mental_floss Fact Library (original) (raw)
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April 30, 2003
She wanted to be a spy, settled on being a chef, and unlike most of us, became a Child after she grew up.
Julia McWilliams attended Smith College and worked in the private sector after graduation. When World War II erupted, she tried to join the WACs, but was turned down due to her height (a lofty 6 ft 2 in). As an alternate service, she was welcomed by the Office of Strategic Services, the precursor of the CIA.
Adventurous Julia was hoping for a career in espionage, but she was instead assigned to tackle a pressing problem: how to keep sharks from bumping into underwater explosives and setting them off. She and her male compatriots literally cooked up some shark repellant. Was this a foreshadowing of culinary things to come? Hardly; Julia admits she never learned to cook until she was in her 30s.
While still with the OSS, she was assigned to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). It was there that she met a handsome officer named Paul Child. Julia later admitted that she developed her gourmet cooking in order to “catch” Paul, whose mother was an excellent cook and had lived in France. (Paul once described Julia’s first attempt at French cuisine as something that, if you saw it on the rug, you’d spank the cat.) Julia and Paul were married for 48 years, during which time she introduced French cuisine to mainstream America under her married name — Julia Child.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 29, 2003
The Roaring 40s have absolutely nothing to do with the Jazz Age, and any flapping going on there is caused by the wind.
The Roaring 40s (and next of kin, the Furious 50s) are comprised of the unbroken stretch of water between 40 and 60 degrees south latitude, more or less at the “bottom of the world.”
Westerly winds in the area average 40 to 50 miles per hour every day, and waves of 40 feet or more are not uncommon. And what causes these treacherous conditions? Well, the Roaring 40s is a transitional area, where the subtropical atmosphere of South America ends and the polar air of Antarctica begins. The Earth’s rotation has a centrifugal effect on the north-south transport of poleward wind, and with no land mass in the area, there’s no topography to weaken the blast.
Sailors have their own tales about the area; they’re the first to say that “below 40 degrees, there is no law; below 50 degrees, there is no God.” The enterprising residents of the island of Tasmania have made lemonade out of lemons, so to speak: Much of their electricity is generated from wind farms, and they have a booming tourist trade in Roaring 40s kayaking expeditions.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 27, 2003
Ever used a Hotchkiss? Sure you have — only you didn’t call it that, since the name was only in use until 1909. What is it?
We call it a stapler.
Once upon a time, folks had to be inventive when it came to fastening papers. They used glue, pins, and even ribbon, but a better method was obviously needed. In 1866, the Novelty Manufacturing Company came out with what was known as a paper fastener, a precursor to the stapler. It held only one “staple” at a time, which was driven home with a metal plunger. Then, the paper had to be turned over and the staple points manually cinched down. It worked, but it sure wasn’t easy to use.
About 30 years later, the E.H. Hotchkiss Company of Norwalk, Connecticut, introduced their own device, which they called the No. 1 Paper Fastener. It was revolutionary because it utilized a strip of staples, wired together in a herringbone pattern. The user had to depress the plunger with enough force (with the aid of a mallet if necessary) to disconnect one staple from the strip and embed it into the paper. It proved to be so popular that until 1909, when competing brands came on the market, the generic name for a stapler was “Hotchkiss.” In fact, to this day the word for stapler in Japanese is “hochikisu.”
You may assume that stapler design is arbitrary, but office supply insiders know that the humble stapler is the barometer of prevailing trends in industrial design. Thus over the years we’ve seen art deco staplers, the Swingline 747, ergonomic models, and today, translucent staplers to match the iMac. There’s no telling what they’ll come up with next.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 26, 2003
K-Mart’s financial troubles have been big news recently. But who was the original “K” behind the legendary chain of stores?
Sebastian S. Kresge took a page out of F.W. Woolworth’s book and opened his own five-and-dime store in downtown Detroit in 1899. By 1912, he had amassed 85 stores and was earning over $10 million in sales annually. During the Depression, Kresge not only offered products at affordable prices, he also offered something in dire need to most folks at the time: jobs. Kresge continued to innovate, and in time his chain became the first to open stores in shopping centers, and to send out weekly advertising circulars.
By 1962, Harry Cunningham was the president of the Kresge Company, with Sebastian long since retired. Cunningham dared to conclude that the five-and-dime concept was dead, and that a new approach was needed. Sticking with the company’s Michigan roots, he opened a discount department store in Garden City, calling it K-Mart — an abbreviation of “Kresge Mart.”
