Strange but true - Oct. 1, 2009

• It was actor, senator and erstwhile presidential candidate Fred Thompson who made the following observation: “After two years in Washington, I often long for the realism and sincerity of Hollywood.”

• With an area of less than 1,000 square miles, the tiny Western European nation of Luxembourg is one of the smallest countries in the world, and it is the world’s only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy. Considering the country’s longstanding adherence to tradition, it is perhaps unsurprising that the national motto is “We want to remain what we are.”

• When you recycle an aluminum can, it’s possible for that can to be processed, reused and back on the shelf within 60 days.

• The skateboard was invented in California in the 1950s by surfers who wanted to continue their favorite activity even when they weren’t in the water.

• The decadence of France under Napoleon’s rule is legendary, and the luxury wasn’t reserved solely for people. It was not uncommon for pet dogs of the wealthy nobility to have their fur waxed and styled with hot rollers in imitation of Princess Eugenie, the wife of Napoleon III.

• Statistics show that more babies are born during the waning moon than during the waxing moon.

• Those who study such things say that the average office desk carries 400 times more bacteria than a toilet.

• When creating its cocoon, the silkworm spins a continuous thread more than a thousand yards long, or 12,000 times the length of its own body. To accomplish a comparable feat, a 6-foot-tall man would have to spin a thread that stretched unbroken for 15 miles.

• You may be surprised to learn that the onion is actually a lily, botanically speaking.

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Thought for the Day: “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” — Roald Dahl

(c) 2009 King Features Synd., Inc.