Romania has had six different national anthems since the second world war. [Wall Street Journal, 17th May 2002]
Though Ireland's population has never exceeded 10m, over 70m people worldwide claim Irish ancestry. [Atlantic Monthly, May 2002]
In the US, 6,455 new albums were released by major labels last year. Only 112 sold over the 500,000 copies needed to break even. [Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition, May 2002]
Ren? Descartes was so afraid of the plague that he moved house around 18 times in 21 years. [Cogito, Ergo Sum, Richard Watson, David R Godine, 2002]
The US pharmaceutical industry is spending three times as much on research this year as it did in 1991. But it plans to release half as many new drugs as in 1996. [Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America]
There are 123,598,000 Muslims living in India-slightly fewer than the 140,277,000 who live in Pakistan. [Central Intelligence Agency]
Workers in the health and social services sector take more time off than workers in any other sector. The lowest absentee rate is found in financial and related services. [Economic Journal, June 2002]
In Paraguay, duelling is legal if both participants are registered blood donors. [The Guardian World Cup guide]
In 1977, the British Board of Film Classification cut 20.5 per cent of films. Last year, it cut just 2.8 per cent. [The Observer, 2nd June 2002]
Between 1981 and 1999, American universities awarded to Iraqi nationals 106 doctorates in chemical and nuclear engineering and 31 doctorates in atomic and nuclear physics. [National Review, 17th June 2002]
