Did some people take ‘comet pills’ to ward off the possible effects of Halley’s Comet in 1910?

The arrival of May brings with it a thought or two.

Not many more than that can fit inside the vast open spaces of my mind these days, so I’m glad I have room for at least those.

If April showers do indeed bring May flowers, what do June and July bring?

August.

Insert your own rimshot here.

The other thought about May was rather fleeting, I’m afraid, and it has already gone on its merry way.

So I’ll stop thinking and bring you the trivia you came here to read in the first place. And remember, you can always drop me a note at didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com and I reply promptly.

Onward!

Did you know …

…carrots have no fat? They do have a lot of minerals and vitamins, though. Carrots are also about 90% water. (And the other ten percent must be carrot.)

…the average American spends $92 a month on coffee? You probably don’t notice it being so much, but that means you are spending $1,092 per year on coffee. (I don’t know who this “average American” is, but I find I spend a lot more on coffee than he or she does!)

…asteroid fields are nothing like they are depicted in movies? When you watch a film like Star Wars, and see a spaceship dodging and weaving around all those asteroids and other rocks, you’re seeing something that does not exist. The Asteroid Belt, located between Mars and Jupiter in our Solar System, has millions of asteroids, but the chances are that any spacecraft going through the Asteroid Belt won’t encounter – or even be in visual range of – an actual asteroid. They’re just too far apart. (But it’s much more dramatic if they’re close together!)

…a popular brand of candy uses a logo designed by a surrealist artist? Chupa ChupsTM, a brand of lollipop created in Spain but now popular world-wide, uses a logo that was designed by artist Salvador Dali (1904-1989). The candy company was founded in 1958 in Piloña, Spain, by businessman Enric Bernat (1923-2003). (I always wondered about that logo … now I’m sure!)

… you may know an ultracrepidarian? You might even be one. An ultracrepidarian is a person who gives opinions on things they know nothing about. (Oh, shut up.)

… people once took “comet pills” to stave off the effects of Halley’s Comet? In 1910, as Halley’s Comet was approaching Earth, astronomers studied the comet and its tail and discovered a poisonous gas called cyanogen in the tail of the comet. When it was determined that Earth would pass through the tail of the comet briefly, scientists said the cyanogen would only cause some vivid sunsets, but the news media went crazy with the story. Public hysteria led to people barricading themselves in their homes as the comet approached, filling in cracks in the walls to keep anything from outside getting in, and buying concoctions called “comet pills” which the sellers claimed would protect people from the effects of the cyanogen. Needless to say, the passing of Earth through the tail of Halley’s Comet did not cause the world to end or people to die, but the gullibility of some is apparently timeless. (Follow the science…)

…the Washington Monument is the tallest unreinforced stone masonry structure in the world? The 555-foot marble obelisk towers over the city of Washington, D.C. Built to honor George Washington (1732-1799), first U.S. president, construction began on the obelisk on July 4, 1848. But by the fall of 1854, the money raised for the monument’s construction had run out, and work was stopped. It wasn’t until August 2, 1876 that Congress appropriated enough funds to finish the work, but by then the marble used to finish the structure was being quarried in a different location and had a noticeably different color. (The worst part about the Washington Monument is … it doesn’t look anything like him.)

…jam, jelly, preserves and marmalade are made of different versions of the same thing? Jam is made from mashed-up fruit; jelly is made from fruit juice; preserves are made from whole fruit; and marmalade is the same as preserves, but made with citrus fruit. (Which puts marmalade into a real jam, if you ask me. Which you didn’t.)

…following his term as president, Ronald Reagan was offered a movie role? An actor most of his adult life, Reagan (1911-2004) served as 40th President of the United States from 1981 to 1989. After he left office, the producers of the movie Back to the Future III offered him the role of Mayor of Hill Valley. Reagan was a fan of the movie series, but reluctantly turned down the role. (I guess being a movie mayor is a step down from being a real president, but what do I know?)

…there’s no real mystery to the “mystery flavor” of Dum-DumsTM candy lollipops? It’s just a combination of the end of one batch of candy and the beginning of another. (The real mystery is … what two flavor batches?)

…the online matchmaking service Tinder has made a successful match in Antarctica? Needless to say, the two parties involved were both scientists. (A warm relationship in a very cold place!)

…carry-out restaurants could be found in ancient Rome? Archaeologists have discovered evidence that take-out restaurants were popular places in Pompeii. Ruins of such places, along with writings, indicate that carry-out food was a pretty brisk business back in the time of the Caesars. (There’s room here for a “Pizza, pizza” joke, but I’m not doing it.)

Now … you know!

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