300 facts of the week for the uno platform copy
- 1. 1 -------------------------------------------------------------- TheBasenjiistheworld'sonlybarklessdog. TheBasenjiproducesanunusualyodel-likesoundcommonlycalleda"barroo",dueto itsunusuallyshapedlarynx.ThistraitalsogivestheBasenjithenickname"Barkless Dog".More» ----------------------------------------------------------------------- TheadderistheonlyvenomoussnakeintheUK. Despite it posing a threat to humans, it is in fact a very timid and non- aggressive creature. This snake is easily identified by the dark zigzag line passing along the back bordered by rows of spots. ===============================================- A baby eel is called an elver. Eels are elongated fish, ranging in length from 5 centimetres in the one- jawed eel to 3.75 metres! Most eels live in the shallow waters of the ocean and burrow into sand, mud, among rocks, or in cracks found in coral reefs. The majority of eel species are nocturnal, and thus are rarely seen. ==================================================== The two longest English words that contain only consonants are "rhythm" and "syzygy". These two words have six consonants each and don't contain any vowels. The word "syzygy" is most commonly used in the astronomical or astrological sense. More » ===================================================== Veni, Vidi, Vici" is Latin for "I came, I saw, I conquered". It is a famous Latin sentence reportedly written by Julius Caesar in 47 BC as a comment on his short war with Pharnaces II of Pontus in the city of Zela (currently known as Zile, in Turkey). FACTS OF THE WEEK FOR TEACHERS:
- 2. 2 Place one of these questions each week on the board or on a poster. Have children guess the answer, or look up the answer, or ask someone at home for the answer. Some items, the students will know immediately. Others, they may have to ask at home, and tell you later. The difficulty level varies within each grade level, for fairness to students of various abilities, and to build interest in the facts. If you put a new FACT OF THE WEEK on the board the first day of each week, the students will have the week to research it, discuss, and expand on the topic in class, if they need that much time. They can also relate these trivia facts to on-going studies, or to programs they might see on television. Once a class gets enthused, some students will want to be the "FIRST" one to answer the fact. There are many sites on Internet to find more questions. Students can help you find more facts and answers as part of a learning experience for them. MAIN OBJECTIVE: To stimulate curiosity and to encourage further research NOTE: Some of the answers provided have extra information for teachers to use as background when they encounter a super-curious or a very intelligent student who may require more depth. =============================================== 300 FACTS OF THE WEEK FOR THE UNO PLATFORM GRADE 1 1. What is the largest land animal in the world? It is a vertebrate (has a backbone) and is a mammal. An elephant 2. Which bone protects the brain? C _ _ _ _ _ _ The cranium (sometimes called "the skull").
- 3. 3 3. What musical instrument has 88 ivory and black keys? A piano 4. What vertebrate hops, has a pouch for its babies, and lives in Australia? A kangaroo 5. What country in the world has the most people? China 6. How are all birds different from any other living thing? They all have feathers. 7. Name a bird that cannot fly because it is too heavy? An ostrich....(or an emu) 8. What is a MARSUPIAL ? It's an animal that has a pouch in front of its body. Mothers carry their babies in the pouch until they are big enough to walk alone. Marsupials live in Australia. 9. What sport needs 9 people on each team? Baseball 10. What is the very hardest mineral / rock? A diamond 11. When did Columbus discover America? October 12, 1492 12. What do the letters AVE stand for in the train system of Spain? ALTO VELOCIDAD
- 4. 4 (a high speed train in Spain) 13. What is the birthstone for December? The turquoise 14. In the Tarzan movies and books, (Tarzan of the Jungle), what was Tarzan's girlfriend's name? Jane 15. What is the animal with the largest brain in proportion to its body size? The ant 16. How many years in a decade? ...in a century? Ten years.........100 years 17. Which people invented paper, to replace papyrus and parchment? The Chinese, about 200 A.D. 18. Which bird lays the largest egg? The ostrich 19. How many stars were there in the original flag of the United States of America? Thirteen (one for each original colony) 20. What color is associated with Valentine's Day? Red 21. What is the name of the imaginary line that divides the Earth into northern and southern hemispheres? The Equator
- 5. 5 22. What color do you get if you mix red and blue paint? Purple 23. What color to you get if you mix yellow and blue paint? Green 24. What kind of animal was King Kong? Gorilla 25. A lifeguard always works near what? Water 26. What are figs, mangos, and pomegranates? Fruits 27. What does a red road sign with 8 sides mean? STOP 28. What color clothes do cricket players wear? White 29. If you visited a tropical climate, what would the climate be like? Warm 30. What happens when the sun shines on rain that is falling in a distant rain shower? A rainbow is formed. 31. What is the largest mammal on Earth? A whale...It breathes air, so it is NOT a fish.
