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Here are some random factoids you can bring up this weekend to amaze your friends.  Malaria is Italian for “bad air”.  It goes back to a time when people thought swamp fumes not mosquitoes caused the disease.  Ever wonder why the “B” in dB (the abbreviation for decibel) is capitalized? It is because the B stands for Alexander Graham Bell.  To be totally honest, I never wondered about the “B”.  Bluetooth is named for Harald Bluetooth, a Viking king known for uniting tribes. The technology was meant to “unite” devices in the same way.  Michelin created its restaurant-star system in 1926 to encourage people to drive more and accordingly wear out their tires.  The golf term, “Birdie” comes from early 1900s American slang, where “bird” meant something cool or excellent. When a golfer hit one stroke under par, his buddies called it “a bird of a shot”. I always thought Hat Trick was a hockey term. Turns out in 19th-century cricket, a bowler who took three wickets in a row would receive hats from the fans.  Originally, “dive” wasn’t a derogatory term. it described bars located below street level that patrons would need to dive downstairs to access. The plastic or metal ends of shoelaces are called aglets.  The small strips of wood, plastic, or metal between individual panes of glass are called muntins. These should never be confused with decorative strips between panes. Those are mullions.  The bit of fleshy skin around a turkey’s neck is called the snood. According to an oft-cited 1995 study in “Animal Behavior”, the longer the snood on a male turkey the more likely he is to find a mate. Gynecomastia is the correct and polite term for man-boobs. I can’t wait to ask my ophthalmologist if he knows the proper name for his eyechart. It is called The Snellen Chart after Dutch ophthalmologist Herman Snellen, who designed it in the 1860s.  The space between the thumb and forefinger is properly called the purlique.  The vertical groove between your nose and upper lip is called the philtrum.  The space between your eyebrows is called the glabella.  Chankings are the parts of food that can’t be digested and are instead discarded such as rinds, pits, and seeds,  The pizza’s outer crust. is the cornicion. It is universally adored by overly pampered dogs.  If you are worried about misgendering one of your nieces or nephews, try this alternative: Nibling, a gender neutral term. Careless handwriting” is also referred to as griffonage.  That spot on your back that you can’t reach to scratch? That’s called your acnestis  or the section between your shoulder blades. That dot above a lowercase “I” or “j” is called a tittle.  The wedge-shaped end of the head of a hammer that is opposite the face” is called a peen. In 1964, scientists came up with “petrichor” to define the smell of rain.  Blackberries and raspberries are among a class of fruits called bramble fruits or fruits that are produced by any tangled, prickly shrub.  BTW, the little bumps you see on these berries are called drupelets. But don’t use that term for the little bumps on a ping pong paddle. Those are “pips”.  Ping Pong is just one of many party games that I avoid because of gross ineptitude. Therefore, I didn’t know that experienced players prefer shorter pips because longer, more pronounced pips don’t give players as much control over the ball.  The good news is that ping pong is widely recognized as a great way to stave off dementia. However, the way I play would only lead to terminal depression. Have a great weekend. To discover more interesting factoids, check out my book on www.tedcurtinstories.com                                                         .

