According to the TV show Jeopardy, legislative drafters in Zaire write laws in both English and Swahili.

Dr. William A. Cassidy of the University of Pittsburgh was asked by the National Transportation Safety Board to estimate the probability of a plane being hit by a meteorite. His conclusion: One such event happens every 59,000 to 77,000 years.

The movie Forbidden Planet was the first in which Earthmen piloted a flying saucer, rather than a rocket.

We probably wouldn’t have chewing gum if General Antonio de Santa Anna of Mexico hadn’t been exiled to Staten Island. In 1876, Santa Anna gave a sample of chicle to Thomas Adams, founder of Adams Sons and Company.

Stonewall Jackson liked to suck on lemons.

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 April 24 • 1998 and April 24 • 1998 (Cover).

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