08 July 31: Up!

The year is up!

‘People learn something every day, and a lot of times it's that what they learned the day before was wrong.’ Bill Vaughan

08 July 30: Bacteria

When two people kiss, they exchange between 10 million and one billion bacteria.

08 July 29: Emissions

Between the first Earth Day in 1970 and the new millennium, human-made emissions of greenhouse gases rose 70%.

08 July 28: Snore

You cannot snore and dream at the same time.

08 July 27: Foundation

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie gave more than $8.5-million to their charitable foundation in 2006.

08 July 26: Levels

Studies show HIV-infected men are more likely to progress to AIDS if they are under high stress than those with lower levels of stress.

08 July 25: Gynotikolobomassophile

gynotikolobomassophile: ‘one who nibbles on women's earlobes’

08 July 24: Pi

Pi is the most recognized mathematical constant in the world.

08 July 23: Payne

Alexander Payne is on the short list of American directors who have final cut rights for their films.

08 July 22: Calories

Passionate kissing burns 6.4 calories a minute.

08 July 21: Marlboro

Barack Obama smokes Marlboro Red cigarettes.

08 July 20: Cuts

During the worst years of the Depression (1933-1934) the overall jobless rate was 25% with another 25% taking wage cuts or working part-time. The gross national product fell by almost 50%.

08 July 19: Womb

Approximately two-thirds of people tip their head to the right when they kiss. Some scholars speculate this preference starts in the womb.

08 July 18: Topophone

topophone: ‘instrument to determine direction and distance of a fog-horn’

08 July 17: Balloon

The fastest time to create one balloon dog sculpture is 6.5 seconds by John Cassidy (USA) at the Balloon Saloon store in New York, USA on 28 March 2006.

08 July 16: Sheets

Lines that adjust sails on a yacht are called sheets.

08 July 15: Sign

Most baby signers speak earlier than babies who do not learn baby sign language.

08 July 14: Regime

Until 1997, contact between tourists and Cubans were de facto outlawed by the Communist regime.

08 July 13: Cuba

Tourism in Cuba attracts over 2 million people a year.

08 July 12: Jeans

An original pair of Levi Strauss & Co (USA) 501 jeans aged over 115 years old was sold to an anonymous Japanese collector for $60,000 through eBay on June 15, 2005.

08 July 11: Lecanoscopy

lecanoscopy: ‘staring at pool of water as means of self-hypnosis’

08 July 10: Eames

The Eames moulded plywood chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames was named The Best Design of the 20th Century by Time magazine.

08 July 9: Burn

Longest Full-Body Burn (without Oxygen): Ted Batchelor, 2 min 38 sec, Nelson, Ohio, USA, July 17, 2004.

08 July 8: Sofa

Marek Turowski achieved a speed of 148 km/h (92 mph) while driving a motorized sofa at Leicestershire, UK on May 11, 2007.

08 July 7: Wireless

In 1908, U.S. Patent 887,357 for a wireless telephone was issued to Nathan B. Stubblefield of Murray, Kentucky.

08 July 6: Sunlight

‘A daily dose of sunlight may help the immune system guard against invading pathogens and sun-induced skin damage, according to a new study. The findings reveal how immune cells specialize to protect the skin and suggest that staying out of the sun could cause harm if carried too far.’

08 July 5: 720

By August 9, 2001, Elaine Davidson, of Edinburgh, Scotland, had a record-breaking total of 720 piercings.

08 July 4: Calcographer

calcographer: ‘one who draws with crayons or pastels’

08 July 3: Waist

Smallest Waist on a Living Person: Cathie Jung, 38.1 cm (15 in), Old Mystic, CT, as of 1999. Cathie Jung's waist is about the same size as a regular jar of mayonnaise. She's been wearing a corset every day for years, and now wears one 24 hours a day.

08 July 2: Instructions

Dolphins have been known to instruct each other as well as receive instructions and act accordingly.

08 July 1: Gallons

Estimated number of gallons of extra gasoline burned each year because Americans are overweight: 938,000,000