K-Mart has since reached meteoric retail highs as well as lows. But S.S. Kresge will not only be remembered as the chain’s founder, but also for his philanthropy. Founded in 1924, the Kresge Foundation has awarded an exhaustive number of grants to a variety of educational, medical and artistic institutions. And all without the aid of a blue light bulb.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 26, 2003
K-Mart’s financial troubles have been big news recently. But who was the original “K” behind the legendary chain of stores?
Sebastian S. Kresge took a page out of F.W. Woolworth’s book and opened his own five-and-dime store in downtown Detroit in 1899. By 1912, he had amassed 85 stores and was earning over $10 million in sales annually. During the Depression, Kresge not only offered products at affordable prices, he also offered something in dire need to most folks at the time: jobs. Kresge continued to innovate, and in time his chain became the first to open stores in shopping centers, and to send out weekly advertising circulars.
By 1962, Harry Cunningham was the president of the Kresge Company, with Sebastian long since retired. Cunningham dared to conclude that the five-and-dime concept was dead, and that a new approach was needed. Sticking with the company’s Michigan roots, he opened a discount department store in Garden City, calling it K-Mart — an abbreviation of “Kresge Mart.”
K-Mart has since reached meteoric retail highs as well as lows. But S.S. Kresge will not only be remembered as the chain’s founder, but also for his philanthropy. Founded in 1924, the Kresge Foundation has awarded an exhaustive number of grants to a variety of educational, medical and artistic institutions. And all without the aid of a blue light bulb.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 24, 2003
What 1986 film bombed at the box office (under $10 million) but spawned three sequels, three TV series and even its own store?
Highlander was a dud by all measures when the original film hit American theaters in early 1986. The plot was difficult to follow for many viewers, and even the stud power of Christopher Lambert and Sean Connery couldn’t pull it out of the mud.
When the film was released elsewhere in the world, it did much better. There were two main reasons for this. First, that the film was unedited overseas (whereas some scenes vital to the plot had been removed from the U.S. version). Second, the soundtrack was performed by Queen, who were at a high-riding peak following their 1985 performance at the “Live Aid” concert in London.
After the first motion picture was released to video, it began to garner a cult following. It was one of the hottest rentals for quite a while, and filmmakers took note. The film sequels went back and forth from various explanations of the immortal lives of the characters from the initial movie, but the ball kept on rolling. Adrian Paul became a star when he appeared in a syndicated TV version of Highlander that ran for five seasons. An animated TV show and another live-action show, Highlander: The Raven followed.
But a store? Yep, at www.highlander-official.com you can order more Highlander things than you can shake a sword at. And was the most recent film, Highlander: Endgame really the end? Don’t bet on it. A new film tentatively titled Highlander: The Source is already in production.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 22, 2003
He harnessed the power of Niagara Falls, was fluent in eight languages, and was absolutely repulsed by … pearls?
No one may have walked that fine line between genius and insanity as precariously as Nicola Tesla.
Born in Croatia in 1856, Tesla was an eccentric almost from birth. He saw blinding flashes of light and suffered from hallucinations. For a time, he developed a sort of sensory overload, where the ticking of his pocket watch was painfully loud to him, and the sound of a fly landing on a table produced a deafening thud. But Tesla also had visions of brilliance, and often created an entire prototype of one of his inventions in his head before committing so much as a preliminary sketch to paper.
Tesla immigrated to America and got a job working with his idol, Thomas Edison. The two eventually had a falling out, and Tesla took his ideas for alternating current to George Westinghouse. Given a free rein to develop his invention, he was able to light up the entire Chicago World’s Fair with his new electrical system. Next he won the contract to install the first AC power system at Niagara Falls, where he transmitted power to Buffalo, New York, some 22 miles away.
Tesla would eventually be awarded more than 700 patents, including those for the fluorescent light, wireless radio communication, and the well-known device that bore his name — the Tesla coil. But he was also difficult to work with (he forbade female employees from wearing pearls since he found them revolting), and suffered from what today would be called obsessive compulsive disorder. He frightened off more than one investor when he confided that he regularly communicated with aliens, and he would only stay in hotel suites that had room numbers divisible by three. It’s little wonder that many of the “Superman” comic books of the 1940s featured a mad scientist by the name of Tesla.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 21, 2003
On April 21, 1976, a Cadillac Eldorado rolled off the line at the Clark Avenue plant in Detroit. What made this Caddy unique?
