Do Fish Drink Water?

by McLain, Bill

• ISBN13: 9780688179083
• ISBN10: 0688179088
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1999-01-01
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice? How much gold does the United States store in Fort Knox? Why do I get a headache when I eat ice cream too fast? How did the "seventh inning stretch" originate?As the official webmaster for Xerox, Bill McLain was surprised by the kinds of questions he was receiving, like whether people born blind can see in their dreams and why rabbits are associated with Easter. McLain began to answer each and every question--attracting national attention from MSNBC, CNN, and People--and the result, collected in Do Fish Drink Water?, is a surprising, funny, and informative collection of facts. McLain's answers can often be as wild as the questions and prompt entertaining anecdotes about where he found them. McLain explains how magnets are made, what caused the Great Depression of 1922, and even explains why cats purr. Also included is an extensive list of websites where he conducts research, offering an informative guide to making the most of the Internet.

Table of Contents

Animal Kingdom
Do dolphins ever sleep?	1	(2)
Where do butterflies go in the winter?	3	(2)
Why do cats purr?	5	(2)
Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice?	7	(2)
On a turkey, what is the name of that red thing that hangs down over the beak?	9	(2)
Is there a land animal that has a body the color of purple grape juice?	11	(2)
Is a pinto a breed of horse or just a color?	13	(2)
Is it true you can't teach an old dog new tricks?	15	(2)
Do fish drink water?	17	(4)
Clothing and Apparel
When and where were the first eyeglasses made?	21	(2)
Where did the idea for underwear come from?	23	(1)
Are demin, jeans, and Levi's the same thing?	24	(3)
What is the origin of the neckties that men wear?	27	(3)
Finance
Does the government still print two-dollar bills?	30	(3)
What does the information on a U.S. penny represent?	33	(2)
How much gold does the United States stores in Fort Knox?	35	(2)
Why are gasoline prices listed to three decimal places, such as $1.479 per gallon?	37	(2)
What Caused the Great Depression of 1929?	39	(2)
Anecdote: A rare disease leads to a wedding	41	(2)
Food
Where did pizza originate?	43	(2)
What's the difference between lager and pilsner beer?	45	(2)
How many colors of M&Ms are there?	47	(2)
What is the difference between caffe lattle and cappuccino?	49	(2)
What makes peppers so hot?	51	(2)
What is the difference between apple juice and apple cider?	53	(2)
What is the difference between jelly, jam, preserves, and marmalade?	55	(5)
Geography
What is the lowest point on earth?	60	(2)
How did each of the seven continents get its name?	62	(2)
Is it true that at one time the entire world consisted of a single continent?	64	(1)
Is there really a north pole?	65	(5)
History
How did the ship that landed at Plymouth harbor get the name Mayflower?	70	(2)
Did Napoleon lose the battle of Waterloo because of hemorrhoids?	72	(3)
Is it true that in ancient Greece 300 soldiers held off 200,000 Persian elite troops for 3 days?	75	(2)
What does ``flying the hump'' mean?	77	(2)
Has a U.S. vice president ever been assassinated?	79	(2)
How many people died in the Civil War?	81	(2)
Is it true that a former king of England had blue urine?	83	(2)
Who were the Knights Templar?	85	(3)
Anecdote: Pushing a van around an island	88	(2)
Holidays
Why are eggs associated with the Easter bunny?	90	(2)
What is the origin and meaning of Valentine's Day?	92	(2)
Where did the custom of kissing under the mistletoe originate?	94	(2)
What is the origin of celebrating New Year's Eye?	96	(2)
How did the custom of trick or-treating on Halloween begin?	98	(2)
What is the origin of the Christmas tree?	100	(5)
Language
What is Zulu Time?	105	(3)
What does ``mind your p's and q's'' mean?	108	(1)
Why do people say ``Gesundheit'' or ``God bless you'' when you sneeze?	109	(2)
Where did the term ``dark horse'' come from?	111	(2)
How did grapefruit gets its name?	113	(1)
Why do people yell ``Geronimo'' when they jump off something?	114	(3)
What is the origin of the word ``jazz''?	117	(2)
What is the origin of the phrase ``It's not over until the fat lady sings''?	119	(4)
Literature
What are the fourteen Oz books written	123	(3)
L. Frank Baum?
How many pages were in the longest book ever written?	126	(2)
What was the first typewritten manuscript of a novel submitted to a publisher?	128	(3)
Is there a place called Transylvania and was there a real Count Dracula?	131	(2)
