Facts About All: February 2010

14 interesting facts about yoghurt

Yoghurt or yogurt is a dairy product produced by bacterial fermentation of milk.
Regular yoghurt uses a minimum of 3.5% milk fat and 8.25% milk solids.
The earliest yoghurts were probably spontaneously fermented by wild bacteria Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus native to and named after Bulgaria.
Yoghurt, got is name from the Turkish word “yogurur”, which means “long life” .
In 1916, Isaac Carasso of Barcelona introduced packaged yoghurt to Europe. He dubbed it Danone, his son Daniel’s nickname.
Yoghurt with added fruit jam was patented in 1933 by the Radlická Mlékárna dairy in Prague. It was introduced to the United States in 1947, by Dannon.
There has long been a belief that eating yoghurt is associated with longevity, and many studies have been done.

Your tongue has 3,000 taste buds.
The tongue is the fastest healing part of the body.
The tongue is the strongest muscle in your body, and most flexible.
Is the only muscle with taste sensors. A human has more bacterias in the mouth than a dog.
Close to fifty percent of the bacteria in the mouth lives on the surface of our tongue.
Your tongue is germ free only if it is pink. If it is white there is a thin film of bacteria on it.
Like fingerprints, everyone’s tongue print is different.
Your tongue is the only muscle in your body that is attached at only one end.
Not all our taste buds are on our tongue; about 10% are on the palette and the cheeks.
A chameleon’s tongue is twice the length of its body.

14 facts about Pamela Anderson

Pamela Anderson was born in Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada.
Pamela Anderson graduated from Highland Secondary School in 1985.
Pamela Anderson currently holds dual citizenship in America and Canada.
After all the popularity she gained in Canada, Ken Honey, a freelance photographer, convinced Pam to take a few pics and submit them to Playboy.
Pamela Anderson has graced twelve Playboy covers--more than anyone else.
In 1991, Anderson played "Lisa", the "Tool-Time-Girl" on ABC Television's "Home Improvement". David Hasslehoff happened to be a fan of the show and when he saw Pamela on there, he knew he'd found a new lifeguard for his new series "Baywatch."
Pamela Anderson just got to be one of the first Canadians on Walk of Fame.
Pamela Anderson is a spokes person for PETA.

Orlando Bloom is an English actor. He had his break-through roles in 2001 as the elf-prince Legolas in The Lord of the Rings and starting in 2003 as blacksmith Will Turner in the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy of films.
Orlando Bloom was nominated for Best Movie Actor: Action Adventure (Pirates Of The Caribbean: At World’s End) and Male Hottie at the 2007 Teen Choice Awards.
Orlando Bloom was chosen as one of People Magazine's Sexiest Men Alive for 2007.
Orlando Bloom is afraid of pigs.
In May 2007, Orlando’s hotel room was broken into by a female fan who was angry that he had never spoken to her, even though she had turned up at every one of his movie premieres. Orlando apologized to the fan and gave her a hug.
Orlando Bloom says that he loves traveling on the London Underground because he used to fall in love there all the time when he was younger. It was the easiest way to meet a girl.
Orlando Bloom celebrated his 30th birthday January 13th, 2007, with new girlfriend Penelope Cruz.

The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand.
The Camaro officially went on sale in dealerships on September 29, 1966 for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang.
The car shared its platform and major components with the Pontiac Firebird, also introduced for 1967.
The Camaro is classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car.
The 1967 Camaros did not have side marker lights.
The 1967 Camaro was the only Camaro model to have its VIN tag mounted to the door hinge pillar. The VIN tags of later models moved to positions visible through the windshield.
The ignition for the 1967 model (and 1968) was located on the dash.
The 1967 was the only Camaro model to feature side vent windows.
The headlight door covers of the 1967 Camaro were electrically operated. Later model years were vacuum operated.
All 1967 Camaros had single leaf rear springs.

15 killer whale (orca) facts

Killer Whales (orcas) are aquatic mammals. They nurse their babies with milk from their mothers.
Orcinus orca is the only recognized species in the genus Orcinus, one of the many species originally described by Linnaeus in 1758 in Systema Naturae.
Killer Whales are cetaceans which belong to the order Delphinidae. This means that they are “Dolphins” regardless the word “whale” is in its name.
The name "killer whale" derives from the Spanish "ballena asesina" ("killer whale" in English), evidently coming from sailors who observed them hunting whales.
"Killer whale" advocates point out that its naming heritage is not limited to Spanish sailors. Indeed, the genus name Orcinus means "of or belonging to the kingdom of the dead"
They are sometimes referred to as blackfish, a name also used for other whale species.
Grampus is a former name for the species, but is now seldom used.

Carnelian (also spelled cornelian) is a reddish-brown mineral which is commonly used as a semi-precious gemstone.
The word carnelian is derived from the Latin word caro, carnis meaning flesh, in reference to the flesh color sometimes exhibited.
This variety of chalcedony with colors between red, brownish red, and orange red was said to have the power to drive away evil and bring good luck.
Similar to carnelian is sard, which is generally harder and darker.
According to Pliny the Elder, sard derives its name from the city of Sardis in Lydia, but it more likely comes from the Persian word sered, meaning yellowish-red.
Carnelian was supposedly the right stone for those with weak or timid voices, because it could give them courage to speak boldly and well.
It was also said to protect against the envious, and was responsible for making sure the desires of its wearer were gratified.

Chrysoprase or chrysophrase is a gemstone variety of chalcedony that contains small quantities of nickel.
It was a particular favorite of Frederick The Great of Prussia, who loved its bright green color.
Chrysoprase is the most valued of all chalcedonies. Alexander the Great wore one on his girdle during all his battles.
Unlike emerald which owes its green color to the presence of chromium, the color of chrysoprase is due to trace amounts of nickel compounds in form of very small inclusions.
The term chrysoprase should be reserved for the natural material. It should not be applied to the green dyed chalcedony that is often sold as «green onyx».
As with all forms of chalcedony, chrysoprase has a hardness of 6 - 7 on the Mohs hardness scale and a conchoidal fracture like flint.
The best known sources of chrysoprase are Queensland, Western Australia, Germany, Poland, Russia, Arizona, California, and Brazil.

15 interesting facts about teeth

Teeth (singular tooth) are small, calcified, whitish structures found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food.
An adult human has 32 permanent teeth.
You get 2 sets of teeth in your lifetime. The first set is your baby teeth. You will start to lose your baby teeth at around 6-7 years of age. By the time your 21 years old, you will only have permanent teeth.
Dinosaur teeth come in a huge range of sizes and shapes–daggers, knives, shears, pegs, combs, rakes, filelike rasps, crushing batteries, and vices.
Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.
Cats have 26 baby teeth and 30 permanent teeth.Dogs have 26 baby teeth and 42 permanent teeth.
Before toothbrushes were invented people used twigs or their fingers to brush their teeth.

The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl, is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula BeAl2O4.
The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός chrysos and βήρυλλος beryllos, meaning "a gold-white spar". But chrysoberyl is more hard and therefore different from the classical gem beryl, which is much softer.
Despite the similarity of their names, chrysoberyl and beryl are two completely different gemstones.
Chrysolite is another name given to the light greenish yellow variety of chrysoberyl that was in fashion during the nineteenth century.
A magnificent 47 carats chrysoberyl is listed in the catalog of the British Museum of Natural History.

Nasal problems such as having allergies or illness can make someone snore.
The 3 main reasons for snoring are: being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol.
Of those who admitted to snoring, 61% claimed they snored every night; whilst 30% claimed they snored 4-6 times per week.
A combination of pseudoephedrine and domperidone shows excellent results (about 95%) in the treatment of severe snoring. The preparation is sold over the counter in some countries.
Conservative estimates indicate that the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom represent over 70 million snorers alone.
There are various natural methods alleged to alleviate snoring. These can be in the form of herbal pills, acupressure devices or specialized acupuncture.
Snoring sounds range from 50dB to 100dB - the equivalent to a pneumatic drill.

