FACTS THAT MANY ARE UNAWARE OF!

Q: Why is green associated with envy?

A: The link comes out from the ancient Greeks who thought jealous feelings led to an overproduction of bile, giving the sufferer a pale greenish hue. Literature quickly popularized the association, with the Greek poet,Sappho using the colour in the seventh century BC to describe a jealous lover.Ovid and Chaucer followed suit as did Shakespeare in Iago’s warning to Othello: "O, beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is the green – ey’d monster which doth mock.The meat it feeds on."

Q: Why does February have only 28 or 29 days?

A: It’s a short month because of a battle of egos between two Roman emperors. When Augustus Caesar came to power, he decided to name a month after himself and changed Sextilis to Augustus (our August). The proceeding month Julius(our July ,named after his uncle) had 31 days. Not to be out-done ,Augustus gave his own month 31 days. This meant another month had to lose a day so Februarius (named after a purification feast), at the end of the year in Julian calendar, was cut to 28 days – 29 in a leap year. It got an extra day every four years in an attempt to keep in step with the seasons.

Q: If Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon how was he filmed leaving the lunar module?

A: The historic moment was captured for the estimated one billion people watching on Earth by a TV camera mounted on the exterior of Apollo 11’s landing module, says NASA’s James Hartsfield. The camera was operated by remote control from inside the module by second man on the moon, Buzz Aldrin.

Q: Why do we have eyebrows?

A: One of the main functions is to stop sweat and rain running down your forehead into your eyes. Together with the protruding bone structure of the brow, eyebrows may help to shade the eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet rays that, overtime, can cause a number of sight disorders. Eyebrows are also effective form of unspoken communication, used to express many emotions including surprise, doubt or, immersion in thoughts.

Q: Can a snail’s damaged shell heal, or does it have to move house?

A: Nature’s king of Do-It-Yourself, the snail can easily repair damage to its shell, albeit at a snails pace. They make their shells by constructing a matrix of protein on their backs and then coating it with a tough, protective layer of lime. They can repeat this process to fill in a hole . But it may take several weeks and, as land-based snails depend on their shells to keep bodily moisture in, if the damage is too extensive, they will dry out and die before repairs are complete.

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