By Lucie Winborne

• During the entire run of Gilligan’s Island, it was never revealed if “Gilligan” was his first or last name.

• Although lesser known today, the temperance novel “Franklin Evans; or, The Inebriate: A Tale of the Times” was one of Walt Whitman’s most commercially successful works. The great American poet wrote this novel at the start of his career, strictly for cash. Interestingly, considering the book’s subject matter, he later admitted that he wrote it in a three-day drunken stupor.

• Tic Tacs got their name from the sound they make when they are tossed around in their container.

• The gelatin in Haribo gummy bears contains nine out of the 10 amino acids that are essential to our bodies.

• On Feb. 1, 2005, the Emergency Alert System was accidentally activated in portions of Connecticut, calling for the immediate evacuation of the entire state. Later studies showed that citizens’ common sense prevailed, with the typical response being to “change the channel” or seek other confirmation.

• Between 12,000 and 15,000 bicycles are retrieved from the bottom of Amsterdam’s canals each year.

• In Ethiopia, a spot known as “The Gateway to Hell” is one

of the hottest on earth, with air that’s toxic to humans. Scientists have found organisms in its acid pools that are capable of surviving without oxygen.

• After the release of the 1996 film “Scream,” which involved an anonymous killer calling and murdering his victims, Caller ID usage tripled in the United States.

• Your ears secrete more ear wax when you are afraid than when you aren’t.

• 1912 saw the last Olympic gold medals made entirely out of gold.

••• Thought for the Day: “Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes.” — Mary Martin