Timbits2Toonies

Jean Talon counted noses today in 1666. The population of New France was 3 418. Denmark’s electrically-powered ferry, Ellen, carries 30 vehicles and 200 passengers. Sky fruit, the seed of the mahogany tree is edible. The courtesy title, Princess of Wales, was first bestowed in the 14th Century. My neighbour is obsessed with StatsCan. One day he may come to his census.  Worldwide, there are an estimated 10 000 distinct religions. 45% of the world’s goats are found in China, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  Today in 1883, the Calgary Herald hit newsstands for the first time. The digital camera was invented 46 years ago. Everyone has a photographic memory; many lack film.  Goats breed year round.  Hippocrates created the formal study of climatology in 400 BCE. The Canada-US Free Trade Agreement came into force, today in 1988. Sardonyx was traditionally worn to prevent pulmonary infections.  The politically correct term for ‘homeless’ is ‘resid

We can enjoy 24 more days of summer. Roundabouts reduce traffic fatalities by 90%. StatsCan reports that 42.3% of Millennials still live with their parents.  In Arizona, it is illegal to allow a donkey to sleep in a bathtub. My neighbour learned that most accidents happen less than a klick from home. He moved. Liquid soap made its first big splash in 1865. A NASA spacesuit costs US$12 million. 92% of Brazilian automobiles run on ethanol, sourced from sugar cane.  Today in 1611, Governor John Guy proclaimed Newfoundland's first laws.  To avoid parking tickets, remove the windshield wipers from your vehicle. 14 years ago today, Hurricane Katrina ripped into New Orleans, killing more than 1,700. Smiling creates antibodies that strengthen the immune system. Halleys Comet will orbit Earth in 2061. The name Cincinnatus means 'curly haired'.  We'd be completely safe if hurricanes were sold to the Argonauts; they'd never touch down. Half

The sense of smell increases in spring and summer. Today in 1907, the Québec Bridge collapsed into the St. Lawrence River; 65 were killed. A pair of Aspetto bulletproof boxer shorts costs USD$1,500. Arabic is the official language of 26 nations. My neighbour was shocked when the Ambassador Bridge collapsed. He can't get over it. Five short blasts from a ship's whistle means DANGER. The noble art of baking was introduced by ancient Romans in 300 BC. Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld coined the term 'transvestite' in 1910. Today in 1919, the PEI legislature lifted its 11-year ban on automobiles. A minimalist orchestra is similar to a regular orchestra, minus the bells and whistles. In the Canary Islands, folk communicate in the whistling language, Silbo Gomero. Winnie-the-Pooh has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Poutine gravy requires beef and chicken stock, as well as vinegar. On this date in 1991, the Communist Party was disbanded in Moscow. Scienti

Elmer the Safety Elephant is 72 years old. The complete nursery rhyme,  Jack and Jill has 15 stanzas. A female opossum has 13 nipples. Today in 1833, slavery was abolished throughout the British Empire. An elephant was ticketed for running through a stomp sign.  Table tennis became an Olympic sport in 1988. 13% of the world's oats are grown in Canada. Today in 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King gave his I Have a Dream speech to 200,000 people. Dr. Ruth was a sniper in the Israeli Army.  Horses can be trained to play stable tennis.  For every multiplication answer, there are two division equations.  The whooper swan is the National Bird of Finland. The Snickers chocolate bar was named after a horse. 43,500 educators are members of the Alberta Teachers' Association. My next-door neighbour's horse only comes out at midnight, it's a nightmare. No need to wait for Armageddon, Norwegians can go to Hell anytime. The letter 'V' is the on

Toronto means 'meeting place' in the Iroquois language. Paneer is cottage cheese.  Chromophobes struggle with the irrational fear of colours. Containing 55% sugar, the fig is the sweetest of all fruit. Meetings are where minutes are kept and hours lost. Oxygen was identified as an element in 1773.  The Sahara Desert blankets 31% of Africa. The name Marlene is a portmanteau of Maria and Magdelene. Anxious Canadians began popping Valium in 1963. Asthmatics suck at breathing. The term 'senior citizen' was coined in 1937. A Swedish Krona equals 14¢ Canadian. More than 3,300 islands dot the Mediterranean Sea. Winches and capstans are machines designed to pull ropes. My neighbour is so old that when he was born, the Dead Sea was just sick. Cats have no collarbones. Jews, Christians and Muslims share a belief in angels. Pink is a palliative colour.  8.2 million of us have dogs as pets. Spelling bees are smarter than talking cats. F

