Why onions make you cry
Onions, like other plants, are made of cells. The cells are divided into two sections, separated by a membrane. One side of the membrane contains a chemical, an enzyme, which helps chemical processes occur in your body. The other side of the membrane contains molecules that contain sulfur. When you cut an onion, the contents on each side of the membrane mix and cause a chemical reaction. This reaction produces molecules such as ethylsufine which make your eyes water. To prevent crying when you cut an onion, cut it under a running tap of cold water. The sulfur compounds dissolve in water and are rinsed down the sink before they reach your eyes

Bananas:
Bananas consistently are the number one compliant of grocery shoppers. Most people complain when bananas are overripe or even freckled. The fact is that spotted bananas are sweeter, with a sugar content of more than 20%, compared with 3% in a green banana.

Approximately 44 million tons of bananas are produced annually, compared to more than 60 million tomatoes. Apples are the third most popular (36 million tons), then oranges (34 million tons) and watermelons (22 million tons).

That it once was law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed?
During the 6th Century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because it was thought that they were expelling evil from their bodies. During the great plague of Europe, the Pope passed a law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed.

First Toy Balloon:
The first toy balloon, made of vulcanized rubber, was thought of by someone in the J.G. Ingram company in London, England in 1847.

First Chocolate Chip:
Chocolate Chip Cookies were invented in 1930 when Toll House Inn baker Ruth Wakefield decided to save time and just throw chunks of chocolate into her cookie batter, rather than melt it first. Thank you, Ruth!

First Ice Cream Cone:
The ice cream cone was "born" at the 1904 World's Fair when a young woman  laden with packages rolled a soft cookie into a cone to hold her ice cream so she could keep eating while enjoying the sights.

Camels:
The camel is called 'Ships of the Desert' but they do not store water in their hump, it's a food reserve composed mainly of fat, allowing the camel to lose heat freely from the rest of its body.

Polar Bears:
Polar Bears are surprisingly fast and agile. They can outrun a reindeer, achieving a top speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) for short stretches, and are also capable of jumping at least 3.7 m (12 ft) horizontally and leaping mounds of snow up to 2 m (6½ ft) high.

Fattest Cat:
The fattest cat in the world (on record) was Himmy. He lived in Queensland, Australia and weighed 46 lbs. 15 ozs. (21.3 kg.). He was ten years old when he died in 1986.

Bible:
Did you know there are 66 books in the Bible? The word "Lord" appears 1855 times but the word "girl" is only said one time. The longest verse is the 9th verse of the 8th chapter of Esther. The shortest verse is the 35th verse of the 11th chapter of St. John. This verse says "Jesus wept".

Daniel:
Did you know Daniel was thrown in a pit with man-eating lions yet he didn't get eaten? The lions growled at Daniel but they couldn't open their mouths. God kept Daniel safe. ( Read Daniel:6 to find out why).

Samson:
Did you know Samson was strong because of his hair? At first, he did not use his strength wisely until God taught him a lesson. (Read Judges:13 to find out what the lesson was)

David:
How tall was the giant who fought with David? The giant who fought David in the Bible was 2.97m (9ft. 9in.) tall. The world's tallest animal is a giraffe and the world's known tallest man is Robert Pershing Wadlow. The giraffe is 5.49m (18 ft.), the man is 2.55m (8ft. 11.1 in.).  The giant who fought David was a real giant!!

Animals in the Bible:
Domestic cats are not mentioned at all in the Bible. But dogs are mentioned 14 times and lions 89 times.

Rained Frogs
Did you know it rained frogs? In June, 1997, there was a tornado in Mexico. As the wind moved over a pond in a placed called Villa Angel Flores, it scooped up all the frogs and landed them in a different place called Sineloa.

Butterflies
Did you know Sailor, Dead Leaf, Paper Kite, Blue Striped Crow, Julia and Great Egg Fly are all names of Butterflies ?

Pencil Eraser
JOSEPH RECHENDORFER was the first person to think of putting a piece of rubber onto the top of a pencil which makes it real easy to rub out mistakes.

Powerful Brain
The human brain consists of more than 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) through which the brain's commands are sent in the form of electric pulses. These pulses travel at more than 400 km/h (250 mph), creating enough electricity to power a lightbulb.

Did you know that it once was law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed?
During the 6th Century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because it was thought that they were expelling evil from their bodies. During the great plague of Europe, the Pope passed a law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed.

Word of God
The word "God" appears in every book of the Bible except Esther and Song of Solomon

Selected from www.kids-teens.org/