Strange But True: Jan. 31, 2019

* It was 20th-century American author Margaret Mitchell -- best known, of course, for her Civil War-era novel "Gone With the Wind" -- who made the following sage observation: "Until you've lost your reputation, you never realize what a burden it was or what freedom really is."

* It seems that the Germans have a word for everything. For instance, "waldeinsamkeit" describes the feeling of being alone in the woods.

* In rural Wisconsin in 1921, two third-grade students in a one-room schoolhouse became sweethearts. At the end of the school year, Lorraine Beatty and Mac McKitrick lost touch with each other. This story would be unremarkable, except for what happened 87 years later. In 2009, their brothers, who had become friends, brought the couple back together. Shortly thereafter, the couple married and moved in with each other in a retirement home.

* You might be surprised to learn that Edgar Rice Burroughs, author of "Tarzan of the Apes" and its 25 sequels, never actually visited Africa.

* The Sphinx in Egypt is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existence.

* The oldest government building in the country actually predates the nation: The Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico, was built in 1610.

* According to tradition, a bride whose dress is made of silk will have good fortune in her marriage. A woman who wears velvet to her wedding will face poverty, and a satin wedding gown will bring bad luck.

* Reportedly, anyone caught in the jaws of a crocodile can release him- or herself instantly by pressing on the animal's eyeballs (though I cannot personally attest to the veracity of this claim).

Thought for the Day

"A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually."

--Abba Eban

(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.