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earthquake
  • In the United States between 1975 - 1995, there were only four states without earthquakes: Florida, Iowa, North Dakota, Winconsin
  • Alaska is the most earthquake prone zone in the world
  • Earthquakes also occur on the moon (”moonquakes”)
  • The world’s deadlist earthquake was in central China in 1556, killing 830,000 people
  • On the Richter scale, 1.0 is equivalent to a construction site blast while 5.0 is equivalent to the Nagasaki atomic bomb. The Indian Ocean earthquake in 2004 stood at 9.3

Pepsi
  • Pepsi was created by a pharmacist and initally named “Brad’s drink”
  • Pepsi was the first foreign product sold in the USSR (Russia). In exchange, vodka was sold in the West
  • Pepsi had a difficult time in China because of the tranlations.
  • In 1958, Pepsi’s slogan was “Be sociable” which translated as, “Be intimate.” Sales dropped.
  • Pepsi then changed their slogan in 1961 to, “Now it’s Pepsi for those who think young” which was translated to, “New Pepsi is for people with the minds of children.” Sales dropped even more.
  • “Come alive in with Pepsi!” became “Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead.” and the catch phrase “Come alive! You’re in the Pepsi generation,” was instead heard as “Resurrect! Your body will be made of Pepsi!”

noodles
  • Australians consume more than 18 million kilograms of noodles a year. That is almost 1kg of noodle per person
  • For Chinese people, thin long noodles are eaten during their birthdays to symbolyze longevity
  • In Japan, it is polite to slurp loudly while eating noodles or soba. They will even tell you to slurp instead of eating quietly

newspaper
  • Less than 30% of people read an entire newspaper
  • The first newspapers were either distributed in China or in Rome where they were made out of stone or metal

Olympics
  • The Olympics was once outlawed as a pagan celebration
  • The Olympic torch relay was actually not part of the ancient games but was introduced as part of Nazi propoganda during the 1936 Berlin Olympics
  • In the 1936 Berlin Olympics, only people from the “Aryan race” were allowed to represent Germany. That year, they also topped the medal tally and won the Olympics
  • In the 1956 Melbourne Games, there was a hoax by 9 students where a fake torch made out of a burning pair of underpants and a plum pudding can on the end of a chair leg was presented to the Mayor instead of the Olympic torch
  • The Olympic flame traces back to the original Olympia flame and has never been extinguished (due to several backup fires)
  • The Olympic flame in Olympia, Greece is rekindled every two years using the sun’s rays and a concave reflective mirror
  • At the start of the modern Olympics in 1896, winners were actually awarded Silver instead of Gold
  • The ancient Olympiads only had one race, the first of which was won by a chef. In 2008, there are over 300 events
  • The youngest Olympic athlete participated at the age of 10 (Dimitrios Loundras in 1896) and the oldest was 72 (Oscar Swahn, 1972)
  • The Olympic rings represent the five major regions of the world – Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania
  • Poland’s Stanislawa Walasiewiczowna (Stella Walsh) was the first women to break the 12 second barrier in the 100-meter race at the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. She later died in a robbery attempt, after which an autopsy declared her to be a male

tissue paper
  • In China, the first tissue paper were thin pieces of wood and bamboo

kiwi fruit
  • Kiwifruits are actually from Southern China and not native to New Zealand
  • Raw kiwi fruits can be used to tenderize meat. It has protein-dissolving enzymes
  • Italy is the leading kiwi fruit producer in the world

advertisement
  • Some 30 sec adverts shown during the American NFL Superbowl cost more than full length feature films
  • Some advertisements have funny translations in Chinese:
  • A&W’s “That frosty mug sensation” became “Feel like your face is frozen”
  • American Express’ “Don’t leave home without it” became “Stay home with it”
  • Budweiser’s “When you say Budweiser, you’ve said it all” became “After Budweiser, you will not be able to speak”
  • Camel’s “I’d walk a mile for a Camel” translated as “A camel asked me to walk two kilometers”
  • KFC’s “Finger Licking Good” became “Tastes like human fingers”
  • Nike’s “Just do it” translates as “Have Sex!”
  • and finally, Wheaties’ “Breakfast of Champions” is “Breakfast of Mao”

China
  • If the population of China walked past you in single file, the line would never end because of the rate of reproductiion
  • Rice was an ingredient used in making the foundations of the Great Wall of China
  • In China, there are over 50 different ethnic groups including Mongols and Manchurians
  • China has had a government since 1766 B.C., and it one of the oldest institutions in the world
  • Shanghai is the biggest city in the world, holding almost 16 million people
  • China is the largest producer of hydroelectric power in the world, with reserves of over 680 Million Kilowatts
  • China has a “one-child” policy where couples will need to pay fees to have more than one child
  • Chinese families often have nicknames for members at home such as Niu (cow), Tu (rabbit) and Xiong (bear) so that evil spirits are not attracted to the child
  • Although China covers over 9 million kms, it only has one timezone. As such, people in the west only get daylight at 9am in the morning

coca-cola, coke
  • It takes about 2.7 litres of water to make 1 litre of coke
  • In 2007, the UK consumed over 1 trillion litres of coca-cola products
  • The citric acid in Coke removes stains from vitreous china
  • Coca-cola can remove blood stains
  • Coke can clean chrome better than commercial cleaners: Rub the bumper with a crumpled-up piece of aluminium foil dipped in Coke
  • Can loosen a rusted bolt; Applying a cloth soaked in Coke to the rusted bolt for several minutes
  • To bake a moist ham; Empty a can of Coke into the baking pan; wrap the ham in aluminium foil, and bake. Thirty minutes before the ham is finished, remove the foil, allowing the rippings to mix with the Coke for a sumptuous brown gravy
  • Can help loosen grease stains. It will also clean road haze from your windshield
  • Is one of the most popular drink in the world
  • Coca-cola was never green as some sites would have it


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