Usefully Useless Trivia

I don’t think we’ve had any of these before and I thought some of you might find them interesting…

Q: Is caffeine illegal anywhere?

A: Caffeine is illegal in at least one country. Burma’s ruling junta has declared caffeine a narcotic. Last Wednesday’s announcement — in the English language New Light of Myanmar newspaper — did not say whether coffee drinkers would be prosecuted under the law or what penalties they’d face. Under Burmese law, the possession of narcotics carries tough penalties — including death.

Q: How old is the game of marbles?

A: A child’s Egyptian tomb from 3000 BC contained the knucklebones of sheep and dogs. Scholars believe the bones were used to play a game similar to the modern game of marbles.

Q: What happens when a body part “falls asleep”?

A: Most people think that when their hand or foot or arm or leg “falls asleep” it’s because circulation has been cut off and no blood is getting to the limb. In fact, the sensation, called neurapraxia, results from the pinching of a nerve between a bone and another hard object. If you leave your limb in a certain position for too long, you’ll find it becomes numb, then tingles painfully when it is “waking up.”

Q: What is the “funny bone”?

A: The “funny bone” is actually the ulnar nerve and not a bone at all. When this particular nerve is hit, the person suffers tingling and sharp pain in the fingers, which can last for an agonizing few minutes. Why do we call it the funny bone? The name comes from the bone that runs from the shoulder to the elbow– the humerus.

Q: What exactly is a hiccup?

A: Hiccups are muscle spasms in the throat and diaphragm. The sound they make is caused by rapid closure of the vocal cords. It is generally believed that these abrupt diaphragmatic contractions do not serve any useful purpose. Hiccups often start for no apparent reason and they usually disappear after a few minutes. Rarely, hiccups can persist for days, weeks, or months.

Q: Why are flamingos pink?

A: Flamingos are pink thanks to their diet, which is high in carotene, a natural food color found in carrots. The birds don’t dine on carrots. They get their carotene from mollusks, crustaceans, and certain kinds of algae. Flamingo babies are born covered with white down, which turns gray at approximately three weeks. The pinkish coloration takes one or two years to develop. The intensity of the pink also varies according to species. Some flamingo species are so light that they appear almost white

Q: What makes a Mexican jumping bean jump?

A: The Mexican jumping bean, the seed of a Mexican shrub, is famous for its quick jumping movements. What causes them? Caterpillars. Butterflies of the species laspey resia saltitans deposit their eggs in the shrub’s flower and after the eggs hatch, the caterpillars burrow into the young seeds of the shrub. Apparently, the seed jumps when the caterpillar grasps the web it has built inside the seed and jerks its body vigorously. This scares away birds and other animals that might attempt to eat the seeds. Jumping beans remain active for several months.

Q: Where did the expression “son of a gun” originate?

A: “Son of a gun” has its origins with sailors. When a ship was in port for an extended period of time, wives and other women were permitted to live on board with the ship’s crew. Occasionally, children would be born on board and a convenient place for the birth to happen was between guns on the gun deck. If the child’s father was unknown, the child was entered in the ship’s log as “son of a gun.”

Q: How can it be “too cold to snow”?

A: On those REALLY icy days, you might hear somebody say that it’s “too cold to snow.” And it can be. In order to snow, the atmosphere must contain moisture. VERY cold air (about -10 degrees Fahrenheit or -20 degrees Celsius) tends to contain little moisture, making snowfall extremely unlikely.

Q: Is there a difference between freezing rain and sleet?

A: Technically, there IS a difference. Freezing rain is rain that freezes when it hits the ground, creating a dangerous coating of ice on road surfaces and sidewalks. It occurs when temperatures above the ground are warm enough for rain to form, but surface temperatures are below 32 degrees Fahrenheit (below freezing). Sleet is rain that turns to ice pellets BEFORE hitting the ground. Sleet usually bounces when it hits a surface and does not stick to objects. However, it can accumulate like snow. Practically speaking, of course, there is no difference. Both cause roads and walkways to be slippery and hazardous.

Q: Do astronauts shrink in space?

A: Well, sort of. When astronauts remain weightless in space for prolonged periods, their bones lose a measurable amount of weight and thickness. So weightlessness actually causes them to shrink.

Updated: September 18, 2002 — 4:50 am