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Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there.  Here is some Mother’s Day food for thought I wrote down five years ago. The roots of the holiday trace back to the Civil War. Julia Ward who wrote the lyrics to “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” started a campaign in Boston for a mother’s day that celebrated peace and protested war. Meanwhile in West Virginia, Ann Jarvis, who had spent years helping poor mothers, formed a committee to foster friendship between mothers from the North and the South.  After Ann’s death, her daughter Anna Jarvis decided to continue her quest for a national day for moms. Anna’s efforts were rewarded in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson set aside the second Sunday in May as a nationwide holiday. Businesses immediately seized the opportunity to sell flowers, candies, and cards. Anna Jarvis felt the commercialization was detracting from the spirit of Mothers’ Day and began staging boycotts of the holiday she created. Jarvis eventually used her last dollar in the unsuccessful fight. She died broke and blind at the age of 84 in a sanitarium. Interestingly, there is evidence that persons connected with the floral and greeting card industries paid the bills to keep Anna in the sanitarium. Trivia Because one of the first utterances babies make is a “ma” sound, most languages around the world use that sound as the basis for their word for “mother. The Mandarin word for “mom” is “mama”, the Icelandic word is “mamma” and the Vietnamese word is “me”. Most countries set aside an annual mother’s day and some have unique traditions. For example, mothers in Serbia are tied up with rope or ribbon until they give sweets and gifts to their children.   47% of moms think that fathers should buy the mother of their kids a gift while only 6% of dads agree.  Cheating websites such as Ashley Madison claim that on the day after Mother’s Day there is a dramatic increase in mothers signing up. Could it be because of the gift disconnect? On average, people spend $196 on Mother’s Day compared to $133 on Father’s Day. When landline telephones were the norm, Mother’s Day was the busiest day of the year for long distance calls. Father’s Day set the record each year for number of collect calls. Each of those sweaters that helped make Mr. Rogers famous were hand-knit by his mother. Hugh Hefner went to his father for a loan to finance a magazine that would become Playboy. His public accountant father refused because he thought it was a bad investment. Hefner’s mother grabbed Hugh before he left the house and gave him $1,000 to kick-off his venture. Some Bad Muthas Most mothers I know are wonderful women and perform feats I cannot even imagine. However, history and fiction are rife with examples of horrible moms. Here are my awards for the worst fictional moms (apologies to Mrs. Robinson who missed the cut): Bronze Medal: Betty Draper from “Mad Men” – The ultra- self-centered housewife, brilliantly played by January Jones, perpetually ignores her children. When her son complained that he was bored, Betty responded “Go bang your head against a wall. Only boring people are bored.” Betty gets a mulligan for being married to a serial cheater, but she is still a dreadful human being. Silver Medal: Livia Soprano of “The Sopranos”- One of the most miserable characters in TV history, played superbly by Nancy Marchand. I’m sure many moms have thought about putting out hits on their sons but Livia actually ordered one. Gold Medal: Eleanor Shaw Iselin from “The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Angela Lansbury plays the sadistic, creepy puppet master of both her politician husband and her tragic war-hero son. Special Lifetime Achievement Citation – Norma Bates from Psycho – She certainly did a number on her cross-dressing serial killer son. Happy Mother’s Day and have a great weekend.    Remember that Father’s Day is just around the corner. Go to  Books (tedcurtinstories.com) to order Dad (or Mom) a copy of my book “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”. “Mother’s Day Ramblings” is one of 100 stories contained in the compendium.                                                   .

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This year’s Oscar awards included a new category:  Academy Award for Achievement in Casting. While casting directors have always been important, they are often overpowered by directors and producers.  Several chapters in my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed” discuss the production of famous movies. Here are some of my favorite casting stories.  Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid Studio executives wanted Jack Lemmon to play Sundance however Lemmon wasn’t interested. They turned to Steve McQueen but could not meet his non-negotiable demand for top billing. It was Paul Newman’s wife, Joanne Woodward who suggested Robert Redford, a relatively unknown stage actor to play Sundance. The Godfather  Studio executives were adamantly against Director Francis Ford’s Coppola’s first choice, Marlon Brando. The studio considered many actors including Anthony Quinn and Burt Lancaster and eventually tried to force Coppola to cast either Ernest Borgnine or Danny Thomas (Seriously?). Coppola’s choice for Michael was the relatively unknown Al Pacino but producers wanted a star and pushed for Robert Redford or Ryan O’Neal (OMG). Actors who auditioned for the role included Martin Sheen, Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Warren Beatty, and Dustin Hoffman. Blazing Saddles Gene Wilder lobbied for the part of The Waco Kid, but Mel Brooks wanted an older actor. Brooks offered the Waco Kid role to John Wayne and then Johnny Carson who both demurred. Brooks settled on Gig Young but unfortunately Young had a serious alcohol problem. On the first day of shooting, Young began violently shaking and then vomited on himself. Brooks placed an emergency call to Wilder. Gene agreed to fill in if Brooks would help him write, “Young Frankenstein”. Brooks wanted Richard Pryor to play Sheriff Bart, but the producers were wary of the mercurial Pryor. Richard served as a co-writer while Broadway actor Cleavon Little played Sherriff Bart. Airplane Robert Hays won the role of pilot Ted Stryker, beating out Fred Willard. Bill Murray, Chevy Chase, Barry Manilow, and Bruce Jenner.  