Random Facts

I just finished reading one of my favorite kinds of books - random trivia. This book is titled 1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop, by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, and James Harkin. Here are some of the facts, with more to follow... soon.  :)

High heels were first worn by Persian horsemen to steady themselves in the stirrups when firing arrows.

Bacteria that catch viruses may commit suicide to protect their neighbors from infection.

People who die of old age are more likely to die at 11:00am than at any other time.

Tobacco companies use kitty litter to make cigars bigger.

Using nuclear reactors, it is possible to turn lead into gold; though it is much easier to turn gold into lead.

Fake soy sauce can be made from human hair.

The sound of arguments can affect the brains of sleeping babies.

A flu virus can only survive on most surfaces for 48 hours, but can live on a banknote for 17 days.

A traditional British butler irons the morning paper to stop the ink from smudging.

According to the Vatican, you can reduce the time you spend in purgatory by following the pope on Twitter.

The Irish language has one set of numbers for arithmetic, one for counting humans, and one for counting non-humans.