Strange But True

* It was American astronomer, astrophysicist and author Carl Sagan who made the following sage observation: “The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.”

* It’s not clear why lawmakers in the state of Alabama once thought it necessary to pass a law forbidding the operation of a vehicle while wearing a blindfold.

* Though coffee has been around for about 700 years, instant coffee wasn’t invented until 1906. By George Washington. Of course not that George Washington. The man who made coffee more convenient — and less palatable — was from Belgium.

* There seems to be quite a rivalry between the towns of Rosehill, North Carolina, and Wilmington, Delaware. Both locales claim to be the home of the world’s largest frying pan, with a diameter of 10 feet. This begs some questions, of course: How many eggs are being fried at once to require such a large piece of cookware? And what sort of stove is required to heat such a mammoth pan?

* If you’re like the average American, you’ll eat about 35,000 cookies in your lifetime.

* Those who study such things say that 70 percent of southern Nevada’s water use goes through the sprinklers for golf courses and lawns in Las Vegas.

* It’s not surprising that the word “fondue” comes from the French verb “fondre,” which means “to melt.”

* Do you know anyone who is xanthodontous? If so, you might want to refer them to someone specializing in cosmetic dentistry. “Xanthodontous” means “having yellow teeth.”

Thought for the Day:

“Laughter is a form of internal jogging.”

--Norman Cousins

(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc.