Here are some random facts for you.
1. Mississippi banned “Sesame Street” in 1970 for having a racially integrated cast. Mississippi public television thought “the portrayal of multiracial harmony on city streets” in a kids show was unacceptable.
Parents successfully petitioned the state to bring it back. And get this: Jim Henson was born in Mississippi.
2. There’s a tale that a runner from Oregon named Forrest Smithson won the 110-meter hurdles at the 1908 Olympics while carrying a Bible in his hand. But there aren’t any official reports that confirm it, and he may have just posed with the Bible in his hand AFTER the race
3. Every British king or queen has a second birthday assigned to them if their real birthday isn’t in the summer, so there’s good weather for their birthday parade.
For example, Queen Elizabeth the Second’s actual birthday was April 21st, but her “official” birthday was held on a Saturday in June. Same with King Charles. His real birthday is November 14th, but his “official” one was held on June 15th.
4. The word “oxymoron” is actually an oxymoron. It’s the combination of two Greek words: Oxy, meaning sharp and keen . . . and moron, meaning dull and stupid.
5. Pez candies get their name from the German word Pfefferminz, which means peppermint, since that was the original flavor.
(Smithsonian / NPR / Wikipedia / Town & Country / Wikipedia / Wikipedia)
