Interesting Facts - Page 6

Horses cannot vomit. They lack the stomach muscles & digestive abilities to do so. They can also rotate their ears to pick up sound from any direction.

Since 1943, 60 animals have been awarded the Dickin Medal. Winkie the pigeon, Robbie (the parachuting Collie) and Simon the cat were all recipients.

The record-breaking Chukwu octuplets were born between 8 and 20 December 1999; the first was delivered naturally, the other seven by Caesarean section.

The word vase derives from the Latin word 'vas' which means duct or enclosed pipe. Other words that come from this origin are vein, venous & vessel.

The biggest matryoshka (Russian doll) was made in 1970, was 1m high, had 72 dolls, and was dedicated to the birthday of former Soviet leader Lenin.

The "yubitsume" was a Samurai punishment for disobedience involving the cutting off of a finger. Japanese gangsters still apply the punishment today.

The longest piece of music is designed to go on for 639 years, composed by John Cage it is called 'As Slow As Possible'.

Shortbread is Scottish in origin. Early Scottish bakers fought to prevent it from being classified as a biscuit, to avoid paying government tax on it.

Apart from the USA, India has the longest road network in the world, with a length of 3,319,644km. Brazil is 3rd, China is 4th, and Japan is 5th.

Men in the country of Costa Rica can now be sent to prison for trying to chat up women. Offenders face up to 50 days in prison or a fine if found guilty.

The human brain has enough oxygen stored for metabolism to persist about 7 secs after heart and lungs fail. The eyes focus upto 25 secs after beheading.

A Squillologist studies Squillos - a peal of sudden noise. The metallic element named after a Greek God is Lead (Pb), from Protogonus, the first God.

Scritti Politti took their name from the political writings of the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. The correct Italian phrase is 'scritti politici'.

Irish playwright Samuel Beckett played 2 first class games for Northants to become the only Nobel laureate with an entry in Wisden Cricketers' Almanack.

During WWII, Oscars were made of plaster to conserve materials. Winners, incl. Bing Crosby & Ingrid Bergman, were later presented with the real Oscar.

The mountain most widely claimed as un-climbed is Gangkhar Puensum in Bhutan where the climbing of high mountains has been prohibited since 1994.