h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

That's only useful for the minority who'll ever run a marathon. We can let it pass as useless.

The Sharp company who make electrical do-dahs are so named because of a mechanical pencil invented by their founder. It was known as the "Ever-ready Sharp Pencil".

I hate mechanical pencils.

I was about to post that Little Red Riding Hood's "real" name was Blanchette, but some research dissuaded me. Apparently this factoid refers to a story by Charles Marelles -The True History of Little Golden-Hood. Since it begins with the line, "You know the tale of poor Little Red Riding-Hood..." it obviously post dates the classic children's tale.


So, Little Red Riding Hood's "real" name may or may not be Blanchette, the Little Golden-Hood.

Not much of a useless fact that way, is it?

According to my calendar, Ethiopia's emperor (1889-1913) Menelik II's throne was an electric chair he had shipped over from the U.S.

Apparently, he had three shipped over to use as they were originally designed, but when they arrived he learned that they wouldn't work as Ethiopia did not have a functioning electrical power system at the time.

Edward I, "The Hammer of the Scots" was buried by his own instruction in a lead casket as opposed to the more traditional gold one. Only when the Scots were conquered was he to be transferred to the solid gold casket befitting a King.

He's still in the lead one

the battles of dunbar and worcester not taught in scottish schools then?

Elvis owned $60,000 worth of prescription glasses at the time of his death.

Mine are broken.

Michael Sangster, who played in the 1960's, had tennis' fastest serve, clocked at 154 mph.

Ines Ramírez Pérez is the only woman known to have performed a C-Section on herself and survived.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In%C3%A9s_Ram%C3%ADrez

WOW

Maxwell Smart, Agent 86 of CONTROL, drove a red 1965 Sunbeam Tiger (for the first 4 seasons), license plate No. D6-893.

A very nice car... however, in the pilot episode (rarely seen before DVD) he drove Ferrari 250 GT Cabriolet.

So that new Get Smart movie is also a remake? Do they have no original ideas these days?

Livorno in Italy used to be called Leghorn (by the British of course).

Did Foggia used to be called Foghorn then?

"Now pay a-, I say pay attention, boy. And look at me while I'm talkin to you."

And La Coruna in Spain was aka the Groyne.

There is a place in Denmark called Lol Land

John Waters Polyester was released in "ODORAMA".

The "Scents" on the Odorama scratch 'n' sniff card were:
1. Roses
2. Flatulence
3. Model Airplane Glue
4. Pizza
5. Gasoline
6. Skunk
7. Natural Gas
8. New Car Smell
9. Dirty Shoes
10. Air Freshener

Allegedly, "myriad" actually means "10,000".