Just for fun I think I will devote this column for trivia. I know most of you are not the smartest people or you wouldn’t be reading this column! However, I think you will find many of these facts interesting. If not, I’ll send you a refund check. Then again!!!

1. Earth: Receives approximately 100 tons of falling space dust every day.
2. Meow: According to the Wildlife Society, cats kill about 2.4 million birds a year.
3. Better vision? Some say it’s true if you eat carrots. I read that rumor started with the RAF in England during WW2. The Brits had better eyesight from eating Bugs Bunny favorite food.
4. Watch out Porky Pig: The average American will eat the equivalent of 28 pigs in their lifetime.
5. Flashlight’s (or “torch” if ‘yer across the pond) safer. A candle burns around 2,192 degrees.
6. Good eat’n, too: Between carp, sunfish, catfish and lake trout, the sunfish has the least amount of contaminates.
7. Same for Dracula? A vampire bat will die if it does not have a meal of blood within 2 or 3 days. I just wonder if Dracula plays baseball does he use a bat?
8. Vibrations: They travel faster and greater distances in water.
9. Skys the Limit: The computers aboard the Apollo spacecraft had less processing power than today’s Smart phone.
10. Civil War weapons: They were not quite as advanced as today, but during the CW the submarine, machine gun and hand grenade saw limited use. Floating mines back then were called, “Torpedoes.”
11. Served our Country: About 179,000 black soldiers served in the Union Army during the Civil War.
12. Civil War Items: Soldiers wore “brogans” (shoes). Some were made poorly and some not. There were no right or left shoes. They could be switched. The “kepi” (hat) was worn by CW soldiers and was patterned after the French. Soldiers carried a sewing kit which was called a “housewife.” When I was in the Navy in the ‘60s (1960s, not 1860s) we were issued a housewife. It was in a small blue packet containing needles and thread.
13. Navy Lingo: The vertical structure on a submarine is called a “Sail.” The vertical structure on an aircraft carrier is called an “Island.” A submarine is called a “boat.” A destroyer ship is called a “tin-can.”
14. Brave President: President Harry Truman fought in WW1. He was a Captain of an Artillery unit.
15. WW1: During that war, the French and English made most of all tanks. They were very slow and tended to break down. The German army did not use many tanks in WW1, but made up for it in WW2.
16. Turkeys: They can see color and like to roost in trees at night to be safe from predators like coyotes. I’m not so sure I buy into this, but it is said a turkey can fly as fast as 60 mph.
17. Animal Facts: Rhinos belong to the same family as horses. Cats have 4 rows of whiskers. An iguana can hold its breath for 28 minutes. Baby squirrels are called, “kittens.” Sheep snore! (wonder who stayed up at night to find that out?) A cow can be lead upstairs, but not downstairs. Probably best not to live in a two story dwelling with a cow. Just say’n!
18. Yum-yum: Flathead catfish prefer live bait, or at least “thinks” your lure is alive!
19. Next voyage: Here are a few nautical facts you can impress the Captain of the cruise ship. An “eel” is a German torpedo. A “long lance” is a Japanese torpedo, and an American torpedo is called a “fish.”
20. Remember the Maine: That was the war cry of sailors when the U.S. Navy ship, Maine, was sunk during the Spanish-American War. Sort of Like, “Remember the Alamo,” and “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!