The foot is 12 inches long because the arm of King Henry I of England measured 36 inches, and he decreed the standard foot should be 1/3 of that measurement.

The first cook book was written by the Greeks in 400 B.C.

The flying gurnard, a fish, swims in water, walks on land, and flies through the air.

Dutch engineers have developed a computerized machine that allows a cow to milk itself. Each cow in the herd has a computer chip in its collar. If the computer senses the cow has not been milked in a given period of time, the milk-laden animal is allowed to enter the stall. The robot sensors locate the teats, apply the vacuum devices, and the cow is milked. The machine costs a mere $250,000 and is said to boost milk production by 15%.

The chance of contracting an infection during a hospital stay in the USA is 1 in 15.

The customs house in Mexico City, now the federal treasury, was started in 1730. Work was halted immediately when the builders estimated it would require ten years to complete the project. A beautiful Mexican girl, Sara de Acuna, promised to marry Juan Guitierrez if he would finish the building in six months. He accomplished the task just three days short of the deadline.