Creators Of British TV Game Show Release Second Book Of Assorted Trivia
By John Ostapkovich
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The creators of a British quiz show are out with another book of trivia they learned along the way.
1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop has no chapters and no particular theme, although co-author John Lloyd says that since the show next year will focus on things containing the letter M there are quite a few related facts.
"For example, next year we might use one of the facts in the book which is when Menelik II, Emperor of Ethiopia, felt unwell he would eat a few pages of the Bible, or Mussolini described Mein Kampf (there's two Ms) as a boring tome that I've never been able to read, or the solid on Mars is particularly good for growing asparagus."
Some non-M facts: Saudia Arabia imports sand, for making concrete, and all the pandas in the world belong to China.
Co-author John Mitchinson on an American oddity, "They were so convinced the alcohol caused crime that on the eve of Prohibition there were some towns in Iowa that put their jails up for sale. They were sure Prohibition was going to kill crime stone dead."
The book also says New Jersey was once called Lorraine, and QI's online source checker cites the head of the state historical commission for that niblet.
For more information, visit: http://qi.com/1339-sources-US/index.php
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