Pregnancy (latin "graviditas") is the carrying of one or more offspring, known as a fetus or embryo, inside the womb of a female.
The number of multiple births has increased by more than 400 percent in the last 20 years.
Tuesday is the most popular day for babies making their arrival in the world.
One scientific term for the state of pregnancy is gravid, and a pregnant female is sometimes referred to as a gravida.
Nearly all babies are born with blue or blue-grey eyes. Permanent eye colouration develops during the following months.
During pregnancy, the average woman’s uterus expands up to five hundred times its normal size.
A baby born before 37 weeks of pregnancy, is considered a premature baby.

The hearing of a dog is more sensitive than humans. Dogs can hear much higher frequencies, which is why they respond to “silent” dog whistles.
Crickets have their hearing organs in their knees.
If you cannot carry on a conversation in the presence of noise, it is too loud for your ears and can potentially cause hearing loss.
Snakes do not have ears, but their tongues are sensitive to sound vibrations.
Hearing threshold and the ability to localize sound sources are reduced underwater, in which the speed of sound is faster than in air.
Underwater hearing is by bone conduction, and localization of sound appears to depend on differences in amplitude detected by bone conduction.

The red inclusions in this stone are supposed to resemble spots of blood; hence the name "bloodstone".
Bloodstone is a variety of dark green chalcedony spotted with red is also known as Heliotrope.
The "classic" bloodstone is green chalcedony with red inclusions of iron oxide or red jasper. Sometimes the inclusions are yellow, in which case the mineral is given the name plasma.
Bloodstone was once used as an amulet in the belief that it could stop bleeding. It was also said to be able to turn the sun red and to make thunder and lightning occur. It was supposed to give the wearer clairvoyance while preserving his faculties and health.
The name "heliotrope" (from Greek helios, Sun, trepein, to turn) derives from various ancient notions about the manner in which the mineral reflects light.

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island.
Kingston was founded on 22 July 1692, as a place for refugees and survivors of the 1692 earthquake that destroyed Port Royal.
In 1907, 800 people died in another earthquake known as the 1907 Kingston earthquake, destroying nearly all the historical buildings south of Parade in the city.
In the Americas, Kingston is the largest predominantly English-speaking city south of the United States.
Kingston Parish had a population of 96,052, and St. Andrew parish had a population of 555,828 in 2001.
In 1966 Kingston was the host city to the Commonwealth Games.
Despite the fact that the majority of the population is of African descent, Kingston is also the home to other ethic groups, mostly East Indians and Chinese.
There are a wide variety of Christian churches in the city. Most are Protestant, a legacy of British colonization of the island.
Kingston is surrounded by the Blue Mountains, Red Hills, Long Mountain and the Kingston Harbour.
Kingston has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet-and-dry climate, characterized by a wet season from May to November, which coincides with the hurricane season, and a dry season from December to April.

15 interesting facts about Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti (12 October 1935 – 6 September 2007) was an Italian operatic tenor, who also crossed over into popular music, eventually becoming one of the most commercially successful tenors of all time.
In 1989, the Lyric Opera of Chicago banned Luciano Pavarotti from the stage, because of his well-known habit of canceling at the last minute for booked performances.
Pavarotti began his professional career as a tenor in 1961 in Italy.
In 1982, Luciano Pavarotti starred in the movie "Yes, Gorgio". His role as Georgio earned him two Razzie nominations for Worst Actor and Worst New Star in 1983.
Luciano gained worldwide fame for the brilliance and beauty of his tone, especially into the upper register.
Luciano Pavarotti served as the musical guest on the popular late night NBC series, Saturday Night Live, in 1998.
To pay for voice lessons, Luciano Pavarotti once sold insurance.

The word opera means "work" in Italian (it is the plural of Latin opus meaning "work" or "labour")
The words of an opera are known as the libretto (literally "little book"). Some composers, notably Richard Wagner, have written their own libretti.
During the seventeenth century, women were not allowed to sing onstage, not even in a chorus. Castrated males, or castrati, would sing the soprano/mezzo/alto parts.
The shortest opera is only seven minutes long and is Darius Milhaud’s The Deliverance of Theseus.
Traditional opera, often referred to as "number opera," consists of two modes of singing: recitative, the plot-driving passages sung in a style designed to imitate and emphasize the inflections of speech, and aria (an "air" or formal song) in which the characters express their emotions in a more structured melodic style.
Opera composers would sometimes hire a group of people to cheer their works or boo the works of their rivals.

Aventurine is a form of quartz, characterised by its translucency and the presence of platy mineral inclusions that give a shimmering or glistening effect termed aventurescence.
Aventurine is sometimes found in a reddish brown color, which is caused by inclusions of goethite or hematite.
The appearance of this green variety of quartz is characterized by a spangled or glittery aventurescent effect that can be seen when the stone is rotated in front of a light. This is caused by inclusions of different minerals, mainly platelets of green fuchsite.
The most common colour of aventurine is green, but it may also be orange, brown, yellow, blue, or gray.
Green aventurine quartz is often dyed or sold as jade or nephrite jade. Selling it as any variety of jade is completely forbidden. Real jade is very rare in these colors.
The name aventurine derives from the Italian "a ventura" meaning "by chance". This is an allusion to the lucky discovery of aventurine glass or goldstone at some point in the 18th century.
The majority of green and blue-green aventurine originates in India (particularly in the vicinity of Mysore and Madras) where it is employed by prolific artisans.
Main markets for aventurine are landscape stone, building stone, aquaria, monuments, and jewellery.

9 interesting facts about saliva

Saliva contains the enzyme amylase that breaks some cooked starch down into sugar.
A person cannot taste food unless it is mixed with saliva. For example, if strong-tasting substance like salt is placed on a dry tongue, the taste buds will not be able to taste it. As soon as a drop of saliva is added and the salt is dissolved, however, a definite taste sensation results.
1.7 liters of saliva is made in your mouth for one day.
In the saliva there are chemicals called enzymes.
To make saliva, we need salivary glands.

Aquamarine (from Lat. aqua marina, "sea water") is a blue or turquoise variety of beryl.
When corundum presents the bluish tint of typical aquamarine, it is often termed Oriental aquamarine.
It was also thought to induce sleep.
It has long been considered the symbol of happiness and everlasting youth.
Water in which an aquamarine has been soaked was believed to cure eye troubles and hiccups.
It has been believed that when held in the mouth, aquamarine could enable one to call a devil from hell and receive answers to any questions ask.
Aquamarine alternates with bloodstone as the birthstone for March.
The biggest aquamarine ever mined was found at the city of Marambaia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1910. It weighed over 110 kg, and its dimensions were 48.5 cm long and 42 cm in diameter.

10 interesting acupuncture facts

The word acupuncture comes from the Latin acus, "needle", and pungere, "to prick".
The origins of acupuncture lie in ancient China and can be traced back 5000 years.
Acupuncture is the procedure of inserting and manipulating filiform needles into various points on the body to relieve pain or for therapeutic purposes.
Medicine practitioners use acupuncture to unblock and rebalance the flow of chi to restore health.
There are no age restrictions for acupuncture patients.
According to traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture points are situated on meridians along which qi (a "life energy"), flows.

Her birth name is Nicole Camille Escovedo.
Was adopted by Lionel Richie and his then-wife Brenda Harvey-Richie.
Her godfather is Michael Jackson.
Biological father is Peter Michael Escovedo.
Nicole Richie has been a bad girl because she knows that she is set to inherit her father's $200 million fortune.
Nicole Richie attended The Buckley School with her best friend Paris Hilton.
In 2006, Nicole Richie was named the Worst Dressed Celeb by PETA.

