WORD ORIGIN--S.H.I.T.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, everything had to be transported by ship and it was also before commercial fertilizer's invention, so large shipments of manure were common.
(and did) happen.
, (Ship High In Transport) which has come down through the centuries and is in use to this very day.
Answer, the solution was a metal plate with 16 round dimples, called, for reasons unknown, a Monkey. But if this plate were made of iron, the iron balls quickly rusted to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make the plates of brass - hence, Brass Monkeys.
Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts more, and more rapidly than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the brass indentations would shrink so much that the iron cannon balls would come right off the monkey. Thus, it was quite literally, cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey. And all this time, you thought that it was just a vulgar expression, didn't you?
Over time, the custom of kissing developed as a way for adults to express their love and affection for one another. The roots of this form of affection can be traced back to primitive times, when mothers fondled their children, much as mothers do today.
Much later, in the sixth century, society apparently accepted the custom of kissing between adults as an expression of their affection. Not surprisingly, France first accepted kissing in courtship, and in amore. There, figure dancing was the rage, and each dance was sealed with a kiss.
The custom of kissing swept from France through Europe to Russia, where Russian nobility loved to ape the French. Eventually, the kiss was incorporated into marriage ceremonies, and today lip-locks couples into sweet matrimony.
The custom of kissing today, as well as in ancient times, serves to show respect, and to pay homage to another. For example, early Romans kissed each other on the mouth or on the eyes to greet one another in a manner they deemed to be a dignified. One Roman emperor even ranked a person's importance by the body part he was allowed to kiss. He allowed important nobles to kiss his lips, less important ones to kiss his hands, and the least important ones to kiss his feet.
In Russia, the highest sign of recognition from the Crown meant a kiss from the Tsar himself. Today, natives of many African tribes pay homage to their Chief by kissing the ground over which he has walked.-
EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT THE OSTRICH
THE PONY EXPRESS 
The Pony Express only lasted 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861.
MOST UNLUCKY SCUBA DIVER EVER!
Fire authorities in California found a corpse in a burned out section of forest while assessing the damage done by forest fire. The deceased male was dressed in a full west suit, complete with scuba tanks on his back, flippers, and face mask in the middle of the forest.
A post-mortem test revealed that the man died not from burns, but from massive internal injuries. Dental records provided identification. Investigators then set about to determine how a fully clad diver ended up in the middle of a forest fire. It was revealed that on the day of the fire, the man went diving off the coast, some 20 miles from the forest. The fire-fighters seeking to control the fire as quickly as possible had called in a fleet of helicopters with very large dip buckets. Water was dipped from the ocean and emptied at the site of the forest fire. You guessed it: One minute our diver was making like Flipper in the Pacific, the next, he was doing the breast stroke in a fire dip bucket 300 feet in the air and then airborne into smoke heaven.
DONKEYS KILL MORE PEOPLE ANNUALLY
THAN PLANE CRASHES OR SHARK ATTACKS( WATCH YOUR ASS ! )
A DUCK'S QUACK DOES NOT ECHO,
AND NO ONE KNOWS WHY !
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, SOME TURTLES
CAN BREATH THROUGH THEIR BUTTS!
It IS POSSIBLE TO LEAD A COW UP STAIRS.......
BUT NOT DOWN STAIRS .
THERE ARE 5,000 KNOWN............
SPECIES OF FROGS.
THE KING OF HEARTS IS....
THE ONLY KING WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE.
WHY PIGEONS BOB THEIR HEADS
Basically the pigeon's back-and-forth head motion--not exactly a bob--helps it keep its balance when walking. The pigeon's legs are located pretty far astern, and if it kept its head forward all the time it would probably tip over. This would expose the pigeon to the ridicule of the community. 
Instead, what it does is move its chest forward in time with one leg, and its head forward in time with the other leg. Thus some weight is always trailing a little aft the port beam, as we say. Many fowl have similarly peculiar gaits, because they cannot afford orthopedic shoes.
SHARKS
Sharks have upper and lower eyelids but they do not blink.
Sharks can travel up to 40 miles per hour.
The most harmless sharks tend to be the largest.
There are 370 species of sharks.
