Archive for the ‘moon’ Tag
I’ve always thought of myself as being a well-read and informed person. I’ve been an avid reader from a very early age and I’ll read anything I can from matchbook covers to the Bible, Koran, Torah, even the Egyptian Book of the Dead. So, when I discover backstories of everyday normal things, I become amazed and stunned at how much I really don’t know. Todays post will give you two examples of amazing backstories. See what you think.
#1 – Here’s the question – How did Nome, Alaska get it’s name?
It was just a stupid spelling error. In the 1850’s a British ship exploring the coast noticed a prominent but unnamed point of land in Alaska. A ships officer scribbled “Name” next to that point on a manuscript map. When the map was being copied later at the Admiralty, a map maker misread the scribble and wrote the points new name as Cape Nome. In 1899 the burgers of Nome attempted to rename the area as Anvil City, but the all knowing U.S. Postal Service objected claiming it would cause confusion with the nearby town of Anvik, so the name stuck. To quote the cities website www.nomealaska.org, “There’s No Place like Nome”.
#2 – Here’s the question – What man-made artifacts can be seen from the moon?
If you said the Great Wall of China you’d be wrong. No human artifacts at all can be seen with the naked eye from the moon. The idea that the Great Wall is the only man-made object is all-pervasive, but it confuses the moon with space. Space is quite close and starts at approximately 60 miles from the earth’s surface. However, at an altitude of only a few thousand miles after leaving the earth’s orbit, no man made objects are visible at all. From the moon – more than 250,000 miles away – even the continents are barely visible. Now you know that somewhat disappointing and incorrect trivia is wrong.
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THANKS TO JOHN LLOYD & JOHN MITCHINSON
I think we’ve all discovered the amount of weirdness online. It seems the weirder the post or vid the more likelihood of collecting a lot of clicks. Don’t ask me why. People crave being shocked and they seem to search out the bizarre for a cheap thrill. I like crazy and unusual as much as the next guy but I hesitate to follow some of the geniuses down their deep rabbit hole of truly strange and unusual fantasies. This post isn’t too strange because for me weird is only interesting if it’s true. These are true (LOL).
💞How To Find Your True Love 💞
Soak one of your socks in rose water, dry it out and put it under your bed. Send out nightly thoughts about your true love for a month, and then burn a red candle at sunset while thinking more about the object of your affections. Repeat for seven days.
❤️Here’s Another Way❤️
Pick a half-green half-red apple when the Moon is three days past full. Breathe on the green side and rub it with a red cloth while reciting this verse: “Fire sweet and fire red, warm the heart and turn the head.” Kiss the red half, and give it to the object of your desire. If he/she eats it he/she will fall under your spell.
⛈️Strange Rains⛈️
June 1901 -South Carolina – Cat fish, Perch, and Trout
August 1890 – Baghdad, Iraq – An edible substance (thought to be desert lichen of tamarisk) fell during a heavy shower. The locals gathered it up and made it into bread (Manna from heaven?)
1897 – Macerata, Italy – Millions of seeds from the Judas Tree dropped from a blood colored cloud.
1877 – Memphis, Tennessee – Hundreds of live snakes.
If you add up the time spent eating and drinking by an average person over the course of their entire life, it comes to approximately 5 years. This adds up to an estimated 33 tons of food you’ve eaten, which is the equivalent of six entire elephants. Unfortunately what goes in must eventually come out. The result is during your lifetime you will produce a pile of poo about the size of a medium sized car. Some animals, other than humans, that love to eat poo include rats, mice, rabbits, dung beetles, flies gorillas, and dogs.
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SO MUCH FOR TODAYS WEIRDNESS
In keeping with the theme of this blog “everyuselessthing”, I thought a short history lesson was in order to supply readers with a little known trivia tidbit about NASA and the first moon landing. In 1969 Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon as we all know but were you aware that William Safire, President Nixon’s speechwriter, gave the president a draft of a speech he might have to give if the moon mission failed. It is claimed that the president never saw it. Here is a copy of that speech.
Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.
These brave men, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin, know that is no hope for their recovery. But they also know that there is hope for mankind in their sacrifice.
These two men are laying down their lives in mankind’s most noble goal: the search for truth and understanding. They will be mourned by their family and friends; they will be mourned by their nation; they will be mourned by the people of the world; they will be mourned by a Mother Earth that dared send two of her sons into the unknown.
In their exploration they stirred the people of the world to feel as one; in their sacrifice, they bind more tightly the brotherhood of man.
In ancient days, men looked at stars and saw their heroes in the constellations. In modern times, we do much the same, but our heroes are epic men of flesh and blood.
Others will follow, and surely find their way home, Man’s search will not be denied. But these men were the first, and they remain the foremost in our hearts.
For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.
One final tidbit of irony. In 1999, on the 30th year anniversary of the moon landing, the three astronauts were shown this text for the first time by Tim Russert on Meet the Press.
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AND NOW YOU KNOW
I finally rolled out of bed today and headed directly for the coffee maker. I found the badly needed coffee and also a small surprise. My better-half left me a very old kid’s book filled with fun questions and answers circa 1957. Let’s start your weekend with a laugh or two.
- What dog cannot bark? Answer: The basenji. It makes sharp little cries that sound like yodeling.
- What bird can whistle with its wings? Answer: The hornbill. Its wings make a sharp whistling sound when it flies.
- What bird has no wings or tail? Answer: The Kiwi.
- How much would a 150-pound man weigh on the moon? Answer: Approximately 25 pounds.
- Where are the largest coins in the world used? Answer: On the Pacific Island of Yap. They are made of stone and measure from 2-12 feet across.
- Is it possible to step across the Mississippi River? Answer: Yes, near Lake Itasca, Minnesota.
- Is all asparagus edible? Answer: No, only the common garden variety.
- What animal picks fruit from trees with its tail? Answer: The kinkajou.
- What is a guanaco? Answer: It is a wild llama from South America.
- How much raw material would be needed to obtain one pound of radium? Answer: No less than 2,680 tons.
Thanks to my better-half and the Giant Little Golden Book – QUIZ FUN. I’m fairly certain that the kid books these days aren’t quite as informative.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND
