Did You Know?

The Indians in Peru were the first people to cultivate the potato over 4000 years ago. On October 21, 1958, Tater Tots were trademark registered and eating potatoes was never the same. A potato is about 80% water and 20% solid. Potatoes are a powerful aphrodisiac, says a physician in Ireland. The average American eats 140 pounds of potatoes per year. Germans eat more than 200 pounds per year. The largest potato grown was 18 pounds and 4 ounces according to the Guinness Book of World Records. It was grown in England in 1795. Canadian, Edward A. Asselbergs invented instant mashed potatoes (dehydrated potato flakes) in 1962.

In 1986 Congress voted to make the rose America's national flower. The daffodil's sap contains sharp crystals that protect the flower from grazing animals. The Hawaiian Tulip is one of the most toxic flowers to humans. All parts of the plant are poisonous if consumed. Native to North and South America, the sunflower turns to follow the sun. The tulip, a symbol of life, love and immortality, actually dates back to the time of Confucius. There are over 200,000 identified plant species and the list is growing all the time. Bamboo can be a fast growing plant, some types can grow almost a metre (3.28 feet) in just one day! Almost 60 percent of fresh-cut flowers grown in the U.S. come from California. Foxglove is an old English name, derived from the belief that foxes slipped their feet into the leaves of the plant to sneak up on prey.

There are over 2000 different varieties of cheese! The Pilgrims included cheese in their supplies onboard the Mayflower in 1620. The top five cheese producers in the United States are Wisconsin (more than 2.4 billion pounds annually),  California (2.1 billion pounds), Idaho (770.6 million pounds), New York (666.8 million pounds), and Minnesota (629.3 million pounds). These states account for 72 percent of the country's cheese production. Pizza Hut uses about 300 million pounds of cheese per year. Founded in 1882, the Crowley Cheese Factory in Healdville, Vermont, is the nation's oldest cheese maker still in operation. June is National Dairy Month, and the last week in June is National Cheese Week. Cheese is purchased by more than 98% of British households. The average person eats about 30 grams of cheese per day, with the favorite being Cheddar. Cheese is one of the most concentrated sources of key nutrients, including calcium, protein, and vitamins A, B12 ...

1871 - Seth Wheeler of Albany, NY patented perforated wrapping paper. 1942 - Capitol Records first number one hit made it to the top this day. It was one of their first six records released on July 1. The new company’s hit was Cow Cow Boogie, by Ella Mae Morse and Freddy Slack.  1947 - Fortune Gordien of Oslo, Norway set a world record discus throw of 178.47 feet. 1965 - Bob Dylan appeared on stage at the Newport Jazz Festival with an electric guitar. He was not well received, even with the classic folk song, Blowin’ in the Wind. 1978 - Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Pete Rose broke the National League record for hitting safely in consecutive games as he hit safely in his 38th straight game. 1978 - The first test-tube baby was born -- in England. 1981 - Walter Payton signed a contract to play with the Chicago Bears of the NFL on this, his 27th birthday. 1999 - Lance Armstrong rode to victory in the Tour de France, capping an amazing comeback from cancer.

Most of the cleansing bars that you buy at the store are detergents-and not soaps at all. They are called syndet bars, or synthetic detergent bars. The first soaps were formed by boiling animal fat (or olive oil around the Mediterranean) to dryness with ashes from a wood fire, which contain potassium hydroxide. The first literary reference to soap as a means of cleansing was by the Greek physician Galen in the second century A.D. By 1700. The early soaps were generally used for cleaning clothes and for curing animal hides. The Romans used soap on their bodies as part of bathing. By 1890 many variations of soap were offered, with the five major companies being, Colgate, Morse Taylor, Albert, Pears, and Bailey. Per capita consumption of soap: U.S. 25 Ib.; The Netherlands 24 Ib.; United Kingdom 20 Ib.; Japan 7 Ib.; Brazil 6.8 Ib.; world average 6.6 Ib.; Russia 5.7 Ib. (compared to less than 2 Ib. 20 years ago); British India, 4 oz.; China, 2 oz. Murphy's Oil Soap is the c...

There has been a lot of talk this week about the moon. We just celebrated the 40th aniversary of the moon landing so I dug up some interesting moon facts. Enjoy!~ The moon is not a planet, but a satellite of the Earth.  The moon is about 1/4 the size of the Earth.  The moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the earth's rotation of 1000 miles per hour.  In a survey conducted in 1988, 13% of those surveyed believed that the moon is made of cheese.  When Alan Sheppard was on the moon, he hit a golf ball and drove it 2,400 feet, nearly one half a mile.  In China, the dark shadows that are on the moon are called "the toad in the moon".  The moon rotates at 10 miles per hour compared to the earth's rotation of 1000 miles per hour.  The surface area of the moon is 14,658,000 square miles or 9.4 billion acres

We rescued a German Shepherd from the Animal Shelter a few months ago. He was in pretty bad shape and only weighed 70 pounds. With some love, lots of food and care we got him up to his ideal weight of 110lbs. Here are some facts about this amazing breed and a picture : German Shepherd's are the third most popular breed in the US. The originated from Germany (hence the name) in 1899 and were brought to the US in 1907. A famous German Shepherd Rin Tin Tin made 26 movies. They are a working dog and are used as herders, as police dogs, and by the military. Clipper was the German Shepherd Dog owned by John Kennedy. Average size of a German Shepherd liter is 8 puppies. German Shepherds are the 3rd most intelligent dog breed. Owning a German Shepherd Dog is rewarding and fun! For all you need to know about feeding, training and caring for your dog I would recommend  The Essential German Shepherd Dog (The Essential Guides) . It is a very helpful book and one tha...

