The Salto Alto (Angel Falls) in Venezuela is the highest waterfall known. It is 3212 ft tall and is over 20 times higher than Niagra Falls.
Many, but not all, of these curiosities are taken from The Book of Useless Information, Publications International, Ltd. Some are taken from Isacc Asimov’s Book of Facts (Wings Books), others from the web in some form.
Previous Curiosities:
April 29, 2024: Both of these statements are true: A) Reno, Nv is further west than Los Angeles. B) Bristol, TN is closer to Canada than to Memphis, TN.
April 15, 2024: Sudan has more pyramids than any country in the world. Not only does Sudan have more pyramids than Egypt, but the numbers aren’t even close. While 138 pyramids have been discovered in Egypt, Sudan boasts around 255.
April 1, 2024: Kissing “Crimes” Around the Country: * In Hartford Connecticut, it’s a crime for a man to kiss his wife on a Sunday. *In Indiana, a man with a moustache is forbidden to “habitually kiss human beings” * In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, it’s illegal to kiss a stranger.
Mar 18, 2024: Former Day Jobs: Before they became famous . . .Rod Stewart was a grave digger and Greta Garbo was a latherer in a men’s barbershop!
Mar 4, 2024: The shortest war in history (the Anglo-Zanzibar War) lasted from 9:02 – 9:40 A.M. on August 27, 1896. The British liked it when the Sultan of Zanzibar (an island off modern Tanzania) engaged in battles. When new sultan named Khalid bin Barghash refused to, the Royal Navy gave Zanabar a taste of British anger. Bin Barghash yielded after just 38 minutes of shelling in what is the shortest recorded war.
Feb 19, 2024: The only letter not used in the spelling of a US state is Q. Every other letter of our alphabet shows up at least once. If you guessed J, X or Z, though, you were close—and probably don’t live in New Jersey, New Mexico or Arizona, since those are the only states that contain J, X, or Z, respectively.
January 22, 2024: Maine is the only state in the Union that borders on exactly one state. (Alaska and Hawaii, of course border on none, and all the rest border on at least two, but Maine is the only one with exactly ONE common border.)
