Showing posts with label trivia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label trivia. Show all posts
December 26, 2015
December 17, 2015
Milky Way
If every star in the Milky Way was a grain of salt, they would fill an Olympic sized swimming pool.
(Click graphic for larger view - it's beautiful)
"Milky Way Arch" by Bruno Gilli/ESO
http://www.eso.org/public/images/milkyway/
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Commons
(Click graphic for larger view - it's beautiful)
"Milky Way Arch" by Bruno Gilli/ESO
http://www.eso.org/public/images/milkyway/
Licensed under CC BY 4.0 via Commons
December 16, 2015
The Ancient Spoon
Spoons were invented at least a thousand years before forks. It is thought the earliest ones were natural items, such as seashells or conveniently shaped stones. Later versions were carved from wood, but the wealthy had ones made from bronze or silver.
That said, knives were the earliest utensil used for eating.
December 11, 2015
December 10, 2015
Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding
On this day in history in 1967, Otis Redding and members of the Bar-Kays band died when their plane crashed into Lake Monona, just a few miles from the Madison, Wisconsin airport. Weather was thought to be a factor in the crash, but the exact cause was never determined.
Four months after his death at the age of twenty six, Redding's ("Sitting on the) Dock of the Bay", the last song he ever recorded, reached the top spot on the pop music charts. It was his first No. 1 hit as well as being the first posthumous single to top the charts in the U.S.
Four months after his death at the age of twenty six, Redding's ("Sitting on the) Dock of the Bay", the last song he ever recorded, reached the top spot on the pop music charts. It was his first No. 1 hit as well as being the first posthumous single to top the charts in the U.S.
The Meat of the Matter
The average American eats about 200 sandwiches every day.
When I first saw that bit of trivia, I thought "That can't be right! I'm an old bachelor and probably eat more sandwiches than the average person, but I don't eat THAT many!" Doing the math, I figured that each American consumes nearly four sandwiches per week. That figure still seemed higher than the amount I eat a week, though.
After doing a little research, I found out that 50 percent of America eats a sandwich daily. It made me think about my own sandwich consumption and considering that - probably every other day - I eat a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit for breakfast, that probably counts as a sandwich, too. In fact, I had one for breakfast earlier today and two small turkey sandwiches for supper.
Oh well, I guess I really am above the mean on sandwich consumption.
When I first saw that bit of trivia, I thought "That can't be right! I'm an old bachelor and probably eat more sandwiches than the average person, but I don't eat THAT many!" Doing the math, I figured that each American consumes nearly four sandwiches per week. That figure still seemed higher than the amount I eat a week, though.
After doing a little research, I found out that 50 percent of America eats a sandwich daily. It made me think about my own sandwich consumption and considering that - probably every other day - I eat a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit for breakfast, that probably counts as a sandwich, too. In fact, I had one for breakfast earlier today and two small turkey sandwiches for supper.
Oh well, I guess I really am above the mean on sandwich consumption.
November 27, 2015
Diamonds Are Forever
And a lot of the time they last longer than the marriage.
The average size of an American diamond engagement ring is 0.8 carats.
The average size of an American diamond engagement ring is 0.8 carats.
This Diamond Ring - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Thanksgiving Turkey Trivia
* It's unclear if the Pilgrims ate turkey at the first Thanksgiving. At the time, "turkey" meant any kind of fowl.
* Evidence indicates that turkeys have been around for more than 10 million years.
* Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days.
* A baby turkey is called a "poult."
* A mature turkey has about 3,500 feathers.
* More than 45 million turkeys are consumed during Thanksgiving.
* The average weight of a Thanksgiving turkey is 15 pounds.
* The typical 15-pound turkey is 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
* A nest of turkey eggs is called a "clutch."
* The "caruncle" is the reddish, fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of a turkey. The red, fleshy growth from the base of a turkey's beak that hangs down over the neck is called the "snood."
* Evidence indicates that turkeys have been around for more than 10 million years.
* Turkey eggs hatch in 28 days.
* A baby turkey is called a "poult."
* A mature turkey has about 3,500 feathers.
* More than 45 million turkeys are consumed during Thanksgiving.
* The average weight of a Thanksgiving turkey is 15 pounds.
* The typical 15-pound turkey is 70 percent white meat and 30 percent dark meat.
* A nest of turkey eggs is called a "clutch."
* The "caruncle" is the reddish, fleshy growth on the head and upper neck of a turkey. The red, fleshy growth from the base of a turkey's beak that hangs down over the neck is called the "snood."
November 26, 2015
giblets
giblets
gib·lets [jib-lits] plural noun
the heart, liver, gizzard, and the like, of a fowl, often cooked separately.
There IS one more definition, classified as slang, but I didn't see it at Dictionary.com. It was a LONG time ago during a football practice and after a play, one of my teammates was still on the ground after the play was over. The coach leaned over the prostrate boy asking him where it hurt. I wasn't close enough to hear the muffled answer, but the coach got up with a smile on his face.
