Institute - Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Wise Up! : Amazing Facts & Incredible Information

Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Wise Up! Bathroom Readers Institute

Box 1117, Ashland, OR 97520 www.bathroomreader.com e-mail: ISBN 13: 978-1-60710-673-9 E-book Edition: October 2012 10 11 12 13 14 6 5 4 3 2 Thank You! The Bathroom Readers Institute thanks the following people whose advice and assistance made this book possible: Gordon Javna JoAnn Padgett Melinda Allman Amy Miller Jay Newman Michael Brunsfeld Jeff Altemus Angie Kern J. Carroll Dan Mansfield Chris Stuart Scot A. McKibbin Maggie McLaughlin Stephanie Spadaccini John Dollison Sydney Stanley David Cully Monica Maestas Amy L. and Lisa M. Ginger Winters Jennifer Frederick Brian, Thom, and Julia David Calder Karen Malchow Sophie, J.J., and Bea Porter the Wonderdog Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Wise Up! is a compilation of running feet and selected articles from the following previously published Bathroom Reader titles: Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Golden Plunger Awards 2008, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into Great Lives 2003, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into History 2001, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into History Again 2004, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into Hollywood 2005, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into Music 2007, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into National Parks 2007, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into the Presidency 2004, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Plunges Into Texas 2004, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Takes a Swing at Baseball 2008, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Tees Off on Golf 2005, Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Wonderful World of Odd 2006, Uncle Johns Curiously Compelling Bathroom Reader 2006, Uncle Johns Fast-Acting Long-Lasting Bathroom Reader 2005, Uncle Johns Great Big Bathroom Reader 1998, Uncle Johns Slightly Irregular Bathroom Reader 2004, Uncle Johns Triumphant 20th Bathroom Reader 2007. Contents The Intro-duck-tion Here at the Bathroom Readers Institute, were suckers for cool facts, and were constantly quizzing each other: How many gallons of peanut oil does it take to deep-fry a turkey? What cartoon character is prohibited from running for elected office in Texas? Why did the game of bingo used to be called beano? So a few years ago, when Uncle John noticed that many of the letters we received from fans were asking for the same thingan entire book of running feet (those fun factoids at the bottom of Bathroom Reader pages)he called in a team of bathroom-reading writers and sent them on a fact-finding mission: search old Bathroom Readers for running feet and then organize the facts into interesting lists.

The finished product turned out so great that even more readers wrote in asking us to do it again. We got right to workdiving into a whole new batch of Bathroom Readers and pulling out the running feet. We sorted the facts, organized them, argued (gently) about how best to arrange them, and then organized them again. We also came up with 50 new pages of facts. The end result is Uncle Johns Bathroom Reader Wise Up! , more than 380 pages packed with usefuland sometimes uselessbut always interesting information. If youre joining us for the first time, welcome! And if youre on your second Bathroom Reader book of facts, welcome back! Were really glad youre here.

And as always, go with the flow Uncle John and the BRI Staff P.S. Were already gathering new running feet for the next Bathroom Reader . So email your favorite obscure bits of trivia and fun facts to mail@bathroomreader.com ! 630 silkworm cocoons to make one silk blouse. a chicken-plucking machine 14 seconds to pluck a whole chicken. a drop of ocean water more than 1,000 years to circulate around the world. about 540 peanuts to make a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter. a combine harvester nine seconds to harvest enough wheat to make 70 loaves of bread. a car traveling at 75 mph 258 days to drive around one of Saturns rings. a years worth of corks from all the wine bottled in France to circle the world three times. a years worth of corks from all the wine bottled in France to circle the world three times.

Pluto 248.53 years to travel around the Sun. every star in the Milky Way to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool (if each star were the size of a grain of salt). the Milky Way about 200 million years to make one revolution. about 600 grapes to make a bottle of wine. 70 separate pieces of wood to make a violin. only one steer to yield enough ground beef for 1,000 McDonalds Quarter Pounders. the average American 40 days to earn enough money to pay for a years worth of food. the average American 40 days to earn enough money to pay for a years worth of food.

Colorado is the only state to have turned down the opportunity to host the Olympics, in 1976. The only player in the Los Angeles Dodgers starting lineup with a batting average of .300 or better going into the 1965 World Series was pitcher Don Drysdale. Only cats born with no tail: the Manx. The breed carries a genetic mutation that causes the abnormality. Only all-female African American military unit to deploy to Europe during World War II: the 888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, out of Georgia. They sorted and delivered mail to soldiers.

Frank Zappas only Top-40 song: Valley Girl, in 1982 (it reached #32). Only player to get caught stealing to end the World Series: Babe Ruth, in 1926. According to Billboard , only two songs with the word summer in the title have reached number one: Summer in the City and Theme from a Summer Place. Only Norwegian band with international success: a-ha. Biggest hit: Take on Me. Michelangelo signed only one of his sculpturesthe Piet .

Only golfer to spend 30 minutes on a single hole in the U.S. Open: Ray Ainsley (1938). The only member of Pink Floyd to play on every one of the bands albums: drummer Nick Mason. Shirley Bassey is the only artist to have recorded songs for more than one James Bond movie ( Goldfinger , Diamonds Are Forever , and Moonraker ). The only horse to defeat Man o War was named Upset. In the 1940s, the Canadian government advised mothers to begin toilet-training babies at one month old.

Of Canadas 36 Fathers of Confederation, two of them were named John Hamilton Gray. One in ten Canadians say theyd support a law that encouraged people in major cities to wear name tags. During World War II, German U-boats sank 23 vessels in Canadas St. Lawrence River. The United States has invaded Canada twiceonce during the American Revolution and once during the War of 1812. One of Canadas founding fathers was an American: William P.

Howland of Pawling, New York. In 1943, Fred Rose became the only Communist ever elected to the Canadian parliament. Despite their good-guy image, Canadas Mounties have been caught spying on people illegally. THREATS Your sands are run! (Im going to kill you!) Ill slit a couple of feet of steel into your vitals! (Ill stab you with my sword!) I come from hell, and Ill carry you there presently. (How all good pirates answer the question Where are you from?) INSULTS Youre a dung-souled knuckle brain. (Youre a liar.) You should be fed on pap and suckets. (Youre acting like a baby. (Youre acting like a baby.

Pap and suckets were soft foods often served to babies.) The smell of you alone is enough to wrinkle the noses of pigs. (You stink.) GENERAL DIRECTIONS Scupper your hide out of here. ( Go away. ) Clap a stopper on your eyes. (Quit crying.) Put a name on what youre at. (Tell us your story.) Keep your tongue behind your teeth. (Dont say anything.) Shiver your timbers. (Wait a minute.) Stay your claws. (Keep your hands to yourself.) Strike your colors. (Surrender.) Cock your piece. (Get your gun ready.) Chuck Berry has a degree from a beauty school. (Get your gun ready.) Chuck Berry has a degree from a beauty school.