Useless (But Fun!) Fact For Today

[TominMO]

John Wayne's role model for his westerns was Wyatt Earp, whom he talked with frequently.

[Emerikol]

29 Oct 22:

September 10th, 1945 finds a strapping (but tender) young rooster pecking through the dust of Fruita, Colorado. The unsuspecting bird had never looked so delicious as he did that, now famous, day. Clara Olsen was planning on featuring the plump chicken in the evening meal. Husband Lloyd Olsen was sent out, on a very routine mission, to prepare the designated fryer for the pan. Nothing about this task turned out to be routine. Lloyd knew his mother-in-law would be dining with them and would savor the neck. He positioned his ax precisely, estimating just the right tolerances, to leave a generous neck bone. "It was as important to suck-up to your mother-in-law in the 40's as it is today." A skillful blow was executed and the chicken staggered around like most freshly terminated poultry.

Then the determined bird shook off the traumatic event and never looked back. Mike (it is unclear when the famous rooster took on the name) returned to his job of being a chicken. He pecked for food and preened his feathers just like the rest of his barnyard buddies.

When Olsen found Mike the next morning, sleeping with his "head" under his wing, he decided that if Mike had that much will to live, he would figure out a way to feed and water him. With an eyedropper Mike was given grain and water. It was becoming obvious that Mike was special. A week into Mike's new life Olsen packed him up and took him 250 miles to the University of Utah in Salt Lake City . The skeptical scientists were eager to answer all the questions regarding Mike's amazing ability to survive with no head. It was determined that ax blade had missed the jugular vein and a clot had prevented Mike from bleeding to death. Although most of his head was in a jar, most of his brain stem and one ear was left on his body. Since most of a chicken's reflex actions are controlled by the brain stem Mike was able to remain quite healthy.

In the 18 MONTHS that Mike lived as "The Headless Wonder Chicken" he grew from a mere 2 1/2 lbs. to nearly 8 lbs. In an interview, Olsen said Mike was a "robust chicken - a fine specimen of a chicken except for not having a head." Miracle Mike took on a manager, and with the Olsens in tow, set out on a national tour. Curious sideshow patrons in New York , Atlantic City , Los Angeles , and San Diego lined up to pay 25 cents to see Mike. The "Wonder Chicken" was valued at $10,000 and insured for the same. His fame and fortune would earn him recognition in Life and Time Magazines. It goes without saying there was a Guinness World Record in all this. While returning from one of these road trips the Olsens stopped at a motel in the Arizona desert. In the middle of the night Mike began to choke. Unable to find the eyedropper used to clear Mike's open esophagus Miracle Mike passed on.

[wheelbender6]

There are no chairs in the international Space Station. With no gravity, chairs are not needed.

[Emerikol]

30 Oct 22:

You probably still remember the 1997 action-thriller film “Air Force One” and the movie’s famous scene, when Harrison Ford, starring as the president, pulls hijacker Gary Oldman’s parachute cord and growls, “Get off my plane!” But how much do you know about the real Air Force One, the planes (yes, plural) that fly the president around the country and even the world?

Unsurprisingly, Air Force One planes have as many bells and whistles as you can imagine. From serving as a de-facto bunker during a potential nuclear attack to flying well above where a commercial airliner can go, there are a lot of fascinating things to know about Air Force One.

“Air Force One” Is Technically A Call Sign
Although we think of Air Force One as referring to the planes themselves, it is technically a radio call name for any plane on which the president of the United States of America travels. So, “Air Force One” is simply the plane flying the president.

There Are Two Air Force One Planes
Although it is Air Force One, the military has two planes that are designated as the official planes for presidential travel under the call sign Air Force One. The two planes serving in the Air Force One fleet today have been in service since 1990, and one of them is always ready to fly.

There’s A Mobile Command Center
Presidents have a mobile command center at their disposal on the Air Force One aircraft. The onboard electronics are hardened to protect the plane from an electromagnetic pulse, and the plane is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, according to the White House website. In the event of an attack on the United States, the president would have everything needed to respond.

