Monday Fun Fact! June 29

Ice Cream Cones

image from Clipart Library

The ice cream cone was "discovered" at the 1904 World's Fair in St. Louis. 

The story goes, according to the International Dairy Foods Association, that Ernest A Hamwi, a Syrian concessionaire, had a booth next to an ice cream vendor during the 1904 World's Fair:

  "Hamwi was selling a crisp, waffle-like pastry -- zalabis -- in a booth right next to an ice cream vendor. Because of ice cream's popularity, the vendor ran out of dishes. Hamwi saw an easy solution to the ice cream vendor's problem: he quickly rolled one of his wafer-like waffles in the shape of a cone, or cornucopia, and gave it to the ice cream vendor. The cone cooled in a few seconds, the vendor put some ice cream in it, the customers were happy and the cone was on its way to becoming the great American institution that it is today." 

It is a great story, even if some may dispute the fact that ice cream "cornucopias" existed before 1904.  The fact is, so many people loved the ice cream treats at the 1904 World's Fair that the ice cream cone's popularity soared after the Fair was over.

The Lyon family at the 1904 World's Fair. [Photograph: Missouri Historical Society]

The 1904 World's Fair in St Louis was created to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of the signing of the Louisiana Purchase and the exploration of the new territory by Meriwether Lewis and William Clark.   The movie, "Meet Me in St Louis" starring Judy Garland celebrates the 1904 St Louis World's Fair.

See you on Friday!

Friday Fun Fact June 26

Dice are Nice

Image from  Pixabay

According to Good to Know website, the opposite sides of the dice always add up to seven.  This is my favorite kind of fun fact because it is one that you can test out for yourself!

The games of Monopoly, Yahtzee, Risk, and Dungeons and Dragons all use dice to play.

See you on Monday!  

Monday Fun Fact! June 22nd

Happy Birthday, Queen Elizabeth!

image from Vanity Fair

Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II of England, celebrated her 94th birthday on April 21, 2020.  That is the date of her actual birthday. 

The Queen actually has two birthday celebrations! 

The British celebrate her birthday in a public way on the second Saturday in June.  This public birthday celebration has been a tradition with the British monarchy since King George II in 1748.  His birthday was in November, but because the weather is usually unpredictable then, the British government decided to officially celebrate his birthday in June.  

This public celebration includes a parade called Trooping the Colour.  1400 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians take part in this parade, and people watching it wave flags and wear Union Jacks, the national flag of the United Kingdom.

image from Pixabay

Queen Elizabeth II has been England's queen since 1952.  She is the longest living British monarch, and she is the longest-reigning British monarch. Queen Elizabeth has been Britain's monarch while the following men were US Presidents:  Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, G.W.Bush, Obama, and Trump.

I have always had a fascination with British royalty, and this is why:  when I was a child, I watched the television show, Captain Kangaroo.  One of the songs on that show was originally a poem written by A.A. Milne (the creator of Winnie the Pooh!).  It was one of my favorite songs, and here are the words:

Buckingham Palace

by A.A. Milne

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
Alice is marrying one of the guard.
"A soldier's life is terrible hard,"
                                     Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We saw a guard in a sentry-box.
"One of the sergeants looks after their socks,"
                                     Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
We looked for the King, but he never came.
"Well, God take care of him, all the same,"
                                     Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
They've great big parties inside the grounds.
"I wouldn't be King for a hundred pounds,"
                                     Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
A face looked out, but it wasn't the King's.
"He's much too busy a-signing things,"
                                     Says Alice.

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace -
Christopher Robin went down with Alice.
"Do you think the King knows all about me?"
"Sure to, dear, but it's time for tea,"
                                     Says Alice.

This poem created so many images in my imagination!  I loved the soldiers with their red jackets and bearskin hats:

image from Wikipedia

Do you have a poem or song that creates pictures in your mind?  Take some time to sit outside and look up at the clouds and think of your favorite poem :)

That is all for today.  See you on Friday!

Friday Fun Fact! June 19th

What Color is a Carrot?

image from Pixabay

Carrots are orange, right?  Well, according to the website Red Tricycle (/redtri.com/quirky-facts-and-trivia-for-kids), carrots were not originally orange.   They used to be exclusively purple, yellow, and white!  The color orange came much later.

Today you can find carrots in stores that are orange, red, yellow, purple and white.  Each color has a different health benefit.  For example, the orange and yellow carrots benefit eye health.  Red carrots help in the fight against heart disease. 

 Although the carrot has different colors, the taste of a carrot stays the 

same with a few subtle differences.  The difference is most noticeable when a carrot is eaten raw.

If this fun fact interests you, be sure to check out more information about it!  There is a LOT of information about colorful carrots out there!

Enjoy your weekend!  See you on Monday :)

Monday Fun Fact! June 15th

Beauty of Mosaics

Mosaics are "pictures or patterns produced by arranging together small colored pieces of hard material, such as stone, tile, or glass"  - definition from Oxford Languages.  Here is an example:

Up close, the colored pieces are distinct and separate.  When you step back a little, you can see the pattern:

Here is another one:

Can you tell what this is?

It is part of a tree with a moon behind it :)

I took these pictures while walking downtown in Columbia, on the corner of 8th Street and Broadway, I believe.  You can find mosaics in many interesting places!

Mosaics have been used for many, many years to decorate walls, ceilings, precious objects.  They can be very durable.  Here is an example of a mosaic tile floor in an ancient Roman house:

-image from iStock

You can create your own mosaic using pieces of colorful paper.  Cut or tear the paper into little pieces and glue them down in a design pattern.  Have fun!

Observation Update

Remember that pentas flower at Shelter Gardens that was so small compared to the other flowers?  Here is a picture of it:

Here it is (red arrow is pointing to it) planted with the other flowers.  You really cannot see it unless you walk right up to it.  

Here it is today:

Can you see it?  It is getting bigger!  Here is the same picture with a red arrow pointing to the pink pentas flower:

By the way, do you see the plant just above the orange flowers that has bloomed?  The big white trumpet-looking flowers?  They are beautiful!  According to iNaturalist, they are called Angel's Trumpet.  Pretty neat description :)

That is all for today!  See you on Friday with another fun fact.

  

Friday Fun Fact! June 12th

Oh Boy! Koi!

The beautiful fish in this image are called koi fish.  Koi fish are "...not only a pet, but also art," says Taro Kodama, president of Kodama Koi Farm.  "They are called living jewels - beautiful as one koi, even more beautiful as a group."  According to the website How Stuff Works.com, koi fish are gentle and eat snails, insects, algae and plants.  Red is their signature color, but they can also come in yellow, black, white, and blue.  They can grow to be very big, and you may see them in zoos and botanical gardens.  Most koi can live to be 20 to 30 years old.

You can find koi fish at the Shelter Gardens pool.  Enjoy!

That is all for today.  Have a great weekend!