– The Beatles tune of “I want to Hold Your Hand” was the top selling hit of the 1960’s. I still sing it, sort of.
– For you Barbie Doll Accessory collectors: One of her most precious add-ons is Prince, a French poodle donning a beret (1985). I liked High Stepper, which is a horse that really walks (if its batteries are still good, 1994). –
– For centuries, distances were measured by handy items or human experiences. For instance “A day’s travel” was 20 – 30 miles. A “hand” was derived from the typical width of an adult hand, approximately 4 inches. A “bath” was 4-6 gallons, and a “cubit” was the length from the bend in one’s elbow to the tip of the middle finger (about 18 inches).
– Entomologists believe that fire ants first entered the United States in 1920 at Mobile, Alabama, from a cargo ship from South America.
– My spouse found an uncommon word to share with us: footle. Footle is a verb defined as being involved in a fruitless or meaningless activity. I wonder if footling includes writing a trivia column.
– Of course you are aware that the United States has a sizable gold depository at Ft Knox, Kentucky. However, were you aware that our main deposit of silver is located at West Point, New York?
– The heaviest catfish ever caught in Kansas was a 123 pound flathead which measured just over 5 feet in length. The monster was hooked on a minnow in Elk City Reservoir by a very happy Mr. Paulie in 1998.
– If you have been unable to sleep wondering about the weight of the word’s heaviest carrot, I can help you. A carrot weighing 22.44 lbs was grown by a Mr. Qualley in Otsego, Minnesota in the year 2017. The world’s longest carrot was grown by Joe Atherton of the UK in 2016. That Daucus Carota Sativa measured 20.6 ft. Now you can doze peacefully.
– Do you spend time mowing a lawn? We have many lawns — about 40,000,000 acres of lawns in America. That is approximately 3 times the acreage that we have planted in irrigated corn. Well, try not to footle in public and have a groovy day.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
