When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I call on StumbleUpon.com instead of counting sheep. StumbleUpon is a discovery engine which finds and recommends web content, all to keep what is left of the brain entertained.
Especially at 4 a.m.
Last week, unable to sleep, I scanned the website and fell across the feature called “100 crazy facts you probably don’t know.” I thought I knew just about everything, so I had to peruse.
I was quickly educated and now I shall pass these tidbits on to you, so you can amaze your friends or the guy from Daytona sitting next to you on a barstool. Pack these tidbits away for future use.
I always loved the Pony Express in those old westerns, with the rider chased by a pack or two of wild Indians. Actually the Pony Express lasted for a mere two years because the telegraph came along with the railroads and rendered the message delivery company outmoded. What does an out-of-work Pony Express rider do for work? I would guess everything else is downhill.
Here is a tidbit. You can’t ship U.S. eggs to Britain because they are washed. Conversely, you can’t ship British eggs to the U.S., because they are unwashed. You didn’t know that, now did you?
This may shock the churchgoers and Bible readers, but StumbleUpon reports that God killed several million people, while Satan killed only 10. I cannot verify this number, but it looks like Beelzebub got some bad press, or “fake news” killed his reputation.
You remember Attila the famous Hun? Well it appears that the Huns were so intent on battling, raping and pillaging that they never developed their own writing system. It fell to their enemies to write their impressions of Attila and the boys. It is said they found them “monstrous” in their approach, speech and behavior … especially when they were beheading enemies. This goes to reject the notion that history is written by the winners.
Now that the KKK is enjoying a rebirth under our new president, it might be noteworthy that the 1946 radio broadcast of “Adventures of Superman” disclosed the secret codes and rituals of the KKK, which made the organization a laughingstock and led to a drastic drop in membership.
You remember the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor welcoming those “poor and huddled masses?” For your information, that statue is not designed to be standing still but rather has her right foot raised above a broken chain, depicting her moving forward and breaking the shackles of oppression. Didn’t know that did you? I don’t believe the rumor that the Trump Administration wants to raze the statue.
I love movie trailers since they are usually better than the main feature. They are called “trailers” because they used to be shown after the main feature. But when everyone started leaving to beat the traffic after the film, theaters decided to show the trailers before the movie.
The United States experiences about 75 percent of all tornadoes in the world. StumbleUpon offers no information about why they always hit trailer parks.
My new best friend Bill Gates has succeeded in giving away half of his $61 billion to various charities. Gates has apparently lost the address to my home, Cobbmanor.com.
This will let you sleep at night. One U.S. Navy carrier has a more powerful air force than 70 percent of the nations on Earth.
This one won’t. At $150 billion (with a B) the International Space Station is the most expensive building in history. Does it do you any good?
Last One. The phrase “luck of the Irish” was actually a slur, implying that the lazy Irish could only succeed by luck, not hard work or brainpower. Tell it to the exploding economy of the island with one of the highest literacy rates on Earth.
And a happy St. Patrick’s Day to you all, from StumbleUpon.com.
Emmet Meara lives in Camden in blissful retirement after working as a reporter for the Bangor Daily News in Rockland for 30 years.