Stress is a key cause of insomnia in many patients.
Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system.
Ancient Greeks found relief from stress by chewing a gum made from a resin.
75% of the general population experiences at least “some stress” every two weeks.
Some of the physical symptoms associated with stress and anxiety syndrome include: depression, hair loss, chest pain, difficulty breathing, overeating and weight gain, heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol.
The term stress was first employed in a biological context by the endocrinologist Hans Selye in the 1930s.
An estimated 1 million workers are absent on an average workday because of stress related complaints.
Stress is how the body reacts to a stressor, real or imagined, a stimulus that causes stress. Acute stressors affect an organism in the short term; chronic stressors over the longer term.
Working mothers, in particular, are among the people most likely to experience stress, particularly when they do not have a lot of support from others.
Up to 5 million people in the UK are ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ stressed through work.

12 interesting facts about Amethyst

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz often used in jewelry.
Purple has long been considered a royal color so it is not surprising that amethyst has been so much in demand during history.
The Greek word "amethystos" may be translated as "not drunken". Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness, which is why wine goblets were often carved from it.
Amethyst is the birthstone for February and the gemstone for the astrological sign of Pisces.
Leonardo Da Vinci wrote that amethyst was able to dissipate evil thoughts and quicken the intelligence.
Amethyst was used as a gemstone by the ancient Egyptians and was largely employed in antiquity for intaglio engraved gems.
The largest amethyst mine in North America is located in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
Because amethyst was thought to encourage celibacy and symbolize piety, it was very important in the ornamentation of Catholic and other churches in the Middle Ages. Amethyst was, in particular, considered to be the stone of bishops and some still wear amethyst rings.
The Greeks believed amethyst gems could prevent intoxication, while medieval European soldiers wore amethyst amulets as protection in battle.
Amethyst was considered to be a strong antidote against drunkenness and the gemstone still symbolizes sobriety. Ceremonial wine is frequently drunk from goblets fashioned from it.
Some fine amethysts are featured in the British Crown Jewels, and have been a favorite with such diverse figures as Egyptian royalty to Catherine the Great, who sent thousand of workers to the Uralian mines to search for the best quality, thus creating the «Siberian»
Up to 18th century amethyst was included in the cardinal, or most valuable, gemstones (along with diamond, sapphire, ruby, and emerald). However since the discovery of extensive deposits in locations such as Brazil it has lost most of its value grade.

11 interesting facts about Vitamins

A vitamin is an organic compound required as a nutrient in tiny amounts by an organism.
The word “ascorbic,” as in ascorbic acid (the name for Vitamin C), means “no scurvy”.
The term 'vitamin' first became popular in the early 1800s as a portmanteau of the words 'vital' and 'mineral', though the actual meaning of the word has developed somewhat since that time.
Vitamin A was given the first letter of the alphabet, as it was the first to be discovered.
Vitamins are classified as either water-soluble or fat soluble. In humans there are 13 vitamins: 4 fat-soluble (A, D, E and K) and 9 water-soluble (8 B vitamins and vitamin C).
Vitamin B6 is found in a wide variety of foods including fortified cereals, beans, meat, poultry, fish, and some fruits and vegetables.
Vitamin C It helps slow down or prevent cell damage. Vitamin C is an antioxidant but is also vital for the production of collagen and enhances iron absorption.
Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant, neutralizing cell-damaging free radicals in the body.
Vitamin E also protects the skin from the harmful effects of ultraviolet light.
Vitamin D (Ergosterol) helps to build bones and teeth, strengthens the nervous system, and assists in normal blood clotting.
It has been proven that cancer is a deficiency disease caused by the lack of Vitamin B17 (Laetrile).

12 interesting Eye Facts

An ostrich’s eye is bigger than it’s brain.
Eyes are organs that detect light, and send electrical impulses along the optic nerve to the visual and other areas of the brain.
The average person blinks 12 times per minute.
Babies cry but don’t produce tears until one to three months after birth.
A weakness of the vertebrate eye is the blind spot at the optic disc where the optic nerve is formed at the back of the eye; there are no light sensitive rods or cones to respond to a light stimulus at this point.
Our eyes are always the same size from birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
96% of animal species possess a complex optical system.

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms and some viruses.
DNA in all humans is 99.9 percent identical. It is about one tenth of one percent that makes us all unique, or about 3 million nucleotides difference.
DNA is often compared to a set of blueprints or a recipe, or a code, since it contains the instructions needed to construct other components of cells, such as proteins and RNA molecules.
A simple list of the bases of the entire DNA is enough to fill 200 New York City phone books.
Within cells, DNA is organized into long structures called chromosomes. These chromosomes are duplicated before cells divide, in a process called DNA replication.
DNA testing can determine if crops are authentic or if certain gourmet foods such as caviar and wine are authentic.
Our genes are remarkably similar to those of other life forms. For example, we share 98% of our genes with chimpanzees, 90% with mice, 85% with zebra and 21% with worms.
The only cells in the human body that do not contain DNA are red blood cells.

14 interesting facts about Amber

The oldest amber recovered dates to the Upper Carboniferous period (320 million years ago).
Amber has been used since antiquity in the manufacture of jewelry and ornaments, and also forms the flavoring for akvavit liquor.
Amber is not a mineral but an organic product. It is fossilized resin of ancient trees living 25 to 50 millions years ago, but some pieces have been found which can be as old as 130 millions years.
Commercially most important are the deposits of Baltic and Dominican amber.
The Greeks called amber «elektron», the word from which electricity was derived because it becomes electrically charged when rubbed with a cloth and can attract small particles.
Amber is a unique preservational mode, preserving otherwise unfossilizable parts of organisms; as such it is helpful in the reconstruction of ecosystems and organisms.
The Greeks thought it was pieces of solidified sunshine, believing solidification occurred when pieces where broken off as the sun sank into the sea.

Dormice can hibernate six months out of the year, or even longer if the weather remains sufficiently cool, sometimes waking for brief periods to eat food they had previously stored nearby.
Because only one species of dormouse is native to the British Isles, in everyday English usage "dormouse" usually refers to this species (the Hazel Dormouse) rather than to the family as a whole.
It is a lively, yet shy animal and is kept as a pet by many people in Europe. With regular interaction by its owners, it becomes hand tamed and usually climbs on them.
Dormice are small for rodents, with a body length of between 6 and 19 cm (2.4 and 7.5 in), and weighing between 15 and 200 g (0.53 and 7.1 oz).
Dormouse is used as food source by humans, as it stores food in its body, in the form of fat. It is either eaten as a tasty appetizer or as a dessert dipped in poppy seeds and honey.
They are generally mouse-like in appearance, but with furred, rather than scaly, tails.
The animal hibernates in winter and the hibernation period can last for more than three quarters of the year, if the weather is cold and bad.
Dormouse fat was used by the Elizabethans to induce sleep.

Acne is basically another word for clogged pore. While skin sheds its cells, not all of the dead skin cells flake away. Sometimes the get stuck on the skin when they mix with your skin’s oils.
An estimated 80 percent of all people between the ages of 11 and 30 have acne outbreaks at some point.
If you already have some trouble with acne, use a product that contains benzoyl-peroxide at night to help kill the bacteria that has already gotten itself trapped in your pores.
There is no known way to prevent the development of acne.
Women’s acne problems fluctuate due to monthly hormone surges which cause an increase in oil production.
If you have oily skin and/or acne, you should wash your face no more than two times a day. Over-washing can dry out the skin, prompting the oil glands to work harder.
Acne is not caused by diet. No scientific connection has been found between diet and acne. Contrary to popular belief acne is not caused by dirt.