Santa arrives in 120 more sleeps. Australia produces three times more food than the nation needs. A group of foxes is called a 'leash'. The first edition of the Montréal Gazette  hit newsstands today in 1785. Steel wool comes from hydraulic rams. Hostess introduced us to ketchup chips nearly fifty years ago.  There are fewer than 21 000 lions in all of Africa. Air density weighs in at 1.29 kilos per square metre. The Allies liberated Paris from Nazi occupation, on this date in 1944. Shake and shake your ketchup bottle, none will come and then a lot'll. Breaking the First Commandment--in 1516--Martin Luther declared dowsing to be a sin. Margrethe II has sat on the Danish throne for 47 years. The Canadian Nazi Party dissolved in 1980. Poland, Bulgaria, Spain and the UK are the EU's primary peanut producers. Folk who haul peanuts to market fill their diesel tanks at Shell stations. The Christian rite of baptism is a sacrament or an

In the 6th Century BCE, Pythagoras was first to determine the world is spherical. Soft drink bottlers Canada Dry, Crush, Big8 and Clearly Canadian are domestically owned. Africa's second longest, the Congo River crosses the equator twice. Today in 1814, British troops burnt the White House. We promise not to do it again. Chemists who work in the soda pop industry are fizzysists.  99 years ago, Mazda incorporated as a maker of artificial cork; vehicles came in 1931. Obviously not Deepwater Baptists, honey bees communicate by dancing.  From Windsor to the Québec border, Ontario's Highway 401 stretches 817.9 kilometres. Hodophobes struggle with the irrational fear of travelling. God is gracious but it is presumptuous to dance in a canoe. The Widow Josephine is Peter Rabbit's mother.  People who discriminate against redheads practise gingerism. Loyola College joined Sir George Williams U. as Concordia U. in Montréal, today in 1974. Milk is used in th

Today in 1890, Moncton became a city. Three million Americans self-identify as Episcopalian. Maria Montessori created her first school 112 years ago. Pinto is the Spanish word for 'painted'.  If a stranger offers you magic beans, just say, 'No'. Le Groupe Bel employs 12,700 people in 30 countries. Tradition dictates that Tahitian weddings take place on the beach. 15 is the sum of the first five consecutive whole numbers 1,2,3,4 and 5. Today in 1797, Emmanuel Allen was the last slave auctioned in Canada.   My neighbour cut himself on a piece of cheese; it was a sharp Cheddar. Alba, Continental, Mexican and Hamburg are the four grades of cinnamon.  Windsor, Ontario's Peace Fountain is the only international floating fountain in the world. Melatonin was discovered in 1958. The trumpet has the highest register in the brass family of musical instruments.  The most dangerous food in the world is wedding cake. The BBC used the opening of Be

There is a noodle museum in Yokohama.  The Gut of Canso is 20 kilometres long. Dibs and first dibs entered the lexicon in 1907. The average person manages 90 accounts that require passwords. Our Vietnamese café sells herbed potatoes in soup: Thyme fries when you're having phõ. Sputnik Radio broadcasts in 30 languages. One to ten is the ratio of physicians to patients in Lebanon. Bighorn sheep like to swim. It takes 780 000 tonnes of Albertan sugar beets to make 100 000 tonnes of refined sugar. Violent, militant right-wing, extremist sheep have vowed to wool the world.  StatsCan says that every 20 minutes a senior dies as the result of a fall.  Researchers have proven that monosodium glutamate does not trigger headaches. The hymn,  Drop Kick Me Jesus Through the Goalposts of Life  was published in 1974. Stress is a type of psychological pain.  Old Hamilton Ti-Cats never die; they just pass away.  Created by the Czechs in 1835, t