Strange But True 9/1/11

STRANGE BUT TRUE

• It was revered American comedian Bill Cosby who made the following sage observation: “Human beings are the only creatures that allow their children to come back home.”

• Here’s a disturbing statistic for parents: If your child is like the average American youth, between the ages of 5 and 15 he or she will see approximately 13,500 people killed on television.

• Most languages change dramatically over time. If we in modern America were to try to read “Beowulf” (which was written in Old English), for instance, only those who have spent time studying the language would be able to make out more than a word or two here and there. If you’re from Iceland, however, this isn’t the case; the written language there has remained virtually unchanged for more than 1,000 years. Modern Icelanders have no trouble reading sagas that were written in the 10th century.

• Relative to body size, humans — unsurprisingly — have larger brains than any other animal. Of non-human animals, it’s the bottlenose dolphin that has the largest brain.

• When Great Britain’s current Queen Elizabeth — then Princess Elizabeth — wed Prince Philip, their wedding cake weighed a whopping 500 pounds.

• As legend has it, in 1288, when Dusseldorf, Germany, was granted its city charter, children all over the city began turning cartwheels for joy. The cartwheel has been an enduring part of the culture there ever since, and in 1937 the city even inaugurated an annual international cartwheel championship.

• Those who study such things claim that when you’re playing Monopoly, you’re likely to land on Illinois Avenue and the B&O Railroad more than on any other squares.

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Thought for the Day: “I always find it more difficult to say the things I mean than the things I don’t.” — W. Somerset Maugham

(c) 2011 King Features Synd., Inc.