What's In Store For You? The book deals with unusual contributions, inventions and customs that came to us from many different cultures and peoples throughout the ages. For example, what is the story behind giving someone the “middle finger flip,” or where did the custom of wearing a cap and gown for graduation came to us from? Additionally, why did we adopt the seven-day week as well as the sixty second in a minute and sixty minutes in an hour? Or what is the story behind the “red carpet” treatment when celebrities or important officials come to visit? In this book you will learn abut the origin of these practices from the ancient Sumerians all the way to the present. They are not what you think!!!
From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe: everything you never knew you never knew about every country on Earth.A scientist by training and an explorer by passion, Dr. John Oldale has logged half a million miles visiting more than ninety nations. Now, he celebrates our weird and wonderful world in a cornucopia of fascinating facts brought vividly to life through the unexpected stories behind them. Touching on history, travel, politics, natural history and more, he paints a unique portrait of each country from the mightiest to the most miniscule. You won't find the following in your average travel guide: · Why is kissing on trains banned in France? · In what country are litigants expected to present their case at court in the form of a poem? · Which war did women win in 1929 just by sitting down? · If Panama hats aren’t from Panama, where are they from? · Who eat fresh camel dung as a cure for dysentery (and why does it work)? · Why were US disk jockeys once told they could play birthday requests on any day except the one requested? · Which modern dictator banned old age, libraries and gold teeth, and was later replaced by his dentist? · And 2,000 more funny, trivial, poignant, and telling facts A must for active and armchair globe-trotters alike, A World of Curiosities will engross anyone who is at all curious about the world beyond their door. Explore and enjoy.
Did you know it rains diamonds on the planet Uranus. Did you know mosquitoes don't just bite you and suck your blood, they urinate on you before flying off. Did you know the reason lego heads have holes in them is so ...
All the amazing facts in this book are strange but true. With clever, yet easy-to-understand visual comparisons, you will make sense of things that seem too bizarre to be real. In It Can't Be True! 2, you can see a hippo's mouth large enough to swallow a car, a truck strong enough to carry 90 elephants, and a jellyfish longer than three blue whales. Plus, did you know that all the world's continents could fit into the Pacific Ocean? Or that all the world's trees could fill North and South America combined? These concepts are brought to life with fascinating CGI artworks. Find out how much paper you'd need to print out the World Wide Web (hint: it's a stack taller than the height of Earth's globe), how much sweat your feet produce in a day (it could fill a glass), and much more in this collection of weird facts and world records from planet Earth and space, animals and plants, people, and technology. If you think it can't be true, It Can't Be True! 2 will prove that it is!
Research conducted by NASA in 1995 concluded that the perfect nap lasts for about 26 minutes. Did you know Barbie's full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Did you know that if you're looking for a job, the application and resume are not nearly as important as a reference. In fact ... ... knowing someone who works at the company increases your chances of getting an interview and makes you 40% more likely to get the job over someone with a fancier resume. If you learnt anything in the last few lines you're going to learn a bunch more in the next 3666 facts. This book is a 3 in 1 compilation of our previous best selling fact series. It's full of interesting information that you can whip out in any conversation. You'll never be lost for words and always have the perfect ice breaker. You're going to learn more about the world you live in & some of the topics include: -Science -Economics -Human Anatomy -Animal Species -Space And many, many More! What're you waiting for? Knowledge is power! Come on in and we'll delve into the interesting and fascinating facts about the world around us. Scroll up and click the 'add to cart' button now! Get the e-book absolutely FREE when you get the paperback!
