Read Online Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts: And Bizarre Information by Bathroom Readers' Hysterical Society - Free Book Online
Authors: Bathroom Readers' Hysterical Society
Ads: Link
obsolete, meaning ‘warm,’ which was based on lew , another word for ‘warm.’ Lew , in turn, was derived from the Old English word hleow , meaning (guess what?) ‘warm.’ You have probably realized by now that lukewarm actually amounts to saying ‘warm-warm,’ but this sort of redundancy is common when obsolete words are carried over into modern usage.” ( The Word Detective , by Evan Morris)
SEEDY
Meaning: Somewhat disreputable; squalid
Origin: “During the seasons when rye, barley, oats, and other grains were being planted, a fellow who spent his days in the fields was likely to be covered with seeds. Once the derisive title entered common usage, it came to mean anything run-down—from shacks to individuals.” ( Why You Say It , by Webb Garrison)
Know Your -ologies
Anemology: The study of wind
Conchology: The study of shells
Dactylology: Communication using fingers (sign language)
Hippology: The study of horses
Ichthyology: The study of fish
Mycology: The study of fungi
Myrmecology: The study of ants
Neology: The study of new words
Nosology: The study of the classification of diseases
Oenology: The study of wines
Otology: The study of ears
Potamology: The study of rivers
Rhinology: The study of noses
Sinology: The study of Chinese culture
Matter Miscellany
Trash in landfills keeps its original weight, volume, and form for 40 years.
The average pencil will draw a line 35 miles long.
Even clean air may contain as many as 1,500 specks of dust per cubic inch.
A cubic yard of air weighs about two pounds.
Most avalanches travel downhill at a rate of 22 mph.
The only rock that floats in water: pumice.
Sand melts at 3,100°F.
Sound travels a mile in five seconds through the air. Under water, it travels a mile in one second.
Scientific name for the dust we kick up when in motion: the “Pigpen effect.”
The average smell weighs 760 nanograms.
There are an estimated 30 billion billion molecules in a cubic centimeter of air.
It takes about 3 1/2 hours for sound waves to travel from San Francisco to New York.
Scientists don’t completely understand why thrown stones skip across water.
Helium-filled balloons float because helium is seven times lighter than air.
Hot water weighs more than cold water.
Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.
Left to its own devices, one ton of iron can turn into three tons of rust.
Lead melts at a temperature of 620°F. Tin melts at 446°F. Mix them together and they melt at 356°F.
Dry ice doesn’t melt. It evaporates.
Eh Two, Canada?
Canada was the second country to legalize medical marijuana. (First: Belgium)
Canada has the second coldest national capital: Ottawa. (First: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Canada is the second largest foreign investor in Chile. (First: United States)
Canada has the second highest university enrollment rate in the world. (First: United States)
Canada has the second most tornadoes. (First: United States)
Canada is the second in pork exports. (First: Denmark)
Canada has the second highest amount of gum chewed per capita. (First: United States)
Canada has the second highest broadband Internet access in the world. (First: South Korea)
Canada was the second country to publish a national atlas. (First: Finland)
Canada has the second highest freshwater use per capita. (First: United States)
Canada has the second highest water quality. (First: Finland)
Canada is the second largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases. (First: United States)
Canada has the second most biotech companies. (First: United States)
Canada is the second largest exporter of red meat. (First: Australia)
Canada is the second biggest market for U.S. seafood. (First: Japan)
Canada is the second largest foreign investor in Korea. (First: United States)
The Speed of Things
A penguin with a six-inch stride can run as fast as an average man.
Columbus traveled at an average speed of 2.8 miles per hour on his
SEEDY
Meaning: Somewhat disreputable; squalid
Origin: “During the seasons when rye, barley, oats, and other grains were being planted, a fellow who spent his days in the fields was likely to be covered with seeds. Once the derisive title entered common usage, it came to mean anything run-down—from shacks to individuals.” ( Why You Say It , by Webb Garrison)
Know Your -ologies
Anemology: The study of wind
Conchology: The study of shells
Dactylology: Communication using fingers (sign language)
Hippology: The study of horses
Ichthyology: The study of fish
Mycology: The study of fungi
Myrmecology: The study of ants
Neology: The study of new words
Nosology: The study of the classification of diseases
Oenology: The study of wines
Otology: The study of ears
Potamology: The study of rivers
Rhinology: The study of noses
Sinology: The study of Chinese culture
Matter Miscellany
Trash in landfills keeps its original weight, volume, and form for 40 years.
The average pencil will draw a line 35 miles long.
Even clean air may contain as many as 1,500 specks of dust per cubic inch.
A cubic yard of air weighs about two pounds.
Most avalanches travel downhill at a rate of 22 mph.
The only rock that floats in water: pumice.
Sand melts at 3,100°F.
Sound travels a mile in five seconds through the air. Under water, it travels a mile in one second.
Scientific name for the dust we kick up when in motion: the “Pigpen effect.”
The average smell weighs 760 nanograms.
There are an estimated 30 billion billion molecules in a cubic centimeter of air.
It takes about 3 1/2 hours for sound waves to travel from San Francisco to New York.
Scientists don’t completely understand why thrown stones skip across water.
Helium-filled balloons float because helium is seven times lighter than air.
Hot water weighs more than cold water.
Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.
Left to its own devices, one ton of iron can turn into three tons of rust.
Lead melts at a temperature of 620°F. Tin melts at 446°F. Mix them together and they melt at 356°F.
Dry ice doesn’t melt. It evaporates.
Eh Two, Canada?
Canada was the second country to legalize medical marijuana. (First: Belgium)
Canada has the second coldest national capital: Ottawa. (First: Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
Canada is the second largest foreign investor in Chile. (First: United States)
Canada has the second highest university enrollment rate in the world. (First: United States)
Canada has the second most tornadoes. (First: United States)
Canada is the second in pork exports. (First: Denmark)
Canada has the second highest amount of gum chewed per capita. (First: United States)
Canada has the second highest broadband Internet access in the world. (First: South Korea)
Canada was the second country to publish a national atlas. (First: Finland)
Canada has the second highest freshwater use per capita. (First: United States)
Canada has the second highest water quality. (First: Finland)
Canada is the second largest per capita emitter of greenhouse gases. (First: United States)
Canada has the second most biotech companies. (First: United States)
Canada is the second largest exporter of red meat. (First: Australia)
Canada is the second biggest market for U.S. seafood. (First: Japan)
Canada is the second largest foreign investor in Korea. (First: United States)
The Speed of Things
A penguin with a six-inch stride can run as fast as an average man.
Columbus traveled at an average speed of 2.8 miles per hour on his
Similar Books
