A chimp on four legs can easily outrun a world-class human sprinter.
The English name “dandelion” is a corruption of the French name for that weed, “dent de lion” or “lion’s tooth,” from its coarsely toothed leaves.
In 1730, Benjamin Franklin acknowledged an illegitimate son named William.
Peking Man, believed to have lived as early as about 770,000 years ago, was able to thrive in glacial weather that would seem too cold for most of us today. The average yearly temperature at the time in that part of China was around the freezing mark.
The world’s oldest known tree, recently found in Sweden, is estimated to be 9,550 years old.
This article appears in March 20 • 2009.