Some clever folks at Cal Tech in partnership with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have mixed some palladium, phosphorous, silicon (not to be confused with serious con), germanium and silver together and heated the alloy to 2700 degrees Fahrenheit. The result has been a metal so strong that a cylindrical rod 3 inches long and 1/3 inch thick can support a weight of 10,000 pounds.

There is some debate as to which animal on earth can deliver the most powerful bite. Some recent bite estimates: American alligator (3,000 lbs.), great white shark (4,000 lbs.), and African lion (1200 lbs.). However, a cute extinct fish labeled the megalodon grew to 50 ft. and had a bite thought to be in the 40,000 pound range. In terms of bite pressure per area, the common rat is a contender with the capability to exert 7,000 pounds per square inch. In numerous instances, rats have chewed through electrical wiring and sheet metal.

In 1789 George Washington met Washington Irving in New York City. The president was informed that the lad was named after him. President Washington reportedly patted the head of the six year old boy. Years later Irving passed “the head pat” on to his publisher. I mention the pat because a tradition of passing on “the Washington head pat” is alive today. The most recent recipient is a male (Daniel) in Los Angeles.

Exactly seven of the characters John Wayne portrayed died during the movies. Exactly seven is sort of eight because in 1931 Mr. Wayne portrayed a corpse (The Deceiver).

Several eye witness accounts support the claim that on March 4, 1865 Andrew Johnson was quite inebriated as he took his oath of office and attempted to deliver his inaugural address. The Tennessee man tried to repeat the words of his oath, but he often repeated himself with slurred speech. After the oath was administered, Johnson began to deliver an incomprehensible oratory. A few minutes into the verbosity, a Supreme Court Justice mercifully led the new vice president to a vacant seat. Johnson later explained that he was under the influence of medicinal whiskey because he had malaria.

Historians claim that Genghis Khan (1162-1227) conquered and ruled over more land than any other man on earth. G.K. was sovereign over an estimated 4.8 million square miles. Alexander the Great ranked second by conquering about 2.1 million square miles.

Well, I urge you to be cautious when teasing sharks or alligators – and do have a great week.