Yes, I fact-checked these

I’m at a friend’s house, and I picked a book off their shelf called Random Illustrated Facts by Mike Lowery. I like these kinds of books, so I thought I would share some of these random facts. And yes, I googled each of these to see if they were true. I don’t trust books of facts any more than I trust the internet. Myths can perpetuate anywhere.

Some random facts:

  • Some honey bees quack.
  • The average lead pencil can draw a line 35 miles long.
  • The word “mortgage” comes from the old French word for death pledge. The idea was that when the debt was paid, the pledge died, not the person (one hopes).
  • The best-selling commemorative U.S. stamp is a 29 cent 1993 Elvis stamp.
  • Odontophobia is the fear of dentists.