Calendar Rules

Rules for leap years: 1) Every year divisible by the number 4 is a leap year. 2) Unless the year is divisible by 100, in which case it is not a leap year. 3) Except if the year is also divisible by 400, then it really is a leap year.

Creative Counting

Calorie counters claim that grocery shopping and hang gliding require the same amount of effort. Washing the car, they say, is roughly equal to playing badminton. And dancing the foxtrot uses up as much energy as bowling.

Smile

From Selma, Ala., to Oconto Falls, Wis., at least 21 U.S. cities have water towers with painted-on smiley faces. But Calumet City, Ill., with two such towers, claims it was the first. It all started with 8-year-old resident Kim Fornero, who sent a letter to the city council in 1972, claiming that a smile would be more fun to look at than a plain, old water tower. Fornero’s simple suggestion proved catchy indeed.

Survival Skills

Charles de Gaulle, president of France from 1958 to 1969, survived more than 30 assassination attempts from 1944 to 1966. In one instance, de Gaulle’s Citroen was showered with bullets, but witnesses claim that neither de Gaulle nor his wife tried to protect themselves. De Gaulle, on exiting the vehicle, referred to the would-be assassin as a bad shot. His wife said there was no reason to be frightened as she and her husband would have welcomed a chance to die together and avoid the pains of old age.

Poor Sport

Historians agree that if not for tennis balls, Scotland’s King James I might have lived a long life. Instead, he was assassinated. The problem? On the night of his death, Feb. 20, 1437, the King of Scots tried to escape down a sewer drain, forgetting that he had commanded it sealed to prevent his tennis balls from rolling into it. He was quickly discovered and killed.

Recommended Major

What do Paul Newman, Tiger Woods, Sandra Day-O’Connor, John Elway, Mick Jagger and Ronald Reagan have in common? Each declared a major in economics while in college.

Bathtub Best

Citizens of Shoreham-by-Sea, south of London, know all about bathtubs. They’ve been racing the cast-iron contraptions for more than 30 years. In 1977, one of the local teams rowed their tub across the channel to France in less than 11 hours, a record that still stands.

Crushing Enemies

Ancient Egyptians and Romans both developed a clever system for crushing their enemies. Citizens of the two civilizations are known to have drawn pictures of an enemy’s face on the soles of their sandals.

Hell on Earth

There is a Hell on earth, and it’s in Norway. The name for this picturesque town comes from the Old Norse “hellir,” meaning an overhanging rock or cave.

Pet Rock

Advertising Executive Gary Dahl created the Pet Rock in 1975 as an answer to traditional pets, which he claimed were often messy, costly and misbehaved. At least three tons of stone from Rosarita Beach in Baja, Mexico, were used to create the perfect pets. Each rock came with a carrying case, a bed of straw and a “Pet Rock Training Manual” with helpful articles such as “How to make your Pet Rock roll over and play dead” and “How to house-train your Pet Rock.”

Wrong Turn

Bermuda was settled in 1609 by shipwrecked English colonists, trying to find their way to Virginia.

Slow Learners

Researchers confirm that elephants do, indeed, have remarkable memories. But they counter that pachyderms are very slow learners. In one experiment, an elephant required more than 300 demonstrations before it grasped the difference between two figures: a square and a circle.

Barney's Job

Barney, in “The Flintstones,” didn’t have a regular occupation in the early episodes though he served sporadic stints as both a television repossessor and a geological engineer. The cartoon character eventually settled down, working with Fred at the Slate Rock and Gravel Company (a.k.a. Bedrock Quarry and Gravel).

Tasty

Catfish have taste buds covering their entire surface, even on the fins and tail.

America's Stonehenge

England’s Stonehenge may be America’s most frequently rebuilt, Old World monument. A golf course in Fortine, Mont., claims to be the most accurate replica. Other reproductions include Carhenge in Alliance, Neb., New Mexico’s Stonefridge and Virginia’s recently unveiled Foamhenge. Additional states with Stonehenge memorials include Georgia, Missouri, New Hampshire, Texas and Washington.

To the Point

Vermont has the country’s shortest, functioning, state constitution, only 7,600 words in all.

Only 50

Dr. Seuss’ classic story, “Green Eggs and Ham,” was the author’s answer to a bet that he could not write a book, using no more than 50 words. Count them. Dr. Seuss rose to the challenge.

Thicker than Water

Blood accounts for roughly 7 percent of a person’s body weight.

A Tip

A Charlottesville, Va., study found that men tip better than women. Customers, who pay by credit card, tip better than those who pay cash. And diners, who have been drinking, give the best tips of all.

Slow Digester

Anacondas have very slow digestive systems and may go without eating for long periods, depending on the size of their last meal. At least one Anaconda, in captivity, is known to have gone without anything to eat for two years.

Dog-Food Research

It was dog food research that resulted in one of the country’s best-selling breakfast pastries. When Post found a way to store moist, meaty Gains Burgers without refrigeration, the company quickly applied the new technology to Country Squares, a convenience food for busy American moms, introduced in February 1964. But the squares proved square indeed, never quite catching on with the nation’s consumers. Industry-rival Kellogg’s took notice of the development and introduced its own version just seven months later. They called this new food sensation Pop-Tarts.

