Strange But True: March 12, 2020

* In the mood for a looong vacation? Consider the planet Uranus. Its summer lasts 21 Earth years.

* It takes 700 gallons of water to make a cotton shirt. To put that in perspective, the amount of water needed to make a T-shirt is enough for one person to stay hydrated for 900 days, while the amount necessary to create a pair of jeans is equivalent to hosing down your lawn for nine hours straight.

* The official color of the Golden Gate Bridge is "International Orange."

* Speaking of that delightful hue, Alexander the Great washed his hair in saffron to keep it shiny and orange.

* The world's least-common surnames include Sallow, Miracle and Relish, while extinct surnames include Bread, Spinster and Bythesea (By the sea).

* Your navel contains thousands of bacteria that form an ecosystem the size of an entire rainforest.

* Ever wondered about those ridges along the edges of some coins? They were the brainchild of Sir Isaac Newton, who while warden of the Royal Mint in 1696 used the reeded edges to help combat theft and counterfeiters.

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Thought for the Day: "I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better." -- Plutarch