The Current Planes Were Made By Boeing
Although many different types of planes have been used as Air Force One, the current planes in operation are both Boeing 747-200 aircraft. It has four engines and is a successor to the Boeing 707, which President Dwight Eisenhower added to the fleet in ’58. Eisenhower also flew in Lockheed C-121 Super Constellations.

The Name Was Established To Avoid Confusion
The “Air Force One” naming convention was established for communication purposes. The name was adopted in 1953, after a commercial plane, Eastern Air Lines Flight 8610, entered President Eisenhower’s airspace when he was on board his plane, which had a similar name — Air Force 8610. After the incident, the term “Air Force One” was coined to avoid any confusion about which aircraft is carrying the commander-in-chief.

There’s Also An Air Force Two
Air Force One isn’t the only official fleet for carrying the important people in our government. Air Force Two is the radio call sign for the plane the vice president is using. Typically, the V.P. flies on a C-32A, a military plane similar to a Boeing 757.

There’s A Marine One, Too
The president doesn’t always fly on airplanes. Sometimes, he takes a helicopter. Marine One is the radio call sign for a Marine Corps helicoptertransporting the president. Lockheed is building six new helicopters for Marine One, and the first is expected to enter service in 2020, according to CNBC. Helicopters in the Marine One fleet are equipped with ballistic armor and antimissile defenses, and the pilots who fly them, from Marine Helicopter Squadron One, are known as the Nighthawks.

There’s Always A Doctor Aboard Air Force One
What happens if there is a medical emergency aboard the plane? The president and White House staff would be in luck since the Air Force One planes include a medical suite that can even function as an operating room, and there is always a doctor on board.

The Planes Will Be Replaced Soon
The two Air Force One planes have been in operation since 1990, so it should come as no surprise that they are in need of an update. In fact, they’re scheduled to be replaced within the next decade. In April, Boeing won a $3.9 billion contract to create new Air Force One planes to replace the current fleet. The new planes should be ready to fly the president by 2024.

It Can Seat 70 People
The president never needs to worry about flying alone. Air Force One can seat up to 70 people, which typically includes the president’s senior advisers, Secret Service officers, reporters from various media outlets and other guests who may be accompanying the president.

Air Force One Can Stay In The Air Indefinitely
You might remember that dramatic refueling scene in “Air Force One” the movie, but it’s actually true: These planes can be refueled mid-air, though the maneuver is typically reserved for emergency situations. A fuel plane would arrive and hover overhead to refuel Air Force One, which has a refueling probe on the aircraft’s nose. Refueling mid-air could keep the president in the air indefinitely if there’s an unsafe situation on the ground.

You’ll Never See It At A Terminal
There’s a reason why every picture of the president coming out of the airplane takes place on a set of stairs. The plane never parks at the terminal at an airport. It stays wherever it has landed so that it can take off at a moment’s notice, as needed.

FDR Was The First To Fly For State Business
The Navy purchased a Douglas Dolphin seaplane for the president’s personal use in 1933, but a sitting U.S. president didn’t fly to handle official state business until 1943. That first flight wasn’t a short one. Franklin Delano Roosevelt flew to a war strategy meeting with Winston Churchill in Casablanca, Morocco. Roosevelt’s journey on the Boeing 314 Flying Boat took four days! Departing from Florida, his pilots hopped through the Carribbean to Brazilbefore making the trans-Atlantic flight to Gambia, then flew him north to Morocco.

FDR Established The Presidential Pilot Office
After that historic flight, FDR founded the Presidential Pilot Office, which is now known as the Presidential Airlift Group. This group is an official part of the White House Military office, and it is responsible for maintaining and operating Air Force One. And these planes get plenty of special attention: Air Force One is hand-polished before every flight.

George W. Bush Briefly Had A “Navy One”
Since the “One” designation is for aircraft carrying the president, it’s no surprise that George W. Bush dubbed the plane that landed him on the USS Abraham Lincoln following the invasion of Iraq in 2003 “Navy One.” The Lockheed S-3 Viking was designed to be an anti-submarine jet, not transportation for the president, of course. “Navy One” was retired and is now on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, Florida.

