- The video game Halo 2 racked up sales of $125m in its first 24 hours of release. Hollywood's biggest weekend opening ever was Spider-Man, at $114m. [San Francisco Chronicle, 18th December 2004]
- No words in the English language rhyme with orange, silver, purple and month. [New Scientist, 18th December 2004]
- In 2004, the worst performing economy in central Europe, the Czech Republic's, grew almost twice as fast as the euro-area economies. [The Economist, 8th January 2005]
- 41 per cent of British people stay at home every evening of the week. [The Guardian, 8th January 2005]
- 5 per cent of China's GDP is exported directly to Wal-Mart. [The Observer, 19th December 2004]
- The Irish drive an average 15,000 miles a year, more than Americans and the British. [The Week, 31st December 2004]
- The Clintons sent 400,000 Christmas cards in 2000. In their first year in office, Laura and George W Bush sent 875,000. In 2002 they sent 1m, in 2003 1.3m and this year 2m. [International Herald Tribune, 13th December 2004]
- In Kansas and Massachusetts, the minimum age for marriage is 12. [Chicago Tribune, 11th December 2004]
- In terms of population percentage, Australia sustained more losses in the first world war than any other nation. [Everything you didn't need to know about Australia by Adam Ward]
- The most effective musical deterrents to loiterers and vandals are anything sung by Pavarotti or written by Mozart. [The Economist, 8th January 2005]
- Almost two thirds of Palestinians think violence has achieved more than negotiations. [Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research]
In fact
February 20, 2005
