False fingernails first went on sale this date in 1952. 10 things you might not know about your fingernails.
Fingernails grow, on average, at a rate of 0.1mm per day or 3-4mm per month.
They grow faster during the summer, which may be because they get more sunlight and Vitamin D. They grow faster during the day than at night and the nails of the dominant hand grow faster, because increased use boosts Blood flow. Nails on larger fingers grow faster, so the nail on the little finger grows slowest.
The technical term for nail biting is Onychophagia. Around 20-30% of people have this habit.
Nails are made of keratin, which is the same stuff that animal hooves and horns are made of. It’s thought our nails evolved from claws as our ancestors’ fingertips broadened so they could use tools, so the claws became nails.
If you place a piece of your fingernail in Coca Cola, after 4 days it will dissolve.
Painting fingernails isn’t new. In ancient Egypt, a the colour of a woman’s nails was a sign of her status. The highest status women had Red nails. The Incas painted eagle designs on their nails. In Ming Dynasty China, high ranking people would grow their nails and cover them in coloured polish or gold nail guards, which told the world they didn’t need to do menial work with their hands. Early Babylonian warriors dyed their nails before battle with kohl, which symbolised strength and nobility.
Ever wondered why someone scraping their nails on a blackboard makes such a horrible sound? It’s irritating because the noise hits a frequency that’s naturally amplified by the shape of our ear canals.
White spots on nails are called punctate leukonychia, and are remnants of some sort of minor trauma to the nails. Some people believe they are a sign that you will travel overseas. The more white spots you have, the more times you’ll travel.
There are also superstitions regarding when you cut your fingernails. Some cultures believe you should never cut your nails at night, and the origin of this isn’t known. Nor should one cut one’s nails on Maundy Thursday. The day of the week you choose can have an effect as well. An old rhyme spells it out: “Cut them on Monday, you cut them for health; Cut them on Tuesday, you cut them for wealth; Cut them on Wednesday, you cut them for news; Cut them on Thursday, a new pair of Shoes; Cut them on Friday, you cut them for sorrow; Cut them on Saturday, see your true love tomorrow; Cut them on Sunday, the devil will be with you all the week.”
Shridhar Chillal of Pune, India holds the record for the longest fingernails. He started growing the nails of his left hand in 1952, when he was 14 and only had them cut at Ripley's Believe It Or Not! in New York City in July 2018. The total length of his nails was 29 feet, 10.1 inches. The longest nails on a woman’s hand were those of Lee Redmond of Utah started growing her nails in 1979, and by the time they broke in a car accident in 2009, had reached a length of 28 feet, 4 inches.
Beta
(Combat Team Series #2)
Steff was abducted by an evil alien race, the Orbs, at fourteen. Used as a weapon for years, he eventually escapes, but his problems are just beginning. How does a man support himself when his only work experience is a paper round and using an Orb bio-integrated gun?
Warlord is an alien soldier who knows little but war. When the centuries-old conflict which ravaged his planet ends, he seeks out another world where his skills are still relevant. There are always wars on Earth, it seems. However, none of Earth's powerful armies want him.
Natalie has always wanted to visit England and sees a chance to do so while using her martial arts skills, but there are sacrifices she must make in order to fulfil her dream.
Maggie resorted to crime to fund her sister's medical care. She uses her genetic variant abilities to gain access to the rooms of wealthy hotel guests. The Ballards look like rich pickings, but they are not what they seem. When Maggie targets them, little does she know that she is walking into a trap.
Hotel owner Hamilton Lonsdale puts together a combat team to pit against those of other multi-millionaires. He recruits Warlord, Natalie, Maggie and Steff along with a trained gorilla, a probability-altering alien, a stockbroker whose work of art proved to be much more than he'd bargained for, a marketing officer who can create psionic forcefields, a teleporting member of the landed gentry, and a socially awkward fixer. This is Combat Team Beta.
Steff never talks about his time with the Orbs, until he finds a woman who lived through it, too. Steff believes he has finally found happiness, but it is destined to be short-lived. He is left with an unusual legacy which he and Team Beta struggle to comprehend; including why something out there seems determined to destroy it.
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