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Trivia M-O
Miscellaneous
- Two precious jewels that are exactly the same stone except for their color are sapphires and rubies. Both are forms of corundum, an oxide of aluminum.
- An ounce of gold can be stretched into a wire 50 miles long.
- Mercury is the only metal that is liquid at room temperature.
- An insect whose shape has not changed markedly in the last 350 million years is the cockroach.
- A hamadryad is better known by the regal title of King Cobra.
- Fish scales are the curious ingredient that causes the shine in expensive eye shadow.
- "Yellowcake" is a concentrate of "oxidized uranium" extracted from uranium ore to produce fuel for nuclear reactors.
- The names of the three wise monkeys are: See no evil (Mizaru), Hear no evil (Mikazaru), Speak no evil (Mazaru).
- Heirloom seeds are cultivated from crops and have been passed on from one generation to another.These seeds are said to grow more nutritious and delicious vegetables and fruits than seeds sold in store packages.
- John Bull could be considered the English version of the U.S.A.'s Uncle Sam.
- Ramon Blanco was the oldest person to scale Mt.Everest.
- The largest Greek population in the world outside of Greece is in Melbourne, Australia.
- The most widely spoken languages in the world are, in descending order: Chinese, English, Hundustani, Spanish, and Russian.
- Mardi Gras marks the last day before Lent. In some Catholic communities it is celebrated with a carnival, which literally means "Farewell to meat", from the Old Italian carnelevare, the removing of flesh.
- The fastest wind speed ever recorded is 318 mph in one of the tornadoes that hit Oklahoma City May 3. 1999.
- When movie theaters opened in the early 20th century they were called Nickelodeons. The word is a combination of two words, the cost of the movies, "a nickle", and the latin word for theater "odeon".
- Elbert D. Botts invented the "little white dots" that divide the traffic lanes.The dots were invented so drivers could see lane stripes in the rain or at night. Botts Dots are actually raised pavement markers.
- The facial hair style called "Sideburns" were given this name after Ambrose Burnside, a Union general in the USA Civil War.
- The Chinese "yin cure" is called Acupuncture. The "yang cure" called Ignipuncture involves burning dried leaves on a patient.
- The Plains Indians used the gallbladder of buffalos to make yellow paint.
- The phrase sleep tight originated when mattresses were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to tighten the rope.
- New Jersey and Oregon are the only two states that do not permit self service at the gasoline pumps.
- The dishwasher took the top prize honor at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair.
Trivia Index
Money
- In the Middle Ages people stored money in a clay jar. The clay it was made from was called pygg. Later the name and shape of the container evolved to a piggy bank.
- A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
- A quarter has 119 ridges around the edge.
- The Susan B. Anthony dollar, designed by Frank Gasparro was "struck" for only three years, 1979-1981. It was not popular because it was almost the same size as quarter.
- James Earle Fraser designed the Indian Head nickel, often called the Buffalo nickel. The Indian on the coin is a composite of three indians. They are believed to have been Two Moons, a Cheyenne, Iron Tail, a Sioux and Big Tree, a Kiowa. An american bison from the New York Zoo named "Black Diamond" was the model for the bison portrayed on the back of the coin. James Fraser is best known for his sculpture "End Of The Trail", many copies of this sculpture have been made one of which is in my den. I have photo of it on my Native American Quotes page.
- The $100,000 gold certificate, printed in 1934 which featured the portrait of
President Woodrow Wilson was the highest-denomination U.S. bill ever printed.
- These denominations have not been printed for years and are being withdrawn from circulation. Portraits appearing on these bills are :William McKinley on the $500, Grover Cleveland on the $1,000, James Madison on the $5,000, and Salmon P. Chase on the
$10,000.
- There are 13 stars, arrows, olive leaves, and olives on the Great Seal of the United States symbolizing the original 13 colonies. This is the seal you see on the back of the dollar bill.The design of the seal was approved
by Congress in 1782.
- On the U.S. one-dollar bill, there is an owl in the upper left-hand corner of the "1" encased in the "shield" and a spider hidden in the front upper right-hand corner.
- A Guinea, a British unit of currency, originally a coin with an elephant stamped on it, gets its name from the fact that it was made with gold from a certain area of Africa.
Trivia Index
Months
- April comes from the Latin word Aperio, which means "to open." Plants begin to open in April.
- Months that begin with a Sunday will always have a "Friday the 13th".
- The first letters of the months July through November, in order spell the name JASON.
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Music
- In 1889 the first jukebox was installed at the Palais Royal Saloon in San Francisco.
- Barry Manilow wrote "I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper, Wouldn't you Like to be a Pepper Too".
- "Happy Birthday to You" is the most frequently sung song in the English-speaking world. Written by two sisters, Mildred
and Patty Hill.
- Kate Smith was known as the "Songbird of the South".
- Bo Diddley studied classical violin for seven years and later played rhythm guitar for Chuck Berry.
- John Lennon was on the cover of the first issue of Rolling Stone.
- Oklahoma the first collaboration between Rodgers and Hammerstein was based on the play Green Grow the Lilacs by Lynn Riggs.
- Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married in the Dominican Republic in 1994 and were divorced 19 months later.
- The musitron initially used by Del Shannon is considered to be the predecessor of the synthesizer.
- The Big Bopper was the stage name of rock and roll singer J.P. Richardson best known for his hit song Chantilly
Lace. He was killed in a plane crash with Ritchie Valens and Buddy Holly.
- Opera superstar Luciano Pavarotti keeps a bent nail in his pocket for good luck whenever he performs.
Trivia Index
Numbers
- Four has 4 letters, no other number has that property in English.
- Forty is apparently the only number which has its letters in alphabetical order.
- A googol is a 1 followed by 100 zeros. Milton Sirotta came up with this word, which is now found in many dictionaries.
- A googolplex is 1 followed by a googol of zeros.
- One thousand contains the letter A, but none of the words from one to nine hundred
ninety-nine has an A.
- If you take any number, double it, add 10, divide by 2, and subtract your original number, the answer will always be 5.
Trivia Index
Organizations
- The Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks was established on February 16, 1868.Before that time they were known as the Jolly Corks.
- The oldest club in United States was formed in 1732 at Schuylkill Fishing Club in Philadelphia.It was known as The Fish House,famous for its Fish House Punch.
- The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, at Muirfield, Scotland, which was formed in 1744 is the oldest golf club in the world.
- First Rotary Club founded in Chicago.1905
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