flavors of
Bulbs, light
halogen
high cost of 25-watt variety
and noise when shaking
Buses
Entry into
Ridges on sides of
Butter
hardening after refrigeration
sticks, lengths of
Buttons, men’s vs. women’s shirts
Cable TV, volume levels of
Cadillacs, ducks on
CAR-RT SORT on envelopes
Cars
batteries, weight of
holes in ceiling of
key release buttons on
and “new car smell,”
rear windows of
Cashews, shells of
Cats
and ear scratching
hair, stickiness of
Checks, numbering of
Chewing gum and lasting flavor
Chocolate, white vs. brown
Cigarette butts, burning of
Cleansers, “industrial use” vs. “household,”
Clocks and Roman numerals
Clouds, disappearance of
Coca-Cola, 2-liter bottles of
Comic strips and capital letters
Coupons
cash value of
expiration dates of
versus mail-in refunds
Cowboy hats, dents on
Crickets and chirping
Dance studios, location of
Dictionaries, thumb notches in
“Discussing Uganda,” origins of term
Dixieland music at political rallies
Doctors and bad penmanship
Dogs
and circling before lying down
and head tilting
and “sic” command
Doughnut stores and tissues
Dr Pepper, naming of
“Dry,” as term for wines
Ducks on Cadillacs
Duels, timing of
Dugouts, height of
Earlobes, function of
Ears, hairy, in older men
Electric plug prongs
holes at end of
three prongs vs. two prongs
Elevators, overloading of
English horn, naming of
Envelopes
computer scrawls on
red letters on back of
return windows on
EXEMPT signs at railroad crossings
Fat people and jolliness
Figure skating and dizziness
Film prints after theatrical runs
Fingers, length of
Fish, and floating upon death
Flagpoles, balls on
Fluorescent lights and plinking noises
Football and measurement of first-down yardage
French horns, design of
Fruitcake, supposed popularity of
Frustables
Girdles and fat displacement
Grease, color of
Grocery coupons, cash value of
Hail, metaphors for
Hairy ears in older men
Halogen light bulbs, touching of
Hats
decline in use of
dents on cowboy
holes in sides of
Hearts, shape of, idealized vs. real
Helium and effect on voice
Hernia exams and “Turn your head and cough”
Hockey and Montreal Canadiens uniform
Home plate, in baseball, shape of
Horses
measurement of heights of
posture in open fields
Hospital gowns, back ties of
Hot dog buns, slicing of
Hot dogs, skins of
Ice, formations on top of lakes and ponds
Ice cream and thirstiness
Ice Cubes
cloudiness vs. clarity
shape of, in home freezers
Ignition, key release button on
Index fingers, stroking of
IRS and due date of taxes
“K” as strikeout in baseball scoring
Ketchup, neck bands on
Knuckles, wrinkles on
Kodak, origins of name
Lakes
effect of moon on
ice formations on
vs. ponds
Lane reflectors, fastening of
Large-type books, size of
Lasagna, crimped edges of
Letters
Liberal arts, origins of
Light bulbs
halogen
high cost of 25-watt variety
noise when shaking
plinking by fluorescent
M&Ms, peanuts in plain
Macadamia nuts and shells
Magazines
address labels on
jumps in
Magazines (cont.)
subscription insert cards in
Mail
CAR-RT SORT on envelopes
undeliverable
Mail-in refunds, vs. coupons
Marching, stepping off on left foot when
Margarine sticks, length of
Marshals’ badges, shape of
Meat, age and doneness preferences in
Meat loaf, taste of in institutions
Menthol, coolness of
Milk cartons, design of
Milk cases, warnings on
Milk in refrigerators, coldness of
Mint, U.S., and shipment of coin sets
Montreal Canadiens uniforms
Moon
effect on lakes and ponds
official name of
Mosquitoes
biting and itching
daytime habits of
male vs. female eating habits of
Movie actors and speed of speech
Nabisco Shredded Wheat box, Niagara Falls on
National Geographics, saving of
Newspapers, jumps in
New York City and steam in streets
Niagara Falls on Nabisco Shredded Wheat box
911 as emergency telephone number
Oceans
salt in
vs. seas
Oil; automobile, after oil change
Orange juice, price of fresh vs. frozen
Oxygen masks, inflation of airline
Paper mills, smell of
Penguins, knees of
Penmanship of doctors
Pens, disappearance of
Pepper, and salt, as table condiments
Pepsi-Cola, and trademark location
“Pi” as geometrical term
Pigs and curly tails
Pitcher’s mound, location of
Plug prongs
holes at end of
three prongs vs. two prongs
Plum pudding, plums in
Ponds
effect of moon on
ice formations on
vs. lakes
Postal Service, U.S., and undeliverable mail
Potato chips
green tinges in
Potato chips (cont.)
price of, vs. tortilla chips
Pubic hair, curliness of
Rabbits and nose wiggling
Radio Shack and lack of cash registers
Railroad crossings and EXEMPT signs
Ranchers and old boots on fence posts
Rear admiral, origins of
Rhode Island, origins of name of
Rice Krispies, noises of
Roads
blacktop, coloring of
fastening of lane reflectors on
vs. bridges, in freezing characteristics
Roman numerals on clocks
Salt
in oceans
and pepper, as table condiments
Scabs, itchiness of
Sea vs. ocean
7UP, origins of name
Shampoos, lathering of
Sheriffs’ badges, shape of
Shoes
/> layers on
on side of the road
Shredded Wheat, Niagara Falls on box of
Shrimp, baby, peeling and cleaning of
“Sic,” as dog command
Silos, shape of
Skating, figure, and dizziness
Social Security cards, lamination of
Social Security numbers, reassignment of
Socks, disappearance of
Steam and streets of New York City
Straws, rising and sinking of, in glasses
Sunrises, timing of
Sunsets, timing of
Tall old people, rareness of
Taxes, April 15 due date of
Taxicabs, rear windows of
Telephones
area code numbers
911 as emergency number
“Q” and “Z,” absence from buttons of
Television
measurement of
volume levels of
Thermometers, placement of
3-D glasses and movies
Thumb notches in dictionaries
Tonsils, function of
Tortilla chips, price of, vs. potato chips
Traffic lights, placement of colors on
Traffic noise of U.S. vs. other countries
Trains
backwards locomotives in
Trains (cont.)