- 6. 6 32. What is the most common vitamin in orange juice? Vitamin C 33. Who is Batman's partner? Robin 34. What part of your body can not be used to touch the ball in soccer (football)? Hands 35. What language would you speak if you lived in modern Australia? English 36. In what sport can you have a "fly ball"? Baseball 37. What food crop grows in flooded fields? Rice 38. What state in the USA has made the hula a famous dance? Hawaii 39. When is Saint Patrick's Day? March 17th 40. What object is 239,00 miles (384 kilometers) from Earth? The moon 41. What is a veterinarian? A doctor for animals 42. What language do people from Tokyo speak? Japanese
- 7. 7 43. What might you find inside an oyster shell if you are lucky? A pearl 44. How did people first travel? They walked. 45. In what game would you use a pawn? Chess 46. What is an Eskimo's jacket called? A parka 47. On what continent are the countries Italy, France, and Monaco located? Europe 48. What is the Japanese art of paper folding called? Origami 49. What country uses a rickshaw as a means of transportation? China 50. What common animal has a horrible smell as its weapon? A skunk ============================================================ GRADE 2
- 8. 8 1. What does the word "SAHARA" mean? It means "Great Desert" in Arabic. (So don't say "the Sahara Desert" because it's as if you are saying "The Great Desert Desert". ) Simply say, "The Sahara". 2. Name the vertebrate: It flies, has sonar, with large ears for the size of its body A bat 3. What item should you have with you if you go camping? It helps you find directions. A compass 4. What is the chemical formula for water? H2O 5. Which are the two official languages of Canada? French and English They are taught in ALL the schools, and are used in all official government documents. 6. What is the longest river in the world? The Nile River in Egypt It is more than 5,000 miles long (8,000 km). 7. Most of us have heard of the Swiss company Nestlé, which is famous for its chocolate. It now produces various foods in over 80 countries. When it first opened, in 1867, it produced a different product. What was it? Infant formula
- 9. 9 8. Which country has the most computers in the world? The USA...over 24 million Next: Canada with 2 million Finland has the most per capita, about 1 million 9. What would you not do if you were to fast for 3 days? Eat 10. How many pickles did Peter Piper pick? A peck 11. Name the vertebrate: He is known as "King of the Jungle", appeared in the book and the movie "The Wizard of Oz"...... A lion 12. What kind if building was Alcatraz (in California, USA)? It was a prison. 13. What is the name of the player in the baseball diamond that is located between second and third base? The shortstop 14. What is the name of the material that lines an oyster shell? Mother-of-pearl 15. What does a geologist study? Rocks / the Earth 16. What do traditional oriental people use to eat with? Chopsticks
- 10. 10 17. Who couldn't put Humpty Dumpty back together again? All the King's horses and all the King's men 18. How many sides does every snowflake have? Six (6) It is a hexagon. 19. What is the traditional food for the American holiday, Thanksgiving? Turkey 20. What do you call the remains of a plant or animal that are preserved in the earth's crust? A fossil 21. What kind of a tree has acorns? An oak tree 22. What country has made the bagpipe famous? Scotland 23. What is the name of a period of time when almost all the earth was covered in ice or snow? The Ice Age (There were at least 9 Ice Ages during the earth's history.) 24. Where do Dutch people come from? Holland 25. What country's flag is all white with a red circle in the middle? Japan
- 11. 11 26. What is a make-believe creature that is 1/2 fish and 1/2 human? A mermaid 27. How many states make up the United States of America? 50 (fifty) 28. Why do birds sit on their eggs? To keep them warm so they will hatch 29. How many months of the year have 28 days? All of them 30. What do the letters "BBC" stand for? British Broadcasting Company 31. What is the "lead" inside a lead pencil made of? Graphite 32. What are 727's, 747's, and 767's? Kinds of airplanes 33. What book documents world records? Guinness Book of World Records 34. If your only sisters are triplets, how many sisters do you have? Three 35. In car racing, what is it called when you stop to change a tire or to get fuel? A Pit Stop