Air Force One Has Three Floors
Air Force One is a large airplane. Not only does it have three levels and a whopping 4,000 square feet of floor space, but the president can enjoy an extensive suite that includes a large office, gym, bathroom (with shower) and conference room.

Air Force One Has 85 Telephones
What can the president do if his Air Force One phone stops working? Why, use one of the 84 other phones! Not only does Air Force One have at least 85 telephones (for both classified and unclassified use), but it also has multi-frequency radios and, of course, WiFi.

The Crew Knows How To Cater To Dignitaries
President Ronald Reagan was such a fan of jelly beans that both the Oval Office and Air Force One were always stocked with the candy. But Air Force One’s crew can do better than just producing the president’s favorite candy. The crew even knows how everyone likes their coffee. A National Geographic video shows a sign in the galley: President Bush took his coffee black with Equal, and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice took decaf with cream and Equal on the side. No need to ask!

Presidents Said So Long To Prop Planes in 1959
During the first 15 years of the Presidential Airlift Group, propeller-driven planes served the President of the United States. Then along came the Boeing passenger jet. President Dwight D. Eisenhower used a Boeing 707 Stratoliner in August 1959 to fly to Europe, and the rest is history.

JFK Flew In The First Customized Presidential Plane
President John F. Kennedy became the first president to use a jet that was built specifically for presidential use after he came into office. In 1962, he began flying in a modified Boeing 707. This iteration of Air Force One is historic for another reason: It carried his body back to Washington after he was assassinated in Dallas in 1963.

Jackie Kennedy Had Air Force One Redesigned
Unsurprisingly, President Kennedy’s always-fashionable wife, Jackie, had a big impact on what we know today as Air Force One. The then-First Lady commissioned designer Raymond Loewy to create a new interior for Air Force One, and she oversaw the redesign of the blue exterior that still makes Air Force One so recognizable today.

Air Force One Smuggled Beer For One President
Before Coors was available nationwide, the Rocky Mountain beer was so beloved by President Gerald R. Ford that his crew loaded it onto Air Force One and hauled cases back to Washington after their trips out west. What a crew!

The Motorcade Travels Ahead of Air Force One
Have you seen videos of the president disembarking from Air Force One and then climbing into his usual tank-like limo — even in another country? There’s a reason for that. The Air Force usually sends the president’s bulletproof motorcade ahead of Air Force One in a C-141 Starlifter cargo plane. This way, presidents have safe transportation both in the air and once they reach their destination.

The ‘Doomsday’ Plane Follows Air Force One
The aircraft popularly called the “Doomsday” plane always follows Air Force One. This plane (there are reportedly four of them in existence), the E-B4 Advanced Airborne Command Post, is an airborne nuclear bunker and command center that was designed at the height of the Cold War to resist a nuclear attack. It trails the president in case of an emergency, and just like Air Force One planes, most of its tech specs and capabilities are classified.

Air Force One Has Two Kitchens
Air Force One has not one but two kitchens, and the fare is far better than what the rest of us eat when we fly. Most of the on-board eats are created in a special, safe kitchen at Joint Base Andrews, where they are then vacuum-sealed and frozen; the crew then cooks or reheats meals onboard the plane. One thing Air Force One’s kitchens don’t have? A fryer. As a result, the fries on board can be soggy, CBS News notes.

Air Force One Is Also A Bunker
Even though the president has a nuclear bunker following them at all times (the “Doomsday” plane mentioned above), Air Force One itself is made of such tough stuff that it is also a de facto bunker in the event of a nuclear attack. The body of the aircraft has armor plating, and it has armor-plated glass in the windows. Surely there’s more, but most details of the plane’s defense capabilities are kept top secret, for obvious reasons.

Air Force One Is Larger And Faster Than President Trump’s Personal Plane
President Trump’s personal plane wins out in fanciness over the utilitarian features of Air Force One thanks to ornate decorations such as gold-plated seat belts and custom family crests embroidered into the leather seatbacks, and even a movie theater. However, as president, he has to fly on Air Force One because of the official plane’s capabilities for defense and security. Air Force One is also larger, faster and can fly for longer without refueling.

