Strange and Trivia 5/26/11

Samantha Weaver | May 26, 20110

STRANGE BUT TRUE

It was 20th-century Belgian writer and philosopher Raoul Vaneigem who made the following sage observation: “There are more truths in 24 hours of a man’s life than in all the philosophies.”

The next time you’re annoyed by a bad case of the hiccups, consider poor Charles Osborne. In 1922, when he was 28 years old, Mr. Osborne got the hiccups. For the next 68 years, he continued to hiccup, finally stopping in 1990, one year before his death at the age of 97.

Those who study such things claim that an average bank robber in the United States nets about $4,000 for every heist. No info at hand on how the researches acquired their data.

Stephen Spielberg, who has earned two Academy Awards for Best Director, and three of whose films have set box-office records, was rejected — twice — when he applied to the film program of the University of Southern California.

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Thought for the Day: “Every man possesses three characters: that which he exhibits, that which he really has, and that which he believes he has.” — Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr

TRIVIA TEST

By Fifi Rodriguez

1. HISTORY: When did the Franco-Prussian War end?

2. INVENTIONS: What was the name of Robert Fulton’s first commercially successful steamboat?

3. RELIGION: Who is the patron saint of Wales?

4. MUSIC: What famous singer’s 1950s TV show featured the Vic Schoen Orchestra?

5. LITERATURE: Who wrote the novel “Rebecca”?

6. MYTHOLOGY: In Greek mythology, who was Telemachus’ father?

7. ADVERTISEMENTS: What is “the beer that made Milwaukee famous”?

8. GEOGRAPHY: Where is Lake Maracaibo?

9. GENERAL KNOWLEDGE: For what line of work was Fannie Merritt Farmer best known?

10. POLITICS: What system of government does the Fabian Society support?