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

Contrary to popular belief Wagon Wheel biscuits aren't smaller than they used to be.

They are in relation to my hand!
When I was a nipper I needed two hands to hold one, now I could easily fit one on the palm of one hand. Either they've shrunk or my hands have grown...

If we went for contemporary dinosaur names, the longest one would probably have been
'raaawwwrrrrtaaarrrcgghhhhgrrgrgrrrrgrrrrraaaawwwrrrrrgurgle'.

Would that be the South-West Pangaeian Grrgrgrrrrgrrrrraaaawwwrrrrrgurgles? Good old family, lots of teeth.

An estimated 92 nuclear bombs have been "lost at sea".

Just learned this on Twitter:

Because the platypus both lays eggs and produces milk, it is one of the few animals that can make its own custard.

Nearly 14 billion cigarettes have been smoked so far today.

(more gems updated live at http://www.worldometers.info/)

In the entire film, Thank You For Smoking, no one is seen smoking.

A lethal dose of water is 17 litres consumed very quickly.

Or much less if you're witch of the wicked variety.

Water? That´s the stuff fornicate in!

Yes, the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide are well documented: http://www.dhmo.org/

"Water? That´s the stuff fornicate in!"

ZOMG! Air is the stuff mammals fornicate in!

>Air is the stuff mammals fornicate in!<
A man´s gotta do what a man´s gotta do.

Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

Turkeys get their name because folks in England in the 16th century thought they came from Turkey, the country. Turkeys are indigenous to North America. They made their way to Europe via explorers who brought them to merchants in the Eastern Mediterranean. These "Turkey merchants" brought them to England. Oddly enough, in Turkey they're called "hindi" as they thought they came from India.

The Eiffel Tower shrinks six inches in winter.

I thought they used centimetres in France?

"Time" is the most used noun in the English language. (OED)