Strange But True: Vegetarian Spider

By Lucie Winborne

• All the paint on the Eiffel Tower weighs the same as 10 elephants.

• The actual grave of Mumtaz Mahal, for whom the elaborate crypt known as the Taj Mahal was built, is the only undecorated part of the famous structure, due to a Muslim law dictating that graves cannot be adorned, as this is seen as an act of vanity.

• One ingredient in Ranch salad dressing is titanium dioxide, which is used to make it look whiter. It's also the same ingredient that's used in sunscreen and paint for coloring.

• George Washington celebrated July Fourth by giving his soldiers a double ration of rum.

• The Bagheera kiplingi spider, discovered in the 1800s, is the only species of spider that has been classified as vegetarian.

• William Moulton Marston, who created the superheroine Wonder Woman, also designed the first lie detector.

• The full name of the famous Chuck E. Cheese mouse is Charles Entertainment Cheese.

• After the release of the 1996 film "Scream," which involved an anonymous killer calling and murdering his victims, caller ID usage tripled in the United States.

• The longest-ever cricket test match, between England and South Africa, lasted more than 12 days and finally came to a conclusion because the English team would have missed their boat home.

• There's very little evidence the TSA has ever stopped a terrorist or found a real bomb. When tested, they failed to find fake weapons and bombs 95% of the time.

• The island of Madagascar got its name when Marco Polo misspelled it.

• During the Second World War, German tank drivers would drive their vehicles over camel droppings, thinking it would bring good luck.

Thought for the Day: "In the long run, the sharpest weapon of all is a kind and gentle spirit." -- Anne Frank

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.