Fast Facts Space Capsule A few things that you may not know about the great beyond. ▶ Halley’s Comet won’t make its next orbit past Earth until 2061. ▶ The footprints on the moon will be there for 100 million years. ▶ One day on Venus is longer than one Earth year. ▶ There is floating water in space. ▶ The largest known asteroid is 600 miles wide. ▶ Mercury and Venus are the only planets with no moons. ▶ Saturn has 82 known moons. ▶ Uranus is tilted sideways when it orbits the sun. ▶ Earth’s moon is the fifth-largest moon in the solar system. ▶ There are more stars in the universe than all the grains of sand on Earth. ▶ The International Space Station is about as wide as a soccer field. ▶ Shooting stars are space debris that burn up when they enter Earth’s atmosphere. ▶ The glow around the moon is called a “broch.” Random Trivia ▶ A pregnant goldfish is called a twit. ▶ The first TV commercial didn’t air until 1940. ▶ A duck’s quack doesn’t echo, and nobody knows why. ▶ It’s physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky. ▶ Chihuahuas have the biggest brains in the canine world. ▶ Lightning can heat the air it passes through to 50,000 degrees. ▶ Most lipstick contains fish scales. ▶ The space between your eyebrows is called the “glabella.” ▶ Jellyfish can sting even when they are dead. ▶ Dogs can learn up to 165 words. ▶ Fleas can jump up to 100 times their body length. ▶ The avocado is a fruit, not a vegetable. ▶ The unicorn is the national animal of Scotland. ▶ A chef’s hat has 100 pleats. Answers to Outside the Box puzzles from page 48 1. Bermuda Triangle 2. Two wrongs do not make a right 3. In addition to 4. Over and out 5. Backbone 6. Keep out! “Winter is not a season, it’s a celebration.” Anamika Mishra Dim and Distant Past A look at what happened a century ago in 1923 ▶ Mount Etna erupted. ▶ Insulin was introduced for the treatment of diabetes. ▶ The very first issue of Time magazine was published. ▶ Women’s one-piece swimming suits started to be worn. ▶ Construction began on the Sydney Harbour bridge. ▶ The USSR was established. ▶ The Egyptian burial chamber of Tutankhamun was opened. ▶ Women wearing trousers was legalized in the U.S. ▶ The first aerial fueling took place. ▶ Interpol was formed. ▶ Roy and Walt Disney founded the Walt Disney Company. ▶ The first transatlantic radio broadcast took place. ▶ Transcontinental airmail service began. ▶ Firestone Tire and Rubber Company started producing inflatable tires. “People don’t notice whether it’s winter or summer when they’re happy.” Anton Chekhov Congratulations to the 2022 CSA Early Renewal Prize Winners! $250 Petro Canada Gift Card N. Jacques, Dauphin, MB A & R Gallo, Whitby, ON D & S David, Timmins, ON D & I Hudson, Emerald Park, SK S Wisniewski, Smothsville, ON 5-year Membership E & K Roos, Mulgrave-et-Derry, QC D &K Good, Milton, ON R & E Agnew, St. Mary, ON H & S Zarowny, Calgary, AB R & A Tucker, Severn, ON About Your Body ▶ Humans shed 40 pounds of skin over a lifetime. ▶ You are tallest when you first wake up. ▶ Fingernails grow faster than toenails. ▶ Your eyes blink about 20 times a minute. ▶ You produce about 40,000 litres of spit in your lifetime. ▶ Eighty per cent of the human brain is water. ▶ The human body contains enough fat to make seven bars of soap. ▶ The femur is the longest and strongest bone in your body. ▶ You can’t taste food without saliva. ▶ The average human body contains five litres of blood. ▶ The human heart beats more than three billion times in an average lifespan. ▶ Your left lung is 10 per cent smaller than your right one. ▶ Humans are the only species known to blush. 54 | www.snowbirds.org
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