Karen Hill

During the 16th century, the Aztec Indians of Mexico played a game which was similar to our modern basketball. A large stone ring was placed high on the side of the stadium, and the players had to put a solid rubber ball through it. The team with the greatest number of points was the winner … Read more

In 1927, the great slugger Babe Ruth did just that! Before an exhibition game at Wrigley Field in Los Angeles, the Babe stood at home plate while six different pitchers took turns pitching to him. During a one-hour period, he hit 125 home runs, or about one every thirty seconds! In 1961, the record for … Read more

Bill Veeck, one-time owner of the St. Louis Browns baseball team, was known for pulling many stunts to increase attendance at his team’s games. One of these stunts involved Edward Gaedel, a 26-year-old midget, only 43″ tall. Even though Gaedel knew nothing about baseball, Veeck trained him, figuring that it would be difficult for a … Read more

A West Indian stew, consisting of meat, fish, vegetables, and highly seasoned spices, is considered a family heirloom. The family stew pot, known by the natives as pepperpot, is never completely emptied. Some of this good Caribbean stew is always left in the pot as the beginning of the next stew. Mothers bequeath their stew … Read more

In ancient days, ships were christened with human blood as an offering to the sea gods, so that they would have this offering and spare the blood, actually the lives, of the men on board the ship. As men became more civilized, the blood of animals was used, and later, red wine and champagne. Even … Read more

Saluting is a custom which goes back to the days of knights in armor. At that time, the knights raised their visors as a gesture of respect and friendship when greeting someone. Among soldiers, the custom of raising the right hand to the forehead continued after the helmet and visor were no longer worn. Our … Read more

Perhaps you thought that “The Star-Spangled Banner,” with its four verses, was difficult to memorize, and seemed the longest to you. But Francis Scott Key’s poem set to the music of a British drinking song would seem quite easy and short compared to the Greek National Anthem, ” Imnos pros tin Eleftherian,” or “The Hymn … Read more

Why, it was David Rice Atchison, of course! What? You never heard of him? Probably not; very few people have. But Senator Atchison did serve as President and did sleep through his term in office. Here’s how it happened. James K. Polk’s term as the 11th President of the United States expired on Saturday, March … Read more

Perhaps you thought that some of the huge tractor trailors on the road today were the longest you’d ever seen, but even the longest of those measures only about 52 feet long. Imagine, if you can, more than eleven of those long tractor trailers, one behind the other, and you will come up with the … Read more

The Presidential limousine, a Lincoln Continental Executive, made for President Richard Nixon in 1968, holds the honor as the most expensive car ever made. This 21- foot-long car has two tons of armor plate covering it, bringing its weight to 12,000 pounds, or about 6,000 pounds more than a normal limousine. Its wheels and tires … Read more

Ancient people believed that birds could talk and bring information to them. Passages in the Old Testament and in the Koran, the Bible of the Mohammedans, describe birds talking to wise men. These birds were believed to be messengers of the spirits of dead people, since the birds flew up into the sky where these … Read more

The ancient Egyptians believed that cats were sacred, so they worshipped them. An Egyptian goddess called Pasht was said to have had the body of a woman and the head of a cat. Since the Egyptians believed that Pasht had nine lives, they also believed that all cats did. The Egyptians were so respectful of … Read more

The Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, holds the record as the world’s tallest monument, having taken the title away from the 555-foot Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. The 630-foot Arch stands impressively on the west bank, or the Missouri side, of the Mississippi River on a site that in 1764 held a small trading … Read more

That title, held by the Empire State Building in New York for more than 40 years from 1931 on, was taken over by the twin towers of the World Trade Center of New York in 1972. But that record was held only two years. In 1974, the Sears Tower in Chicago, Illinois, claimed the title … Read more

Just as early people believed that wearing gemstones could influence their personalities and bring them luck, they also believed that these stones could prevent or cure diseases as well. They believed that: Amethysts could cure toothaches and headaches. Diamonds could cure leprosy, insanity, and prevent nightmares. Agates could reduce fever. Sapphires protected people from the … Read more

Many early people believed that certain gems had strange and mysterious powers, that gems could bring good luck to a person and influence his personality. Fortune-tellers in the Middle Ages, eager to strengthen their influence over superstitious people, chose a gemstone for each month of the year and told people that if they wore the … Read more

