I'm strong til the finich 'cause I eat me spinach

When the Popeye comic strip became a hit in 1931, U.S. spinach consumption rose by 33%. However, I do wonder if kids stopped eating the green stuff when they failed to grow impressive, law-defing muscles immediately after consuming their spinach.

Good-bye, brain cells

Did you know that every time you sneeze, some of your brain cells die? It almost seems like everything we do these days results in the death of brain cells, just like how everything causes cancer. Like peanut butter. I don't want to live in a world where I need to be scared to eat peanut butter even when I have milk on hand.

Nothing Goes Without Bentham's "Okay,"

Jeremy Bentham was born February 15, 1748 and throughout his life became known as a celebrated philosopher and ultilitarian (someone who believes that the value of a thing depends on its utility). At the age of 78, Bentham founded the University of London. This is all fine and good-but that's not the interesting part. Following his death in 1832, Bentham's body was dissected publicly as part of an anatomy lecture. Then, the head and skeleton were preserved and stored in a wooden cabinet, called an "Auto-icon", dressed in Bentham's clothing. Thomas Southwood Smith, a devoted follower of Bentham (and you would have to be) kept the skeleton originally, but it was acquired by the University in 1850. Normally displayed in the main building of the college, the skeleton is known to have attended a few meetings and is listed as "Present but not voting." The head that is currently displayed is actually made of wax, the real one having been the victim of many student pranks over the years. It is now locked away.

I'll be back in a jiffy

It's a common expression; "He'll be here in a jiffy,", "I'll be back in a jiffy," Most people shrug it off as just another expression, such as "Back in a sec," but in fact, a jiffy is actually a true unit of time--1/100th of a second. So while not exactly doable, the old expression does have some backing to it, just as a google is actually a number-10^100.

Ketchup Cured my Cancer!

Did you know that ketchup was once considered medicinal?

Ironically, until 1820 tomatoes were thought to be poisonous. It was only after Colonel Robert Johnson ate a basketful of the fruit and survived that tomatoes became an acceptable food (which begs the question, why exactly was Colonel Johnson eating a fruit widely believed to be fatal? But that's for another day.) In the mad dash for the latest fad, ketchup was bottled and sold as Dr. Miles' Compound Extract of Tomato and claimed to cure a wide assortment of ailments, including baldness. To counter, Heinz claimed scientific evidence that tomatoes contained certain antioxidants that could fight cancer.

Source: http://www.amusingfacts.com/facts/Detail/ketchup-medicine.html

Royal Swans

In England, the royal family has little power these days. Instead, it serves more as a figurehead and a symbol of patriotism for the Brits. However, the royal family does get enormous respect. For example, did you know that all of the swans in England belong to the Queen? That is, they own all "mute" swans living in open water. However, killing a swan is not treason, contrary to popular belief and does not warrent the death penalty.

Real Men Chew Gum

We all know what happens when you peel onions-or, at least, you know the jist of it: you cry. When onions are cut, certain substances are released into the air and irritate the eyes, causing them to water.

However, it is possible to prevent this by chewing gum with your mouth open while cutting the onions. This will disrupt the diffusion of the substances to prevent irritation.

Source: http://www.berro.com/entertainment/general_interesting_facts.htm

Making Up for Lost Time

Since it's been over a month since my last post, here are several tidbits with one thing in common: animals.

Did you know...

bats always turn left when exiting a cave?
the owl is the only bird who will drop its upper eyelid to wink while all other birds raise their bottom eyelid?
a rooster cannot crow if it cannot extend its neck?
when hippos are upset their sweat turns red?

Source: http://www.hemmy.net/2006/04/30/50-interesting-facts/