Killer Machine

If a vending machine steals your money, let it go. Since 1978, the mechanized contraptions have killed 37 consumers and injured 113 others. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that most of these incidents were the result of people tilting or rocking the machines in an attempt to obtain free beverages or cash.

Miracle in a Can

The Rocket Chemical Company struggled for survival in the 1950s with only one viable product, a rust-prevention solvent and degreaser. But the American manufacturer hit gold in 1961 when its creation, WD-40, was used to help meet the disaster needs of hurricane Carla victims. Since then, the solvent has gone on to even greater deeds. A driver in Asia used the product to remove a python from the undercarriage of his bus. Police officers report in one instance that the spray helped them remove a naked burglar from an air conditioning vent. And four out of every five American homes have at least one of the familiar blue and yellow cans.

Live for Today

It’s common knowledge that a day on earth is shorter than 24 hours — 23 hours, 56 minutes, 4.091 seconds to be precise. But even that is an average. Ocean currents, weather patterns and other factors give every day a unique length. There will never be another day like today.

Fan-Club Champions

A lot of rock groups have fan clubs, but the champions, my friends, are members of the British band, “Queen.” Their fans organized in 1973 and are still running about 9,500 strong. The not-so-exclusive group once reached 20,000 members.

Work Is Good for You

Sociologists claim that women, who work outside the home, are healthier than those who do not. But on the average, men’s health declines if their wives work more than 30 hours a week.

Jet Car

Chrysler produced a jet engine for passenger cars and tested the gas-turbine power plant in a 1954 transcontinental trip. Further work resulted in a 140-horsepower engine with strong acceleration and fuel economy of almost 20 miles per gallon. The best part? According to company news releases, the motor required no tune-ups or oil changes and could burn any fuel, including regular gasoline, diesel, peanut oil, kerosene and French perfume. But the jet-powered car of the future never got off the ground. Less than 100 vehicles were built.

Precious Metal?

Pure aluminum was once so rare that it was considered a precious metal. Scientists say that’s because aluminum, the most abundant metal in the earth’s crust, is never found free in nature. It’s usually found in combination with other elements such as potassium and sulfur or oxygen.

Therapeutic Paper

Toilet paper didn’t always come in rolls. When Joseph Gayetty invented “Therapeutic Paper” in 1857, he sold it in packs of 500 flat sheets, each with his name printed on the top.

Age in Office

The average age of American vice presidents, on taking office, is 54. John C. Breckinridge, second-in-command to James Buchanan, was the youngest at 36. The oldest, Alben W. Barkley, was Harry S. Truman’s 71-year-old running mate.

Tobacco Cessation

Created in Austria in 1927, the PEZ peppermint candy was marketed as an alternative to smoking. The hygienic dispenser first appeared in 1948, and heads were added to the containers in 1952 in order to make the candy more attractive to children.

Vacation Destination

The National Museum of Roller Skating, organized in 1980, resides in Lincoln, Neb. And while you’re in town, might as well take time to visit the International Quilt Study Center or the Lester F. Larsen Tractor Test and Power Museum.

Inner Beauty

Egyptian vultures prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Females of the species often choose, as their mate, the male with the brightest yellow face. Unfortunately, this color comes from carotenoid, a yellow pigment found in the vulture’s fecal matter. Males who eat the most poop get the most girls.

Pound of Change

How much is a pound worth? Since 1965, a pound of dimes has been equal to $20 in change. The same is true for a pound of quarters.

Under the Gun

United States policemen operate more than 125,000 radar guns, and the average motorist can expect to be monitored at least 1,000 times in a lifetime of driving.

Chips Are for Perfectionists

Neurologist Alan Hirsch discovered that your personality may determine the kind of snacks you like. His study found, for instance, that perfectionists tend to like tortilla chips. Introverts prefer crackers.

Fast Fish

Tuna are capable of short bursts of speed, up to 50 miles per hour, and some of these fish are known to migrate more than 5,000 miles in less than a year.

Killing Statues

Archaeologists, working in Egypt, have discovered upright statues in sealed tombs. But the figures often have broken noses. Ancient Egyptian religious beliefs claim that the statue serves as an eternal home for the soul. So archaeologists theorize that enemies of the deceased may have intentionally smashed the nose in order to “kill” the statue and end the life of the soul it contained.

Image Is Everything

The Marlboro cigarette, made by Phillip Morris had a less-than-manly motto: “Mild as May.” Until Don Tennant came along, that is. Tennant, already well-known for his creation of Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger, created the Marlboro Man. Sales of the cigarette increased 5,000 times in the eight months following introduction of the rugged, cowboy mascot. Image is everything.

Crispy or Original?

KFC sells the equivalent of 736 million chickens each year.

Broken Hearts

Lost love doesn’t just damage the heart. Among Hamadryas baboons, if a male loses his harem, his mane’s silvery sheen turns to brown.

Not Too Tall

NASA selected seven astronauts for its first manned space flight in 1961, and none was taller than 5 feet 11 inches tall. That’s because limited cabin space in the Mercury capsule left no room for taller men.

