Today was Who Knew Wednesday on the Afternoon Drive, and we talked about some household items that could potentially save your life.

We found some from listverse.com, including:

• Chewing gum: Yes, plain old chewing gum. The simple act of chewing on a stick of gum can suppress your appetite, thereby preserving limited food supplies from overindulgence, while aiding in necessary saliva production. While it will not substitute for a turkey dinner, and despite the common myth about its digestive properties, a stick or two also can be used in a pinch for short-term nutrition.
• Baking Soda: Most effective as a reliever of upset stomachs, there is an even better reason to have baking soda handy: fire. In an emergency, the fire department might not be able to respond, and your water supply could well be too precious to waste on fire fighting. An inexpensive alternative, baking soda easily puts out cooking and other small fires that may occur while hunkered in your bunker.
• Harmonica: If there is a power outage – a likely prospect in a catastrophic emergency – radio stations will be static, and even with a generator there will hardly be enough spare power to recharge your portable music player. Musical tones – regardless of the source – have been shown to stimulate both the creative and pleasure centers of the brain; to help maintain focus and concentration; and to reduce anxiety and pain. The harmonica – an inexpensive item easily obtained from many retailers – just might help maintain your sanity until the situation normalizes. (If nothing else, it gives you something to pass the time while you wait for your wounds to heal.)

We also found a video from the Today Show which gives some more items. You can find the video by clicking here.

Our Word of the Day was temerarious (tem-uh-RAIR-ee-us), an adjective meaning rashly daring. You can read more on that here.

Have a great evening!

-Jess