Fading dramatic actor Leslie Neilson gladly accepted the role of Dr. Rumack which was his first step in becoming a celebrated comedic star. The Graduate  The role of Benjamin was offered to Burt Ward who was playing Robin on the hit series “Batman”.  When Batman’s producers didn’t cooperate, Robert Redford became the studio’s top choice. Director Mike Nichols correctly surmised that audiences wouldn’t believe Redford as a character who had trouble attracting women., Nichols hired the relatively unknown Dustin Hoffman. Mel Brooks released Hoffman from his commitment to play Nazi playwright, Franz Liebkind in “The Producers”. Brooks had already encouraged his wife Anne Bancroft to play Mrs. Robinson. Producers insisted that Ms. Bancroft at thirty-five was too young to play Mrs. Robinson. They considered many famous actresses including Eva Marie Saint, Ingrid Bergman, and Ava Gardner. Nichols used lighting and makeup to give Bancroft the necessary older look.  Candidates for the role of Elaine included Candice Bergin, Ann-Margret, Jane Fonda and Patty Duke but Katherine Ross prevailed. Have a great weekend.                                                .

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On the morning of February 28, 1844, President John Tyler and 400 guests boarded the U.S. Navy’s most advanced warship, the USS Princeton for a pleasure cruise down the Potomac River. Many people gathered onshore as the Princeton steamed from Alexandria towards George Washington’s estate, Mount Vernon. Everyone was entertained by test-firings of the Peacemaker, an enormous 13-ton gun aboard the ship. However, when the gun was fired for a third time it exploded and left carnage in its wake. Six people were killed, including Secretary of State Abel Upshur and Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gilmer. President Tyler was unscathed because he was below deck enjoying some adult beverages with friends. “His Accidency” John Tyler was born in 1790, one year after George Washington became our nation’s first president. Tyler embarked on a successful political career serving as a congressman, senator, and as Virginia’s governor. He ran for Vice President under the famous slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler Too”. President William Henry Harrison had become famous when as governor of the Indiana Territory, he organized an army that defeated tribal forces led by Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, at the Battle of Tippecanoe. One month after assuming the presidency, Harrison died of pneumonia. Tyler became the first vice president to succeed a president who died in office. Many people questioned the legality of his ascension, leading some to refer to Tyler as “His Accidency.”  Tyler’s presidency was very troubled. In 1842 his wife Letitia became the first presidential spouse to pass away in the White House. Meanwhile, Tyler was expelled by the Whig Party and his entire cabinet resigned except for Secretary of State, Daniel Webster. Attempting to regain his standing, Tyler advocated for the expansion of the U.S. Navy. To promote this effort, Tyler arranged the fateful 1844 cruise down the Potomac. Among those who died that day was David Gardiner, a well-known attorney whose 23-year-old daughter, Julia, was being romantically pursued by the 53-year-old widowed president. She was a prominent socialite known as “The Rose of Long Island” and her portrait was used in advertisements to sell many different products. Julia was understandably distraught after witnessing her father’s ghastly death. The president gathered her into his arms and carried her to a rescue ship. Julia had already turned down several of Tyler’s marriage proposals but his thoughtful support after her father’s tragic death finally won her over. Four months later, Tyler became the first president to elope. What’s Really Crazy After the elopement, John and Julia Tyler had seven children together. Between his two marriages, John fathered the most children of any U.S. president- 15. But to quote John Belushi, “that’s not the crazy part”. What’s really crazy is that two years ago I watched Harrison Ruffin Tyler, grandson of John Tyler on Willie Geist’s Sunday Morning show. How is it that John Tyler, who was born in 1790 could have a grandson -not a great grandson- not a great, great grandson- but a grandson appearing on a 2024 television show. Well, John Tyler was 63 when his 13th child was born in 1853. That child, Lyon Gardiner Tyler Sr. was 75 when Harrison Ruffin Tyler was born in 1928. After leading a full and productive life, Harrison passed away in 2025 at age 96. Mediocre? Maybe. John Tyler is always included in the long list of 19th century mediocre to terrible presidents. He did not run for reelection, instead choosing to return to his Virginia plantation. As the Civil War began, he sided with the rebels and was elected to the Confederate States Congress. He died at the age of 71, on his way to the opening session of congress. Tyler is the only president whose death was not publicly acknowledged by the U.S.  government. His casket was adorned by a confederate flag, making Tyler the only president buried under a flag not of the United States Tyler may have been a typical mediocre 19th century president. Just don’t call him boring.  Have a great weekend. If you would like to buy my book, go to www.tedcurtinstores.com for links to online publishers.                                            .

