Free Uncle John’s Supremely Satisfying Bathroom Reader® by Michael Brunsfeld

electrical patterns in the brain. That’s how we know that birds and mammals—animals like dogs, cats, cows, and pigs—actually sleep. The problem with bugs is they don’t have enough brains to hook the wires to. So we don’t really know what they’re doing.” (From
Know It All!,
by Ed Zotti)
GOOD HORSE SENSE
    Q: How
much is one horsepower?
    A: “Although it was originally intended to be measured as the average rate at which a horse does work, one horsepower has now been standardized to equal exactly 550 foot-pounds of work per second, or 746 watts of power.
    “Speaking of watts, they’re named after James Watt, the Scottish engineer who invented an improved steam engine and then created the term
horsepower.
He needed some way to convince potential customers that his engine could outperform the horse. By devising a system of measurement based on the power of a horse, customers could easily compare the work potential of his engine versus that of the beast.” (From
Everything You Pretend to Know and Are Afraid Someone Will Ask,
by Lynette Padwa)
    Mozart’s age when he wrote the melody, “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”: Five years old.
SKY WRITING
    Q:
Why do migrating ducks and geese fly in V formation?
    A: “Scientists aren’t really sure why this behavior occurs. Some believe that each bird in the V receives lift from the bird in front of it. (Lift, an upward draft created by air currents rushing over and under the wing, is also what gets airplanes off the ground.) By staying in close V formation, each bird, except the leader, may get enough of a lift that it can fly longer with less effort.
    “It may also be that the V formation helps birds avoid midair collisions, because each bird knows its position and can see the other members of the flock.” (From
101 Questions and Answers About Backyard Wildlife,
by Ann Squire)
EYE DON’T THINK SO
    Q:
Will TV cause eye damage?
    A: “Although the contrast between a bright screen and a dark room will temporarily tire the eyes, there is no long-term eye damage. According to Dr. Theodore Lawwill, of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, ‘children like to be as close to the action as possible and would climb into the TV if they could.’ Nevertheless, young children are able to focus sharply on objects as close as a few centimeters away from their eyes.’
    “Dr. William Beckner, of the National Council on Radiation Protection, also dispels the notion that TV causes radiation damage: ‘No matter how close you sit to the set, X-rays just aren’t a problem.’ ” (From
The Odd Body: Mysteries of Our Weird and Wonderful Bodies Explained,
by Dr. Stephen Juan)
TREASURE TROVE
    Q:
How much gold does the United States store in Fort Knox?
    A: “The U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox contains approximately 315 million troy ounces of gold. At the official government price of $42.222 per troy ounce, the gold in the vault is worth $13 billion. At a market price of $300 an ounce, the gold would be worth $94.5 billion.” (From Do Fish
Drink Water?,
by Bill McLain)
    Queen Elizabeth II was
Time
magazine’s “Man of the Year” for 1952.

TEST YOUR EGG I.Q.
    How well do you know your yolks from your whites? Are you an egghead…or an empty shell? Take our quiz and find out.
    1. Without breaking it open, how can you tell if an egg is fresh?
    a) Carefully feel the shell—if it has soft spots, the egg is rotten.
    b) Hold the egg up your ear and shake it. If you hear the yolk sloshing around inside, the egg is still fresh. A silent egg is a rotten egg.
    c) Drop the egg in a glass of water. If it sinks to the bottom and lies on its side, it’s fresh. If it sinks to the bottom and “stands” on one end, it’s old but probably still edible. If it floats, it’s rotten.
    2. Which part of the egg is known as the “chalazae”?
    a) The protective coating on the outside of the shell.
    b) The membrane separating the yolk from the white.
    c) The thin strands of egg white that