Fast Facts Olympics Lore The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris will mark the latest chapter in the ancient, multi-sports Games. Here are a few bits to ponder about the most famous of world competitions. ▶ The first Games took place in the 8th century B.C. in Olympia, Greece. ▶ They originally occurred over a period of six months. ▶ Actor/athlete Johnny Weissmuller (Tarzan) won five gold medals in the 1920s’ swimming competition. ▶ The unlit Olympic torch has been taken into space several times. ▶ The five rings of the Olympics symbol represent the world’s five inhabited continents. ▶ The Games have been hosted by 23 different countries. ▶ In 1972, Waldi the dachshund became the first Olympics mascot. ▶ Gold medals are made mostly of silver. ▶ Three Games were cancelled due to World Wars (1916, 1940 and 1944). ▶ Athletes in the ancient Olympics competed in the nude. ▶ Women were first allowed to compete in certain events in 1900. ▶ Live pigeons were used for archery in the 1900 Games. ▶ Asia was not represented at the Olympics until 1912. ▶ The Torch Relay was invented in 1936 in Nazi Germany. ▶ Greece always leads the opening ceremonies, followed by the host city’s team. ▶ With 28 medals across four Olympics, American swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian. Random Trivia ▶ The world’s oldest wooden wheel has been around for more than 5,000 years. ▶ German chocolate cake was invented in Texas. ▶ The Philippines consists of 7,641 islands. ▶ There’s enough gold inside Earth to coat the planet. ▶ People once ate arsenic to improve their skin. ▶ Japan has one vending machine for every 40 people. ▶ Lemons float, but limes sink. ▶ A cow-bison hybrid is called a beefalo. ▶ Armadillo shells are bulletproof. ▶ Some octopus species lay 56,000 eggs at a time. ▶ Cats have fewer toes on their back paws. ▶ Giraffe tongues can be 20 inches long. ▶ Bees can fly higher than Mount Everest. ▶ The word “aquarium” means “watering place for cattle” in Latin. ▶ Baseball umpires used to sit in rocking chairs 20 feet behind home plate. Think Earth Trivia items about our home planet. ▶ Our Earth is not perfectly round; it bulges at the equator and flattens at the poles. ▶ Coral reefs are the planet’s largest living structures. ▶ Earth’s magnetic pole is drifting westward toward Siberia. ▶ The planet’s circumference in miles is 24,901 or 40,075 km. ▶ Depending upon where you are, Earth spins as fast as 1,000 mph. ▶ The Atacama Desert in Chile is known as the driest place in the world. ▶ The Antarctic Ice Cap contains 70 per cent of Earth’s freshwater. ▶ Located 1,400 feet below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on land. ▶ About 6,000 lightning strikes happen on Earth per minute. ▶ Our planet is approximately 93 million miles from the Sun. ▶ There are 8.7 million plant and animal species in the world. ▶ Mountain ranges were made by Earth’s underground, shifting rocks. ▶ The planet’s average temperature is 60 degrees F (15.5 C). ▶ The temperature of the Earth’s core is as hot as the Sun. ▶ It’s the only planet not named after a god. ▶ Earth is the densest planet in the solar system. ▶ It tilts at roughly 66 degrees. ▶ The known universe is made up of 50,000,000,000 galaxies. Science Matters A knowledge tour through the various fields of science. ▶ The temperature at which Celsius and Fahrenheit are equal is -40. ▶ It takes roughly eight minutes for the sun’s rays to reach the Earth. ▶ Hot water freezes faster than cold. ▶ Pumice is the only rock that floats. ▶ The heaviest organ in the human body is the liver. ▶ Venus is the only planet that spins clockwise. ▶ The temperature of the Earth’s core is almost 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit. ▶ A cloud can weigh around a million pounds. ▶ Sound travels four times faster in water than it does in air. ▶ Helium has the ability to react against gravity. ▶ Lava can flow as fast as a sprinting greyhound. ▶ Ants are capable of carrying objects 50 times their own body weight. ▶ A handshake transfers more germs than a kiss. Answers to Outside the Box puzzles from page 48 1. North star 2. Wheelbarrow 3. Northern lights 4. Finish line 5. High treason 6. Black market 54 | www.snowbirds.org
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