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Mahatma Ghandi the architect of India’s independence from Great Britian was assassinated on January 30, 1948. Orville Wright, the co-inventor of the airplane, died on the same day. I learned about Ghandi and Wright’s fatal connection in “Mobituaries”, a very clever book written by humorist Mo Rocca. The book contains chapters about the deaths of many famous people including Thomas Paine, Herbert Hoover, Billy Carter, Audrey Hepburn and Lawrence Welk. In addition to human expirations, Mo covers the downfalls of Prussia, Hadrian’s Wall, and the traditional station wagon.  Since Ghandi’s assassination occurred just six months after India became independent, the charismatic leader’s death was the lead story in The New York Times. Orville Wright’s invention, though world changing, had occurred 45 years before his death so his obituary was “below the fold”. To avoid any confusion Rocca points out that Orville Wright died in a hospital as opposed to Orville Redenbacher, the popcorn titan, who died in a jacuzzi. Other famous people who died the same day include: Orson Welles/Yul Brynner (October 10,1985) Orson Welles was an iconic director and actor who wound down his career appearing in Paul Masson Wines commercials. His death was overshadowed by Yul Brynner’s who had prerecorded anti-smoking commercials to be aired upon his passing. Brynner’s post-death commercials were very dramatic and effective. Welles received a best actor Oscar nomination for “Citizen Kane”.  Brynner won the best actor Oscar for “The King and I” but as Rocca observes “he had every reason to be great as King Mongkut having performed the role on stage a whopping 4,625 times”.   Dick Sargent/Kim II Sung (July 8, 1994).  Dick Sargent was always known as “the second Darrin”. He followed Dick York in the role of Samantha’s husband on the classic sitcom, ‘Bewitched”.  Sargent never achieved the popularity of the first Dick. Sargent succumbed to prostate cancer at age 64 but his death was overshadowed by Noth Korea’s founder and notorious mass murderer, Kim II Sung. It’s estimated that the dictator killed over three million of his own people. After Sung’s death, his son Kim Jung Il carried on the family’s stunning barbarity while also sporting the worst haircut of any world leader in history. Kim Il’s grandson who the late John McCain labeled “the crazy fat kid” now rules the unfortunate souls inhabiting ‘the hermit kingdom”. William Shakepeere/Miguel de Cervantes (April 23,1616) The greatest English language writer and the greatest writer in the Spanish language died on April 23, 1616, but eleven days apart from each other. The reason for this quirk is that Spain used the Gregorian calendar while England was on the Julien calendar.  Cecil B DeMille/Carl Switzer (January 2,1959) DeMille, a founding father of American cinema was renowned as a director and producer of sweeping epics. Switzer was beloved for portraying Alfalfa in the Little Rascal shorts. Switzer’s career fizzled after the Rascals series ended. He earned money training hunting dogs but did get a bit role as a Hebrew slave in DeMille’s final epic, ‘The Ten Commandments’. Both men died shortly after the film’s release: DeMille suffered a fatal heart attack. Alfalfa was mortally wounded in a dispute over a fifty-dollar reward for a lost dog. John Adams/Thomas Jefferson (July 4, 1826) It is almost incomprehensible that the second and third presidents of the United States died on the same date. What’s even crazier is that date was the fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  Jefferson had defeated the incumbent President Adams in 1800 which exacerbated a rivalry that became so bitter that they didn’t speak to each other for twelve years. The two men mellowed as they aged and began a correspondence between Adam’s Massachusetts home and Jefferson’s Monticello estate. Underscoring their connection, Adam’s last words were “Jefferson lives”. Alas, Jefferson had died a few hours earlier.  As writer Emery Allen once observed” Some things are too strange and strong to be coincidences.” If you need some interesting reading for these frigid winter nights go to www.tedcurtinstories.com to purchase my book, “Get Smarter-Be Amazed”.  Have a great weekend.      .