Alexandrite from the Ural Mountains in Russia is green by daylight and red by incandescent light.
The mineral chrysoberyl is found in transparent yellow to greenish yellow color, but only two varieties are widely known as gemstones: cat’s eye and alexandrite.
Because of their rarity and the color change capability, "ideal" alexandrite gems are some of the most expensive in the world.
Alexandrite is the extremely rare variety of the mineral chrysoberyl that actually changes color from green, in daylight, to red, in incandescent light.
Synthetic alexandrite is used as an active laser medium. Alexandrite laser crystals tend to be round, with a pale brown tint.

Macaws are small to large, often colourful New World parrots.
Blue & yellow macaw prefers to live in dense forests, where it makes its nest in hollowed trees.
The largest parrot in length and wingspan is the Hyacinth Macaw.
The beak of this beautiful bird is hard and powerful, which helps it to break open hard seeds and even acts as its third foot, while climbing.
A macaw's facial feather pattern is as unique as a fingerprint.
The mates can be easily recognized in the flying flock, where they are seen flying very close to each other.
Macaws are native to Mexico, Central America, South America, and formerly the Caribbean.

The term crying commonly refers to the act of shedding tears as a response to an emotional state in humans.
70% of criers make no attempt to hide their crying.
20% of bouts of crying last longer than 30 minutes.
8% go on for longer than one hour.
Tears are the liquid product of a process of crying to clean and lubricate the eye
39% of crying occurs in the evening, the most popular time compared with morning, afternoon, and night (16, 29 and 17 per cent respectively).
The word lacrimation (from L. Lacrima meaning Tear) (also spelled lachrymation) may also be used in a medical or literary sense to refer to crying.

π (Pi) is an irrational number, which means that its value cannot be expressed exactly as a fraction m/n, where m and n are integers. Consequently, its decimal representation never ends or repeats.
It is also a transcendental number, which implies, among other things, that no finite sequence of algebraic operations on integers (powers, roots, sums, etc.) can be equal to its value.
The Greek letter π, often spelled out pi in text, was adopted for the number from the Greek word for perimeter "περίμετρος", first by William Jones in 1707, and popularized by Leonhard Euler in 1737.
In 1737, Euler used the symbol for pi to be equal to the ratio of the circumference to the diameter in a circle.
The value of pi with first 100 decimal places is: 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679.
The name of the Greek letter π is pi, and this spelling is commonly used in typographical contexts when the Greek letter is not available or its usage could be problematic.
Satan doesn’t appear in Pi to quick, the first time 666 appears is at position 2440.
Throughout the history of mathematics, there has been much effort to determine π more accurately and to understand its nature; fascination with the number has even carried over into non-mathematical culture.
Pi has no zeros in the first 31 digits.
No-one and no machine has been able to find out the exact value of Pi; people have been trying to pin an exact value to Pi for thousands of years.

22 facts about mammals

Bats are the only mammal that can truly fly.
Mammals are the only animals with hair
Mammals have teeth that specialize in cutting and teeth that specialize in chewing and grinding.
Aside from monotremes, all mammals give birth to live young rather than lay eggs. The Platypus is an example of a montreme.
Mammals are one of the 6 main classes of animals.
The word mammal comes from the Latin mamma, meaning breast. This is derived from milk production in females for their young.
Mammals have a four-chambered heart.
Aquatic mammals (dolphins, whales) have fins evolved from legs.

Holland has historically been the leader in windmill technology.
Wind power is the conversion of wind energy into a useful form of energy, such as using wind turbines to make electricity, wind mills for mechanical power, wind pumps for pumping water or drainage, or sails to propel ships.
California is the leading wind power producer in the United States.
On a commercial level, wind power electricity is produce in 30 states.
At the end of 2009, worldwide nameplate capacity of wind-powered generators was 157.9 gigawatts (GW), which is about 1.5% of worldwide electricity usage.
As long as the Sun shines on the Earth, wind power will exist. Since the Sun is expected to shine for anther 4.5 billion years, wind power is considered a renewable power source.
As of May 2009, eighty countries around the world are using wind power on a commercial basis.

Nicole Kidman is the ex-wife of actor Tom Cruise whom she got married to on December 24, 1990 and divorced from on August 8, 2001.
As a teenager, Nicole Kidman was in a band called Divine Madness.
In 1993, Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise supported Sydney's bid to host the 2000 Olympics by spending $150,000 on producing a five minute promotional video of an environmentally friendly Olympic village.
Nicole's first kiss was on stage at an amateur theatre in Sydney, in a play when she was 14 years old.
Nicole's favorite food and drinks are chocolate, ice cream, apple martinis, and pizza.
Nicole Kidman was voted on People magazine's Best-Dressed list in 2005.
One of Nicole's first jobs was an usherette at a cinema in Sydney.

The "Historic Route 66" begins in Chicago at Grant Park on Adams Street in front of the Art Institute of Chicago.
The Art Institute of Chicago holds the largest collection of Impressionist paintings outside the Louvre in Paris.
Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837.
Chicago’s nicknames include: The Windy City, the City of Big Shoulders, the Second City, and The City That Works.
The first Ferris wheel made its debut in Chicago at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. Today, Navy Pier is home to a 15-story Ferris wheel, modeled after the original one.
The first Blood Bank ever in the United States was created in Chicago in 1937.
Chicago is home to eleven Fortune 500 companies, while the rest of the metropolitan area hosts an additional 21 Fortune 500 companies.

The term agate refers only to the translucent type of chalcedony in which the color is distributed in curved bands or layers.
A Mexican agate, showing only a single eye, has received the name of cyclops agate.
Agate was also said to cure insomnia and give to its owner pleasant dreams.
The name agate comes to us through Latin from the Greek word for the river Achates, in Sicily, where this material was first found in significant quantities.
Greek agate is a name given to pale white to tan colored agate found in Sicily back to 400 B.C. The Greeks used it for making jewelry and beads.
Because of its rather porous nature, gray and white agate is particularly susceptible to be dyed in various colors.
Many agates are hollow, since deposition has not proceeded far enough to fill the cavity, and in such cases the last deposit commonly consists of quartz, often amethyst, having the apices of the crystals directed towards the free space so as to form a crystal-lined cavity, or geode.

It was reported by school systems that Edgar Allan Poe showed up in class drunk even during the examinations.
Teachers in China are highly respected. They hardly ever leave the profession and are reasonably paid. Teachers in Germany enjoy the same situation. Teachers in England a poorly regarded.
The women of Iceland earn two-thirds of their nation’s university degrees.
In ancient Greece teachers were paid higher wages than skilled craftsman. They received gifts from citizens also. The highest paid teachers in Greece were music teachers.
More than half of Indonesia’s primary school teachers are under 30 years of age.

In Virginia, the Code of 1930 has a statute which prohibits corrupt practices or bribery by any person other than political candidates.
Women were banned by royal decree from using hotel swimming pools in Jidda, Saudi Arabia, in 1979.
Laws can vary from place to place. For instance, the drinking age in the United States is 21, whereas in Ontario, Canada, nineteen year-olds can drink legally.
In most American states, a wedding ring is exempt by law from inclusion among the assets in a bankruptcy estate. This means that a wedding ring cannot be seized by creditors, no matter how much the bankrupt person owes.
The law is always changing: Some old laws are found to be unnecessary or unfair. Until 1967, it was illegal in some parts of the United States to marry someone of a different race.
The oldest recorded death sentence is contained in the Amherst papyri, dating to 1500 B.C., which listed Egyptian state trials. A teenaged male, convicted of “magic”, was sentenced to kill himself by either poison or stabbing.

