AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING CXII

1. In the book on which "The Wizard of Oz" is based, the Emerald City isn't green. Instead, visitors wear tinted glasses to make everything take on a green hue.

2. M*A*S*H ran for 11 years, ending with the farewell episode, "Good-bye, Farewell, and Amen," on February 28, 1983. The episode was 2 1/2 hours long, had 106 million viewers, and is purported to be the single most-watched TV series episode in history.

3. Saudi Arabia has to import sand. 95% of the country is covered by the Arabian Desert, but the sand is not the right quality for construction. Individual desert sand granules have smooth edges, which are useless for construction. River sand has jagged edges, which is what is needed for construction.

4. The Eiffel Tower has 1,665 step from the ground to the top. You can only climb 674 of them - from the ground to the second floor (327 + 347). You cannot climb the rest of the way, as this section is closed to the public for safety reasons.

5. Australia has 8 capital cities, each of which functions as the seat of government for its state or territory. One of them is Canberra, which is the national capital.

6. 74% of world flags contain the color red. The only flag in the world without red, white, or blue is that of Jamaica.

7. At any one time 10 quadrillion ants roam the earth (10,000 trillion).

8. In addition to seeing-eye dogs, there are also hearing dogs. They are trained to alert their deaf masters to important sounds - such as alarms, sirens, and doorbells.