– Attempts at protecting the hooves of horses go way back. For centuries, the animals were used as beasts of burden and in about 800 B.C., it became commonplace for people to ride horses. All this time, injured hooves were often a problem. Assorted efforts were tried to shield horse hooves, including tied-on sections of leather or rawhide. Someone came up with the idea of using a nailed iron shoe circa 900 A.D. Variations of this concept are widely used today.
– Honey bees can be democratic. When two or more bees indicate each has located a splendid source of nectar, each locator bee gets to do a dance indicating direction and distance to the food supply. The worker bees then follow a “believed bee” back to his source. Generally, most workers follow the same bee.
– The last known male northern white rhino died in 2018. Two females of the subspecies are still alive and scientists are desperately seeking a mate.
– Meanwhile, an adult giraffe can extend his/her prehensile tongue more than 18 inches from its mouth. No word on whether giraffes being passionate use “French kisses.” There are four distinct species (of giraffes, not French kisses).
– In 2018 “Oliver” and “Bella” were tabulated to be the most common names for domestic cats in America. I might add that kitties in the lower 48 kill more than one billion birds annually.
– It is difficult today for many of us to fathom what a tremendously popular celebrity Shirley Temple was at the height of her career. She was being paid more than $10,000 per week – and this was during the depression. The U.S. Congress declared her to be the most beloved individual in the world.
– Have you ever seen a comet in our night skies? You might be interested to know that NASA has identified more than 3,500 comets so far. Rumor has it that our Senate is working to complete a bill that taxes all who have seen a comet. The funds would be used to award each senator a merit raise.
– Algae are truly interesting plants. Algae can range in size from 100 foot long kelp to microbes known as blue-green algae. Algae produce huge quantities of oxygen.
– Much of Manhattan (NYC) is provided a steady supply of steam. More than 100 miles of steam pipe are buried at least 5 feet deep. Steam is transported to hundreds of buildings for heating, cooling and various other applications. The Manhattan Steam Service has been in operation since 1881.
– Some scientists say that viruses are not alive. Viruses are made up of proteins and genes, but every virus needs to interact with a live host in order to reproduce. I wonder if some politicians are viruses. I regret being puerile. Have a Great Day.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
