Historical data indicates that the very first person to be killed in an automobile accident was Bridget Driscoll on August 17, 1896 (London).
The famous “Nazca Lines” of Peru are ancient drawings engraved into the landscape. The huge desert etchings (representing various plants and animals) average more than 600 feet in length. The true magnitudes of the works are visible only from high in the air and some folks attribute the “lines” to extra-terrestrial influences. Others say it was simply early graffiti that got out of hand.
Perhaps the Nazca Lines were the inspiration for an unknown artist in Southern Australia who created the giant Marree Man. The drawing in the dry plains was done in 1998 and measures more than 2.8 miles in length.
Lake Victoria (Africa) is the largest lake in a tropical region. It is the 7th largest lake in the world. China has no large tropical lakes, but the realm rightfully lays claim to being the world’s “least flat” nation. Altitudes therein range from 505 feet below sea level to 29,028 feet above.
If you have decided to raise alpine salamanders, be not in a hurry. The gestation period for these amphibians is approximately 37 months. Many years ago, some amphibians were so large that hardly anyone could comfortably keep them as pets. Paleontologists claim that there once existed frogs (in the Madagascar regions) that were sufficient in size to catch and consume smaller dinosaurs. Holy Toadfrog, Batman!
How adept are you at hitting baseballs? I seriously doubt if I could hit a foul ball off of Randy Johnson in his prime. However, Julio Franco hit a major league homerun while facing R. Johnson and Julio was 48 years old at the time. Amazing.
It often pays to be alert. Someone in the Nagono Prefecture (region north of Tokyo) detected gold in the ashes of burned public sewage. The yield extracted from the discarded fluff was determined to be far richer per ton than ore from most gold mines. Officials anticipate the annual bullion yield to be approximately $170,000 at 2009 prices.
The first Western movie is thought to be Kit Carson. The motion picture was made in 1903 and several who viewed the film had personally known the real Kit (Mr. Carson died in 1868). Well, I suggest that spouses should be consulted prior to any attempts at sewage-gold extraction and -- have a great week.
About the author:
Dr. James White has retired after teaching mathematics for 36 years in various high school and junior college classrooms. He resides in South Texas with his very patient wife Anna. He can be reached at jkwhite46@gmail.com