By R.U. Steinberg

AUGUST 2, 1999: 

The laser rifles used in Lost in Space were later reused by Mr. Freeze in the Batman TV series.

At funerals in ancient China, when the lid of the coffin was closed, mourners took a few steps backward so their shadows would not get caught inside.

The largest known kidney stone weighed 1.36 kg.

According to P.J. O'Rourke in Parliament of Whores, if you took all the money that has been spent on programs to eliminate poverty in the U.S. and gave it to poor people, each poor person would get about $117,000.

The average Mexican worker takes home $3 a day.

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 at mrpants@auschron.com.

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