Do Fish Drink Water?

Book excerpt: The author of What Makes Flamingos Pink? offers up “a fun, fact-filled snack for the terminally informed . . . enlivened by the author’s wit” (Kirkus Reviews). Is it true that elephants are afraid of mice? How much gold does the United States store in Fort Knox? Why do I get a headache when I eat ice cream too fast? How did the “seventh inning stretch” originate? As the official webmaster for Xerox, Bill McLain was surprised by the kinds of questions he was receiving, like whether people born blind can see in their dreams and why rabbits are associated with Easter. McLain began to answer each and every question—attracting national attention from MSNBC, CNN, and People—and the result, collected in Do Fish Drink Water?, is a surprising, funny, and informative collection of facts. McLain’s answers can often be as wild as the questions and prompt entertaining anecdotes about where he found them. McLain explains how magnets are made, what caused the Great Depression of 1922, and even explains why cats purr. Also included is an extensive list of websites where he conducts research, offering an informative guide to making the most of the Internet. “The legions who have dropped him a line have dubbed McLain . . . Prophet, Answer Dude, Webmeister, Guru of Locating Unusual Information.” —San Jose Mercury News “A veritable Internet legend known for having all the answers.” —San Francisco Chronicle