Fourth of July factoids

In case you didn’t see it, the U.S. Census Bureau issued a Facts for Features release (note: destination page has been removed) in observance of The Fourth of July 2008. It’s full of unusual holiday-themed factoids you can share at your picnic. My favorite is that the baked beans you eat likely came from North Dakota; the state produced 42% of U.S. beans in 2007.  I wonder if this is because North Dakota has the highest percentage of church-going population and the most churches per capita of any state.

Useless information, you say?  Not as useless as these:

Nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.
Diet Coke wasn’t invented until 1982.
The first police force was established in Paris in 1667.
The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896.  Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes.
During an average lifetime, a man will spend 3,350 hours removing 9 yards of stubble.
No President of the United States was an only child.
You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

Happy 4th of July.