Strange BUT TRUE

• It was British politician John Sweeney who made the following sage observation: “How can a society that exists on instant mashed potatoes, packaged cake mixes, frozen dinners and instant cameras teach patience to its young?”

• Golfers beware: Don’t chew on the tees. One golfer who was in the habit of gnawing while he played overdosed on pesticides after playing 36 holes in one day.

• The longest word in the English language that can be typed using only one hand is “stewardesses.”

• It’s been reported that the last words of 19-century American author, essayist, biographer and historian Washington Irving were, “Well, I must arrange my pillows for another night. When will this end?”

• Famed actor Gary Cooper was offered the role of Rhett Butler in the film adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel “Gone With the Wind,” but he turned down the part. He said he believed the movie would be “the biggest flop in Hollywood history.” The film went on to win 10 Academy Awards, including one for Best Actor, which was taken home by Clark Gable, who took the part that Cooper refused.

• If you know you have coronary issues, beware of extreme temperatures. Those who study such things say that you’re more likely to have a heart attack on a particularly hot or a particularly cold day.

• Records show that in England in 1552, William Shakespeare’s father had to pay a fine for littering.

Thought for the Day:

“You will die. You will not live forever. Nor will any man nor any thing. Nothing is immortal. But only to us is it given to know that we must die. And that is a great gift: the gift of selfhood.”

— Ursula K. LeGuin