The SEARCH longest bar in the world is 684 w w w .factsnfact Enter your search terms feet(abou t 208.

5 Web www.factsnfacts.com meters) long and Search pub-6751890348 is located Submit search form at the ISO-8859-1 GALT:#008000;G en New Bulldog in Sponsors Rock Island, Illinois. Each molecule of alcohol is less than a billionth of a meter long and consists of a few atoms of oxygen, carbon and hydrogen . As the famous explorer Magellan prepared to sail around the world in 1519, he spent more on Sherry than on weapons.

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Vassar College was establish ed and funded by a brewer. The U.S. Marines first recruiting station was in a bar. Bourbon is the official spirit of the United States, by act of Congress. Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, observed that It has long been recognize d that the problems with alcohol elate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of

a good thing. Tom Arnold, Sandra Bullock, Chevy Chase, Bill Cosby, Kris Kristoffer son, and Bruce Willis are all former bartender s. Frederick the Great of Prussia tried to ban the consumpt ion of coffee and demande d that the populace drink alcohol instead. During the reign of William III, a garden fountain was once used as a giant punch bowl. The recipe included 560

gallons of brandy, 1200 pounds of sugar, 25,000 lemons, 20 gallons of lime juice, and five pounds of nutmeg. The bartender rowed around in a small boat, filling up guests' punch cups. The Chagga people of Tanganyi ka believe that a liar will be poisoned if he or she consume s beer mixed with the blood of a recently sacrificed goat. The national anthem of the US, the

"StarSpangled Banner," was written to the tune of a drinking song. In the 1600's thermom eters were filled with brandy instead of mercury. As late as the mid17th century, the French wine makers did not use corks. Instead, they used oilsoaked rags stuffed into the necks of bottles. The term "brand name" originate d among American distillers, who branded

their names and emblems on their kegs before shipment . In ancient Babylon, the bride's father would supply his sonin-law with all the mead (ferment ed honey beverage ) he could drink for a month after the wedding. Because their calendar was lunar or moonbased, this period of free mead was called the "honey month," or what we now call the "honeym

oon." Before thermom eters were invented, brewers would dip a thumb or finger into the liquid to determin e the ideal temperat ure,, for adding yeast. From this we get the phrase "rule of thumb." In old England, a whistle was baked into the rim or handle of ceramic cups used by pub patrons. When they wanted a refill, they would blow the whistle to get service.

So when people went drinking, they would "wet their whistle." The word "toast," meaning a wish of good health, started in ancient Rome, where a piece of toasted bread was dropped into wine. In English pubs and bars drinks are served in pints and quarts. In old England, bartender s would advice unruly customer s to mind their own pints and quarts. It's the origin of "mind your P's

and Q's." The consumpt ion of alcohol was so widespre ad througho ut history that it has been called "a universal language. " by many people. Most vegetable , and virtually all fruit juices, contain at least a small amount of alcohol. There is a cloud of alcohol in outer space with enough alcohol to make four trilliontrillion drinks. It's free for the taking. . . but it's

10,000 light years away from Earth. "There's no free lunch." Pennsylv ania outlawed free lunches in 1917 to prevent taverns from giving free sandwich es to customer s who bought beer to drink with them. This led some shop keepers to sell sandwich es and give away the beer. President Jimmy Carter's mother said "I'm a Christian, but that

doesn't mean I'm a longfaced square. I like a little bourbon." Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president of the US, stated that "It has long been recognize d that the problems with alcohol relate not to the use of a bad thing, but to the abuse of a good thing." Between 1980 and 1996, over 2,300 antidrunkdriving laws were passed in the U.S.Whic h goes to show you

If laws could solve a problem, there wouldn't be any drunk driving today! Move over, Mickey. Napa valley has replaced Disneylan d as California 's number one trourist destinatio n, with 5.5 million visitors per year. The largest cork tree in the world is in Portugal. It averages over one ton of raw cork per harvest. That's enough to cork 100,000

bottles. The soil of one famous vineyard in France is considere d so precious that vineyard workers are required to scrape it from their shoes before they leave for home each night. The pressure in a bottle of champag ne is about 90 pounds per square inch. That's about three times the pressure in automobil e tires. The Neolithic period

(85004000 B.C.) marked the first time in human prehistor y where alcohol was fermente d. They also produced bread, beer, meat, and grain dishes we enjoy today. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine and vegetatio n. He showed mortals how to cultivate grapes and make wine. In 5th century B.C., he was worshipp ed at celebratio ns that became associate d with licentious ness and

intoxicati on. There is some anecdotal evidence that alcohol sipped through a straw is more potent than simply drinking straight from the glass. Drinking through a straw helps mix air with the alcohol, carrying it to the nasal cavity where it is absorbed more rapidly. An even flow of alcohol also boosts absorptio n efficiency . Poor soil quality tends to produce

better wines. The trick is to "challeng e" the vines by making them "work" harder. Most wines do not improve with age.