MULLET OVER BY JAMES K. WHITE | JANUARY 22, 2014
Does that make potato chips a health food?
Latvia adopted the euro as of Jan. 1, 2014, thus becoming the 18th nation to switch to that currency base.
Should you visit Washington, D.C. during the next 24 months, you may observe extensive scaffolding shrouding the cast-iron dome atop our Nation’s Capitol. A $60 million restoration is planned and our government is famous for staying under budget and finishing on schedule.
Mikhail Kalashnikov passed away in December of 2013. He is the Russian tank gunner who invented the prototype AK-47. Avtomat Kalashnikov 47 translates Automatic Kalashnikov 47. 47 represents 1947, the year of the first manufactured model. Military experts estimate that there are approximately 100 million AK-47 type weapons now in existence. Blimey.
The first tunnel that was successfully completed beneath a river was dug by the Babylonians (2160 B.C.) when they excavated a 3000 foot passageway under the Euphrates.
According to nutrition experts, all animals require salt in order to survive. Does that make potato chips a health food? My wife says “NO.”
1877 cure for stuttering: Let the speaker stamp the ground or floor with his right foot as he talks – stuttering will become impossible. (And talking would become difficult.)
In 217 B.C., the famous Carthaginian general Hannibal (long before Lecter) set one of the most brilliant and effective military traps in history. Hannibal looked over the valley near Lake Trasimene (central Italy) and envisioned the perfect scenario for an ambush. He lured the main force of the Roman Army into chasing a few enemy troops into a boggy lake area and then launched an attack that handed the Roman Empire its first major military defeat ever. Fewer than 40 percent of the waylaid soldiers escaped back to Rome. Military strategists still use aspects of this battle as prime examples of effective retreat and advantageous utilization of terrain.
Kool-Ade became a commercial product in 1927 when the owner and inventor of a syrup mix called Fruit-Smack was able to convert the thick tasty liquid into a dry powder blend. The name was changed to Kool-Aid in 1934. An estimated 563,000,000 gallons of Kool-Aid were consumed in 2012.
Many bunkers and bomb shelters built decades ago were well constructed and are currently being used for peacetime purposes such as power plants (Hamburg), a zoo (Tel-Aviv) and a data center (Stockholm).
In Ancient Egypt, deliberately killing a cat for any reason was a capital offense. Well, use your own judgment about potato chips – and have a great week.
James White is a retired mathematics teacher who enjoys sharing fascinating trivia. He can be reached at [email protected].
