DID YOU KNOW…? Did an error at a press conference lead to the fall of the Berlin Wall?
By Jack Bagley
Here we go again!
No, I’m not taking you on another trip you don’t want to go on … I’m sending you some more trivia to chat about over the dining table.
Side note – do people still talk at dinner any more? Or has it really become a time when everybody’s nose is in their phone, while their hands shovel food to their faces?
I live alone. I have no way of knowing what “dinner time” is like any more.
But if you are sitting with your family at the dinner table, and they’ve all got their noses in a screen, share some of this silly stuff … and maybe you’ll start a conversation revolution.
Or … maybe they’ll all tell you to shut up and let them eat in peace.
Anyway, here’s the trivia! Enjoy. At the dinner table. I dare you.
Did you know …
… lemons contain more sugar than strawberries do? Lemons are actually 70% sugar, while strawberries are only 40% sugar. But lemons have one thing strawberries don’t – a lot of citric acid, which gives the familiar sour flavor. (And I’m not allergic to lemons.)
… the longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds? This incredible flight covered a distance of 301 feet, and was achieved by a white Leghorn hen named Henrietta in England in 1912. (What they don’t tell you is … Henrietta was being pursued by Colonel Sanders.)
… you may suffer from odontophobia? If you do, your dentist is probably not on speed dial. Odontophobia is the fear of teeth. (And that’s the tooth, the whole tooth, and nothing but the tooth. I’ll show myself out.)
… a mistake at a press conference led directly to the fall of the Berlin Wall? On November 9, 1989, while Communism in eastern Europe was collapsing, the party leader in East Berlin, Günter Schabowski (1929-2015), announced at a press conference that East German citizens would be allowed to visit West Germany without having to meet previous legal standards for permission to travel. The announcement was in error, but Schabowski didn’t know that – he was simply handed a note which said the changes were being made but there wasn’t anything in the note as to how it would be handled. Within hours, the crossings from East into West Berlin were crowded with people who heard the broadcast and wanted to cross. Border guards, unprepared for the onslaught of people, tried to find out the truth, and were given essentially the wrong information. In the end they gave up and allowed people through the crossings. This brought about the first steps of demolition of the wall, which was officially taken down on June 13, 1990. East Germany itself collapsed on October 3, 1990. (Taking the rest of European Communism down with it, I am pleased to report.)
… the King of Rock ‘n Roll had a pretty full pantry? Elvis Presley (1935-1977) was well known for his love of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, but according to Mental Floss, his pantry was stocked with a lot of other comfort foods as well. Among the things Elvis enjoyed snacking on: banana pudding, fudge cookies, fresh orange juice, ice cream, brownies, shredded coconut, hot dogs, ground round steak, gum, and meatloaf ingredients. (Thankyouvery much *burp*.)
… the world’s most-overdue library book was finally returned to its home library after almost three centuries? In 1668, a copy of a book on various histories of northern German people, titled Rerum Germanicarum Septentrionalium, was checked out of the library of Trinity College in England by Colonel Robert Walpole (1650-1700). The book was discovered by Dr. John H. Plumb (1911-2001) while the doctor was working on a biography of Walpole, and he returned it to Sidney Sussex College on January 16, 1956 – some 288 years overdue. (Fortunately, the college did not charge an overdue fee for the long-lost tome.)
… two natural satellites in the Solar System may have life? The ice-covered moons Europa, around Jupiter, and Enceladus, circling Saturn, have shown evidence of having deep water oceans under their ice covers. Astronomers think those oceans may have warming deep vents, which could allow the development of life. (The stuff that science fiction dreams are made of!)
… some of the most everyday things we take for granted were invented by women? Windshield wipers, for instance, were developed by Mary Anderson (1866-1953). Outdoor fire escapes were patented by Anna Connelly (1857-1928). And the automobile heater is a creation of Margaret A. Wilcox (1838-1913). (Way to go, ladies!)
… “mice” is not the only acceptable plural for “mouse”? When you refer to the little gizmos we use to control computers, it is acceptable to call a bunch of them “mouses.” And that’s not just me saying so. The term is found acceptable by no less an authority than the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. But if you’re something of a language purist, “mice” is also acceptable with computer equipment as well. (Cheesy, I know.)
… birds would have a very difficult time living in space? They need gravity to be able to swallow. For creatures like you, me and the mink, our bodies provide a way for food to get to the stomach with or without gravity. Peristalsis is the name for the movement of food from the mouth to the stomach and onward. But most species of birds do not have digestive systems that use peristalsis, and they must rely on gravity to bring the food from their beak to their crop, and on to the gizzard. Birds do not have peristalsis because of the structure of their mouths, which is different from mammals. (Chew on that one for a while.)
Now … you know!
Copyright © 2024 Jack Bagley
