Strange But True: Cherry farm helicopters

By Lucie Winborne

  • Venus rotates so slowly that a single day on the planet lasts longer than a year.

  • While over 50 million Americans have signed up with a local gym, according to one study of 2,000 such members, 50% admitted they didn't even exercise when they got there but instead preferred to spend their time hanging out with friends or checking out the opposite sex.

  • Cherry farmers hire helicopter pilots to air-dry their trees after it rains so the fruit won't split open.

  • Toe wrestling has been a sport in several countries since the '70s, with men's and women's divisions and even a World Championship. Players attempt to pin and hold down their opponent's bare toes for three seconds. Best two out of three rounds wins!

  • Speaking of feet, the overwhelming fear of those appendages is called podophobia.

  • Cartoon canine Scooby Doo's excessive use of the letter "R" is the result of a speech disorder known as rhotacization.

  • The first public phone call on an Apple iPhone was a prank. On a San Francisco stage, Steve Jobs opened Google Maps, located a nearby Starbucks, and placed an order for 4,000 lattes, then told the surprised barista he was just joking and hung up.

  • Classical composer Franz Schubert was nicknamed "Little Mushroom" for his short stature and wide girth.

  • New York has been destroyed in more movies than any other city.

  • A dating app called Hater that began as a joke in 2016 matched potential couples according to their dislikes. While it launched to respectable success, it only lasted a couple of years. Perhaps it was the name?

  • Statistically, the most dangerous job one can hold in America is president.

***

Thought for the Day: "Sometimes the road less traveled is less traveled for a reason." -- Jerry Seinfeld

(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.

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