Ponder
Points
It’s interesting to note that Panama was
selected to be the site of the canal rather than Nicaragua due to
the fact that a letter was written to members of Congress using a
stamp showing a belching volcano erupting in Nicaragua. Congress was
afraid the volcano would destroy the canal.
King Louis XII ordered all of the trash removed
from outside of the walls of Paris in 1512. Was he concerned for the
health of the citizens? Nope, he was afraid invaders would be able
to climb the garbage and gain entrance to the city.
Speaking of Kings…King Edward VIII of England
was the King for 11 months (January – December 1936) before he
abdicated to marry Mrs. Simpson. You knew that.
Correction!!!!! A few weeks ago I wrote about
Wild Bill Hickok sleeping with newspapers crumpled up around his
bed…said it would alert him if anyone walked on them. In error I
said ….”He died in bed”….That’s incorrect…what I meant to say
was…”It must have worked since he didn’t die in bed.” Rack it up
to small keys and large fingers.
So, if you get a card from a friend in Japan
and it has a lot of dragonflies on it…what does that mean? It would
indicate that someone is wishing you good luck.
Fellow by the name of James Hetherington of
England got himself arrested in 1797 for wearing what? A top
hat….seems the powers that be decided that it was unsightly and
calculated to disturb timid people. Times have changed, haven’t
they?
“God be with you” was shortened over the years
to just ….”Goodbye”
Speaking of contractions……the word ‘hoax’ is
believed to be derived from the word ‘hocus’ as in ‘hocus pocus.’
England was the first country to impose a
general income tax…..Did so in 1799 to finance the war with
Napoleon.
In the 1600’s the most popular names for women
in this country were…..Sarah, Elizabeth and Mary…Over half the women
had these names…..
John Adams received $5,000 a year as the fist
vice president of the United States……George Washington got $25,000.
The first word spoken by man on the moon
was…..? “Houston, …..Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed.”
Spoken by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969.
Who was the voice of Superman on the radio way
back in the 1940’s (that’s before television) ..None other than Bud
Collyer…went on to become a television emcee….also provided
Superman’s voice for a children’s series in the 1960’s.
That television series …Dallas …was originally
named …..Bet you could have guessed …Houston.
Sewing machines were first used by the French
government to produce soldiers uniforms in the year 1841….soon
stopped since tailors thought they would be out of work….they broke
into the factory and destroyed the machines…..Testy fellows.
Julia Child, the famous chef…maybe you didn’t
realize it, but she is 6 feet 2 inches tall.
While we’re on food…it was Miss Piggy who made
the famous statement…”Never eat more than you can lift.”
The herring is the most widely eaten fish in
the entire world.
How many bathrooms in the White House? 34…now
you know…..
Speaking of the White House…it was Andrew
Jackson who had the running water installed in there…….
Bet old Andrew didn’t do this…Herbert Hoover
turned over all of his government checks to charity. For 40
years….he was independently wealthy.
James Monroe was the only candidate to run
unopposed for President in 1820, except for George Washington….
The average adult has a spinal cord that
measures 17 to 18 inches long…..weighs in at about 1-½ ounces.
The largest order of mammals happens to be the
rodent family. Bats are second….they have about 950 species.
The sperm whale has the heaviest brain weighing
in at over 20 pounds…..about 6 times heavier than that of a human….
Demi Moore….the actress…what’s her real first
name? Demetria.
Winston Churchill once proposed marriage to
what famous actress? Ethel Barrymore……
E. G. Marshall…the actor has told everyone that
the initials E.G…….stand for…”Everyone’s guess”…his real name is
Edda Gunther Marshall.
Bullion Boulevard is located where? You know
this…it’s at Fort Knox.
What is the only state on the eastern seaboard
that has 2 time zones …one in Eastern Time and the other in central?
Florida.
There are 838 stone monoliths on Easter Island
in case you want to know…how’d they get there? I can’t help you
there.
Ever hear of a fellow by the name of William
the Silent? If you lived in the Netherlands you probably would…he
founded the country…..
Which country imports more American automobiles
than any other? Canada…..did you get it right?
What woman is the only woman in history to have
married both the King of England and France? None other than Eleanor
of Aquitaine…..she married Louis VII of France and then Henry II of
England….
The derrick is named for a guy named Thomas
Derrick….made his living as an executioner in England. Was
responsible for the executions of over 3,000 people during his
career.
Treason is the only crime that is defined in
the United States Constitution.
There are 11 Finger Lakes in central New
York…..
Canada has the most remote weather station in
the world…..it’s called Eureka and is located 600 miles from the
North Pole.
If you’re looking for a desert in Europe…stop
looking…it’s the only continent that doesn’t have one…
The world’s first successful oil well was
drilled in Titusville, Pennsylvania in 1859…Wonder what the price
oil was at that time?
Bet you can’t tell me what the largest mountain
is on Earth….It’s the Mauna Loa….in Hawaii…actually a volcano that
measures 75 miles by 64 miles and is 13,680 feet tall….
In 1990 what country produced the largest crop
of potatoes in the world? The Soviet Union…United States came in 5th
after….China, Poland and India….
