John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

The roots of Silicon Valley

The phrase "Silicon Valley" first appeared in print in 1971, but the roots of the technology industry in that particular stretch of northern California go back to 1938, with the founding of Hewlett-Packard.

 

 

 

The Mainland

The main island in the Orkney Islands is known, simply enough, as The Mainland. 

I thought today's random fact might resonated especially here on Newfoundland, because we use the same phrase to describe the rest of North America, but particularly the rest of Canada, not to mention Labrador. 

Little flea

The word "ukulele" roughly translates in Hawaii as "jumping flea." Pretty descriptive! 

Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers hold the record for most wins at the Super Bowl, with six. 

Have a slice (and then 45 more)

The typical American eats 46 slices of pizza a year. 

NATO blue

NATO's flag, which shows a stylized compass, is blue. And not just any shade of blue, but Pantone 280. [An aspiring design geek? Go wild here.] 

Whaling

The International Whaling Commission was founded 65 years ago, in 1946. It is arguably best known for the 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling. 

I'll meet you at Pequods

Before settling on a name inspired by the first mate in the novel Moby-Dick, the founders of Starbucks had first thought about calling the enterprise Pequods, after Capt. Ahab's ship. It didn't roll right off the tongue, and hence the switch. More here. 

Indy lore

The winner of the Indy 500 race downs a bottle of milk upon victory, making it one of the more wholesome beverages to be associated with a sports victory (but not, of course, precluding other drinks from later being quaffed). The Los Angeles Times explains why: 

After three-time winner Louis Meyer drank buttermilk in Victory Lane in 1936, a milk industry executive made an effort to have future winners repeat the gesture, and it eventually stuck.

 

 

 

Hitch

Alfred Hitchcock was the first person to receive a lifetime achievement award from BAFTA, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts. Hitchcock received the BAFTA Fellowship Award in 1971, about three decades after he relocated to Hollywood, and nine years before his death. 

Bonded

Christopher Lee, who played Scaramanga in The Man With the Golden Gun, had another connection to Bond author Ian Fleming: they were step-cousins.