Trivia Corner…

Did you Know???

 The irrational fear of Friday the 13th (March 13, 2009 is on a

Friday) is called paraskavedekatriaphobia and

friggatriskaidekaphobia. Triskaidekaphobia is the irrational fear
of objects, people, and events associated with the number 13.
 Eight hours in a smoky bar breathing second-hand smoke is the

equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes.

 The energy consumption of the brain is equal to that of a 20 W
light bulb.
 The human brain uses 15-20% of the body's oxygen
 The loss of 1 to 1.5 hours of nighttime sleep can reduce
daytime alertness by one-third.
 About 25% of the human brain is involved with vision.
 Every 70 seconds, someone develops Alzheimer's disease

 Oxygen is the most common chemical element (by weight) in

the human body.
 A 20 oz. cup (a "Venti" size) of Starbucks brewed coffee has

415 mg of caffeine, a central nervous system stimulant. A

single espresso shot of Starbucks coffee has 75 mg of caffeine.
A maximum strength "NoDoz" pill contains 200 mg of caffeine.
 The "Intellect Tree" is a plant (scientific name, Celastrus

paniculatus) found in India that is used as an herbal medicine

to sharpen memory. The herb rosemary is known as the "herb
 of remembrance" and has also been used to help people with
memory problems.
 Lithium, a metallic element used to treat bipolar disorder, was

an ingredient in the original recipe for the lemon-lime soft drink

7UP. In fact, the first name for 7UP was "Bib-Label Lithiated
Lemon-Lime Soda.
 For every minute in which a large vessel ischemic stroke

(blockage of a large blood vessel in the brain) is untreated, a

person loses 1.9 million neurons, 13.8 billion synapses and 12
km (7 miles) of axons.
 The bacteria Clostridium Botulinum produces neurotoxins that

are the most poisonous substances known: 1 gram evenly

distributed and inhaled could kill more than a million people.
 The highest blood levels of caffeine are reached in 30-45

minutes after it is consumed.

 The area of the brain known as the Hippocampus is sometimes

called "Ammon's Horn." Ammon is a character from Egyptian

mythology who had a ram's head and large curved horns
similar to the shape of the hippocampus.
 The length of myelinated nerve fibers in the brain is 150,000-

180,000 km.
 The weight of the human brain triples during the first year of
life, going from 300 grams to 900 grams
 A jellyfish has no brain.
 After age 30, the brain shrinks a quarter of a percent
 Most people dream about 5 times during each 8-hour period of
sleep.
 People can distinguish between 3,000 and 10,000 different
smells.
 The brain of the great physicist Albert Einstein weighed 1,230
grams. This is far below the average brain weight of 1,400
grams.
 Sounds as loud as 130 dB can cause pain. Listening to sounds
louder than 90 dB for an extended period of time can cause
hearing damage. The loudness of normal speech is between 50
and 60 dB.
 Information travels in the nerves at speeds up to 268 miles per
hour (429 kilometers/hour).