- 12. 12 36. What kind of fruit is an orange, a grapefruit, a lime, or a lemon? They are citrus fruits. 37. In Italy, how do you say, "So long" ? Ciao (pronounced chow) 38. On what part of your body does an orthodontist work? Your teeth 39. From what art of a fish do we get caviar? The eggs 40. In the Bible, what was the work of Mary's husband, Joseph? Joseph was a carpenter. 41. What did butter start as? Milk 42. What is the "grand slam home run" in baseball? It's when the batter has a home run, with all the other three bases loaded. It results in 4 home runs at the same time. 43. For how many days do the Chinese celebrate their New Year? Fifteen days 44. Why does a refrigerator warm your kitchen? Because of the heat coming from the motor used to cool the inside of the refrigerator 45. What are the largest pieces of land on earth called? Continents
- 13. 13 46. How many insects does a toad eat daily, on an average? 100 47. If your pet is a feline, what is it? A cat 48. Originally, piano keys were made of ivory. What are they made of today? Plastic 49. Which of the planets has rings? Saturn 50. If you suffer from zoophobia, what are you very afraid of? Animals ============================================================ GRADE 3 1. How fast can a cheetah run? Up to 70 miles and hour, for short distances 2. What natural boundary separates Spain and France? The Pyrenees Mountains 3. The increasing scarcity of elephants and rhinos resulted in a 1989 ban on which substance? Ivory 4. Where is the country of Armenia?
- 14. 14 It is between Europe/Asia, bordered by Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north. 5. Name the vertebrate: ...who is known as the "King of the Jungle", and who appeared in the book and the movie "The Wizard of Oz" A lion 6. What bird has the longest tongue? The woodpecker. Its tongue is 5 times longer than its beak, which means it can seek food 5 inches deep inside tree crevices. 8. Pluto used to be named as a planet, but scientists took its name off the list of officially recognized planets in 2006. WHY? It wasn't large enough to be considered a planet. 10. Why is J.K. Rowling famous? She is the British author of the Harry Potter series of fantasy books about an adolescent wizard.. 11. What is a pelican? What is the most unique thing about a pelican? Its bill.... A pelican is a large, white bird whose bill is very large, about 18 inches (1/2 meter) long. The bill is used to catch fish. 12. What does the word goober mean? (It is an English word, not another language.) Goober is another word for peanut. 13. WHICH INSECT......? Likes to chirp at night...................?
- 15. 15 A cricket Is an uninvited picnic guest..............? An ant Has 8 legs? A spider 14. What kind of disaster claimed 100,000 lives in Armenia in 1988? An earthquake 15. What is the longest river in the United States of America? Mississippi....3,000 miles long (4,800 km) 16. What are the top three languages spoken in the world? #1. Mandarin Chinese (885 million) #2. English (322 million) #3. Spanish (266 million) 17. The esophagus is part of what system in the human body? digestive system ... 18. What is a haiku? (hi-coo) It is a poem, originally from Japan, composed of 3 lines. It is usually about nature, and has no rhyme. The first line has FIVE syllables, the second line has SEVEN syllables, and the third line has FIVE syllables. HERE IS A SAMPLE: I see the old trees..... Wide trunks with knots, branches, shade, A place of calm peace.
- 16. 16 19. Five hundred years ago, in the USA and Canada there were more than 300 native languages, 2/3 of which are still in use . Name three places in USA or Canada that use a native language word, (MANY possibilities) Some answers: Chicago (city in Illinois, USA), Mississippi (a major river and a state in USA), Massachusetts (a state in USA) Ottowa, (a city in Canada) Penobscot, (a county, a river, and a town in the state of Maine, USA Piscataqua (a river ,the border between Maine and New Hampshire, USA), Minnesota (a USA state) 20. What kind of imaginary animal is usually part of a traditional Chinese New Year celebration? A dragon 21. What is James Bond's code name? Double-o-seven (007) 22. What country has not fought a war since 1815? Switzerland 23. What is the largest state in the United States of America? Alaska 24. What is the name of the large mountain chain in South America? The Andes
- 17. 17 25. What is the name of the largest desert in China? The Gobi 26. How far is the Sun from the Earth? 93,000,000,000 (93 million) miles (1,488,000,000,000 km) 27. When does the United States of America celebrate its birthday? July 4th 28. Who is Mickey Mouse's girlfriend? Minnie Mouse 29. What sport are you watching if you are watching the Harlem Globetrotters? Basketball 30. What country (originally) did the Volkswagon (VW) come from? Germany 31. What is moss? A plant 32. What were the Three Little Pigs' houses made of? Straw, sticks, and brick 33. What language is spoken in Germany? German 34. What is the capital of Cuba? Havana 35. How many years is a generation considered to be?
