Strange But True: August 20, 2020

* A tarantula discovered in 2015 near Folsom Prison, California, was given the scientific name “Aphonopelma johnnycashi” after Johnny Cash, in honor of his song “Folsom Prison Blues.”

* For that matter, “The Crocodile Hunter” Steve Irwin had a snail named after him, the “Crikey steveirwini,” a rare species of tree snail with a khaki-colored shell discovered in 2009.

* Some 60% of human DNA is identical to that of a banana.

* The maddening but addictive Rubik’s Cube was created by accident. Professor of architecture Erno Rubik built a twistable box with colorful rows of labels on each side in an attempt to design blocks that could move without collapsing the entire structure. After rotating a few rows and mixing up the colors, the real challenge began: realigning the hues! It took Rubik about a month to restore his cube to its original condition.

* “Slaughterhouse-Five” author Kurt Vonnegut was such a big fan of the TV series “Cheers” that he once told reporters he would rather have written scripts for the show than all his bestselling novels.

* Peppermint oil does a better job of promoting hair growth than hair-growth medication.

* Speaking of hair, following the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, thousands of hairstylists and alpaca farmers donated over 19 warehouses worth of cut locks to absorb it.

* Looking for a possible reason to like Monday? It’s the least rainy day of the week. While the exact science behind this is unclear, researchers believe it’s likely due to the decrease in man-made pollution over the weekend.

* The tradition of knocking on wood for good luck originated with primitive pagans who tapped on trees to summon the protective spirits residing in them.

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Thought for the Day: “There are years that ask questions, and years that answer. “ -- Zora Neale Hurston