Andrew Johnson was the 17th president of the United States. As a young lad, he was apprenticed to a tailor as Johnson learned to mend and custom-make clothes. Andrew enjoyed sewing his own clothing and continued to do so, even while he was president. Andrew Johnson never attended any regular school classes, public or private.
Joe Gordon was a professional baseball player that played exactly 1,000 games for the New York Yankees. He got exactly 1,000 hits while doing so. Joe’s nickname was “Flash.” Yep, he was a Flash Gordon.
From 1928 through 1970, thousands of x-ray machines were placed in shoe stores throughout America. The idea was to allow potential customers to see how well their shoes fit while wriggling toes or whatever. Decades passed before the public was made aware of potential health hazards affected by frequent x-ray exposures.
Famous line supposedly uttered by writer Aristophanes (486 BC — 356 BC): “Bring me some wine so that I may utter something clever.” I have overheard imbibers who imagined that they had suddenly become clever.
Electric eels must surface approximately every 5 minutes in order to avoid drowning.
Gilbert’s potoroo has twice been declared extinct only to unexpectedly reappear decades later. The very rare Australian marsupial is typically about 14 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds. This Potorous gilbertii is said to look very much like a nilgait or a garlgyte. Actually, a potoroo is both a nilgait and a garlgyte, but you likely knew that.
More than 90% of all plane crashes have at least one survivor.
The word “cereal” comes from the Roman goddess Ceres, who was in charge of agriculture, especially grain crops “back in the day.”
As I was reading about activities that can produce multiple benefits, I came across an evaluation of removing litter. Whether the event occurs in your neighborhood or along a remote beach, one can typically burn off 1800 calories while removing trash for four hours. Both the cleaned areas and the cleaners will probably have improved appearances.
Tests indicate that smoking a single cigarette can leave residual nicotine circulating inside a smoker’s body for 8 days.
Hic! Medical research has revealed a “new to me” cure for hiccups: Use a cotton swab to gently tickle the roof of a victim’s mouth for a few seconds. (You might warn the victim as to what you are doing). Some sufferers of “involuntary myoclonic jerks” swear this remedy is remarkably effective. Have a great Day.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
