By the law of averages you are more likely to be killed by
a flying champagne cork than by a poisonous spider. |
In the USA, in 1998, 48 people lost their lives due to rollercoaster
accidents! |
There is a town in Maryland called Accident. It sits on a major
state highway linking western Maryland with the rest of the
state. On the approach to the town is a road sign that doubles
as a warning and is always true, no matter what the traffic
condition. The sign says: ACCIDENT AHEAD |
You have a higher chance of being killed by a donkey than dying
in a plane crash. |
In the USA an average of 55,700 people are injured by their
own jewellery every year. |
The first person to be killed in an auto accident in the United
States was Henry H. Bliss, a 68-year-old real estate broker.
On September 14, 1899, in New York City, Mr. Bliss stepped
from a streetcar, turned to assist a woman passenger, and was
hit by a cab. |
In Britain, in 1999, 43 adults died in their bathtubs! |
The first fatal plane accident occurred on September 17, 1908
- - the pilot in that crash was none other than Orville Wright.
In mid-flight, the propeller broke and the plane plunged 150
feet. Orville suffered multiple hip and leg fractures but Lieutenant
Thomas E. Selfridge of the U.S. Signal Corps., who was also
on board, died. |
In the USA a house catches fire every 45 seconds. |
La Paz, Bolivia, which is about 12,000 feet above sea level,
is nearly a fireproof city, and the fire engine ordered out
of civic pride gather dust in their firehouses. At that altitude,
the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere barely supports fire.
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