A buttload is an actual unit of measurement. It’s equal to roughly 126 gallons.
Lights Out: Haunted Confederate Camp
Time for a stroll through a summer’s evening — in Gettysburg! Come with me to explore an eight-acre backyard … that in 1863, was a Confederate field hospital. Do the ghosts of Confederate soldiers still call out for water? And why won’t the campfire stay lit? https://youtu.be/M8mlwayweQk
Today I Learned …
The pinky swear dates back hundreds of years to medieval Japan. Back then, the gesture meant that if one of the “swearers” happened to break their promise, they’d be required to cut off that particular finger as penance. Pinky swears are not to be taken lightly!
Today I Learned …
Bubble wrap was invented in 1957, and was originally intended to be sold as wallpaper.
Today I Learned …
Other people see you as 20% more attractive than you think you are. When you look in the mirror, all you see are your looks, not your personality.
Today I Learned …
Whales can only taste salty foods.
Today I Learned …
During World War II, John F. Kennedy was in command of the torpedo boat PT109, which was severely damaged by a Japanese destroyer. The survivors had to swim almost four miles in the South Pacific to reach an island where they were later rescued. Kennedy, who had been on the varsity swim team at Harvard, towed an injured crewman, Patrick McMahon, by cinching McMahon’s life jacket strap in his teeth.
Today I Learned …
The comedy Our American Cousin, the play Abraham Lincoln was watching when he was assassinated in 1865, was written in 1862 by John Baldwin Buckstone. One of the characters was a boring nobleman named Lord Dundreary … from which we get the word “dreary”.
Today I Learned …
Your ears produce more wax when you’re afraid.
Today I Learned …
Ferrets are the only mammal with only one blood type.
New Book Website
Hey there, book fans! I wanted to tell you guys about a nifty new website that just launched, called Shepherd. Why? Because this site curates authors’ books, like a shepherd herding their sheep, keeping them all nice and tidy. And one of the cool things Shepherd does is to let authors like me gush about their favorite books by OTHER authors. (Most authors are also voracious readers.) Here’s my list: https://shepherd.com/best-books/books-that-read-like-a-novel . I chose to make a list of nonfiction books that rock my world just as hard as a novel would. Nonfiction is not boring — it’s anything but! Go check it out! And do support Shepherd; they link to Bookshop.org for book purchases, so if you choose to pick up one of the many, MANY books featured on the site, some of that moolah goes to support small bookstores. And Heaven knows indie bookstores can use the support. Go browse, and have fun!
Today I Learned …
First-born chimpanzees tend to be left-handed, and chimps born later to the same mother tend to be right-handed. This situation reverses again after more than six babies — the seventh baby, and those after it, tends to be left-handed once more.
Lights Out
Here’s another episode of Lights Out for your enjoyment! The veil between the worlds is thin in Gettysburg. Many people have had ghostly encounters with the spirits that still linger in the town and on the battlefield. Join me as I listen to people share these haunting personal experiences. https://youtu.be/oAHshGB_8pA
Morbid Curious Issue 3 Is Out!
Hey there ghostie fans — I’ve got something absolutely wonderful for you! The new issue of Morbid Curious is available to order, and it’s got an article by the one and only me in it. (YES, my name’s misspelled on the cover. That makes it a collector’s item, don’t you know?) Join me to explore The Vigilante Massacre of the “Black Donnellys”. After you finish that story, feast your eyes on all the other creepy, spooky tales within these pages. It’s nearly warm enough to read on the porch, or by the pool, or in the garden, so treat yourself to this issue of Morbid Curious. Here’s the link to order: https://www.americanhauntingsbooks.com/product/the-morbid-curious-no-3/338?cs=true&cst=custom
Today I Learned …
The distance a frog can jump is not determined by the power of its back legs, but by the strength of its front legs, which have to withstand the force of landing.
Today I Learned …
Hummingbirds shut down their kidneys at night. Because of their small size and incredibly fast metabolism, hummingbirds have to keep just the right amount of water in their bodies. During the day, the birds take in water from nectar, and excrete it. But at night, they have to retain enough water to keep their bodies functioning. Slowing their kidneys down prevents water being lost.
Today I Learned …
Dubai’s Burj Khalifa skyscraper is so high, and its elevators are so fast, that you can watch the sun set at ground level, travel to the roof, and watch it set again. (From 1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop, by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, and James Harken)
Today I Learned …
Michelangelo was called a heretic for giving Adam a belly button on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. (From 1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop, by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, and James Harken)
Lights Out: Devil’s Den, Gettysburg
The rocky area of Devil’s Den and Little Round Top saw some of the fiercest fighting on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg. What paranormal effects has this had since the battle? Join me to find out. https://youtu.be/LuavLYTcg1U
Today I Learned …
Hewlett-Packard printer ink is twenty times more expensive than 2003 vintage Dom Perignon champagne. (From 1,339 Quite Interesting Facts to Make Your Jaw Drop, by John Lloyd, John Mitchinson, and James Harken)
Today I Learned …
The static on a untuned television set is partly caused by photon radiation left over from the Big Bang 14 billion years ago. (From Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Eye-Popping Oddities)
Lights Out — Gettysburg Ghost Tour
Join me for a walking tour of Gettysburg, with spooky stories from Sleepy Hollow Tours. https://youtu.be/-Wxh9aIpz6g
Today I Learned …
In Saudi Arabia in 1979, the Arab News issued this admirable report: “We regret we are unable to give you the weather. We rely on weather reports from the airport, which is closed because of the weather. Whether we are able to give you the weather tomorrow depends on the weather.” (From Bizarre World, by Bill Bryson)
Today I Learned …
A woman in Mauretania was granted a court injunction to make her husband, who was a farmer, stop using her instead of his cow to pull a plough through the fields. The husband explained that he was reluctant to use the cow because he believed his late mother was reincarnated in it. In Singapore, a young bride had to go to court to force her husband to stop letting his mother sleep under their bed. And in Chicago one Allen C. Farber brought a suit against his former in-laws, claiming that his ex-wife had been cautioned by her mother not to bear Farber any children because they might look like him. (From Bizarre World, by Bill Bryson)
Today I Learned …
Alexey Bykov from Omsk, Russia, faked his own death so that he could propose to his girlfriend. He hired a movie director, stuntmen, make-up artists and a scriptwriter to stage a bogus car crash. The ruse was so convincing that when Irina Kolokov arrived at the scene and was told that Alexey was dead, she broke down in tears, convinced she really had lost him. Alexey jumped to his feet and proposed, still covered in fake blood. She said yes! So what did YOU do for Valentine’s Day this year? (From Ripley’s Believe It or Not: Eye-Popping Oddities)
