Uncle John’s Unstoppable Bathroom Reader Read Free Page A

ear is a fluid-filled channel called the cochlea . Vibrations from the bones make waves in the fluid, where thousands of hair cells undulate in the sloshing fluid.
    “These hair cells are crucial. Somehow, the ripples that pass through them trigger electrical impulses, which travel along the auditory nerve—the hearing nerve—to the brain. The brain translates the signals into sound.
    “Hair cells can get hurt by loud noises, or by a knock on the head, impairing their ability to send electrical impulses through the hearing nerve. But some hair cells will be hurt in such a way that they continuously send bursts of electricity to the hearing nerve. In effect, these hair cells are permanently turned on. When the brain receives their signals, it interprets them as sound and we hear a ‘ringing,’ even in a silent room.” (From How Come? , by Kathy Wollard)
A group of kangaroos is called a troop .
    NUKE ‘EM
    Q: Can the microwaves leak out of the box and cook the cook?
    A: “ There is extremely little leakage from today’s carefully designed ovens. Moreover, the instant the door is opened, the magnetron shuts off and the microwaves immediately disappear.
    “What about the glass door? Microwaves can penetrate glass but not metal, so the glass door is covered with a perforated metal panel so you can see inside, but the microwaves can’t get through because their wavelength (43/4 inches) is simply too big to fit through the holes in the metal panel. There is no basis for the belief that it is hazardous to stand close to an operating microwave oven.” (From What Einstein Told His Cook , by Robert L. Wolke)
    POLLY WANT A FRIEND?
    Q: How do parrots talk?
    A: “Exactly why parrots can change their calls to make them sound like words is still not understood. Their ability to mimic may possibly be linked with the fact that they are highly social birds. A young parrot in captivity learns the sounds it hears around it and quickly realizes that repeating these sounds brings attention and companionship. This is perhaps a substitute for its normal social life.
    “Although they are such good mimics in captivity, parrots do not imitate other sounds in the wild. There are, however, many other species that do: mynah birds and lyrebirds, for example, do mimic the sounds they hear in their everyday lives.” (From What Makes the World Go Round? , edited by Jinny Johnson)
    CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW?
    Q: Is there sound in space? If so, what’s the speed of sound there?
    A: “No, there is no sound in space. That’s because sound has to travel as a vibration in some material such as air or water or even stone. Since space is essentially empty, it cannot carry sound, at least not the sorts of sound that we are used to.” (From How Things Work , by Louis A. Bloomfield)
How did the ancient Egyptians discover leavened bread? One theory By kneading dough with their feet—the yeast between their toes made it rise.

CLASSIC PUBLICITY STUNTS
Advertising costs a lot of money. So why pay for it when you can get the press to spread the word for free? All it takes is a combination of imagination, determination, and no shame whatsoever. These guys were masters at it .
    S TUNTMAN: P. T. Barnum
STUNT: “That is not a real bearded lady,” cried a paying customer at Barnum’s Museum. “It’s a bearded man wearing a dress!” The customer then had Barnum served with a subpoena and took him to court.
    IT WORKED! The trial was a public spectacle as the bearded lady, her husband, and a doctor each testified as to her femininity. Meanwhile, thousands flocked to the museum to judge for themselves. After the trial it came out that Barnum had actually hired the man to sue him…solely to drum up business.
    STUNTMAN: Press agent Marty Weiser
STUNT: In 1974 Weiser leased a drive-in theater in Los Angeles and invited the press to attend a movie premiere…for horses. Weiser featured a “horsepitality bar” full of “horse d’oeuvres” (popcorn buckets filled