then in each hour, 5,280 persons will pass a certain point (3 miles x 5,280' per mile times one person every three feet (i.e., divided by three) = 5,280). There are 8,760 hours in a year (24 x 365). Thus, in one year 46,252,800 persons will pass you. Since only 11 million would have been born, the line would eventually end as 35 million of the general population would also have to pass. The line would end almost 35 years in the future (assuming the factors remain constant), which is calculated by dividing the 1,221,592,000 by 35,252,000.

Comments on the others:
“Facts” numbered 34 and 35 were reported once in the press from someone’s claims. They may have been true for that particular instance, but I wouldn’t consider them accurate.

There are a couple of others that I doubt, but this is enough input for this evening.

Cordially,

Russ

Edited at request of Member due to duplicate Post. TJ

[This message has been edited by TexasJoe (edited 08-13-2000).]

just say wow
n take a bow!
(no rhyme intended)

Thanks fellow triviaites (sp?) for all the info. And a special thanks to Russ for all the *wonderful* documentation.

I second that gtho4

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New Zealand -
All Blacks

4. On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American flag.

DEFINITELY FALSE.

We don't have $2 dollar bills anymore, but that's a different story. If you can still find one and look on the back, you can see a small flag flying on top of the Peace Tower of the Parliament Building. It does have a darker square in the upper left corner, which makes it look somewhat like the American flag. However, the flag is actually the Canadian Red Ensign, which was the flag used from 1870 to 1965 (before the red and white maple leaf flag we use today).

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I not only use all the brains I have, but all I can borrow. (Woodrow Wilson)

[This message has been edited by Astrix (edited 08-15-2000).]

#28 is definitely true. In layman's terms, the force exerted by a sneeze is enough that it slightly protrudes the eyeballs. While, of course, your eyes are connected by the optic nerve in the back (therefore, they are not going to completely pop out of your head), the force is great enough to be damaging if the eyes are not closed. The body instinctively protects itself from injury by automatically closing the eyelids during a sneeze.

Several of them are definitely true just by looking at them! For instance, #50 - that one isn't hard to figure out as to its truthfulness!

These factoids are all over the net, and it's amazing how many of them just are NOT true.
Tells ya something about the reliability of the information highway.

Thanks Astrix, since I was loathe to think of the flag one as true. And wouldn;t ya know, I don't have any old $2 bills. That's not like me

Root17,

After a few more hours’ research, here’s my assessment #2 on the “facts.”

True: 9, 10, 16, 29, 54, 55
Probably true: 20, 43, 51,
Depends on interpretation: 56
Probably False: 53
False: 7, 13, 17, 19, 25

Here we go:

7. Two thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
False
“In 1997, eggplant was produced on 1,700 acres in Florida, with a total yield of 544,000 cwt (yield per acre = 320 cwt/acre) and a total value of $14,144,000 (cf. New Jersey -- 900 acres; 194,000 cwt; 215 cwt/acre; $3,414,000).” [Horticulture 410 Notes, Purdue University, found at http://www.hort.purdue.edu/rhodcv/hort410/eggpl/eggpl.htm]

Since in 1997 Florida produced 544,000 hundred weight of eggplant, while New Jersey produced only 194,000 hundred weight, two-thirds of the world’s eggplant cannot be grown in New Jersey.

9. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
True.

Here’s my analysis: For the study of cryptology, charts have been created that show the frequency of each letter’s use. Look at a letter frequency chart and sort into the keys that are used by the left and right hands. Then sum the percentage of use as follows:

Left Hand Right Hand
Q 0.11 Y 1.73
W 1.92 U 2.71
E 12.51 I 7.26
R 6.12 O 7.6
T 9.25 P 2
A 8.04 H 5.49
S 6.54 J 0.16
D 3.99 K 0.67
F 2.3 L 4.14
G 1.96 N 7.09
Z 0.09 M 2.53
X 0.19
C 3.06
V 0.99
B 1.54
Totals 58.61% 41.38%

[Source: “Code Breaking: A History and Exploration,” Rudolf Kippenhahn, The Overlook Press, Woodstock, NY, 1999. Page 89.]

Thus, from the letters typed, the left hand does 58.6% of the typing, assuming the words typed are English.

However, the right hand also types the comma, period, colon and semicolon. While I cannot find a frequency distribution that includes these punctuation marks, it is reasonable to assume that they will result in the 56% percent of the typing being done by the left hand. Thus, the statement is probably true.

