The World According To The Man In The Pub 2

Can a gecko support its entire body weight with only one toe?

I'm a fan of weird trivia and I also like 'true or false' quizzes, so a book which instantly appealed to me was 'The World According To The Man In The Pub 2' by Robert Anwood.

It's full of dubious 'pub facts', i.e. interesting claims which are often reported by pub patrons as facts. In some cases the claims are indeed true, but in other cases the claims are as ridiculous as they sound.

The pub facts are grouped together into various categories, such as science, sports and showbiz, and to give you an idea of what to expect, here's a brief sample of the type of facts and misfacts found in the book. See if you can guess which of the following pub facts are true, and which are fictitious...

1) A gecko's skin is so sticky that it can support its entire body weight clinging upside down to the ceiling by only one toe.
True or false?


2) An apple contains enough cyanide to kill a man.
Fact or fictitious?


3) The average chocolate bar contains eight insect legs.
Accurate or misleading?


4) All sand dunes have a slope of 34 degrees.
Truthful or deceptive?


5) If there was a bathtub big enough to hold it, Saturn would float.
Correct or incorrect?


6) Hot water is heavier than cold water.
Accurate or flawed?


7) In 17th century Holland, a tulip could cost as much as a house.
Honest or deceitful?

By weight, are hamburgers more expensive than cars?

8) Marvin Hagler's real name is Marvellous Marvin Hagler.
Trustworthy or untruthful?


9) Vincent van Gogh only ever managed to sell one painting. 
Right or wrong?


10) Pound for pound, hamburgers cost more than new cars.
Genuine or bogus?


You can find a brief explanation of which the above claims are true by scrolling down the page.

However, if you want more detailed and often amusing explanations, then you'll have to buy the book which is available from Amazon:
The World According To The Man In The Pub 2
















Answers:

1) Sticky geckos
True.  My cousin had a gecko but it never demonstrated this trick, so perhaps it just wasn't a show-off.

Sand dunes.

2) Poisonous apples
False.


3) Chocolate insects.
False.  A 25 gram chocolate bar will on average contain 1.6 insect fragments, but 8 legs is a gross exaggeration.


4) Sand dune slopes.
Almost. The majority of sand dunes do indeed have a slope close to 34 degrees, but the angle can vary between 30 and 34 degrees.


5) Lightweight Saturn.
False.


6) Heavy water.
Sometimes. You can find a detailed and interesting explanation in the book.


7) Expensive tulips.
True, but only for rare breeds of tulip.

Cars.

8) Marvellous Marvin Hagler.
True, but only after he changed it by deed poll.


9) Vincent van Gogh
False.


10) Hamburgers vs cars.
True, but only for everyday average priced cars, not for super cars.  For example, a top of the range Ferrari would cost more than a hamburger pound for pound.

There are loads more interestings facts found in the book and each fact is accompanied by a detailed and often amusing explanation as well as additional trivia. To sum it up, I would agree with the author's description of it as a 'very entertaining and informative read'.
The World According To The Man In The Pub 2