Who was the first actor to portray James Bond on film?

Spring is here at last!

The “winter of our discontent” is now behind us, and we can “spring” forward!

Yes, I know I’m stretching for relevance in the introduction to the column this week, but what the heck – you gotta do what you gotta do, right?

Right.

And at the moment, what I gotta do is bring you another well-researched, freshly painted and spruced-up collection of trivia. Since it’s what I do in this space every week anyway, why not?

If you feel the need to comment you can always reach me at didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com … and I always answer.

On to the trivia!

Did you know …

… in New Hampshire, it is illegal to check into a hotel using a false name? (That makes all those old TV comedy setups impossible, doesn’t it, Mr. and Mrs., uh, Smith?)

… rice paper does not have any rice in it? It’s actually made from the pith of a small tree called the Tetrapanax papyrifer. People used to believe, for some reason, that it was a byproduct of rice. (Some folks are so gullible!)

… a breed of shark can live for up to 500 years? The Greenland Shark has a very long life-span; one captured in 2014 was discovered to be 392 years old. Testing revealed that the shark can live more than five centuries. (So does that mean that some critters who feasted on shipwreck victims in the 1800s are still out there swimming around?)

… you could be a sufferer of gymnophobia? It’s the fear of nude bodies. (There’s only one that I fear … mine.)

… only about two percent of the islands in the Caribbean Sea are inhabited? There are close to 7,000 islands in the Caribbean. (Let’s see, if 10% is 700, then … oh, what am I doing? I don’t speak math.)

… Sean Connery was not the first person to portray superspy James Bond on film? While most will agree that Connery (1930-2020) was the best, he was not the originator of the role of Agent 007. In an episode of the 1954 television series “Climax!,” the first adaptation of a James Bond novel was shown. Based on the book “Casino Royale” by Ian Fleming (1908-1964), the episode featured Barry Nelson (1917-2007) as the suave, sophisticated “Bond, James Bond.” Oddly, though, Nelson’s Bond was not in the British Secret Service. He was, rather, an American spy working for the fictional Combined Intelligence Agency. Additional trivia note: “Casino Royale” was never one of the “original” Bond movies produced by Albert Broccoli (1909-1996). The rights to that book had been acquired by MGM to make the “Climax!” episode, while Broccoli’s Eon Productions and United Artists secured all the other novels and subsequent original stories. MGM made a feature-length version of “Casino Royale” in 1967, but did so more as a spoof of the other Bond films, featuring David Niven (1910-1983) in the Bond role. It was not until 2006 that United Artists was able to acquire the rights to the book, and a more “serious” version of the story was filmed. (Combined Intelligence Agency? Oh, come on, now.)

… a survey found that nine percent of Americans are afraid of zombies? That’s a pretty high percentage of folks fearing something that doesn’t even exist.

… the population of the state of California is larger than that of the entire nation of Canada? If that’s not amazing enough, consider this: more people live in the Los Angeles metropolitan area than in the entire continent of Australia. (Sounds like a couple of compelling reasons to not live in California, if you ask me.)

… there is a lot of space between parts of an atom? Way back in school, we all learned the parts of an atom: protons, electrons, and neutrons. But there’s an awful lot of empty space too – so much so that, if it were possible to remove all the empty space from all of the atoms of every human being on earth, we would all fit inside an apple. (And not a very big apple, at that.)

… British military tanks are equipped to make tea? (But of course! One must take civilization into battle, yes?)

… people in Scotland have 421 different ways of saying “snow?”(No, I don’t know all of them, and I can’t pronounce most of the ones I know.)

… the first feature film was made in Australia? In 1906, “The Story of the Kelly Gang” was filmed in Melbourne, Australia. A silent film, the 60-minute cinematic masterpiece told the story of an outlaw gang led by Ned Kelly (1854-1880) that terrorized Australia in the late 1800s. (And with a couple of notable exceptions, movies have been on a downhill slide ever since.)

… caffeine overdose can be fatal? Yes, before you snag that fifth cup o’ Joe one cold Monday morning, remember that having too much caffeine can cause convulsions or an irregular heartbeat, leading to death. (Of course, not having enough caffeine can also be fatal on that cold Monday morning – fatal to anyone who gets in your way, that is.)

… an Arctic bird has the longest migration? The Arctic Tern, a small bird found in the northern latitudes, flies round trip each year from the Arctic to the Antarctic – a total of more than 20,000 miles. (So I guess it gets its “tern” in the record books, eh? Hey, put down that tomato!)

… the bat is the only mammal that can fly? (Before you mention flying squirrels, note that they glide, not actually flap wings and fly.)

… “you eat like a bird” is not a compliment? Many birds eat twice their body weight every day. (Food for thought, eh? Yes, I know that comment was “for the birds.”)

Now … you know!

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