Was an automobile created that was controlled by joysticks?

I received quite a bit of fan mail from people who enjoyed the “silly laws” column. To each of you who took the time to write, my deepest thanks! I’m very happy you enjoyed it.

And I am appreciative of those who sent silly laws, some of which I didn’t even know. A follow-up column of silly laws will appear in the future, including some of the ones you’ve contributed.

Now that the loony legal stuff is over for the moment, however, it’s time to get back to some serious silly trivia. So dive right in and enjoy this first week of summer with the stuff that makes you smile! (Or frown.)

Did you know …

… an Egyptian pharaoh used to keep several of his servants covered in honey? Pharaoh Pepi II (2284 BC-2216 BC) would slather honey over servants in an effort to keep flies away from his royal self. (I guess you really can catch more flies with honey than with … uh … yeah.)

… Adolf Hitler’s nephew wrote an article about why he hated his uncle? The German dictator (1889-1945) had a strained relationship with his nephew, William Patrick Hitler (1911-1987), son of his half-brother Alois (1882-1956). After seeking some kind of government job from his famous uncle and being refused, William fled Germany in 1937 and settled in the United States. Two years later, he penned an article titled, “Why I Hate My Uncle,” which was widely published. And it wasn’t the only time William was a thorn in the Führer’s side: During World War II, William served in the U.S. Navy, after a grueling process to get security clearances. (We all have that one relative …)

… one of the most popular Christmas songs was recorded by a teenager? “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree,” a song you can’t get away from during that time of the year, was recorded in 1958 by then-13-year-old Brenda Lee (born 1944). Lee has gone on to have a recording and singing career spanning more than 50 years, but she’s best known for the Christmas song she recorded when she was just a teenager. (You make one hit record and it marks you forever.)

… Dorothy, the famous girl from “The Wizard of Oz,” didn’t always have a dog named Toto? In the 1902 stage adaptation of the classic book by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919), the character of Toto was replaced by a cow named Imogene. The producers made her pet a cow because it was easier to fit an actor into a cow costume. Imogene was originally from Oz, and gave “magic milk.” (That would be a very a-moo-sing way to tell the story. Yes, I know that joke was udderly ridiculous.)

… an actor who played James Bond wasn’t what he said he was? George Lazenby (born 1939), who played superspy 007 in the 1969 film “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service,” got his first acting roles with a totally bogus resume, full of jobs he made up but never actually held. Spotted by producer Albert Broccoli (1909-1996) in a commercial in England, the Australian-born Lazenby dressed for his audition as Bond in a Savile Row suit and wearing a Rolex watch, and his resume had roles in movies listed in which he did not appear. Lazenby won the role when, at his audition, he actually punched a stunt coordinator in the face. (I’ll have to remember that when I audition for the next role in a play.)

… an automobile was once created that was controlled by a joystick? In 1996, Mercedes Benz displayed its F-200 model at a car show. The car did not have a steering wheel or foot pedals; instead, it had a jet fighter-style joystick that controlled the gas and brake functions, with side-stick controls to handle the steering. The car also had sensors in the front seat that could tell where the driver was sitting, so the joysticks could actually be controlled from the passenger side. The car was never produced for the public, though, as it was felt too “different” from what most people were used to. (Not only that, the test drivers never got over the feeling they were playing a video game instead of driving a car.)

… a sloth has more bones in its neck than a giraffe does? Surprisingly (or not), giraffes have the same number of neck bones as you do – seven. But a sloth has ten. (I’m really sticking my neck out on this one.)

… in Australia, kangaroos outnumber humans almost two to one? (That’s a fact you can “jump” for joy about.)

… in one North Dakota city, hats and dancing do not go together? The city of Fargo has laws making it illegal to dance with a hat on, or even to be wearing a hat at a party when other people are dancing. (If an explanation for that law exists, they’re keeping it under their hat.)

… a species of spider can catch fish? The European raft spider attaches itself to a small leaf that floats out onto a pond. From its little boat, the spider catches large tadpoles and small fish. (And when the spider misses one, everyone has to listen to the tale of “the one that got away.”)

… more than five billion dollars sits unclaimed – and unclaimable – in banks around the world? Trust me, you wouldn’t want it: the money belongs to Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) and other prominent Nazis, deposited several years before World War II. No one knows what to do with it today. (I have a couple of thoughts …)

… suggestion plays a large part in sales? Researchers have shown that stores displaying a “50% off” sign receive a bigger increase in sales, even though shoppers have no idea what the original price of the half-off item was. Most don’t even know what a reasonable price for the item would be. (Sometimes they don’t even know exactly what the item is, but hey – if it’s 50% off it can’t be all bad, can it?)

Now … you know!

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