24 interesting facts about Christmas

1. At Christmas, it is traditional to exchange kisses beneath the mistletoe tree. In ancient Scandinavia, mistletoe was associated with peace and friendship. That may account for the custom of "kissing beneath the mistletoe".
2. Although now mostly vegetarian, in Victorian times, mince pies were made with beef and spices.
3. Christmas trees become popular in the UK from 1841 when Prince Albert erected a tree in Windsor Castle following a German tradition. Fir trees have been decorated at Christmas time in Germany since the 8th century.
4. Carols began as an old English custom called wassailing, toasting neighbours to a long life.
5. Frumenty was a spiced porridge, enjoyed by both rich and poor. It was a forerunner of modern Christmas puddings. It is linked in legend to the Celtic god Dagda, who stirred a porridge made up of all the good things of the earth.
6. English Puritan leader Oliver Cromwell banned Christmas between 1647 and 1660 because he believed such celebrations were immoral for the holiest day of the year.
7. In 1999, residents of the state of Maine in America built the world's biggest ever snowman. He stood at 113ft tall.
8. Gold-wrapped chocolate coins commemorate St Nicholas who gave bags of gold coins to the poor.
9. Many theologians estimate that Jesus wasn't born on December 25 but sometime in September between 6BC and 30AD.
10. Nearly 60 million Christmas trees are grown each year in Europe.

Interesting facts about celebrities

• Actor Val Kilmer grew up on Roy Rogers' ranch.
• Actor Mark Wahlberg has a third nipple!
• Al Capone died in prison from syphillis - despite being the first sufferer to be treated with antibiotics!
• Adult movie star, Ron Jeremy, has a master's degree in Special Education.
• Albert Einstien never wore any socks.
• Albert Einstein was offered the presidency of Israel in 1952, but he declined.
• Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a belly button.
• Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were both epileptic.
• Arthur Conan Doyle, author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, was an ophthalmologist by profession!
• An American urologist once bought Napoleon's penis for $40,000.
• Betsy Ross was born with a fully formed set of teeth.

26 interesting facts about business

1. 7-eleven sells 10,000 pots of coffee an hour, every hour, every day.
2. 20% of tuxedo rentals take place in May.
3. 90% of all restaurants fail during their first year of operation.
4. 80% of Publishers' Clearing House $10 million winners did not purchase any magazine subscriptions!
5. Cow is a Japanese brand of shaving foam.
6. Colgate's first toothpaste came in a jar.
7. Duracell, the battery-maker, built parts of its new international headquarters using materials from its own waste.
8. If Wal-Mart was classified as a country, it would be the 24th most productive country in the world.
9. Henry Ford, father of the Automobile, is also father of the charcoal briquette.
10. In Australia, Burger King is called Hungry Jack's.
11. In 2004, The Japanese Ice Cream Association promoted "raw horse flesh" ice cream in hopes that it would boost the popularity of ice cream!
12. Microsoft made $16,005 in revenue in its first year of operation.
13. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch or clock is usually 10:10.
14. Oil tycoon, John D. Rockefeller, was the world's first billionaire.
15. Nearly 22,000 checks will be deducted from the wrong account over the next hour.
16. Over 4.6 million Whopper sandwiches are sold at Burger King every day!
17. The first product that Sony came out with was the rice cooker.
18. The creator of the NIKE Swoosh symbol was paid only $35 for the design.
19. The man who created the Thighmaster was once a Bhuddist Monk.
20. The first product that the toy company Mattel came out with was picture frames.
21. There is no tipping at restaurants in Japan.
22. The most productive day of the workweek is Tuesday.
23. Warner Chappel Music owns the copyright to the song 'Happy Birthday'. They make over $1 million in royalties every year from the commercial use of the song.
24. Walt Disney World generates about 120,000 pounds of garbage every day.
25. Yahoo! was originally called 'Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web'.
26. When Scott Paper Company first started manufacturing toilet paper they did not put their name on the product because of embarrassment.

36 interesting facts about animals

1. A jellyfish is 95 percent water
2. 7,000 new insect species are discovered every year.
3. A bird 'chews' with its stomach.
4. A baby octopus is about the size of a flea at birth.
5. A blue whale's heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle!
6. A blue whale's aorta (the main blood vessel) is large enough for a human to crawl through.
7. A chicken will lay bigger and stronger eggs if you change the lighting in such a way as to make them think a day is 28 hours long!
8. A chameleon's tongue is twice the length of its body.
9. A completely blind chameleon will still take on the colors of its environment.
10. A cockroach can live several weeks with its head cut off - it dies from starvation!

What Causes Avalanches?

An avalanche is a snowslide or a landslide. The snow or rocks come sliding down a steep slope. Most avalanches are near the tops of mountains. Slopes are likely to be very steep there.

Mountain climbing can be dangerous to the people who are doing the climbing. It can be dangerous, too, to the people down below, for a party of mountain climbers can easily start an avalanche. Even a moun­tain goat, by walking out on a snow field or a field of loose stones, can start one.

