Who was the original choice for the role of Col. Klink in ‘Hogan’s Heroes’?

Thanksgiving is coming up later this month. That’s a wonderful holiday, and yet it is one I dread.

Why do I dread it, you ask? Well, I’ve been on something of a dietary kick for the last couple of years, having managed to lose more than 100 pounds of unwanted me in the process, and Thanksgiving – being a holiday centered around food – is a real challenge.

The challenge, of course, is knowing when to stop, especially when there are so many more delightful consumables on the table. In years past, I would take my Thanksgiving meal at an all-you-can-eat restaurant (I’ve tasted my own cooking and lived to tell about it), and recently I’ve been invited by dear friends to join them for the holiday repast.

The hardest part is knowing when to quit.

So I have to focus on that. At the same time, I also want to focus on this week’s trivia, so here you are … excuse me while I go plan how not to gain weight in a couple of weeks.

Did you know…

…one tablespoon of honey is the collective lifetime work of twelve honeybees? (That makes me feel bad about all the honey I’ve enjoyed, for some reason.)

…at least one of America’s Founding Fathers didn’t think Independence Day should be celebrated on July 4? John Adams (1735-1826), who served as first Vice-President and second President of the United States, felt it should be July 2. The reason? While the Continental Congress formally adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, the actual vote on the resolution was two days before. (What’s 48 hours between patriots, anyway?)

…ants leave maps for other ants? Well, not exactly, but close enough. When ants walk along the ground, they leave a trail of pheromones which other ants can sense and follow. And the more ants that walk the trail, the stronger the trail of pheromones. The ants sense the pheromones with their antennae, as they do not give off any kind of odor.

…the shortest river in the world is in Montana? Called the Roe River, it is only 200 feet long, or just 2/3 the length of a football field. (Mighty rivers indeed!)

…the bite of a grizzly bear is strong enough to crush a bowling ball? (Yet another reason to keep a huge distance from a grizzly bear.)

…an iconic character role in a 1960s comedy series was almost given to another actor? From 1965 to 1972, Hogan’s Heroes – a comedy set in a German prisoner-of-war camp in World War II – entertained millions with its almost inconceivable plot. Commanding the camp of Luft Stalag 13 was the incompetent Oberst (Colonel) Wilhelm Klink, played to perfection by Werner Klemperer (1920-2000). But Klemperer was not the original choice of the producers for the role – they initially wanted Howard Morris (1919-2005), best known perhaps as the character Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show. Morris could do one of the best German accents in the business at the time, and his style of acting fit the original description of Klink. Klemperer, in fact, auditioned initially for the role of Sergeant Schultz, which went to John Banner (1910-1973). Following a few rounds of discussion, Klemperer won the revised role of Klink, and Morris was hired to direct several episodes of the series. According to sources who would know, Morris was thrilled to have the chance to direct. (I know nothing …nothing!)

…some breakfast cereal is rather magnetic? Cereals like Wheaties™, which are fortified with added iron, have so much iron that individual flakes can be lifted with magnets. (If you decide to try that, take a picture and send it to me. I’d love to see it.)

…the largest species of snake which ever existed did so about 65 million years ago? Known to science as the Titanoboa, the fossilized remains of the snake show that it grew to a size of about 48 feet long and weighed about 2,500 pounds. (Uh… yeah.)

…if you add up the amount of time your eyes stay closed in blinking each day, you get about 30 minutes? (I really have to try to get one of those jobs where someone sits around and counts all that.)

…Great Britain once had a phone hotline to report errant traffic cones? Initiated in 1992, the idea was for people to call and report out-of-place traffic cones as a method of improving public service. The system was removed, however, after being mercilessly mocked as a waste of government money. (If they thought that was bad, I can list several dozen more that are sillier.)

…seven different types of twins exist? I know, you thought there were two: identical and fraternal. Nope. In addition to fraternal, you actually have: unique identical, mirror, conjoined, parasitic, semi-identical, female identical, and male identical twins. (And they say two heads are better than one…)

…a museum for rabbits can be found in the United States? The Bunny Museum, located in Altadena, California, is home to a massive collection of rabbit-themed art, memorabilia, and curiosities. It’s been called – seriously – the “hoppiest place on Earth.” (I can’t top that one, so I won’t try.)

…the last Medal of Honor for the Civil War was presented in 2014? President Barack Obama (born 1961) made the presentation to a cousin of First Lieutenant Alonzo Cushing (1841-1863). Cushing had been killed in action during the Battle of Gettysburg while defending Union positions on Cemetery Ridge. His bravery had been noted, but not recognized, for 150 years following his death in the war.

…more people die annually from bee stings worldwide than from all poisonous snake attacks combined? (That’s the buzz, anyway.)

Now… you know!

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