Does a town in Ohio have a lot of places named “Hitler”?

Normally by this time in April, I’m singing along with Al Jolson about “April Showers.” If you don’t know who Al Jolson was, then I must say I consider your education to be woefully inadequate. Jolson was the premier entertainer of his time … and if you had asked him, he would’ve told you that himself.

Showers are needed, of course, to help the “flowers that bloom in May” happen. Maybe not so much of them, perhaps, but we do need some rain from time to time.

So, whenever April showers come along, let the spirit of Jolson bring you to trivia … like the stuff which follows. Enjoy.

Did you know …

… Women smell better than men? No, not in the obvious way you’re thinking (though they do) … rather, in the acuity of their sense. Women are better than men at discerning and identifying different smells (If you’ve ever wondered how your wife can detect that perfume aroma, now you know).

… The story behind the nickname “Jack” for John is quite an involved one? To put it simply — which ain’t easy, believe me — back in medieval England, a man named John might have also had his name parsed as Johnkin … which would devolve into Jankin … then to Jackin … finally to Jack (None of it applies to me, since my real name isn’t John. And my deepest thanks to a dear friend whose initial question suggested this).

… All redheads are distantly related to each other? In fact, anyone who carries the gene for red hair — whether or not it manifests itself — is directly descended from the first person ever to have red hair. That particular gene first appeared between 30,000 and 80,000 years ago (Now if you tell me that person’s name was Eve, we’ve got a real item here).

… A President of the United States went through an unofficial name change? The 18th President, Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), was born Hiram Ulysses Grant. His name was recorded incorrectly as Ulysses Simpson Grant when he was admitted to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and rather than create a problem for the Academy registrars, Grant just chose to use it as his name from then on (I’d have changed it if I were him … imagine having the monogram HUG).

… A difference exists between two common names for impaired driving? Most states use DUI, or driving under the influence, to indicate that status. But some also use DWI, which means driving while intoxicated. The difference, you ask? If you are charged with DWI, you are driving under impairment because of alcohol. A charge of DUI, on the other hand, can also include impairment due to drugs (Both of them are bad news any way you look at it).

… A town in Ohio has roads and a pond named Hitler? The town of Circleville, Ohio, sports a Hitler No. 1 Road, Hitler No. 2 Road, Hitler Pond, Hitler Cemetery, and other places with the name. But none of it is named after German Führer Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). Instead, they’re named after one of the first settlers of the area, George Hitler (1763-1818) and his family. The Hitlers of Ohio were — and are — very honest, hard-working, down-to-earth folks who farmed the land. Their descendants – still using the name – live there today. And the people of Circleville don’t bat an eye when they talk about the Hitler family … they take it in their stride and have no issues with it (The Hitlers of Ohio … sounds like a great name for a situation comedy).

… The first cookbook published in the United States was printed in 1742? Called Compleat Housewife, or Accomplished Gentlewoman’s Companion, the book was printed in Williamsburg, Virginia that year (With some fabulous recipies, I have no doubt!).

… More than half of the single people in American haven’t had a date in the last two years? (Yeah, I know. How well I know).

… Aardvarks are allergic to radishes? If you think that’s odd, consider … they’re only allergic to them during summer (Makes you wonder what changes in the radishes, doesn’t it?).

… A Soviet movie in 1924 depicted a fictional trip to Mars? Aelita, the Queen of Mars was a silent film depicting a Russian engineer’s trip to the Red Planet, where he saves the Martians from the “evils of capitalism.” The engineer even falls in love with the film’s title character, Aelita, Queen of the Martians — before we see it was all actually a daydream. The film was based on a short story by Alexei Tolstoy (1883-1945) and, in its performances in Leningrad, the music that accompanied the movie was performed by its composer, Dmitry Shostakovich (1906-1975) (Gotta get a print of that film some time).

… Sometimes it does matter what a product is called? For instance, at one point in time, the prune industry asked the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to relabel prunes as “dried plums.” Asked why, the industry line was that “prunes” were not selling. It worked (Did it ever).

… The most germ-laden place in your toilet is probably not where you think it is? Sure, most of us think the seat, or the bowl. Nope … it’s the flush handle (I refuse to devolve this column into toilet humor).

… An actor making a movie was trailed by the FBI? Sacha Baron Cohen (born 1971) was filming the movie Borat in 2005-2006 when the FBI assigned a team of agents to watch him. The team was assigned after the agency received numerous reports of “a Middle Eastern man traveling through the Midwest in an ice cream truck,” (Considering it was Sacha Baron Cohen, it was suspicious).

Now … you know!

HHJ News