Nobel prizes first awarded in five subjects: chemistry, physics, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace.
The Nobel Prize is an annual, international award originating in Sweden. The award was established in 1895 by the Swedish chemist and inventor of dynamite Alfred Bernhard Nobel.
Sweden was home to Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite and other explosives.
Barack Obama won the Nobel Prize fr peace in 2009 for his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.
Pierre and Marie Curie are the first and only husband and wife to receive the Nobel Prize in Physics (in 1903).
The Nobel Prize has been criticised for not always choosing the best candidates, the lack of a Nobel Peace prize for Mahatma Gandhi being a prime example.
Jean Paul Sartre refused the prize for literature in 1964 for fear it would turn him into an institution.
806 Laureates and 23 organizations have been awarded the Nobel Prize between 1901 and 2009.
Although the Nobel Prize in Economics is not technically a Nobel Prize, its winners are announced with the Nobel Prize recipients and it is presented at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony.
In 2007, 90-year-old professor Leonid Hurwicz became the oldest person to ever win
(Economics).
A recipient of the Nobel Prize (called a laureate) earns a gold medal, a diploma bearing a citation and a sum of money.
Between 1901 and 2009, the Nobel Prizes and the Prize in Economic Sciences were awarded 537 times.
Daniel Carleton Gajdusek, who won in 1976 for his research in human slow-virus infections, spent 19 months in jail after pleading guilty in 1997 to charges of child molestation.
Controversial is the strict rule against a prize being awarded to more than three people at once. This inevitably means one or more people will not be recognised if a notable achievement is accomplished by a team of collaborators.

18 interesting facts about Playboy

Playboy's first issue went on sale in December 1953, selling 54,175 copies at 50 cents each. The maiden magazine contained 44 pages.
The first edition featured a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe that Hefner bought from a local calendar printer, as well as a Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
The magazine's original name was Stag Party, and instead of a rabbit, its mascot was a buck. Hugh Hefner changed the name to Playboy at a friend's suggestion after the name Stag Party was challenged in a trademark infringement case.
Playboy's use of "tasteful" nude photos is classified as "softcore" in contrast to the more "hardcore" pornographic magazines that started to appear in the 1970s in response to the success of Playboy's more explicit rival, Penthouse.
The first centerfold was Marian Stafford, who appeared in the March 1956 issue.
Today, Playboy is actually one of the nation's largest producers of hardcore pornography via its 2006 acquisition of ClubJenna Inc.
The famous Playboy rabbit logo has appeared on every cover since the second edition in January 1954.

John Lennon was raised by his Aunt Mimi Smith, his mother's sister.
The first instrument John Lennon learned to play was the harmonica.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met on July 6, 1957, at the Woolton Parish Church in Liverpool.
In 1965, John Lennon was nominated for a BAFTA Film Award (along with fellow Beatle members) in the category of Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles for his role in the 1964 film A Hard Day's Night.
John met Yoko for the first time in October 1966, while previewing her art show.
John stood at 5'11" or 1.80 m.
John Lennon had a strong affection for cats, actually having owned as many as six at a time.

The barber's trade is an ancient one. Razors have been found among relics of the Bronze Age (circa 3500 BC) in Egypt.
In the past, barbers were also surgeons and dentists.
Barbers are mentioned in the bible. “Now, son of man, take a sharp sword and use it as a barber’s razor to shave your head and your beard.”
Barbering was introduced to Rome by the Greek colonies in Sicily in 296 B.C., and barber shops quickly became very popular centres for daily news and gossip. A morning visit to the tonsor became a part of the daily routine, as important as the visit to the public baths, and a young man's first shave (tonsura) was an essential part of his coming of age ceremony.

Leeches are hermaphrodites
A leech has 32 brains.
The bite of a leech is actually painless.
Leeches are used to treat some diseases. In the past, they were used to cure anything from a headache to gout.
A leech has three mouths and Millions of teeth.
Leeches can bite through a hippos hide.
All ancient civilizations practiced bloodletting including Indian and Greek civilizations.
The use of leeches in medicine dates as far back as 2,500 years ago when they were used for bloodletting in ancient India.
The use of leeches in modern medicine made its comeback in the 1980s after years of decline, with the advent of microsurgery such as plastic and reconstructive surgeries.

10 interesting Redwood tree facts

The bark of a redwood tree is fire resistant.
A redwood tree can live for 2000 years.
Redwoods are the tallest trees on the planet--reaching a height of 350 feet or more. That's roughly the height of a 35-story building.
No insect can kill a redwood tree.
"Hyperion" is the name given to the coast redwood that has the distinction of being the world's tallest known living tree, topping out at 379.1 feet. It was discovered September 8, 2006, in a remote area of the Redwood National Park. Its exact location is kept secret to protect it.
A redwood tree ‘holds on’ to other tree roots in order to stand so tall.

Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world [1996].
Antonio Banderas was nominated for Broadway's 2003 Tony Award for Best Actor (Musical) for a revival of "Nine The Musical."
Siblings: One younger brother, Francisco Banderas.
Listed his favorite 2 movies as Orson Welles` The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) and Touch of Evil (1958).
Listed his favorite 2 movies as Orson Welles' "Magnificent Ambersons" and "Touch of Evil.".
Despite being raised Catholic, Antonio Banderas described himself as an agnostic in a People magazine interview but added that whatever spiritual beliefs his kids may or may not have is fine with him.
Received an honorary doctorate on May 2000 from Dickinson College, Pennsylvania.
Antonio Banderas had to learn English phonetically and completely from scratch when he arrived in the US to try his luck in Hollywood.

Leonardo da Vinci sketched the design for the first parachute in 1485.
The word “parachute” comes “para”, meaning “against” or “counter” in Ancient Greek, and “chute”, the French word for “fall”.
June 26, 2000, British balloonist Adrian Nicholas proved da Vinci right. In a parachute built of wood and canvas to the artist’s specifications, Nicholas was hoisted to 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) by a hot-air balloon and then released.
The modern parachute was invented in the late 18th century by Louis-Sébastien Lenormand in France, who made the first recorded public jump in 1783.
The highest parachute jump ever made was done by U.S. Air Force Captain Joseph W. Kittinger Jr. on Aug. 16, 1960 over New Mexico.

Sigourney Weaver is afraid to ride in elevators.
Weaver legally changed her name after reading The Great Gatsby.
In 1987, Weaver was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in Aliens.
Sigourney Weaver speaks fluent French and German.
Sigourney Weaver was tall her whole life because of her height her classmates were constantly laughing at her and in order to gain their sympathy, she accepted the role of class clown.
Sigourney Weaver was chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history.
Weaver is five feet eleven and one half inches tall.

Magnets can be used to decrease the white cell blood count which increases in most diseases.
Lodestones were what the first magnets were called.
There are different types of magnets: permanent/hard, temporary/soft, electromagnets.
Magnets are found in telephones, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, televisions and more.
Usually, magnets are made of steel or iron. However, special alloys of iron, nickel, copper, cobalt, and aluminum can be made into powerful magnets.
Many scientists believe that birds are able to find their way home by using the Earth’s magnetic field to guide them on long distance flights.
Credit, debit, and ATM cards: All of these cards have a magnetic strip on one side. This strip encodes the information to contact an individual's financial institution and connect with their account(s).
Materials that respond strongly to a magnetic field are called ferromagnetic.
Common televisions and computer monitors: TV and computer screens containing a cathode ray tube employ an electromagnet to guide electrons to the screen. Plasma screens and LCDs use different technologies.
Noted Greek physician, author and educator, Galen, referred to magnetism as an excellent purgative (laxative).
Magnetic properties are used in generators to produce electricity.
Magnetic recording media: VHS tapes contain a reel of magnetic tape. The information that makes up the video and sound is encoded on the magnetic coating on the tape. Common audio cassettes also rely on magnetic tape. Similarly, in computers, floppy disks and hard disks record data on a thin magnetic coating.

