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 |  One hundred facts that are interesting but ultimately useless. |
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presenting: A Catalogue of Useless Facts - introduction - Whether I'm at work or out with friends, I have a reputation as the person who knows things. Not useful things, mind you; not once has it been profitable to know the reason why dogs have wet noses, or the meaning of the linguistic term "glottal stop", or the difference between a bug and an insect. If anything, all the aimless wandering on Wikipedia keeps me from finishing my other writing projects. But there is a purpose to this eclectic mishmash of trivia, and it ties into my own major philosophy: stuff is interesting. The world is often rough and depressing, but if I can find one neat little factoid, everything seems a little less meaningless. And this brings us to the point of this blog. Lately, it feels like my various newsfeeds are full to bursting with anger and bickering. As a generally positive person, I wanted to counteract this in some way -- only I'm not so adept with inspirational quotes or pithy wisdom. What I can offer, though, are useless facts. Over the past few months, instead of filing these accidental info-bits in some dusty corner of my brain, I've been taking notes. Before long, I had enough for a solid month of trivia. I collected a few more and thought instead I'd do a "Factoid Friday" every week for a year. But I'm a curious person by nature, and can't help but stumble on new things. Maybe I'm eating lunch one day, I suddenly wonder where ketchup comes from, and bam! I learn something new! So here come the facts. They may be short, or they may be long. They may cover language, biology, history, mythology, or any number of other subjects. Many of you may know some of these, and some of you may know many of these. But hopefully, at least once between now and the time my collection runs dry, you'll be inspired to say, "Huh! That's actually kind of interesting!" -BD Mitchell Blog is currently on hiatus. Blog Info ▼ Categories ▼
Comments, corrections, and suggestions are welcome at all times! |
Ketchup - cuisine / history - Tomato ketchup (or alternatively "catsup") is thought to originate from China in the 1600s. In the beginning, "ke-tsiap" was a sauce chiefly made from pickled or fermented fish. The condiment eventually spread south to Malaysia, and was then brought to England by British colonists. The English version of ketchup was notably different with the inclusion of mushrooms. In the early- to mid-1800s, an increasingly common variation on the recipe substituted tomatoes for the mushrooms and removed the fish altogether. #060 |
| "Buckaroo" - etymology - The word "buckaroo" (an alternative for "cowboy") is an American-English corruption of the Spanish word "vaquero", which itself derives from the Spanish word for "cow" ("vaca"). #059 |
| Exploding Lakes - natural phenomena - A lake that is "meromictic" is comprised of multiple layers of water that do not intermix, creating defined strata within the lake. With volcanic meromictic lakes, the deepest layers can become saturated with gases -- often carbon dioxide. If a landslide, a storm, or even a temperature change disturbs this saturated layer, a chain reaction called a "limnic eruption" rapidly releases the dissolved gas from the lake into the surrounding environment. A famous limnic eruption occurred in Cameroon in 1986, when massive amounts of carbon dioxide flooded from Lake Nyos and suffocated more than seventeen-hundred people living nearby. #058 |
Eyeshine - biology / physiology - "Tapetum lucidum" is a retroreflective tissue membrane inside the eyes of many different animal species. By reflecting a higher amount of light into the retina, the tapetum greatly increases vision in low-light conditions. Tapetum lucidum is commonly visible through an effect called "eyeshine". Because of the retroreflective structure, most incoming light is reflected directly back towards its source, causing a distinctive glowing appearance.{/quote} #057 |
| MacGuffins - literature / theatre - A "MacGuffin" is a narrative device in fiction. The actual shape or function of a true MacGuffin is unimportant; it only has to be desirable somehow in order to drive the plot. Some examples include the Holy Grail in Arthurian legends, Helen of Troy, the Arkenstone from "The Hobbit", the Maltese Falcon, the Pink Panther diamond, and the Ultimate Question from "The Hitchhiker's Guide". It can be argued that the Avengers' Infinity Stones, Harry Potter's Philosopher's Stone, and Sauron's Ring are not pure MacGuffins because they all have specific powers that are relevant to the story. Though the concept itself is nothing new, the term "MacGuffin" is attributed to filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock (or to a colleague of Hitchcock, screenwriter Angus MacPhail), usually in the form of a joke: A man is riding on a train when a second gentlemen gets on and sits down across from him. The first man notices the second is holding an oddly shaped package. "What is that?" the first man asks. "A MacGuffin, a tool used to hunt lions in the Scottish highlands." "But there are no lions in the Scottish highlands," says the first man. "Well then," says the other, "that's no MacGuffin." #056 |
Circular Breathing - music / physiology - "Circular breathing" is a musical technique that relies on blowing out through the mouth while simultaneously inhaling through the nose. Air stored in the musician's cheeks makes up for the break in airflow while breathing in. Circular breathing is essential for many traditional instruments, such as the Australian didgeridoo, but is still a useful technique with other contemporary instruments like saxophones or clarinets. #055 |
| Navigation Bridge - etymology / history / technology - The term "bridge" (referring to the navigation deck of a ship) dates back to the introduction of steam-powered vessels -- particularly ones with paddle propulsion. Early paddle steamers were typically designed with their propulsion wheels located mid-ship rather than at the aft. While previous ships were usually commanded from the rear of the ship -- due to limitations of the steering mechanisms -- this was not an option with the bulky paddle-wheels obstructing the view. Instead, paddle steamer captains ran their ships from a raised bridge between the paddle houses. Even after paddle steamers fell out of common use, the nomenclature of a ship's "bridge" persisted. #054 |
| "Dude" - etymology / history - The etymology of the word "dude" is disputed. Its origins have been variously suggested as a Scottish word for clothing ("duddies"), a reference to the bizarrely-outfitted song character Yankee Doodle, or even a cognate of the pejorative term "dodo". Popular usage of "dude" is generally agreed to begin in the mid- to late-1800s, where it was used to refer to a man who dressed expensively and fashionably (similar to a "dandy"). In the Old West of the United States, "dude" also came to mean an inexperienced city dweller (similar to "city slicker" or "greenhorn"). In this context, it is the origin of "dude ranch", a Western-style ranch that caters mainly to East Coast tourists. #053 |
| Icebergs - natural phenomena - Icebergs are typically opaque white above the waterline and translucent blue or blue-green beneath. The compacted-snow makeup of the top portion reflects more frequencies of visible light, while the frozen-seawater of the underside refracts light more like ordinary water. #052 |
Peter the Eagle - currency / history - A bald eagle named Peter lived in the Philadelphia Mint from 1830 until 1836, when he suffered a fatal accident from a coin press. He was commemorated as the reverse-side image on silver dollars from 1836 to 1839, and his taxidermied remains are still displayed at the Mint today. #051 |
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Initial posting ran from January 1 to April 10, 2017.
And as the sunsets, we bid adieu to Mitch the Elder 
Thank you for such a fun read.
Cool! I saw one once and wondered what on earth is was!!