Weird
But
True
200
Astounding,
Outrageous,
and Totally
Off the Wall
Facts
Leslie Gilbert Elman
© 2010 by Leslie Gilbert Elman
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the publisher.
Book design by James Sarfati
Fall River Press
122 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10011
ISBN: 978-1-4351-3697-7
Sterling ISBN 13: 978-1-4351-3697-7
“T
ruth is stranger than
   Fiction, but it is because
    Fiction is obliged to stick
     to possibilities, Truth isn't.”
â Mark Twain
Contents
Introduction
You Wash, I'll Dry
Don't Answer That
What's the Frequency, Earth?
Fueling Fossils
Lightning in the Desert
The 2,000-Year-Old Poop
More Poop
Dig It
Island Time
Late Bloomer
Stinko Ginkgo
Still Standing
Color My World
Red, Red Dye
Whiter Than White
Shame, Shame!
It All Went Sour
The Price of Spice
Put Some Pepper on It
I Do
Boys and Girls Together
We're All Ladies Here
Sharks are Doin' It For Themselves
Love Bites
That's Harsh
Dark and Deep
Life as We Are Getting to Know It
Trial Blazing
In an Absolute World
Absolute Hotness
To a Degree
Hot Topic
Cold Comfort
Not as Clear as You'd Think
Listen When Wet
Brr. . . Sounds Cold
Have You Ever Heard the Rain?
Raindrops Keep Fallin'
The Sound We All Hate
The Ultimate Playlist
Dance Party
Right-Hand Turn
Which Side Are You On?
Leaning Left
Stay in Your Own Lane
That One's Ours
Clean Up Your Junk
Now Look What You've Done!
Bang! Zoom!
That's Ours, Too
For Future Generations
Another Fine Mess
And Yet Another. . .
Ooh! That Smell
Scent of a Crime
Sniffing Out the Enemy
Uncommon Senses
In the Mood for Love
One Last Kiss
No Spit!
Lullaby. . .
. . .And Good Night
Sleep Tight
Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!
Bugging Out
Name It and Claim It
Creepy Crawlies
There's a Word for It
A Dollar and a Dream
Family Business
99 and 44/100 Percent Pure
It Floats
That Was Quick
Take It Slow
Built for Speed
Red Means Stop
The Fast and the Furious
Cuts Like a Knife
Zap!
It Was a Very Good Year
Pops Like a Bubble
Reason to Celebrate
Piece of Pi
Emerald Island
Fire Down Below
Hot Foot
On Your Toes
This Little Piggy
And This Little Piggy. . .
This Little Lizard
Talkin' 'bout Regeneration
Plain as the Nose on Your Face
Long Live the King (or Queen)
Dynasty
Louis, Louis
Walk the Walk
Sleep the Sleep
Naptime
Don't Eat That!
Take That
Whose Flus?
I Caught it from My Horse
The Mosquito Nose
Last Bite
You're Killin' Me!
Large and Lethal
Blood, Sweat, and Sunscreen
Sensitive Skin
Picture This
High Fives
Loose Change
What the L?
Three Rs in Andorra
Poetic Idol
It Could Be Verse
And the Tweet Goes On. . .
A Long, Long Time
Tell It Like It Is
Inner Vision
Sight to See
Multiplying Like Rabbits
Who's Your Mama?
Who's Your Daddy?
Fear the Frog
Itty-Bitty Critters
Between the Shells
Wisdom of Pearls
Hot Ice
The Pain of Price
Hanging Empty
Artistic Irony
The Disappearing Doctor
On the Dot
The Art of War
Peace in Our Time
Error of Omission
Colors of India
Seeing Red (and White and Blue)
There's a Word for This, Too
What's Behind That Curtain?
Introducing Romeo and Juliet
No Girls Allowed
Vive la Difference
It's Curtains for You!
Just Dessert
New Word Order
Top Cats
Maybe “Mr. Cat” Isn't Such a Bad Name
Aren't You Glad You Know. . .
Starts With P
Ends With U
Two's Company
Oh, K
Okay, Kr
Greetings from Krypton
Pocketful of Kryptonite
Not Okay
Oh, K2
Be Careful Up There
A New Level of Clean
Point of View
Ups and Downs
Recalculating Route
In Space and Time
The Space Between Us
Can You Hear Me Now?
What Did You Say?
I Can't Understand You
We Don't Use That Sort of Language
It's Official
You Can Say That Again
Sing It Loud. . . Or Not
Words Can't Express
I Hear That
This Is So Disgusting We Can't Even Believe We're Writing It
Now the Good News
Write On
Closed Captions
Prehistoric Primping
Covering Grays
Pale by Comparison
Red Roots
Big Red
Redheads Rule
Mama Said Knock You Out
. . .And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Germs
Sticking Around
Not Dead Yet
Do as I Say, Not as I Do
And That's the Truth
Department of Hair-Splitting
Your Lying Smile
A Lie of the Mind
Brain Drain
Remembrance of Places Passed
This Looks Familiar
Haven't We Been Here Before?
Repeat That
Never Seen That Before
Been There, Done That
A
ll the wild fantasies dreamed up by novelists, artists, and filmmakers, often don't compare to the oddball discoveries made every year by researchers around the world. Nobody would believe a novel that included a suicidal treeâbut you can see one for yourself in Madagascar. A film that featured a floating raft of garbage the size of Texas would seem fantasticâscientists say there's one in the Pacific Ocean that's
at least
that large.
If you're fascinated by the strange, unusual, and unexplainable truths of our world (and who isn't?), just turn the pageâ¦
