If you have a hobby of collecting sparkling jewelry, I have news that may cause disappointment. The brooch owned by the wife of Napoleon III was recently sold. The Louvre purchased the diamond laden bling for $10.5 million. I wish you better luck next time.
The Blue Ridge Parkway (North Carolina & Virginia) is the most visited site in our National Park System.
Did you ever have to read Animal Farm or 1984? I certainly had those books assigned. Little did I know that George Orwell’s original name was Eric Arthur (not Author) Blair. The erudite amongst you might like to be informed that Voltaire’s birth name was Francois Marie Arouet.
It was different when Voltaire was alive: France now has at least 350 nuclear (nucular to some folks) weapons.
People are getting stronger and faster (but not necessarily smarter). I offer in evidence that the time for the gold medal run in the 110 meter high hurdles at the 1896 Olympics was 17.6 seconds (Thomas Curtis). The winning time for the same event in the 2004 Olympics was 12.91 seconds (Liu Xiang).
John L. Sullivan was a boxing legend. He was World Heavyweight Champion from 1882-1892. He fought in an era when the sport was especially brutal. The bouts often lasted more than 20 rounds and the combatants did not wear gloves.
King George III was the ruler of England during the American Revolution. You may have read that many believed the monarch to be simple minded or insane. What you might not have realized is that George III ruled Great Britain for 59 years (1760 – 1820). Some medical scholars believe that his mental illness was likely caused by a blood disorder (porphyria).
The planet Earth is the densest planet in the solar system. The least dense is Saturn. We shall not discuss the identity of our densest president.
Jay Berwanger (you remember Jay) won the very first Heisman Trophy. That was back in 1935.
Do you have plans to create the longest hot dog ever? If so, you will have to beat the effort put forth by the Japanese when they made one that was just over 197 feet in length. I wonder where they got the weenie – and the bun. Well, you can always visit the Louvre if you simply must view Empress Eugenie’s (her name, really) brooch and – I hope you have a splendid week.
James White welcomes comments at jkwhite46@gmail.com