EXEMPT signs at railroad crossings
United States Mint and shipment of coin sets
UPS and shipment of coin sets
United States Postal Service (USPS)
and CAR-RT SORT on envelopes
and undeliverable mail
Videotape recorders
“play” and “record” switches on
and storms
Videotapes, rental, two-tone signals on
Water, manufacture of
Water faucets, bathroom vs. kitchen
Watermelon seeds, white vs. black
Water towers, height of
White chocolate, vs. brown chocolate
Windows, rear, of automobiles
Wines, and dryness
YKK on zippers
Zippers, YKK on
Master Index of Imponderability
Following is a complete index of all ten Imponderables® books and Who Put the Butter in Butterfly? The bold number before the colon indicates the book title (see the Title Key below); the numbers that follow the colon are the page numbers. Simple as that.
Title Key
1 =
Why Don’t Cats Like to Swim? (formerly published as Imponderables)
2 =
Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise?
3 =
When Do Fish Sleep?
4 =
Why Do Dogs Have Wet Noses?
5 =
Do Penguins Have Knees?
6 =
Are Lobsters Ambidextrous? (formerly published as When Did Wild Poodles Roam the Earth?)
7 =
How Does Aspirin Find a Headache?
8 =
What Are Hyenas Laughing at, Anyway?
9 =
How Do Astronauts Scratch an Itch?
10 =
Do Elephants Jump?
11 =
Who Put the Butter in Butterfly?
“1/2,” meaning of, in street addresses
1040 form, numbering scheme of
20-20 vision, origins of
24-second clock in NBA basketball
3-D glasses and movies
501, Levi’s jeans, origin of name
7-11 stores, lack of locks on
7UP, origins of name
“86,” origins of term
9 as number to get outside line on telephones
911 as emergency telephone number
98.6 degrees Fahrenheit as comfortable ambient temperature
Absorbine Jr., origins of
Absorbine Sr., identity of
AC, and DC
Accents, American, of foreign singers
Aches
Acre, origins of
Acrylic, virgin
Actors, speed of speech of
Address labels on magazines
Addresses and ZIP codes, on envelopes
Addresses, street, half-numbers on
Advertising sales in TV programming, overrun live programming and
Aerosol cans, shaking of
After-shave lotion, stinging and
Age of majority, 21 as
Aging and effect on voices
Agitators in washing machines, movement of
Air mail and “Par Avion,”
Air temperature, versus water temperature, perception of
Airlines
chime signals on
cold rolls at meal service
dearth of female pilots on
honey roasted peanuts
inflation of oxygen masks
tickets, red carbons on
Airplanes
coffee bags in lavatories
dimming of interior lights
ear popping and
feet swelling and
numbering of Boeing jets
Airplanes (cont.)
“Qantas,” spelling of
red and green lights on
seat belts
shoulder harnesses
U.S. flags on exterior
Alarm clocks, life before
Alcohol
in cough medicine
proof of
Algebra, X in
“All wool and a yard wide,” origins of term
“Allemande,”
“Alligator” shirts
Alphabet, order of
Alphabet soup
distribution of letters
outside of U.S.
Aluminum cans, crushability of
Aluminum foil
and heat to touch
on neck of champagne bottles
two sides of
Ambidexterity in lobsters
Ambulances, snake emblems on
American accents of foreign singers
American singles, Kraft, milk in
“Ampersand,”
Amputees, phantom limb sensations in
Anchors, submarines and
Angel food cake and position while cooling
Animal tamers and kitchen chairs
Ants
separation from colony
sidewalks and
“Apache dance,”
Apes, hair picking of
Appendix, function of
Apples, as gifts for teachers
Apples and pears, discoloration of
Apples in roasted pigs’ mouths
April 15, as due date for taxes
Aquariums, fear of fish in
Arabic numbers, origins of
Architectural pencils, grades of
Area codes, middle digits of
Armies, marching patterns of
Armpits, shaving of
Army and Navy, Captain rank in
Art pencils, grades of
Aspirin
headaches and
safety cap on 100-count bottles of
Astrology, different dates for signs in
Astronauts and itching
“At loggerheads,”
Athletics, Oakland, and elephant insignia
“Atlas,”
ATMs
swiping of credit cards in
swiping versus dipping of credit cards in
transaction costs of
“Attorney-at-law,”
Auctioneers, chanting of
Audiocassette tapes on side of road
Audiocassette tapes on roadsides
Audiotape, versus videotape technology
Audiotape recorders
counter numbers on
play and record switches on
Automobiles
batteries and concrete floors
bright/dimmer switch position
bunching of, on highways
cardb
oard on grills
clicking sound of turn signals
cockroaches in
Corvette, 1983
cruise controls
day/night switch on rear-view mirrors
dimples on headlamps
elimination of side vents
gas gauges in
headlamp shutoff
headlights and deer
holes in ceiling of
key release button on
keys, ignition and door
“new car smell,”
oil loss after oil change
oil, grades of
Do Penguins Have Knees? Page 23