by Kathy Wolfe Tidbits isn’t short on the facts this week! Stay with us as we bring you the details on the longest and shortest of all kinds of things. • You might think that Russian author Leo Tolstoy’s epic historical novel “War and Peace” would be the world’s longest book with 587,287 words. But it’s not even close to “Remembrance of Things Past,” published in 1913 by Marcel Proust. It’s a book of this French author’s recollections of childhood and young adulthood, and reflections on the pursuit of truth and the meaning of life. It not only consists of […]
Hair – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – This week, Tidbits combs up some facts on our crowning glory – hair! • The average person has between 100,000 and 150,000 strands of hair on his/her head. That number varies depending on hair color. Natural blonds have the most hair, about 150,000 strands, while brunettes have 100,000, with just 90,000 for redheads. The head has about 800 to 1,300 hairs per square inch, each with a thickness between .016 and .05 mm. • Hair color is determined by genetics and differs by ethnicity. Black or brown hair comprises about 90% of people in the […]
TIDBITS® Sweats through Heat Waves
by Janet Spencer Heat waves are the single deadliest weather phenomena in the U.S., killing more people than hurricanes, wildfire, blizzards, or floods. Come along with Tidbits as we deal with heat waves! HOT HOT HOT • In 2003, Europe’s worst heat wave in 500 years afflicted the continent with temperatures reaching a high of 115°F (46°C) in places. Throughout August, temperatures averaged 20 to 30% higher than normal. Over 30,000 people died across the continent. The populace was unaccustomed to dealing with such heat and there was little they could do to adapt on such short notice. Most vulnerable […]
Sweat – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – • Humans are born with between 2 million and 4 million sweat glands located all over our bodies — except in a few places, like the lips, nails, nipples, eyeballs, and ear canals. • Sweating is triggered by various things: physical activity, being in a hot place, emotions, fever, hormones, pregnancy, toxins, and food. Sweating because of the heat, sweating due to exercise, and sweating from stress are all slightly chemically different. • Sweat itself is a clear, odorless liquid made of water, salt, proteins, and oils. However, there are two different types of sweat glands. […]
The Pentagon
This week, Tidbits steps into the halls of the Pentagon, the headquarters of the U.S. Department of Defense. • The Pentagon, the world’s largest low-rise office building, houses 26,000 military and civilian employees who park in 16 different parking lots. There are 7,131 stairways, 19 escalators, and 70 elevators in the building’s 6.5 million sq. ft. It’s all about the number five – five sides, five floors above ground, five food courts, and five ring corridors per floor. There are 17.5 miles (28.2 km) of corridors and 7,754 windows. • In 1941, the DoD was known as the War […]
TIDBITS® Counts to the Number Five
by Kathy Wolfe This week, Tidbits counts to five to bring you the facts on this prime number. • What exactly is a prime number? It’s one that is only divisible by itself and the number one! • The Latin and Greek languages give us many words related to the number five. The Latin word for five, “quintus,” is the root for the word “quintet,” a group of five musicians. Quintuplets are a group of five babies, while in card games, a “quint” is a sequence of five cards in the same suit. The Greek word for five is “pente,” […]
The Nervous System – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – It’s all about communication. That’s the job of the body’s nervous system! This week, Tidbits communicates the following facts about the body’s billions of nerve cells. • As the body’s inner means of communication, the nerve cells take in information via the body’s sense of touch, taste, smell, sight, and sound. The brain then interprets these sensory signals, allowing a person’s body to interact with the surrounding environment and prepare for action. • The nervous system has two parts – the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The CNS includes the nerves in […]
The Worst Winter
• In the winter of 1886-87, western artist Charlie Russell was working for the O-H Ranch near Utica, Montana. When the ranch foreman needed to write to Helena to inform the owners of the ranch that all 5,000 head of the stock had died because of the harsh winter, Charlie painted a postcard depicting a starving cow beleaguered by coyotes. The drawing, entitled, “Last of the 5000” became one of his most famous paintings. • This terrible winter was responsible for ushering in the modern methods of cattle ranching. Previously, cattle had been left to wander on the Montana prairie, […]
TIDBITS® Admires Opals
by Janet Spencer It’s said that people in Ancient Greece thought opals were formed from the tears of joy shed by Zeus. In reality, opal is formed in subterranean crevices in rock due to the coming and going of silica-laden water over millions of years. Come along with Tidbits as we ogle opals! OPAL FACTS • The word “opal” dates back to around 250 BC, starting with the Sanskrit “upala” which became the Latin “opalus” meaning “precious stone” then morphed into the Greek “opalliois” meaning “changing color.” • Silicon is the second most common element in the crust of the […]
Pinky Finger – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – • It’s called the pinky, or the pinkie, or the little finger. It looks insignificant enough, but it carries a lot of power. Whereas the thumb works alongside the index finger and middle finger in precision work, the pinky works with the ring finger for sheer brute strength. The loss of the pinky means the loss of 50% of the gripping strength of the hand. Lose the ring finger as well, and you’ve lost 67% of the power of the hand. This is crucial for things like swinging a baseball bat, wielding an axe, using a […]