- 18. 18 25 years 36. In MGM movies, what animal is pictured at the beginning of the film, appearing with a roar? A lion 37. What game are you playing using marbles on a six-pointed star? Chinese checkers 38. How long does a regulation soccer game last? Two 45-minute halves 39. Why do beavers constantly gnaw on wood? To wear down their teeth which never stop growing 40. What relation to you are your aunt's children? Cousins 41. What type of housing did Eskimos use before they had wooden houses? Igloos...made of blocks cut from solid ice 42. Near what ocean is San Francisco, California located? The Pacific Ocean 43. What do we see almost every day that is 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit? The sun 44. What was the little girl's name in the "Wizard of Oz"? Dorothy 45. Polar, Grizzly, Brown, and Black are types of what?
- 19. 19 Bears 46. How many dwarfs did Snow White meet? Seven 47. What is the proper name for the sport using bows and arrows? Archery 48. What would you be doing if you were doing the polka? Dancing 49. What is the head of a city called? A mayor 50. What is a person called who eats a meatless diet? A vegetarian ======================================================== GRADE 4 1. What is the largest lake in Africa? Lake Victoria (on the border of Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania) 2. How many moons does Mars have? Two 3. One type of invertebrate is a common insect. Some people say it has 100 legs. What is it called? A centipede .... (Centi means 100, and ped means foot, in Latin.)
- 20. 20 4. What does this mean? Can you find a pattern to the numbers? 2 - 15 - 14 - 5 - 19 These numbers spell BONES. The numbers correspond to the letters of the ENGLISH alphabet....Letter # 2 is B, an so on... 5. What vertebrate animal lives near water and uses its large, sharp teeth to cut down small trees? It uses the wood from the trees to build a lodge (its house) in the water. A beaver 6. What do camels store in their humps? Camels don't store water in their humps; the humps are made mostly of fat. 7. Who became the world's youngest ever boxing heavyweight champion? Mike Tyson, when he was 20 years old (in 1986) 8. Tiananmen Square, a major plaza, is located in which city and country? Beijing, the capital of China 9. What breed of dog from China bears the name that is English slang for "food"? Chow 10. What was the name of China's capital before it was changed to Beijing? Peking
- 21. 21 11. Where was corn first domesticated by humans? Mexico....3500 B.C. 12. What did Alexander Fleming invent? Penicillin (in 1928). He was from Scotland. 13. When was the first motion picture shown to an audience? 1896, over a century ago 14. In Greek mythology, who is the goddess of love? Aphrodite 15. What was Shakespeare's first name? William 16. What is the main religion of Israel? Judaism 17. Confucius was an ancient teacher and philosopher. What country was he from? China 18. What item can be used to break up light so that all the colors of the rainbow can be seen? A prism (A small, solid, pyramid of plastic or glass) 19. Who or what are the "Bee Gees"? A musical singing group that provided music for the film, "Saturday Night Fever" 20. A RIDDLE: What vertebrate, a mammal, is always ready to take a long
- 22. 22 trip or journey ? An elephant, because it always has its trunk. (A TRUNK is a very large suitcase, used to pack things for a long trip.) 21. What do the numbers/dates 1961 and 6009 have in common? 1961 was the most recent year that could also be read upside down. The next date is 6009. 22. Who had the most expensive presidential inauguration ceremony of the 20th century? George W. Bush, spending $40 million on his three-day inauguration celebration in January 2005. It was his second term as President of the USA, an election he barely won. 23. What does A.D. mean after dates, such as 79 A.D.? It is Latin, Ano Domini, Year of our Lord, referring to dates after the birth of Jesus. 24. What lengthy word was added to the English language in Disney's "Mary Poppins" movie, in a song? Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious 25. What country holds the world's record for talking the most on the telephone? The United States of America 26. When you tell your sled dog team to "mush..mush", what do you want them to do? To run, run (Eskimo words; Inuit language) 27. What is a common name for a bison? Buffalo
- 23. 23 28. Where do you sit to eat dinner with a traditional Japanese family? On the floor 29. Who invented the telephone? Alexander Graham Bell 30. What is the name of the Queen of England's main home? Buckingham Palace 31. What do you call a mountain of ice floating in the sea? An iceberg 32. With what country do you associate windmills and tulips? Holland 33. Name one of the earliest timekeepers still found in some parks or gardens. The sundial 34. What is the Punjab? A district in India 35. What is Superman faster than? A speeding bullet 36. If you are looking at the Mona Lisa, what kind of building are you in? A museum or art gallery 37. How many rooms are there in the White House, the home of the President of the United States? 132 rooms
