Hitler was on the shortlist for the 1938 Nobel Peace Prize. [The Guardian, 7th December 2002]
The British public believes that 32 per cent of people in Britain are black or Asian; it is 7 per cent. The British also think that 28 per cent earn more than ?40,000 a year; it is 8 per cent. [British Social Attitudes]
In Taiwan, Singapore and Hong Kong, 90 per cent of young people are short sighted. [New Scientist, 20th November 2002]
Only 14 per cent of US oil consumption is accounted for by middle east exports. [Financial Times, 25th October 2002]
From a height of 3km it takes 30 minutes for a snowflake to reach the ground. [Canadian Weather Trivia Calendar]
The US earned more tariff revenues in 2001 from Bangladeshi goods ($331m) than from French ($330m). Bangladeshi exports were worth $2 billion and French $30 billion. [Progressive Policy Institute]
From 1901-2000, suicide rates have been consistently lower under Labour governments than Conservative. [Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health]
Before November, the Irish national soccer team hadn't fielded a player from the Irish national league for 16 years. [Radio 5 Live, 18th November 2002]
A quarter of the estimated 60,000 witches executed in Europe between 1450 and 1750 were men. [Male Witches in Early Modern Europe, forthcoming]
There are no women on the management boards of Germany's 30 largest publicly-traded companies. [S?ddeutsche Zeitung]
In 2003, Russians are expected to buy more beer than vodka for the first time ever. [Business Analytica]
In Britain, the number of older people who died last winter due to cold was 25,100; the worst record in Europe, worse even than in Siberia. [Office for National Statistics]
