Things You Didn't Know You Didn't Know.

First of all, a little update about the silver spoon research.  I spent a good deal of time yesterday on the internet trying to find an answer to the spoon I polished that had a twisted and coiled handle.  I mean, it sure wasn’t practical to use for eating cereal, or even soup, but there it was, shaped on purpose for some purpose.  Finally, my brilliant and beautiful wife said, “You know, it looks kind of Norwegian – why don’t you put that in the search?”
So I did, and immediately, a whole host of little silver spoons with twisted and coiled handles popped up!  Apparently what we have is a Norwegian 830 (that stands for the content of the silver in the piece) circa 1908 (since it’s dated on the back of the handle) tea caddy spoon.  “But of course!” you say, but then we must ask the question of what a tea caddy spoon is in the first place…
Apparently, the spoon is a vestige of a time long ago when tea was considered a costly commodity (remember the Tea Tax that helped to foment things around our Revolutionary War period?).  Instead of dumping a bunch of tea leaves into a tea pot, and hoping for best, one would carefully measure it out, putting precisely what would be needed for the best tasting cup of tea without wasting it.  Hence, the job for the little tea caddy spoon.  The epitome of elegance and fine culture, now polished and sitting on my shelf in the office next to my 1960s Man from UNCLE security badge.  I guess eclectic might be the word for it, but at least the mystery is solved.
I thought, as we all slide into Autumn, this day after Labor Day, that we might explore a few arcane and fairly worthless facts, that still have the power to amaze and impress.  I give you complete freedom to introduce any of them during a conversation with your friends, just to show how interesting you are…
 
When Bugs Bunny first appeared on screen in 1935, he was called Happy Rabbit.  (Not very creative…)
The Flintstone’s lawyer, who never lost a case, was called Perry Masonry.
Oprah Winfrey’s first name should have been the biblical name Orpah, from the Book of Ruth, but the midwife made a mistake in spelling it when she wrote it down on the birth certificate.
Gary Cooper thought that Gone with the Wind would be the biggest flop in movie history, so he turned down the role of Rhett Butler.
John Wayne turned down the role of Marshall Matt Dillon of Gunsmoke, but recommended his good friend, Jim Arness for the role.
Artists had to hand draw 6,69,952 spots for the Walt Disney film, One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
Don McLean’s famous song, “American Pie” was inspired by the name of the plane in which Buddy Holly died – American Pie.
The last time Queen Elizabeth curtsied was in 1952, before her father’s casket at his funeral.
More than 1000 birds a year die from smashing into windows.  Most of them are in my front yard…
The sparrow was imported to New York in 1850 to deal with the excess of tree worms.
A pig always sleeps on its right side.
Twelve or more cows is known as a flink.
Ferrets can sleep up to 20 hours a day.  So can teenage boys…
Every year, the earth becomes 12 tons heavier, due to meteorite impact.
60% of babies are born before breakfast.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?”
Decca Records once said about the Beatles: “We don’t like their sound.  Groups of guitars are on their way out…”
Al Capone once said, “You can get more with a kind word and a gun, that with a kind word alone.”
And finally, a Hong Kong dental ad: “Teeth extracted by the latest Methodists.”
 
When I think about knowledge available on our earth, it’s really remarkable to think about what we have not yet learned.  Now, some folks are satisfied with a limited about of searching, but to do so, I believe, is the same as driving to Arizona, finding the sign that says, “Grand Canyon,” and then driving back home without ever looking at the hole. When all you see is the sign, you simply haven’t gone far enough.
I hope your day will be one of exploration, of discovery, and of living a life in which you find yourself amazed.  Enjoy the day!
 
Saying of the day:  George Bernard Shaw once wrote, “If you can’t get rid of the skeleton in your closet, you’d best teach it how to dance….”


 
 ​