100 Things We Didn't Know This Time Last Year

An anonymous reader wrote to mention a BBC list of 100 topical pieces of information that they've reported on over the course of 2005. While some of them are very Brit-specific ("16. The London borough of Westminster has an average of 20 pieces of chewing gum for every square metre of pavement."), there are some interesting, touching, and humorous stories in there. "20. The Queen has never been on a computer, she told Bill Gates as she awarded him an honorary knighthood. 32. 'Restaurant' is the most mis-spelled word in search engines. 65. Actor James Doohan, who played Scotty, had a hand in creating the Klingon language that was used in the movies, and which Shakespeare plays were subsequently translated into."

Comments

Hmmph.

[Ruff_ilb]

Interesting list, but some of the stuff is either bogus or filler. For example:

"41. Tactically, the best Monopoly properties to buy are the orange ones: Vine Street, Marlborough Street and Bow Street."

I believe they're called New York, Tennessee Avenue and St. James Place. And this is just common sense - their relationship with jail, and the fact that they're on the end of a row (More bang for buck, house/hotel wise, and a 6,8, or 9 after jail yields a hit), makes them ideal.

"43. The spiciness of sauces is measured in Scoville Units."

What does this have to do with '05? I've known that for a long time.

"61. You can bet on your own death."

That's a safe bet - but what do I get once my win has been confirmed?

Meanwhile, others are just best LEFT OUT:

"67. Giant squid eat each other - especially during sex."
"11. One in 10 Europeans is allegedly conceived in an Ikea bed."
"78. One in 18 people has a third nipple."

Thanks for the list, BBC.