Fact O' The Day

[Colorado700R]

'An estimated 250,000 people are killed by AK-47s every year. '

Invented during World War II by tank mechanic Mikhail Kalashnikov, who hoped to arm his fellow Soviets with a reliable weapon against Nazi invaders, the AK-47 assault rifle is by some estimates the most prolific killer in the history of weaponry. It took Kalashnikov six years to develop, but when finished he'd created a weapon that was easy to put together, easy to fix and tough as nails in any weather. The only thing he didn't worry much about was accuracy, but when you can fire off 600 rounds a minute, accuracy's not that important.

AK-47/74 etc are actually fairly accurate to 300meters, beyond that....not so much.  But I prefer a 7.62 round over our 5.56 anyday.  Seen guys hit with 5.56 run away, 7.62 they don't move ever again.

[Krandall]

Hard to argue one of the best/toughest/most resiliant guns out there though even despite their age.

[Krandall]

'At least 50 organisms have been recognized as hyperthermophiles.'


Although it seems incompatible with life as we know it, a few dozen microorganisms on earth live in water that exceeds the boiling point at standard pressure. According to NASA, these organisms have been found living and reproducing in the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming (home of Old Faithful), in geothermally heated water that reaches 235 degrees F. Recently, Colorado researchers found that the Yellowstone hyperthermophiles' main source of energy was not sulfur, as long suspected, but hydrogen.

[Krandall]

'The first portable computer weighed over 23 pounds. '


Introduced by Adam Osborne in 1981, the Osborne I is regarded as history's first portable computer. Weighing in at over 23 pounds, the $1,795 Osborne I featured a built-in 5-inch monochrome display, a pair of floppy disc drives, 64Kb of RAM, and it used the CP/M operating system developed by Gary Kildall and John Torode.

[Krandall]

'The world's oldest surviving bank began as a pawnshop. '


Founded in the city-state of Siena, Italy, in 1472 as the equivalent of a pawnshop, Monte dei Paschi di Siena, known as "il Monte," is today one of the three largest banks in Italy, with 30,000 employees and a few thousand branches across the country. In 1995, Italy's Minister of the Treasury turned il Monte into a corporation named Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

[Krandall]

'At 65 mph, it would in theory take an hour to drive your car into outer space.'


Scientists at the University of Calgary recently used a rocket-mounted ion detector to determine at what point the atmosphere of Earth ends and outer space begins. Their conclusion? Outer space begins 73.3 miles from the ground -- a figure that differs from the 62-mile boundary between aeronautics and astronautics known as the Karman Line, as well as the 76-mile boundary used by NASA as a reentry altitude.

[Krandall]

'The largest model rocket ever launched weighed 1,648 pounds. '
 
Built by an auto body repairman in his garage and in his spare time, the rocket was a scale model of the Saturn V rocket that sent the Apollo missions into outer space (and were, at almost 6.7 million lb, the heaviest rockets ever made). When the model launched in 2009 in front of a crowd of around 5,000 people, it reached an altitude of 4,441 feet (and the builder was still able to successfully recover it).

[Krandall]

'The Ouija board was first patented in 1891.'

Although so-called "Talking Boards" as well as planchettes (the device you put your fingers on) had been around in one form or another since the 1850s as a popular Victorian pastime, it wasn't until 1891 that a U.S. patent was issued for one, in this case to the Kennard Novelty Company for their Ouija board, designed on five attachable pieces of wood. Parker Brothers bought the rights in 1966, and in 1999 put out the first glow-in-the-dark Ouija board.




'Mosquitoes use anticoagulants and painkillers to feed off humans without our knowledge. '


Mosquito bites are generally the only evidence we have of having been bitten by a mosquito, and the mosquitoes wouldn't have it any other way. Their saliva is an ingenious mixture that features, among other elements, an anticoagulant that prevents blood from clotting as well as an anesthetic that blocks sensation. The resulting "bite" is an immune response to this saliva.

[Krandall]

'On average in the U.S., less than one person per year dies of a shark attack.'

Sharks have been getting a pretty bad rap at least since Steven Spielberg's 1975 hit Jaws, and other media only make it worse, such as the Discovery Channel's hyped annual Shark Week. Yet according to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File, over the past 15 years there have been only 11 documented cases of death by shark attack, or an annual rate of 0.7.

[Krandall]

'If palm and tarot card readers have let you down, you can always consult a rumpologist.'

(Peelz?)




As Robert Ripley used to say, believe it or not: Rumpology is the "art" of reading one's future or fortunes by studying the lines, crevices, folds and other particulars found on one's bare rear end. The most high-profile proponent and practitioner of rumpology is Jackie Stallone, actor Sly's mother, who offers the allegedly "ancient" service by the modern means of PayPal: After emailing her a close-up photo of your rump and $125, she will divine your future and send you a report of her findings.

[Peelz]

I am not the expert here Wandy.

[Diggs59]

It costs $6,400 to raise a medium size dog to age eleven.

[Krandall]

'Some men suffer from the unfortunate disorder known as sexual anhedonia. '

Anhedonia is the term used to describe a lack of ability to experience pleasure or be interested in pleasurable activities and is considered a rare psychological variant of hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). For men, sexual anhedonia is a rare condition in which men are able to ejaculate successfully but do not in the process experience orgasm. There are a number of both physical and psychological potential causes for the disorder.

[Krandall]

'For the fifth straight year, Americans cite firefighters as having the most prestigious occupation. '

Each year, Harris Poll Interactive asks Americans which profession they deem to be the most prestigious, and at the top of 2009's list is the same job that has been at the top since 2005: firefighter. Scientist, doctor, nurse and teacher follow not far behind the firefighter at the top of the list. The bottom of the list, meanwhile, partly reflects economic conditions: stockbroker, accountant and the least prestigious occupation of all -- real estate agent.

[Krandall]

'Only two NHL goaltenders in history have been credited with a shutout and a goal in the same game. '


In NHL history, 362 goaltenders have been credited with at least one shutout in the regular season. Nine goaltenders have been credited with scoring a goal in a regular season game. But only two have achieved both in the same game. In 1999, Ottawa's Damian Rhodes shut out New Jersey 6-0 and was credited with a goal when he wound up being the last Ottawa player to touch the puck after the Devils accidentally put it into their own net. In 2001, Montreal's Jose Theodore shut out the New York Islanders 2-0 and, with seconds left in the game, shot the puck the length of the ice and scored into an empty net.