"He'll be all right." he informed the rest of us. "He just got hit in the giblets."
That was a scene that came to mind at every Thanksgiving dinner after that.
Since the Word of the Day was more-or-less related to Thanksgiving, I'll just combine two posts into one. I was going to write one about how many calories were in the average Thanksgiving dinner: from 3-4,000 and the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone, according to the Calorie Control Council. (there were other sources that cited different numbers, but I like the alliteration of that website's name)
That would take a LOT of exercise to work off that many calories! A nice brisk walk would be better than spending the day in a gym, so check out the Walking Calories Calculator to see how far/fast you need to walk to get rid of those excess calories, or you can use the Holiday Calorie Counter to figure both the calories in your holiday meal and the amount of exercise needed to work off the meal.
I have my Thanksgiving meal already prepared.
Pathetic, huh? One good thing is that it will be ready in a minute and a half after I pop it in the microwave; another good thing is that it's only 290 calories with 9 grams of fat. I'll work that off watching the football games on TV!
the heart, liver, gizzard, and the like, of a fowl, often cooked separately.
There IS one more definition, classified as slang, but I didn't see it at Dictionary.com. It was a LONG time ago during a football practice and after a play, one of my teammates was still on the ground after the play was over. The coach leaned over the prostrate boy asking him where it hurt. I wasn't close enough to hear the muffled answer, but the coach got up with a smile on his face.
"He'll be all right." he informed the rest of us. "He just got hit in the giblets."
That was a scene that came to mind at every Thanksgiving dinner after that.
Since the Word of the Day was more-or-less related to Thanksgiving, I'll just combine two posts into one. I was going to write one about how many calories were in the average Thanksgiving dinner: from 3-4,000 and the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone, according to the Calorie Control Council. (there were other sources that cited different numbers, but I like the alliteration of that website's name)
That would take a LOT of exercise to work off that many calories! A nice brisk walk would be better than spending the day in a gym, so check out the Walking Calories Calculator to see how far/fast you need to walk to get rid of those excess calories, or you can use the Holiday Calorie Counter to figure both the calories in your holiday meal and the amount of exercise needed to work off the meal.
I have my Thanksgiving meal already prepared.
Pathetic, huh? One good thing is that it will be ready in a minute and a half after I pop it in the microwave; another good thing is that it's only 290 calories with 9 grams of fat. I'll work that off watching the football games on TV!
November 24, 2015
November 23, 2015
The Toxic Avocado
At least they are to some animals, such as horses, cattle, goats and birds.
From the ASPCA website:
Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark may contain a toxic principle known as persin. The Guatemalan variety, a common one found in stores, appears to be the most problematic. Other varieties of avocado can have different degrees of toxic potential.
From the ASPCA website:
Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark may contain a toxic principle known as persin. The Guatemalan variety, a common one found in stores, appears to be the most problematic. Other varieties of avocado can have different degrees of toxic potential.
November 21, 2015
November 19, 2015
Largest Eggs in the World
The ostrich lays the largest eggs on land, but the whale shark lays the largest eggs in the world.*
An egg from a whale shark measuring 14 inches in diameter was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953.
An egg from a whale shark measuring 14 inches in diameter was found in the Gulf of Mexico in 1953.
*Not counting the huge eggs the Cowboys have laid in several games this season.
November 15, 2015
November 13, 2015
Lethal Buzz
A lethal dose of caffeine is about 10 grams or a hundred cups of coffee consumed within 4 hours.
November 12, 2015
QWERTY Trivia
F-G-H and J-K-L are the only three consecutive letter sets on a QWERTY style keyboard and they are right next to each other.
November 11, 2015
Lots of Licks
It takes somewhere between 144 and 411 licks to get to the center of a Tootsie PopTM
For your musical enjoyment, a topical video:
For your musical enjoyment, a topical video:
November 10, 2015
Not The Last, But The First
The drinking straw was developed by the Egyptians in order to taste beer without removing the fermenting ingredients that floated on top of the container. The oldest straw ever found was in a Sumerian tomb and was a tube made of gold and inlaid with the precious stone lapis lazuli.
The modern paper straw was invented by Marvin C. Stone in 1888 because the rye grass straw he was using to drink his mint julep was dissolving into the drink and altering the taste.
The modern paper straw was invented by Marvin C. Stone in 1888 because the rye grass straw he was using to drink his mint julep was dissolving into the drink and altering the taste.
November 7, 2015
Hairs to You
The average person has 100,000 hairs on his/her head. Each hair grows about 5 inches every year.
This is one time I'm not proud of at least being average. -sigh-
This is one time I'm not proud of at least being average. -sigh-
November 4, 2015
20 Questions Squared
A 4-year-old child asks an average of 437 questions a day.
pics on Sodahead
pics on Sodahead
I don't ask that many per day, but I do wonder about a good number of things each day and thanks to the Internet, I can find my own answers. The only thing I don't ask that children do is "Why?"...because as an adult (technically), I know there's often no answer at all to that particular question.
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