Is the U.S. government still actively collecting information on UFOs?

So I have one more week to find the perfect costume for Halloween.  I don’t go trick-or-treating, not at my age.  And I don’t generally participate in the other part of the annual candy extortion – giving it away to any costumed kid who comes to my door.

Why, then, do I need a costume?

I don’t, actually.  Seeing as how I never even go to Halloween parties, a costume serves no actual purpose.

But it’s fun to play dress-up, isn’t it?  It’s a release, a way to shake off some of the doldrums.  And as I say, it’s fun.

Any good costume tips?  Send them to me at the e-mail address above.  And stand by for another week’s worth of fun trivia!

Did you know …

… a fictional character was once honored by a prestigious royal society?  In 2002, the Royal Society of Chemistry in the United Kingdom bestowed an “Extraordinary Honorary Fellowship” on Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictional detective.  The award was made on the 100th anniversary of the publication of The Hound of the Baskervilles, the most famous Holmes adventure, by Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle (1859-1930).  (It was elementary, my dear Watson.  Elementary.)

… the brown recluse is not the most venomous spider in the world?  Sure, a bite from a brown recluse will cause you a lot of pain and a lot of damage, but there’s at least one that’s worse.  The male Sydney funnel-web spider of Australia has the most toxic venom to humans.  They can be from ½ inch to 2 inches long, dark in color, and they build silk-lined tubular burrows with funnel entrances.  A bite from one of these spiders is very, very painful, and is considered a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.  Death can result in as little as 15 minutes.  That’s the bad news.  The good news is, they’re only found in and around Sydney, Australia.  (It’s only good news if you yourself aren’t in or around Sydney, that is.)

… kissing can help reduce tooth decay?  The reason is the production of extra saliva, which helps in keeping the mouth clean.  (I’d research that, but finding someone to kiss is not always easy.)

… you may suffer from coulrophobia?  If you do, don’t ever go to the circus.  Coulrophobia is the fear of clowns.  (I’d avoid Washington, D.C., too, if I were you.)

… 66% of people eat cereal regularly?  (Which makes you wonder how the remaining 34% eat it … irregularly?  Strangely?  Upside down?)

… during World War II, the Germans developed a chocolate bomb?  The device was a bomb made of thin steel and covered with chocolate.  It was designed to explode seven seconds after a piece was broken off.  (The worst part was where they marketed it as a diet aid.  Now that’s just evil, right there.)

… despite official denials, the U.S. government is still actively collecting information on unidentified flying objects?  The last official public U.S. probe into UFOs ended in 1969 with the closing of the Air Force’s Project Blue Book.  But since then, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act have shown that the FBI, CIA, National Security Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, and each branch of the military have continued collecting information on the objects.  In 2021, the government finally admitted to the actual existence of UFOs – though they maintain that they don’t know what they really are, despite conspiracy theories to the contrary.  (They do, however, have some suspicions.)

… there are no female peacocks?  The peacock is a male peafowl.  Females are called peahens.  

… German beer was originally hallucinogenic?  It contained an ingredient called henbane, which was banned in 1516.  (Now it’s just the alcohol which causes hallucinations.)

… the first Hollywood stunt woman made her debut in 1914?  Helen Gibson (1892-1977) performed stunt work in the first 26 episodes of the movie serial The Hazards of Helen that year.  Gibson did the stunts for the serial’s star, Helen Holmes (1892-1950).  Gibson was a trained trick horse rider and was also the wife of cowboy film star Edmund “Hoot” Gibson (1892-1962).  (I guess Helen Gibson gave a “hoot” about her work.  I’ll show myself out.)

… no such place as “Never-Never Land” is mentioned in Peter Pan?  Written by novelist James M. Barrie (1860-1937), the book calls the place where children go with Peter Pan simply “Neverland.”  (As opposed to real life, which is “ItNeverEnds-land.”)

… the first person to see the planet Saturn through a telescope thought it had ears?  In 1610, Galileo Galilei (1564-1642) viewed the planet Saturn through his early telescope.  The instrument did not have very great magnifying power, and the beautiful rings that encircle the planet looked rather like bumps on either side.  In a letter to fellow astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630), Galileo said Saturn appeared to have “ears” or “handles,” and he referred to the planet as being “triple bodied.”  (Now there’s a heavenly body!)

… a President of the United States was once a hangman?  Grover Cleveland (1837-1908), 22nd and 24th President, was the Sheriff of Erie County, New York, from 1871 to 1873.  During that time frame, in his capacity as Sheriff, Cleveland had to “spring” the trap at two hangings.  Additional trivia note:  Cleveland goes into the history books as 22nd and 24th President because his two terms were non-consecutive.  The term of the 23rd President, Benjamin Harrison (1833-1901), was between the two Cleveland terms.

… the most productive day of the work week is Tuesday?  (Well, it sure ain’t Monday.)

Now … you know!

HHJ News