It was the last U.S. production convertible of the decade.
General Motors made no effort to hide the fact that the Cadillac convertible was going away. Rather, they turned it into a media event and actually bumped up production in 1976, making over 5,000 more Eldorado convertibles than they had produced the year before. The last 200 were specially-made “Bicentennial Edition” Cadillacs, and some sold for nearly twice the sticker price.
So are there no convertibles from the late 1970s? Hardly. Volkswagen still produced a ragtop version of the Beetle, and several other import models were also available in open-air versions. And for the right price, body shops would gladly create a customized convertible out of virtually any car on the market. Through the end of the decade, Caddies were still among the favorite choices. So why did American automakers stop producing them?
It could have been the increase in crime, the ever-increasing pollution and noise problems, or the fact that auto options (including air conditioning units and sunroofs) made their appeal less powerful. It was also certainly a cost-cutting measure for U.S. manufacturers who were beginning to lose sales to inexpensive imports that got better gas mileage.
Who re-introduced the convertible to America’s showrooms? Why, none other than Chrysler’s go-to man Lee Iacocca, who in late 1981 marketed a brand-new LeBaron convertible for the 1982 model year. They sold well, and Ford and GM followed by bringing back their own convertible models later in the decade.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 20, 2003
Unlike Betty Crocker, there was a real Duncan Hines, and he certainly knew his food.
Hines was a salesman who ate in restaurants across the country as he made his rounds. He began to keep track of his favorites, and in the late 1930s, he decided to forego his sales route in favor of travel books that included reviews of restaurants.
The books became so popular that Hines began to offer signs to those eateries that earned his seal of approval, à la “Good Housekeeping.” By the 1950s, Hines’ name began to appear on pre-packaged food items that he had personally chosen and approved.
Procter & Gamble soon bought the rights to his products and made them a nationally-known name. His cake mixes have been perennial favorites. Aurora Foods acquired the brand in 1997, and continue to offer a wide selection of Duncan Hines favorites.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 20, 2003
Unlike Betty Crocker, there was a real Duncan Hines, and he certainly knew his food.
Hines was a salesman who ate in restaurants across the country as he made his rounds. He began to keep track of his favorites, and in the late 1930s, he decided to forego his sales route in favor of travel books that included reviews of restaurants.
The books became so popular that Hines began to offer signs to those eateries that earned his seal of approval, à la “Good Housekeeping.” By the 1950s, Hines’ name began to appear on pre-packaged food items that he had personally chosen and approved.
Procter & Gamble soon bought the rights to his products and made them a nationally-known name. His cake mixes have been perennial favorites. Aurora Foods acquired the brand in 1997, and continue to offer a wide selection of Duncan Hines favorites.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 19, 2003
This hairstyle remained the same for 36 years, until its owner was finally given a “new ‘do” in 1995.
Let’s face it, in this life there aren’t many things you can count on. But one thing that always stays the same is “The Family Circus.” Billy draws the cartoon when Dad’s on vacation, Jeffy gets into mischief, and PJ remains a silent observer. The kids remain forever children, and Barfy and Sam never seem to age, either.
Creator Bil Keane has often been asked why the characters in his strip have never gotten any older. His usual response: Why change? His own children, on whom the characters were based, are all now grown and parents themselves (in fact, Jeffy now helps dad with inking and coloring the strip), and Keane relies on his grandchildren for inspiration.
Mom’s hair was always the same, too — or it was, at least, until eight years ago.
Since 1960, when the strip made its debut, the kids’ mother (”Thelma”) had been sporting the same Betty Rubble-esque style. Keane made a nod to progress when he updated it in 1995, and these days it’s a bit shorter — more of a modern shag. He didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but the “Los Angeles Times” ran a feature story on the change, and interviewed top hairdressers for their opinion. Luckily, the new hairdo received a hearty thumbs-up from the experts.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 16, 2003
Swans don’t really sing before dying … So why is a performer’s final turn onstage called a swan song?
It all derived from an ancient myth (and you thought urban legends were strictly 20th century). Apollo was the Greek god of the arts, particularly music, and was considered pure and holy. Shortly before his birth on the island of Delos, a flock of swans circled overhead seven times, singing a melodious song. Zeus gave him a swan-drawn chariot as a child, and the swan became a sacred symbol to young Apollo.
