I was going to write this week’s column on meeting Dan Aykroyd last Thursday. Think Blues Brothers, Ghost Busters and Saturday Night Live; that Dan Aykroyd. He was in town promoting his Crystal Head vodka and had a meet and greet at the Walgreens down on Coors. But even arriving 45 minutes early, the line was already out the door, around the side and all the way to the back of the building. I had a choice to wait with the die hard fans for a once in a lifetime chance to meet this celebrity, or get home and get dinner in the oven for two starving children. I hope he comes back again.
So, instead today I offer up some very interesting anecdotes for you to ponder. The kind of information that gets forwarded in emails everyday but no one has time to read.
Statues of soldiers on horses are in many parks across the country. Some horses are rearing up, some only holding one foot up. Do you think the horse’s pose was at the discretion of the sculptor? As a matter of fact, if the statue of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air, the person died because of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
Sayings have interesting origins, should one ever take the time to research them. In the 1400's, a law was set forth in England that a man was allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. This is where we got the phrase “the rule of thumb.”
How about the phrase, “Good night, sleep tight.” In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes, the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer and more comfortable to sleep on.
They say the happiest days of a boat owner’s life is the day they buy it and the day they sell it. And of course it is bad luck not to name your boat. And what is the most popular name for a boat? Obsession.
In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. In old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would tell them to “Mind your pints and quarts, and settle down.” Hence the term “mind your p’s and q’s.”
Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace. Having been born in Huntington, West Virginia, I am in the other half and so are most of the people I know.
Who was the first couple to be shown in bed together on prime time TV? Fred and Wilma Flintstone. But I swear they had twin beds with Dino’s bed on the floor next to them.
With the body scanners, luggage charges and terror threats, how many people are still flying the friendly skies everyday? On average, the number of people airborne over the U.S. in any given hour is 61,000.
What was the first novel ever written on a typewriter? Tom Sawyer.
And my favorite: 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987, 654,321
Quote of the Week: “They're not gonna catch us. We're on a mission from God!” – Dan Aykroyd as Elwood from The Blues Brothers, 1980
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