Boring Name?

Alaska’s capital city, Juneau, was originally named Harrisburgh for prospector Richard Harris. But citizens at an 1881 town meeting decided the name was too common and changed it to Rockwell. The change honored Lt. Com. Charles Rockwell, who helped keep order in the mining community. The new name didn’t last long, however. Joe Juneau, a prospector who helped found the town, insisted that something in the area should be named after him. Rockwell’s citizens agreed, naming their town a third and final time.

Not All the Same Size

A standard bowling ball must have a diameter of at least 8.5 inches but no more than 8.595 inches.

Kids Like Barney

Barney, the purple dinosaur, is televised in over 100 countries. But the kid-friendly creature got his start in a home video, made by two former teachers in 1988 and sold to toy and video stores by a group of mothers. Members of the group were convinced that children would love the friendly dinosaur, and they were right. Barney’s fan club now has more than 1 million members, and his first audio release, “Barney’s Favorites: Volume 1,” went triple-platinum.

Manure Babies

Flies like to lay their eggs in manure from horses, cows, dogs, pigs, poultry and even humans. Up to 868 fly pupae can develop from a single ounce of the moist, fecal matter.

Biological Weapons of Mass Destruction

During the French and Indian War, England found in Jeff Amherst an able and efficient commander. Amherst developed a plan for what may have been the first use of biological warfare in North America. He counseled Captain Simeon Ecuyer at Fort Pitt to provide the American Indians with smallpox-infected blankets in order to “Bring about the Total Extirpation of those Indian Nations.”

Sheepish Sheepdogs

In the frontier settlements of the American West, Spanish-trained sheepdogs were in high demand. Before its eyes had opened, the potential sheepdog was given to a ewe that suckled the puppy as if it were her own lamb. These dogs grew up, intensely loyal to their flocks.

Various Pangrams

“The quick, brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” is a well-known Pangram — a sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet. But there are others. Next time, try “Jackdaws love my big sphinx of quartz” or “Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex.”

Artistic License

William Shakespeare recorded the dying words of Julius Caesar in his play of the same name: “Et tu, Brute.” But Shakespeare created the quotation for artistic effect. Suetonius, author of “The Lives of the First Twelve Caesars,” writes that Caesar’s actual last words were “Kai su, teknon,” meaning “Even you, my child.”

Lazy Scribe

Late Egyptian scribes often used shortcuts rather than print the entire collection of symbols needed for a section of text. One of these shortcuts is a curved, backward-slanting stroke that means “the hieroglyph that would go in this place is too tedious to draw.”

Picky Teens

A 2001 study of students at four urban schools found that the average adolescent picks his nose about four times a day.

Semantics

Chinese calligraphic characters can change their meaning when multiplied. The symbol for “horse,” drawn three times, means “gallop.” When “tree” is doubled, it stands for “forest.” And when the symbol for “woman” is drawn twice, it signifies a “quarrel.”

Mental Defective

Charles Addams, creator of “The Addams Family,” had a hint of the macabre in his own life. Addams replied to fan-mail with stationery that carried the title, “The Gotham Rest Home for Mental Defectives.” And his third marriage was held in a pet cemetery.

Doggone Blanket

Canadian artist and pioneer Paul Kane observed in 1847 that the Salish and Chinook people of Washington’s Puget Sound raised dogs for their wool. The tribespeople nurtured a “peculiar breed of small dogs with long hair,” Kane wrote. “The hair is cut off with a knife and mixed with goosedown and a little white earth.” The long, fine and compact fleece was used mostly for the making of blankets.

All in the Family

A 1991 study of convicted inmates in the United States, England and Wales found that one in three had a close relative — usually a sibling — who had also served time in prison.

Pancake Saleslady

Nancy Green, born a slave in Montgomery County, Ky., later became the world’s first living trademark. In 1890, the Davis Milling Company hired the 56-year-old Green to represent its Aunt Jemima Pancake Mix, a job she held until her death in 1923.

Pigs in America

Pigs know how to live off the land. When Hernando de Soto began his exploration of Florida in 1539, he brought with him close to 1,000 soldiers, a dozen priests and 15 pigs. By the time that de Soto reached the Mississippi, three years later, he had lost many men. But the pigs had flourished, swelling their ranks to more than 700.

Extreme Hunger

English colonists founded Jamestown, Va., in 1607, making it the country’s first, permanent settlement. But not all was well in the colonial village. The winter of 1610 was so harsh that several residents dug up the recent-dead in order to avoid starvation. One man went even farther, killing his wife while she slept. He “fed upon her until he had clean devoured all parts saving her head.”

Bowling vs. Gymnastics

In the United States, bowling and fishing are the top-two recreational activities. But neither is a uniquely American pastime. Take the island nation of Japan, for instance, where bowling is the second-most-popular sport, and fishing is third. What could they possibly enjoy more than fishing and bowling? Gymnastics.

The Landfill State

At last count, Alaska had 322 landfills — more than any other state. California was second with 188. Delaware and Connecticut had the fewest in the nation with six landfills between them.

What Are the Chances?

No matter how the game of Monopoly is played, each participant is more likely to land in jail (or Just Visiting) than on any other of the board’s squares. Illinois Avenue is the second-most-frequented location. The space marked “Chance,” between Oriental Avenue and Vermont Avenue, is the least visited spot on the board.

Best Friend

Experts on domesticated animals claim that canine bones found in European and Asian camp sites, thousands of years old, suggest that at one time man’s best friend was also his dinner.

Land Ho!

Christopher Columbus offered a reward to the first man to sight land during his famed voyage of 1492. But when Rodrigo de Triana did just that in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, October 12, Columbus saved his money by claiming he had spotted land at about 10 the previous evening.