When a snowslide starts, it may make as much noise as a cannon. The snow may travel down the slope at a speed of 200 miles an hour. At the foot of the slope it may bury roads or railroads or even whole villages.

Landslides are usually not so noisy when they start. But, if the land that is sliding is made up mostly of loose rocks, the rocks sometimes sound like a great pack of dogs as they come down. Landslides may bury roads and railroads and villages, just as snowslides sometimes do.

Snowslides happen most often in the spring, when the snow is beginning to melt. Landslides are most likely to come after heavy rains or during spring thaws.

8 interesting facts about Panama

1. The Panama Canal, built by the United States after Panama’s independence from Colombia in 1903, joins the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
2. With 5,637 kilometers of coastline and more than 1,518 islands, Panama has more beaches than one can imagine.
3. Panama has the 2nd largest number of offshore-registered companies after Hong Kong.
4. Panama has the most varieties of birds anywhere in the world.
5. Panama has the smallest population in Central America .
6. In 1990, Panama’s army was abolished and the Panamanian Public Forces were created for police purposes.
7. Panama is in the same time zone as New York and Washington DC.
8. Panama City is among the top retirement locations in the world.

Facts about tourism
Facts about airports
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9 interesting facts about Thailand

1. The Thai name for Bangkok is Krung Thep but it is also known as City of Angels.
2. Thailand is often nicknamed as the “Land Of Smiles,” because of the perceived gentleness of its people. Thailand is also known as the “Land of white Elephant.
3. The Orchid is Thailand’s best flowering export. Exports of the Orchid are valued at US$250million annually.
4. “The Beach” starring Leonardo di Caprio was filmed on Phi Phi Island.
5. Thailand is the 49th country area wise, with its total land area of 514,000 km² .
6. 95% of the Thai people are Buddhists of the Theravada tradition.
7. Thailand’s national anthem was composed by a German, Peter Feit.
8. Thai people learn English since we are 6 years old. But never be able to use it in real life
9. Red Bull, the rather famous energy drink, has its origins in Thailand, and was originally called Red Guar.

Facts about tourism
Facts about airports
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10 Interesting facts about Switzerland

1. There are 26 cantons in Switzerland. Each one of them acts as a separate state and has its own constitution, legislature, government and courts.
2. Extending across the north and south side of the Alps, Switzerland comprises a great diversity of landscapes and climates on a limited area of 41,285 square kilometres (15,940 sq mi).
3. Founded in 1291 as a union of three cantons chafing against Habsburg rule, Switzerland has been independent since 1815.
4. Switzerland has more than 1,500 lakes, and it is said that you are never more than 10 miles from a lake anywhere in the country.
5. The average Swiss eats 23 lbs of chocolate per year compared to the 11.7 lbs consumed by each American annually.
6. 60% of Switzerland’s electricity is produced by hydroelectric power.
7. Switzerland has the 2nd highest life expectancy (first is Sweden).
8. The highest Waterfall in Europe is the Mürrenbachfall with a 2450 foot drop.
9. Switzerland has 48 peaks above 13000 feet.
10. Zurich and Geneva are amongst the most populated cities of Switzerland. Geneva is particularly known for its beautiful museums and rich culture.

Facts about tourism
Facts about airports
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9 interesting facts about Saudi Arabia

1. The first university in Saudi Arabia was founded in 1957.
2. Extreme heat and aridity are characteristic of most of Saudi Arabia. It is one of the few places in the world where summer temperatures above 50 °C (122 °F) have been recorded, with 51.1 °C (124 °F) being the highest temperature ever recorded in Saudi Arabia at Dhahran in 1956.
3. Saudi Arabia is keeper of Islam’s most sacred cities: Mecca, where the Prophet Muhammad received the word of Allah.
4. The Arab calendar is a lunar calendar. The cycle of the moon’s phases takes a little over 29 1/2 days and therefore in an Arab calendar a lunar year contains 354 days and some hours.
5. Saudi Arabia is the 14th largest country on earth.
6. 75 % of Saudi Arabia population is younger than 35 years old.
7. The largest city in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh (pop. 4,193,000), is the 69th largest city on earth by population.
8. More than half the area of Saudi Arabia is desert.
9. Saudi Arabia exports more oil than any other nation and holds 25 percent of the world’s proven reserves.

9 interesting facts about Cuba

1. The Flag of Cuba was designed in 1850 by rebels that wanted independence form Spain.
2. Cuba comprises of more than 4,000 islands and cays.
3. Cuba is the most populated country in the whole of the Caribbean.
4. Butterfly Jasmine is the official Flower of Cuba.
5. When Christopher Columbus first stumbled upon Cuba in 1492 he thought he had landed in China. Cuba was claimed by Christopher Columbus as a Spanish colony in 1492.
6. Rumba, Salsa, Cha-cha-cha Music and Dance are the passions of Cubans.
7. Only Russia, which is much larger, has more nickel reserves than Cuba.
8. Tourism is Cuba’s main source of hard currency. The Government predicts seven million visitors a year by 2010.
9. Fidel Castro led Cuba for 49 years and was the world’s third longest-serving head of state, after Britain’s Queen Elizabeth and the King of Thailand.

