by Bill McLain
dachshunds, 16
dancing horses, 15
dark horses, 111-112
dartboards, 235-236
darts, 108-109,235-237
days, origin of names, 193
Dead Sea, 60-62
Dead Sea Scrolls, 61
denim, 24-26
denominations, religious, 198
“detective” novels, 133-135
dictionaries:
acronyms and abbreviations, website, 122
Australian, website, 254
Bartlett’s Quotations, website, 135
of phrase and fable, website, 121
Webster’s, website, 122
dirigibles, 249-251
distances, finding, website, 68
doctors, checking on, website, 149
dogs, 15-17
Curly, 82
Nipper (RCA), 170-171
website, 19
dolphins, 1-3
donkey, as symbol of Democratic party, 267
Doubleday, Abner, 232
Dracula (Stoker), 131-132
dreams, 142-144
driving on left side of road, 245
dry ice, 175
Dusky Pete (horse), 111
Dutch Royal Navy, 225
Dvo?ák, Antonin, 201
earth and moon viewer, website, 176
earthquake, San Francisco, 262-263
Easter, 90-92
eggs, 183-185
website, 58
Eggsercizers, 177
electromagnets, 208
elephants, 7-9
as symbol of Republican party, 267
Ellis Island, 261
Eskimos, 138-140
espresso, 49
Everest, Mount, 290
eyeglasses, 21-22
fable and phrase finder, website, 121
famous people, addresses, website, 176
fashion, website, 29
fat lady sings, 119
FBI, website, 269
“finger math,” 210
fingerprints, 211-212
fingers, 210-211
fireflies, 215
fish, 17-18
flags, national, website, 296
floods, 277-279
flowers, Rose Parade, 172-174
fluorescence, 215
“flying the hump,” 77-78
Flying Tigers, 78-79
food products, website, 58
football, 226-231
college, website, 242
down, 237
famous college games, 238-239
Green Bay Packers, 226-228
Heisman trophy, 229-230
history, 237-238
innovations, 239-240
NFL, website, 242
foreign language for travelers, website, 254
Fort Knox, 35
frankincense, 102
Freemasonry, 86
french fries, website, 58
frogs, 279-281
raining, 279
From the New World symphony (Dvo?ák), 201
fruit, largest, 284
gasoline, 37-39
geography, website, 68
Geronimo, 114-116
Gesundheit, origin of, 109
giraffes, 252
glass musical instruments, 156-158
glowing in the dark, 214-216
glowworms, 215
God bless you, origin of, 109
gold, 35-36, 221
Gondwanaland, 64, 65
gorillas, 252
Graf Zeppelin (dirigible), 249-250
grapefruit, 113-114
“graveyard spin,” 205
Great Depression of 1929, 39-40
Great Salt Lake, 220
Green Bay Packers, 226-228
green sun, 205, 206
Gretzky, Wayne, 240-241
Gutenberg, Project, website, 135
habaneros, 51, 52
Halloween, 98-100
headaches, ice cream, 140-141
height, average human, 255-257
Heisman trophy, 229-230
Henson, Alexander, 67
hex signs, 195-196
Hindenburg (dirigible), 250
hippopotamus, 252
history, websites, 87, 88
hoaxes, website, 41
hoboes, 160-161
hockey, 240-242
Holiday, Billie, 118-119
Hoppe, Willie, 234
horses, 13-15, 111-113, 152
horseshoes, 14
Howe, Gordie, 241
How Things Work, website, 224
Hull, Bobby, 240, 241
hurricanes, 272-274
ice, 174-176
types of, 241, 242
icebergs, 214
ice cream, 141-142
headaches, 140-141
immigrants, 259-261
Infant of Prague, 200
Internet books, website 136
Internet links, website, 176
Internet public library, website, 176
Inuits, 138-140
Islam, 190-192
“jack-o’-lanterns,” 100
jalapeños, 51, 52
jams, 55-56
jazz, 117-119
jeans, 24-26
jellies, 55-56
jelly beans, 56-57
karat weights, 36
King of the Road, 159
kings, mad:
Charles II of Spain, 84
George III of England, 83
Ludwig of Bavaria, 84
Knights Templar, 85-87
koalas, 12, 252
kotos, 136