War Tax

The U.S. income tax was first established in 1862 to support the Union efforts in the Civil War. Although the tax was discontinued in 1872, the government brought it back in 1894. The Supreme Court declared the tax unconstitutional the following year, but a constitutional amendment reestablished the income tax for good in 1913.

Washington's Birds

American admirers of gold pheasants know that President George Washington may have been the first U.S. citizen to keep the birds. But he didn’t keep them for long. Washington’s seven golden pheasants arrived in November 1786, a gift from the Marquis de Lafayette. The first of these magnificent birds died only three months later, and Washington reported in a letter that “I am afraid the others will follow him but too soon, as they all appear to be drooping.”

Forgotten Flight

Wilbur Wright may have proved the better pilot, but his brother, Orville, made the flight that has gone down in history. On December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers made four flights. Wilbur’s was the longest at 852 feet and 59 seconds. But Orville’s was the first.

Hot Dog Victory

Until Charles Feltman came along, the clam was king of Coney Island. But in 1871, Feltman started selling hot dogs from a small shore lot. He had 3,684 customers that year, and they loved Feltman’s sausage in a bun, spreading the news to their friends and neighbors. Word-of-mouth was all the advertising Feltman needed to grow his operation. By 1923, he had a chain of Coney Island restaurants that catered to the tastes of more than 5.2 million customers.

Population Growth

In the United States, there is one birth every 8 seconds, one death every 13 seconds and one migrant every 26 seconds. This means the country has a net population gain of one person every 12 seconds.

Competitive Romance

A male rhinoceros may seek out the dung piles that belong to the object of his affection, breaking them apart and flinging the pieces as far as he can. Biologists suggest this behavior prevents other male rhinos from finding and following the scent of that particular female.

Wild Popcorn

If you smell popcorn while traveling through a rain forest in Southeast Asia, the source of that scent may be a binturong, also called a bear cat. The popcorn-like aroma comes from a scent gland near the binturong’s tail.

Battery Bunny

The Energizer Bunny has appeared in more than 115 different commercials since first created in 1989. And he keeps going and going and . . .

Goat or Mouse?

The chevrotain, an animal with a name that means “goat kid,” has little relation to goats. Instead, the small Asian creature looks more like a small deer with its brown coat, speckled with white markings. That may be why some people refer to the animal — 13 inches high at the shoulder — as the “mouse deer.”

Sacred Tooth

When Buddha passed away, his four canine teeth were saved as relics and passed down through the ages. One of those teeth has its own temple, The Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic, in Sri Lanka. When the tooth first came to the country in the 4th century A.D., it was treated as a symbol of kingship for the nation’s rulers.

The Brain

Albert Einstein died and was cremated in 1955. But it was rumored that Einstein’s brain had been preserved. The rumor proved true in 1978 when an enterprising reporter tracked the brain to the home of Dr. Thomas S. Harvey in Wichita, Kan. Harvey, the pathologist, who performed the final autopsy on Einstein, had stored the scientist’s brain in two mason jars and kept it for future study. Smart move.

Virgin Birth

Virgin births may seem miraculous, but they’re not so rare among insects. Take aphids, for example. The females are born pregnant.

Franklin State

Tennessee became the country’s 16th state in 1796. But for many in the former territory’s eastern counties, this was not their first experience with statehood. Those counties had briefly seceded from North Carolina and declared themselves the State of Franklin in 1784, a government which stayed in place for almost four years.

Pissed

A male porcupine, trying to attract a potential mate, will douse a female porcupine with urine. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Look Out Below

A 2-story outhouse might not seem like a very good idea, but several communities boast such structures, including Phelps, N.Y., and Silver City, Idaho. (The trick is to offset the two levels.) But Bryant Pond, Maine, puts them all to shame with what may be the nation’s only 3-story outhouse.

Canine Paradise

The Canary Islands are home to wild canaries, but the birds were named after the place, and the place was named after another animal entirely. It seems early Romans named the islands for the dogs that lived there. Canis is Latin for “dog.”

Silent But Deadly

Up to 97 million birds die each year in the U.S. and Canada as a result of colliding with windows. Experts say many of the deaths are caused by birds that mistake their reflections for another bird and then attempt to defend their territory from the imaginary foe.

Stress?

About 1 in 10 Americans develops an ulcer. Although doctors used to believe that ulcers were the result of stress, it is now known that at least 80 percent of such lesions are caused by infection from the H. pylori bacterium.

Elsie & Elmer

It has been estimated that more than 47 million children use Elmer’s glue each week that school is in session. Elmer, the bull on the front of each bottle, was created shortly after the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Borden’s spokescow, Elsie, was a big hit at the fair, so the company created her husband to help sell the corporation’s non-food products.

Puppet Government

Sesame Street’s Elmo may be the first and only puppet to have testified before Congress. He spoke to the Education Appropriations Subcommittee in April 2002 on the importance of music education.

Original Klingon

Serious Star Trek aficionados have translated portions of the Bible and other literary works into Klingon, which one organization refers to as “the galaxy’s fastest growing language.” But their crowning achievement, once completed, may be their restoration of the complete works of Shakespeare into the “original Klingon.” Well done (majQa’)!

Bibliophile

Abdul Kassem Ismael, the grand vizier of Persia, was an avid reader with a library of about 117,000 books. But Ismael, a frequent traveler, hated the idea of separation from his beloved collection, so he took it with him, using more than 400 camels to transport the literary works. To ensure that the needed book could be quickly found, the camels were trained to travel in alphabetical order.

Bachelor Tax

Missouri established a tax on bachelors in 1820. Single men between the ages of 21 and 50 had to hand over $1 each year to the state government or get married.

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.