Due to precipitation, for a few weeks K2 is bigger than Mt Everest 

The U.S standard railroad gauge (distance between rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. 
The Russian National Railway's Std Gauge is 5 feet, 8-1/2 inches! Initial rolling stock from the US. 

For the Transcontinental railroad, the gauge was carried to the West Coast via a stick! Thanks to jpmarlin@mediaone.net for these two facts 

Most gemstones contain several elements. Except the diamond it's all carbon. 

The smoke detector was invented in 1969 

The average flea can jump up to 150 times its own length. To match that a human would have to jump 1,00 feet. 

Barbie's measurements if she were life-size; 39-29-33. 

More people are killed by donkeys annually than are killed in plane crashes. 

1 in every 4 Americans has appeared on television. 

You were born with 300 bones, but when you get to be an adult you only have 206. 

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching T.V. 

The Pacific Ocean fills nearly a complete hemisphere of the earth's surface. 

There are ten human body parts that are only three letters long (eye hip arm leg ear toe jaw rib lip gum). 

If you go blind in one eye you only lose about one fifth of your vision but all your sense of depth 

German chemists have made a replica of the football World Cup trophy that is the size of one molecule. That is less than 100-millionth the size of the original. 

The Catholic Herald, published in Great Britain, warms about the dangers of drinking holy water from religious shrines. While it may have curative powers in a religious sense, it seems that it also is a breeding ground for germs. 

The first recording of the human voice was be Thomas Edison in 1877. It was 'Mary Had a Little Lamb.' 

More money is spent on gardening than on any other hobby 

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty years of age or older. 

Most of the vitamin C in fruits is in the skin. 

The average life of a taste bud is 10 days. 

Women blink nearly twice as much as men. 

A bowling pin need only tilt 7.5 degrees to fall. 

The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30ft. 

The strongest muscle in the body is the tongue. (Relative to size)