The Rolex name was registered as a trademark in 1908. That was the year that Hans Wilsdorf made up the name Rolex. No one knows what the name means. Some claim that Rolex is an onomatopoeia representing the sound of a watch being wound, but this contention is poorly documented. Actually, I thought that “onomatopoeia” was something a guy might scream after he slammed a car door on his fingers.
The computer term “software” was first used in print in 1958 by John Tukey. However, Paul Niquette claimed he invented the term in 1953. The debate rages.
Crocodiles are not lizards. Komodo dragons are the world’s largest lizards. Komodo dragons eat mostly carrion, but they will kill other animals for consumption. In fact, the younger Komodo lizards live mostly in trees in order to escape their cannibalistic elder relatives.
The Brazos is the longest river in Texas. It is 1280 miles long, 840 of which are in the Lone Star State.
There is a man in El Salvador named Rene who claims to have eaten in excess of 35,000 scorpions (apparently while sober). He says that he eats at least 25 a day, whenever the “delicious” snack is available. I think that I shall stick with nachos.
One of those geographical oddities: a resident in El Paso, Texas is closer to California than to Dallas.
A cluster of hares is called a “down.” A cluster of hairs is called a scalp (wig?).
One small group of scientists is working to determine why children dislike the tastes of liver and Brussels sprouts. I have a news flash for the researchers – some adults do not enjoy those foods.
The first British monarch to have the Bible translated into English was not King James (1611). It was King Henry VIII (1541).
Bamboo, corn and rice are all members of the botanical grass (Poaceae) family.
No one could figure out why the once common tambalocoque trees on Mauritius Island were dying with no new plants germinating. Finally, one clever lad guessed that the tambalocoque seeds required being ingested by the once native dodo birds in order to sprout.
With a mere 13 T-trees left, botanists tried feeding the seeds to various birds and discovered that kernels fed to turkeys would sometimes germinate (after an “unpleasant” retrieval). I conjecture that more work on the project might have occurred sooner had “tambalocoque” been easier to spell and pronounce.
Well, I cannot recommend competing with El Salvador’s Rene, but I can recommend that you have a pleasant week.