______________________
It is impossible to lick your elbow.
> > > > A crocodile can't stick it's tongue out.
> > > > A shrimp's heart is in their head.
> > > > People say "Bless you" when you sneeze because
when you
> > > > sneeze, you're heart stops for a mili-second.
> > > > In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80
years,
> > > > no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried
its
> > > > head in the sand (or attempted to do so - apart from
Bones ).
> > > > It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the
sky.
> > > > A pregnant goldfish is called a twit
> > > > On average, a human being will have sex more than 3,000
times
> and
> > > > spend two weeks kissing in their lifetime.
> > > > More than 50% of the people in the world have never made
or
> > > > received a telephone call.
> > > > Rats and horses can't vomit.
> > > > The "sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is
said to be
> > > > the toughest tongue twister in the English language.
> > > > If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you
try to
> suppress
> > > > a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or
neck &
> die.
> > > > if you keep your eyes open by force, they will pop out.
> > > > Rats multiply so quickly that in 18 months, two rats
could
> > > > have over 1 million descendants.
> > > >
> > > > Wearing headphones for just an hour will increase the
bacteria
> in
> > > > your ear by 700 times.(gross!!)
> > > >
> > > > If the government has no knowledge of aliens, then why
does
> > > > Title 14, Section 1211 of the Code of Federal
Regulations,
> > > > implemented on July 16, 1969, make it illegal for U.S.
citizens
> > > > to have any contact with extraterrestrials or their
vehicles?
> > > >
> > > > In every episode of Seinfeld there is a Superman
somewhere.
> > > > The cigarette lighter was invented before the match.
> > > > Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads
for
> > > > dating are already married.
> > > >
> > > > A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.
> > > > 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by
> > > > people sitting on them and photocopying their buttocks.
> > > >
> > > > In the course of an average lifetime you will, while
sleeping,
> > > > eat 70 assorted insects and 10 spiders.
> > > >
> > > > Most lipstick contains fish scales.
> > > > Cat's urine glows under a black-light.
> > > > Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different.
> > > > I bet you tried to lick your elbow!
How Far We Have Come
"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 15 tons."
"Popular Mechanics," forecasting the relentless march of science,
1949."I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this
country and talked with
the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad
that won't last out the
year."
The editor in charge of business books for
Prentice Hall, 1957.
"But what...is it good for?" Engineer at
the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM commenting
on the microchip, 1968.
"There is no reason anyone would want a
computer in their home." Ken Olson, president, chairman and founder of
Digital Equipment Corp.,
1977
"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be
seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of
no value to us." Western Union internal memo, 1876.
"The wireless music box has no imaginable
commercial value. Who would pay for a message sent to nobody in
particular?" David Sarnoff's associates in response to his urgings for
investment in the radio in the 1920s.
"The concept is interesting and well-formed, but in
order to earn better
than a 'C,' the idea must be feasible." A Yale University management
professor in response to Fred Smith's paper proposing reliable overnight
delivery service. (Smith went on to found Federal Express Corp.)
Who the hell wants to hear actors talk?" * Harry M.
Warner, Warner Brothers, 1927.
"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on
his face and not Gary Cooper." * Gary Cooper on his decision not to take
the leading role in "Gone with
the Wind."
"A cookie store is a bad idea. Besides, the market
research reports say
America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make."
* Response to Debbi Fields' idea of starting her company, Mrs. Fields'
Cookies.
"We don't like their sound, and guitar music is on
the way out."* Decca Recording Co. rejecting the Beatles, 1962.
"Heavier-than-air flying machines are
impossible." * Lord Kelvin, president, Royal Society, 1895.
"If I had thought about it, I wouldn't have done the
experiment. The literature was full of examples that said you can't do
this." * Spencer Silver on the work that led to the unique adhesives or
3-M "Post-It" Notepads.
