AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING XCI

1. In the early18th century, when many people could not read, the crescent-shaped moon became the symbol for an outhouse for women. The men's had a sun or star, but only the crescent moon survived - and can still be seen on very old outhouses.

2. The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering is held every year in Elko, Nevada in late January/early February.

3. The "dead man's hand" contains both black aces and both black eights. According to legend, this is the poker hand that Wild Bill Hickok was holding when he was shot in the back in Deadwood, South Dakota.

4. "Nisei" is the most commonly used term to define Americans of Japanese ancestry born in the United States. They are the children of Japanese immigrants. The immigrants, born in Japan, are called "Issei." The children of the Nisei are the "Sansei." The words mean first, second, and third generations.

5. Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project, commonly known as The Big Dig, was the largest, most complex, most technically challenging, and most expensive highway project in American history.

6. Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.

7. Virginia Dare was the first child of English parents to be born in America.

8. SAE stands for Society of Automotive Engineers. Motor oils have SAE grades, or numbers, that indicate viscosity; the lower the number, the thinner the oil.