In the US, 64 per cent of families say grace before dinner. In Britain the figure is 2 per cent. [American Enterprise Institute, January 2002]
Half of Russia's army will be Muslims in 15 years. [RFE, 6th February 2002]
Some American Indian languages are so complex that children do not become fully fluent until the age of ten. [San Francisco Chronicle, 27th January 2002]
In 2000, 38,000 people gained the right to live in Britain as the result of marriage. [The Times, 8th February 2002]
Over 50 former American mayors are behind bars. [The Guardian, 28th January 2002]
In Britain, the number of prison visitors has fallen by a third in the last five years. [The Guardian, 30th January 2002]
There have been no acute measles deaths in Britain since 1992.[The Independent, 7th February 2002]
In the Falklands war, 255 British soldiers were killed in action; 264 who fought have since committed suicide. [Guardian Editor, 18th January 2002]
At 99 per cent, Mongolia has the highest literacy rate of any country in the world, but it is only ranked 151st in the global GNP per capita table. [FT World Desk Reference, Dorling Kindersley, 2002]
In the US, the average reading age for a 16-year-old boy is the same as the average for a 14-year-old girl. [Salon, 5th February, 2002]
In 1800, more people were hung for sodomy than for murder. [Guardian Review, 9th February 2002]
A study of 15 European languages found that English is the most difficult to learn to read. Children master the basics of other languages within one year. British children take two years to reach the same point. Finnish is the easiest European language to learn to read. [New Scientist, 4th September, 2001]
