David Feldman - Do Penguins Have Knees? An Imponderables Book

An Imponderables

Illustrated by Kassie Schwan

For Rick Kot

Preface

Why dont you feel or see a mosquito bite until after it begins to itch?

Why doesnt milk in the refrigerator ever taste as cold as the water or soda in the refrigerator?

Why are address labels on subscription magazines usually placed upside-down?

Why are there dents on the top of cowboy hats?

Why do grocery coupons state that they have a cash value of 1/100 of 1?

How and why did 7UP get its name?

Why do the back wheels of bicycles click when you are coasting or back pedaling?

Why do male birds tend to be more colorful than females? Is there any evolutionary advantage?

What does the USPS do with mail it cant deliver or return because of lack of a return address?

Why are baseball dugouts built so that they are half below ground?

Why do trains with more than one locomotive often have one (or more) of the locomotives turned backwards?

Why is there steam coming up from the streets of New York?

How did they keep beer cold in the saloons of the Old West?

What is the official name of the moon?

Why is Rhode Island called an island when it obviously isnt an island?

Why do blacktop roads get lighter in color as they age?

Why must we push both the record and play switches to record on an audio tape recorder, and only the record on the VCR?

How do bus drivers get into a bus when the door handle is inside the bus?

Why is the lowest-ranked admiral called a rear admiral?

Why was April 15 chosen as the due date for taxes?

Whats the difference between a lake and a pond?

Whats the difference between an ocean and a sea?

Why does the United States Mint use a private firmUPSto ship its coin sets?

How do figure skaters keep from getting dizzy while spinning? Is it possible to eye a fixed point while spinning so fast?

Why do straws in drinks sometimes sink and sometimes rise to the surface?

Why is the tenor oboe called an English horn when it is neither English nor a horn?

Why are our fingers different lengths? For example, is there a reason why the pinkie is shorter than the index?

Why are sticks of margarine and butter thicker and shorter in the western United States and longer and narrower in the East?

Why do plastic milk cases contain a warning that their Unauthorized use is illegal and enforced by health department and penal codes?

Why does shampoo lather so much better on the second application?

Why dont cigarette butts burn? Is there a particular barrier between the tobacco and the filter that prevents the burn?

What are you hearing when you shake a light bulb?

Why do fluorescent lights make a plinking noise when you turn them on?

Why do cats like so much to be scratched behind the ears?

Why arent there plums in plum pudding? And why is it called a pudding rather than a cake?

What do the little red letter and number stamped on the back of my envelope mean?

Why do owners or handlers use the word sic to instruct a dog to get him?

In baseball scoring, why is the letter K chosen to designate a strikeout?

What are the skins of hot dogs made of?

Why is comic strip print in capital letters?

Why are peanuts listed under the ingredients of plain M&Ms?

Why do the volume levels of different cable networks vary enormously compared to those of broadcast TV networks?

Why are mens shoe heels built in layers?

Why are horses heights measured to the shoulder rather than to the top of the head?

Why are the edges on the long side of lasagna usually crimped?

What happens to your social security number when you die? How and when, if ever, is it reassigned?

What exactly are we smelling when we enjoy the new-car smell?

Why are some cleansers marked For industrial or commercial use only? How are they different from household cleansers?

Why are the letters Q and Z missing from the telephone buttons?

Why is the middle digit of North American area codes always a 0 or a 1?

Why were duels always fought at dawn? Or is this depiction in fiction and movies not true?

What exactly are the liberal arts, and who designated them so?

Why do birds tend to stand on one foot while sleeping? Why do birds tend to bury their heads under their wings while sleeping?

Why is a marshal or sheriffs badge traditionally a five-pointed star but a deputys six-pointed?

When you wear a girdle, where does the fat go?

What do mosquitoes do during the day? And where do they go?

What does the CAR-RT SORT printed next to the address on envelopes mean?

Why was pi chosen as the Greek letter to signify the ratio of a circles circumference to its diameter?

Why cant you buy macadamia nuts in their shells?

If heat rises, why does ice form on the top of water in lakes and ponds?

What happens to the 1,000 or more prints after films have finished their theatrical runs?

Why is balsa wood classified as a hardwood when it is soft? What is the difference between a softwood and a hardwood?

Do earlobes serve any particular or discernible function?

Why does butter get darker and harder in the refrigerator after it is opened?

Why are dance studios usually located on the second floor of buildings?

Why are 25-watt light bulbs more expensive than 40-, 60-, 75-, and 100-watt bulbs?

Why are water towers built so high?

Why are some watermelon seeds white and some black?

What is the purpose of the holes near the end of electric plug prongs?

Why do paper mills smell so bad?

How are lane reflectors fastened onto the road so that they arent moved or crushed?

Why does Nabisco put the tiny picture of Niagara Falls on its Shredded Wheat box?

Why do automobile batteries have to be so heavy? Why cant they be miniaturized?

Why do automatic icemakers in home freezers make crescent-shaped pieces rather than cubes?

What are those computer scrawls (similar to Universal Product Codes) found on the bottom right of envelopes? How do they work?

If water is composed of two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen, both common elements, why cant droughts be eliminated by combining the two to produce water?

Why does your voice sound higher and funny when you ingest helium?

Why is the French horn designed for left-handers?

Why do milk cartons indicate open other end on one side of the spout and to open on the other when both sides look identical?

Why do we feel warm or hot when we blush?

During a hernia exam, why does the physician say, Turn your head and cough? Why is the cough necessary? Is the head turn necessary?

Why is the R trademark symbol on Pepsi labels placed after the second p in Pepsi rather than after the words Pepsi or Cola?

Why do magazine and newspaper editors force you to skip pages to continue an article at the back of the magazine/newspaper?

What does the EXEMPT sign next to some railroad crossing signs mean?

What flavor is bubble gum supposed to be?

What makes bubble gum blow better bubbles than regular chewing gum?

Why does Bazooka Joe wear an eye patch?

What is the white stuff on baseball card bubble gum and why is it there?

Why are baseball card wrappers covered with wax?

Why do some binoculars have an adjustment only for the right eyepiece?