[Rumor]

In the 1400's a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb"
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Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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The first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV were Fred and Wilma Flintstone.
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Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than the U.S.Treasury.
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Men can read smaller print than women can; women can hear better.
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Coca-Cola was originally green.
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It is impossible to lick your elbow.
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The State with the highest percentage of people who walk to work: Alaska
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The percentage of Africa that is wilderness: 28% (now get this...)
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The percentage of North America that is wilderness: 38%
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The cost of raising a medium-size dog to the age of eleven: $6,400
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The average number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour: 61,000
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Intelligent people have more zinc and copper in their hair.
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The first novel ever written on a typewriter: Tom Sawyer.
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The San Francisco Cable cars are the only mobile National Monuments.
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Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar
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111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321
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If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
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Only two people signed the Declaration of Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the last signature wasn't added until 5 years later.
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Q. Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of what?
A. Their birthplace
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Q. Most boat owners name their boats. What is the most popular boat name requested?
A. Obsession
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Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand
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Q. What do bulletproof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common?
A. All were invented by women.
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Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey
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Q. Which day are there more collect calls than any other day of the year?
A. Father's Day
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In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."
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It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month, which we know today as the honeymoon.
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In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts... So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them "Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down."
It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's"
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Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
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~~~~~~~~~~~AND FINALLY~~~~~~~~~~~~
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At least 75% of people who read this will try to lick their elbow!

[greenamp]

Is any of this true? I hope so, it's great!

[Dark Helmet]

I'm happy i am one of the 25% who didn't try it.

[Rumor]

Not sure. I got this from a friend as an email. I'm sure a little research could prove/disprove it. A lot of it seems believable though.

[Dark Helmet]

I heard the rule of thumb one before as well as the Flintstones one.

[BRussell]

No way the word 'golf' is based on "Gentleman only... ladies forbidden." No way. I also doubt the "rule of thumb" one.

[Dark Helmet]

Rule of thumb - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[olePigeon]

Coca-Cola - Contact Us - Products and Packaging Myths & Rumors

Coca-Cola was never green.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by BRussell 

No way the word 'golf' is based on "Gentleman only... ladies forbidden." No way. I also doubt the "rule of thumb" one.

The medieval Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve" meant "club." It is believed that word passed to the Scots, whose old Scots dialect transformed the word into "golve," "gowl" or "gouf."

By the 16th Century, the word "golf" had emerged.

[Chuckit]

Several of these are definitely not true. Almost all these lists that claim common words are acronyms are lying to you. Acronyms weren't commonly used before the 20th century (heck, there was hardly common spelling before that point), and golf is many centuries older. A woman did not invent bulletproof vests as far as I'm aware, although Kevlar was invented by a woman. A lot of others sound fake too.

[olePigeon]

I know of at least one person that can lick her elbow, but she dislocates her arm to do it.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I know of at least one person that can lick her elbow, but she dislocates her arm to do it.

eewww

[turtle777]

This is boring. No facts about Republicans, gays, Christians or Canada

-t

[Rumor]

Republicans dislike gays
Christians dislike gays
Gays live in Canada

[hookem2oo7]

i thought that the "mind your Ps and Qs" originated from the days of printing presses. Lower case Ps and Qs were easily mistaken for one another because a mirrored p (as you would see it when setting type in a press) looks like this --> q, and a mirrored q looks like a p...

[Chuckit]

As far as I'm aware, nobody is entirely sure where the "Ps and Qs" thing comes from, but the similarity of the letters seems a much more likely explanation than some medieval bartender saying "Ps" instead of "pints."

[tooki]

Salt is a food and it does not spoil, either.

tooki

[ghporter]

Medieval bartenders were very much unlikely to be literate, therefore they'd be very unlikely to use abbreviations. Instead, they'd be likely to use contractions, but "pint" is so short it would still sound like "pint," so that one goes out the window.

The thing about horse statues is mostly legend, too. Ask someone about the meaning of the legs on a certain horse statue on the campus of Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas State University) in San Marcos, Texas-it's a whole different meaning!

One absolute about the Internet really holds: don't trust "facts" someone emails you-they're likely to be urban legends or outright lies. Research it all before you believe any of it.

[Rumor]

I knew as much. I thought I post it here anyways to see which gets picked apart.

[Rumor]

Originally Posted by tooki 

Salt is a food and it does not spoil, either.

tooki

Salt is a spice and doesn't qualify as food, I think.

[tooki]

Well honey is hardly something you eat on its own. Well, at least I don't!

tooki

[zro]

Two great tastes that taste great together!


Old timers who set type for letterpresses can tell you that minding their p's and q's is something they really were reminded to do. I guess lower case b's were on their own.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by tooki 

Well honey is hardly something you eat on its own. Well, at least I don't!

Maybe true, but you can live off honey for a while, you can't off salt.

-t

[TheWOAT]

MRE's dont spoil either

[mitchell_pgh]

Originally Posted by TheWOAT 

MRE's dont spoil either

"they don't spoil, they just taste that way" cha-bang...