Who wrote the first ``detective'' novel?	133	(3)
Anecdote: Can you fix my koto, Kato?	136	(2)
The Human Body
Why don't Eskimos die from scruvy?	138	(2)
Why do I get a headache when I eat ice cream too fast?	140	(2)
Do people who are born blind ever dream?	142	(2)
What makes us yawn?	144	(2)
What blood type is the rarest?	146	(4)
Music
In the Australian song, what does ``waltzing Matilda'' mean?	150	(2)
Why did Custer choose Garry Owen as his regimental song?	152	(2)
What was the last song the musicians on the Titanic played	154	(2)
What makes the sound when you rub your finger along the edge of a glass?	156	(3)
What gave Roger Miller the inspiration to write King of the Road?	159	(3)
Odds and Ends
What is the world's fastest roller coaster?	162	(2)
What is the difference green and blue mailboxes?	164	(2)
Why don't beeswax candles drip?	166	(2)
Did Thomas Crapper really invent the toilet?	168	(2)
What is the name and breed of the RCA dog?	170	(2)
What is the average number of flowers used on a Rose Parade float?	172	(2)
Before refrigeration was invented, where did the iceman get the ice he delivered to homes during the summer?	174	(3)
Anecdote: Which came first, the chicken or the exercise machine?	177	(1)
Off the Wall
How many licks does it take to reach the center of a Tootsie Pop?	178	(3)
How long would it take to vacuum the state of Ohio?	181	(2)
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?	183	(2)
What is the correct way to eat an Oreo cookie?	185	(2)
What can I do with the small slivers of soap over in the shower?	187	(3)
Religion
Who are the Shi'i Muslims and what do they believe?	190	(3)
When did the Roman Catholic begin using the calendar we use today?	193	(2)
Why are the signs on Pennsylvania Dutch barns called ``hex'' signs?	195	(2)
What is the religious makeup of the United States?	197	(3)
What is the history and significance of the infant of Prague?	200	(3)
Science
Is it true that toilets in Australia flush in the opposite direction from those in the United States	203	(2)
My grandmother told me that when she visited Ireland she saw the sun turn green. Is that possible?	205	(3)
How are magnets made?	208	(2)
What makes the sound when you snap your fingers?	210	(2)
Does hot water freeze faster than cold water?	212	(2)
Why do some paints, stickers, and toys glow in the dark?	214	(2)
Why aren't there 100 seconds in a minute and 100 minutes in an hour instead of 60?	216	(2)
What is the closest to our sun?	218	(2)
Why are the oceans salty but not lakes?	220	(2)
Is it true that opals contain a lot of water?	222	(3)
Anecdote: A visit from the Dutch Royal Navy	225	(1)
Sports
What does ``packers'' refer to in the name of the Green Bay Packers football team?	226	(3)
Who was model for the Heisman trophy?	229	(2)
How did the ``seventh-inning stretch'' originate?	231	(2)
What is the difference between billiards, snooker, and pool?	233	(2)
Why is dartboard laid out the way it is?	235	(2)
In football, why is it called a ``down'' instead of a chance, or try, or attempt?	237	(3)
Hod did the sport of hockey get started?	240	(3)
Transportation and Travel
How does a traffic signal know that a car is waiting for a green light?	243	(2)
Why do they drive on the left side of the road in England?	245	(2)
Why are the roofs of some school buses painted white?	247	(2)
Why don't they make dirigibles anymore?	249	(2)
How many people in the world visit zoos in a single year?	251	(4)
United States
What is the average height of a person in the United States/.	255	(2)
Who was the youngest American to go up in space?	257	(2)
What is the book that the Statue of Liberty is holding?	259	(3)
What caused the fire that destroyed San Francisco?	262	(2)
Which place in the United States has the longest name?	264	(2)
How many political parties can be represented in a presidential election?	266	(4)
Anecdote: A 14-year search for a cowboy song	270	(2)
Weather
What is the difference between a hurricane and a typhoon?	272	(2)
What is the difference between partly cloudy and partly sunny?	274	(2)
What part of the world gets the most rain?	276	(3)
Can it really rain frogs?	279	(3)
World
What is the oldest living thing in the world?	282	(2)
What is the tallest clock in the world?	284	(2)
When the Panama Canal was built, was it just cut through the land or did they have to build a concrete bottom and sides?	286	(3)
What are the seven natural wonders of the world?	289	(2)
Why is the Tower of Pisa leaning and will anyone ever straighten it?	291	(2)
What is the largest museum in the world?	293	(4)
Exploring the Internet	297	(2)
Index	299