The Extraordinary Book of Useless Information

BOOK: The Extraordinary Book of Useless Information
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A PERIGEE BOOK

Published by the Penguin Group

Penguin Group (USA)

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group, visit penguin.com.

Copyright © 2013 by Don Voorhees

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

PERIGEE is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA).

The “P” design is a trademark belonging to Penguin Group (USA).

eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-62139-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Voorhees, Don.

The extraordinary book of useless information : the most fascinating facts that don't really matter / Don Voorhees. — First edition.

pages cm

ISBN 978-0-399-16517-7

1. Questions and answers. I. Title.

AG195.V645 2013

031.02—dc23 2013017463

First edition: September 2013

While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers, Internet addresses, and other contact information at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication. Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

Most Perigee books are available at special quantity discounts for bulk purchases for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. Special books, or book excerpts, can also be created to fit specific needs. For details, write: [email protected].

Contents

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

 

Mascot Musings

Body Shop

It's Not Rocket Science

Sports Page

Wild Things

Star Power

USA Today

The West Wing

What in the World?

Way Back When

Not Necessarily the News

Wordsmith

 

Acknowledgments

About the Author

To all my loyal readers who enjoy useless information as much as I do. Enjoy!

Mascot Musings

There are 1.8 million squirrel hunters in the United States.

Squirrels will dig up crack cocaine buried by drug dealers/addicts, eat it, and become quite aggressive.

Sugar Bush Squirrel is an eastern gray squirrel that was rescued by one Kelly Foxton and now is featured on its own website (sugarbushsquirrel.com) appearing in photos wearing one of three thousand custom-made little outfits and posed with various props.

Female red squirrels will mate with up to fourteen different males a day when in heat.

In 2012, a bright purple squirrel was captured in Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania. Scientists were unable to explain its bizarre coloring.

Marmots, which are really large ground-dwelling squirrels, now leave hibernation earlier in the Rocky Mountains and are getting fatter, due to global warming.

Twice in one week, a flying squirrel invaded the emergency room at Robert Wood Johnson University Medical Center in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Paleontologists have discovered the fossilized remains of a 100-million-year-old saber-toothed squirrel in Argentina.

Squirrels in California have been found that carry the plague.

Just in time for Christmas, one enterprising company is now selling freeze-dried squirrel's feet earrings.

BOOK: The Extraordinary Book of Useless Information
13.64Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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