FACTS OF THE MONTH:

Ten inches of snow melt down to one inch of precipitation.

It is forbidden for aircraft to fly over the Taj Mahal.

The last thing to happen is the ultimate thing, the next to last is the penultimate, and the third to last is the antepenultimate.

The olfactory nerves in the nose are the only nerves in the human body that can regenerate themselves.

Bull sharks are the only sharks that can live in both salt and fresh water.

Whales can't swim backwards.

"Ough" can be pronounced eight different ways. This sentence contains all eight: "A rough-coated, dough-faced ploughman strode through the streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing thoughtfully."

The human brain is 85 percent water.

Every square inch of human skin contains twenty feet of blood vessels.

The first motel opened in San Luis Obispo, CA in 1925.

A rat can last longer without water than a camel.

Carnivorous animals will not eat another animal that has been struck by lightning.

Women's hearts beat faster than men's.

The world's first subway system, the London Underground, is also the world's longest, spanning 244 miles.

The largest remaining colony in the world is Puerto Rico.

The highest point in the United States east of the Mississippi River is the 6,684-foot Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina.

Mia Farrow's parents met on the set of Tarzan Escapes (her mother is Maureen 'Jane' O'Sullivan).

South Africa has three capitals, one for each branch of government (Pretoria-administratice, Cape Town-legislative, Bloemfontein-judicial).

from WEEK: What may be the bloodiest encounter ever between Native Americans and Europeans on this continent occured when Hernando de Soto attacked Tuscaloosa in 1540. Alabama is the 23rd largest state with the 29th largest population. It was the 22nd state to join the union, meaning its state quarter will be released in 2003. Alabama has three cities among the nation's 100 most populated: Birmingham (60th), Mobile (79th) and Montgomery (86th). The University of Alabama was won or shared seven college football titles, and three national championships in women's gymnastics. Auburn's only national titles were in men's swimming ('97 and '99). The official Alabama State Bible is used to swear in the governor. Purchased in 1853, it was also used in 1861 to swear in Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederacy. The state was named after a tribe of Native Americans originally discovered in the central part of the state. The tribe's name may have been given to them by the Choctaw, which, if so, means the name translates to "thicket clearers". On 10 February 1881 the Alabama Legislature established the Tuskegee Institute as a "normal school for the education of colored teachers." The law stipulated that no tuition would be charged and graduates must agree to teach for two years in Alabama schools. Booker T. Washington was chosen as the first superintendent.

Canberra, the capital of Australia, is the country's largest city not on the coast.

When factoring in structures and population density, the most dangerous state to live in due to tornadoes is Massachusetts.

Under the Gregorian calendar, the last time there was a leap year in a year ending in '00' was 1600. There won't be another one until 2400.

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