– There once lived a notable character named Sarah Bowman. She left her mark on our American West in the 1800’s. The redhead was variously described as tall, (6 foot – one inch), a bit heavy (estimated 200 lbs.), having an attractive figure, very caring (repeatedly entered battlefields to nurse wounded men) and ambitious (managed multiple boarding houses/brothels). Her sobriquet was “Great Western.” The nickname was a result of frontier humor — a famous large steamboat was named Great Western. Sarah was a figure prominent in the development of a small settlement identified as Franklin (later evolved into El Paso, Texas). This renowned lady passed away on December 23, 1866 at age 53.
– Traffic jams in the United States have been the object of serious studies for several decades. In the 1860’s people daily endured New York City traffic jams when mounted riders, pedestrians and horse-drawn conveyance passengers shared crowded urban streets.
– There exists considerable debate pertaining to what may be the most valuable knife in the world. Certain historical knives such as those discovered in Egyptian tombs are typically not available for purchase at any price. Should one possess an original 1830’s Bowie Knife (which were actually created by a blacksmith named James Black), the auction price might be anyone’s guess. Likely only Mid-Eastern oil kings or American lawyers need bother to bid on such an item. I do offer for your consideration one blade (a dagger) dubbed The Gem of the Orient. It was produced by master craftsman Warenski (from Nevada, USA). This work of art recently sold for $2.1 million. I did not bid because I already had a knife.
– Back in the 1930’s, celebrities such as Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn and Carol Lombard popularized a hairstyle known as the Finger Wave. Unfortunately, Finger Wave can mean something entirely different today.
– Author Ernest Hemingway publicly averred that he killed from 26 to 122 enemy soldiers in combat during WWII. Mr. Hemingway had quite a reputation for “embellishing the truth.” Brought before an investigating military panel, the future Pulitzer Prize winner repudiated all of his battlefield feats. He also testified that he had never actively participated in any armed conflict.
– Some scientists estimate that if all the ice in the Antarctic regions of earth were to melt, sea levels should rise more than 200 feet – totally swamping several island nations. Well, Take care of your Warenski art – and have a splendid week
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected]