Krakatoa, 206
lager beer, 45-46
lakes, 220
largest:
fruit, 284
living thing, 284
museum, 293-294
seed, 284
Laurasia, 64
leaning Tower of Pisa, 291-293
learning to play the piano, website, 161
Leonidas, 75-76
Levi’s, 24-26
Lhasa apso, 16
library, public, website, 176
Library of Congress, 127-128
library reference, website, 176
Little Big Horn, battle of, 152-153
livestock, website, 19
lodestones, 209
longest place name, 264
longitude and latitude, finding, website, 254
lowest point on earth, 60
luciferin, 215
lyrics, song, website, 161
McKinley, Mount, 67
Macon (dirigible), 251
magnesia, 209
magnets, 208-210
mail boxes, 164-165
malt liquor, 46
M&M’s, 47-48
map, website, 68
Mariana Trench, 221
marmalade, 56
Mayflower, 70-72
medical center, website, 148
medical news, website, 148
Miller, Roger, 159-160
Minnesota Fats, 234
Mint, U.S., 33, 34
minutes, 216-217
mistletoe, 94-96
monarch butterfly, 4
months, names, origins of, 193
moon, blue, 206-207
Mosconi, Willie, 234
museums:
American Museum of Natural History. 293
Hermitage, 294
largest, 293-294
Louvre, 294
oldest, 295
Smithsonian Institution, 293, 294
music, website, 161
musical instruments, glass, 156-158
musicals, 120-121
Muslims, 190-192
myrrh, 102
Napoleon, Emperor of France, 72-74, 83, 246
Napoleonic wars, 72-74
national flags, website, 296
National Institutes of Health, website, 149
Native American(s):
Apaches, 114-116
foods, 116
languages, 116
legends, 3, 13<
br />
medicine wheel, at Bighorn, 207
Nipmucs, 265
powwows, 265
near beer, 46
neckties, 27-28
negligees, 23
New Year’s Eve, 96-98
Niagara Falls, 290-291
Nipmucs, 265
Nipper (RCA dog), 170-171
north pole, 65-67
oceans, 220-222
Ohio, vacuuming. 181
oil, refining, 38
oldest:
living fossil, 283
living thing, 282-284
Olympic games, website, 242
opals, 222-224
pelican legend. 223-224
opera, 119-121
Oreo cookies, 185-186
Orr, Bobby, 240
overo, horse, 13
Oz books and film, 123-126
pachyderms, see elephants
Packers, Green Bay, 226-228
paint, horse, 13
Panama Canal, 286-288
Pangea, 64
partly cloudy, defined, 274
partly sunny, defined, 274
Peary, Robert E., 67
peccaries, 252
pectin, 56
Pennsylvania Dutch, 195-197
pennies, 33-34
people, finding, website, 269
peppers, 51-53
phosphorescence, 214-215
phrase and fable finder, website, 121
piano, learning to play, website, 161
pilgrims, 70-72
pilsner beer, 45
pinto, horse, 13
pizza, 43-45
plague, 109-110
pods, 2
political parties, 266-268
polo, elephant, 8
poodles, 16
pool, 234
porphyria, 83
Postal Service, U.S., 164-166
powwows, 265-266
Prague, 200-201
preserves, 56
presidents, U.S.:
assassinated, 79
died in office, 79
nicknames, 80
youngest, 80
printing, 217
p’s and q’s, 108
purple animals, 11-13
purring, 5
puzzles, website, 189
rabbits, 90-91
racing, horse, 112-113
radioactive glow, 215
rainfall, highest, 276-277
raining frogs, 279
Rasputin, Grigory, 84-85
RCA dog (Nipper), 170-171
reading glasses, 21-22
red-letter days, 194
Red Sea, 221
reference:
Internet links, website, 176
library, Internet, website, 176
library, website, 176
useless facts, website, 189
religions, website, 202
“Ring Around the Rosey,” 109
roller coasters, 162-164
Rose Parade, 172-174
Rosetta stone, 73
“rule of four,” 145
Saint Patrick’s Day, website, 104
Saint Valentine’s Day, 92-94
massacre, 93
website, 103
salt, 220-222
Salton Sea, 220
San Diego Zoo, 252-253
San Francisco earthquake, 262-263