It Can Almost Travel At The Speed Of Sound
Air Force One has a top speed of 600 miles per hour, which is close to the speed of sound. In fact, the plane is so fast that one of the F-16 pilots who escorted Air Force One to Washington on 9/11 recalls having to speed up to catch up with it. Air Force One also flies high — it can reach a maximum altitude of 45,100 feet, which is far above than the usual cruising altitude for commercial flights.

It’s Expensive
Operating Air Force One costs a lot of money — millions. And while the numbers vary, even domestic trips are expensive for U.S. taxpayers: A conservative watchdog group tracking presidential travel expenses found that the cost of one of President Trump’s flights to a campaign rally in Arizona reached $1.5 million. Wow! But, now that we know so much more about Air Force One, it’s not surprising to learn that keeping our leaders safe doesn’t come cheap.

[TominMO]

Very interesting ancient civilizations YT channel:

[wheelbender6]

I think the Ancient Civilizations Theory makes a lot more sense than the Ancient Alien Theory.
I read a book by Graham Hancock advancing the theory that Ancient Advanced Civilizations have risen on earth only to be destroyed by cataclysmic events (meteors, vulcanism, floods, etc) over and over.

[Emerikol]

31 Oct 22 - HALLOWEEN EDITION:

The name "Halloween" is an ultra-condensed version of "All Hallows' Eve."
All Saint's Day — originally called All Hallows' Eve — being celebrated in Krakow, Poland. According to Merriam-Webster, the name "Halloween" originally comes from All Hallows' Eve — the second night of a festival called Samhain, dating back to the pagans in Ireland.

"Hallow" comes from an Old English adjective that means "holy," and "eve" refers to the nighttime setting. All Hallows' Eve was also referred to as All Hallows' Even — which was shortened to "Hallow-e'en" by the 16th century.

We eventually dropped the apostrophe and dash in the 18th century, and the rest is history.

A 2,000-year-old Celtic festival called Samhain is the origin of Halloween, and Wiccans still celebrate it today. The Celts were pagans who lived in what is now Ireland, and they celebrated the new year on November 1. Their festival, Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"), marked the end of fall's harvest and ushered in winter, a season that signified death and darkness for the Celts.

They believed that on the night before the shift, October 31 — called All Hallows' Eve — the worlds of the living and the dead intersected. The ghosts roaming Earth were thought to help predict the future, so the Celts welcomed them with sacrificial bonfires and by dressing in costumes of animal heads and skins. Modern-day Wiccans and neopagans celebrate a similar form of Samhain, and it is considered their most important festival of the year.



If it weren't for the wave of immigrants fleeing the Irish Potato Famine, we might not have Halloween in America. By the middle of the 19th century, some pockets in America celebrated a mild form of Halloween, including telling ghost stories, causing mischief, and just generally acknowledging autumn. But Ireland's devastating Potato Famine that started in 1845 caused mass immigration — more than 1.5 million Irish people fled to America during that time. With them, they brought their long-held Halloween traditions, and the soon-to-be holiday caught on quickly, spreading nation-wide.

Women used to play games on Halloween to find out what their future husband would be like. For many women in the early 20th century, Halloween was about finding love. Games like Snap Apple were popular, in which participants could only use their teeth to bite into an apple suspended from a stick, and the first one to succeed would marry. Women also used to toss apple skins over their shoulders, hoping the scraps would land on the floor in the shape of their future husband's initials.

Bobbing for apples dates back to an ancient Roman festival called "Ponoma."
When the Roman Empire overtook the Celts around 43 AD, they combined their traditions with those of Samhain. The second day of their new year festivities was "Ponoma," meant to honor the eponymous goddess of fruits and trees, which explains bobbing for (and eating) apples around this time of year. During the 18th century, "bobbing" rose in popularity in the British empire and was yet another way to flirt with a potential mate. Despite a brief wane in popularity, the game was revived by the Irish when they immigrated to America. It has yet to be seen whether this tradition will remain in a post-coronavirus world.