- 24. 24 38. How many times did Aladdin rub his magic lamp? Three times 39. When and where did the first underground railway system (subway) open? The London Underground opened in 1863, . 40. What do ice hockey players chase around a rink? A puck It is a round, solid rubber item, about 3 inches in diameter. 41. What are dried grapes called? Raisins 42. What bird looks like he's going to a formal party" A penguin 43. How do Japanese read their books? From the back of the book to the front 44. What was the first name of the USA President Lincoln? Abraham 45. What do the words "bogus' and "counterfeit" mean? Fake or false 46. What is hot and fiery and flows from volcanoes? Lava 47. What is the first number with an "A" in its spelling? One thousand
- 25. 25 48. Where is a human's sense of balance located? In the ears 49. What was Mozart's middle name? Armadeus 50. The Morse Code is made up of dots and ....... ? dashes ==================================================== GRADE 5 1. Which two planets do not have a moon? Mercury, Venus 2. How did the Canary Islands get their name? From the Latin word, canis, which means "dog", because there were large, fierce dogs found on the islands when they were first discovered. 3. What was the Spanish Armada? What happened to it in 1588? A powerful fleet of ships from Spain, (a navy), once the strongest ships in the known world, but they were defeated by England in a battle in 1588, 4. What famous non-Spanish explorer started a great age of exploration and conquest for Spain? Christopher Columbus, who was from Italy... In 1492, when Spain was still powerful, Columbus led Spain to the New World. It was almost 100 years later (1588) that Spain's armada, the navy, was defeated by England.
- 26. 26 5. What important geological event happened in Europe in August, 79 A.D.? Mount Vesuvius exploded, giving off heat blasts and gases that killed 1000's of people, burying Pompeii in more than 30 feet (10 meters) of ashes falling from the explosion caused by the volcano. 6. Which are the five largest countries in the world, geographically? 1st: Russia, 2nd: Canada, 3rd: China, 4th: United States of America, 5th: Brazil 7. Why is Steve Jobs famous? He invented / founded the Apple/Macintosh computer company. 8. Which sport uses the word "LOVE" in scoring? Tennis 9. Which was the longest moon landing? Apollo 17, in 1972 the astronauts carried out scientific mission for 3 days. 10. Which Walt Disney movie star began his career in the 1928 movie, Steamboat Willie? Mickey Mouse 12. What is the best-selling car ever? Toyota Corolla
- 27. 27 13. Which country has more computers per capita (based on its population percentage) in the world? Finland 14. What are Rosemary and Thyme? Spices or herbs 15. What is a major score in American football called? A touchdown 16. What is a more common name for a tortoise? A turtle 17. What precious jewel is a shiny red stone? A ruby 18. What snack food, sometimes sold by street venders, means "little arms" in Latin? Pretzels 19. What were Longfellow, Poe, Paz, and Stevenson? Poets..."Authors" is also correct. 20. What do you bake pottery in so the clay gets hard? A kiln 21. Who gave a famous speech in the 20th Century that talks about "I have a dream..." Martin Luther King 22. What is a "light year"?
- 28. 28 It is NOT time. It is a measure used for huge distances in space, and refers to how long it takes light to travel in a year. If a star is 100 light years from earth, it means that light leaving that star will take 100 years to be seen on earth. 23. Why is the day after Christmas called "Boxing Day" in the UK? Because people box-up the left-over food from the Christmas feast to give to others, less fortunate than they. 24. What is the leader of an orchestra called? A conductor 25. What would you be on if you were traveling on a Chinese junk? A boat 26. What is the speed of light? 186,000 miles per second...(300,000 km per second) 27. Where is the deepest part of an ocean? The Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean It is more than 5 miles deep. 28. What are the minerals plutonium and uranium used for? To produce nuclear power 29. In what country would you use a rupee as money? India 30. In what country are the cities of Melbourne and Sydney? Australia 31. Where did Count Dracula live? In Transylvania (in Europe)
- 29. 29 32. How many inches of water are produced when 10 inches of snow melts? One inch of water 33. In the Bible, who was Miriam's baby brother? Moses 34. Among mammals, which are the only two capable of distinguishing colors? Humans and monkeys 35. What is it called when a nuclear reactor overheats and the core melts? A meltdown 36. Diabetes is usually caused by the improper functioning of which gland? The pancreas 37. Why is author Mary Shelley famous? She wrote the novel Frankenstein. 38. When you melt and mix copper and zinc, what do you get? Brass 39. Two companies invented the CD (compact disc) in 1979, which, for the first time, provided high-quality digital sound in a small, portable format. Which are the two companies? Philips (a Dutch company) Sony (a Japanese company) 40. Where in the Ukraine (part of Russia) was there a nuclear explosion in 1986 causing deaths and damage to the environment?
