Useless Knowledge: Answers to Questions You'd Never Think to Ask

by Joe Edelman, David Samson

How can your tongue get you arrested?
What dessert is as smart as the average adult?
What's louder: A jet plane at take-off or a hippo having sex?

In the form of a lively and eccentric course catalog, this brainchild of the creator of the wildly successful www.uselessknowledge.com offers up loads of facts of little consequence for the hardcore trivia buff or the casual enthusiast. Inside, you'll find topics and entries like these:

The Core Curriculum
The Useless School of Animals
The sound that a camel makes is called "nuzzing".

The Useless School of Film
Warren Beatty's first job in the theater was a rat-catcher...backstage.

The Useless School of History
Not that he was immature, but Napoleon concocted his battle strategies in a sandbox.

The Useless School of Sports
It takes 3,000 cows to supply a single season's worth of footballs to the NFL.

There are also Useless Schools of Television, Biology, Science and Technology, Music, Geography, and Culinary Arts.

Genres: Trivia, Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published September 14, 2002

Reviews

[Erikka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best fact collection, and I always remove a star for facts without citations, but it was a fun read with lots and lots of facts.

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is okay. I have been on and off of it for a long time and I think its about time that I read the whole thing.

I borrowed this book from a friend's cottage and never returned it. I need to get on that, but I'll read it first.

Read it here and there over the years, it is really just a good trivial pursuit arsenal.

[Tracey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. However, I would have liked to have seen documentation for the facts shared. In addition, I would like to have used this at school but the question on the front cover is inappropriate. Not a trivia book for school!