"So we went to Atari and said, 'Hey, we've got this
amazing thing, even
built with some of your parts, and what do you think about funding us? Or,
we'll give it to you. We just want to do it. Pay our salary, we'll
come work for you.' And they said, 'No.' So then we went to Hewlett-Packard,
and they said, 'Hey, we don't need you; you haven't got
through college yet." * Apple Computer Inc. founder Steve Jobs on
attempts to get Atari and H-P interested in his and Steve Wozniak's personal
computer.
"Professor Goddard does not know the relation
between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a
vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out
daily in high schools." * New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's
revolutionary rocket work, 1921.
"You want to have consistent and uniform muscle
development across all of your muscles? It can't be done. It's just a fact of
life. You just have
to accept inconsistent muscle development as an unalterable condition of
weight training." * Response to Arthur Jones, who solved the
"unsolvable" problem by inventing Nautilus.
"Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try and find oil?
You're crazy." * Drillers who Edwin L. Drake tried to enlist to his
project to drill for oil in 1859.
"Stocks have reached what looks like a permanently
high plateau." * Irving Fisher, Professor of Economics, Yale University,
1929.
"Airplanes are interesting toys but of no military
value." *Marechal Ferdinand Foch, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure
de Guerre.
"Everything that can be invented has been
invented." * Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Office of Patents,
1899.
"Louis Pasteur's theory of germs is ridiculous
fiction". * Pierre Pachet, Professor of Physiology at Toulouse, 1872.
"The abdomen, the chest and the brain will forever
be shut from the intrusion of the wise and humane surgeon." * Sir John
Eric Ericksen, British surgeon, appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to Queen
Victoria, 1873.
"640k ought to be enough for anybody." *
Bill Gates, 1981
___________________________________________
Origins of words :
In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames
by ropes when you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened,
making the bed firmer to sleep on. That's where the phrase, >>
"goodnight, sleep tight" came from.
The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog."
uses every letter in the alphabet. (developed by Western
Union to test telex/twx communications)
The only 15 letter word that can be spelled without
repeating a letter is uncopyrightable.
. When opossums are playing 'possum, they are not "playing."
They actually pass out from sheer terror.
The Main Library at Indiana University sinks over an inch
every year because when it was built, engineers failed to
take into account the weight of all the books that would
occupy the building.
The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II fighter pilots
in the Pacific. When arming their airplanes on the ground,
the .50 caliber machine gun ammo belts measured exactly 27
feet, before being loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots
fired all their ammo at a target, it got "the
whole 9 yards."
The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old English law which stated
that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than your thumb.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
The name Jeep came from the abbreviation used in the army
for the "General Purpose" vehicle, G.P.
The cruise liner, Queen Elizabeth II, moves only six inches
for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
No NFL team which plays its home games in a domed stadium
has ever won a Super Bowl.
The first toilet ever seen on television was on
"Leave It To Beaver."
Only one person in two billion will live to be 116 or older.
In Cleveland, Ohio, it's illegal to catch mice without a
hunting license.
It takes 3,000 cows to supply the NFL with enough leather
for a year's supply of footballs.
Thirty-five percent of the people who use personal ads for
dating are already married.
There are an average of 178 sesame seeds on a
McDonald's Big Mac bun.
The world's termites outweigh the world's humans 10 to 1.
The 3 most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro,
Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.
When Heinz ketchup leaves the bottle, it travels at a rate
of 25 miles per year.
Ten percent of the Russian government's income comes from
the sale of vodka.
On average, 100 people choke to death on
ball-point pens every year.
In 10 minutes, a hurricane releases more energy than all
the world's nuclear weapons combined.
It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago
that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father
would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink.
Mead is a honey beer, and because their calendar was lunar
based, this period was called the "honey month" or what
we know today as the "honeymoon."
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in
old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would
yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle
down.It's where we Get the phrase "mind your
P's and Q's."
Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle
baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When
they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some
service."Wet your whistle," is the phrase inspired by this
practice.
In ancient England A person could not have sex
unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the
Royal Family) When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got
consent of the King & the King gave them A placard that
they hung on their door while they were having sex. The
placard had F. U. C. K (Fornication Under Consent of the
King) on it. Hence that's where the two words ( well..... you know which two words) came
from
Some useless info.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
On a Canadian two-dollar bill, the flag flying over the Parliament building is an American
flag.