10. There are more chickens than people in the world.
True

“In the mid-1990s the worldwide population of chickens was estimated at 12.7 billion.” [Funk & Wagnalls Multimedia Encyclopedia, “Poultry Farming” 1999.]

“According to estimates by the UN Population Information Network, the world population reached 6 billion on Oct. 12, 1999.” [The World Almanac and Book of Facts: 2000, p 878]

13. All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill. (old or new design or both?)
False

I have taken a magnifying glass (4 power – that print is small) and read the words across the top of the Lincoln Memorial. There are two rows, each a list of states.
On the old $5 bill (I examined one that is in excellent shape), the names of the states are not printed clear enough to be able to read them. Most of the letters in those states are represented merely by faint vertical lines of differing heights. Only on the bottom row was I able to read “New Jersey” (third from left), “Maryland” (in center) and “New York” (far right). With the 4X glass, it is clear that most of the state names are not reproduced on the bill, just symbolized with faint lines.

On the new $5 bill, the detail is significantly improved. I could read all the states listed:

Top row contains: Arkansas, Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, Wisconsin, California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, West Virginia, Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota

Bottom row contains: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, Carolina, Hampshire, Virginia, New York

That makes 26 listings, of which two are incomplete: “Carolina” and “Hampshire.”

Of course, the picture on the $5 bill shows just the front view of the Washington Memorial. The other states could be listed on the sides or back of the Memorial. Yet, since the Memorial was completed in 1922, when there were just 48 states, I doubted that all 50 states would be on the frieze.

Then I found:
“The names of the 48 states in the Union when the memorial was completed in 1922 are carved on the walls above the frieze. A plaque honoring the subsequent entry of Alaska and Hawaii is in the approach plaza.” [Washington D.C.: Official National Park Guidebook, U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D.C., 1989. p. 101]

So, even if the $5 bills shows all the states on the Lincoln Memorial, there would not be 50 states listed.

16. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
True

Basis: Personal research in pronouncing each state’s name.

17. There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
False

There are also (from The American Heritage Dictionary):
apodous adj. Having no limbs, feet, or footlike appendages.

molybdous adj. Designating molybdenum or a compound containing molybdenum, especially with a valence of less than 6.

palladous adj. Of or designating compounds that contain palladium, especially with valence 2.

polypodous adj. Biology. Having numerous feet.

19. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
False.

“Cats also have an acute sense of hearing. Their ears contain almost 30 muscles (compared with 6 in humans); as a result, they can turn them many times more quickly in the direction of a sound than can a dog.” [Encyclopedia Britannica, “Domestic Cats” 1999] Thus, while the ears contain many muscles, they don’t contain as many as 32.

20. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Probably true.

“The ostrich has the largest eyes of any land animal. Each eye can be up to two inches in diameter.” [“The Guinness Book of Records: 1999,” Page 206.] “The head is small, the bill short and rather wide; the big brown eyes have thick black lashes.” [“Encyclopedia Britannica,” “Ostrich” 1999]
25. A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
False.

I could find no record that indicated that the dragonfly was short-lived.

“The length of time that dragonflies spend in nymphal form varies from one to three or more years, during which the nymph molts ten or more times. When nymphs have fully matured they leave the water and undergo metamorphosis into the adult form.” [Funk & Wagnalls Multimedia Encyclopedia, “Dragonfly” 1999] Further reading on articles on the dragonfly indicate that it has an average life span for an insect.

However, I remember that the Mayfly has a very short life:

Mayfly - “Chewing mouthparts in the aquatic larvae are vestigial in the adult, which lives just long enough to mate and reproduce.” [Encyclopedia Britannica, “Mayfly.”] Chewing mouthparts in the aquatic larvae are vestigial in the adult, which lives just long enough to mate and reproduce. [Mircosoft Encarta, “Mayfly”]

Believe the writer meant “Mayfly.”

29. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
True

“The world’s largest invertebrate, the Atlantic giant squid, has the largest eye of any animal, living or extinct. A record breaking specimen found in Thimble Tickle Bay, Newfoundland, Canada, in 1878 had eyes estimated to have been 20 inches in diameter.” [“The Guinness Book of World Records: 1999.” Page 198-199]

43. If you keep a Goldfish in the dark room, it will eventually turn white.
Probably true.

The Chinese are know to “produce” albino forms, which could be via the method of keeping the fish in the dark over generations.