Halloween was "tamed" in the beginning of the 20th century because it was getting too dangerous. Along with Roosevelt's New Deal, the 1920s and '30s came with a concerted effort to rein in Halloween by making it family oriented and civilized. Communities came together for parades and town-wide parties, and newspapers encouraged parents to remove "grotesque" and "superstitious" elements from these celebrations. The holiday became increasingly youth-oriented thanks to the 1950s baby boom. By the time the 1950s hit, American communities had succeeded in removing the taboo from Halloween, including vandalism, which had previously run rampant on October 31.

The baby boom of the '50s also made the holiday more family oriented, and Halloween parties began to move to school classrooms and homes. Trick-or-treating was also revived around this time and has been steadily practiced since.

The popularity of lighting fires on Devil's Night can be traced to 1980s Detroit. Devil's Night — the night before Halloween that induces mischief of all sorts — became associated with arson because of a surge of Detroit fires in the 1980s. The Detroit Tigers won the World Series in October of 1984, which ignited over 297 "celebratory" fires. There were also repeated acts of arson in the city the year before, but the fires of 1984 were "the worst fires since the riots of 1967," according to a Detroit Fire Department chief. After that, the country — especially Detroit — saw a rise in Devil's Night fires. Detroit even renamed the holiday Angel's Night to combat the debauchery.



We eat candy on Halloween because of "soul cakes," a sweet treat used to distract ghosts in the Middle Ages. Halloween was largely Catholicized around the Middle Ages ... and so were the sweets. Around 1200 — in places like Britain, Ireland, and Germany — "soul cakes" rose in popularity. Made of expensive spices like saffron and currant, these cakes were meant to both honor and distract roaming ghosts on October 31. As time went on, beggars would walk around door-to-door asking for "soul cakes" from the wealthy, offering to pray for their dead relatives in return. But instead of saying "trick or treat," they'd say: "A soul cake, a soul cake, have mercy on all Christian souls for a soul cake!"

Americans spent upwards of $8.8 billion on Halloween last year — making it the second-largest holiday industry after Christmas. According to the National Retail Federation, Americans spent nearly $9 billion on Halloween in 2019. This year, the NRF expects consumer spending to dip, predicting $8.05 billion to be spent on the holiday. However, in its annual survey on how people spend their Halloween money, the NRF predicts individual spending to go up: "Those who are celebrating plan to spend $92.12 on average compared with $86.27 in 2019. Consumers are doing what they can to still make it a special event by spending a little more on home decorations, candy and greeting cards. "

Plymouth colony settlers brought medieval superstitions surrounding black cats to America. Back in the 14th century, the association between black cats and the devil was so prevalent that people allegedly believed they were causing the Black Death pandemic and tragically exterminated them as a result. Later, when the 16th-century hysteria over witchcraft was at its peak, suspicious Europeans associated black cats with so-called witches, believing them to be their "familiars" — and this notion spread all the way to America during the Salem Witch Trials.

Owls are also creatures associated with Halloween — in medieval times, hearing a single hoot meant death was nigh. For medieval Europeans, seeing an owl meant that danger was coming — even death. Because the birds are active at night, they were thought to partake in illicit activities and were often depicted with or as witches.

Original jack-o'-lanterns were actually carved turnips, beets, and potatoes. Jack-o'-lanterns come from an old Celtic legend about a man named "Stingy Jack," who used to play tricks on the devil. After Stingy Jack died, the devil sent him into the night with only burning coal, which Jack put into a carved turnip to light his way. According to folklore, Stingy Jack's ghost still wanders the Earth, so the Irish used to carve scary faces into turnips and put them in windows to scare his spirit away. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found that the pumpkin — which they had never encountered before — was a much better fit for the tradition.

"Sexy" Halloween costumes date back to the 1970s. The sexual liberation of the 1970s brought with it gay visibility, feminism's second wave, and a newfound sense of freedom. Gay parades in areas like Greenwich Village and Key West started to emerge — and with them, sexy costumes. Lesley Bannatyne, author of "Halloween. An American Holiday, An American History," and "Halloween Nation," told Bustle, "The fantastical gay parades of the '60s and '70s showed the rest of the adult world how outrageous costumes could be. Halloween costumes often push at the boundaries of what we'll accept for everyday reality. Sexuality could be expressed."

