By ANDY KQBER
The near—Earth asteroid,
Bennn, has scientists con—
sidering gas stations in
space.
Scientifsts are now
reporting that Bennu could
have a lot of water, locked in
its clay surface, and that is
key. A
While we do not need
water here on Earth, future
5 ,acrccrzsft could utilize
you, >3 .' Exit-.1 z._2i”\r>au
H?" .- Mtg: 531 ié'y'ili ugly: '51” mlpn.
instead of H20 as found on
Earth, it is HO, but water
vapor can be drawn from the
liydroxyl groups, and hydro—
gen separated from oxygen.
Hydrogen can be used as
rocket fuel and the oxygen
drawn for astronauts.
Spacecraft can lift off
from Earth, which burns a
ircrtiendousamount of fuel,
and refuel hydrogen from an
asteroid similar in composi—
tion to Bennu. This means
that miners and a mining
process will have to be in
place so such a process is far
i.
l
l
in the future.
NASA IS seeking to
explore Triton.
In news released late last
week, NASA announced
planning a mission to explore
one of Neptune’s moons,
Triton. ,
’l’rémn it: the largest of
are researchers who ueneve
Triton has an ocean under its
surface.
For us, water is a key
ingredient for the develop-
ment and sustaining of life.
As part of the plan, a
spacecraft initially being
called Trident, would be
launchedandtravelto'Ititon.
It would take photos, study
the atmosphere and chemi-
cal makeup.
After Trident studies
Triton, the spacecraft would
explore the Kuiper Belt, a
ring of icy objects found
beyond Neptune.
Photo Courtesy NASA
SPACE PIONEER -
Voyager passed by
Neptune’s moon, Triton, in
1 989 and recorded geysers.
This has scientists thinking
there could bean ocean
under the surface and they
want another probe sent to
Triton. Voyager 2, which
launched in 1977, has been
operating for over 41 years.
The probe has left the helios—
phere and is in interstellar
space, only the second
manmade object to reach
interstellar space. Voyager
remains in contact with
Earth via the NASA Deep
Space Network and, if all
goes well, will continue to
communication until some—
time in the mid 20203.
"'Il‘iton shows tantalizing
hints at being active and hav-
ing an ocean," said NASA sci-
entist Dr. Amanda Hendrix.
"It is a three-for—one target,
because you can visit the
Neptune system, visit this
interesting ocean world, and
also visit a Kuiper belt object
without having to go all the
Mt}! {ml there.”
Voyager 2 flew past
Triton in 1989 and recorded
geysers that spewed nitro-
gen gas.
THE NIGHT sky is still
offering excellent opportu-
nities to View the cosmos. As
always, to view celestial
events, get away from bright
outdoor lights. .Take a com-
fortable chair. or blanket
along with snacks and
drinks. Finally, if you take a
flashlight, keep it pointed at
the ground and cover the lens
as much as possible to pre-
serve your night vision.
What were the last
words of Dr. Albert
Einstein?
By JACK BAGLEY
didyouknowcolumn @gmall.com
I don’t know where I would be without
my readers.
(Well, yes, I do. I’d be unemployed, most
likely.)
A few weeks ago I gave you the tidbit
of information that “under his powdered
wig, George Washington had red hair.”
Recently I received a very delightful e-mail
from a reader who gently took me to task
about that.
The writer, Gloria, told me that after
reading that little item she mentioned my
“fact” to someone who would know Igor
Babailov. If you don’t recognize the name
(I did), he’s the artist who was commis-
sioned to paint a recent portrait of
Washington, and thuswould be one of the
foremost sources of information about old
George. Mr. Babailov informed Gloria that
I was in error on one point: Washington di
not wear a wig. '
Yes, wigs were the “in thing” then, but
it was entirely within George’s character
to buck the trend.
Mr. Babailov told Gloria (and she then
told me) that, instead of wearing wigs,
Washington powdered his own hair. So, I
stand corrected once again.
Since I have seen nothing to note that
under the powder his hair was not a natu-
ral red, as I stated, I stand by that part of
the item, anyway.
Thank you, Gloria, and thank all of you
who take the time to let me know these
things. Now, on to this week’s trivia!
Did you know
only ten percent of all athletes who
sign professional baseball contracts make.
it to the major leagues? (That’s why it’s
important to have a backup plan, folks.)
. you can actually play an edible
Monopoly game? The game is made of
chocolate and butterscotch, and can be
ordered from amazon.com. (The bad part
is, you can only play it once if you decide
to eat it. Boardwalk must be the best-tast-
ing piece.)
there are exactly 216 noodles in eyery
can of Campbell’s Chicken Noodle Soup?
(Someone actually sits around and counts
these things. Great work if you can get it.)
we will never know what the last words
cf the great scientist Albert Einstein (1879-
1955) were? Just before Dr. Einstein died
ina Princeton, New Jersey, hospital on April
18, 1955, the scientist muttered something
in his native language, German. Dr.
