The Second Book of General Ignorance: Everything You Think you Know is Still Wrong

Title Page......Page 2
FORETHOUGHT | Stephen Fry......Page 12
SECOND THOUGHTS | John Lloyd and John Mitchinson......Page 14
THE SECOND BOOK OFGENERAL IGNORANCE......Page 15
Who made the first flight in an aeroplane?......Page 16
How many legs does an octopus have?......Page 18
What colour are oranges?......Page 20
What’s the name of the most southerly point of Africa?......Page 22
What’s the hardest known substance?......Page 24
What’s the strangest substance known to science?......Page 26
At what temperature does water freeze?......Page 28
Where is the largest known lake?......Page 30
Where is the world’s saltiest water?......Page 32
Where did most minerals in the world come from?......Page 34
Which came first, the chicken or the egg?......Page 36
Can you name a fish?......Page 38
How does a shark know you’re there?......Page 40
Does the Mediterranean have tides?......Page 42
Which birds inspired Darwin’s theory of evolution?......Page 44
Where’s the most convenient place to discover a new species?......Page 46
What kind of bird is Puffinus puffinus?......Page 48
Can you name three species of British mouse?......Page 50
How far are you from a rat?......Page 52
What kind of animal is ‘Ratty’ from The Wind in the Willows?......Page 54
What kind of animal did Beatrix Potter first write about?......Page 56
Which animal dreams most?......Page 58
Which animal drinks most?......Page 60
How do elephants get drunk?......Page 62
What’s the world’s most aggressive mammal?......Page 64
Which animal has saved the most human lives?......Page 66
What’s the best way to treat a jellyfish sting?......Page 68
What causes pins and needles?......Page 70
What causes a hernia?......Page 72
Why should you avoid the free peanuts in bars?......Page 73
What is household dust made from?......Page 75
What might land on your head if you live under a flight path?......Page 77
What are your chances of surviving a plane crash?......Page 79
What’s the word for the fear of heights?......Page 81
What’s the world’s second-highest peak?......Page 83
How can you tell how high up a mountain you are?......Page 85
How can you tell which way is north in a forest?......Page 86
Do people really go round and round in circles when they’re lost?......Page 88
What’s the best way to weigh your own head?......Page 90
How do snakes swallow things bigger than their heads?......Page 92
Where does a snake’s tail begin?......Page 94
What are the chances of a coin landing on heads?......Page 96
What does biting a coin prove?......Page 98
Who invented the catflap?......Page 100
What did Molotov invent?......Page 102
Why was the speed camera invented?......Page 104