Rightsizing

"Rightsizing," a euphemism for laying off employees, was first used by IBM when it laid off 35,000 employees in the early 1990s. Other terms for massive firings include reengineering, outsourcing and managing down.

Dog Smarts

In a survey of 199 American and Canadian Kennel Club obedience judges; border collies, poodles and German shepherds were rated the most intelligent dog breeds. The least intelligent breeds included Afghan hounds, basenjis and bulldogs.

Stalin's Last Love

When Ekaterina, Joseph Stalin's wife, died in 1907, Russia's future dictator said he would never feel love for another person. Proving his point, Stalin later had the members of Ekaterina's family shot.

Termite Mound

The largest-known termite mound was found in Australia. It was 100 feet in diameter at the base and 20 feet high. An African mound with a smaller base of 10 feet stood taller at a finished height of 42 feet.

American IQ

The average American IQ (intelligence quotient) of 98 ties it for 17th place in the international standings with Australia, Denmark, France and Norway. Hong Kong is in first place with an average of 107, while South Korea, Singapore and Japan take places 2, 3 and 4.

LSD-25

A powerful muscle contractor, the fungus Claviceps purpurea can control bleeding, speed up childbirth and induce abortion. It's also the source of the hallucinogenic LSD-25. But extreme caution must be used as doses larger than the microscopic produce ergotamine poisoning, better known as St. Anthony's Fire. Victims of the often-fatal disease suffer convulsions accompanied by a burning sensation in the limbs, which turn black and fall off.

Hydrophobia

Historians note that Prussian emperor Frederick the Great may have suffered from hydrophobia, the fear of water, as he refused to take baths and had his coffee made with champagne rather than water.

Hashbrowns

The Waffle House restaurant chain serves hashbrowns seven different ways: chunked with ham, covered with cheese, diced with tomatoes, peppered with jalapenos, scattered on the grill, smothered in onions, topped with chili.

Citric Acid

Until the 1920s, Italy held a virtual monopoly on the production of citric acid, accounting for 90 percent of the world's total production with low-grade lemons. When American chemists discovered that a common black mold, Aspergillus niger, secreted citric acid, they broke Italy's hold on the market by producing enough cheap citric acid to bring prices down from a dollar a pound to only about 25 cents.

Einstein

The average male brain weighs 3.08 pounds. The average female brain weighs 2.85 pounds. But size doesn't matter. Einstein's brain weighed only 2.71 pounds.

Purple

Before 1969, the American Express card was purple. It was changed to green that year to reflect the color of U.S. money, although today's cards are available in a variety of colors.

Sheep

Australia has more than 94 million sheep and only about 20 million humans. Other places with more sheep than people include Sudan, New Zealand, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Uruguay, Ireland, Iceland and Namibia.

Bowling Scores

Only 198 perfect-300 games were rolled in bowling alleys in 1952. In 1970, the total was up to 854 perfect games. But by 2003, that number had shot up to 48,810 in spite of the fact that there are fewer bowling alleys today. Are bowlers getting better? Probably not. Experts say the increase is most likely the result of a lane-oiling method called the "house shot" in which a heavier coat of shine is applied to the center of the lane, with the sides left thinner to form "dry boards."

Fiberglass Fish

The largest fiberglass structure in the world can be found in Hayward, Wisconsin, at the National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame. The model of a leaping muskie is half a city block long and 4-1/2 stories high. About 20 visitors can fit into an observation deck inside the fish's mouth.

Confederacy

Of the states that left the Union to form the Confederate States of America, South Carolina was the first to do so on December 20, 1860. Mississippi followed suit 20 days later, and by June, a total of 11 states had joined the confederacy. The other states, in order of secession, include the following: Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee.

Vampire

Experts claim that the word "vampire," an Old Slavic verb meaning "to fly," probably entered the English language in the early 18th century. "The Vampyre," a short story published in 1819 by English Doctor John William Polidori made the creature a cultural icon.

Tootsie Rolls

The "Tootsie" of Tootsie Rolls was formally known as Clara Hirschfield. Her father, Leo Hirschfield, gave her the nickname Tootsie, the same name he gave to the candy he invented, which entered the American market in 1896.

Baby Koala

A baby koala's first solid meal is often its mother's feces. The droppings contain microbes that help immunize the young koala against disease and that also aid in digestion.

Kevorkian

The Dr. Kevorkian is a cocktail, served over ice, that contains 1 ounce amaretto, 1 ounce Southern Comfort whiskey, 1 ounce Jack Daniels whiskey, 1 ounce gin, 1 ounce vodka and 8 ounces of orange juice.

Ideal Home

In the early 19th century, experts on the complete British home agreed that a household of husband and wife with three children and the money to support it should have a staff of 24: housekeeper, cook, lady's-maid, nurse, two housemaids, laundry maid, still-room maid, nursery-maid, kitchen maid, scullion, butler, valet, house-steward, coachman, two grooms, one assistant groom, two footmen, three gardeners and a laborer.

Angora

Angora wool doesn't come from sheep. Instead, Angora is harvested from domesticated rabbits. The rabbits are sheared every three months, and each one is expected to produce about 12 ounces of white, black, blue or fawn wool each year.

Franklin's Coin

Before Benjamin Franklin's image was put on the half-dollar coin in 1948, U.S. Mint director Nellie Ross had considered putting him on the penny to honor his maxim, "A penny saved is a penny earned."

Wine Labels

The design and wording on U.S. wine labels is overseen by the American Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, an agency that also oversees government work to reduce the criminal use of firearms.

Prohibition President

During Prohibition, President Warren Harding hosted liquor parties, and the Senate Library had a secret bar behind one of its walls. But not all were corrupt. Rep. Thomas Blanton tried to have the Washington Post prosecuted for printing George Washington's recipe for beer.

Cent

Governor Morris, assistant to Superintendent of Finance Robert Morris, suggested in 1782 that the "cent" be the name of America's smallest coin. At the time, Morris recommended that the cent be equal to 1/1440 of a dollar and that the lowest silver coin contain 100 of these units. The suggestion was ignored, but the name was kept.

The 10 Percent

Brown University's "Digest of Addiction Theory and Application" reported in 2000 that 10 percent of America's heaviest beer drinkers are responsible for drinking 43 percent of all beer consumed nationally.

Butter Battle

Citing "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss as one of the most influential anti-arms-race books of the 1980s, experts point out that the rhyming and rhythmic challenge to Ronald Reagan's policies remained for six months on the New York Times Best Sellers list - for adults.

The Golliwogs

Not every pop band gets its name right the first time. For instance, Chicago got its start as Big Thing, and the Beach Boys were originally billed as Carl and the Passions. Polka Tulk eventually changed its name to the better-known Black Sabbath. Creedence Clearwater Revival started out as The Golliwogs.

Debt

The English word "debt" comes from the old French "dette" and was spelled without the letter "b" until the thirteenth century in which scholars inserted the letter in order to make it appear that the word had come directly from the Latin "debita" or "owed."

Consumption

In England, about 65 percent of all beer is consumed in pubs and other public places. But in the United States, only 26 percent of beer consumption takes place outside the home.

Presidential Nicknames

Many U.S. presidents have had popular nicknames. For instance, George Washington was often referred to as the Sword of the Revolution, and John Adams is known to historians as Old Sink or Swim. Other presidential monikers are as follows: Old Granny (W.H. Harrison), Purse (Franklin Pierce), Sir Veto (Andrew Johnson), His Fraudulency (Rutherford B. Hayes), and Coiner of Weasel Words (Woodrow Wilson).