By R.U. Steinberg

JUNE 7, 1999: 

The average lifespan of a Fortune 500 company is 40 years.

According to Nick Newton and Bill Minutaglio in Locker Room Mojo: True Tales of Superstitions in Sports, St. Louis slugger Steve Bilko ate at least one candy bar before each game. And Steve Preece of the Seattle Seahawks ate a candy bar every hour from breakfast until game time on each game day.

Two-thirds of the roses sold in the United States are grown in Colombia.

Some teenage girls in eastern Finland have started soaking tampons in vodka and then inserting them to try to get drunk. This avoids any smelly breath that can be detected by their parents.

A complete reel of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace weighs about 40 lbs.

The above is information which Mr. Smarty Pants read in a book, a magazine, or the newspaper; heard on the radio; saw on television; or overheard at a party. Got facts? E-mail Mr. Smarty Pants: mrpants@auschron.com.

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