Noted philosophers Socrates and Plato both noted that swans are mute throughout their lives, and only sing prior to their deaths, a joyful indication that they are on their way to be reunited with Apollo. Chaucer made reference to the singing of the dying swan, but the actual phrase “swan song” was first mentioned in Thomas Carlyle’s 1833 book Sartor Resartus (The Tailor Retailored).
Apparently the ancient literati, who thought swans were either silent or songful, never spent any time around the petting zoo duck pond when a swan wasn’t getting his rightful share of bread crumbs.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 15, 2003
Did a simple mistranslation lead much of the world to believe that life existed on Mars?
Some think so. An Italian astronomer named Giovanni Virginio Schiaparelli studied Mars quite extensively in the late 19the century. In 1877, he published a map of the Martian surface, continuing to fill in various areas with more details over the next decade.
Among Mars’ most unique features were lines that seemed to run haphazardly over the planet’s surface. Schiaparelli marked these lines as canali, the Italian word for channels. He labeled them on the map after several famous rivers, both real and fictional.
When the stargazer’s work gained notoriety and was translated into English, canali was mistakenly translated as canals. Unlike channels, which are usually thought of as natural water formations, the term “canals” comes with the connotation that some form of construction led to their creation. This implied that some form of life existed on Mars.
Schiaparelli thought the channels might contain water, but didn’t make the assertion directly. Sure, he had named them after rivers, but he defended this action by noting that the “seas” of the moon obviously contained no water. Even today, many claim that Schiaparelli’s work is what inspired several generations to tell tales of creatures that may have inhabited the “red planet.”
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 13, 2003
What appeared in the design of this postage stamp that got its engraver suspended for a whole year?
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A tiny Star of David. But don’t worry, the story has a happy ending. The stamp features the founder of Yeshiva University, Bernard Revel. This Jewish scholar had many admirers, including one very rabid fan by the name of Kenneth Kipperman. Born in Poland in 1946, Kipperman’s family immigrated to America, where several years later, he learned about the Holocaust and the fact that his parents were concentration camp survivors.
At school, Kipperman excelled in art classes, and his ability landed him a 10-year apprenticeship as an engraver. He eventually got a job in the elite “circle of 16″ at the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing — the people responsible for cutting the designs for postage stamps and paper money.
On September 23, 1986, a commemorative $1 stamp was issued with a photo of Bernard Revel, known for bringing science to the Torah. About a month after the stamp appeared, an anonymous caller alerted the Bureau that a tiny Star of David, invisible to the naked eye, had been hidden in Revel’s beard.
Kipperman was called on the carpet, and admitted he was the culprit. He was removed from the engraving desk for one year, but today, he seems none the worse for his adventure. It is his engraving of Alexander Hamilton that appears on the recently-redesigned $10 bill.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 12, 2003
What drug makes mollusks reproduce at up to ten times the normal rate? No, it’s not Viagra …
According to Peter Fong, a researching biologist from Gettysburg College, the answer is Prozac. When he performed a study on fingernail clams in 1998, he discovered the introduction of Prozac into the mollusks’ water had a rather intriguing side-effect. It made their reproduction rate increase dramatically.
Talk about being “happy as a clam.”
The research won Fong an Ig Nobel prize — an award given for achievements that “cannot or should not be reproduced.” For a run-down of the most recent Ig Nobel prize winners, check out the latest issue of mental_floss magazine, or second annual “10″ issue, now available at better bookstores everywhere.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 11, 2003
The Great Depression had an important impact on many things, including, that’s right, the Popsicle.
Most Americans had a difficult time making ends meet during the 1930s, and could hardly afford “treats.” Although it cost only a nickel, even the heat-quenching wonders known as Popsicles suffered from slumping sales.
Frank Epperson, who had a patent on the ice pops at the time, wasn’t about to be done in so quickly. In an ingenious move, he decided to replace the one-stick Popsicle with a two-stick version that could be broken in half so that two people could share the enjoyment.
His idea worked, and while many companies never survived the decade, Epperson’s cool idea helped to keep his brand afloat, and when the post-war boom hit and Americans moved and vacationed in warm-weather locations, he raked in the profits.
That’s stickin’ it to them, Frank.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 11, 2003
The Great Depression had an important impact on many things, including, that’s right, the Popsicle.
