Strange But True: Bronze Mirrors

By Lucie Winborne

• In 2012, a 90-year-old Baltimore woman named Venus Green locked a police officer in her basement when he tried searching her home without a warrant. Afterward, she brought a civil rights lawsuit and won a $95,000 settlement.

• "Jeopardy!" contestants stand on adjustable platforms so that they all appear to be the same height on camera.

• Chess is a required school subject in Armenia.

• Before the modern glass versions we use today became commonplace, mirrors were made from bronze and were prized possessions of rich households in Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and Japan.

• The Statue of Liberty's full name is Liberty Enlightening the World.

• A study conducted at the University of Montreal showed that young people who played the 1996 game Super Mario 64 for only two months increased their spatial and episodic memory, which improves brain capacity and helps to ward off dementia.

• More than 20% of all the world's freshwater is in the Great Lakes.

• While humans and giraffes obviously have vastly different neck lengths, they still have the exact same number (seven) of neck vertebrae.

• Ever wonder why some cocktails are shaken while others are stirred? Chalk it up to the level of dilution and texture required: The longer the shake or stir, the more diluted and cold the beverage gets. Hence cocktails made with spirits, tonics and bitters should be stirred, while those featuring fruit juices, egg whites, cream or cream-based liqueurs should be shaken.

• Folks used to say "prunes" rather than "cheese" when having their pictures taken.

Thought for the Day: "It is not by muscle, speed or physical dexterity that great things are achieved, but by reflection, force of character and judgment, and in these qualities old age is usually not only not poorer, but is even richer." -- Cicero

(c) 2024 King Features Synd., Inc.