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Ten Random Facts

Amazon army ants sometimes travel in groups up to 20 million strong.
Animals » Insects

The average American looks at eight houses before buying one.
Surveys

Washington, D.C., is the birthplace of many celebrities, including David Birney, Blair Brown, Connie Chung, Matt Frewer, Goldie Hawn, Al Gore, John Heard, Edward Hermann, William Hurt, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Michael Learned, Roger Mudd, Maury Povich, Chita Rivera, Pete Sampras, and Peter Tork.
Geography » US

In 1995, a National Aeronautics and Space Administration employee bought six plastic owls at Wal-Mart to protect the space shuttle from woodpeckers.
Space

There are buffalo in Poland. They live mainly in the area of the Bialowieza Forest and are known as "zubra." The well-known Polish vodka Zubrowka, which means "buffalo brand," takes its name from these animals.
Animals

Of all colors, gray lenses in sunglasses best protect the eyes against the Sun's rays.
Technology

If you asked for a Mae West in a diner, you'd get a figure-eight cruller.
Food and Drink

Britain adopted the Gregorian calender in 1752, by which time they were 11 days behind the rest of Europe, which had changed in 1582. The date was simply moved forward - September 3rd became September 14th.
History

"Catch 22" has come to mean a problematic situation for which the only solution is denied by a circumstance inherent in the problem. The original "Catch-22," in Joseph Heller's 1961 novel of the same name, is the catch that prevents a US Air Force pilot in World War II from asking to be grounded on the basis of insanity. The pilot knows that military regulations permit insane pilots to be grounded and not forced to fly further dangerous bombing missions. However, the regulation prevents airmen from escaping bombing missions by pleading insanity by stating that any airman rational enough to WANT to be grounded cannot possibly be insane and therefore is fit to fly. From the novel: a man "would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn't, but if he was sane, he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn't have to: but if he didn't he was sane and had to."
Words and Numbers » Word Roots

After his death in 896, the body of Pope Formosus was dug up and tried for various crimes.
People

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