14 interesting facts about oxygen

The name for the element oxygen comes from Greek words that mean ‘acid former’.
Oxygen is the most abundant chemical element, by mass, in our biosphere, air, sea and land.
Oxygen was discovered by Carl Wilhelm Scheele in Sweden in 1771 and then by Joseph Priestley in 1774.
Oxygen is the third most abundant chemical element in the universe, after hydrogen and helium.
Oxygen is an essential factor for burning up the body’s toxins.
Oxygen constitutes 49.2% of the Earth's crust by mass and is the major component of the world's oceans (88.8% by mass).
Humans inhale more than 6 billion tones of oxygen each year.
Earth is unusual among the planets of the Solar System in having such a high concentration of oxygen gas in its atmosphere: Mars (with 0.1% O2 by volume) and Venus have far lower concentrations.
About 2/3 of the human body contains oxygen or cells with oxygen on them.
Excited oxygen is responsible for the bright red and yellow-green colors of the aurora.
All major classes of structural molecules in living organisms, such as proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, contain oxygen, as do the major inorganic compounds that comprise animal shells, teeth, and bone.
Ordinary oxygen makes up approximately 21 percent of our atmosphere.
Oxygen therapy is used to treat emphysema, pneumonia, some heart disorders, and any disease that impairs the body’s ability to take up and use gaseous oxygen.
About 0.9% of the Sun's mass is oxygen.

15 interesting ruby facts

Rubies are today even more valuable and rare than the top quality colorless diamonds.
Rubies are rated at 9 on the Mohs' scale. Compare that to diamonds at 10 and turquoise, which is a relatively soft 5-6.
Ruby was said to be the most precious of the twelve stones God created when he created all things, and this "lord of gems" was placed on Aaron's neck by God's command.
Some rubies are red with yellowish to orange tones.
In the Bible, Job says that “wisdom is more precious than rubies”.
Nearly all rubies are treated with heat to improve color and clarity.
In the ancient language of Sanskrit, ruby is called « ratnaraj », or « king of precious stones » and also «ratnanayaka», «leader of precious stones».

Wearing Gold Jewellery can alleviate Rheumatoid Arthritis
About 75% of American brides receive a diamond engagement ring.
Silver has been known and valued as a precious metal since ancient times and has been used in the making of silver jewellery as well as ornaments, coins and high value tableware.
Diamond Thieves and Smugglers use homing pigeons to smuggle rough diamonds out of mining areas.
The largest diamond ever found was the The Cullinan. It weighed 3,106 carats, or about one and a third pounds!
Gold is so rare that the world pours more steel in an hour than it has poured gold since the beginning of recorded history.
A new mineral, discovered in Russia, has been named Dianite, after Princess Diana, and it will eventually be polished and mounted in jewellery.

Hydro energy was used by the Greeks to turn water wheels for grinding wheat into flour, more than 2,000 years ago.
Hydropower, hydraulic power or water power is power that is derived from the force or energy of moving water, which may be harnessed for useful purposes.
In the 1770s, French hydraulic and military engineer Bernard Forest de Bélidor wrote Architecture Hydraulique, a four-volume work describing vertical and horizontal axis machines.
Canada is the largest producer of hydro energy in the world.
In China and the rest of the Far East, hydraulically operated "pot wheel" pumps raised water into irrigation canals.
Norway produces almost 100 percent of its electricity through hydro energy.

The main river basin of the Tagus Estuary in Lisbon stretches up to 14km across and is said to be large enough to contain all the warships in the world.
Population: 520,000 (city); 2.8 million (metropolitan).
Lisbon was practically destroyed on 1st November 1755 as a massive earthquake tipping the scales at 8.9 took the lives of 40,000 people and could be felt as far away as Scotland and Norway.
Major Industries: Textiles, Footwear, Leather, Furniture, Ceramics and Cork.
Lisbon is also known as "the town of seven hills" which are compromised of the seven hills: Castelo, Graca, Monte, Penha de Franca, S.Pedro de Alcantara, Santa Catarina and Estrela.
Beneath Lisbon’s downtown area lies a carefully concealed Roman underworld, complete with bridges, corridors and chambers. This is open to the public for two days in a year.

The only continents where otters do not live are Australia and Antarctica.
Otters are semi-aquatic (or in one case aquatic) fish-eating mammals.
An otter’s den is called a holt or couch. A male otter is a dog (otter), a female a bitch (otter), and a baby a whelp or pup.
Norse mythology tells of the dwarf Ótr habitually taking the form of an otter. The myth of Otter's Ransom is the starting point of the Volsunga saga.
They mainly eat aquatic animals, predominantly fish and shellfish, but also other invertebrates, amphibians, birds and small mammals.
They can stay underwater for up to four minutes, after witch they must surface to breathe.
In some Native American cultures, otters are considered totem animals.

Rachel Weisz and her fiancé, Darren Aronofsky, became the parents of a son, Henry Chance on May 31, 2006.
Rachel Hannah Weisz is an English actress and model.
Rachel gained wide public recognition after her portrayal of Evelyn "Evy" Carnahan-O'Connell in the films The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.
Rachel Weisz is semi fluent in German.
Chosen by Empire magazine as one of the 100 Sexiest Stars in film history (#37). [2007].
Her performance in The Constant Gardener (2005) won her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, along with other major motion picture awards.
Her father invented respirators that supplied their own oxygen and machines that sense land mines.

Nelly Kim Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.
In July 2007, it was revealed Nelly and sound engineer Demacio 'Demo' Castellon were engaged, after Demo proposed to her following her "Loose" tour. The couple wed in secret on July 19, 2008.
She has sold 20 million albums worldwide.
Nelly Furtado won the award for World's Best Pop/Rock Artist at the 2006 World Music Awards.
Nelly was furious when a men's magazine digitally removed her clothes in order for the singer to appear in more revealing outfits. The singer insists that she would never pose in the sexy outfits.
Nelly Furtado worked as a maid with her mother, who was a housekeeper.
Furtado shares the same birthday with Britney Spears and Canadian actress Cassie Steele.

Blue jay is an intelligent and curious bird that makes tight family bonds.
It is scientifically known as Cyanocitta cristata and is a passerine bird i.e. a bird of the order Passeriformes.
It is difficult to differentiate between a male and female blue jay bird, as both of them are almost the same. The only distinguishing feature is that the male is slightly larger than the female.
In old African American folklore of the southern United States, the Blue Jay was held to be a servant of the Devil
The bird is known to mimic the sound of hawks, to scare and mislead the other birds that a hawk is close-by. This sound is usually heard when a blue jay is in search of food.
Blue jay is aggressive and dominant in nature and would turn off many of the backyard birders.

The sound of a whale song can travel a distance of 800 km.
Sound with frequencies of less than 20 Hz is known as infrasound. If a sound has a frequency that exceeds 22,000 Hz it is called ultrasound.
Sound is a travelling wave which is an oscillation of pressure transmitted through a solid, liquid, or gas.
For humans, hearing is normally limited to frequencies between about 12 Hz and 20,000 Hz (20 kHz), although these limits are not definite. The upper limit generally decreases with age.
Dogs can perceive vibrations higher than 20 kHz.
In the air sound travels at the speed of about 335 metres(6100 feet) a second.Sound travels about 4 times as fast in water as it does in air.

London is the most densely populated area in Britain and is the ninth largest city in the world.
According to rumors, ghosts of King Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth I, Mad King George, and Charles I still haunt the Windsor Castle.
During the time of the Roman Invasion, London was known as Londinium. In Saxon times, it was known as Lundenwic and during the kingdom of Alfred the Great, its name was changed to Lundenburg.
In 1870, thanks to the potato famines in Ireland, there were more Irish living in London than there were in Dublin. (At the time, there were also more Catholics living in London than there were in Rome.)
There are more than 100 theaters in London. Moreover, about sixteen percent of the country’s restaurants and food joints are located in London.
The Thames is the oldest place name in Britain, and the river is a combination of four other rivers.
The city of London is home to four World Heritage Sites - the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament), the Tower of London, Maritime Greenwich and Kew Botanical Gardens.
About 25% of all people today living in London were born in another country.