You can have a very real fear of Halloween — it's called samhainophobia. Forbes defines samhainophobia as "a persistent, abnormal, and unwarranted fear of Halloween, despite conscious understanding by the phobic individual and reassurance by others that there is no danger." But don't get it confused with simply not wanting to dress up or pass out candy — samhainophobia is a clinical, psychological condition, much like arachnophobia or agoraphobia. There are treatments available for it.

Harry Houdini, the famous illusionist and escape artist, died on Halloween night ... in very strange circumstances. Hungarian-born magician Harry Houdini dazzled audiences with his impressive stunts — like jumping off bridges while handcuffed — for over 30 years. But after a show on October 24, 1926, at the height of his fame, Houdini was rushed to the hospital with what seemed to be appendicitis. Earlier that week, a fan repeatedly punched him in the stomach to see if Houdini really could "resist" the blows like he claimed. But many believe that the punches caused his appendix to rupture, though no one knows for certain. A week later, on October 31, Houdini died. Mystery still shrouds his death, and there are theories claiming that the Spiritualists — a group of "psychics" that Houdini campaigned against — planned his assassination via poison. On his deathbed, Houdini promised his wife that he would communicate with her from the afterlife (likely to snub the Spiritualists). She held séances to try to reach him for 10 years before giving up, but fans and fellow magicians keep the tradition of having séances on October 31 alive, attempting to channel the dead every Halloween night.

[TominMO]

Originally Posted by wheelbender6

I think the Ancient Civilizations Theory makes a lot more sense than the Ancient Alien Theory.
I read a book by Graham Hancock advancing the theory that Ancient Advanced Civilizations have risen on earth only to be destroyed by cataclysmic events (meteors, vulcanism, floods, etc) over and over.

The generally understood thinking about civilization (i.e. large organized political/economic entities) is that it started about 5000 BC in the Tigris-Euphrates river system region, in what is now Iraq. This is when people went from being simply wandering hunter-gatherers and started farming. But more and more evidence is coming out that sophisticated civilizations existed far earlier.
-- A sunken city off the west coast of India, inundated when the last ice age ended approximately 10,000 BC.
-- The orientation of the Sphinx, astronomically aligned with the night sky at (again) 10,000 BC. The obvious water erosion on the area around the Sphinx, in an area that has not seen any significant rainfall for at least 7000 years. (The Sahara used to be very lush and fertile.) So the Sphinx is far older than the official, supposed time of the three major pyramids being built, around 2500 BC. (IMO this is completely wrong, for a number of reasons. The first of which is that the Egyptians of that time did not have the tools to cut the stones.) Looking at the Sphinx today, there is extensive repair done to it over the centuries, likely also due to erosion. The Sphinx was not always covered with sand since it was constructed.
-- Gobekle Tepe, constructed in Turkey about 10,000 BC.

-- Massive stone blocks we can't move even today, much less in Roman times:

-- A city under the Black Sea, which was created when the ice age ended in 10,000 BC:


-- The ancient Sumerians, etc:

Our history is far more interesting than the official narratives.

[Emerikol]

2 Nov 22

If you open your eyes in a pitch-black room, the color you'll see is called "eigengrau."

Go into the darkest room that you can find, one where there's no light at all, and spend a few minutes with your eyes closed. Then, open them up and take a look around. While you'd expect to be staring into pitch-blackness, you'll actually notice that you're seeing a sort of dark gray shade. And that color has a name: It's called "eigengrau."

[TominMO]

I am stunned at your accumulation of useless information.

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by TominMO

I am stunned at your accumulation of useless information.

Thank you! Maybe I should go on Jeopardy and put it to use!

