42 fakta från liftarens guide till galaxen

42 fakta från liftarens guide till galaxen


1. Man is the third most intelligent species on planet Earth.

2. The history of every civilisation goes through three distinct stages: Survival, Inquiry and Sophistication. Survival can be characterised by the question: "How can we eat?", Inquiry by the question: "Why do we eat?" and Sophistication by the question: "Where shall we have lunch?".

3. Rated as one of the top ten most irritating musical instruments ever, the violin has been banned from all civilised worlds throughout the galaxy.

4. The novel, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was first published in 1979, and has to date been published in over twenty languages. All together, Douglas Adams' books have sold over 20 million copies worldwide.

5. Vogons are one of the most unpleasant races in the galaxy.

6. A towel is the most massively useful item an interstellar hitchhiker can possess. A wet towel makes a great weapon in hand-to-hand combat.

7. 7x6= 42

8. The effect of drinking a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster is like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick. Zaphod Beeblebrox invented it.

9. Stick a Babel Fish in your ear and you will instantly understand anything anyone says to you in any known language.

10. Dolphins are the second most intelligent species on Earth. All the splashing around is just a front.

11. The world was introduced to The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy in March 1978 when the 6-part radio show was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

12. Douglas Adams, a huge Beatles fan, would have been delighted to know that the opening song of the movie was recorded in no.1 studio at Abbey Road.

13. It is universally accepted that inviting Zaphod Beeblebrox to a party will result in permanently damaged furniture.

14. 3x14= 42

15. The chances of being picked up by a passing spaceship within 30 seconds of floating in space are 2 to the power of 276,709 to 1 against.

16. If anyone ever discovers what the Universe is for and why it is here it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and improbable.

17. The Ravenous Bugblatter Beast of Traal is a mind-bogglingly stupid creature, it assumes that if you can't see it, it can't see you - daft as a brush, but very ravenous.

18. Before writing The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams worked as a script editor on "Doctor Who". His other previous jobs included: bodyguard, barn-builder, hospital porter and chicken shed cleaner.

19. Mice are THE most intelligent race on earth.

20. Time is an illusion, and lunchtime doubly so.

21. With an IQ of 161612, Marvin the Android is 30 billion times more intelligent than a mattress.

22. The TV adaptation of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy first aired in January 1981.

23. Drinking beer and eating peanuts helps eliminate the side-effects of space travel.

24. The exterior of Humma Kavula's temple is modelled on Douglas Adam's nose.

25. "Deep Thought" is the second most powerful computer ever made.

26. All we really need to know about the universe is that it's more complicated than we think.

27. Vogon poetry is considered the third worst in the known universe.

28. Ford Prefect and Zaphod Beeblebrox are semi-cousins. They share three of the same mothers.

29. The painting that adorns the nose-cone of the Heart of Gold took an artist four months to create. It will never be seen in close up in the film.

30. Before it was blown up, Planet Earth was the most powerful computer ever made - designed to calculate the ultimate question.

31. When faced with alien life-forms on a strange planet the best thing to do is make a nice cup of tea.

32. If The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy were ever to be printed in book form it would require several large buildings to carry it around in.

33. Zaphod Beeblebrox was voted Worst Dressed Sentient Being in the Universe 7 years in a row.

34. The reason The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is the most successful book in the galaxy is, firstly, it's smaller and cheaper than the encyclopaedia galactica and, secondly, it has the words "Don't Panic" inscribed in large, friendly letters on it's cover.

35. The Sub-Etha-Sens-O-Matic is a small black device that alerts Hitchhikers to passing spacecraft.

36. It has taken 27 years for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to reach the big screen. Filming finally got underway at Elstree Studios in England on 19th April 2004.

37. The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy has been a radio series, a trilogy in five books, several plays, a TV series, some comics, an illustrated book, a BAFTA award winning computer game... and a towel.

38. Ford Prefect spent 15 years on Earth pretending to be an out of work actor.

39. The Heart of Gold is 150 metres long and shaped like a globe. The film set for the ship was lit with over 3000 light bulbs; each one screwed in by hand.

40. Due to odd circumstances involving time travel Marvin the Android is 37 times older than the u-niverse itself.

41. Simon Jones, the original Arthur Dent in the radio and TV series makes a brief cameo appearance in the movie (bring your 3-D specs).

42. Is the answer to the meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything.