For whom is the world’s tallest mountain named?

Ah, February. The second month of the year. The month in which we recognize love and politics.

Love, of course, is recognized in the annual rituals associated with Valentine’s Day, on the 14th.

Politics rears its ugly head in the recognition of President’s Day, which this year falls on the 21st. President’s Day, of course, is a combination of two former holidays – Lincoln’s Birthday on the 12th, and Washington’s Birthday on the 22nd. It tosses in a nod to the other 43 people who’ve held the office.

One thing we don’t have to wait to celebrate in February, of course, is trivia, since we do that here every week. In fact, let’s celebrate some trivia right now.

Did you know …

… the popular snack “nachos” was named after a person called Nacho? In 1940, Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya (1895-1975) created the dish at the Victory Club in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, just over the border from Eagle Pass, Texas. Asked by a regular customer to bring a different snack than the usual, Anaya used triangularly-cut pieces of freshly fried corn tortillas and added melted cheese and jalapeño peppers. Asked what the delicious dish was called, Anaya said, “I guess we can just call them Nacho’s Special.” The popularity of the dish enabled Anaya to open his own restaurant in 1954. (And the snack-loving people of the world are joyous that he invented them!)

… the term for a group of giraffes is a “tower”? A typical tower of giraffes is made up of about 10 to 20 individual animals. (If you’re wondering whether giraffes get angry about being stared at by humans, they don’t. They just overlook it.)

… a Japanese company has created a fire alarm for people who cannot hear? In 2008, the Japanese perfume company Seems developed a smoke detector that releases the pungent odor of wasabi, Japanese horseradish, into the air if it detects smoke. The odor wakes people up who otherwise would not hear an audible smoke alarm. (They use “hot stuff” to awaken you to the real hot stuff.)

… ounce for ounce, movie popcorn costs more than filet mignon steak? (But which one is better for you?)

… an oak forest in Sweden exists because of the country’s Navy? In the 1830s, the Swedish government planted a forest of oak trees so that the wood could be harvested to build ships for the Navy. However, before any of the wood was taken, metals were developed that could be used, and the forest stands today uncut. (And grateful, I’m sure.)

… the man for whom the tallest mountain on earth is named was opposed to the idea? Sir George Everest (1790-1866) never actually saw the mountain that now bears his name. But he was active in the work of carrying out accurate measurements of the landforms of the Indian subcontinent, and when the determination of the tallest mountain was made, it was recommended that it be named after Everest. Sir George himself was opposed to the idea, however, saying that his name could not be translated into Hindi – the language spoken by people in the area of the mountain – nor could it properly be pronounced by them. Additional trivia note: We also have an apparent pronunciation problem with Everest’s name. During his lifetime he pronounced it “EE-ver-est.”

… an astronomer wanted to put a song by the Beatles on the Voyager “Sounds From Earth” disc? When Voyager 1 was being prepared for launch in 1977, Dr. Carl Sagan (1934-1996) wanted to include the Beatles’ hit song, “Here Comes the Sun.” Dr. Sagan said the song, to him, portrayed the diversity of life and culture on Earth. While the members of the group were in favor, their record label, EMI, refused to release the rights to the song. Voyager 1 went into space and out of the solar system without a Beatles hit on it. (Hard to collect royalties from aliens, you know.)

… the average person has more than 1,460 dreams a year? (How many nightmares do they have, I wonder?)

… about 72% of Americans sign their pets’ names to greeting cards they send out? (I don’t. I don’t send greeting cards. I’m a cheap old so-and-so.)

… the first safety feature for an automobile was invented in 1908? John O’Leary (1855-1924) invented what was called the “O’Leary fender,” which was basically a large net installed on the car’s front fender, which was designed to “scoop pedestrians out of the way before they can be run over.” (If you think the description is amusing, you should see a photo of it.)

… most of human history is forever lost? According to scientists, modern humans first appeared on Earth about 200,000 years ago. However, record keeping in the form of oral or written traditions did not start until 6,000 years ago. So 194,000 years of human history is lost. (Knowing humans as I do, that is probably for the best.)

… Ph.D. graduates in Finland get more than just a diploma when they graduate? If you go to a school in Finland and earn a Doctor of Philosophy degree, you are also awarded with a top hat and a sword. The sword, complete with scabbard, is the officially certified civilian sword of the Republic of Finland, and can be fitted with a golden university emblem. (The sharpest graduates get the sharpest gifts, eh?)

…you could be a sufferer of pteronophobia? If you’re wondering, pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers. (For some reason, this item just tickles me!)

Now … you know!

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