Ablutophobia - Fear of washing or bathing Aerophobia - Fear of swallowing air Bibliophobia - Fear of books Chaetophobia - Fear of hair Chronomentrophobia - Fear of clocks Eisoptrophobia - Fear of mirrors Geliophobia - Fear of laughter Graphophobia- Fear of writing Lachanophobia - Fear of vegetables Mottephobia- Fear of moths

Contrary to popular opinion, Canada does not own the North Pole. In fact, the North Pole is not owned by any country. It is believed, however, that Santa Claus is from Canada. Canada is the world's eighth biggest trader. The baseball glove was invented in Canada in 1883. Canada has the ninth biggest economy of the world. Canada is home to 15 million cattle, around 6 million of which live in Alberta. Of Canada's 32 million people, 5.5 million are immigrants. Quebec is the biggest of Canada's main provinces and covers 1,365,128 square kilometres. The Royal Canadian Mint is located in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Who was the first explorer to reach the North Pole? A: Richard Byrd B: Floyd Bennett C: Robert E. Perry D: William R. Anderson If you would like to take a guess just leave your answer in the comments section. Answer as well as some more interesting facts will be posted tomorrow.:D

In Italy: It is illegal to practice the profession of charlantry. A man may be arrested for wearing a skirt. In the UK: All land must be left to the eldest son. Those wishing to purchase a television must also buy a license. Any person found breaking a boiled egg at the sharp end will be sentenced to 24 hours in the village stocks (enacted by Edward VI). In France: No pig may be addressed as Napoleon by its owner. It is illegal to take photos of police officers or police vehicles, even if they are just in the background. Between the hours of 8AM and 8PM, 70% of music on the radio must be by French artists. In Canada: It is illegal for clear or non-dark sodas to contain caffeine. When raining, a person may not water his/her lawn. It’s illegal to climb trees.

In PA - Persons convicted of felonies may not operate Bingo games. Dynamite is not to be used to catch fish. It is illegal to have over 16 women live in a house together because that constitutes a brothel. Fireworks stores may not sell fireworks to Pennsylvania residents. In Alamaba: Bear wrestling matches are prohibited. Dominoes may not be played on Sunday. Putting salt on a railroad track may be punishable by death. It is illegal for a driver to be blindfolded while operating a vehicle. In Texas:  It is illegal to milk another person’s cow. The entire Encyclopedia Britannica is banned in Texas because it contains a formula for making beer at home. It is illegal to take more than three sips of beer at a time while standing. Appearing in public places wearing a “lewd dress” is prohibited. To be continued... These are hilarious! I wonder how many folks are convicted each year of these serious offences and I wonder if law enforcement is even aware that these...

The first United States coast to coast airplane flight occurred in 1911 and took 49 days. A single poison arrow frog has enough poison to kill 2,000 people. The first coast-to-coast telephone line was established in 1914. In Cleveland, Ohio it is illegal to catch mice without a hunting license. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance. Caesar salad has nothing to do with any of the Caesar. It was first concocted in a bar in Tijuana, Mexico, in the 1920's. Cats have over one hundred vocal sounds, while dogs have only about ten. Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors. Armadillos have four babies at a time and they are always the same sex. The average ear of corn has eight hundred kernels arranged in sixteen rows. There is a large brass statue of Winnie-the-Pooh in Lima, Peru. The average day is actually 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.09 seconds. We have a leap year every four years to make up for this shortfall.

"Hot cockles" was a popular game at Christmas in medieval times. A traditional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard. An average household in America will mail out 28 Christmas cards each year and see 28 eight cards return in their place. Charles Dickens' initial choice for Scrooge's statement "Bah Humbug" was "Bah Christmas." During the Christmas buying season, Visa cards alone are used an average of 5,340 times every minute in the United States. For every real Christmas tree harvested, 2 to 3 seedlings are planted in its place. Franklin Pierce was the first United States' president to decorate an official White House Christmas tree . In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday. In 1937, the first postage stamp to commemorate Christmas was issued in Austria.

There are 221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, 100 concert organizations, 45 galleries, 62 cinemas and 80 club establishments of culture in St Petersburg. In terms of population, Russia is the ninth largest country in the world. There are 100 reserves and 35 national parks in Russia. Russia is home to more than 100 different ethnic groups. Slavs account for about 75% of the total population. Russia has the largest energy and mineral resources in the world, including large deposits of timber, coal, natural gas, and petroleum. Russia is the only State, on the territory of which there are 12 seas. 250-300 swans and 1.5-2 thousand wild ducks fly together in Swan lake in Altai krai every year. Women make 46.9% of the employed population in Russia. The legal marrying age is 18 years old for both men and women, but it is possible under some special circumstances for a girl to marry at 16 of age.

The first cow in America arrived in Jamestown colony in 1611. Until the 1850's, nearly every family had its own cow. Around 9.2 million cows are being milked on 110,000 farms in the United States. The average body temperature of a cow is 101.5°F. Cows have 32 teeth! Cows spots are like snowflakes there are never two with the same pattern of spots. A 1000 pound cow produces an average 10 TONS of manure every year! A cow can live 25 years. A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day. Before milking machines were invented in 1894, farmers could only milk about 6 cows per hour.

In France - Captain Sarret made the first parachute jump from an airplane in 1918. The first Eskimo Bible was printed in Copenhagen in 1744. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time. The first United States coast to coast airplane flight occurred in 1911 and took 49 days. In 1958 the US sent two mice called Laska and Benjy into space. The first parachute jump from an airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1912. The 16th century Escorial palace of King Phillip II of Spain had 1,200 doors. Only one president was a preacher -- James Garfield. President Jackson's estate outside of Nashville, TN was known as the Hermitage. Playing-cards were known in Persia and India as far back as the 12th century. A pack then consisted of 48 instead of 52 cards.