The Oscar statuettes were once made of plaster - during the war.
The first movie to win 1927-28 Best Picture was Wings.
Only one wooden statuette was ever presented. It was to a ventriloquist dummy (Charlie McCarthy)
Two actors have refused their Oscars - George C. Scott for Patton and Marlon Brando for The Godfather.
Marlon Brando, refused his award (Best Actor in 1972 for The Godfather), citing the film industry's discrimination and mistreatment of Native Americans.
The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is the film with the longest title to have won Best Picture.
It has been observed that several of the Academy Award winners – particularly Best Picture – have not stood the test of time or defeated worthier efforts.

Light is electromagnetic radiation, just like radiowaves, infrared radiation and x-rays.
If you had a switch in your house that would turn on a lamp placed on the Moon, it would only take 1.28 seconds to light it up at a distance of 238,857 miles away.
Even though light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second (in a vacuum), it takes it years to travel across the vast distances in space.
Traveling at a speed of 186,282 miles/sec (299,792 Km/sec), it takes sunlight approximately 8 min and 20 sec to reach the Earth.
It takes about 1.3 seconds for light or radio waves to reach us from the Moon.
Pluto is so far away from the Sun, it takes sunlight 4.5 hours to get there.
Nothing travels faster than light.

David Bowie, born David Robert Hayward-Jones, is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger.
David Bowie released his first single in June 1964, at the young age of 17.
David has been cited as an influence by many musicians and is known for his distinctive voice and the intellectual depth of his work.
David's song Space Oddity is ranked #60 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Rock & Roll.
The pupil of David's left eye will not expand or contract. Legend has it that his eye was damaged during a fight over a girl that he had with long time friend George Underwood in 1962.
David Bowie sites Little Richard as his first musical influence.
David Bowie has released 27 albums since 1967 but his earliest recordings are usually omitted from his discography.

Tower Bridge is sometimes mistakenly referred to as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.
Tower Bridge was designed by Horace Jones, the City Architect, in collaboration with John Wolfe Barry.
Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London, England, over the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, which gives it its name. It has become an iconic symbol of London.
The construction work on Tower Bridge was completed in 1894.
The high-level walkways of Tower Bridge, to be used by pedestrians when bascules were up, were closed down in 1910, due to lack of use.

The original zodiac consisted of 18 signs, not twelve.
The Zodiac was originally a natural agricultural calendar that dated the sowing of crops, harvesting, etc. by the rising and setting of the stars (especially Sirius), and the Pleiades or other recognisable constellations.
The origin of astrology is thought to begin with the ancient Babylonians two centuries before the birth of Christ.
According to astrology, celestial phenomena reflect or govern human activity on the principle of "as above, so below", so that the twelve signs are held to represent twelve basic personality types or characteristic modes of expression.
Astrology is thought to be both a science and an art. It claims scientific status because it requires mathematics and an understanding of Astronomy.

The most powerful nuclear bomb produced and tested by the U.S. had provided a force of only 5 mega tonnes TNT. But due to a chain reaction which was not foreseen in the project, the explosion was 3 times more powerful .
The first nuclear test with an atomic bomb took place on 07/16/1945, in an unpopulated area of the State of New Mexico.
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion.
The nuclear bombs dropped on Japan at the beginning of the Second World War caused, directly or indirectly, the deaths of approximately 220,000 people.
The most powerful atomic bomb detonated an explosive force of 50 mega tonnes of TNT (trinitrotoluene). That is 2,500 times greater than the bomb on Nagasaki. Called “Tsar Bomb”, the explosives were detonated by the USSR in a test conducted on 30.10.1961 in an Arctic Ocean archipelago (in northern Russia.)
Nuclear weapons are considered weapons of mass destruction, and their use and control has been a major focus of international relations policy since their debut.
Currently, there are eight states that have successfully detonated nuclear bombs:U.S., Russia, Britain, France, China, India, Pakistam and North Korea.
Bikini Atoll (who in 1946 gave the name famous female swimsuit ) was the scene of more than 20 nuclear tests between 1946 and 1958.
In the history of warfare, only two nuclear weapons have been detonated offensively, both near the end of World War II.
The first atomic bomb was detonated on the morning of 6 August 1945, when the United States dropped a uranium gun-type device code-named "Little Boy" on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The second bomb was detonated three days later when the United States dropped a plutonium implosion-type device code-named "Fat Man" on the city of Nagasaki, Japan.

14 interesting facts about glass

When glass breaks, the cracks move at speeds of up to 3,000 miles per hour.
Glass takes over 1 million years to decompose in our landfills and dumps.
Age man used obsidian (a naturally formed glass) for cutting tools and weapons.
A glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline) solid material. Glasses are typically brittle, and often optically transparent.
Recycling glass reduces air pollution by 20%, and water pollution by 50%.
Hydrofluoric acid will dissolve glass.
In 1500 bc, we believe the first glass bottles were made using the “Core-Forming Method”.

The glue on Israeli stamps are kosher.
Israel has the highest ratio of university degrees to the population in the world.
Israel has the highest number of companies listed on the U.S. Stock exchange after the U.S and Canada.
Israel produces more scientific papers per capita than any other nation by a large margin -109 per 10,000 people - as well as one of the highest per capita rates of patents filed.
The most popular product in Israel is the soup nut.
On a per capita basis, Israel has the largest number of biotech start-ups.
Israeli bank notes have brail on them.
Twenty-four percent of Israel's workforce holds university degrees - ranking third in the industrialized world, after the United States and Holland - and 12 percent hold advanced degrees.
Israel has two official languages: Hebrew and Arabic.
Israel has more in-vitro fertilization per capita than anywhere else in the world.
Israel is the only liberal democracy in the Middle East.
The two most common family names are Cohan and Levi.
When Gold Meir was elected Prime Minister of Israel in 1969, she became the world's second elected female leader in modern times.
Jerusalem has one of the highest rated night clubs in the world.
When the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within a day - and saved three victims from the rubble.
1/3 of Israelis are volunteers.
Relative to its population, Israel is the largest immigrant-absorbing nation on earth. Immigrants come in search of democracy, religious freedom, and economic opportunity.
Israel has the world's second highest per capita of new books.
In 1991, during the Gulf War, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra played a concert wearing gas masks as scud missiles fired by Saddam Hussein fell on Tel Aviv.
Israel has more museums per capita than any other country.
Israel is the only country in the world that entered the 21st century with a net gain in its number of trees.

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Facts about tourism
Facts about airports
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Interesting facts about Casablanca (Morocco)

With a population of about 3.1 million, Casablanca is the largest city of Morocco.
Casablanca is home to one of the largest artificial ports in the world.
Phosphate is the largest export of Morocco.
Population of Casablanca (metro area): 3,743,000
Casablanca is one of the largest artificial ports in the world.
Hassan II Mosque, has the tallest minaret in the world.
The Portuguese built a military fort in 1515 AD, to protect themselves from outside attacks. The town was called 'Casa Branca' (or Casablanca in spanish), meaning 'white house'.

When Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease, he was told that he would only act for ten more years. This proved approximately correct.
Michael J. Fox (born June 9, 1961) is a Grammy Award winning Canadian-American actor, author and voice-over artist.
In 2006, Michael J. Fox was ranked #14 in the countdown of 100 Greatest Teen Stars.
Michael J. Fox was the first choice for the role of Marty McFly in Back to the Future and was given the role when second choice Eric Stoltz was fired.
Michael claims his father resembles Jackie Gleason, of The Honeymooners.
Michael J. Fox received his Hollywood Walk Of Fame Star on December 16th 2002.
Michael's career on Family Ties earned him three Emmy awards, and a Golden Globe.