During the War of 1812, Samuel Wilson of Troy, New York, supplied barrels of salted meat to the U.S. government for-its troops. To show that he had personally inspected the meat, Wilson stamped the letters “U.S.” on the meat, indicating that it was for the U.S. government. But Wilson’s neighbors in Troy, who fondly called … Read more

The English in the late 1700s frowned upon women wearing make-up for the effect it would have on men. And so, in 1770, a bill was introduced into Parliament stating that, “All women of any age or rank who shall lure into marriage any of His Majesty’s subjects by scents, paints, cosmetics, artificial teeth, false … Read more

The use of lipstick and other cosmetics is very ancient, dating back 6,000 years ago in Egypt. The making and wearing of cosmetics, however, was popularized by Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, who lived from 69 to 30 B.C. Following the example of Cleopatra, Egyptian women painted the under side of their eyes green, … Read more

You’ve surely heard of the. Infantry and the Cavalry, but not many people know that the United States once had a Camel Corps. Back in 1850, before the railroad crossed the country, the U.S. Army needed a cheap, fast way of moving supplies westward. These supplies were needed by the army in their wars against … Read more

When a balloon is carried by the wind high into the sky, it seems as if it will go on flying forever. But it doesn’t. Even though the opening of the balloon may have been tied tightly, the gas that filled it and lifted it slowly begins to push out, bit by bit, through the … Read more

SURPRISE! It’s a steel ball! When a steel ball hits a hard surface, like the ground, it dents just like a rubber ball. But the steel ball snaps back into shape much faster than a rubber ball. It is the snapping back into shape that makes any ball bounce, so since the steel ball snaps … Read more

Long ago, when people were very superstitious, the sign of the cross had almost a magical meaning for good luck. If two people wished for the same thing to happen, one held out his index finger and the other placed his index finger across it, making the sign of a cross. As time passed, this … Read more

Even though the island of Manhattan holds up tremendous millions of tons of steel, concrete, stone, and human bodies, it actually weighs less today than it did when only Indians and their teepees were on it! Amazing, but true! The reason for that is because the weight of all the soil and rock dug out … Read more

When the Dutch settlers came to the New World in 1626, they wanted to build a town on the island called “Manna-Hattin,” at the mouth of the Hudson River. So Peter Minuit, representing the Dutch West India Company, approached a group of Indians on the island and traded the land for some beads, cloth, and … Read more

Since its invention in 1886, the secret formula for making Coca-Cola has been known to only seven men. Today, just two of these men are still alive, and they never travel together on the same airplane. The world’s most popular soft drink was the creation of a druggist named John S. Pemberton of Atlanta, Georgia. … Read more

Many people have been making wishes for years on four leaf clovers, chicken bones, and the first star out at night. But you can make a wish on a banana too. Before you eat it, make a wish. To learn if your wish will come true, cut a thin slice from the bottom of the … Read more

For many years, Mothers have chosen this way to help their children to remember something. This is a carry-over from olden days when people tied pieces of cloth around any painful part of their body. This cloth was tied in one area to keep the “spirit of life” in that area, and so cure it … Read more

The Spanish artist Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Crispin Crispiano de la Santisima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso holds the honor as the most productive artist in world history. During his 78-year career, Picasso produced 13,500 paintings, 100,000 prints and engravings, 34,000 book illustrations, and 300 pieces of sculpture. These works are valued … Read more

In 1507, when Leonardo da Vinci painted a portrait of Mona Lisa Gherardini for her husband, a merchant named Francesco del Giocondo, the husband did not like the finished painting and refused to pay for it. Was it because of her mysterious smile which still puzzles viewers today? No one knows. But King Francis I … Read more

According to stories, four boys and their dog, playing on a mountainside in Lescaux, France, near the border between France and Spain, were caught in the rain and found shelter in a cave. There, they discovered paintings on the walls. When scientists tested this cave art and similar cave art found in southern Spain, Portugal, … Read more

Among the Masai tribesmen of East Central Africa, spitting is considered an act of respect and friendship. A newborn Masai child is spit upon by friends and relatives wishing to give the child good luck. Masai tribesmen spit at each other when they meet, just as we say “Hello,” and spit again to say “Good-bye.” … Read more

