WORLD'S OLDEST NATIONAL ANTHEM

Japan’s national anthem, “Kimigayo” or “The Reign of our Emperor,” was composed about 1,100 years ago, making it the world’s oldest such song.

Of people infected with the West Nile virus, less than 1 percent becomes seriously ill.

A popular recipe for imitation pearls in the 15th century called for ground up seed pearls, glass and fish bones. Snail slime and egg whites were then added in order to bind the material.

A human body contains about one quart of blood for every 30 pounds of weight.

Oil was discovered in Iran in 1908. Commercial discoveries of oil in Iraq were made for the first time in 1927 and in Saudi Arabia in 1938.

The average American supermarket carries more than 10,000 different products.

In the aftermath of the historic battle at the Alamo, Mexican Gen. Santa Anna had all the American corpses soaked in oil and then set on fire. Only three Americans survived: Susanna Dickinson, her 15-month-old baby and Joe, a slave who had belonged to Col. William B. Travis.

Anise tastes more like licorice than licorice. That’s because an oil — distilled from the anise plant — is what gives licorice its distinctive taste. The licorice plant tastes like licorice, but experts claim it’s just not the same.