Trivia Tidbit of the Month
Fall is approaching or has already started, depending on who you ask. Meteorologists consider fall (or autumn, something we’ll get into later) as beginning on September 1st, but the more widely held view is that fall starts on September 22nd. This is the date astronomers use. This is called the Autumnal Equinox and is the period when the sun is directly over the equator as the Earth’s tilt points the Northern Hemisphere away from the sun.
Why then do meteorologists use September 1st? Mainly to have a set standard of days to keep records on the climate. That’s why they also use December 1st as the beginning of winter. Since the Autumnal Equinox can fall on a different day depending on the year, that date is not much use for accurate record keeping. Meteorologists also use September 1st as the beginning of fall because of what the weather is doing around the world at that time (temperatures are beginning to cool, for example, with the exception of those in the Southern Hemisphere where things are heating up).
But is it fall or autumn? Which is correct? They both are. Autumn has been used since the 1300s and came from the Latin word autumnas (unfortunately no one knows what that means). It later encompassed a shorter season before autumn called harvest. During autumn it was noticed there was “a fall of the leaves,” according to Merriam-Webster, and by the 1600s it was shortened to just fall. Both words came from Britain, but the word fall became popular in America by the 1800s while autumn continued to be used in Great Britain and the British colonies. Both words still mean the same thing either way you use it, so feel free to use it however you wish.
From the Stew Pot
The World’s Oldest and Deepest Lake – The fascinating Lake Baikal in Southern Siberia
Ten Quick Facts #1 – Ten of the quickest facts in the West
What the Origin Behind These Car Names – Part 1 – Where did the name of the car you’re driving come from?
How Walt Disney Secretly Bought the Land for Disney World – Disney had a shrewd plan so no one would know he was building Disney World
6 Incredible Rube Goldberg Machines – Check out these amazing and time-consuming contraptions
The Big Trivia Question
If a U.S. President dies in office, the next in line of succession is the Vice-President, then the Speaker of the House, then the President Pro Tempore of the Senate. Who comes next? And for a bonus, how far can you get? (Check the bottom of the post for the answer)
Just the Facts
– The German paint company, Keim, supplies the paint that is on Buckingham Palace, the New York Stock Exchange, the Bolshoi Theater, and the White House.
– There are about six million feral pigs in the United States that cause billions of dollars worth of damage every year.
– Puck Man was the original name for the video game Pac-Man.
– The X.O. on a bottle of cognac means “Extra Old” while VSOP means “Very Superior Old Pale.”
– The protruding bump on the base of your skull is called the inion.
– The plural of cul-de-sac is culs-de-sac.
– The co-founder of Domino’s, James Monaghan traded half of the business to his brother Tom in exchange for a Volkswagen Beetle that had been used to make deliveries. Tom Monaghan eventually sold the chain to Bain Capital in 1998 for an estimated $1 billion.
Deal of the Month
Knowledge Stew: The Guide to the Most Interesting Facts in the World, Volume 4
$1.99 (50% Off Regular Price of $3.99) Limited time until September 4th
What’s the next release? It’s Odd Stew: The Weird Side of the News. A book about all those wonderfully weird news stories from around the world. Check next month’s newsletter to see when the release date will be (hint: it’s going to be later in October), plus get a sneak peek at what’s going to be in the book.
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The Answer to the Big Trivia Question:
The Secretary of State. After that it goes like this; Secretary of the Treasury, Secretary of Defense, Attorney General, Secretary of the Interior, Secretary of the Agriculture, Secretary of Commerce, Secretary of Labor, Secretary of Health and Human Services, Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Secretary of Transportation, Secretary of Energy, Secretary of Education, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and finally Secretary of Homeland Security. Whew!