A man of active and resilient mind outwears his friendships just as certainly as he outwears his love affairs, his politics and his epistemology.
~ H. L. Mencken~
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2
Yawning Cools Your Brain
Research conducted at the University of Vienna suggests that yawning may play an essential role in cooling our brains. But yawning to cool the brain is "not functional" when the outside temperature is as hot as the body, explained the study's lead author Jorg Massen. And if you're wondering: Yes, sleep deprivation does increase brain temperature, which could be a factor in why we yawn more when we're tired.
3
It Takes 68 Days to Swim the Full Length of the Mississippi River
On July 4, 2002, marathon swimmer Martin Steel began a journey in northern Minnesota that saw him making his way down the 2,348-mile Mississippi River in an effort to become the first person to swim its entire length. On September 9, he reached his goal, ending up in the Gulf of Mexico in Louisiana after an incredible 68-day journey. That's about 34.5 miles a day!
4
There Is a Boston Typewriter Orchestra
When you're in the mood to play a song or two, you could grab a guitar or sit down at a piano. But for some Massachusetts residents, typewriters are the instruments of choice. The Boston Typewriter Orchestra was founded in 2004 and its members use old typewriters to produce unique sounds that they turn into music—they've even released an album.
As typewriter musician Brendan Emmett Quigley explains, different typewriter models result in different noises. For example, "a Smith-Corona Galaxy 12 has a power space function that makes a nice metallic clang sound."
5
Fleas Are Among the World's Best Jumpers
Take that, Olympians! Fleas use their toes and shins to jump, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge. They can spring up to seven vertical inches, more than 80 times their height.
6
An Apple Can Last up to 10 Months
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, if you pick an apple off a tree, it'll last a few weeks before it starts to soften and rot. But if you store an entire harvest under "controlled-atmosphere conditions," it'll last up to 10 months.
So, when you buy fruit at the grocery store, the produce may not be as fresh as you expect. "Apples are harvested once a year in the U.S.," says Alisha Albinder, a fourth-generation fruit grower. "If you're eating a New York apple not in the fall, then it's safe to say that it's been in storage."
7
The Word "Tragedy" Comes from an Ancient Greek Word Meaning "Goat Song"
While "tragedy" is the word we use for a terrible event or a sad outcome, it has roots from the Middle English word "tragedie," which can be traced back to Medieval Latin's "tragēdia" and the Latin "tragoedia." That word originates from the ancient Greek word "tragōidía," meaning "goat song," according to Oxford Dictionaries.
A commonly accepted theory for the etymology is that Greek tragedies were known as goat-songs because the prize in Athenian play competitions was a live goat.
8
The Creator of the Pringles Can is Buried in One
The ashes of Fredric Baur, who created the iconic Pringles can in 1966, found his eternal resting place in one when he died in 2008. And FYI, his remains are in an original flavor can.
9
The Wizard of Oz's Full Name is Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs
In the original 1900 Wonderful Wizard of Oz novel, written by author L. Frank Baum, the titular magic man revealed that his full name was actually much longer: Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkel Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs.
In the story, Oz, as he calls himself, explains, "It was a dreadfully long name to weigh down a poor innocent child, and one of the hardest lessons I ever learned was to remember my own name. When I grew up I just called myself O.Z., because the other initials were P-I-N-H-E-A-D; and that spelled 'pinhead,' which was a reflection on my intelligence."
10
Penguins Used to Be Six Feet Tall
Those tiny tuxedo birds we know and love today used to be the size of a high school linebacker. According to a 2017 report published in Nature Communications, there's evidence that extinct Kumimanu biceae penguins once stood close to 6 feet tall and weighed more than 200 pounds.
11
A Brewery in Canada Makes Beer Using Water from 20,000-Year-Old Icebergs
Everyone wants their beer to be cool and refreshing, but one Canadian brewery also wants their beer to be as pure as possible. That's why Quidi Vidi Brewery in Newfoundland and Labrador harvests water directly from icebergs that are up to 20,000 years old and float down the area's Iceberg Alley. According to NPR, "The ice formed tens of thousands of years ago from compacted snow … [which] means there are no minerals and lots of tiny bubbles trapped inside. It gives the golden beer a special, very light taste."
