Topic: Amazing Facts

[Clive]

The 1964 Pontiac GTO is widely regarded as the first “muscle car.” Pontiac owned the muscle scene in the early 1960s, but by 1968, that car had plenty of competition.  The Ford Mustang also made its debut in 1964. It was officially unveiled at the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York. That same day, the car also debuted in showrooms across America, and close to 22,000 Mustangs were purchased.

Germs from a sneeze can travel up to 26 feet at 100 mph and stay in the air for up to 10 minutes. It is basically a biological germ explosion.

The world's first and only Marxist state was the People's Republic of South Yemen. It existed from 1967 until its unification with North Yemen in 1990, which is now the modern state of Yemen.

The “dog days of summer” refer to the weeks between July 3 and August 11 and are named after the Dog Star (Sirius) in the Canis Major constellation. The ancient Greeks blamed Sirius for the hot temperatures, drought, discomfort, and sickness that occurred during the summer.

In 18th-century Europe, many people believed tomatoes were poisonous because people would sometimes die after eating the "poison apples." The cause, however, was lead in the pewter plates rather than the tomatoes themselves.

[Simon]

In 18th-century Europe, many people believed tomatoes were poisonous because people would sometimes die after eating the "poison apples." The cause, however, was lead in the pewter plates rather than the tomatoes themselves.

So, did they only ever eat tomatoes off these pewter plates? 

[Clive]

I think they were very popular in those days.  We see lots of them when we visit stately homes.