Darwin's Orchestra: An Almanac of Nature in History and the Arts (Henry Holt Reference Book)

Arranged as "An Almanac of Nature In History and the Arts," this collection contains a small essay of several hundred words for each day of the year. The essays tend to focus on obscure, but highly entertaining, scientific events. If nothing else, this book provides enormous fodder for eccentric conversation around the water cooler, guaranteeing a steady flow of odd yet factual material. Deadly hail? The Loch Ness Monster? The family tree of Bugs Bunny? There's all that and 363 other essays to amuse and confound.