You’ve surely heard of the. Infantry and the Cavalry, but not many people know that the United States once had a Camel Corps. Back in 1850, before the railroad crossed the country, the U.S. Army needed a cheap, fast way of moving supplies westward. These supplies were needed by the army in their wars against […]
Odds
Does a Lost Balloon Go On Forever into Space?
When a balloon is carried by the wind high into the sky, it seems as if it will go on flying forever. But it doesn’t. Even though the opening of the balloon may have been tied tightly, the gas that filled it and lifted it slowly begins to push out, bit by bit, through the […]
Which Bounces Higher a Steel Ball or a Rubber Ball?
SURPRISE! It’s a steel ball! When a steel ball hits a hard surface, like the ground, it dents just like a rubber ball. But the steel ball snaps back into shape much faster than a rubber ball. It is the snapping back into shape that makes any ball bounce, so since the steel ball snaps […]
Why Do Some People Cross Their Fingers To Make a Wish Come True?
Long ago, when people were very superstitious, the sign of the cross had almost a magical meaning for good luck. If two people wished for the same thing to happen, one held out his index finger and the other placed his index finger across it, making the sign of a cross. As time passed, this […]
Does the Island of Manhattan Weigh More Today Than It Did When the Indians Lived There?
Even though the island of Manhattan holds up tremendous millions of tons of steel, concrete, stone, and human bodies, it actually weighs less today than it did when only Indians and their teepees were on it! Amazing, but true! The reason for that is because the weight of all the soil and rock dug out […]
Why Did the Indians Sell Manhattan Island For Only $24?
When the Dutch settlers came to the New World in 1626, they wanted to build a town on the island called “Manna-Hattin,” at the mouth of the Hudson River. So Peter Minuit, representing the Dutch West India Company, approached a group of Indians on the island and traded the land for some beads, cloth, and […]
What Is the Great Mystery Surrounding Coca-Cola?
Since its invention in 1886, the secret formula for making Coca-Cola has been known to only seven men. Today, just two of these men are still alive, and they never travel together on the same airplane. The world’s most popular soft drink was the creation of a druggist named John S. Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia. […]
Can You Make a Wish on a Banana?
Many people have been making wishes for years on four leaf clovers, chicken bones, and the first star out at night. But you can make a wish on a banana too. Before you eat it, make a wish. To learn if your wish will come true, cut a thin slice from the bottom of the […]
Why Do We Tie a String Around Our Finger To Remember Something?
For many years, Mothers have chosen this way to help their children to remember something. This is a carry-over from olden days when people tied pieces of cloth around any painful part of their body. This cloth was tied in one area to keep the “spirit of life” in that area, and so cure it […]
Which Artist Painted the Greatest Number of Pictures?
The Spanish artist Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispin Crispiano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso holds the honor as the most productive artist in world history. During his 78-year career, Picasso produced 13,500 paintings, 100,000 prints and engravings, 34,000 book illustrations, and 300 pieces of sculpture. These works are valued […]
What World Famous Painting Once Hung in a King’s Bathroom?
In 1507, when Leonardo da Vinci painted a portrait of Mona Lisa Gherardini for her husband, a merchant named Francesco del Giocondo, the husband did not like the finished painting and refused to pay for it. Was it because of her mysterious smile which still puzzles viewers today? No one knows. But King Francis I […]
How Old Are the Oldest Paintings Known?
According to stories, four boys and their dog, playing on a mountainside in Lescaux, France, near the border between France and Spain, were caught in the rain and found shelter in a cave. There, they discovered paintings on the walls. When scientists tested this cave art and similar cave art found in southern Spain, Portugal, […]
Where Is Spitting Considered Polite?
Among the Masai tribesmen of East Central Africa, spitting is considered an act of respect and friendship. A newborn Masai child is spit upon by friends and relatives wishing to give the child good luck. Masai tribesmen spit at each other when they meet, just as we say “Hello,” and spit again to say “Good-bye.” […]
Was There Ever a Sport Called Face Slapping?
For a brief period in the 1930s, the Russian people in the city of Kiev came out to watch the sport of “Face-Slapping.” The two opponents did just that, slapped each other’s faces with their open hands until one bloody cornbattant gave up. An endurance record was set in 1931 when two “slappers” went at […]
Can Computers Make Music?
