Body Triva

Body Trivia

Here are some interesting facts and figures all about human beings and their bodies.

The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

The average person is about half-a-centimetre taller at night. Increase your recorded height by only allowing yourself to be measured while you are asleep.

In your lifetime you will walk the equivalent of twice around the world.

During his lifetime, the average beardless male will spend 2,965 hours shaving.

More people are killed annually by donkeys than die in air crashes. So, next time avoid those innocent-looking donkeys.

Do you know what most people write when you offer them a new pen to try? A study showed that 97% write their own name. How egocentric!

In 1900 the average age at death in the US was 47; these days it’s 87.

During your life you will drink more than 72,000 litres of water.

An average person uses the bathroom 6 times a day.

Every time you lick a stamp, you’re consuming 1/10 of a calorie. Perhaps this explains why postal workers are in such good shape.

12% of the population snores at night. So, you have a 1 in 8 chance of marrying or going out with a snorer.

You share your birthday with at least nine million other people around the world.

All humans lose an average of 40 to 100 strands of hair a day, except members of the Hot English management team who lose three times this amount every day!

A sneeze can exceed the speed of 160 kph, which is faster than the speed limit for cars in all European countries, apart from Germany.

According to German researchers, the risk of a heart attack is higher on Monday than any other day of the week.

The number of triplets born in the US in 1994 (4,594) was more than three times the number born in 1971 (1,034). Experts say that this increase is due to the older age of the mothers and the use of fertility-enhancing drugs and techniques.

The largest internal organ in your body is, curiously, the small intestine. An average one is 7 metres long.

Scientists have proved that laughter lowers our levels of stress and strengthens our immune system. Incidentally, six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day; whereas adults on average only laugh 15 times a day. What a sad bunch of people we are! Every human being has: • Enough iron to make a 9 cm nail; • Enough sulphur to kill 6,000 fleas; • Enough carbon to make 900 pencils; • Enough potassium to fire a toy cannon; • Enough phosphorous to make 2,200 match heads; • And enough water to fill a 50-litre tank.

Our brain is about 85% water. By the way, did you know that our ancestors, the Neanderthals, had brains that were far bigger than ours?

The shortest president of the US was James Madison who measured just 158 cm tall; and the tallest was Abraham Lincoln, who was 192 cm tall.

The most common blood type in the world is Type O; and the rarest is type A-H, which has been found in less than a dozen people since it was discovered.

In 1960 there were about 4,000 people in the US who were over 100 years old. However, by 1995 the number had jumped to 55,000.

The Chinese love to give their children western names. The three most popular names are: Jesus Christ, Richard Nixon, and Elvis Presley. Now, which one would you choose?

About 10% of the world’s population is left-handed. Left-handed presidents include George Bush and Bill Clinton. What a pair!

Thirty eight percent of American’s admit to reading whilst on the toilet; and 66 % of them say that their preferred reading material is the Reader’s Digest.

In 1929, Harvey Brassneck founded America’s first nudist organisation. Apparently, he used to practise his new pastime in the living room.

G L O S S A R Y

an average person n an ordinary person to be measured exp if you are “measured”, someone checks to see how tall you are to shave vb to cut the hair from your face the average age at death n the most common age when people die to lick vb to move your tongue over a surface to be in good shape exp to be physically strong to snore vb to make a noise through your nose or mouth as you are sleeping a 1 in 8 chance exp a 12% probability that something will happen a strand of hair n an individual piece of hair to strengthen vb to make stronger an immune system n the internal system that helps defend us against disease a sad bunch of people n a pathetic group of people a nail n a long, thin metal object used for holding two pieces of wood together a flea n a small insect with no wings. Fleas often live on dogs a match head n the top of a match (a thin piece of wood used for starting fires) a dozen n twelve of something a pastime n a hobby