Mullet Over #386

 A study conducted at Michigan State University indicates that the process of one hen producing one egg in the United States requires approximately 300 gallons of water. That stat makes me wonder if folks in Arizona enjoy many omelets.

Shark eggs, however, are a different “kettle of fish.” Most sharks give birth to live young. The great white shark normally has one or two “pups” while the whale shark can give birth to more than 100 little sharks in one litter. Great whites emerge with full sets of teeth. Chomp.

There exists evidence that Columbus visited England in 1477 and some historians believe that it was likely in the seaports of Great Britain that Christopher C. first heard tales concerning lands that lay far to the west.

Scientists claim that lightning bolts on earth generate temperatures much hotter than the temperatures on the sun’s surface (30,000 degrees vs. 6,000 degrees Fahrenheit).

In 1807 London began to use gaslights (fueled by coal gas) instead of oil lamps and torches to light up various busy streets.

Apparently I am not the only one who fails to understand the subtle implications of fine art. Le Bateau painted by Henri Matisse was displayed for at least 47 days in the Museum of Modern Art in New York City before staff members realized that the work was hung upside down.

According to data gathered by the United Nations, there are 53,000,000,000,000,000 gallons of fresh water available for use by human populations. The total represents less than one hundredth of one percent of all the water on earth.

The currently printed $5 bill (U.S.) has received some new aspects recently. In an attempt to foil counterfeiters, security people at the Mint have embedded a thread that contains more than 600,000 microscopic glass domes. This feature is thought to cause an optical effect that will be nearly impossible to duplicate by those proposing to print “funny money.”

The smiling Quaker Oats Pilgrim has been appearing on boxes of the breakfast cereal since 1877.

Here is a brief narrative about a person who might be saying “doggone the luck” or something similar. It seems that a certain woman in White City, Oregon purchased a lottery ticket and sort of won Oregon’s Jackpot Scratch-It Game ($1,000,000 prize). Problems arose when officials alleged that the “winner” purchased the ticket with a stolen credit card. The White City woman was not awarded the million dollar prize, but a warrant was issued for her arrest.

The circular saw was invented by Tabitha Babbit (U.S.A.) in 1810. Contemporary accounts indicate that she conceived the idea while watching two men saw wood nearby as she was working at a spinning wheel.

Well, perhaps you should take a tour of your dwelling to make certain that all your Matisses are correctly hung and – I hope that you do have a pleasant week.

About the author: Dr. James White has retired after teaching mathematics for 36 years in various high school and junior college classrooms. He resides in South Texas with his very patient wife Anna. His trivia column appears weekly and he can be reached at jkwhite46@gmail.com