Little Known Facts
By: Steven Gillman
Little known facts can be just interesting. Here are some of those: A typical lightning bolt is two to four inches wide and two miles long; A month that starts with a Sunday will have a Friday the 13th in it; Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after March 21; Close to 50% of all bank robberies take place on Friday.
Do you know the furthest point on Earth from the center? It’s the peak of Mount Chimborazo, in Ecuador, near the Equator. The Earth bulges at the equator, making Mount Chimborazo even further out there than Everest.
Then there are the little known facts that are funny. These include, for example, silly laws that are still on the books. Here are some of those: By law, people in Vermont must take at least one bath a week; In Oklahoma, dogs need a permit signed by the mayor in order to congregate on private property in groups of three or more; In Roanoke, VA, it’s against the law to advertise on tombstones; It’s illegal to put coins in your ears in Hawaii.
“Odor Judger” is an actual job title, and job description. So do you want to smell armpits all day to help make effective deodorants? I’m not sure why somebody other than some strange fetishist would want this job.
Useful Little Known Facts
Little known does not mean not useful. There are many things most people don’t know that can be extremely useful. A few of these follow.
When an item can’t be removed from your credit report, you have the right to add a 100-word explanation to it, permanently. All who receive the report will see your explanation. If, for example, you had an argument with a doctor over a charge, you can explain the details.
You can get free x-rays. Some dental schools will x-ray your mouth for free, if you have the patience to sit there while the instructor coaches the student through the process. You then get your x-rays to take to the dentist.
Thre are still towns with nice houses you can buy for less than $30,000. As of January, 2006, these include Altoona, Pennsylvania, Anaconda Montana, Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Independence, Kansas. More are listed on the web site: Houses Under Fifty Thousand .com.
Buy two separate plane tickets to save hundreds. It cost $1750 to fly round trip from Traverse City, Michigan to Quito, Ecuador. That was the cheapest fare we found on any website. However, it was only $299 round-trip to Miami, and $405 round-trip from Miami to Quito. $704 total! Save over $1000 by buying two separate tickets.
You can’t fold a dollar bill in half eight times, doubling it each time. In fact, try it even with a large piece of paper. It can’t be done. You can win a bar bet with this fact, so I’ll classify this one among the interesting, funny AND useful little known facts.
Steve Gillman has been hunting down obscure knowledge and useful secrets for years. Learn more and get a free gift at: The Secret Information Site (http://www.TheSecretInformationSite.com)