Actually, they aren't THAT bad.

[olePigeon]

1000-year-old Eggs.

[Hash]

Anyway, great facts (even if some are not true). Certainly a food for talk with some beer

[olePigeon]

Do beans spoil?

[TheWOAT]

YES !!! in the worst way... after you cook them of course.

[awaspaas]

Pretty sure Snopes debunked pretty much every single one of these. Please don't believe everything you read. This looks like an email one of my relatives would send me.

[PB2K]

i can lick my elbow !! i just did HA !!

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by TheWOAT 

YES !!! in the worst way... after you cook them of course.

I meant before you cook them. Native Americans would let corn dry out, then cook them in a stew.

[ghporter]

The assertion that Mark Twain was the first author to type a manuscript is probably true. This page at the University of Virginia supports that point, though primarily through Twain's assertion to that effect.

[zro]

Everclear doesn't spoil.

[JoshuaZ]

I totally tried... and failed. I actually said "Damn it."

Its an early morning for me.

[Eriamjh]

Peanut butter doesn't spoil either.

[Oisín]

The medieval Dutch word "kolf" or "kolve" meant "club." It is believed that word passed to the Scots, whose old Scots dialect transformed the word into "golve," "gowl" or "gouf."

By the 16th Century, the word "golf" had emerged.

It’s also the same word as ‘calf’ and ultimately also the word ‘club’ itself.

The game of golf predates this word, though; it also happens to predate the entry into the English language of the word ‘gentleman’, and also of the use of the word ‘ladies’ to simply refer to women (rather than noblewomen and the likes).

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:
Spades - King David
Hearts - Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds - Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar wasn’t a king. Rome hadn’t had kings for centuries when Caesar came to power.

Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you would find the letter "A"?
A. One thousand

No, ‘one hundred and one’.

In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase......... "goodnight, sleep tight."

Absolutely not. The phrase “sleep tight” is a lot older than Shakespearean times. ‘Tight’ is an adverb meaning “very firmly, closely, or tensely” in this connection (the adverbial use stemming from an old adverb ending in -ē, which has survived in a few more or less set uses), and it means to sleep deeply or intensely.

Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.

This one doesn’t even deserve more than a linked reply, it’s so ridiculous.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

Peanut butter doesn't spoil either.

Spoiled is the natural state for peanut butter

-t

[hookem2oo7]

the only time you are supposed to use and when reading a number is at a decimal. Fifty-five and one hundredth. One hundred and one isn't the correct way to read it, at least not in the US.

[Calimus]

My high school science teacher had a twinkie that had been left open on a window sill for nearly 6 years. It was still moist on the inside.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Calimus 

My high school science teacher had a twinkie that had been left open on a window sill for nearly 6 years. It was still moist on the inside.

That assumes that Twinkies are actually food...

[Rev-O]

Originally Posted by Rumor 

Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil?
A. Honey

Originally Posted by olePigeon 

I know of at least one person that can lick her elbow, but she dislocates her arm to do it.

Pictures?

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by hookem2oo7 

the only time you are supposed to use and when reading a number is at a decimal. Fifty-five and one hundredth. One hundred and one isn't the correct way to read it, at least not in the US.

I have to admit, I didn’t know that. You are supposed to insert an ‘and’ in British English. I assume this must have been deleted in American English, for whatever reason (probably because it often becomes a very short, unspecific sound between numerals, which are often said very quickly).

[medicineman]

Back when there was one table to a household, the kitchen table, one side was finished smooth, and the other left rough. The rough side was used for ordinary dining. If a person of prominence came to dine, the smooth side was turned up. If you were not so lucky to be considered as such, the rough side was turned up. Hence, 'turn the tables'. Don't know how true, but I like the story.

[Oisín]

According to this page, it has to do with backgammon.

[Gossamer]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

Peanut butter doesn't spoil either.

I've seen peanut butter jars where the oil and stuff separated...it was pretty gross.

[analogika]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

I've seen peanut butter jars where the oil and stuff separated...it was pretty gross.

Yeah, but you can mix it right back up, and it will be good and yummy.

[bradoesch]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

I've seen peanut butter jars where the oil and stuff separated...it was pretty gross.

That's probably a jar of natural peanut butter. The "regular" peanut butters have something extra in there such as hydrogenated oils to keep it from separating.

[- - e r i k - -]

Well known factoid: Most factoids you pass on simply aren't facts at all.


I especially groan at the "factoids" you get under bottle caps. Things like "Napoleon was deathly afraid of cats" and other such made up bullsh*t.

[ghporter]

Originally Posted by Gossamer 

I've seen peanut butter jars where the oil and stuff separated...it was pretty gross.

Good, unprocessed peanut butter will separate-it's because there's no additives to make the oil stay unseparated. I like it that way, and I just stir it back together. No crap, no salt, no nuthin' but peanuts-YUM!