-
Did a jockey once
win a horse race
dead?
By JACK BAGLEY
didyouknowcolumn@gmall.com
We are now a week away from
: Thanksgiving, and I hope you are making
your plans for turkey dinner with family
and friends.
What puzzles me is why people keep
advising me to find a good hiding place.
Thaaksgiving has such a prominent
place in American history, though it's hard
to remember that it hasn't always been a
holiday, nor has it always been on the fourth
Thursday in November.
In fact, once the Pilgrims finished their
feast with the Indians, the idea of giving
thanks took something of a back seat until
the 19th century, but it wasn't until the early
part of the 20th century that it became an
official holiday.
When I was a little boy, Thanksgiving
was my favorite time of the year, because
my mother was probably the best cook any
of us will ever know. She had a recipe book
of great American, German and Russian
dishes that would make your mouth water
so much they'd have to issue flood warn-
ings. And brother, did we eat.
This could explain a lot of things about
the way I look today, now that I think about
it.
But I'd better get to the trivia, or else
you'll hear my tummy rumbling no matter
where you are when you read this.
An e-mail sent to me at didyouknowcol-
umn@gmail.com gets a quick response, espe-
cially if you're sharing your holiday plans.
So let's serve up some trivial
Did you know
Pringle's Potato Chips aren't really
potato chips? Well, not in the United
Kingdom, anyway. In 2008, lawyers for
Proctor. & Oamhle,;makers of the classic
: stackabl anacks;wereable to avoid a 17.5%
tax on the product by arguing that a Pringle's
chip isn't actually a potato chip. The com-
pany says that a Pringle is only about 42%
potato. (If you're like me, you're wonder-
ing right now what the other 58% is.)
Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), so-
called "discoverer" of the New World, never
actually set foot on the North American con-
tinent? He explored the islands of the
Caribbean and charted the coast of South
America, but never once stepped onto the
land that honor him with holidays and cities.
(Besides, he didn't discover anything - the
Native Americans already knew about the
place.)
the inventor of the waffle iron,
Cornelius Swarthout (1838-1910), did not like
waffles? He patented the stove-top waffle
iron in 1869, but never enjoyed eating them.
(At least he never waffled on the topic.)
in Great Britain, in the 19th Century,
iffa person tried to commit suicide and failed,
By ANDY KOBER
ED. Roosevelt State Park is hosting a num-
ber of family friendly events. Upcoming
events include:
Friday, Nov. 17, i pro, Archery Turkey
Shootout. Join other archers at the fishing
dock on Lake Delanor and walk down to the
field for the archery shooting competition.
Park staff will provide equipment. Scored
target winners receive local gift certificates
for frozen turkeys or other food. There is a
fee of $15 per person and more than one entry
is allowed. Pre-register and pay at the park
they could then be tried for attempted mur-
der - a crime which was punishable by the
death penalty? (In which case, problem
solved, right?)
in 1923, a jockey was declared the win-
ner of a horse race even though he was dead?
Frank Hayes (1888-1923)was astride the
winning horse in a race at New York's
Belmont Park when it was discovered that
he had suffered a fatal heart attack during
the race. His body remained in the saddle
throughout the remainder of the event, and
he was declared the winning jockey, even
though he had passed away. (What are the
odds? Oh, sorry wrong question.)
you are about 1 centimeter taller in
the morning than you are in the evening?
(Working for a living can really wear you
down - literally, it seems.)
smokers actually cost society less in
health care expenses than non-smokers do?
The reason is that they have an earlier aver-
age age of death.
the name of the wonderful spray lubri-
cant "WD-40" actually has a meaning? The
"WD" stands for water displacement, and
the "40" refers to the number of attempts
that were made before the formula was per-
fected. (Makes you wonder about Vicks
Formulas 1-43, doesn't it?)
when an opossum is "playing possum,"
he's not really playing? Opossums who use
the classic fake-out are actually in a coma-
tose state brought on by fear. Their metab-
olism drops to a near-death state in an effort
to fool whatever is trying to harm it. (Or
he's just fooling himself.)
helmets were not mandatory for foot-
ball players until 19397 (Before that, they
painted the team's logo on the sides of their
heads.)
scientific studies have proven that
sandwiches taste better when someone else
makes them for you? (And the best tasting
sandwiches are made by Mom.)
the Russian word for "sock" is spelled,
in the Cyrillic alphabet, HOCOK, which is
pronounced "no sock"? (You're covered
either way, it seems.)
most people forget 90% of their
dreams? (But the ten percent they remem-
ber va va va voomI)
only one silent movie has ever won the
Best Picture award at the Academy Awards?
Wings, made in 1927, was also the first movie
to ever win the Best Picture award. Oddly
enough, for the first year of the Oscars, talk-
ing pictures were ineligible for Best Picture.
A few years later, silent films were deemed
not eligible.
it is an offense to call the golden color
of the German national flag "yellow"? In
1959, the West German Supreme Court ruled
that calling the gqld portion of the black-
red-gold flag "yellow" is actually an insult
to the nation. (No comment.)
Now you know!
office.
Monday, Nov. 19, 9 am, Jr. Ranger Mini-
Camp. Includes art projects, special activi-
ties, nature discoveries, and a special camp-
fire lunch. Meets at the covered, stone pic-
nic shelter near Liberty Bell Pool. There is
a fee of $25 per person and pre-registration
is required. Call the park office for more
information.
