Why is number 13 considered UNLUCKY?

1. Several mass murderers have 13 letters in their names(eg Harold Shipman; Charles Manson; Jeffrey Dahmer)
2. Judas Iscariot was the 13th person to sit at Christ’s table
3. Norse mythology tells of 12 deities sitting down for a banquet, when Loki, the god of mischief, crashed the party, resulting in the death of one of the gods
4. Witches, to oppose themselves to Christian superstition,often make up groups of 13, called covens
5. In a deck of Tarot cards, the number 13 card is called Death

The fear of number 13 is called:Triskaideikaphobia

I never knew that!

Until the nineteenth century Tea was used as money in Siberia.

Gordon Bennett !

It is commonly believed that this expression has its origins in the popularity of James Gordon-Bennett, Jr.. His father, born in Scotland in 1795, emigrated to the US to become a journalist and subsequently founded the 'New York Herald' in 1835. The many innovations he established within newspaper publishing, including European correspondents, illustrated news articles, the joint founding of The Associated Press (1848) and the first major use of the telegraph for news, led to a successful news empire which amassed considerable wealth. It was his son, born in 1841 and known as Gordon-Bennett, who really captured the attention of the US and European populace. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he took every opportunity to live life as a playboy; his wild lifestyle and extravagant spending gained him notoriety in high society. On one occasion, at a New Year's party (1877) being held by his fiancee's father, he got so stupifyingly drunk as to mistake the fireplace for a toilet and proceeded to urinate in front of his prospective in-laws and their guests. Other tales include the occasion when, annoyed by the bulky roll of money in his back pocket, he burnt the lot in an impetuous fit. There are many more tales of his outrageous and extravagant behaviour, however not all cast him in a bad light, such as the numerous times he would donate large sums of money to charities. He took over the management of the Herald in 1867, and proceeded to invest funds in newsworthy ventures. His funding included the expedition by Stanley to Africa, in search of Dr. David Livingstone, and an ill fated attempt to explore the North Pole and Arctic region by G.W. De Long in the years between 1879 and 1881. The 'Jeanette' expedition, as the Arctic trip was known, failed miserably and led to the subsequent death, via starvation, of De Long and 19 fellow crew members. There are several islands in Siberia that bear Bennett's name. Gordon-Bennett was particularly partial to sports, being credited with introducing polo to the United States, his interests included yachting, in which he established the James Gordon-Bennett Cup for international races. Trophies were similarly given for balloon and aeroplane racing, of which the Gordon-Bennett balloon race still exists. As further testament to his involvement in the various racing arenas, it was in 1904 that the Gordon-Bennett Motor Car Road Racing Trials were first run on the Isle of Man, which was the precursor to the world famous TT races, currently still held there. From 1877 he lived in Europe, mainly on his 301 foot yacht, the Lysistrata, from where he administered the running of the New York Herald. He died in France in May 1918, aged 78. The use of James Gordon-Bennett's name as an expletive possibly bears relation to his outrageous lifestyle and involvement in newsworthy stunts. Imagine opening your daily newspaper and reading yet another news item telling you of his latest antics, and as you begin to express incredulity with a "God Almighty", you restrain your publically unacceptable language and instead say..... GORDON-BENNETT!

Kissing

It is a (scientific?) fact that the act of kissing produces the same hormone in your body that firing a gun does.
Matrimonial pollsters' studies prove that a man who kisses his wife good-bye when he leaves for work every morning averages a higher income than does the man who doesn't.

..............kites - whoopidoo!!

The smallest kite in the world which actually flies is 5mm high.

The largest number of kites flown on a single line is 11,284, this record is held by a Japanese kite maker.

The longest kite in the world is 1034 metres (3394 ft).

The largest kite in the world is the Megabite 55 x 22 metres (630sq metres).

The fastest recorded speed of a kite is over 120 mph. (193 km/h).

The record for the highest single kite flown is 3801 metres (12,471ft) - for a train of kites 9740 metres (31,955 ft).

The world record for the longest 'kite fly' is 180 hours.

Kite flying was banned in China during the Cultural Revolution, anyone found flying a kite was sent to jail for up to three years and their kites destroyed.

There are 78 rules in kite fighting in Thailand.

Kite flying was banned in Japan in 1760 because too many people preferred to fly kites than work.

The Chinese believe that looking at kites high in the sky maintains good eyesight.

The Chinese believe that when you tilt your head back to look at a kite in the sky your mouth opens slightly, which gets rid of excess body heat giving you a healthy yin-yang balance.

Large kites were banned in East Germany because of the possibility of man lifting over the Berlin Wall.

Lightning

Animals will not eat another animal that has been hit by a lightning strike