Timbits2Toonies

Russian dressing first appeared in 1900. Today in 1972, the National Assembly made French the official language in Québec. The average hummingbird has 1 000 feathers.  Red blood cells circulate throughout the body for 120 days. Chickens can wing it.  Lord Krishna was a cowherd. Because it is rich in carbon,  scientists can turn peanut butter into diamonds. Nunavut's official floral emblem is the purple saxifrage. Mona  Lisa has her own mailbox at the Louvre; she receives thousands of love letters.  Peanuts in outer space are called astronuts. Greenpeace has 2.8 million members around the globe. Fireflies are soft-bodied beetles. Norwegians can return a library book to any branch in the country.  The dollar dropped to 66.10¢ against the US dollar--today in 1998--an historic low.  The economy is so bad, the PM's chef cooks with Filet Mignon Helper. Icebergs give off heat. Aztecs paid their taxes with cocoa.  Today in 1987, a tornado ripped th

Porsche built tanks for the Wermacht during World War Two.  Today in 1967, Toronto's Caribbean community celebrated the first Caribana. The A830 Airbus can seat 853 passengers.  Revolts take place to overthrow oppressors; the rebellious want concessions from overlords.   Cross an airplane with a psychic--the result is a flying sorcerer.  New Brunswick boasts four artisanal cheesemakers.  The word stucco  means plaster in Italian. Only male crickets can chirp.  On this date in 1930, Uruguay won the first FIFA World Cup. A cannibal's favourite cheese is limb-burger. Today in 1975, Petro-Canada was created by an act of Parliament. Shakespeare penned, 'Brevity is the soul of wit'.  A group of foxes is called an 'earth'.  Louis Comfort Tiffany began to produce stained glass windows in 1878. My neighbour would go to the four corners of Earth to prove the world is not flat. The RMS Queen Mary sailed across the Atlantic 1 001 times b

The dried seeds of the cilantro plant is coriander. Today in 1981, Prince Charles wed Lady Diana Spencer. Sun bears do not hibernate. We have 14 oil refineries. Atlantic Canada and Québec have the largest capacities. Marriage is the only war where one sleeps with the enemy.  The word 'Arctic' comes from Greek, meaning 'near the bear'.  Saint Vitus is the patron saint of dancers and epileptics. Today in 1836, l'Arc de Triomphe was dedicated in Paris. The violin's bow is wound with horsehair.  Marriage is like playing the violin--it looks easy until you try it. The domestic hog industry is worth $3.9 billion. Frankenstein's monster is vegetarian, eating only acorns and berries. The Salt Lake Temple is designed in the Neo-Gothic style. 30 countries have nuclear power reactors.  Scientists crossed a pig with a centipede and got bacon and legs. VIA Rail employs 3,207 staff.  175 mls of wheat germ packs 15.1% of protein.  Bir

This is Liberation Day for 33,344 citizens in the Most Serene Republic of San Marino. Worldwide, there are as many as 60 million philatelists.  The name Cameron is Gaelic, meaning 'crooked nose'.  Québec is nearly 50% larger than Ontario. The postal worker stamped her feet as often as they would letter.  Turks and Columbians share the longest work week, at 47.9 hours. When canning at home, boiling the jars for three minutes at 121°C kills botulism. Dragons are mentioned in the Old Testament 21 times.  As a colony of Britain, today in 1914, Canada was plunged into war.  Dragons always win because the scales are tipped in their favour.  Aerial, layout, pike and tuck are the four types of gymnastic flips.  The Taj Mahal is built entirely of marble.  Our penmanship changes every five years. Today in 1755, deportation of 11,500+ Acadians who refused to recognize the Crown, began.  My neighbour qualified for the bad penmanship competit

Iceland's coat of arms features a dragon.  Anteaters have no teeth.  Today in 1758, General Amherst captured Fortress Louisbourg, after a seven-week siege. In 2017, a total of 54 murders were committed in Denmark. When ants reach a hundred years in age, they become antiques.  Oil is the agent of cohesion in cookies. Professional singers rarely snore. The Canadian Revenue Agency  has five tax brackets. Spoken by two million people and observed worldwide, this is Esperanto Day. My neighbour speaks Esperanto like a native. The Grand Bazaar in Istanbul boasts more than 4,000 vendors. Ants will feast on fleas. In order, golf, hockey and swimming are the most popular sports in this country.  France annexed Tahiti on this date in 1891. The customer is always ripe. Michelin began to award restaurant stars in 1926. Waterbeds account for less than 5% of new bed sales.  It's easier to work with, when you stash Saran Wrap in the fridge. The population