- 30. 30 Chernobyl 41. Johann Strauss composed a famous waltz named for a European river. What is it? The Blue Danube Waltz 42. By what name is Southern Rhodesia now called? Zimbabwe 43. How many binary digits make up a "byte"? 8 (eight) 44. What is Swahili? The official language of Nigeria, spoken by 35,000,000 (35 million) East Africans 45. CCXXXIV is the Roman numeral for what Arabic number? 234 46. What is an ancient Chinese calculator called? The abacus 47. If you are fighting with a "foil", and an "epée", what are you doing? Fencing 48. Tenochtitlan was the capital of what ancient empire of Mexico? The Aztecs 49. What is a Punnett Square used for? Io predict genetic probabilities between a specific male and female 50. What were Lancelot, Galahad, Tristram, and Percival? Knights of King Arthur's Round Table
- 31. 31 ============================================================ GRADE 6 1. Which planet has the most moons? Saturn has at least 18 moons. 2. What are the names of the 3 countries, the sea, and the ocean that border Spain? France, Andorra, Portugal; the Atlantic Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea 3. What is NaCl? It's the chemical formula for salt. 4. What do the letters of SONAR mean? SONAR stands for SOund detectioN And Ranging. 5. What was the Magna Carta? It was an agreement signed by King John of England in 1215, giving a few rights to the people. It was the first recorded step towards democracy. 6. Why is the city of Aiea, which is in Hawaii, unusual? It is the only city name made up of just vowels. 7. Anwar Sadat was President of which country when he died in 1981? Egypt 8. Who released an album called Thriller in 1982, which brought
- 32. 32 him instant fame? Michael Jackson 9. Which city was devastated by an earthquake in 1985, killing more than 10,000 people, and then hosted the World Cup in 1986? Mexico City, the capital of Mexico 10. Elected in 1913, how long was Pedro Mascuráin president of Mexico? Less than one hour, the shortest in world history.... NOTES: General Victoriano Huerta overthrew President Madero, and later had him assassinated. Lascuráin served in the interim. Lascuráin was offered positions by Huerta, but left politics and worked in a law school in Mexico City, writing books. 11. After the Sun, earth's closest star, what is the next closest star to Earth? Proxima Centuri ; 4.3 light years from the sun. NOTES: It's really 3 stars close together, but appears as one star from Earth. The Sun is about 93 million miles from the earth. The star nearest to the Sun is Proxima Centauri. Astronomers measure the distance between stars in units called light-years. A light-year equals 5.88 million million miles (9.46 million million kilometers). This is the distance light travels in one year ,at a speed of 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second). Proxima Centauri is 4.3 light-years from the Sun. It is a dim red star in the constellation of Centaurus that lies at a distance of over 40 million
- 33. 33 million kilometers, some 270,000 times greater than the distance between the earth and the sun. 12. Which country has the most people of the Muslim religion? Indonesia 13. What is the oldest musical instrument discovered by archeologists? A flute, found in France, made of bird bone, more than 25,000 years old, shows humans' early interest in music. 14. In the world, there are several rare languages, which are part of a group of language "isolates", used in very specific geographic areas, which linguistic scientists have not been able to discover their roots. Name two languages, and tell where each is located as an isolated, small language family, a "language island". Euskeda, used by the Basque people in Spain and France, living near the Pyrenees Mountains Burushaski, used in an isolated section of Pakistan Chukchi, used is a small part of Siberia 15. Why aren't Roman numerals used in mathematics? They have no zero, and they have no place value, so advanced mathematics and accounting could not use them. 16. What is the total of all matter and energy known to man called? The universe
- 34. 34 17. What is the lowest-pitched wind instrument? The tuba 18.What city is known as "The Eternal City"? Rome 19. Where was the earliest known written text found in the Americas? It was found in Oaxaca, Mexico. NOTES: It was written by the Zapotec people about 500 B.C. Two stone slabs, written in the native writing system shows calendar information. 20. In her lifetime, how many children can a female termite produce? 500 million 21. What Greek word means "Temple of the Muses"? Museum 22. The winter of 1932 in the United States of America was so cold that what happened for the first time in recorded history?? Niagara Falls, between the USA and Canada, froze completely solid. 23. How long does it take sunlight to reach the earth from the sun? 8 minutes, 12 seconds 24. Who was Euclid? He born in Greece, and taught in Egypt, living between 325 B.C. and 265 B.C.. Euclid is known as the "Father of Geometry".
