The human brain is 2-3% of body weight yet consumes 25% of its calories when at rest.
Poinsettias are
native to Mexico and Central America.
According to John Kelly on Slate, the wishbone used to be called “the merrythought.” Its scientific name is “furcula,” from the Latin for “little fork.” “Merry” may be a wordplay on “marry.” In John Aubrey’s late-1600s folklore compilation, he likened it to the shape of a woman’s pudenda, in which case “wish” and “bone” take on quite a different connotation.
Mickey Rooney used to claim that Walt Disney
named Mickey Mouse after him. He said he met Disney when he was a little boy. When Mickey told him his name, Walt liked the ring it had, and the
rest is cartoon history.
In 1960, fewer than 4% of corpses were cremated –
in 2015, more than 45%.
This article appears in December 11 • 2015.