Strange BUT TRUE

It was 19th-century mathematician and philosopher William Kingdon Clifford who made the following sage observation: “It is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.” * Thanks to stories of Robin Hood, most people have heard of King Richard the Lion-Hearted. He wasn’t much of a king, though; he spent only about six months in England, and he didn’t even speak English. * If you have the great good fortune to take a cruise along

the length of the Danube River — Europe’s second-longest — you’ll hear seven languages spoken along the banks as you travel. * Just a couple of hours southwest of Indianapolis, you’ll find the town of Vincennes, Indiana, home to the Backyard Roller Coasters. This is where John Ivers, a blue-collar worker, decided he wanted to build a roller coaster in the backyard of his home off Highway 41 — and he didn’t let his lack of an engineering background stop him. The thrilling 10-second ride was completed in 2001, and in 2006 those with less nerve got their own, tamer coaster on the same site. The coasters are open to the public, so visitors can try out either (or both) of the rides by making an appointment. * You may be surprised to learn that an elephant is 40 to 50 years old before all of its teeth come in. * Aside from being well-known conquerors, what did Alexander the Great and Napoleon have in common? They both hated cats.

Thought for the Day:

“Man can be the most affectionate and altruistic of creatures, yet he’s potentially more vicious than any other. He is the only one who can be persuaded to hate millions of his own kind whom he has never seen and to kill as many as he can lay his hands on in the name of his tribe or his God.” — Benjamin Spock