Random thoughts and useless information are the bane of existence for many people whose minds never seem to stop thinking! This is our topic today.
Do you ever have random thoughts that just pop into your head when you least expect it? Are those random thoughts so bothersome to you that you have to stop what you’re doing to go learn more about whatever it was that disturbed you so?
If so, welcome! Let us join hands in preparation for a fun and educational — yes educational — trek through the idiosyncrasies of a thinking person’s mind. Let’s honor these little bits of information by sharing them with the world. You might never need this information, but it could be a bonus question on game night!
- Is Switzerland the only country in the world that is neutral?
You might be surprised to learn that it is not! Neutrality is a basic principle of Switzerland’s foreign policy that has been in place since 1515 and is the most respected. It disallows Switzerland from getting involved with any armed conflicts by not providing military support, not allowing their territory or airspace to be used for moving troops and/or weapons and they do not join military alliances. Other countries with similar policies include Austria, Costa Rica and Ireland.
- What is the history behind scarecrows?
This thought was spurred on by a recently aired commercial. Native Americans used “bird scarers” to protect their crops. However, in the 1600’s, when settlers began arriving in Plymouth, Massachusetts, they took turns standing in the fields as scarecrows. However, the scarecrows we might see today, the ones wearing coats and straw hats, were first used in Japan around the time of the Roman Empire. The scariest scarecrows are the ones used in Britain during medieval times, as shown below and discussed further in this article from Amusing Planet.
- Why have we stopped using cursive?
As we ventured deeper into technology during the twentieth century and technical devices such as typewriters, word processors and computers became common, the art of cursive writing vanished and typing became a more globally useful skill. Many states today use the Common Core State Standards, which are defined as “a set of high-quality academic standards in math and English language arts/literacy (ELA).” Some states do not teach cursive at all. But you can learn on your own by clicking this link → Superstar Worksheets.
- Have you noticed that the Mona Lisa has no eyebrows or eyelashes?
Yep, she has no eyebrows or eyelashes! This has been a mystery for centuries! Well, that enigma has been solved by French Optical Engineer Pascal Cotte, a specialist in photography. He posits that cleaning eroded those features over time.
Fun fact #1: In this feature article in RNZ, it states that Mr. Cotte has also discovered another portrait underneath the one we are used to seeing.
- Has there ever been a President of the United States who didn’t have a Vice President?
Yes! In fact, there were four Presidents of the United States who served without a Vice President in office. They were John Tyler who served between 1841 – 1845, Millard Fillmore, our President between 1850 and 1853, Andrew Johnson serving between 1865 and 1869 and Chester A. Arthur who served between 1881 and 1885.
All of these men served just one term and they were all Vice Presidents who rose to the Oval Office after the previous President passed away.
Things have changed since the 1800’s. History Facts goes into detail about why these men served without Vice Presidents, expands on changes on how a vice president is selected and include some additional interesting fun facts!
- Why is tape called “Scotch Tape?”
According to this article in History Facts, Scotch Tape was simply one of five new inventions — including sliced bread and toothbrushes, that came out of the decade long Great Depression. Richard Drew, its inventor, created this product while employed by 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing – as it was known then), in 1930. He was inspired by watching and listening to auto painters curse as they tried to paint two color cars smoothly.
After many attempts, he created masking tape from crepe paper, followed by what we now know as “Scotch Tape.” The aforementioned linked post states that the name for this product was inspired by his earlier invention of masking tape as it only had adhesive on the edges. When presented to the auto painters, one asked him why he was so “Scotch” — Scottish slang for “cheap.”
In 1930, Scotch Tape was presented to the masses and today we use it for practically everything!
- Why is gas priced in tenths?
Have you ever wondered why, when filling up your car with gas, the price always ends in 9/10th of a penny? I mean, why not go for the whole cent? Well, apparently, this is due to an almost century old tax law that was enacted during the depression.
History Facts explains that gas was about 20 cents in 1930 and even lower — 10 cents — in some parts of the country. The Revenue Act of 1932 implemented the first federal gas tax. The country was going through a depression and a penny had a lot of value. Therefore, since a tax of one cent per gallon was too great a weight to carry, gas station owners opted to inflict as little pain as possible on the wallets of its clients by eating the tax and increasing prices by less of a penny to make up the difference.
Burst of Random Thoughts
- The hashtag key is called an octotroph. #Octotroph is blowing my mind!
- The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat.
- One thing has nothing to do with the other, but here goes: A cat’s jaw cannot move sideways.
- Hummingbirds are the only animals that can fly backwards.
Do these little bits make you feel overwhelmed with all this new knowledge? Yes? Then grab a cup of coffee, find a nice comfortable spot and dive into your very own rabbit hole!
