December 13, 2003
Saturday 'Did you Know'

As has become traditional here on the weekends, I am giving you guys some more 'Didja Knows'. So I ask ya, did you know that:

Telly Savalas and Louis Armstrong both died on their birthdays.

Donald Duck's middle name is Fauntleroy.

Al Capone's business card said he was a used furniture dealer.

The smallest port in Canada is Port Williams, Nova Scotia.

The Velvet Underground was named after a book on the S&M culture.

The Velvet Underground's first manager was Andy Warhol, who also produced their first album and designed the cover artwork. The cover artwork for the album (called "The Velvet Underground and Nico") featured a bright yellow banana that could be peeled off to reveal a bright pink banana underneath, with the label "Peel Slowly and See." "Peel Slowly and See" is the title of the Velvet Underground comprehensive boxed set, which is the only currently-available Velvet Underground recording to feature a peelable banana. The peelable banana caused substantial delays in the production of the VU's first album and contributed to Lou Reed's firing Andy Warhol as the group's manager.

New Zealand kiwis lay the largest eggs with respect to their body size of any bird.

Elephants have been found swimming miles from shore in the Indian Ocean.

When two words are combined to form a single word (e.g., motor + hotel = motel, breakfast + lunch = brunch) the new word is called a "portmanteau."

The topknot that quails have is called a hmuh.

Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was the physician who set the leg of Lincoln's assassin John Wilkes Booth ... and whose shame created the expression for ignominy, "His name is Mudd."

The longest recorded flight of a chicken is thirteen seconds.

Ralph Kramden made 62 dollars a week.

Posted by Buzz at December 13, 2003 03:13 PM
Comments

Big Velvets fan here (also Andy & Lou fan), so I did know that and I do have the boxed set (of course). It's a little on the self-indulgent side, but then, so am I.

Oh, and you can add to your list William Shakespeare, that terrible speller but good writer, to those who died on their birthdays. I hope they all at least got to open their presents.

Posted by: Suzy at December 13, 2003 03:28 PM

I knew the one about Al Capone's business card!

Posted by: Empress at December 13, 2003 04:29 PM

I LOVE the Velvet Underground! Lou Reed and Moe Tucker rock! Nico had some cool solo stuff as well- too bad she never made it mainstream. I never knew that is why they got rid of Warhol- interesting.

Posted by: Michelle at December 13, 2003 07:53 PM

I spent two afternoons with Lou Reed when I lived in Chicago. He was on his way to Milwaukee for a concert he wasn't enthused about giving. Can you say that a New York Rocker is "down-home"? Very soft-spoken and interested in everything.

Posted by: Philip at December 14, 2003 02:10 AM

Who stood around timing chicken flights?

Posted by: Anji at December 14, 2003 08:52 AM

Hello my name is Olivier and I'm Anji's son.

Posted by: Anji at December 14, 2003 08:54 AM

Ahhhh...someone has uncovered the reason that I call my son, Nicholas, "Nico". I always thought that one was obscure enough that no one would ever make the connection.

(Not that you made the connection, mind you - just that you made mention of VU and Nico. I'm impressed!)

Posted by: picklejuice at December 14, 2003 07:40 PM

Didn't Mark Twain die on his birthday too?

Posted by: Christine at December 15, 2003 11:27 AM

Damn! I knew I should have taken that job as a sewer worker. I'd be rich!

Posted by: JJJJB at December 15, 2003 03:53 PM
My wish list.

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