Some sharks swim in a figure eight when frightened.
Sharks have survived on earth for about 400 million years.
A shark bites with it's lower jaw first and then its upper.
Some sharks may eat other sharks.
The hides of mature female blue sharks are more than twice as thick as those of males.
Florida averages the greatest number of shark attacks annually.
A shark may grow and use over 20,000 teeth in its lifetime
Almost all sharks are "carnivores" or meat eaters.
SPIDERS
How high could Michael Jordon jump if he were a spider?
If Michael Jordan could jump proportionately as high as a jumping spider, he would be able to dunk on a 260-foot-high rim.
How did theTarantula get its name?
The tarantula was named after the Italian seaport city of Taranto, where the hairy venomous wolf spider once abounded.
What are the largest and smallest spiders?
The largest spider is the South American tarantula, as big as a dinner plate and heavy as a stick of butter. The smallest is the Comb-footed spider, smaller than the head of a pin. 
Were any spiders harmed during the filming of Spiderman?
More than 150 spiders were used in the laboratory scene in the movie "Spider-Man." An assistant auditioned spider actors picking the ones with the most predictable behavior, as the Humane Society looked out for their welfare. The movie's bug consultant, Steve Kutcher, stated that no spiders were harmed.
How many spiders are there?
Scientists have identified 37,000 spider species worldwide, (2,500 species in the United States and Canada). Spiders first appeared on Earth 400 million years ago - about 170 million years before the first dinosaurs.
Why isn't a Daddy Long-Legs a spider?
A Daddy Long-legs doesn't make silk, it is a scavenger and not a predator. It doesn't have a narrow waist or complex sex organs, but, like a spider, it is an arachnid.
FLOWERS
Flowers-both cultivated and those with a native nature-have become associated with sentiments, often with the purpose of conveying amorous thoughts. 
In the 1600s in Constantinople (what is now Istanbul), flowers gained meanings which enabled lovers to convey messages to each other without having to write or talk.
This language of flowers was introduced to Europe by Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, a celebrated letter-writer and society poet who, in 1716, accompanied her husband to the Turkish Court in Istanbul. During her stay, she sent a Turkish love letter to England which interpreted the meanings of some plants, flowers, and spices.
The wonder of flowers, she proposed, was that words and messages of love - even altercations - could be passed in a refined and subtle manner without 'inking the fingers'.
The passing of messages via the floral code was then taken up by the French, only to return to England during the reign of Queen Victoria.
More than 800 flowers have special meanings associated with them. There are over 30 for roses alone.
OUR NOSE KNOWS 
Most humans can tell the difference between approximately 10000 different odors.
FLATUS 
- On the average, a healthy person farts 16 times a day.
- Hey guys, don't be fooled by girls who tell you that they never fart. Everyone farts, including girls. In fact, females fart just as much as males.
- Many animals fart too. Cats, dogs, and cows. Elephants fart the most.
- People fart the most in their sleep.
- Farts that contain a large amount of methane & hydrogen can be flammable.
ANTARCTICA 
Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.
Ninety percent of the world's ice covers
This ice also represents seventy percent of all the fresh water in the world .
As strange as it sounds, however,
The average yearly total precipitation is about two inches. Although covered with ice (all but 0.4% of it, I.e.),
With an absolute humidity lower than the
NEW YORK CITY 
The term "The Big Apple" was coined by touring jazz musicians of the 1930s
Who used the slang expression "apple" for any town or city. Therefore, to play
ALASKA 
More than half of the coastline of the entire
THE AMAZON 
The Amazon rainforest produces more than 20% the world's oxygen supply.
The Amazon River pushes so much water into the Atlantic Ocean that,
More than one hundred miles at sea, off the mouth of the river,
One can dip fresh water out of the ocean. The volume of water in the
Rome
The first city to reach a population of 1 million people was 
SKIN 
If you live the average life span, you will shed at least 40 pounds of dead skin cells during your life!
CHOPSTICKS
BEER 
The saying 'Mind your P's and Q's' comes from the time when alcoholic beverages were served/sold in Pints and Quarts. Thus, to mind your P's and Q's meant to be careful how much you drank.
