News
The Etymology of Trivia: A Place Where Three Roads Meet
What better way to start off a trivia newsletter than with the origins of the word trivia??? I also didn't realize that the whole "place where three roads meet" had such a strong connection to Oedipus (it's where he killed his father, specifically the intersection of roads leading to Thebes, Delphi, and Daulis), so there's also that little tidbit that can then be segued into a whole separate Freud tangent lol.
new gloves, new me
Maybe we all just need some driving gloves during these trying times. (He's my favorite.)
Sharks are older than trees
Sharks are also older than Saturn's rings (sharks are ~450 million years old vs. Saturn's rings at 400 million). And older than the North Star, too (a paltry 70 million years old)!
The Interesting Part of The History of the Revolving Door!
I skipped over elevators, but after the escalator research I slid into revolving doors, and wow. If someone had ever told me that the creator of revolving doors had (allegedly) invented them due to childhood trauma and misogyny and that they were meant as a statement about how chivalry should die, I would have laughed and said yeah right. And yet. Honestly even if it isn't true, it's such a weird hyper-specific story to have associated with a person and their motivations for inventing things that I would consider it worthy of inclusion. Does the fascinating (potential) backstory outweigh the less-feel-good sexist element??
Ants perform life saving operations — the only animal other than humans known to do so
A continuation of the last newsletter's ant trivia! Although I'll admit, I am skeptical about ants truly being the only animal that performs lifesaving operations. Are there really no primates or other bugs that do this??? I also want to know what happens to an ant post-amputation. Like, do they adapt to life minus their limb and just continue on as normal? Do they adopt a different role in their little ant community based on having (potentially) less mobility? Is there a point at which the ants will decide it's not worth it? Like amputating one leg is fine, two isn't ideal but still workable, but if three or more would need to be amputated then they throw in the towel? (Ants have six legs, in case you were wondering, which leads to additional questions about if it matters whether the injured limbs are all on one side or not.) SO MANY QUESTIONS. But the fact that they have an organized and effective method to treat injuries and perform pretty complex medical procedures is cool even without being able to get answers lol.
Our God is an Awesome God techno~
I know I mentioned this the other day, but A) it's still stuck in my head (perhaps we've just solved the mystery of why my brain is having a meltdown right now!) and B) if you haven't heard it, I think it will make you laugh. No familiarity with the original hymn required to appreciate this top-notch remix. I feel a little bad sending this to you after you sent me an actually-good playlist, but luckily for me our God is an awesome god (typing that has caused me a lot of questions about the appropriate capitalization based on how that line is interpreted) and He will forgive me my sins 🙏 (including if I got the capitalization wrong)
Total Eclipse of the Heart was originally written to be part of a vampire musical
Is that a need to go search out other niche "never saw the light of day" musicals trivia I feel coming on?? I think yes. But in the meantime, have some Bonnie Tyler to cleanse techno "Our God is an Awesome God" from your brain. Just listen to the OG version though, because I tracked down recordings from the revived vampire musical they dropped this song into and it is....less good. By a lot. Like I can see (hear?) what they were going for and how it could potentially work, but the execution was really not there 🙃
Octopuses Get Strangely Cuddly On Ecstasy
Really I just want to know what the conversations are like that lead to research like this. There were also some studies done where they gave spiders different drugs to see how it impacted their web-building, and (predictably?) learned that if you dose spiders with LSD they build really trippy 3-D webs.
Arby's Airs a 13-Hour Commercial of Brisket Cooking
Okay so this on its own might have qualified for the newsletter, because I'm so amused at the thought of Arby's paying $250,000 to livestream their brisket cooking process via TV, but the fact that they selected a station in Duluth, of all places, 100% cemented it. A Guinness World Record for longest TV ad and everything! Next up in rabbit hole research: what other records have been set in Minnesota.....