Some Interesting Facts About the Full Moon

Depending on your calendar, May or June 2007 is a "blue moon" month -- two full moons occur during the calendar month. To celebrate, here are some weird and wacky facts about full moons:

The odds of being bitten by a dog are twice as high during a full moon, according to a British study. Gervaise of Tilbury, a 13th-century canon lawyer, was the first to note that a full moon causes men to transform into werewolves. In 1934, the song "Blue Moon" was written by Richard Rodgers (of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame) and Lorenz Hart, and has been recorded by such diverse artists as Bob Dylan and Frank Sinatra. The best-selling version was recorded by the do-wop band The Marcels in 1961, and sold more than one million copies. If a full Moon occurs on a Sunday, it's considered unlucky, but if it occurs on a Monday ("moon day") it's lucky. In Springfield, Missouri, in October 1939, the full moon appeared to fall from the sky, according to the local newspaper. Later, it was discovered to be a plunging weather balloon. An analysis of the birthdays of 4,256 babies born in a clinic in France found no relationship between the full moon and fertility. On the other hand, a study by a university in Germany, claims that police reports for 50 new and full moon cycles showed that the full moon is responsible for binge drinking. A study of 1,000 tonsillectomy operations shows that 82% of post-operative bleeding crises occurred nearer the full moon than the new moon, according to the Journal of the Florida Medical Association. Weird.