Turning your back to the Trevi Fountain in Rome then throwing a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder is supposed to bring you luck. The fountain receives about €1.4 million annually (around $1.6 million), and most of those funds go to the Caritas Association for help with its charitable work. The toss… Continue Reading Who gets the three coins in the fountain?
A book of Anglo-Saxon poetry from the 10th century includes what researchers believe could be the first recorded joke in the English language: “What hangs at a man’s thigh and wants to poke the hole that it’s often poked before?” The punchline? (Keep it clean.) “A key.” 3,000 years before that, the Sumerians had the… Continue Reading What is the Oldest Recorded Joke in English?
Clams and some other mollusks filter water to remove debris and pollutants. A water station in Poland has a setup wherein eight clams are monitoring the city’s drinking water. When they encounter heavy metals, pesticides or other pollutants, they close their shells. They are hooked up to computers that register whether their shells are open… Continue Reading How can clams save lives in Poland?
Every state has designations for things like state flower, state dog, even state dessert. But Washington is the only state to have a state monster. In 1970, Washington’s governor issued a proclamation declaring Sasquatch the state monster of Washington; he even affixed a lock of the legendary monster’s supposed hair to the document. However, the… Continue Reading What state has a “state monster?”
You would think that a grudge would end when an animal dies. Not so with a murder – a murder or group of crows, that is. Crows tend to live for 5-7 years. If one member of a murder has a serious grudge against someone, their murder has been known to display anger against them… Continue Reading What animals can hold a grudge longer than their lives?
The hypothalamus is a tiny part of the brain that serves many functions. Among them, it tells us to laugh when we experience a light touch to a sensitive area, and at the same time, tells us to expect a painful sensation. That’s why we tell people to stop. Laughing when tickled could be a… Continue Reading
Humans recognize others by their faces. And yes, chimpanzees can do that. But they also recognize each other by looking at their anogenital areas, their butts. Rear ends serve a big purpose in the chimp world. Bottoms and faces are both symmetrical, and interpreting what a behind is saying is crucial to chimpanzees’ reproductive success,… Continue Reading How do chimpanzees recognize each other?
Louis Armstrong had many nicknames as a child, all of which referred to the size of his mouth: “Gatemouth,” “Dippermouth,” and “Satchelmouth.” During a visit to Great Britain, Louis was met by Percy Brooks, the editor of Melody Maker magazine, who greeted him by saying, “Hello, Satchmo!” (He had inadvertently contracted “Satchelmouth” into “Satchmo.”) Louis… Continue Reading How did Louis Armstrong get the nickname Satchmo?
If you take the Ambassador Bridge south from Detroit, it will take you directly into Windsor, Ontario, the only major Canadian city south of the U.S. Windsor is home to, among other things, an engine plant for Ford. Detroiters had been able to pop down to Windsor and do duty-free shopping. But with tariffs, is… Continue Reading What country lies south of Detroit, Michigan?
Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County – UUCDC
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