- 35. 35 His geometry textbook, Elements, served as the western world's unchallenged standard for two thousand years. 25. Why are Euclid's dates of life listed backwards? (born 325 B.C., died 265 B.C.) Dates are like a number line showing positive and negative numbers. After Christ's birth, the dates advance forward; but in the years before Christ, the numbers go backwards; the lower the number, the closer it is to Year One, the year of Christ's birth as recorded on a time line. (There is NO Year Zero.) 26. What board game was invented on the first of August, 1933, during the world's great economic depression? Monopoly 27. What is weird about the eating habits of houseflies? After eating, a housefly regurgitates its food and then eats it again! 28. We've all heard of Mandarin Chinese, the language spoken by more people than any other language in the world. (885 million) There is a second Chinese language, spoken by more than 77 million people in China. What is it? Wui 29. What is the Gutenberg Bible? The first book published using a printing press, invented by a German, Johann Gutenberg. Prior to this invention (1465), all books were written by hand. Once the printing press was invented, books became easier to acquire.
- 36. 36 30. Which country produces more feature films for the cinema than any other country? India 31. What do the letters in the word RADAR stand for? RADAR stands for Radio Aid to Detection And Ranging. 32. What nationality was the 15th Century explorer, Vasco de Gama? Portuguese 33. When measuring the height of a horse, what term is used? Hands 34. What kind of scientist studies ocean life? An oceanographer 35. Who is credited with discovering the Laws of Gravity? Sir Isaac Newton 36. How many units are in a "gross" ? 144 A box with a gross of pencils, holds 144 pencils. 37. What are the only two mammals that get sunburned? Humans and pigs 38. What does a seismograph do? It measures the strength of earthquakes, (using the Richter Scale) . 39. What are aglets? The plastic tips on the ends of shoelaces are called "aglets""
- 37. 37 40. What state in the USA has the longest name and the smallest land area?? Rhode Island is the smallest state in area in the United States; however, it has the longest official name (the most letters) . 41. Why is the science fiction writer, Arthur C. Clarke, famous? In 1945 he suggested that satellites could be used to transmit and relay telephone and television signals around the planet. Almost 20 years later, the first commercial satellite was launched. Now, there are more than 200 functioning satellites orbiting the earth. 42. What are the only two animals that contract leprosy? Humans and armadillos 43. What shape is the Milky Way Galaxy? Spiral 44. What is the liquid part of humans' blood called? Plasma 45. In a regular deck of cards, each of the four Kings represents a famous King in history. Who are the four kings? Spades = David Clubs = Alexander the Great Hearts = Charlemagne Diamonds = Caesar 46. Why is Lascaux, France famous? In a cave in Lascaux, the first paintings by humans were discovered. They date back to 32,000 B.C. and show horses, bison, and rhinos.
- 38. 38 47. What famous children's ballet, by Tchaikovsky, features "The Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy"? The Nutcracker Suite 48. What do the olive branches on the flag of the United Nations represent? Peace 49. What was the former name of Iran?...of Thailand? Persia Siam 50. What is the most commonly eaten food in the world? Rice BONUS: # 51. What do these words have in common? palm, ham, shrimp, cell..? They all have double (or triple) meanings. Palm of your hand; a palm tree. Ham that you eat; a person who jokes a lot is said to be a "ham". Shrimp that you eat; a shrimp is a nickname for a short person. Cell in a jail; cell in biology...and other meanings, too. ====================================================++++++== TEACHERS and STUDENTS: Stay alert, and find more facts to add to these lists. Your input will be most welcomed! ==============================================================