For a brief period in the 1930s, the Russian people in the city of Kiev came out to watch the sport of “Face-Slapping.” The two opponents did just that, slapped each other’s faces with their open hands until one bloody cornbattant gave up. An endurance record was set in 1931 when two “slappers” went at … Read more

Since music is a name given to certain sounds produced by the voice or an instrument, the answer is yes. The idea of constructing a single machine to create and combine electronic sounds as music was developed in 1955 by the Radio Corporation of America. RCA developed an Electronic Music Synthesizer, which was able to … Read more

Johnny Appleseed was the name given to a pioneer named John Chapman. During the early 1800s, Chapman settled along the Ohio River. He was a mixture of nurseryman and herb doctor. Chapman sold apple seeds and sprouts of apple trees throughout Northern and Central Ohio. As payment, Chapman accepted any amount of money or any … Read more

This is an old saying, and nothing more. Apples do not have any magical powers to prevent disease, but scientists have proven that apples do give the human body much of the potassium that it needs. This mineral, combined with many others, does help keep the human body strong and healthy. There are nearly 10,000 … Read more

Did you guess Superman? Or perhaps Dick Tracy? Or even Tarzan? Even though these comic strip characters have been read for many years, the most popular strip today is Peanuts. The adventures of Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and Lucy are read by more people today than any other comic strip characters in history. The record for … Read more

At the time Columbus sailed from Spain, in August, 1492, the Spanish unit of currency was the maravedi, a small silver coin. Columbus was paid 2,000 maravedis a month, which at that time could buy a cow or five pigs. Judging Columbus’ salary in American money today, his two-month voyage to discover the New World … Read more

Quite by accident, really!, In 1828, Nelson Hower, a bareback rider in a circus, dressed as did all bareback riders in his day, in a short jacket, stockings, and knee breeches. On one particular evening, however, Hower’s costumes failed to arrive in time for his performance, and he was forced to go on with the … Read more

Yes! The Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus has a clown training school each year in Venice, Florida, near its winter headquarters. Three hundred hopeful clowns attend the school, but only the best thirty are selected to perform in the circus. Each clown selected gets a two-year contract and earns about $200 per week to … Read more

The beautiful creatures with human bodies down to the waist and scaly, fish-like tails from the waist down exist ONLY in folklore and in fairy tales of many lands. In ancient Greek mythology, mermaids were beautiful sirens who lured sailors to their deaths. In German fairy tales, these maidens were said to have lived in … Read more

At fiesta time in certain parts of Mexico, ant candy is one of the treats that children and grownups look forward to. The special types of ants which are used for this candy are called honey ants. Honey ants gather a kind of syrup that other insects leave on oak leaves. As an ant eats … Read more

Ancient man believed that his breath contained his spirit, or his soul, and that it lived in his head. Therefore, when he sneezed, he feared that he was losing his soul and leaving an empty place in his head for evil spirits to enter. All this would happen unless God prevented it. Thus, a wish … Read more

On February 8, 1974, an egg was dropped 600 feet from a moving helicopter and it did not break when it hit the ground! No, it was NOT hard-boiled. It was a raw egg. Why? The forward movement of the helicopter through the air caused the egg to land very gently and not break. In … Read more

ABRACADABRA ABRACADABR ABR ACADAB ABRACADA ABRACAD ABRACA ABRAC ABRA ABR AB A According to an old superstition popular during the Middle Ages, the word “Abracadabra” could cure a fever. All the sufferer had to do was write the word six times in the shape of an upside-down pyramid, by dropping one letter of the word … Read more

Because the ancient Egyptians believed that there was life after death, they reasoned that a person would need his body with him. They therefore developed a method of preserving, or embalming, bodies to make mummies. Ancient books describe the complete embalming process, which took 70 days. First, the embalmer made a small incision and removed … Read more

Ancient writings describe a bold, warlike tribe of women who came from the Caucasus Mountains of Russia and settled in Asia Minor, the peninsula between the Mediterranean and Black Seas. The Amazons were governed by a queen, and their entire state was run by women. These women fought wars and established their own cities. According … Read more