Best Trivia/Info E-mails of the Week 11/15/01

WANNA KNOW EVERYTHING?
For everyone who thinks they know everything. . .
> > 1. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.
> > 2. Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
> > 3. There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
> > 4. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.
> > 5. A shark is the only fish that can blink with both eyes.
> > 6. There are more chickens than people in the world.
> > 7. Two-thirds of the world's eggplant is grown in New Jersey.
> > 8. The longest one-syllable word in the English language is "screeched."
> > 9. On a Canadian two dollar bill, the flag flying over the
> > Parliament building is an American flag.
> > 10. All of the clocks in the movie "Pulp Fiction" are
> > stuck on 4:20.
> > 11. No word in the English language rhymes with month,
> > orange, silver, or purple.
> > 12. "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt."
> > 13. All 50 states are listed across the top of the
> > Lincoln Memorial on the back of the $5 bill.
> > 14. Almonds are a member of the peach family.
> > 15. Winston Churchill was born in a ladies' room during a dance.
> > 16. Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.

> > 17. There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous": tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
> > 18. Los Angeles' full name is "El Pueblo de Nuestra
> > Senora la Reina de los Angeles de Porciuncula"
> > 19. A cat has 32 muscles in each ear.
> > 20. An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.
> > 21. Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
> > 22. In most advertisements, the time displayed on a
> > watch is 10:10.
> > 23. Al Capone's business card said he was a used
> > furniture dealer.
> > 24. The characters Bert and Ernie on Sesame Street
> > were named after Bert the cop and Ernie the taxi driver in
> > Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life."
> > 25. A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
> > 26. A Goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
> > 27. A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
> > 28. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
> > 29. The giant squid has the largest eyes in the world.
> > 30. In England, the Speaker of the House is not
> > allowed to speak.
> > 31. The microwave was invented after a researcher
> > walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket.
> > 32. Mr. Rogers is an ordained minister.
> > 33. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.
> > 34. There are 336 dimples on a regulation golf ball.
> > 35. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that is typed
> > with only the left hand.
> > NOW you know everything!

OUR DOLLAR BILL
>Take out a one-dollar bill, and look at it. The one-dollar bill you're
>looking at first came off the presses in 1957 in its present design. This
>so-called paper money is in fact a cotton and linen blend, with red and blue minute silk fibers running through it. It is actually material.
>We've all washed it without it falling apart. A special blend of ink is
>used, the contents we will never know. It is overprinted with symbols and then it is starched to make it water resistant and pressed to give it that nice
>crisp look.>
>If you look on the front of the bill, you will see the United States
>Treasury Seal. On the top you will see the scales for a balanced budget. In the center you have a carpenter's square, a tool used for an even cut. Underneath is the Key to the United States Treasury. That's all pretty easy to figure out, but what is on the back of that
>dollar bill is something we should all know. If you turn the bill over,
>you will see two circles. Both circles, together, comprise the Great Seal of the United States. The First Continental Congress requested that Benjamin Franklin and a group of men come up with a Seal. It took them four years to accomplish this task and another two years to get it approved.
>If you look at the left-hand circle, you will see a pyramid. Notice the
>face is lighted, and the western side is dark. This country was just beginning. We had not begun to explore the West or decided what we could do for Western Civilization. The Pyramid is un-capped, again signifying that we were not even close to being finished. Inside the capstone you have the all-seeing eye, an ancient symbol for divinity. It was Franklin's belief that one man couldn't do it alone, but a group of men, with the help of God, could do anything. "IN GOD WE TRUST" is on this currency. The
Latin above the pyramid, ANNUIT COEPTIS, means, "God has favored our undertaking." The Latin below the pyramid, NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM, means, "a new order has begun." At the base of the pyramid is the Roman Numeral for 1776.
>If you look at the right-hand circle, and check it carefully, you will
>learn that it is on every National Cemetery in the United States. It is also on the Parade of Flags Walkway at the Bushnell, Florida National Cemetery, and is the centerpiece of most hero's' monuments. Slightly modified, it is the seal of the President of the United States, and it is always visible whenever he speaks; yet very few people know what
>the symbols mean.
>The Bald Eagle was selected as a symbol for victory for two reasons: First, he is not afraid of a storm; he is strong, and he is smart enough to soar
>above it. Secondly, he wears no material crown. We had just broken from the King of England. Also, notice the shield is unsupported. This country can now stand on its own.>
>At the top of that shield you have a white bar signifying congress, a
>unifying factor. We were coming together as one nation. In the Eagle's
>beak you will read, "E PLURIBUS UNUM", meaning, "one nation from many people".
>Above the Eagle, you have thirteen stars, representing the thirteen
>original colonies, and any clouds of misunderstanding rolling away. Again, we were coming together as one. Notice what the Eagle holds in his talons. He holds an olive branch and arrows. This country wants peace, but we will never be afraid to fight to preserve peace. The Eagle always
>wants to face the olive branch, but in time of war, his gaze turns toward
>the arrows.
>
>They say that the number 13 is an unlucky number. This is almost a
>worldwide belief. You will usually never see a room numbered 13, or any hotels or motels with a 13th floor. But think about this: 13 original colonies, 13 signers of the Declaration of Independence, 13 stripes on our flag, 13 steps on the Pyramid, 13 letters in the Latin above, 13 letters in "E Pluribus Unum", 13 stars above the Eagle, 13 bars on that shield, 13 leaves on the olive branch, 13 fruits, and if you look closely, 13 arrows. And, for minorities: the 13th Amendment.
>I always ask people, "Why don't you know this?" Your children don't know this, and their history teachers don't know this. Too many veterans have given up too much to ever let the meaning fade. Many veterans remember coming home to an America that didn't care. Too many veterans never came home at all. Share this page with everyone, so they can learn what is on the back of the UNITED STATES ONE DOLLAR BILL, and what it stands for. Otherwise, they will probably never know...

A few thoughts:
If you're too open minded, your brains will fall out.
Age is a very high price to pay for maturity.
Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity.
If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before.
My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
Not one shred of evidence supports the notion that life is serious.
It is easier to get forgiveness than permission.
If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
Bills travel through the mail at twice the speed of cheques.
A conscience is what hurts when all your other parts feel so good.
Eat well, stay fit, and die anyway.
A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand.
Middle age is when broadness of the mind and narrowness of the waist change places.
Opportunities always look bigger going than coming.
Junk is something you've kept for years and throw away three weeks before you need it.
There is always one more imbecile than you counted on.
Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
By the time you can make ends meet, they move the ends.
Someone who thinks logically provides a nice contrast to the real world.
Blessed are they who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.