* Most of us know that pregnancy has its challenges, but one you might not be aware of is that expectant moms attract roughly twice as many mosquito bites. It’s believed this is because they exhale more carbon dioxide and have higher body temperatures than those who aren’t pregnant.
* A Chinese father hired virtual assassins to kill his son’s World of Warcraft character, hoping that would stop the young man from playing after he’d quit his day job.
* American death row prisoners are given a physical to ensure they’re fit enough to die.
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* During the 1984 Olympic Summer Games in Los Angeles, McDonald’s announced a promotion offering free food and drink every time an American athlete made it to the medals podium. After the former Soviet Union boycotted the games, it turned out to be quite a costly promotion.
* The French duo Daft Punk took their name from a negative review they received from “Melody Maker” magazine regarding a trio of which they’d previously been members.
* Between 1887 and 1950, American weather forecasters were not allowed to use the word “tornado.”
* A particularly pessimistic fan of football’s Cleveland Browns requested in his obituary that six members of the team serve as pallbearers at his funeral so “the Browns could let him down one last time.”
* In the early 1970s, the first Nike shoe was inspired by … a waffle. After watching his wife make waffles, the company’s co-founder, Bill Bowerman, poured urethane into a waffle iron to see what would happen. The Waffle Trainer debuted soon after.
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Thought for the Day: “The difference between a smart man and a wise man is that a smart man knows what to say; a wise man knows whether or not to say it.” — Frank M. Garafola
(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.