Strange But True: Frozen pucks

By Lucie Winborne

• The U.S. postmaster general was in the line of succession to the presidency until 1971.

• There are more mobile phones than people alive.

• In the late 18th century, Sweden's King Gustav III tried to prove that coffee was a deadly substance by making one twin drink coffee and the second one tea on a daily basis, while betting on which would be the first to succumb. Both twins survived and outlived both the king and the doctors conducting the experiment.

• The longest English word that generally appears in dictionaries is "pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis," the name of a lung disease.

• Watermelons were often used as canteens by early explorers and travelers.

• The tobacco industry spends almost $4 billion per year to promote smoking, more than is spent advertising and promoting any other product.

• Black holes aren't black. They glow slightly, giving off light across the whole spectrum.

• The world's largest playable guitar is 43.5 feet long.

• Before an NHL game, hockey pucks are frozen to make them glide more smoothly and reduce bouncing.

• The ancient Greeks believed that amethysts could ward off intoxication and hangovers, so they often drank wine from cups carved from the gemstone.

• Seven percent of Americans steal toilet paper rolls in hotels or motels.

• About 70-75% of the world's population does not even use toilet paper.

• In 2009 a pigeon named Winston raced Telkom, South Africa's largest ISP, to see which one could deliver 4GB of data to a location 60 miles away the fastest. By the time Winston arrived with the 4GB flash drive, Telkom had transmitted only 4% of the data.

Thought for the Day: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born ... and the day you find out why." -- Mark Twain

(c) 2025 King Features Synd., Inc.