Fact Hunt - week 2

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24-05-02

What is Britain's PDSA Dickin Medal?

The PDSA Dickin Medal is Britain's highest animal award for bravery and is better known as the "Animal's Victoria Cross." Fifty-eight animals -- including 32 pigeons, 22 dogs, three horses and one cat -- have received the Dickin Medal so far. One recipient of the medal is a Canadian Newfoundland known as "Gander," whom Jeremy Swanson of the Canadian War Museum said saved the lives of Canadian troops during the battle for Hong Kong in 1941, when Japanese forces invaded the British colony. Gander is the first Canadian dog to ever receive the award. The dog was the mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada, one of two Canadian regiments deployed in Hong Kong. Several times, he distracted Japanese invaders - preventing them from finding hidden Canadian soldiers. His final act was to run after and catch a hand grenade tossed by Japanese troops. Gander carried the grenade off in his mouth. It exploded moments later, killing the dog. The most recent award recipients: Salty, Roselle, and Appollo, three dogs who performed courageously during the events of September 11th. Salty and Roselle were guide dogs who led their owners down more than 70 floors of the World Trade Center to safety. Appollo was one of the search-and-rescue dogs employed at Ground Zero and the Pentagon. He was given the award in recognition of all 300 or so dogs who helped to search for life in the days following the terrorist attacks.

What did the cat who won the medal do?

"Simon," the lone cat to be awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal, courageously battled rats (who were eating precious rations) and lifted the morale of sailors held captive aboard the HMS Amethyst. The ship was surrounded on all sides by enemy forces during the civil war between the Chinese Communists under Mao Tse-tung and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists. Simon and his shipmates eventually escaped, but Simon died shortly afterward. Some suggested he had a weak heart and that the wounds he suffered during the initial attack of the ship combined with his frequent battles with large rats had done him in. His shipmates suggested instead that he died of a broken heart, having been separated after the incident from his beloved shipmates.

Do St. Bernards really carry those little brandy casks on their collars to rescue people in the snow?

Yes. At least at one time, anyway. In fact, the St. Bernard gets its name from an Italian churchman named Bernard who bred the dogs to work as rescue dogs in the Alps.

23-05-02

When ice melts, does it raise the water level in the glass?

No. When an ice cube melts in a glass, it will not raise the level of liquid. The space the ice took up as a cube is the same space that it will take up when it's a liquid.

Does dry ice melt?

Nope. It evaporates. 

Why does ice float?

It's simple, really. Water has a greater molecular density when it's in liquid form then as a solid. So as a solid, it floats.

22-05-02

Where did the term "doubleheader" originate?

"Doubleheader," which refers to two baseball games played back to back, was originally a railroad term that referred to two engines in a switching yard hooked up back to back on a single train. The train could also be called a "two- header."

What does "mark twain" refer to?

"Mark twain" means "two fathoms." (A fathom, of course is six feet deep, so that's 12 feet.) When navigating a riverboat over the Mississippi River, a riverboat captain needs someone to call out the depth in tricky areas to ensure that the boat can make it through. If he hears "mark twain," he knows that the water is barely deep enough for the boat to pass.

What famous author took "Mark Twain" as his pen name?

Samuel Clemens, the creator of the adventuresome Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, took "Mark Twain" as his pen name. This was not because he WAS a riverboat captain, but because he once wanted very badly to be one.

20-05-02

How long can a person live without water?

Not too long. The average person can go as many as eleven days without water. That's assuming a mean temperature of 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Let's just say that getting lost in the desert without water would not be a good idea.

Can a person survive on shoe leather?

Again, not too long. But leather does have nutritional value and a starving person (say, one lost in that desert) could sustain life for a short time by chewing on his shoes or belt.

Is it true that you lose most of your body heat through your head when in the cold?

Yes. Listen to your mother when she tells you to wear a hat in winter! A person loses 50-75 percent of his body heat when hatless.