Today in 1990, Lucien Bouchard founded the Bloc Québecois.  Rubber gumboots were invented 167 years ago. The Babylonian calendar had 364 days.  The first name Carl is Germanic in origin, it means 'strong man'. Always buy good shoes and a good bed--if you're not in one, you'll be in the other. The art of making Neapolitan pizza is a designated UNESCO intangible cultural asset.  Hebrew and Arabic are spoken in the third person, singular, masculine, past perfect tense. Steam is invisible. The visible mist is the water vapourizing as the droplets condense. Today in 1991, Jack Layton, Leader of the Opposition, left Parliament to deal with cancer.  My neighbour burnt a Hawaiian pizza. Next time he'll use aloha temperature. Half the world's raisins come from California. Fake fur first hit the fashion runways in 1929. Part III of the Criminal Code defines switchblades as prohibited weapons. In Scottish law, the name Fitz is added to a child&#

Plastic bags derive their strength from elasticity.  The CCF voted to change its name to the New Democratic Party, today in 1958. Fencing is one of only four sports to be in the Olympics since the 1896 restart. In India, the colour blue is reserved for mourning.  The Trudeau government will ban plastic--it's the last straw. The human ear contains the smallest muscles in the body.  Today in 1967, de Gaulle shouted, "Vive le Québec libre!" to 100,000, fanning separatism.   Stone masons make the best money in all of the construction trades. India had two time zones until 1955. Weightlifting vegetables are called muscle sprouts.  Denmark and New Zealand rank first and second as the least corrupt nations on the planet. 85% of teens struggle with acne.  Not Helvetic, Swiss steak takes its name from the butcher's term of 'swissing' or tenderizing. This is Simón Bolivar Day in Venezuela, Ecuador, Columbia and Bolivia. If all corrupt people

Vegans make faux escargot with avocados and silken tofu.  In the event of nuclear war, Switzerland has bunkers for all 8.42 million citizens. The bright orange colour of wood fires indicates the presence of sodium.  Today in 1974, the Bank of Canada hiked the lending rate to 9.25%%. Snails communicate by shell phone.  Made in 71 countries, YKK zippers come on 9,500 colours and 20 shades of black. Belgian endive, radicchio and sugarloaf are the three kinds of chicory.  This is Renaissance Day in Oman.  It costs 17¢ for the Bank of Canada to print a polymer banknote in the current Frontier series. My neighbour boycotts companies that sell things he can't afford.  While we make choices, we do not get to choose the resulting consequences. StatsCan has counted 49,431 farms in Alberta. Excessive talking can be a symptom of logorrhœa. Today in 1967, the Detroit Riots began. 43 died, 343 injured and 1,400+ buildings burnt. Sleeping male cattle are called bulldoz

215 pairs of blue jeans can be made from a single bale of cotton.  The nation's 10th Prime Minister, William Lyon Mackenzie King died on this date, in 1950. Carrots are more nutritious cooked than when eaten raw. Hand sanitizer first went on the market twelve years ago. Fashionistas are totally clothes minded.  The Communist Party fielded 28 candidates in the 2015 federal election.  A group of ferrets is called a 'business'.  Today in 1629 the first black person arrived in Québec. Olivier was a six-year old slave. The air we breathe is 21% oxygen.  A communist is a socialist without a sense of humour. In summertime, Hudson Bay is home to more than 50,000 beluga whales. Lactose is the naturally occurring sugar found in dairy products. Blue flags were hoisted when a ship's captain died and the crew mourned. That is why we call it 'the blues'.  Never cry over spilt milk, just find another cow. Beethoven took music lessons from Moz

The Jeep was designed in 1940, to replace the US Army's aging fleet of Model T Fords. Last year 6,609 people were detained while waiting for Canadian immigration papers. Aloe vera is also known as 'the lily of the desert'. After eight years of war, France signed a peace deal and agreed to leave Vietnam. Cheapskate: Someone with short arms and long pockets. The highest grades of Moroccan leather are goatskin.  24% of us have gone camping within the past twelve months.  Water divination was the first use of the directional compass. Today in 1667, Acadia returned to France and St. Christopher's Island, WI to England. Found an old Land Rover while camping. It was a nice Discovery.  An Intex Challenger K2 kayak costs $149.32 at Canadian Tire. Médicins sans Frontières /Doctors without Borders, was founded 48 years ago. The recommended thickness for ceiling plaster is eight millimetres. The nation's third TV Network, Global, went on the air today