When did the field of Cosmo-chemistry originate?

Cosmo-chemistry is the study of the chemical composition of the universe and how it came to be. The field originated in the 1930s, long before space missions started collecting samples of moon rocks and space dust. Helpfully, the universe regularly deposits extraterrestrial matter on earth in the form of meteorites — and it’s been doing so since time began. Cosmo-chemistry researchers don’t have to leave their home planet to find plenty to study.

Trivia question:

In the Australian folk song “Waltzing Matilda,” what is Matilda?

A) A bundle of belongings

B) A type of flute

C) A wallaby

D) A missing woman

The Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock, N.C., contains an earlymodel Zenith TV with remote control. It was a gift from the president of Zenith Corporation, a personal friend of Sandburg’s. While the great American poet admitted he enjoyed some television programs — Groucho Marx was a favorite — mostly he thought TV was a waste of time. Luckily, the TV’s Space Commander 400 remote control had a mute button, one of the first of its kind.

Mata Hari, the infamous World War I German spy, was actually a Dutch woman called Margaretha Geertruida Zelle. Her colorful life included a career as an exotic dancer and liaisons with influential men that gave her access to information. She was convicted of espionage and executed by firing squad in 1917, although there was no hard evidence against her. There is, however, convincing evidence that the French intelligence officer who accused her was a German spy himself!

The oldest known nuclear reactor on earth is not manmade. It’s the product of unusual circumstances around 1.5 billion years ago near present-day Franceville, Gabon, where the composition of the uranium in the earth and the absence of elements that inhibit nuclear reactions created perfect conditions for natural nuclear fission. Nuclear technicians discovered the anomaly in 1972 while examining uranium samples from the Oklo Mines in Gabon.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the author Roald Dahl. Among his books for kids is “Matilda,” story of a smart, wonderful girl surrounded by horrible adults. But that’s not the story Dahl originally intended to tell. In his first draft of the book, Matilda Wormwood was absolutely awful — so evil that Dahl’s editor asked him to reconsider her character. Dahl eventually agreed and gave the story a complete revision.

The Xerces Society is an environmental conservation group that focuses on invertebrate wildlife — bugs, worms, moths, clams, crabs, etc. Founded in 1971, it’s named for the Xerces blue butterfly, the first North American butterfly to become extinct because of human activities. The last known Xerces blue butterfly fluttered by in 1941.

Trivia answer:

The Matilda in “Waltzing Matilda” is a bundle of belongings.