12 Hunks of Trivia We Knocked Off a Vein of Knowledge

12 Hunks of Trivia We Knocked Off a Vein of Knowledge

I told you wed strike it rich in the mind mines, pa!

Charles Dickens Tried to Have His Wife Put in an Insane Asylum

Public Domain

The discovery of some of his writing hed probably have preferred stayed buried revealed that Dickens tried to have his wife locked in an insane asylum so that he could continue his affair with an 18-year-old actress.

3 Days of the Condor

Is Based on a Book Titled…

Paramount Pictures

Six Days of the Condor. When the book was compressed to fit into a feature film, it seems the title timeline had to be altered to match.

A Deadly, Delicious Scent

Pixabay

In need of all manner of resources during World War II, the military even asked for citizens excess bacon drippings, which could be refined into nitroglycerin to use in bombs.

The Instrument That Leads the Orchestra

Pixabay

Heres a confusing but accurate sentence for you: In an orchestra, the first violin plays second fiddle to only the conductor. The first violinist in an orchestra is most times the “concertmaster,” with a wide range of responsibilities.

A Caterpillar With A Confusing Name

USFWSmidwest

The name of this fuzzy little fellow, which is absolutely a caterpillar? The woolly bear. Given time, itll mature into an Isabella tiger moth, making it one insect that shares a name with two unrelated mammals over the course of its life.

A Short Course on Camel Classification

Alexandr frolov

You might think that a camel having one hump or two is natural variation, but theyre two different species, with the two-humped variant being the Bactrian camel, brother to the one-humped Arabian camel.

Etymological Origins of the Muffin

Pixabay

German is not a language known as particularly cute, so it might be surprising that we may have them to thank for the word “muffin.” The word might have evolved from the German muffen, meaning “small cakes.”

The Patron Saint of Sunday Scaries

Wellcome Images

Next time youre spending a Sunday paying for the excesses of Saturday night, throw up a prayer to Saint Bibiana, the patron saint of hangovers. She received this honor in Spain, given that her name is similar to the Spanish verb for drink, beber.

An Aggressive Greek Declaration of Love

Pixabay

In Ancient Greece, you might confess your crush with a thunk by tossing an apple at your desired mate. Apples were sacred to the god of love and lust, Aphrodite, so a flying fruit and a waggling eyebrow got the message across pretty clearly.

The Artist

s Tool Created By A Famous Physicist

Public Domain

Most people arent going to art school to delve into the works of physicist Isaac Newton, but one of the first things theyll learn is one of his creations: the color wheel.

Marble, Like the Parthenon, Wasnt Always Monotone

Public Domain

Speaking of bright colors, your image of the Parthenon as overwhelmingly earth-toned is only because of the ravages of time. Not just the Parthenon, but many ancient marble structures and statues werent originally an image of pale, understated luxury. They were often painted with bright colors, something artists would scoff at today.


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