Who Knew?: Things You Didn't Know About Things You Know Well

What I loved about this book is that the information it contained was fresh and different from the typical trivia book. I first discovered it a year ago when a friend brought it along on a car trip and being confirmed know-it-alls, both of us were continually amused about what we didn't know (from the origins of popular phrases and products to tidbits about some of our favorite tv shows and movies). Since, I've given a number of copies as gifts. So I was extremely surprised when I read some of the dsigruntled reviews. Yes, there's only one factoid per page - but when they're all interesting, who cares? And I have to add this: The reader who claims the author said Jell-O emits brain waves, obviously misread the whole thing. What the book states is that "if Jell-O is hooked up to an EEG, it registers movements virtually identical to the brain waves of a healthy adult." The 'it' refers to the EEG - not the Jell-O! And for the record, this isn't urban folklore. Several years ago, the Smithsonian did a symposium on Jell-O (yes, the Smithsonian!). And they concur: It's the result of a study performed in 1993 by technicians at St. Jerome hospital in Batavia, NY, to confirm an earlier test by Dr. Adrian Upton. Hey, who knew?!?

Did you know that Twinkies originally had banana-flavored filling in them rather than the vanilla we all know and love so well? They did, up until WWII when there was a banana shortage in the U.S. To quote the author, Who Knew? This is just one of the interesting tidbits of information you'll glean from this book. A must-read for any trivia lover, Who Knew? also makes enjoyable reading for the merely mildly curious. Have you ever wondered how Marilyn Monroe walked that walk? She lopped off the heel of one shoe! Highly recommended reading - and a great gift for those hard-to-buy-for folks on your gift list.