Most Americans had a difficult time making ends meet during the 1930s, and could hardly afford “treats.” Although it cost only a nickel, even the heat-quenching wonders known as Popsicles suffered from slumping sales.
Frank Epperson, who had a patent on the ice pops at the time, wasn’t about to be done in so quickly. In an ingenious move, he decided to replace the one-stick Popsicle with a two-stick version that could be broken in half so that two people could share the enjoyment.
His idea worked, and while many companies never survived the decade, Epperson’s cool idea helped to keep his brand afloat, and when the post-war boom hit and Americans moved and vacationed in warm-weather locations, he raked in the profits.
That’s stickin’ it to them, Frank.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 10, 2003
The tiny state of Delaware has only three counties, but it’s not the state with the fewest (and neither is Rhode Island, with five).
In fact, two states have fewer counties than Delaware, but only because they don’t have any counties at all. They are: Louisiana and Alaska.
Alaska, the next-to-last state to join the union, is made up of 16 boroughs and 11 additional “census areas.” Louisiana, reflecting back to its French past, is comprised of 64 parishes. In these two states, each of the divisions act much the same as regular counties, handling court cases, property taxes, and other tasks.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 8, 2003
150 years ago, it was the third largest city in the United States of America. Today, it’s not even a city.
Its name is Brooklyn. Today, it is the most populous of New York City’s five boroughs — but for much of the 19th century, it was an independent city all its own.
The area was originally settled by the Dutch in 1646, then known as Breuckelen (meaning “marsh land”). When the area was overtaken by the British before the Revolutionary War, an Anglicized version of the name — Brooklyn — came into common usage. Incorporated as a village in 1816, it was given a city charter in 1834. As the area grew, Brooklyn began to annex the neighboring towns. Nearing the end of the century, the city was home to nearly one million residents.
Until 1898, New York City was limited to Manhattan Island, but in that year, Brooklyn joined the Bronx, Staten Island and Queens to comprise the “new” New York City. Of the 7.5 million people who call the Big Apple their home, about one-third of them live in Brooklyn.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 6, 2003
College protests in America began in the 1960s, right? Not quite. Back up a couple hundred years.
What did Harvard students have to complain about back in 1766? The impending war? Unmanageable class sizes? The cost of quill pens? Nope, it was all about butter.
Known historically as the Great Butter Rebellion, the students were upset at the poor quality of the butter that was being served with their meals, so they did what most college students would do — they griped about it.
“Behold, our butter stinketh!” wrote Asa Dunbar, Harvard student and later grandfather of none other than Henry David Thoreau. Did the establishment buckle, and provide the students with the better butter they bitterly battled for? Of course not. Instead, they punished over half the student body with suspensions and expulsions.
Perhaps they should have asked: “Parkay?”
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 6, 2003
College protests in America began in the 1960s, right? Not quite. Back up a couple hundred years.
What did Harvard students have to complain about back in 1766? The impending war? Unmanageable class sizes? The cost of quill pens? Nope, it was all about butter.
Known historically as the Great Butter Rebellion, the students were upset at the poor quality of the butter that was being served with their meals, so they did what most college students would do — they griped about it.
“Behold, our butter stinketh!” wrote Asa Dunbar, Harvard student and later grandfather of none other than Henry David Thoreau. Did the establishment buckle, and provide the students with the better butter they bitterly battled for? Of course not. Instead, they punished over half the student body with suspensions and expulsions.
Perhaps they should have asked: “Parkay?”
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 5, 2003
Sea horses are the world’s slowest-swimming fish. In still water, it would take one well over a minute to travel 12 inches.
The sea horse is indeed a fish, even though its odd shape and the bony plates covering its body cause many to believe it is a crustacean or an echinoderm.
Speed (or lack thereof) isn’t the most unusual thing about the sea horse, however. Unlike nearly every other species, it is the male of the sea horse that becomes pregnant and gives birth. The female of the species inserts her eggs into the male, where they are fertilized.
Oh, and one more thing: If you want to place a sea horse in your home aquarium, make sure it’s not the same one that houses those Sea Monkeys that you sent off for as a kid. These are really brine shrimp, the main foodstuff of sea horses, and they only eat live food.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 3, 2003
When America’s first 911 call was made, a U.S. Representative answered with a hearty “Hello?”
Truth be told, it was little more than a publicity stunt at the time, a way to put the tiny town of Haleyville, Alabama, on the map. It’s grown into something that has saved countless lives.