Einstein’s nurse heard what he said, but
because she did not speak German, she had
no idea what it meant. (Ten bucks says his
last words were, “I was just kidding all
along”)
there is a temple in Bangkok,
Thailand, that is made of broken dishes? It
stands 242 feet high. (In case you ever won-
dered where all those broken dishes ended
up.)
character actor Edgar Buchanan
(1903—1979) was nothing at all like the bum-
bling hillbilly he played on television? For
those who may not remember him,
Buchanan played the character of “Uncle
Joe” Carson on the popular 1960s series,
Petticoat Junction - the only actor in the
cast to appear in all 222 episodes of the
series. His character was a slow-moving
simpleton out for an easy buck, but
Buchanan was nothing like that. He was a
dentist before becoming an actor, and never
let his license to practice dentistry lapse.
Buchanan wanted to have a fall-back career
in case acting didn’t pan out. He made his
first film at age 36, and turned his dental
practice over to his wife also a dentist.
(And that’s Uncle Joe!)
.. one of the most successful school
fundraisers took place in 2014? A subur-
ban Chicago high school raised more than
$1,000 in less than three days, doubling their
original goal. How did they do it? Well, a
student began playing the song “Baby,” by
Justin Bieber (born 1994), over the inter- .
com over and over again. Students paid
one dollar to have the song stop playing.
Tibetan monks are forbidden by law
from reincarnating without first register-
ing with a government agency? (Talk about
bureaucratic overkill! See what I did
there?)
if you wanted to build a real—life Death
Star, as featured in the Star Wars movies,
you’d better start saving up? Best estimates
are that it would cost about $15.6 septillion
to make or, roughly, about a trillion times
all of the money in the world right now. (I
find your lack of funds disturbing.)
two Presidents have had police issues
while in office? In 1853, Franklin Pierce
(1804-1869), 14th president, was arrested
and charged with running into a‘ woman
with his carriage. (The case was dismissed
for lack of evidence. And Ulysses S. Grant
(1822-1885), 18th president, actually
received a ticket for driving his horse and
buggy too fast on a Washington street.
(Presidents aren’t above the law, you know.)
the winter of 1932 was so cold that
Niagara Falls froze solid? (1 have a feeling
the late January chill in the Great Lakes
area had similar effects on water up that
way.)
in 1939, Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) was
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize? A
member of the Swedish Parliament made
the nomination. (Of course, we all know
how that turned out.)
it took five people to play Darth Vader
in the Star Wars films? Yep: David Prowse
(born 1935) was the man in the actual cos-
tume, while James Earl Jones (born 1931)
provided the Dark Lord’s distinctive voice.
Both Sebastian Shaw (1905-1994) and
Hayden Christensen (born 1981) provided
a face when the helmet was removed. The
fifth person, who did Vader’s breathing, was
uncredited.
Now you know!
, WWMWM .mm..»u.m~m.«~mm M .. . Mm
Photo Submitted
E‘s‘l’als QUALlTY « Happy birthday Reb McEntire who was born this
week in 1955.
i5”! Entire inuslcnas spanned across numerous genres'and she is an
accomplished
n. a
Quilt-ibis.
This Week In AmericanHistory
Ely ANCW KOBER
Here is what happened this week in
American i ii story.
t Mar. Today in 1955, singer-song—
writer, producer and actressl‘teba McEntire
is born in McAlester, Oklahoma. McEntire
was studying at Southeastern Oklahoma State
University to become an elementary school
teacher. Reportedly self-taught at playing the
guitar and singing at local venues, she per-
formed the National Anthem at the National
Rodeo in Oklahoma City where country artist
Red Steaga’ll was present and performing as
well. Steagallwas said to be impressed with
McEntire and helped launch her career.
- Mar. 29. The Baltimore Colts had played
football in Baltimore for three decades, but
on the night of Mar. 29, 1984, moving crews.
leaded the team’s possessions and equipment
into a fleet of 15 Mayflower moving trucks
and headed to a new home in Indianapolis.
This was done quickly to get out of .town
before the Maryland General Assembly could
passe bill that would have allowed Baltimore
to seize ownership of the team by eminent
domain «» considered by many tobe a flagrant
misuse of such power. I
N 0 Mar. 30. On this day in 1981, John
Hinckley, .lr. attempts to assassinate
' PresidentRonaldReaganinfrontoftheHilton
Hotel in Washington, DC. Hinckley fires six
rounds from a .22 caliber revolver. Reagan
, n
l
U .1
was struck in the chest by a round that rico-
cheted .off an' object. Also wounded were
Press Secretary James Brady, police officer
Thomas Delahanty and Secret Service agent
Timothy McCarthy. Hinckley was deter-
mined insane at the time. 'Ibday Hinckley is
free of incarceration.