If only every school test was like an ACK exam! Discover more than 400 amazing facts about the human body, outer space, geography, art, music, nature, history and popular culture, all presented in an outrageously funny parody of school exams! Kids—and—parents will laugh nonstop as they learn all about our wondrous world. Each of the eight extensive quizzes contain hilarious multiple-choice questions and surprising true-false challenges. The actual answer, provided on the next page, includes deeper insight and detail. Perfect for reading out loud to friends and family, ACK exams are a fun way to get smart. There are even includes blank answer sheets that can turn ACK exams into actual family and friend challenge events! The shortest name for an actual geographic place is: A. Yt. A village name often found in rural parts of North Africa, where sadly, years of drought have made vowels extremely scarce. B. Å. It may be one letter, but do you know how to say it, smarty-pants? C. Uh. A town in South Australia, so-called because nobody could remember the original name, Ozenkadnook. D. Zed. A small city in Florida, named after the way its many British-born residents pronounce the last letter in the alphabet. Answer: B. In Sweden, there are at least eight villages that go by the name Å, and plenty more in Norway and Denmark. In these Scandinavian languages, ‘Å’ means “small river.” Which of these places has the largest number of active volcanoes in the world? A. Indonesia. Residents regularly have to outrun lava. B. Iceland. They should call it Fireland instead. C. The teacher’s lounge. They’re always blowing their tops in there. D. Disney World, near Orlando, Florida. But don’t worry, it’s only a show, folks. ANSWER: A. Indonesia has a staggering 127 active volcanoes, many of which erupt regularly.
This beautifully illustrated book is a treasury of facts and information about the avian world. Aimed squarely at non-specialists, it will appeal to birders and non-birders alike. It is an ideal gift book for anyone with an interest in birds, at whatever level. Although it covers the whole world of birds, there is an emphasis on British and European birds.
When was the last time someone around you brought up World War Two? It's a pretty popular war. Maybe you heard about it yesterday. Maybe last month. But it was probably recent. And when it came up, did you wish that you could be the one to casually drop a fact that would have everyone in the room going, "Wow, I never knew that!" With this book, you can be that person. You can read it in just a few minutes a day. Chapters are bite-sized and easy to read, meant for normal people instead of war historians! Each chapter ends with a bonus helping of trivia and some quick questions to test your knowledge. You'll zoom through this book and be hungry for more. Get ready to impress your friends with your knowledge - not just of the main events of World War Two, but of all the gritty details and weird true facts. By the time you finish this book, you'll have a fact for every occasion, from the first moment someone thought about having a second World War, to the most recent blockbuster movies about it. So get ready to meet characters from Adolf Hitler, rejected art student, to Jack Churchill, the broadsword-swinging male model. Find out why World War Two started in the first place, and why it's never a good idea to invade Russia in winter. Learn why the United States was going to stay out of the war, how Canadians stole airplanes for the British, and what an orange soft drink has to do with the Nazis. Some of the things you're going to learn are sad. Some are scary. Some are sexy. And some are downright strange! It's everything your history teacher never got around to telling you.
Have you ever wondered what happens to luggage that goes unclaimed at the airport? How about the origin of naming hurricanes after people? For a behind-the-scenes look at some of the craziest, interesting, and need-to-know facts,we've got you covered with The Fun Knowledge Encyclopedia: The Crazy Stories Behind the World's Most Interesting Facts. The book contains hundreds of trivia facts and stories, ranging from the interesting and informative to the simply outrageous.Are you the trivia buff in your friend group? Maybe you're just always hoping to learn more random facts to keep up your sleeve. Whether you're a regular trivia fanatic or someone looking for a fun read, the book goes beyond the scope of general knowledge into some of the most interesting facts and intriguing trivia tidbits out there.Everyone can use some fun facts in their life! No other fact books cover anything and everything from the most insane rent agreement in New York history, to the way in which the Titanic disaster could potentially have been averted. The knowledge encyclopedia you've been searching for is finally here.Learn how much a hot dog cart permit costs in New York City, and explore some of the oddest houses in the world. The Fun Knowledge Encyclopedia: The Crazy Stories Behind the World's Most Interesting Facts is the trivia book of all trivia books. Find everything you've ever wanted-- but never quite needed-- to know, all under one cover.
