• The theft of the oil of another man's olives, peanuts, or flax has been punishable by impalement in Athens since 407.

• The first cellos were played much like a guitar, with a curved piece of ivory or bone the size of a bottle cap serving as a pick.

• When the Woolworth building was commissioned in 1910, architect Cass Gilbert agreed to design it only under the stipulation that it not appear in a "moving picture", as Gilbert believed them to be an instrument of the devil. 95 years later, the Woolworth building has never appeared in any feature film or television commercial, though it has been the subject of two documentaries.

• More notes are produced per year by Parker Brothers for their "Monopoly" board game than are printed by all African nations combined.

• While it takes 67 muscles to frown and only 17 to smile, the 17 smiling muscles must exert 6 times more force to maintain the configuration.