Prairie Dogs

Prairie dogs have a single sharp note to signal, "hawk overhead," and repeated calling by a group as a "coyote alert." The small mammals also use a mix of long notes and barks to tell others that there is a "human approaching." But the communication between prairie dogs isn't all about danger. For instance, Arizona scientists recorded a special call used by the communicative creatures that signaled when cows were in the vicinity. In another case, the prairie dogs created a new call to describe a wooden object that scientists dragged across the desert near the colony.

Fertility Rate

Statisticians report that in order to maintain the world's current population, women must produce an average of 2.1 children apiece. The fertility rate in the U.S. is 2.06 children per woman. That compares to a rate of 1.91 in the United Kingdom, 1.21 in Japan, 1.41 in Germany and 1.39 in Italy.

Honorary Citizens

The United States has had only six honorary citizens in its history: British Prime Minister Winston Churchill received honorary citizenship in 1963; Holocaust hero Raoul Wallenberg (1981); Pennsylvania founders William Penn and his wife, Hannah (1984); Mother Teresa (1996); and the French supporter of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette (2002).

Lottery Pick

The odds of predicting the correct order of six balls chosen out of 50 in a lottery game are 15,890,700 to one. So most would think Maureen Wilcox would be ecstatic for having correctly picked the winning numbers twice in January 1998. But she wasn't. That's because Wilcox correctly picked the winning numbers for a Rhode Island draw, but she had picked them in the Massachusetts lottery. Later, when she picked the winning numbers for the Massachusetts lottery, it just so happened that she had done so with a Rhode Island ticket. End result: no winnings for Wilcox.

Miss Manners

Judith Martin, better known as Miss Manners, didn't always see proper behavior as a boon to society: "We are all born charming, fresh and spontaneous, and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society."

Chipmunk Food

Chipmunks communicate with each other about food by urinating, and their system is so developed that they can easily identify the difference between spots where there is food and places where all the stored food has already been eaten.

Colosseum

Rome's Colosseum, which could hold 40,000 to 50,000 spectators, was often the site of gladiator and mock naval battles. But contrary to popular belief, Christians weren't thrown to the lions in the Colosseum. That kind of show was saved for the Circus Maximus, which could accommodate much larger crowds of between 250,000 and 350,000 spectators.

General Sherman

The General Sherman Tree, one of the world's largest plants, is a giant sequoia that measures 272 feet tall and more than 100 feet in circumference. It is at least 2,700 years old.

Gershwin

The line "Who could ask for anything more?" was a popular one with the Gershwin Brothers, who used it in three of their songs: "I Got Rhythm," "I'm About to Be a Mother" and "Nice Work If You Can Get It."

Drunk Driving

Legal experts point to the case of Stuart MacNamara as possibly the worst-ever drunk-driving offense. MacNamara of Swansea, South Wales, was caught driving in 2001 with double the legal level of alcohol in his blood. He had just run a red light while making a call on his cell phone. Even worse, MacNamara only had one arm, and it was the one holding the phone.

National Song

Francis Scott Key, a lawyer, wrote the "Star-Spangled Banner" after being detained by the British in 1814. Shortly after his release, Key distributed the lyrics throughout Baltimore. But the song didn't become the national anthem until Herbert Hoover officially proclaimed it the nation's song on March 3, 1931.

Hobo Convention

The town of Britt, Iowa, has become known nationally for its annual Hobo Convention, which features carnivals, a talent show, servings of mulligan stew and a hobo parade.

Counting Stars

On a clear night and with an unobstructed view of the night sky, the careful observer should be able to count roughly 2,500 different stars without the use of a telescope or any other magnification device.

PAM

The letters PAM, as in the cooking spray, stand for Product of Arthur Meyerhoff. Along with his partner, Leon Rubin, Meyerhoff first marketed the product on local Chicago TV cooking shows.

Fertility

A study of 3,000 women by the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna found that those born in the months of June, July or August were, on average, less fertile than those born in other months.

Earmuffs

Chester Greenwood, inventor of the earmuffs, is celebrated each year in Farmington, Maine. The Chester Greenwood Day includes old-time vaudeville shows, invention displays and a parade.

Kilt

The kilt, often believed to have originated in Scotland, actually came from Egypt's Old Kingdom (2700 - 2200 B.C.E.). The kilt was also worn on the island of Crete from 2500 to 1100 B.C.E. and in Persia during the sixth century B.C.E. Historians say the kilt most likely came to Scotland with the Romans.

Running Times

At age 10, the average boy doesn't run much faster than the average girl. The girl completes a 50-yard dash in 8.9 seconds while 10-year-old-males run the same distance in 8.6 seconds. But by age 17, the difference is larger with females running the same distance in 8.2 seconds while males complete the 50-yard dash in an average of 6.7 seconds.

Liberty

The Statue of Liberty sits in New York Harbor, but it is within Jersey City's waters, making it a part of New Jersey, not of New York. But New York gained control of Bedloe Island and the statue in an 1834 compact with the state of New Jersey.

Nation's Father

President John Tyler, more than George Washington, probably should have been known as the Father of Our Country. After all, Tyler had 15 children, more than any other U.S. President.

Jogging

When running, the average jogger's heel comes in contact with the ground about 1,500 times per mile or 10,000 times per hour. As a result, running for one hour adds up, resulting in the runner contacting the ground with 4.5 million cumulative foot-pounds of force.

Squirrel Slippers

The original Cinderella wore "pantoufles en vair" or slippers made of white squirrel fur. But when Charles Perrault retold the story in his 1697 book, "Stories or Tales from Times Past, with Morals," he wrote that she wore "pantoufles en verre" or glass slippers. The mistake stuck.

Snake Bites

More than 8,000 people are bitten by poisonous snakes each year in the U.S. The bites are rarely fatal, however. On average fewer than 10 snake-bite victims actually die.

Darwin's Frogs

Male Darwin's frogs swallow the eggs laid by the female. The eggs grow in the male's vocal pouch before hopping out of his mouth once they have fully developed.

OPEC

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) formed in 1960 to unify member countries' petroleum policies and prices. The founding members were Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.

Ed Sullivan

When Ed Sullivan booked The Beatles to appear on his variety television show, he hadn't heard them perform, but he had seen the screaming crowd waiting to greet them at Heathrow Airport.

Bulgogi Burger

McDonald's franchises in Korea offer a specialty pork Bulgogi Burger. In Japan, customers can order a Teriyaki McBurger. Switzerland is home to the Swiss Vegi Mac.

Pigeon Eggs

Female pigeons cannot lay eggs if alone. They must be able to see another pigeon in order for their ovaries to function. If there are no other pigeons, a mirror will work just as well.

NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) first formed in 1949 during the Soviet blockade of Berlin. The organization's original members include Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States.