12
The Slinky Was Created by Accident
Inventor Richard James, a naval engineer, was trying to create a spring that could help stabilize equipment on boats in choppy waters. However, his spring's ability to move seemingly on its own proved more interesting and became the prototype for the Slinky in 1943.
13
At Any Given Moment, There Are Approximately 2,000 Thunderstorms Happening on Earth
Some areas of the planet experience extreme weather more often than others. But at any given time there are an estimated 2,000 thunderstorms happening in different locations on Earth, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
Annually, there are about 16 million thunderstorms across the globe and around 100,000 of them occur somewhere in the United States.
14
Michelangelo Hated Painting the Sistine Chapel and Wrote a Poem About It
There are plenty of stories about how painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel was quite literally a pain for Michelangelo—the artist had to be in an incredibly awkward position to complete the work of art. He supposedly hated the task so much that he wrote a poem about it.
The sonnet, which was originally written in his native Italian in 1509, has been translated by American poet Gail Mazur. Here's a sample: "My stomach's squashed under my chin, my beard's pointing at heaven, my brain's crushed in a casket, my breast twists like a harpy's."
15
A Million Earths Would Fit Inside the Sun
If the sun were hollow, you could fit a million Earths inside it, according to Cornell's Ask an Astronomer. That's because the sun has a radius 100 times that of the Earth!
16
The Letter Z Was Removed from the Alphabet for 200 Years
It's hard to imagine an alphabet that doesn't include A, Z, and every other letter in between. However, around 300 BC, the Roman censor Appius Claudius Caecus had Z removed from the alphabet due to the fact that it wasn't used that much. The letter S was also nixed and the letter G was added. It took another 200 years for Z to make its way back to the end of the alphabet.
17
The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council Ruled that Hot Dogs Aren't Sandwiches
There are plenty of debates when it comes to what actually constitutes a sandwich. Is it anything that's surrounded by something bread-like? What does that mean for tacos, burritos, hamburgers, and hot dogs?
While you can argue about the first three all you want, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council (NHDSC) made an official ruling when it comes to hot dogs: They deemed that hot dogs are not sandwiches. "Limiting a hot dog's significance by saying it's 'just a sandwich' is like calling the Dalai Lama 'just a guy,'" said Janet Riley, the president of the NHDSC.
18
A Coffee Taster Had His Tongue Insured for £10 Million
Gennaro Pelliccia doesn't just appreciate a good cup of coffee—he's a professional coffee taster who works for England's Costa Coffee company. His discerning tongue is so key to his job that he was able to insure it for a whopping £10 million ($11.3 million) with Lloyd's of London. "My tongue and my ability to perceive different aromas are very important to my work," Pelliccia told the Lifestyle Inquirer.
19
The Chills You Get When Listening to Music Are Caused by Your Brain Releasing Dopamine
Some songs affect you more than others, pumping you up with energy or making you cry ugly tears. And then there are tunes that give you the chills. When that happens, it's due to the fact that your brain reacts to the stimulation by releasing dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that causes pleasure.
20
More People Tuned Into Prince Charles and Princess Diana's Wedding Than for the Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld, and M*A*S*H finales combined
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding amassed nearly 30 million viewers in the U.S. The 2019 Super Bowl brought in more than 98 million viewers. But Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana had 750 million people worldwide tune in to see them wed!
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Good morning everyboomie.
Oh my goodness it's Thursday!
Time flies I guess no matter where you are, like sitting on your couch looking outside at nasty weather for a week.
Well we did get out a couple of times today to walk the doggies.
I guess the most noteworthy thing I did today was learn the meaning of the word epistemology, although I have to admit I still don't know how to use it in a sentence,,,,,except for this one.
Anyway in the definition of epistemology there were words I had to look up the definitions to, and in those definitions there were words I had to look up, until I was too confused and a few paragraphs of unfamiliar words away from the meaning of epistemology.
I can't wait to play scrabble again.
More of the same tomorrow.
Not looking up words....no. I mean more sitting here admiring the gray skies outside.
Have a happy day everyone.
joe
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Happy Thursday everyone! 
