Timbits2Toonies

Today in 1977, Vietnam was admitted into the UN. More than a hundred medicines are derived from cattle. The most common surname in this country is Li. Zucchini is the only fruit that starts with the letter 'Z'. Newborn baby beavers can swim 24 hours after birth. Once a sunflower's seeds are removed, the head makes an excellent scouring pad. Ford, Toyota, Honda and Chev are the Top Four best selling vehicles in Canada. The atmosphere is 80% nitrogen.  Eight people a second join Facebook. Robert Goddard invented liquid rocket fuel in 1926. Cinnamon is high in fibre and calcium. Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia get half of their electricity from coal plants. Brides originally carried bouquets of flowers to mask body odours.  Sold in 29 languages, we have played Scrabble for 81 years. Humans are the only mammals that have chins. Québec law has forbidden women to take their husbands' last name since 1981. Food for Thought:   Keep...

Facebook turns 15 today--it generates $55 billion and employs 30,000+ worldwide. Modern steamrollers are powered by diesel fuel.   $16,000 is the maximum one can claim in PEI’s Small Claims Court. The Hindu caste system divided people into five categories.  Folks are predicting the end of the world like there is no tomorrow.  The continent’s oldest lighthouse is on Sambro Island in Halifax Harbour, in operation for 261 years. Finns drink the most coffee in the world.  This is Independence Day in Sri Lanka. Marriott International is the world’s fourth-largest with 6,717 hotels and 1.2 million rooms. ’Tis a brave man who wears the kilt in February.  On this date in 2013, the penny was withdrawn from circulation. The Canadian Coast Guard operates 119 vessels and 22 helicopters. Giaourtiophobes struggle with an irrational fear of yogourt.   Rakotomalala is the most common surname in Madagascar.  Find a penny, p...

Today in AD 1512, a Doctorate in Theology was conferred upon Martin Luther. The Little Engine that Could has been chugging along since 1930. 1.47 billion people visit Facebook every day.  Germany withdrew its membership from the League of Nations today in 1933. It is a little known fact that bagpipers walk while they play to get away from the noise.  The sunflower is the symbol of loyalty.  The people spoke; today in 2015 the Grits trounced the Tories in the federal election.  German Shepherds first appeared as a breed in 1899. 4.2% of Queensland’s population is Aboriginal.  My neighbour speaks Esperanto like a native.  The first vending machine dispensed holy water in first-century Roman Egypt. In days of yore, sailors believed that having a black cat on board the ship brought good luck.  Saint Agatha is the patron saint of nurses.  Fiat began building tractors in 1919 and is second in world producti...

Today in AD 1582, Pope Gregory XIII launched the Gregorian Calendar. The next day was 15 October. In the 1800s, asbestos was used in making yarn. Though neutral, Sweden’s standing army numbered a million during World War Two.   The average bill from an exterminator, to rid a three-bedroom home of mice, is $225. Should your mind wander, make sure it comes back.  Istanbul boasts 3,113 mosques. More than a billion people have active Facebook accounts. The USSR launched Sputnik , the first satellite, on this date in 1957. A roll of toonies amounts to $50.  When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember the Fire Department usually uses water. Hickory, dickory dock, the mouse has run up the clock since 1744. A baseball bat consists of five parts. Today in 1922, the Canadian National Railways was made a Crown corporation. The name Gregory comes from Greek and means ‘watchful’. Headline: Stationary store moves.   Britai...

On this date in 1850, California was admitted to the Union as the 31st of the United States. The biggest diamond producers are: Botswana; Russia and Canada. As much as 20% of all hydro outages in the USA are caused by squirrels. While researching a cure for AIDS, scientists at the Mayo Clinic accidentally created glow-in-the-dark cats. Owners who do not spay or neuter their cats may be charged with kitty littering. Brontophobes suffer from the irrational fear of thunder. 3% of the ice in Antarctic glaciers is penguin urine. A horse has 205 bones. New Zealand’s Prime Minister appoints an Official Wizard. Cats keep law and order through claw enforcement.  Facebook was launched in 2004. Bricks turn grey in colour when fired at a temperature of 1 300°C. Time for a picnic! Today is National Teddy Bear Day. Prince Hans-Adam of Leichtenstein is Europe’s wealthiest reigning monarch. Polar bears that migrate to Florida quickly become solar b...