Some of the best trivia you wish to share with others

Every living thing on the earth contains carbon.

And here's another one:

The first Spanish vessels to reach the New World were commanded by the Italian Cristoforo Columbo. The first English vessels to reach the New World were commanded by the Italian Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot). The first French vessels to reach the New World were commanded by the Italian Giovanni da Verrazano. No Italian vessels explored the New World.

Crash...

Today's question:

In 1984, who became the first person, other than the Beatles and Elvis, to have a chart-topping single, album, and movie in the same week?

Found here: http://whatsyourpopsecret.com/quiz.aspx

Uh....Madonna?

Mae West never performed a kiss onscreen.

Dustin Hoffman is shorter than Danny DeVito.

...and Danny DeVito is shorter than?

Good guess. The answer is Prince!!

Today's question:

"What film features a professional assassin named Leon, who reluctantly takes care of 12-year-old Mathilda and teaches her his trade?"

[I scored an 8 on the movie quiz I just took!]

Dolphins swim in circles while they sleep with the eye on the outside of the circle open to keep watch for predators. After a certain amount of time, they reverse and swim in the opposite direction with the opposite eye open.

A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time. It is 1/100 of a second.

There are more than 15,000 different varieties of rice.

Finland has the greatest number of islands in the world: 179,584.

Whoa. Better stop using ""I'll be back in a jiffy."
BTW, Jiffy Lube is false advertising.

What was the name of that? I think it starred Jean Reno... Was it "The Professional"?

Urumchi, the capital of Xinjiang province, China, is the city in the World furthest (as the crow flies) from seawater.

In Lebanon, men are legally allowed to have sex with animals, but the animals must be female. Having sexual relations with a male animal is punishable by death.

(Like THAT makes sense.)
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In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman's genitals, but is prohibited from looking directly at them during the examination. He may only see their reflection in a mirror.

(Do they look different reversed?)

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Muslims are banned from looking at the genitals of a corpse. This also applies to undertakers. The sex organs of the deceased must be covered with a brick or piece of wood at all times.

(A brick?)

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The penalty for masturbation in Indonesia is decapitation.

(Much worse than "going blind!")

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There are men in Guam whose full-time job is to travel the countryside and deflower young virgins, who pay them for the privilege of having sex for the first time

Reason: under Guam law, it is expressly forbidden for virgins to marry.

(Let's just think for a minute; is there any job anywhere else in the world that even comes close to this?)

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In Hong Kong, a betrayed wife is legally allowed to kill her adulterous husband, but may only do so with her bare hands. The husband's illicit lover, on the other hand, may be killed in any manner desired.

(Ah! Justice!)

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Topless saleswomen are legal in Liverpool, England - but only in tropical fish stores.

(But of course!)

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In Cali, Colombia, a woman may only have sex with her husband, and the first time this happens, her mother must be in the room to witness the act.

(Makes one shudder at the thought.)

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In Santa Cruz, Bolivia, it is illegal for a man to have sex with a woman and her daughter at the same time.

(I presume this was a big enough problem that they had to pass this law?)

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In Maryland, it is illegal to sell condoms from vending machines with one exception: Prophylactics may be dispensed from a vending machine only "in places where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption on the premises."

(Is this a great country or what? Well . . not as great as Guam!)

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Banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour.

(Who volunteers for this stuff?)

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Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

(Is that why Flipper was always smiling?)

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The ant can lift 50 times its own weight, can pull 30 times its own weight and always falls over on its right side when intoxicated.

(From drinking little bottles of?)

(Did the government pay for this research??)

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Butterflies taste with their feet.

(Ah, geez.)

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An ostrich's eye is bigger than its brain.

(I know some people like that.)

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Starfish don't have brains.

(I know some people like that, too.)

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And, the best for last?

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

(And I thought I had bad breath in the morning!)

You are right. My reference book on Hollywood Trivia is wrong. It claimed Hoffman was only 4' 11", but I've googled Hoffman and come up with what you did from several different sources. Shows I shouldn't believe everything I read.

Equus, I don't believe for a moment; you believed everything you read.

What, the rest of the animal world only have sex for money? Unless you're a kangaroo, you wouldn't have pockets to keep money in, anyway...