“The best-known domestic varieties of goldfish are golden red. Blind, albino forms have been produced by the Chinese, and varieties of these, completely white, or white with red fins, or silvery, compose the important fancy breeds of silverfishes.” [Microsoft Encarta, “Goldfish”]

51. A snail can sleep for 3 years.
Probably true.

“Land snails are particularly well adapted to changes in moisture; some desert species are able to remain sealed within their thick shells for two or more years.” [Funk & Wagnalls Multimedia Encyclopedia, “Snail” 1999]

53. The electric chair was invented by a dentist.
Probably false.

“The idea of inflicting capital punishment by electrocution was conceived by one Harold P. Broad, a strange and rather shadowy figure who conducted the initial experiment with equipment placed at this disposal by Thomas Alva Edison. Assisted by Dr. A. E. Kennelly, Edison’s Chief Electrician. [“The Book of Firsts,” Patrick Robertson, Bramhall House, New York, 1974. Page 96.]

A few other sources listed Mr. Broad as the inventor: None listed his occupation, but list him as a “Mr.” or omit the title.. So, it appears that Mr. Broad was not a dentist and it is unlikely that “Dr.” Kennelly had his doctorate in dentistry if he was an electrician.

54. Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, with a population of 1000 and a size of 108.7 acres.
True

But there are some smaller “states” that are recognized only by a few nations.

“The smallest independent country in the world is the State of Vatican City or Holy See, which was made an enclave within the city of Rome, Italy on 11 Feb 1929.

“The official residence, since 1834, of the Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of Malta, totaling three acres and comprising the Villa del Priorato di Malta . . . retains certain diplomatic privileges, as does 68 via Condotti, also in Rome. The Order had accredited representatives to foreign governments and its legal status is the same as other states, hence it is sometimes cited as the world’s smallest “state.” [The Guinness Book of Records: 1993 p. 170]

“In 1966 a former British major named Roy Bates moved, with his wife and son, to a 10-by-25 foot caisson built seven miles off the British coast during World War II. Bates named the platform ‘Sealand,’ declared it to be an independent country, . . . . Today Sealand is the world’s smallest country, and King Roy still reigns.” [2201 Fascinating Facts, David Louis, Wings Books, New York, 1983. p. 331]

I’m discounting that “Sealand” is truly a country or is still a country (the book’s 1983 date was some time ago), but list it to show how a “fact” can have some grey areas.

55. You share your birthday with at least 9 million other people in the world.
True

There are 6 billion people in the world and 365 1/4 days in a year. If you divide 6 billion by 365.25, you get 16.427 million.

Thus, assuming that births on any particular day of the year do not vary greatly from the number of births on any other day, at least 9 million persons celebrate their birthday on the same day that you do.

“According to estimates by the UN Population Information Network, the world population reached 6 billion on Oct. 12, 1999.” [The World Almanac and Book of Facts: 2000, p 878]

56. No President of the United States was an only child.
True or False, depending on how you look at it.

“Presidents who were only children: None.” [“World Almanac of Presidential Facts,” Lu Ann Paletta and Fred L. Worth, World Almanac, New York, 1988, p. 206] But this was written before Clinton became president.

“President William J. Clinton has no full siblings. He was an only child from his mother’s first marriage. From his mother’s second marriage he has a half-brother, Roger Clinton.” [“The Complete Book of U.S. Presidents,” William A. DeGregorio, Wings Books, New York, 1993, page 705.] From this, it is seen that Clinton was an only child of his biological parents.

Thus, of all president prior to Clinton, none was an only child. Whether you consider Clinton to have a sibling depends on how you interpret the information. Your choice.

On the matter of references:

I’d like to point out that my 1993 copy of Guinness is the full-sized hardback, while my 1999 copy of Guinness is a paper back. In comparing the two for this research, I found that the 1999 paperback completely omits the “Political and Social” chapter that contains the Vatican City info

Cordially,

Russ

Wow! Thanks, Russ.

#53 :TRUE

Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo dentist, is credited as being the first to come up with the idea of using electricity to kill condemned criminals in 1881. But several other people have claimed to be the "father" of the notorious chair.

A lobbyist for Thomas Edison was credited with early experiments and building the device for the first electrocution at Auburn Prison in New York. Two other men were credited with designing the chair.

Roxanne33,

Thanks for the info on Alfred P. Southwick, a Buffalo dentist, being "credited as being the first to come up with the idea of using electricity to kill condemned criminals in 1881."

As often happens, reference books will disagree, so it looks like we've got some more research to do.

Please provide the source of the statement on Mr. Southwick.

Cordially,

Russ