Page 68 - Other Facts

How many calories are there in a gallon of gas?

A calorie is the unit of energy it takes to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water, one degree Celcuis. The calories we see on food labels are actually kilocalories (1000 calories=1 kilocalorie). So a 200 calorie slice of cheesecake (if you can actually find one) is actually 200,000 calories. 

But calories don’t just plague our food, they can apply to anything containing energy. In fact, for the health conscious automobile, a gallon (4 litre) of gasoline contains about 31,000,000 calories (actual calories, not kilocalories). 

Additionally, if you’re a nail-chewer, know that each nail has about 500 calories. Also, ½ cup of willow tree contains 420 000 calories.

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What did the Irish call Mountain Dew? Keep reading!

The fresh, lemony taste of Mountain Dew is addictive...maybe that’s why Mountain Dew was originally Southern and/or Irish slang for moonshine! Moonshine (aka: hooch, white lightning, “Tennessee white whiskey”) is a 95% alcohol, generally home-made, whiskey. 

In fact, it was originally suggested that the soda be called Moonshine. In other Mountain Dew-related news:

• Mountain Dew lowers your life expectancy by a rate of 1 minute per can oPrior to 2008, there were people in North American with the middle name “Mountain Dew” 
• The 2007 Houston Texan football team drank nothing but Mountain Dew from their first day of training camp to their last. They finished 8-8 

Drink up some more facts in the source! 

Wikipedia banned the Church of Scientology from editing any articles!

Wikipedia is a website that prides itself on being open and an advocate of free speech, so what could the Church of Scientology have done that pissed them off so badly all users and IP addresses affiliated with Scientology are banned?

In a 10-1 ruling, the sites council voted for the decision after Scientology members have repeatedly altered the content of Wikipedia pages. A number of church members made multiple accounts to be able to edit the pages to what they wished them to say, resulting in a fierce battle between Wikipedia editors and Scientologists who hated what was being written. 

Eventually Wikipedia decided that the members were out of line because the material was based on credible sources. After being unable to cease the alterations, they felt forced to ban any change to the Church of Scientology Wikipedia page and disallowed many editors who had been making the changes from any edits at all! Wikipedia says it is only a temporary ban and that hopefully Scientology can play nice if they’re allowed to begin editing again. 

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A duel between three people is called a 'truel.'

There have been many famous duels throughout history, many of them by significant persons when it was considered an honorable thing to do. Andrew Jackson is infamous for his duels, particularly for always wining, and Alexander Hamilton died after being shot in one. 

But have you ever heard of a three-man duel? The procedure for a truel, if you ever find yourself in one, is simple. Players walk an appropriate distance away from each other and then turn to face. After that, it’s mostly common sense: shoot the other guys before they shoot you. The earliest known truel appears in A. P. Herbert’s play “Fat King Melon” in 1927, and while they’re not exactly common, several are reported to have occurred. 

In film the idea was used fairly often such as in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” and the movie “Resovoir Dogs,” in which the three main characters duel each other simultaneously and only one survives. It was not until 1967 that the name “truel,” was actually used. 

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The British Pound coins form the Royal Shield.

The British Pound has a very rich history. While it’s often called the British Pound or the Great Britain Pound, its official name is British Pound Sterling.

Sterling was the metal with which the old coins were made. The British Pound Sterling was introduced by English King Henry II to replace the silver penny which was made of 100% silver. Like the American penny, it cost more to make than it was actually worth. 

Also, the coins didn’t last too long. Sterling coins were much more durable and made more economic “sense.” The British Pound is the world’s oldest currency. 

In fact, it’s even older Great Britain (the unification of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern England). In 2008, the coins were redesigned so that together they form the Royal Shield. 

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