0 Mar. 31. Fans of professional wrestling
will note that on this day in 1985, the first
WrestleMania took place in Madison Square
Garden in New York. There were nine match-
es in that first WrestleMania with the main
event being Hulk Hogan and Mr. T versus
Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper.
0 Apr. 1. It’s no April Fool’s joke. Today
in 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald
Wayne form Apple, Inc., in Cuperino,
California. '
0 Apr. 2. It was on this day in 1992 that
Mafia boss John Gotti is convicted on charges
of murder and racketeering after jury mem-
bers deliberated for 14 hours. Gotti was sen-
tenced to life in prison where he died on June
10, 2002, of throat cancer. .
0 Apr. 3. In 1943, American military intel-
ligence has broken the latest Japanese mili-
tary code and is reading the electronic mail.
This is known to a very few select people who
are deciding what to do with the information
as they do not want the Japanese to suspect
their code has been broken. Very soon it will
make a huge difference in the fortunes of
war.
Tall Tales
By ALEX MCRAE
When Holland Ware was still
a lad his grandfather convinced
him to buy 30 acres of land for
$150. .
He’s been doing it eversince.
And he hasn’t just piddled at it.
A 2010 news report claimed
Ware was the largest private
landownereastofthe Mississippi
River.
He doesn’t deny it. But he
never forgets he was born and
raised in Hogansville, widely
known as the cultural capital of
the north end of Troup County,
Georgia. He still has a home
there.
The only thing Holland has
more of than land is stories.
Recently, he complied those
tales in a book titled The Holland
M. Ware Stories. We got togeth-
er recently and talked about his
literary venture.
DeSpitehis mother telling
him to “Never let the truth get in
the way of a good story,” Holland
claims the yarns about his busi- .
ness exploits are mostly true.
Eventhe ones about the CIA
running a Mississippi River
cruise ship and the time he made
good money on anAlabama land
deal based on the advice of a
Puerto Rican fortuneteller.
He does, however, take
issued with reports claiming that .
during a tense negotiation he
threatened to throw a lawyer out
of a seventh floor window.
“That's a lie,” he says. “It was
the eighth floor.”
Holland also loves to talk
about the Atlanta barber who
shaved a dead monkey, cut off
its tail and dumped the carcass
along an Atlanta Interstate.
Within days, Atlanta headlines
screamed, “Allen Killed in
Atlanta."
The best stories in Holland’s
book revolve around the people
he met and ran with while grow-
ing in mall town Georgia. That
crowd included characters
named Short, Hop, Goat Eye,
Catfish and Pig.
One of Holland’s best bud-
dies was Bluford JOnes, affec—
tionately described in the book V
as a “cross-eyed fireman."
Holland reports that while
driving his convertible through
the countryside, he came upon
a young woman in distress. He
offered her a ride and she asked
if a friend could come along.
Holland agreed and was
hauling them back to Hogansville
when one of the women jumped
in the back seat of the convert—
ible and started stripping. She
was removing her last stitch of
clothing when they passed
Bluford Jones.
“It was the only time I ever
saw his eyes come uncrossed,"
Holland says.
Bluford also swore that the
story that spawned the best-sell-
ing book Murder in Coweta
County was not true.
In 1948, wealthy Merlwether
County landowner John Wallace
was accused - and later convict-
ed - of being in Coweta County
when he shot and killed a black
farm worker named . Wilson
’ Turner.
Bluford swears the killing did-
n't happen in Coweta. He said
he was out chopping cotton in
neighboring Merlwether County
when he saw Wallace’s car pass
by and pull into a barn. Bluford
swore he heard the deadly shots
that took Tumer’s life.
One of the witnesses who
testified against Wallace at his
trial was a Heard County woman
named Mayhayley Lancaster,
best described as “eccentric.”
Mayhayley was a teacher and a
lawyer and tried her hand at pol-
itics before she went off the rails
and started wearing a World War
I Army uniform and telling for-
tunes.
Holland says ' he knew
Mayhayley but never asked-her
to dinner.
Ware is a generous as he is I
successful and has donated
heavily to support cancer
research and treatment at Emory
University and at Auburn
University’s College of Veterinary
Medicine. I ‘
Financial support from
Holland and his wife, Faye
Hendrix-Ware, recently resulted
ina new breast cancer treatment
facility and the Faye Hendrix-
Ware Intermediate Care Center
at Piedmont Newnan Hospital.
If you see Holland Ware and
ask him to tell a tall tale, he might
oblige. Just make sure you’re not
standing between him and a pine
tree. Things could get ugly.
Editor’s Note: This column
was written by Alex McFlae,
author of "There Ain't No Gentle
Cycle on the Washing Machine
of Love. He writes the column
for, The Newnan Times Herald
and may be reached at a/axmm-
area (@9me com
I
