Interesting Facts

London's Waterloo station carries four times as many passengers as Heathrow each day. (My my, at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender Oh yeah, and I have met my destiny in quite a similar way The history book on the shelf Is always repeating itself Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more Waterloo - couldn’t escape if I wanted to Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you Waterloo - finally facing my waterloo My my, I tried to hold you back but you were stronger Oh yeah, and now it seems my only chance is giving up the fight And how could I ever refuse I feel like I win when I lose Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more Waterloo - couldn’t escape if I wanted to Waterloo - knowing my fate is to be with you And how could I ever refuse I feel like I win when I lose Waterloo - I was defeated, you won the war Waterloo - promise to love you for ever more Waterloo - co...

Bill Gates does not have an iPod. (I bet he does really.);-)

Siestas are not a southern European invention. An afternoon sleep was common in northern Europe before the industrial revolution. (I am all for upholding old traditions - zzzzzzz.)

While 53% of UK households have access to a garage, only 24% use them for parking cars. (Sometimes looking into someone's garage can give you a better insight into who they are than seeing inside their house.)

Allegedly Keanu Reeves doesn't own a computer and instead corresponds with friends by hand-written letters. (I think that is kind of classy. Not that he'll ever know as he won't be able to read this.)

Amnesty International have estimated that there are 300,000 children, some as young as seven, involved in armed conflicts worldwide. (Suffer the little children.)

The word "time" is the most common noun in the English language, according to the latest Oxford dictionary. (And I thought there was never enough of it.)

41% of English women have punched or kicked their partners, according to a study. (I've only ever done this in my sleep.)

The speaking clock, which tells the time to thousands of UK callers every day, is celebrating its 70th birthday. The telephone number 123, was founded in 1936 and went nationwide in 1942. Around 70 million calls are made to the service every year.

Confucius's proper name was Kong Zi, and all the world's three million Kongs are popularly supposed to be his descendants. (What does that make King Kong?)

More than 10% of new cars sold in Sweden run on alternative fuel. (Good for them. When do we catch up?)

Multiple births increased by about a third in the UK between 1984 and 2004 - thanks to IVF treatment and better diets. (Thanks to????)

So much wine is produced in Europe that hundreds of millions of bottles are distilled into industrial alcohol each year to help drain the "wine lake". (I am doing my best to help, honest!)

Dogs with harelips can end up with two noses. (I'll have to tell Sam to stop chasing hares!)

On the same note, in the UK, adult deaths by suicide outstrip all road traffic deaths by about 60%. (Same question.)

According to statistics nearly five times as many people commit suicide in Japan as die in road traffic accidents. (How many people commit vehicular suicide though?)

Children inherit a taste for meat and fish but acquire a liking, or loathing, for vegetables. (I acquired a liking for green leafy vegetables at the age of 35!)

Wrinkles can determine whether a smoker is more likely to develop lung disease - those with wrinkles have a five times higher risk of disease than those with smooth skin. (What about those with a face lift?)

Apnoea is the scientific term for holding your breath. (So how long can you apnoea for?)

John Cleese flies from his home in Los Angeles to London to visit his dentist. (How many carbon miles is that?)

A domestic cat can frighten a black bear to climb a tree. (Anyone who doesn't believe this has never met my cat Spooky.)

Parents of toddlers in the UK spend an average of £406 a year on their child's clothing. (That's more than I spend on myself!)

Private individuals can buy up parts of the Moon thanks to a loophole in the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty that simply forbade any government from claiming a celestial resource such as the Moon. (I'll have the second crater from the right.)

Good old gabardine is a rival to modern, synthetic mountaineering clothes - being lighter, hardwearing and water-resistant. (And I threw away my old gabardine mac years ago!)

A laptop is bought every 3 minutes in the UK. (I bought mine in Germany.)

In the UK 500 people are given a life sentence every year. (That's a lot of lifers.)

Britain is still paying off debts that predate the Napoleonic wars because it's cheaper to do so than buy back the bonds on which they are based. (Your tax at work.)

In Bhutan government policy is based on Gross National Happiness; thus most street advertising is banned, as are tobacco and plastic bags. (I wish some of our European leaders would take note.)

Allegedly, the short xylophone ditty that Apple Mac computers play is called Sosumi - a contraction of So Sue Me - Apple's cheeky riposte to the Beatles' Apple Corps. (I say allegedly as I don't want to be sued.)

Five billion apples are eaten a year in the UK. (Does that keep five billion doctors at bay?)

According to the BBC 81% of English viewers tuned into at least one World Cup game. (Up until the quarter finals yesterday at least.)

Erotomania is the name of the condition in which a person holds a delusional belief that someone is in love with them. (So, what's the word for the delusional belief that you are in love with someone.)