Strange But True: April 18, 2019

* It was one of the most influential directors in the history of cinema, Alfred Hitchcock — also known as the “Master of Suspense” -– who made the following sage observation: “The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder.”

* In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, it is illegal to keep indoor furniture outdoors.

* The town of Llanfair in Wales is also known by its Welsh name, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantsiliogogogoch. Roughly translated, this means, “Saint Mary’s Church in a hollow of white hazel, close to a whirlpool and Saint Tysilo’s Church and near a red cave.” The sign at the railway station that has the town’s name is 20 feet long.

* Those who study such things say that cockroaches can run as fast as 3 mph.

* You probably don’t realize it — and you certainly don’t notice it -– but experts claim that the Atlantic Ocean is getting about 1 centimeter bigger every year, and the Pacific Ocean is shrinking by the same amount. It’s due to continental drift, they say.

* Linguists say that American English has roughly 20 swear words (depending, of course, on how one defines swearing). In contrast, residents of ancient Rome had a lexicon of about 800 so-called “dirty” words to draw upon.

* The tuatara is a lizard that can be found in New Zealand. Its claim to fame? It has a third eye, located on the top of its head.

* If you counted up all the McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Donuts, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Domino’s Pizza, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Wendy’s and Taco Bell locations in the United States and added them together, you still wouldn’t reach the number of pharmacy locations across the country.

Thought for the Day

“I am free of all prejudices. I hate everyone equally.”

--W.C. Fields

(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.