DID YOU KNOW…? Was one of the most popular toys of the 20th Century originally designed not to be a toy at all? By Jack Bagley
Next week is Halloween!
I have no idea why I’m excited about that. I don’t participate much – I may get dressed up in a costume for a party (should I be invited, of course) but other than that, I don’t go trick-or-treating, nor do I participate in the annual extortion of candy by costumed kids at my front door.
So why am I even bothering to mention it? Well, because it’s tradition, and even in today’s rapidly-changing world, traditions are important.
Maybe more so than ever.
Anyway, thanks for the costume suggestions that have come in! You are all the best. Meanwhile, let’s dive into some fun trivia.
Did you know …
… nobody knows how many stars are in the Milky Way galaxy? Estimates range from 100 billion stars to 400 billion stars. We also have no real idea of how many galaxies exist in the Universe. The Milky Way is one of about 140 billion galaxies that we can conceivably see through telescopes, though there is no way to know how many there actually are. Many astronomers agree that, with so many stars and so many galaxies, the number of advanced civilizations in our galaxy alone must be in the millions. (And when they travel past Earth, they lock their doors.)
… humans aren’t the only ones who have snowball fights? Japanese macaque monkeys enjoy throwing snow at each other as well. (When they build their snow forts, though, watch out!)
… a smidgen is an actual measurement? Many food authorities say that a smidgen is half of a pinch. To be even more exact, it’s 1/32 of a teaspoonful. (Half a pinch, eh? I’d like to try that some time.)
… every fourteen days, a language dies out? (Usually from no one speaking it.)
… ancient Egyptians did not exclusively use hieroglyphics? They also had a form of writing called sesh, which means “writing for documents.” (Kind of hard to draw all those little symbols on parchment, I will admit.)
… rats cannot belch? (They also can’t say “excuse me.”)
… the legendary King Arthur had a reason for using a Round Table? First described in the stories about Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory (1425-1470) titled Le Morte d’Arthur, the Round Table was used for seating to prevent any one of his knights from having a higher place of honor than others. Arthur’s seat itself was equal to that of his knights. (It’s good to be the king.)
… one of the most popular toys of the 20th Century wasn’t supposed to be a toy at all? Anyone who was a kid during even part of the 20th Century knows what a View-Master™ is, but just in case you don’t: View-Master was the name of the hand-held plastic device that allowed you to see a picture in 3-D. Cardboard reels holding images on film were inserted, you looked into the lenses, and because of the way the film images overlapped, you had a pretty convincing 3-D effect. The toy was based on the 19th Century “stereopticon,” a hand-held viewer that you put a special photo print into, and voila! Instant 3-D. But the inventor of the device, William Gruber (1903-1965), wanted the device to be a useful tool in areas such as stamp collecting and bird watching. His partners, however, saw the value in marketing the device to children with pictures from cartoons and favorite television shows, as well as nature settings. Additional trivia note: Because of Gruber’s political leanings, the View-Master almost fizzled before it started. Gruber was a German immigrant who arrived in the U.S. in 1924, and he was a big fan of Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). The FBI actually investigated him as a possible Nazi spy in the years leading up to World War II. Following the war and the realization of what the Nazis had done, Gruber’s enthusiasm for politics faded. (As it should have.)
… one out of every four Americans believes Earth has been visited by extraterrestrials? (The other three Americans probably are extraterrestrials.)
… the average human takes about 22,000 breaths every day? At rest, this average human (whoever he or she may be) takes 12 to 20 breaths per minute. (The real problems start when they stop taking the breaths.)
… wearing white for a wedding is a relatively new idea? White wedding gowns did not become a “thing” until one was worn by Queen Victoria of England (1819-1901) when she married Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha (1819-1861) in 1840. Her Majesty’s wearing a white gown started the tradition, but prior to that, brides generally wore their best dress, whatever color it happened to be. (So the bridal gown industry owes its existence to Queen Victoria. How about that?)
… you aren’t watching a lot of football when you watch a game on television? A study conducted by FiveThirtyEight of ten regular-season NFL games broadcast in 2019 turned up the following in a three hour, twenty-three minute game: if you combine time outs, commercials, halftime, instant replays, penalties, and other stoppages, you wind up with only eighteen minutes of actual on-field action. (Chew on that one for a while.)
… you have an acnestis? You didn’t know that? Well, let me be the first to tell you that your acnestis is that unreachable spot on your back between your shoulder blades. (You know, the one that always itches at the most inopportune moment.)
… tigers can eat more than 80 pounds of meat in one meal? That would be the equivalent of a human eating 70 T-bone steaks at a time. (That sounds like a challenge to me.)
Now … you know!
Copyright © 2024 Jack Bagley