In 1968, the U.S. finally caught up with a few other countries and decided to begin implementation of a country-wide emergency telephone number.
When AT&T announced the 911 project that January via a press release, a gentleman named Bob Gallagher (who ran a small independent phone company in Alabama) decided he’d work to become the first carrier in America to offer the service. He put technicians on the job, and less than a month later, he put out a press release of his own, giving February 16 as the start date for 911 calls in the northeast Alabama town of Haleyville.
When the day arrived, Thomas Bevill, a U.S. Representative from Alabama, grabbed a chair at the Haleyville police station. The first call came from city hall, and Bevill answered with “Hello?” After a brief exchange, he hung up, there were handshakes all around, and history was made.
There’s no record of why 911 was chosen as the three digits, but the most logical conclusion is that the number matched the 411 and 611 numbers commonly used around the country for directory service and repair requests, respectively.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 2, 2003
During World War II, what were U.S. soldiers able to create out of a razor blade, a pencil and a paper tube? Listen up!
As early as the 1920s, electronics buffs were making their own “crystal set” radios, using such basic equipment as an oatmeal box, some wire, a crystal diode, and an earplug. In radio parlance, the crystal diode acted as the detector: that is, the gizmo that detected the radio signal and passed the DC component of an AC signal to an amplifier.
American GIs during WWII took this technique a step further — well, actually, a few steps backward — and built “foxhole radios.” Crystals were hard to come by in foreign battlefields, so razor blades were substituted. Disposable blades of that era were coated with selenium oxide, which, when coupled with the graphite found in a pencil lead, created a workable point contact diode. A bayonet served as a ground, and the contraption was usually thumbtacked to whatever was handy; often a cardboard toilet paper tube.
Primitive as these radios were, they did the trick. A 1944 letter to QST (a ham radio magazine) from a soldier at the Anzio beachhead told of pulling in a station from Rome during the daytime, and Nazi propaganda and “jive” music in the evening.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 1, 2003
Burger King pulled a Whopper of an April Fools joke on the American public back in 1998.
On March 31 of that year, the fast food company announced in a full-page ad in “USA Today” that, beginning the next day, it would begin to address the needs of America’s most overlooked minority.
The Burger King Corporation determined that some 32 million Americans would benefit from their latest and greatest innovation: the Left-Handed Whopper. BK researchers had re-engineered the sandwich so that it would fit more comfortably in the left hand. It was designed so that the condiments were rotated 180 degrees from that of the standard Whopper, thereby redistributing the weight of the toppings and reducing condiment “spill.” The company indicated that, after test marketing in the U.S., the southpaw version of the burger would eventually be made available worldwide.
Apparently, the majority of the reading audience failed to notice the timing of this ad — the new sandwich was scheduled to debut on April Fools’ Day. The company was forced to announce the next day that the whole thing had been a joke, because thousands of disappointed customers had visited their restaurants, attempting to order the new sandwich. And that’s not counting the outraged citizens that phoned and wrote Burger King officials demanding equal time with a purely right-handed version.
Sometimes, April Fools’ jokes are best limited to joy buzzers and thumbtacks on chairs.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
Questions or comments? email trivia@mentalfloss.com
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April 1, 2003
Burger King pulled a Whopper of an April Fools joke on the American public back in 1998.
On March 31 of that year, the fast food company announced in a full-page ad in “USA Today” that, beginning the next day, it would begin to address the needs of America’s most overlooked minority.
The Burger King Corporation determined that some 32 million Americans would benefit from their latest and greatest innovation: the Left-Handed Whopper. BK researchers had re-engineered the sandwich so that it would fit more comfortably in the left hand. It was designed so that the condiments were rotated 180 degrees from that of the standard Whopper, thereby redistributing the weight of the toppings and reducing condiment “spill.” The company indicated that, after test marketing in the U.S., the southpaw version of the burger would eventually be made available worldwide.
Apparently, the majority of the reading audience failed to notice the timing of this ad — the new sandwich was scheduled to debut on April Fools’ Day. The company was forced to announce the next day that the whole thing had been a joke, because thousands of disappointed customers had visited their restaurants, attempting to order the new sandwich. And that’s not counting the outraged citizens that phoned and wrote Burger King officials demanding equal time with a purely right-handed version.
Sometimes, April Fools’ jokes are best limited to joy buzzers and thumbtacks on chairs.
By Sandy Wood & Kara Kovalchik
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