Strange But True: Kirk Kidney Stone
By Lucie Winborne
Research has shown that girls and women who watched the TV series "The X-Files" were more likely to believe in the importance of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and to encourage their own daughters and granddaughters to pursue careers in those fields -- something called "The Scully Effect" after the series' female main character, Dana Scully.
Pentheraphobia is the fear of your mother-in-law. There, folks, you now have an official name for it.
In 2006, actor William Shatner, beloved by "Star Trek" fans as Captain James Tiberius Kirk, sold his kidney stone, complete with stent and string, to a casino for $25,000. While Shatner retained "visitation rights," the complete proceeds were donated to Habitat for Humanity.
Whack, zoom, out of the way! A table tennis ball can travel off the paddle at a speed of 105.6 mph.
All of the world's pandas are technically owned by China. The country leases them to zoos in an act called panda diplomacy.
Ever dreamed of being a swashbuckling buccaneer? Try attending MIT, where after completing courses in pistol shooting, fencing, archery and sailing, undergraduates can earn a bona fide Pirate Certificate. (Note: For entertainment purposes only!)
On Dec. 19, 1881, Sir William Payne Gallwey, a retired conservative member of the British Parliament, died while out shooting on his estate, Thirkleby Park -- but not from a gunshot. Instead, Gallwey suffered a fall and landed on a turnip, sustaining serious internal injuries to which he succumbed a few days later.
Bananas get their curves by turning skyward as they grow, to absorb sunlight.
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Thought for the Day: "Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals. Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." -- Samuel Ullman
(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.