How old is the ’Did You Know…?’ column turning this week?

In October of 2016, I had a problem – I was laying out a newspaper and had a “hole” in a page with nothing to fill it.  Frantically thinking (the only way I know how), I finally remembered that I had a collection of odd facts which I’d used during my career as a teacher to entertain students, and figured, “What the heck.  I’ll try putting some of that here.”

The result got a lot of notice, and it led directly (the next week, in fact) to the birth of “Did You Know…?”  And this week, we celebrate nine years of bringing this silliness to you!

I can not thank you all enough for being with me these past nine years.  You are the reason I do this.  It means the entire world to me that you read this stuff each week, that you seem to like it, and that you want more.

Nine years.  Shall we shoot for ten?

Did you know …

… about half of the world’s pigs live on farms in China?  (But can they oink in Chinese?  Hmmm?)

… the word “quiz” is wrongly thought to have not existed before 1800?  Its origins are somewhat murky, but the best story about the creation of the word comes from Dublin, Ireland.  In 1791, the manager of the Theatre Royal, Richard Daly (1758-1813), bet his friends that within 48 hours he could make a nonsense word be spoken all through the city.  Seeing some easy money, his friends took Daly up on the bet, and that evening Daly sent his employees out to write the word “quiz” in chalk on doors, windows, and walls throughout the city.  The appearance of the word caused people to be talking about it all through Dublin, thus winning the bet for Daly.  Serious linguists doubt the story for a lot of reasons, not the least of which that the tale was first written down 44 years after it supposedly happened.  Also, if you look hard enough, you will find examples of the word “quiz” in print prior to 1791.  So, while Daly’s employees may indeed have written “quiz” all over the city, the stunt had nothing to do with the word’s origin.  (I hope you took notes.  There will be a quiz later.)

… a house in Poland is incredibly narrow?  The Keret House, in Warsaw, is exactly four feet wide at its widest point.  Despite this, the Keret House contains a bedroom, a bathroom, and a kitchen in its three-story confines.  What it lacks in width, it apparently makes up for in height.  (And claustrophobia.)

… a Swedish warship sank less than a mile into its maiden voyage because of faulty measurements?  The Vasa was built and launched in 1628.  Less than a mile from its dock – in full view of the King of Sweden and his court – the Vasa rolled over and sank.  Archaeologists studying the raised hulk of the ship discovered four rulers that had been used by workers who built the ship.  Two of the rulers were based on the Swedish foot, which is 12 inches long; the other two were scaled to the Dutch or Amsterdam foot, which is 11 inches long.  The ship was thus built asymmetrically, which caused it to capsize quickly and sink.  (See why the metric system is such a good one?)

… a fad called “red out” took place among high school students in 1948?  It had to be one of the silliest ever.  Participants would kneel, breathe deeply ten times, close their lips around their thumbs, then blow – without actually exhaling.  They would then turn red and pass out.  Regaining consciousness, many reported they believed they had been chased by monsters while unconscious.  (The value of a high school education, folks.)

… a lawyer gambled on inheriting an elderly woman’s house – and lost?  In 1965, French lawyer Andre-François Raffray (1900-1977) agreed to pay the elderly woman a “rent” of $500 a month on her home in Arles, France, on the condition that he would inherit the house when she died.  When Raffray died in 1977, however, the woman was still alive – and she would be for a while.  The woman was Jeanne Calment (1875-1997), who was 122 years old at the time of her death and documented as the oldest person who ever lived.  Raffray’s family kept up the payments and eventually did get the house, but in the end they paid more than twice what it was worth for it.  (Subtle.  Very subtle.)

… the life’s work of a mathematician turned out to be meaningless?  It happens to a lot of us, I know, but in the case of English mathematician William Shanks (1812-1882), it’s extra egregious.  In the days of yore, before calculators and computers were invented, Shanks computed the value of π to 707 places.  But a review of his work in 1944 showed that Shanks had made an error at the 528th place, and the rest of the calculation was wrong.  (Thanks to Mason for the tip!)

… the German parliament is literally walked over by its people?  Inside the Reichstag building in Berlin, the chamber in which the assembly meets has a domed ceiling, above which is a glass dome and a walkway open to the public.  The setup reminds politicians that government should be transparent, and that the people are always above them.  (Not a bad idea, at that.)

… placing the national motto on U.S. coins was objected to by a president?  “In God We Trust,” the national motto of the country, has been placed on U.S. money in one way or another since 1864, but President Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) objected to its use.  T.R. felt using the motto on money was sacrilegious.

… about 10,000 new species of insects are discovered each year?  (Usually when they bite or sting you.)

… the Bible may be biased against left-handed people?  The right hand is mentioned 100 times in the Bible, all positively … yet the left hand only gets 25 mentions, and all of them are negative.  (Make of that what you will.)

Now … you know!