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver or
purple.
"Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt."
All 50 states are listed across the top of the Lincoln Memorial on the
back of the $5 bill.
Almonds are a member of the peach family.
Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
There are only four words in the English language which end in "-dous":
tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
Los Angeles's full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra Se Fora la Reina de los Angeles de
Porciuncula"
A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
In most advertisements, the time displayed on a watch is 10:10.
Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.
The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street were named after Bert the
cop and Ernie the taxi driver in Frank Capra's "Its A Wonderful Life."
A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open. (DON'T try this @ home!)
The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
In England, the Speaker of the House is not allowed to speak.
The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a
chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.
The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
"Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand.
Look what happens when a President gets elected in a year with
an "O" at the end. Also, notice it goes in increments of 20 years.
1840: William Henry Harrison (died in office)
1860: Abraham Lincoln (assassinated)
1880: James A. Garfield (assassinated)
1900: William McKinley (assassinated)
1920: Warren G. Harding (died in office)
1940: Franklin D. Roosevelt (died in office)
1960: John F. Kennedy (assassinated)
1980: Ronald Reagan (survived assassination attempt)
2000: George W. Bush ???????????????
And to think that we had two guys fighting it out in the courts
to be the one elected in 2000!!
You might also be interested in this. Have a history teacher
explain this------if they can. The Lincoln -- Kennedy connection:
Abraham Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846.
John F. Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946.
Abraham Lincoln was elected President in 1860.
John F. Kennedy was elected President in 1960.
Both were particularly concerned with civil rights.
Both wives lost their children while living in the White House.
Both Presidents were shot in a Friday.
Both Presidents were shot in the head.
Now it gets really weird.
Lincoln's secretary was named Kennedy.
Kennedy's secretary was named Lincoln.
Both were assassinated by Southerners.
Both were succeeded by Southerners named Johnson.
Andrew Johnson, who succeeded Lincoln, was born in 1808.
Lyndon B. Johnson, who succeeded Kennedy, was born in 1908.
John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated Lincoln, was born in 1839.
Lee Harvey Oswald, who assassinated Kennedy, was born in 1939.
Both assassins were known by their three names.
Both names are composed of fifteen letters.
Now hang on to your seat.
Lincoln was shot at the theater named 'Ford'.
Kennedy was shot in a car called 'Lincoln' made by 'Ford'.
Booth and Oswald were assassinated before their trials.
And here's the kicker..........
A week before Lincoln was shot, he was in Monroe, Maryland.
A week before Kennedy was shot, he was in Marilyn Monroe.
_____________________________________________________
The Chico, California, City Council enacted a ban on nuclear
weapons, setting a $500 fine for anyone detonating one within city limits. A
bus carrying five passengers was hit by a car in St. Louis, but by the time
police arrived on the scene, fourteen pedestrians had boarded the bus and
had begun to complain of whiplash injuries and back pain. Swedish business
consultant Ulf af Trolle labored 13 years on a book about Swedish economic
solutions. He took the 250-page manuscript to be copied, only to have it
reduced to 50,000 strips of paper in seconds when a worker confused the
copier with the shredder. A convict broke out of jail in Washington DC, then
a few days later accompanied his girlfriend to her trial for robbery. At
lunch, he went out for a sandwich. She needed to see him, and thus had him
paged. Police officers recognized his name and arrested him as he returned
to the courthouse in a car he had stolen over the lunch hour. Police in
Radnor, Pennsylvania, interrogated a suspect by placing a metal colander on
his head and connecting it with wires to a photocopy machine. The message
"He's lying" was placed in the copier, and police pressed the copy
button each time they thought the suspect wasn't telling the truth.
Believing the "lie detector" was working, the suspect confessed.
When two service station attendants in Ionia, Michigan, refused to hand over
the cash to an intoxicated robber, the man threatened to call the police.
They still refused, so the robber called the police and was arrested.
