Futility Closet

Hawaii is the only U.S. state whose boundary contains no straight line.

Amsterdam, Antwerp, Athens, Berlin, Cairo, Dresden, Dublin, Geneva, Lisbon, London, Marseilles, Milan, Moscow, Rome, Seville, Toronto, and Warsaw … are all towns in Ohio.

-40° Celsius = -40° Fahrenheit

What’s the most remote capital city in the world?

It’s a tie: Canberra, Australia, and Wellington, New Zealand, are 1,448 miles … from each other.

Wyoming is the least populous state.

The trouble with rocket-powered roller skates is that you can’t steer.

To remain on land as long as possible, we suggest you start in northern Siberia (99°1′30E 76°13′6N) and point yourself due south. That’ll take you through 4,717 miles of Russia, Mongolia, China, Burma, and Thailand before you splash into the South China Sea.

Or start at 48°24′53N 4°47′44W in northern France and head east. An unswerving course will take you through Europe, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Russia, covering 6,665 miles before you hit the Sea of Okhotsk. Good luck.

See also Point Nemo.

The basilisk lizard of Central America can run on water for up to 15 feet, thanks to flaps between its toes.

It’s known as “the Jesus lizard.”

When walking, a 100-pound woman in stiletto heels exerts more pressure per square inch than a 6,000-pound elephant.

Fly due south from Key West, Fla., and you’ll pass entirely west of South America.

The state nearest Africa is Maine.