GENERAL FACTS

A

Initially referred only to tightrope walking, acrobatics is a blanket term for nearly any performance or sport which involves full body activity, especially in short, highly controlled bursts.

In China, approximately 100 000 students are currently studying at schools dedicated to the art of acrobatics. High honour is conferred upon those skilled enough to become acrobats because of the unusual and difficult nature of the feats involved.

Seeking a career in the performing arts, Cirque du Soleil founder, Guy Laliberte toured Europe as a folk musician and street performer after quitting college. By the time he returned back home to Canada in 1979 he had learnt the art of fire breathing and by 1983, the Quebec government granted him 1.5 million Canadian dollars to host the first Cirque du Soleil production.

A Boeing 747 has six million parts and half of them are fasteners.

Records indicate that man’s first attempt at flying dates back to 1020 when an English monk named, Oliver of Malmesbury, strapped a pair of wings to his body and attempted to soar from Malmesbury Abbey. Consequently, he fell and broke both legs.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) had originally been titled Alices Adventures Underground. The original draft was published in 1886.

“Alphabet” is derived from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet: alpha and beta.

The earliest known alphabet was devised in Ugarit in present day Syria around 1500 BC.

Approximately 98% of Antarctica’s surface is covered in ice.

In March 2008, researchers discovered giant sea stars or star fish measuring 24 in across during a 35 day census in Antarctic waters.

There is no indigenous population to the continent but the varied seasonal population of researchers is estimated at 1000.

B

According to the University of Arizona researchers, the TV remote controls in hospitals are worse carriers of bacteria than toilet handles.

In Florida, a 7th grader won a school science fair by proving there was more bacteria in ice machines at fast food restaurants than in toilet bowl water.

Alexander Graham Bell’s father, grandfather and brother were all associated with work on elocution and speech and both his mother and wife were deaf.

True Black Widow Spiders have the most potent spider venom, which can cause swellings up to 6 inches.

Most donated red blood cells can be stored for forty two days.

Most tropical marine fish can survive in a tank filled with human blood.

Italian sailors from Genoa, whom the French called Genes, wore cotton workpants. These pants became known as “genes”. Eventually the word morphed into “jeans”