Category: Random Questions

• Why does hair turn gray?

  The phenomenon of graying hair is still somewhat mysterious. (…)

• Was the QWERTY keyboard purposely designed to slow typists?

  The QWERTY keyboard, named for the top row of letters on its left-hand side, was designed to make life easy for the typewriter, not the typist. (…)

• In a falling elevator, could you save yourself by jumping up at the last minute?

  Unfortunately, the only thing you can do if you get stuck in a falling elevator is tuck your head between your knees and kiss your butt good-bye. It’s a simple matter of physics. (…)

• What are hiccups and why do we get them?

  When you hiccup, your diaphragm convulses, causing you to momentarily gulp air. (…)

• Who invented the smiley face?

  The smiley face fad, but not the smiley face itself, was the work of Bernard and Murray Spain, two brothers in Philadelphia. (…)

• Which will keep you drier, running through the rain or walking?

  Thomas Peterson and Trevor Wallis of the National Climatic Data Center, writing in the meteorological journal “Weather”, addressed the controversy of walking in the rain versus running. (…)

• What does ‘OK’ really stand for?

  The etymology of OK was described by renowned Columbia University professor Allen Walker Read in a series of articles in the journal “American Speech” in 1963 and 1964. (…)

• Which freezes faster, hot water or cold water?

  In a test, researcher Cecil Adams put equal quantities of hot water (125 degrees Fahrenheit) and cold water (38 degrees) into ice cube trays, and then placed them in the freezer. The results? (…)

• Why do wintergreen Life Savers spark when crunched?

  Extensive research concludes that wintergreen Life Savers will indeed produce impressive — but small — bursts of blue electricity when smashed forcefully between the teeth. (…)