9 Interesting facts about hedgehogs

1. A hedgehog is one of the few animals that hibernate.
2. Whenever a hedgehog feels threatened, it curls itself into a ball. It does so by lowering its quills, making use of the two large muscles on either side of its back.
3. A hedgehog has an excellent sense of smell, which allows it to detect a worm lying even under the ground.
4. Hedgehogs do not form groups. Rather, they lead to a solitary life, coming together only to mate.
5. Hedgehogs build a special hibernation nest in winters, known as a hibernaculum. It helps keep them frost free and dry throughout winter.
6. The babies of a hedgehog are born blind, but start seeing within a period of two weeks.
7. The normal heartbeat of a hedgehog is 190 beats per minutes. However, it comes down to just 20 beats per minute, when it is hibernating.
8. The babies of a hedgehog leave their mother as well as their nest when they are around 4-5 weeks old.
9. The breeding season of a hedgehog is around April to September, while the main period of activity is May and June.

10 Interesting facts about Ladybugs

1. While eating, ladybugs chew from side to side and not up and down like humans.
2. While flying, a ladybug beats wings 85 times in a sec.
3. A ladybug bites if you squeeze it, but the bite doesn’t hurt.
4. Ladybugs produce a chemical substance that smells and tastes horrible. It prevents them from predators and birds.
5. In winters, ladybugs do not eat and survive on their stored fat.
6. The spots on the body of the ladybug fade, as it gets older.
7. In many countries, like Iran and Switzerland, ladybugs are considered auspicious and symbols of good luck.
8. The size of male ladybug is smaller than the female.
9. Ladybugs even use their feet to smell.
10. Ladybugs are found in many colors. Some have spots, while some do not.

12 Interesting facts about Manatee

1. Manatees are a migratory species and the animal can be found migrating to distant areas in summers.
2. Manatees are believed to have evolved from a wading, plant-eating animal. Their closest land relatives are elephant and hyrax.
3. On an average, manatees travel about 40 to 50 miles a day
4. A manatee spends most of its time in eating, resting and traveling.
5. Manatees give birth to a single young one, known as calf, every 2-5 years. Twins are very rare.
6. It is believed that manatees are near-sighted, but can differentiate between colors.
7. The calf of a manatee usually remains dependent on its mother for one to two years.
8. A manatee is capable of exchanging 98 percent of its lungs capacity in a single breath.
9. Manatees do not have external ear lobes, still they can hear pretty well.
10. Manatees are an endangered species, protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act, Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act and Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act.
11. Manatees can eat 10-15 percent of their body weight daily.
12. Manatees are an endangered species, protected under the Federal Endangered Species Act, Federal Marine Mammal Protection Act and Florida Manatee Sanctuary Act.

12 Interesting facts about Bats

1. A little brown bat (myotis) can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in one hour.
2. Bats are the only mammal that can actually fly and make up the second largest order of mammals in the world.
3. Agricultural plants like bananas, bread-fruit, mangoes, cashews, dates and figs rely on bats for pollination and seed dispersal.
4. A mother bat can locate her pup (baby) out of millions in a roost, by tracking down its scent and sound.
5. Frog eating bats differentiate between edible and poisonous frogs by listening to the mating calls of male frogs.
6. Bats give birth to only one baby in a year, making them one of the slowest reproducing mammals on earth for their size.
7. Most of the bats have very good eyesight. They also have excellent echolocation skills.
8. Giant flying foxes, which are native to Indonesia, have a wingspan of nearly six feet.
9. The tiny woolly bats of West Africa live in the large webs of colonial spiders.
10. The bumblebee bat of Thailand is the smallest mammal in the world.
11. Honduran white bat is completely white in color, with the exception of yellow nose and ears.
12. Vampire bats are one of the few mammals who risk their own lives to share food with the less fortunate roost-mates.

What is bacteriology?

The study of bacteria is called bacteriology. It is one of the more modern sciences.
Bacteria were first seen through a microscope nearly 300 years ago, but no one knew they were important until 200 years later. Then scientists began to find out how much these tiny plants help and harm us. After that the science of bacteriology grew fast. From the first most bacteriologists have been chiefly interested in the bacteria that cause disease.

In the beginning scientists had trouble raising only the kinds of bacteria they were interested in studying. Other kinds grew right along with the wanted kinds. It was hard to shut out these unwanted bacteria. But finally scientists learned how, and now they raise just the kinds they wish to study.

Something about Relativity

Observations of motion rely on your frame of reference. Experiments with light reveal that the speed of light is always the same, regardless of the motion of the light source or the motion of the observer! To understand this, think about a rocket docked on the Earth and another rocket traveling directly toward the Sun at great speed. The light from the Sun reaches each rocket at the same speed of 300 000 000 m/s.

The constant speed of light is the basis of Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity. He reasoned that space and time are connected into one whole, called space-time. You are constantly traveling through this combination of space and time. When you stand still, vou travel only through time. When you move, you travel through space as well as through time. Einstein's theory predicts that if you could move at the speed of light, you would travel only through space, not through time.