Wine can only be labeled "champagne" if is made in the Champagne region of northeastern France.
A raisin in a glass of champagne (or any soda water) will continuously bounce up and down from the bottom of the glass.
Contrary to popular belief, a bottle of bubbly (Champagne) should never pop with a big bang, but with a soft sigh.
Dom Perignon, a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Hautvillers, is considered to have invented champagne.
The temperature of the Champagne should ideally be between 6 to 8 degrees C.
There are 49 million bubbles in a 750 ml bottle of champagne.

Holmes’ famous deerstalker cap was not created by Arthur Conan Doyle, but by the illustrator, Sidney Paget.
The phrase ‘Elementary my dear Watson’ was never mentioned in the Sherlock Holmes books.
Sherlock is a fictional detective of the late 19th and early 20th centuries but still keeps being a true character in the numerous people’s imagination. His first published appearance took place in 1887.
Holmes is modeled after the Scottish physician Joseph Bell.
The most notable story for Holmes is “The Hounds of Baskervilles.”
Sherlock means blonde, but the main characters are all dark haired.
Watson has a bullet wound that was first described as being in the shoulder, but in another story the wound had moved to the leg.

The Eiffel Tower (French: Tour Eiffel) is a 19th century iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris that has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
Eiffel Tower has been named after its designer, engineer Gustave Eiffel.
The Eiffel Tower, which is the tallest building in Paris, is the single most visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year.
The construction work of Eiffel Tower started on January 26, 1887 and was completed on March 31, 1889.
Eiffel Tower was initially intended to be dismantled and sold as scrap 20 years after its construction, but this never happened.
Till 1930, Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the whole world.
Eiffel Tower was inaugurated on March 31, 1889.

The City of Paris has about 2,160,000 people living there and it covers about 41 square miles. The altitude of Paris averages between 90ft and 120ft above sea level.
Paris is the capital city of France, the largest country of Western Europe with 550 000 km² and with about 60 millions inhabitants in the Whole of France.
It's common to see young people line up outside of the Opera Theaters hoping to get a discounted ticket. The city is culturally rich and very alive.
The Eiffel Tower is probably one of the most famous symbols of France and was built for the International Exhibition of Paris of 1889, took 2 years to complete and it was the world's tallest building up until 1930.
Drinking age is 6 years old with parental consent, and provided it's Red Wine.
Some of the attractions of Paris include The Eiffel Tower, Notre-Dame Cathedral, The Arc de Triomphe, The Louvre Museum, The Champs-Elysées, and Musé d'Orsay.
Having a vast culture is essential in this city, otherwise, you are not considered "In".
Paris is also known as the Capital of Romance.
It's a really cool place to be for intellectuals and artists. The French are less concerned about fashion than the Italians and the Spaniards.
The River Seine actually breaks the city into the Rive Droite (Right Bank) north of the river and the Rive Gauche (Left Bank) south of the river.
The Eiffel Tower has over 2.5 million rivets, 15,000 iron pieces, over 40 tonnes of paint and there are 1652 steps to the top.
The Tour de France is a race which occurs each summer were more than 100 professional cyclists take part in a 2,000 mile race. The race lasts up to three weeks and the route changes from year to year. Once the Tour de France actually included Ireland.
Paris is a huge tourist destination and every year 13 millions visit Disneyland Paris, 5.5 million visit the Eiffel Tower, about 5 million visit the Louvre museum, and about 3.25 million visit Versailles Palace.
Paris has over 70 Museums, monuments and cultural tourist stops. Some of the best art in the world is housed in Parisien Museums.
The region of Paris was settled since around 4200 BCE. The city itself was founded by the Parisii, a Celtic tribe, around 250 BCE. The Roman renamed it Luteca from 52 BCE, and it only became known as "Paris" after the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century.

10 facts about the Petronas Towers

There is a skybridge connecting the two towers which is 170 metres above the ground.
The buildings are 'only' 378 meters tall without the pinnacles.
The length of the bridge is 58.4 metres longs and its weight is 750 tons.
The whole complex was built on a former horse-racing track.
Entrance is free and closed on monday...
Only limited tickets are given per day, means nearly 800 tickets.

Cricket is a bat-and-ball team sport that is first documented as being played in southern England in the 16th century.
The only law of Cricket that has not had any changes or modifications, is the length of the pitch..
A match between Barbados and British Guyana in 1946 saw an over with 14 balls in which there were no wides or no balls ! The 8 ball over was in force and the extra six deliveries were due to umpiring miscounting !!!
By the end of the 18th century, cricket had developed to the point where it had become the national sport of England.
Sunil Gavaskar was so ill tempered that his parents had to take him to a psychiatrist to check up if there was something wrong with him.
In a World Cup Match in 1975, Gavaskar batted throughout the 60 overs & scored only 36 runs. India lost to England by a huge margin of 203 runs.

Michael Douglas made his film debut in 1969 in a movie called Hail Hero! He portrayed a pacifist hippie draft evader who decides to fight in Vietnam.
Michael Douglas is an accomplished actor, producer, writer and director.
He is one of only two people to win Oscars for Best Picture and Best Actor in their lifetime. The other is Sir Lawerence Olivier.
Michael Douglas has been active in lobbying for gun control, since John Lennon was killed in 1980.
Michael Douglas was married to Diandra Luker from 1977 until 2000. He then married Catherine Zeta Jones three months later in 2000 and they are still married as of 2006.
Michael Douglas is addicted to gambling.

The original Spanish name for San Francisco was Yerba Buena, meaning "good herb" or"good grass".
San Francisco is built on 43 hills.
The Chinese Fortune Cookie was invented by Makato Hagiwara whose family operated the Japanese Tea Garden from 1895 to 1942.
There are over three hundred coffee houses within the city boundaries of San Francisco.
San Francisco is home to the largest Chinese community in the world, outside of China.
Forty percent of visitors to San Francisco cite restaurants as a factor affecting their decision to visit.
Denim jeans were invented in San Francisco for the Gold Rush miners who needed tough, comfortable clothing.

Matthew McConaughey (born November 4, 1969) is an American actor.
Matthew's father James died having sex. Matt's mother revealed the news in her book titled I Amaze Myself! She also said she ensured James was taken from the house naked following his death.
Matthew McConaughey owned a Labrador-Chow mix, named Miss Hud, who died of cancer in 2005. In 2006, he got a new dog whom he named Foxy.
Matthew McConaughey has a fear of revolving doors and tunnels.
In late 2006, Matthew and pal Lance Armstrong were accused of being gay The pair laughed off the rumors, stating they just like enjoy working out together.
Matthew's mother is a teacher. His father, for a time, was a professional football player with the Green Bay Packers.
Matthew's first acting gig was in a beer commercial.
Matthew McConaughey is a big fan of tuna fish. He mixes in sweet corn Niblets.
To get fit for Sahara, Matthew McConaughey and his co-star Steve Zahn had to do some Navy SEAL training.
Matthew McConaughey spent a total of nine hours in jail, after his arrest in 1999, and was only fined $50.
When asked what he looks for in a woman, Matthew McConaughey has listed honesty first and foremost.
Matthew was once treated for baldness.
Matthew McConaughey has dated a number of actresses, including Penélope Cruz, Ashley Judd and Sandra Bullock.
In 1997, Matthew McConaughey was first choice to play the lead role in Titanic, although it eventually went to Leonardo DiCaprio.
Matthew McConaughey lives by the saying, "Just keep livin."
Matthew appeared on the November 2005 back cover of Cosmopolitan magazine.

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