Was the first woman elected mayor of a U.S. city nominated as a cruel joke?

Monday was Memorial Day, when we remember with gratitude those who gave their lives fighting for this wonderful country we call home.

So in honor of those who died for us to be able to enjoy this silly stuff I write, I offer a short introduction to the column, and wish you all a blessed week. Here’s the trivia to make you smile, think… and (hopefully) laugh a little.

Did you know…

… pirates did not really speak the way they are depicted? In fact, it was a movie – 1950’s Treasure Island – which began the popular idea of pirates speaking in terms of, “Arr,” and “Shiver me timbers!” Such things were not said by real pirates. Real pirates were more like business people, and many had the equivalent of college educations. (They were notorious, however, for lines like “Stick ‘em up!”)

… the 1900 Olympics, held in Paris, featured croquet as a sport? The three events all saw France capture the gold, silver and bronze medals, and only one spectator came to see it. (And probably went to sleep watching the matches, seeing how stunningly competitive croquet can be.)

… a much-loved movie was made as, basically, a commercial? The Quaker Oats company bought the movie rights to the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl (1916-1990), then financed the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory based upon the book in a primary effort to sell a new candy bar. (A good candy bar, to be sure, but still…)

… Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) once published a list of more than 200 synonyms for “getting drunk?” (And he would know what all of them were, wouldn’t he?)

… the city of Tokyo has a real superhero? He’s called Mangetsu-man, which means “Mr. Full Moon” in Japanese, and his costume consists of a purple bodysuit and a big yellow smiley-face head. Mangetsu-man does not fight crime, however. He takes on trash, and helps to keep the city clean. Mangetsu-man can be found out and about most days, armed with his trusty broom and dust pan, helping to keep the “Cleanest Streets in the World” from losing that title. He’s influenced thousands of followers as well, with children especially joining him in his crusade. Mangetsu-Man first appeared in 2013, and – like all superheroes – keeps his secret identity just that, secret. (He may not be Batman, but hey… at least he’s in there pitching!)

… the first woman to be elected mayor of a U.S. city was nominated as a joke? In 1887, a group of men in Argonia, Kansas, added the name of Susanna Salter (1860-1961) to the ballot for the election of mayor as a cruel joke. Their intent was to humiliate women, who had been clamoring to be given the vote – which they finally achieved via the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920. But the voters of Argonia called the group’s bluff, electing Salter as the first woman mayor of a U.S. city. Salter received two-thirds of the vote, no doubt aided by the fact that Kansas had allowed women to vote in state and municipal elections just a few weeks earlier. Salter served one term as mayor and never sought elected office again. (She didn’t have to. Her point was more than made.)

…the baseball tradition of wearing white uniforms at home and gray ones on the road began because of laundry issues? According to the story, teams playing games on the road would not always have access to laundry facilities, while the home teams would. The home teams could get their uniforms washed in time for the next game, while visiting teams might have had to go a few days between washes. It was easier to hide older dirt and grime in gray clothes than in white ones, of course, so the tradition began. Nowadays, with modern laundry facilities available to all teams, the need to wear dark uniforms on the road is much less – but traditional. (You always wondered about that, didn’t you?)

… a famous singer once tried to buy Marvel Comics? Michael Jackson (1958-2009) made an offer in the early 1990s to purchase Marvel Comics. Jackson reportedly wanted to produce a movie about the superhero character Spider-Man, with himself in the title role. While Marvel was in some financial difficulty during that time, the deal was ultimately rejected by comic creator Stan Lee (1922-2018). Eventually, the comic company was sold to the Disney organization. (Sigh. Michael Jackson as Spider-Man. Sigh.)

… the pattern of stars on the national flag of Brazil has significance? The Brazilian flag is green with a yellow diamond on it, and inside the diamond is a circle of blue. The stars in the circle depict the sky over the city of Rio de Janiero on November 15, 1889, the day Brazil became a republic.

… you can be denied a bank loan because of social media? Many banks use a service called LendUp, based in San Francisco, which checks the Facebook and Twitter profiles of potential borrowers. If you don’t have a lot of online friends or if you don’t often interact with those you do have, you could be turned down for a loan. LendUp says it views an active social media life as an indicator of stability. (As opposed to, say, having a job?)

… three actual survivors of the Titanic lived long enough to see the classic 1997 movie? Of the three, only two actually saw the film. Eleanor Johnson (1911-1998) died shortly after its release, though she did watch it four times and found it enjoyable but (understandably) emotional. Michel Navratil (1909-2001) was the last survivor to actually remember the event, and he saw the movie in a private screening. Millvina Dean (1912-2009), last survivor of the actual Titanic, was aware of the movie but had no desire to see it. Her father died in the sinking, she said, and she had little interest in reliving the event, even though she did not remember it.

Now… you know!

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