Ten Random Facts

California-born Dr. Sally Kirsten Ride was the first American woman to go into outer space. Starting in physics at Swarthmore College, she finished at Stanford University, earning her B.S. in physics and B.A. in English literature. She received her doctorate at Stanford University. At age 27, Ride was the first American woman in space on the shuttle Challenger's 1983 mission (STS-7). Her next flight was an eight-day mission in 1984, again on Challenger (STS 41-G). Her cumulative hours of space flight are more than 343.
Space

The pyramids in Egypt contain enough stone and mortar to construct a wall 10 feet high and 5 feet wide running from New York City to Los Angeles.
Structures

The Mai Tai cocktail was created in 1945 by Victor Bergeron, the genius of rum, also known as Trader Vic. The drink got its name when he served it to two friends from Tahiti, who exclaimed "Maitai roa ae!" In Tahitian, the phrase means out of this world — the best!
Food and Drink

A "googol" is a 1 followed by 100 zeros. The name is said to have come from the nine-year-old nephew of the American mathematician, Edward Kasner. A googolplex is the number 1 followed by a googol of zeros.
Words and Numbers

Americans today, per capita, use four times as much energy as their grandparents' generation did.
Statistics

There are two credit cards for every person in the United States.
Statistics

The home team must provide the referee with 36 footballs for each National Football League game.
Sports

Hair goes gray because pigment cells in the scalp stop producing melanin.
People

According to researchers, the Marquis de Sade was only 5' 3" tall.
People

A virtual underwater playground with its breathtaking coral, the Philippines draws thousands of divers from Japan, China, and Taiwan each year.
Geography » Asia

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