Classmate Facts # 61 - The Many Wonders of the Universe!!

1. Ever seen water spin? Hurricanes, Tornadoes and bigger bodies of water always go clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. This is due to the rotation of the Earth.

2. Ever wondered how big the sun is? Well... only about 330,330 times larger than the earth.

3. The radius of the Earth at the North Pole is 44 mm longer than at the South Pole!

4. All the planets in the solar system are named after gods, except the one we live on, Earth! Did you know that there is zero gravity at the centre of the earth?

5. Ever experienced a Solar Eclipse? Be sure to wear something warm! During a total solar eclipse the temperature can drop by 6 degrees celcius.

6. On Uranus, summer lasts for 21 years. And so does Winter!

Classmate Facts # 60 - The times that were...

1. 105 A.D. - Paper as we know it is invented by a Chinese government servent named Ts'ai Lun. The first paper is made from hump waste, mulberry fibres, rags and other materials.

2. 850 A.D. - Toilet Paper is first used in China.

3. 71 A.D. - The construction of the Colosseum begins in Rome.

4. 43 A.D. - The first London bridge is built by the Romans. It is a temporary pontoon bridge!

5. 542 A.D. - The great plague of Europe. It would last until 593, killing half the population of Europe.

6. 440 A.D. - December 25th begins to be celebrated as the birthdate of Jesus Christ!

7. 748 A.D. - First printed newspaper appears in Peking, China.

Classmate Facts # 59 - Fun Facts!

1. 6 years is what it took Leo Tolstoy to write "War & Peace".

2. In Britain's House of Commons, the government and the opposition sides of the house are separated by two red lines. The distance between the lines is called two swords' lengths!

3. The new Boeing 767 aircraft is made from 3.1 million parts from 800 different suppliers around the world!

4. About 50 billion dollars worth of Monopoly money is printed by Parker Brothers in one year!

5. The wire in a standard paper clip is 1 millimeter in diameter!

6. All citizens officially becomes an year older on New Year's Day, regardless of their birthdays, in Bhutan!

Classmate Facts # 58 - Tiger Trivia

1. A Buddhist Temple in Western Thailand called the 'Tiger Temple' keeps numerous animals, including several tigers that can be petted by visitors!

2. Tigers can spend up to eighteen hours sleeping!

3. Tigers have eyes that are the brightest of any other animal in the world.

4. Tigers will occasionally eat vegetarian for dietary fiber!

5. The Tungusic people (people of Siberia and northern China who speak Tungusic Languages) often referred to the Siberian Tiger as "Grandfather" or "Old Man".

Classmate Facts # 57 - A Tiger's Trick?

1. Tigers have a white spot on the back of both ears, which look like eyes. These spots are called "eye spots" trick predators into thinking that the tiger is looking at them, even when it is not!

2. Pug marks can help to judge a tiger's gender and age - even its weight and mood!

3. In his autobiography 'Jahangir Nama' Mughal Emperor Jahangir mentioned that captive tigers roamed his palace grounds with chains!

4. Tigers can run with three legs in the air simultaneously!

5. The Bengal Tiger's roar can be heard from up to 3 km away.

Classmate Facts # 56 - Food, Glorious Food!

1. The first ice-cream soda was sold in 1874 in the US.

2. There are more than 10,000 varieties of tomatoes.

3. Did you know that an onion, apple and potato all have the same taste? The differences in flavour are caused by their smell!

4. China uses 45 billion chopsticks per year. 25 million trees are chopped down to make the sticks!

5. The Chinese first discovered tea. Actually it was a Chinese Emperor who first tasted the brew in 2737 B.C. when some tea leaves accidentally blew into a pot of boiling water.

Classmate Facts # 55 - Impressed?

1. An atomic clock is accurate to within 1 second in 1.7 million years.

2. Queen Elizabeth of Britain sent her first e-mail in 1976.

3. On every continent there is a city called Rome.

4. There are more TV sets in the US than there are people in the UK.

5. To make one kilo of honey, bees have to visit 4 million flowers, travelling a distance equal to 4 times around the earth.

6. Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing.

7. Neil Armstrong stepped on the moon with his left foot first.