For more information about any of the pro-
grams at the state park, call 706-663-4858.
FD Roosevelt State Park is located in Pine
Mountain.
Photo Courtesy NASA,
GEM OF AN ASTEROID -
Shaped like a diamond, the
asteroid Benn u will soon be
visited by the spacecraft
Osiris-Rex. The spacecraft
will be landing on the sur-
face, scrapping samples ,
and then returning to Earth.
Scientists believe that
Bennu might be composed
of organic molecules.
eonl
eor
wer
a
By ANDY KOBER
The Leonids Meteor
Shower is expected to peak
during the overnight hours
of Saturday into Sundayalmost literally, astronomy? Email it to
morning, with about 15 Late last week NASA andykober@hotmail.com
meteors per hour at peak announced the spacecraft and we'll try to find you an
activity. Osiris-Rex had spotted answer.
With the moon at wax- Bennu, which is a diamond- Closer to Earth the
ing gibbous, it could be a - shaped asteroid locatedInternational Space State is
good opportunity to view about 80 million miles from often visible to those on the
meteors with the family. Earth. Earth's surface.
The best meteor shower A bit over 120 miles from To view the space station
of the year is anticipated to the asteroid, Osiris-Rex took as it passes overhead, visit
begin on Dec. 7 and will only enough photos fast enoughwww.spotthestation.nasa.g
last for about 10 days. to provide images of ov and enter your zip code.
The Geminids Meteor Bennu's rotation. When you do spot the space
Shower is known to produce Bennu is estimated to bestation what you are actua!
about 120 meteors per hour about 1,650 feet wide and ly seeing is the reflection of
at peak, which is expected scientists believe it is "like- the sunoffthe station's solar
to take place during thely rich in organic molecule." panels.
overnight hours of Dec. 13- If true, Bennu and other SkyTracker Lite is a
14. Reflectedlight fromthe such asteroids could be good app for your smart
Moon should not be an issue, flinging the building blocks phone and is free from the
andit sets shortly after mid- of life throughout the play store. The app provides
night. " ,galaxy. excellent information on
Not orrly ' does the Osiris-Rexis expectedto celestial objects in the sky
Geminids Meteor Shower reach Bennu in early including constellations.
produce an extraordinaryDecember. After orbiting As always, to view celes-
number of meteors, it also the asteroid, scientists will tial events, get away from
produces multi-coloreddetermine a landing site. bright outdoor lights. Take
meteors. Osiris-Rex will land on the a comfortable chair or blan'r
More on the Geminids surface, scrape samplesket along with snacks and
Meteor Shower next week.from the surface, and return drinks. Finally, if you take
those samples to Earth for a flashlight, keep it pointed
FURTHER EXPLO- further study, at the ground and cover the
RATION of the asteroid lens as much as possible tO
Bennu is on the horizon - GOT A question on preserve your night vision.
Photo Submitted
BIRTHDAY! - Actress Goldie Hawn celebrates her birthday this week. Often
HAPPY
portraying the "dumb blonde", Hawn was quite a versatile actress.
By ANDY KOBER Illinois and Indiana suffering the most dam:
age.
Here is what happened this week in Nov. 18. In 1961, President John E
American History: Kennedy sends 18,000 military advisors to
South Vietnam. It is the beginning of what
Nov. 15. In 1942, both the American and will become known as the Vietnam War.
Japanese navies are reeling after three days Nov. 19. On this day in 1493, explorer
of battle around Guadalcanal. One of the Christopher Columbus goes ashore on an
American ships sunk was the light cruiser island spotted earlier in the day. He names
Juneau. On board the Juneau were the five the island San Juan Bautista. Today that island
Sullivan brothers, George Thomas, Francis is known as Puerto Rico.
Henry, Joseph Eugene, Madison Abel and Nov. 20. In 1820 a whale attacks and
Albert Leo. They ranged in age from 27 to 20 sinks the whaling ship Essex, whose home
years old. All were lost in the sinking of the port was Nantucket, Massachusetts. That
Juneau. Three died in the actual sinking and becomes the inspiration for Herman
the other two from exposure before survivors Melville's novelMoby Dick. All 20 crew mem-
were rescued. The "Fighting Sullivans" as bers survived the sinking, but stranded on
they came to be known became heroes in the open ocean they quickly began to suffer.
America. Two destroyers, DD-537 and DDG- With no food, survivors began eating the bod-'
68 were named The Sullivans in their honor, ies of crewmembers that had died. Then they
Nov. 16. In 1974, the Arecibo message began killing each other for more food. Only
is broadcast from the Arecibo Radio seven crewmemberssurvivedtoeventually
Telescope in Puerto Rico. The message, con- be rescued about three months after the sink-
taining information about Earth and human- ing of the Essex.
ity is aimed at star cluster Messier 13, about * Nov. 21. Happy birthday to actress and
25,000 light years away. Unfortunately the producer Goldie Hawn, born on this day in
transmission will never reach its intended 1945. Hawn enjoyed three decades of being
target as Messier 13 will have moved, extremely popular both on television and in
Nov. 17. In 2013, late-season tornadic movies. Her breakout role came on the tele-
storms strike the Midwest. The storms spawn vision comedy show, Rowan & Martin's
an estimated 72 tornadoes in 11 hours with Laugh-In.
