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Illustration by Holly Randall
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Arizona Daily Wildcat
Wednesday, March 3, 2004
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Things you always never wanted to know
American ships firing steadily at the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay in May 1898 pulled off briefly at one point, so that the crews could have a quiet breakfast. After returning to work, they destroyed the enemy.
Lydia Child's "The American Frugal Housewife," published in 1829, recommended New England rum as an excellent hair cleanser and conditioner. It also recommended brandy for strengthening roots.
Ten million Peruvian boobies and cormorants reside on islands off the coast of Peru. Their diet ÷ anchovies ÷ produces the world's finest fertilizer: guano. Because of the value of their droppings, the birds were placed under strict protection by the Incas.
In the 1840s, pigeons carried European news from ships approaching the United States to newspapers along the Atlantic coast, from Halifax to the U.S. capital. The limit on how much news a pigeon could carry was one reason for the method's demise.
The electric eel has an average discharge of 400 volts. More than half its body is given over to electrical production.
The botanist George Washington Carver, best known for his pioneering work with peanuts, developed 536 dyes when experimenting with plant leaves, fruits, stems and roots. Forty-nine separate dyes were derived from the scuppernong grape alone.
Alexander Graham Bell was interested in eugenics and developed a more prolific breed of sheep for unknown reasons.
The first Cadillac, produced in 1903, cost less than the original Model T Ford. Their prices, respectively, were $750 and $875.
Marco Polo reported a strict sense of justice in India. If a man didn't pay his debt, the creditor drew a circle around the debtor. If the debtor tried to step out of the circle, he was liable to punishment by death.
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