Santa Claus, 66
Sargasso Sea, 222
Sather Tower, 284-285
scams, website, 41
school buses, 247-248
science answers, website, 224
Scoville units, 52
sculptures, ice, 175
scurvy, 138-139
seahorses, 18
seconds, 216-217
sects, religious, 198
largest, 284
seventh-inning stretch, 231
seven wonders:
ancient world, website, 296
modern world, 289
natural world, 289-291
“shame on you,” 210
sheep, 151
Shenandoah (dirigible), 251
Shi’i Muslims, 190-191
shoes, website, 29
signals, traffic, 243-245
sleep, 2, 143
smallest:
fruit, 284
seed, 284
snapping fingers, 210
snoods, 9
snooker, 233
soap, 187-188
songs:
Autumn, 154
Garry Owen, 152
King of the Road, 159
lyrics, website, 161
Nearer My God to Thee, 154
Waltzing Matilda, 150
space, 257-259
Spartans, 75-76
Spartan Wars, 75-76
Starr, Bart, 228
stars, 218-220
Statue of Liberty, 259-261
stock prices, website, 40
Strauss, Levi, 25
Sumerians, 216-218
sun, 205-207
Sydney Olympic games, website, 242
tallest:
clock, 284-286
tree, 284
Talossa, Kingdon of, 268
website, 270
television, history of, 172
Texas City, Tex., 263-264
Thanksgiving, website, 103
Thermopylae, battle of, 75-76
Thesaurus, website, 122
tides, 221
time, keeping, 106-107
Titanic, 154-156
tobiano, horse, 13
toilets, 168-170, 203-204
Toll House cookies, 187
tomatoes, 45
Tootsie Pops, 178-180
Tootsie Roll Industries, 180
tornadoes, 275-276
tortoises, 252
Tournament of Roses, 172-174
Tower of Pisa, 291-293
traffic signals, 243-245
tramps, 160
transfusions, blood, 147-148
Transylvania, 131-132
travel:
foreign languages, website, 254
latitude and longitude, website, 254
mapquest, website, 253
trivia, website, 189
turkeys, 9-11
Twain, Mark, 128-129
two-dollar bills, 30-32
typewriters, 129-130
typhoons, 272-274
underwear, 23-24
United States government, website, 269
useless information, website, 189
vacuum cleaners, 181-183
vampires, 132-133
Valentine’s Day, see Saint Valentine’s Day
Waltzing Matilda, 150-151
water, 212-214
freezing, 212
Waterloo, battle of, 72-74
wattle, 9
weather, websites, 281
Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus, website, 122
white elephants, 8
white phosphorous, 216
wildlife, website, 19
wishbone breaking, 11
Word Wizard, website, 121
world almanac, website, 296
World Elephant Polo Association, 8
World War II, 77-78
yawning, 144-145
year 2000 Olympic games, website, 242
zeppelins, 249-250
zip codes, 165
website, 269
Zulu time, 105-106
Zulu wars, 76
zoo(s), 251-253
San Diego, 252-253
virtual, website, 19
Copyright
A hardcover edition of this book was published by William Morrow and Company in 1999.
Copyright © 1999 by Bill McLain
Comments Are Welcome
I’d love to hear from you if you have any comments, criticisms,
or questions. You can e-mail me personally at:
[email protected]
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment o
f the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © JUNE 2010 ISBN: 978-0-062-03136-5
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS HAS CATALOGUED THE HARDCOVER EDITION AS
FOLLOWS:
McLain, Bill.
Do fish drink water? : puzzling and improbable questions and
answers / Bill McLain. — 1st ed.
p. cm
Includes index.
ISBN 0-688-16512-5
1. Questions and answers. 1. Title.
AG195.M38 1999 99-15805
031—dc21 CIP
First paperback edition published 2000.
ISBN 0-688-179088 (pbk.)
04 /RRD 26 25 24 23 22
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