Do You Know Jack?

In 1881 four years after an accident where James Wide, a South African railroad employee, lost both of his legs he found it hard to do his job. That's when he discovered Jack at a local market where the baboon was leading an ox cart. Wide bought the baboon and deputized him as a railroad employee. At first he just used Jack to push a trolley during the morning commute but after watching Wide Jack learned how to throw switches and change tracks, his work was so precise he never experienced an incident in 9 years and could perform the duties without supervision. Eventually word got back to the authorities and they gave Jack a competency test which he passed saving both his and his owner's jobs. Jack was given an official employment number and paid $.20 a day and a half bottle of beer a week until his death in 1890. Now you know Jack! 

Extreme Sport?

 There's so many things off about this extreme "sport" it's hard to find a starting point. First off, does anyone actually iron anymore? and if so wouldn't a person want to make it as easy as possible instead of raising the difficulty level? With extreme ironing the object is to iron while doing other sports like rock climbing, ski diving, bungee jumping and various other climbing / hiking sports. That brings about another question, doesn't an iron still need to be plugged in? and if not how is it getting warm enough to do any good if you are packing it around on your person? The history of this insanity started in 1997 when a man in England came home to a heap of ironing and decided to take it and his ironing board to the rock climbing wall and odd as it may seem extreme ironing somehow caught on. 

Top Dog?

 After 31 years as the AKC most popular dog breed the Labrador was replaced by the French Bulldog in 2023, but if you don't like those statistics 360 Reviews collected data from pet insurance companies that showed different results. 

1. Chihuahua

2. French Bulldog

3. Golden Retriever

4. German Shepherd

5. Shih Tzu

6. Goldendoodle

7. Yorkshire Terrier

8. American Pit Bull Terrier

9. Pit Bull

10. Labrador Retriever (Black)

11. Maltese

12. Pomeranian

13. Miniature Dachshund

14. Labrador Retriever (Yellow)

15. Siberian Husky

16. Boxer

17. Miniature Schnauzer

18. Australian Shepherd

19. Pug

20. American Bully

21. Beagle

22. Labrador Retriever (Chocolate)

23. Boston Terrier

24. Rottweiler

25. Miniature Poodle

I was totally fine with the Frenchie replacing the Lab as #1 as Frenchies are cute and smart, though it seems way off to think of Chihuahua as #1 of course the bad news when any breed gets the #1 spot is backyard breeders start breeding the #1 breed for profit which greatly diminishes the dog's qualities. 

About Chuck

Has anyone ever wondered why a woodchuck is called a woodchuck since they can't and don't chuck wood? Also known as a groundhog, which is also odd since they are neither related to a hog nor do they take up large amounts of ground but I digress...woodchucks were named wuchak by the Algonquian and either the name was misunderstood or someone thought it would be funny to make the name woodchuck. At any rate it's nearly time for Phil to do his thing again so unless you are wanting winter to continue we need to focus on a cloudy day for February 2nd. 

 

Kangaroo Court?

Actually kangaroos were one animal that isn't mentioned in the animal court cases from medieval times though it was taking place in Europe so kangaroos were likely unknown. Pigs were the most common culprits as they roamed free at that time and often wreaked havoc, they were often sentenced to death for killing children. The same was true of most of the other large animals that were put on trial. The second type of trials were for smaller animals like mice, rats, slugs and flies, those animals were excommunicated allowing people to feel okay about killing them. Strange as these trial may seem they are still somewhat practiced today, sort of. In 1916 and elephant named Mary was hung using a crane in Tennessee for killing her trainer. In 2008 in Macedonia the parks services was ordered to pay $3,500 in damages to a beekeeper after a bear was convicted of stealing his honey. 

Grow Your Own

 Sometimes the history of items that seem to be from the modern era actually go back further than one would think,  like baby incubators. In the 19th century a French obstetrician got the idea from seeing baby chicks being incubated at the zoo. The invention didn't take off until decades later when baby incubators were exhibited at the 1896 Great Industrial Exposition of Berlin which featured six real premature babies. The exhibit was so popular a permanent location was set up at New York's Coney Island amusement park. For the next four decades a neonatal intensive care unit saved thousands of babies while doubling as a carnival attraction. 

Another Option

 As mentioned in a previous post Valentine's Day can also be a time for healing from past romances gone wrong. With that said the San Antonio Zoo is bringing back the Cry Me a Cockroach event giving donors the opportunity to name a cockroach, rat or vegetable after their ex. People can make the donations online of $5, $10 or $25. Last year there were 7,700 donations from all 50 states and 30 counties. The most requested names last year were: David, Chris, Michael, Sarah, Amanda and Emily. 

Hot Stuff

 It appears we have missed National Hot Sauce Day on the18th but that's okay we can play catch up today. First off if you've never heard of Instacart its a grocery delivery company who is responsible for the statistics presented today, and yes, according to them and the makers of Sriracha sauce there is still a shortage but it is on its way back to a shelf near you. Now to present the charts that were compiled to show hot sauce preference and usage by state. Enjoy! 

Love Stinks

 The Rhode Island SPCA is running their Valentine's Day promotion from now until Valentine's Day. For $5 you can have the name of an ex lover or friend written on a piece of paper then buried in a litter box where they will receive their reward for doing you wrong. No matter how childish this may seem it's a genius way to raise money for the animal shelter plus it gives people an opportunity to "bury" an unpleasant chapter of their lives. 

Who's Your Uncle?

 If you live in the US your uncle would be Sam and he would want money from you and service for your country so not really everyone's favorite uncle. How did he become a symbol of the US? As the story goes during the War of 1812 Samuel Wilson, a New York meat merchant supplied thousands of barrels of beef and pork to the hungry troops. The barrels were stamped with U.S. to indicate they were government property but the grateful soldiers thought of the US as Uncle Sam. The name took off and illustrations showing Uncle Sam much the same as the patriotic figure we know today. Even though this story is sometimes disputed Congress passed a resolution in 1961 recognizing Wilson as Uncles Sam's namesake.  

Tire / Food Connection

 Have you ever wondered why a tire company became the authority on fine dining? It all started in the late 19th century when there weren't that many cars on the road so the Michelin brothers decided to put together a book to promote auto travel and, in turn, boost tire sales. The first free book included information for motorists like maps, tire repair tips, fuel locations, accommodations and places to eat. Readers showed interest in the restaurant and hotel information so in the 1920s Michelin begin hiring critics to anonymously access and review restaurants. In 1926 the star system began with just single stars but by 1931 the three star system made its debut and is still used today. 

All Ears

 Of course our ears allow us to hear and they also help keep us balanced, but chances are there are a few things you aren't using your ears for that they can help out with. Ears can determine water temperature, it takes some concentration to train your ears to hear the difference but most people can do so. Not using any visual cues only the sound of the water pouring the viscosity of the liquid makes it sound different. Cold water is thicker and makes a lower frequency sound where hot water is thinner and makes a higher pitched sound plus hot water has more bubbles which contributes to the higher tones. Though I don't see much use for this talent it would be interesting to see if one could detect the difference between hot and cold. 

16 ft. Husband Toss

 Celebrated every January 15th for the last 300 years the Japanese Bridgegroom Throwing is a combination newlywed initiation / Lunar New Year event. The tradition meant to strengthen the recent marriages involves the grooms being carried through town on the shoulders of other men, they are then given a few rounds of sake after which they are thrown off the cliff to roll their way to the bottom and their waiting wives. Once they make it to the bottom the grooms have to light a bonfire, next they mix the ashes with some snow then the happy couple rub the mixture over each others faces shouting "Congratulations!"