Read Uncle John's Bathroom Reader Extraordinary Book of Facts: And Bizarre Information for Free Online Page B

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That Was Then
     
    In 1912 the archbishop of Paris declared dancing the tango a sin.
    In the 13th century, Europeans baptized children with beer.
    King Henry VI banned kissing in England in 1439 because he thought it spread disease.
    Tablecloths originally served as big napkins. People wiped their hands and faces on them.
    Ancient Roman theaters had “vomitoriums,” passageways that allowed people to file in and out quickly. (They weren’t for vomiting.)
    Parrot tongue and ostrich brains were considered delicacies in the Roman Empire.
    Colonial governor John Winthrop introduced the table fork to America in 1620.
    When medieval Europeans burned witches, the witches’ families had to pay for the firewood.
    Knights in armor used to lift their visors when riding past the king—the original military salute.
    In the Middle Ages chicken soup was considered an aphrodisiac.
    In the 13th century, suits of armor weighed as much as 90 pounds.
    The Pilgrims refused to eat lobsters because they thought they were really big insects.
    The wok began as a Bronze-Age Mongolian helmet that doubled as a cooking pan.
    World’s oldest profession according to anthropologists: witch doctor.

Page of Sixes
     
    6 Nobel Prize Categories
    Peace, Chemistry, Physics,
    Physiology & Medicine,
    Literature, Economics
    6 Wives of Henry VIII
    Catherine of Aragon, Ann
    Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of
    Cleves, Catherine Howard,
    Catherine Parr
    6 Parts of the
    Circulatory System
    Heart, Arteries, Arterioles,
    Capillaries, Venules, Veins
    6 Enemies of Mankind
    (Hinduism)
    Lust, Angst, Envy, Avarice,
    Spiritual ignorance, Pride
    6 Layers of the Earth
    Crust, Upper mantle, Lower
    mantle, Outer core, Transition
    region, Inner core
    6 Grades of Meat
    Prime, Choice, Good,
    Standard, Commercial, Utility
    6 Foreign Places Named
    for U.S. Presidents
    Cape Washington, Antarctica;
    Monrovia, Liberia; Lincoln
    Island, South China Sea;
    Cleveland, Brazil; Mount
    Eisenhower, Alberta, Canada;
    Avenue de President
    Kennedy, Paris
    6 Rodeo Contests
    Saddle bronco riding, Bareback
    riding, Calf roping, Bull riding,
    Steer wrestling, Team roping
    6 Ice Hockey Positions
    Right wing, Left wing,
    Right defense, Left defense,
    Center, Goalie
    6 Branches of the
    U.S. Armed Forces
    Army, Navy, Air Force,
    Marines, National Guard,
    Coast Guard
    Sinister 6 (Spider-Man’s
    Archenemies)
    Kraven the Hunter, Dr.
    Octopus, Mysterio, Vulture,
    Electro, Sandman
    6 Elements (Buddhism)
    Earth, Water, Fire, Wind,
    Space, Consciousness

Myth Conceptions
     
    Myth: Your hair and nails continue to grow after you die.
    Fact: They don’t. Your tissue recedes from your hair and nails, making them appear longer.
    Myth: You should never wake a sleepwalker.
    Fact: There’s no reason not to wake a sleepwalker. This superstition comes from the old belief that a sleepwalker’s spirit leaves the body and might not make it back if the person is wakened.
    Myth: In the Old West, pioneers circled their wagons to protect against Indian raids.
    Fact: When they did circle the wagons, it was to keep livestock in.
    Myth: A strong cup of coffee will help a drunk person get sober.
    Fact: It’s the alcohol in a person’s bloodstream that makes them drunk, and no amount of coffee, no matter how strong, will change that.
    Myth: SOS stands for “Save Our Ship.”
    Fact: It doesn’t stand for anything. It was selected as a distress signal because it’s easy to transmit in Morse code: 3 dots, 3 dashes, 3 dots.
    Myth: Fortune cookies were invented in China.
    Fact: They were invented in the United States in 1918 by Charles Jung, a Chinese restaurant owner, to amuse customers while they waited for their food. Only later were they served after the meal.
    Myth: According to the Bible, Adam and Eve ate the forbidden apple and were expelled from the Garden of Eden.
    Fact: They ate the “fruit” of the Tree of Knowlege. Nowhere does the bible call the fruit an apple. The misconception may have come from the fact that,