[Emerikol]

Originally Posted by TominMO

The generally understood thinking about civilization (i.e. large organized political/economic entities) is that it started about 5000 BC in the Tigris-Euphrates river system region, in what is now Iraq. This is when people went from being simply wandering hunter-gatherers and started farming. But more and more evidence is coming out that sophisticated civilizations existed far earlier.
-- A sunken city off the west coast of India, inundated when the last ice age ended approximately 10,000 BC.
-- The orientation of the Sphinx, astronomically aligned with the night sky at (again) 10,000 BC. The obvious water erosion on the area around the Sphinx, in an area that has not seen any significant rainfall for at least 7000 years. (The Sahara used to be very lush and fertile.) So the Sphinx is far older than the official, supposed time of the three major pyramids being built, around 2500 BC. (IMO this is completely wrong, for a number of reasons. The first of which is that the Egyptians of that time did not have the tools to cut the stones.) Looking at the Sphinx today, there is extensive repair done to it over the centuries, likely also due to erosion. The Sphinx was not always covered with sand since it was constructed.
-- Gobekle Tepe, constructed in Turkey about 10,000 BC.

-- Massive stone blocks we can't move even today, much less in Roman times:

-- A city under the Black Sea, which was created when the ice age ended in 10,000 BC:


-- The ancient Sumerians, etc:

Our history is far more interesting than the official narratives.

Here's a very interesting take on when civilization 'actually' started:

Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture.

Mead said that the first sign of civilization in an ancient culture was a femur (thigh bone) that had been broken and then healed.
Mead explained that, in the animal kingdom, if you break your leg, you die. You cannot run from danger, get to the river for a drink, or hunt for food. You are meat for prowling beasts. No animal survives a broken leg long enough for the bone to heal.

A broken femur that has healed is evidence that someone has taken time to stay with the one who fell, has bound up the wound, has carried the person to safety, and has tended the person through recovery.

Margaret Mead’s summary: helping someone else through difficulty is where civilization starts.

[TominMO]

I guess it depends on how you define civilization. I could see the healed bone situation happening in a small hunter-gatherer family group. Grampa (aged 35) breaks his leg, family cares for him out of affection and because he has lots of experience and advice.

[Emerikol]

3 Nov 22

Beginning in late-October of 1809, New Yorkers held their breath, waiting anxiously for any news of an eminent historian who vanished mysteriously....
In the October 26th edition of the New York Evening Post appeared an advertisement relating the strange news that one Mr. Diedrich Knickerbocker had left his hotel one day and hadn't been seen since.
For the next two weeks, the city was abuzz over the mystery. There were many reports of sightings and the government contemplated offering a reward.

On November 6th, another advertisement appeared in the Post by someone claiming to have seen Mr. Knickerbocker near Albany. Then nothing. Ten long days passed, then the Post published yet another advertisement from the landlord of Knickerbocker's hotel saying that, if the old gentleman did not return to pay his bill, the landlord would dispose of his left-behind property, which included "a very curious kind of a written book". But Diedrich Knickerbocker was never seen again.

While the public waited and wondered what had become of the poor old man, the landlord sent the manuscript to the press in order to recoup the money owed him.

When the book - which was a very tongue-in-cheek history of New York - finally went on sale on December 6, 1809 - curiosity made it an immediate best seller.

The problem was that Diedrich Knickerbocker didn't actually exist. He was a creation of the real author of the alleged manuscript, Washington Irving, who himself had placed the advertisements in the New York Post to drive publicity for the release of the book that HE had written. Irving's hoax turned into a huge success.

That's also why so many of his subsequent published stories - including "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and "Rip Van Winkle" - carry the subtitle, "Found among the papers of the late Diedrich Knickerbocker."
Even after the hoax was revealed, no one seemed angry at Irving, and all agreed that it had been a masterpiece of a publicity stunt.

[Emerikol]

4 Nov 22

Just a short (but neatly stacked) one for today:

The inventor of Pringles is buried in a Pringles can!

In 1966, Fredric Baur developed the ingenious idea for Procter & Gamble to uniformly stack chips inside a can instead of tossing them in a bag.

Baur was so proud of his invention that he wanted to take it to the grave—literally. He communicated his burial wishes to his family, and when he died at 89, his children stopped at Walgreens on their way to the funeral home to buy the burial Pringles can for his ashes. They did have one decision to make, though. "My siblings and I briefly debated what flavor to use," Baur's eldest son, Larry, told Time. "But I said, 'Look, we need to use the original.'" And that's exactly what they went with.