Bigfoot Lives

If Bigfoot exists, he probably lives on the West Coast. Sightings have been reported in every state, but Washington leads the nation with 316 appearances reported to the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization. California is second with 292, and Oregon has 163 reported appearances. Meanwhile, Delaware, Rhode Island and Connecticut sit at the bottom of the list with a total of six sightings between them.

Ear-y

When Van Gogh’s paintings were featured in 1935 by the New York City Museum of Modern Art, crowds flocked to the exhibit. But they showed much more interest in a piece of beef than they did in any of the masterpieces. American artist and prankster Hugh Troy had placed a piece of meat in a lined, velvet box and smuggled it into the museum. It carried this inscription: “This is the ear which Vincent van Gogh cut off and sent to his mistress, a French prostitute, Dec. 24, 1888.” And it attracted the largest crowds.

Escape the Rat Race

Looking to escape the rat race? Try Loving County, Texas. It’s the least-populated county in the country. In 2000, it had fewer than 70 people living on its slightly-more-than 670 square miles of land.

Cows Are Hot

A cow’s average body temperature is 101.5 degrees.

Living Dangerously

Experts claim that most urban squirrels never make it to their first birthday. But the shortened life span isn’t the result of disease, poor nutrition or predators. Blame it on the automobile.

America, the Beautiful

America, the beautiful, almost became known for its halcyon skies. But Katharine Lee Bates, writer of the patriotic hymn, revised her description to “spacious.”

Mike the Headless Chicken

Chickens aren’t the brainiest creatures on the planet as one Colorado family discovered. Their Wyandotte rooster, Mike, continued to preen, strut and eat for almost 18 months after losing his head on the butcher block. “Miracle Mike” toured the country with a two-headed calf and their promoter until his death in 1947. But his memory lives on. Fruita, Colorado, Mike’s hometown, continues to hold an annual “Mike the Headless Chicken Day.”

Cost-Effective

With a goal of landing a man on the moon, the Apollo program was the country’s most expensive project in the 1960s. Second on that list is the IBM 360, which Fortune magazine called a “$5 billion gamble.” But the risk paid off as IBM reportedly made more than $100 billion in sales of the mainframe computer.

No Onions, Please

The Burger King Whopper, when first introduced in 1957, sold for 37 cents and quickly became the best-selling sandwich in America. Company officials say the most popular way to order the burger is with this request: “Hold the onions.”

Sweet and Sour

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

Driver Not Included

The first Saab automobile, introduced after World War II, was designed and hand built by 17 aeronautical engineers. Only one of them had a driver’s license.

Presidential Pets

Pauline Wayne, a cow, was the last farm animal to live at the White House. The presidential barn was torn down in 1910, and First Lady Helen Taft sent Pauline to a local farm. Pauline’s predecessors included Tad Lincoln’s pet turkey, Jack, and the Roosevelt family pig, Maude.

Short Argument

Inch by inch, life’s a cinch. Or is it really that easy? That was the problem facing the United States and Great Britain in 1959. Couldn’t agree on how much easiness is in a life. Americans argued for an inch that measured 2.540005 centimeters. On the other side of the Atlantic, the inch came in at only 2.53998 centimeters. So the two countries compromised on the 2.54-centimeter inch. Fortunately, they already agreed on centimeters.

Batty

What do Liberace, Art Carney, Bruce Lee, Milton Berle, Ethel Merman and Zsa Zsa Gabor have in common? Batman. They all appeared as guests on this 60s hit TV series. Same bat-time, same bat-channel.

Birds of a Feather

The Ruby Hummingbird has fewer feathers than any other bird: 940 in all. The Whistling Swan has the most with as many as 25,000 during the winter months.

Twisted Cow

Of all the world’s athletic contests, one of the most interesting might have been the historic Invergarry Highland Games where competitors lifted heavy stones, threw hammers, ran from the island to Invergarry and back (6 miles) and twisted “the four legs from a cow, for which a fat sheep was offered as a prize.” Alas, today’s tamer games offer no such diversion.

Clever Death

Oliver Cromwell was a clever man. He died in 1658 and was executed in 1661. That’s right. King Charles II had Cromwell’s dead body exhumed from its grave so it could be publicly hung, drawn and quartered. Visitors to Westminster Abbey could view Cromwell’s head, attached to the end of a pole, until 1685. Very clever

Bald Is Out

Research on the king of beasts may have human parallels. When given a choice, female lions prefer long, dark manes.

Twine City

“Weird Al” Yancovic memorialized “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota” in his song of the same name. But that Darwin, Minn. ball of twine, measuring 12 feet across, is actually the country’s second largest such sphere. The record-holder, with more than 7 million wrapped feet of sisal string, resides a few states away in Cawker City, Kan.

Cod Liver Oil

Louis Pasteur pioneered a process for sanitizing wine, beer and milk, and he developed a cure for rabies. Jonas Salk created a vaccine for polio. But who remembers Peter Moller? In 1854, this Norwegian pharmacist invented a method for producing medicinal cod liver oil, which fast became the best answer to the disease of rickets in malnourished children. And he was showered with awards.