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Soon after I set out to blog about famous people born on January 1, I began questioning the reliability of numerous websites. How could so many warriors including Atilla, William the Conqueror, Sitting Bull, and Joan of Arc all have New Year’s birthdays? What a coincidence that three of Henry VIII” s wives were born on January 1 – not to mention John Smith’s beloved bride, Pocahontas. These people came from tribal background’s where records were non-existent.  My mood brightened when I saw that Johannes Guttenberg, the inventor of the printing press was born on January 1,1400. Ah, if any people maintained good records, it would be those uber-organized Germans. However, further research found that Guttenberg’s birth date was circa 1394-1406. Out goes my meticulous German theory. I submit that none of those individuals were born on January 1.    Less flashy than Joan of Arc or Pocahontas are three Americans who legitimately have New Year’s birthdays: Hank Greenburg, JD Salinger, and J. Edgar Hoover.  Greenberg Hyman Greenberg was born on January 1,1911 in Greenwich Village. The son of Romanian Orthodox Jewish parents, “Hank” would become a prolific home run hitter for the Detroit Tigers. In 1938, “The Hebrew Hammer” led the league with 58 homers, the single season record for a right-handed batter. The record stood for 66 years before it was broken by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire.  In 1940, Greenberg became the first American League player to register for America’s first peacetime draft. In 1942, he became the first player to volunteer for service in the Army Air Forces.  After a long career with Detroit, Greenberg played his final season (1947) with the Pittsburgh Pirates. That year he became one of the few players to publicly welcome Jackie Robinson to the majors. Robinson credited Greenberg with helping him through a very challenging first season. Greenberg later became a successful baseball front office executive and then an investment banker. Salinger Jerome David Salinger was born on January 1, 1919, in Manhattan. J.D. struggled to fit in at several high schools and his experiences became the basis for what has been called “the classic novel of adolescent rebellion”. After dropping out of Ursinus College and Columbia, he enlisted in the Army. He landed at Utah Beach on D-Day and saw action during the Battle of The Bulge. He became a very proficient interrogator of German prisoners due to his considerable foreign language skills.  Salinger’s masterwork “The Catcher in the Rye” was published in 1951 and still captivates readers worldwide. The story of young Holden Caufield has sold an estimated 50M copies. A 1979 study proclaimed that the book not only was the most censored book in America but simultaneously was the second most widely taught novel in public high schools (only topped by Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men”). In the 1960s. Salinger moved to New Hampshire and lived a reclusive life until his 2010 death at the age of 91. There is speculation that he left voluminous unreleased material, but his estate has no comment thus far.  Hoover John Edgar Hoover was born on January 1, 1895. After graduating from George Washington University Law School, he was recruited by the Justice Department and served in the department’s Alien Enemy Bureau. In 1924, he was appointed Director of The Bureau of Investigation which would add the appellation “Federal” in 1935.  Hoover is credited with continually upgrading the FBI’s fingerprinting system and building essential partnerships with law enforcement agencies across America. He actively participated in the Bureau’s pursuit of notorious criminals such as John Dillinger and Al Capone.  Hoover frequently bragged about his dalliance with actress Dorothy Lamour, and he also had a romantic relationship with Ginger Roger’s mother. But there was always speculation about his relationship with FBI Associate Director, Clyde Tolson. The pair lunched together daily., vacationed together and even wore matching suits. Their relationship did not go unnoticed by the Mafia and that may be why Hoover mysteriously refused to recognize the existence of organized crime. Meanwhile, Hoover compiled dossiers on over 430,000 Americans including Marylin Monroe, Hellen Keller, The Grateful Dead, and Colonel Sanders.  Colonel Sanders?   Hope you have a great New Year.          .

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