Strange But True: Shrimp Organs
By Lucie Winborne
Remember the stunning green Versace gown worn by Jennifer Lopez at the 2000 Grammy Awards ceremony? Not only was it a sartorial feat of engineering, it inspired the creation of Google Images: The search engine added that function because so many people were looking for pictures of the outfit.
The beloved Sesame Street characters Bert and Ernie were named for a police officer and taxi driver in Frank Capra's holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life."
Biologists named a species of ants unique to New York City "ManhattAnts."
Due to a shrimp's open circulatory system, it has no arteries, and its organs just float around in its blood.
Spain's national anthem, the "Marcha Real" ("Royal March"), is one of only four such anthems in the world (along with those of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, and San Marino) to have no official lyrics.
British military tanks are equipped to make tea.
The longest walking distance in the world, from Magadan in Russia to Cape Town, South Africa, is 14,000 miles. Be sure to take plenty of extra shoes!
On the other hand, if you're more in line for a much quicker journey, hop on the world's shortest commercial flight, from Westray Island to Papa Westray Island in Scotland -it'll take all of 90 seconds.
IKEA rugs were used for the Night's Watch cloaks in Game of Thrones.
Abraham Lincoln remains the only U.S. president ever to have held a patent. While his invention was registered as a device for "buoying vessels over shoals" in 1849, it was never actually used on boats or made commercially available.
Hellmann's, anyone? In some countries, mayonnaise is a popular pizza topping.
Thought for the Day: "Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind." -Theodore Roosevelt
(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.