Since music is a name given to certain sounds produced by the voice or an instrument, the answer is yes. The idea of constructing a single machine to create and combine electronic sounds as music was developed in 1955 by the Radio Corporation of America. RCA developed an Electronic Music Synthesizer, which was able to […]
Who Was Johnny Appleseed?
Johnny Appleseed was the name given to a pioneer named John Chapman. During the early 1800s, Chapman settled along the Ohio River. He was a mixture of nurseryman and herb doctor. Chapman sold apple seeds and sprouts of apple trees throughout Northern and Central Ohio. As payment, Chapman accepted any amount of money or any […]
Can an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away?
This is an old saying, and nothing more. Apples do not have any magical powers to prevent disease, but scientists have proven that apples do give the human body much of the potassium that it needs. This mineral, combined with many others, does help keep the human body strong and healthy. There are nearly 10,000 […]
Which Comic Strip Is the Most Popular of All Time?
Did you guess Superman? Or perhaps Dick Tracy? Or even Tarzan? Even though these comic strip characters have been read for many years, the most popular strip today is Peanuts. The adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Lucy are read by more people today than any other comic strip characters in history. The record for […]
How Much Was Columbus Paid for Discovering America?
At the time Columbus sailed from Spain, in August, 1492, the Spanish unit of currency was the maravedi, a small silver coin. Columbus was paid 2,000 maravedis a month, which at that time could buy a cow or five pigs. Judging Columbus’ salary in American money today, his two-month voyage to discover the New World […]
How Did Circus Performers Come To Wear Tights?
Quite by accident, really!, In 1828, Nelson Hower, a bareback rider in a circus, dressed as did all bareback riders in his day, in a short jacket, stockings, and knee breeches. On one particular evening, however, Hower’s costumes failed to arrive in time for his performance, and he was forced to go on with the […]
Can You Really Go to School To Learn To Be a Clown?
Yes! The Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus has a clown training school each year in Venice, Florida, near its winter headquarters. Three hundred hopeful clowns attend the school, but only the best thirty are selected to perform in the circus. Each clown selected gets a two-year contract and earns about $200 per week to […]
Did Mermaids Ever Really Exist and Where Do Mermaids Come From?
The beautiful creatures with human bodies down to the waist and scaly, fish-like tails from the waist down exist ONLY in folklore and in fairy tales of many lands. In ancient Greek mythology, mermaids were beautiful sirens who lured sailors to their deaths. In German fairy tales, these maidens were said to have lived in […]
What Is Ant Candy?
At fiesta time in certain parts of Mexico, ant candy is one of the treats that children and grownups look forward to. The special types of ants which are used for this candy are called honey ants. Honey ants gather a kind of syrup that other insects leave on oak leaves. As an ant eats […]
Why Do We Say God Bless You! After a Sneeze?
Ancient man believed that his breath contained his spirit, or his soul, and that it lived in his head. Therefore, when he sneezed, he feared that he was losing his soul and leaving an empty place in his head for evil spirits to enter. All this would happen unless God prevented it. Thus, a wish […]
Can an Egg Drop 600 Feet and Not Break?
On February 8, 1974, an egg was dropped 600 feet from a moving helicopter and it did not break when it hit the ground! No, it was NOT hard-boiled. It was a raw egg. Why? The forward movement of the helicopter through the air caused the egg to land very gently and not break. In […]
How Does Abracadabra Cure a Fever?
ABRACADABRA ABRACADABR ABR ACADAB ABRACADA ABRACAD ABRACA ABRAC ABRA ABR AB A According to an old superstition popular during the Middle Ages, the word “Abracadabra” could cure a fever. All the sufferer had to do was write the word six times in the shape of an upside-down pyramid, by dropping one letter of the word […]
Why Did the Egyptians Make Mummies?
Because the ancient Egyptians believed that there was life after death, they reasoned that a person would need his body with him. They therefore developed a method of preserving, or embalming, bodies to make mummies. Ancient books describe the complete embalming process, which took 70 days. First, the embalmer made a small incision and removed […]
Who Were the Amazons?
Ancient writings describe a bold, warlike tribe of women who came from the Caucasus Mountains of Russia and settled in Asia Minor, the peninsula between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The Amazons were governed by a queen, and their entire state was run by women. These women fought wars and established their own cities. According […]