Did you know: How much did the first Rolls-Royce automobile cost?

Wow, what a party. It’s not often that one celebrates 300 of anything, and making it to 300 columns last week called for a shindig and a half. Which, now that I think about it, may not have been the greatest idea.

The clean-up alone was a monumental task. Not to mention the dishwashing, so I won’t mention it.

But it was worth it, to celebrate 300 columns of silly trivia. Now, we start the next 300 columns.

That’s how long it will take me to recover from the party.

So enjoy, while I go get some aspirin…

Did you know…

…the pencil eraser was not invented for more than 220 years following the invention of the pencil? (I guess that meant you had to be very precise in your writing, since you couldn’t erase it.)

…you may be a sufferer of geomelophagia? If you are, don’t worry. It’s just the name given to the urge to eat raw potatoes. (The urge to eat “raw” anything gives me another urge, which I’m sure you can figure out.)

…the beautiful colors leaves display in autumn are really there all the time? You don’t see them in spring and summer because of chlorophyll, the chemical that makes them look green. In autumn, the chlorophyll breaks down, and the green gives way to the leaves’ natural red, gold or orange pigments. (I knew it! Chlorophyll camouflage!)

…you could become an ocean reef? First, you have to die. Then, a company called Eternal Reefs will mix your cremated remains with concrete, creating what they call a “pearl” which is encased in a reef ball and dropped into the sea. The reef ball provides a habitat for fish and other sea life. The pearl can have messages and handprints etched upon it before being sent into the drink. (First you have to die. There’s always a catch, isn’t there?)

…the first Rolls-Royce would be considered a bargain in today’s money? The first of the classic vehicles, marketed in 1904, sold for £395 ($784 American). Known as the Model 10 Type A, it was a prototype for the cars that would eventually hit the market two years later. Only sixteen were produced. When presented to the public, the first one was driven by Sir Henry Royce (1863-1933), who had partnered with Charles Rolls (1877-1910) to form the company. A modern Rolls will run you about $295,000 today. Additional trivia note: For the first four years of production, the Rolls-Royce logo was red in color, but after Rolls was killed in an airplane crash, the logo was changed to black. Rolls was the first powered-aviation fatality in Great Britain, dying in a crash on July 12, 1910.

…a fast-food giant was started as a way to pay for college? The popular sandwich shop Subway began in 1965, when Frederick DeLuca (1947-2015) borrowed $1,000 from a family friend to start a fast-food venture that would provide healthy choices for diners. DeLuca named the venture “Pete’s Submarines,” after his financier Dr. Peter Buck (1930-2021). The name was changed to “Pete’s Subway,” and later to just “Subway.” DeLuca founded the chain to raise money to go to the University of Bridgeport, from which he graduated in 1968. (So DeLuca took the Subway to college, eh?)

…the “infinite monkey” theory is basically hogwash? You’ve heard it – “If you give 100 monkeys 100 typewriters, eventually they’ll write Shakespeare” or something along that line. This theory has been tried out in real life. In 2002, students and professors at the University of Plymouth in England tested the theory. They placed a computer keyboard in an enclosure with six crested macaques at the Paington Zoo in Devon for a month. The result? Five total pages of nothing but the letter “S.” In addition, the lead male struck the keyboard with a rock several times, and all of the monkeys eventually used the bathroom on it. The students ended up calling the result “performance art.” (Because they couldn’t call it what they really wanted to call it, you see.)

…the wonderful smell of freshly-cut grass has a dark secret? Well, maybe not dark or sinister, but more chemical. That aroma that makes everybody smile once the yard has been cut comes from a chemical released by the grass when in distress. (Yeah, I’d have to agree that having a huge rotating blade cut you in half would be distress.)

…the largest hamburger ever made weighed 1,794 pounds? Created in 2017, the monstrosity is actually on the regular menu at Mallie’s Sports Grill and Bar in Detroit. It begins with an even ton of raw ground beef, cooked on a custom-made grill. The burger is then topped with 300 pounds of cheese, tomatoes, onions, pickles, and lettuce. The bun alone weighs 250 pounds. And if you want one, you’ll have to cough up some serious coin: the charge for the Godzilla of all hamburgers is $7,799. The restaurant also needs three days’ notice before you pick it up for what would have to be a very, very special occasion. (Like feeding everybody at the Super Bowl or something.)

…there are over 30,000 known species of fish? (The trick is to count the unknown species.)

…it takes 25 muscles to swallow? Additional trivia note: humans use 72 different muscles when speaking. (And only six for hearing, I guess.)

…the average American consumes more than 4,500 calories at Thanksgiving? (Hey, that turkey and dressing is important!)

Now… you know!

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