The Mountain Eagle
WHITESBURG WEATHER

Strange but true



 

 

• It was Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran who made the following sage observation: “I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind; yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers.”

• Those who study such things have determined that one out of every four alcoholic drinks consumed in the world has vodka in it.

• Famed actor Clark Gable, dubbed the King of Hollywood, was once a hobo.

• At some point you’ve almost certainly heard a coward described as “lilylivered,” but did you ever wonder where that expression came from? It was once believed that the seat of courage in the human body was the liver; therefore, someone who was timid presumably lacked blood in the liver, causing that organ to become white.

• Every day more money is printed for Monopoly than for the U.S. Treasury.

• There once was a law in Marshalltown, Iowa, stating that it was illegal for a horse to eat a fire hydrant. And in Oregon, it was at one time illegal for a dead person to serve on a jury.

• Would the history of medicine be different if Sigmund Freud had gone into law instead of psychoanalysis? That was his original aspiration in life — to be a lawyer.

• Karaoke and karate: Other than the fact that they are both from Japan, you wouldn’t think they have much in common. However, they both have the same root word, “kara,” which means empty. “Oke” means “voice” and “te” means “hand;” hence, “karaoke” is “empty voice,” and “karate” is “empty hand.”

• Half of all Americans live within 50 miles of their birthplace.

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Thought for the Day: “He who buys what he does not need steals from himself.” — Swedish proverb

(c) 2019 King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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