– Are you crepuscular? Animals primarily active during the daytime are diurnal. Animals active primarily during the evening hours are nocturnal … and animals most active during the twilight minutes are dubbed crepuscular.
– The femur is typically the largest bone in a human body while 97 is the largest two digit prime number.
– Quick joke donated by a member of my junior high audience — Q: what is an appropriate name for a camel with no humps? A: Humphrey!
– Hot weather can make one become a slow thinker. A Harvard study indicates that a group of students who roomed in a dormitory with no summer air-conditioning performed as much as 13% slower on basic arithmetic exams when compared with students living in an air-conditioned building. See Mom, it was the heat – not me. (Actually, I was never at Harvard, summer or otherwise.) I saw Yale on TV once.
– Hot weather can be a factor triggering irrational behavior. Case in point: A man named Keven French shot his neighbor with an air rifle because the targeted neighbor mowed grass too often. The neighbor did recover.
– Stephen was the first Christian martyr.
– Exactly four U.S. presidents have been assassinated: Lincoln, Garfield, McKinley and Kennedy.
– It is unclear as to when the first ice cream bars were vended in America. More than one person claims to have sold the first summer treats. Ice cream bars were popular by the year 1920 and often sold for one cent each. I had one after lunch today. I paid more than one cent and it contained about 4000 calories (estimate). I might add that it was goood!
– The three colors featured in the flag of Italy are red, white and green. Italy is renowned for delicious ice cream.
– Can you recall the name of the first United States Space Shuttle launched? That would be Columbia (1981).
– For decades, an island called Van Diemen’s Land was the name of a peculiar place known for its strange flora and fauna. In fact, one of the animals became famous as an international cartoon character. The fierce little mammal has the scientific name Sarcophilus harrisii and the island is now on most maps and labeled “Tasmania.”
– A recent 13 (2005-2017) year study of fatal dog attacks upon humans in the United States may be a bit revealing. Data without comment: 66% of all fatal dog attacks on humans during that period involved pit bulls. The second most fatalities (10%) were results of Rottweiler attacks. (Source: DogsBite.org.)
Well, I shall apologize for the Humphrey joke and I wish you a great day.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
