Americans spend about $2,000 per second on “legal” drugs.

Some of the fish near the Antarctic coast have a substance in them — a fish anti-freeze of sorts. The molecule is 300 times as effective as ethylene glycol, a main ingredient in car anti-freeze.

The Ford Museum has Thomas Edison’s last breath displayed in a test tube.

The term “sharp-shooter” did not originally refer to the skill of an accomplished gunman. The term was originally “Sharps-Shooter,” and referred to the Sharps Repeating Rifle used by an elite group of Union Civil War marksmen.

Thomas Edison was afraid of the dark.

The above is information which Mr. Smarty Pants read in a book, a magazine, or the newspaper; heard on the radio; saw on television; or overheard at a party. Got any facts? Leave a message for Mr. Smarty Pants, at 454-5766, ext. 226 for possible inclusion in the column. E-mail: mrpants@auschron.com

This article appears in September 19 • 1997 and September 19 • 1997 (Cover).

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