Solving brain teasers can help to boost brain power, keep our memories strong, and entertain us. This post offers a baker’s dozen riddles for today’s mental exercise. A man stands on one side of a river, his dog on the other. The man calls his dog, who immediately crosses the river without getting wet and […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: CHOCOLATE
About an indulgence: July 7th is World Chocolate Day. Chocolate comes from the seed of the cacao tree; the cacao bean was cultivated thousands of years ago in Mexico, Central and South America. Hot chocolate was the first treat, with leaders of the Aztec civilization reputedly drinking dozens of cups a day. Mesoamericans also used […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: NEOLOGISMS
A “neologism” is defined as the introduction or use of new words or new senses of existing words. Neologisms reflect the ability of language to evolve over time. Once a word is fully accepted into everyday use, however, we no longer consider it a neologism. Technology and social media have introduced or redefined words that […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: DECEMBER
December is special for many reasons. In this month we observe different festivals, for example, Bodi Day (Buddhist), Yule (Pagan), Hanukkah (Jewish), Christmas (Christian) and Kwanzaa (African-American). We count down to year-end and then celebrate New Year’s Eve. In the northern hemisphere the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year, occurs on […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: CANADIAN IMMIGRATION
My brother Tim (loyal reader, commenter too) requested additional posts of facts. Today’s gives a dozen highlights of Canadian immigration. Canada has welcomed over 19.5 million immigrants since 1867, the year of Confederation. The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is in Halifax, a location chosen because Pier 21 received almost one million new […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: ARCHITECTURE
The mission of an architect is to help people understand how to make life more beautiful, the world a better one for living in, and to give reason, rhyme, and meaning to life.” – Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) The word ‘Architecture’ comes from the Greek ‘Arkhitekton’ meaning ‘chief builder’. Architects design homes, hospitals, office buildings, museums, […]
FACTS FRIDAYS: THE GREAT DEPRESSION
The Great Depression (1929-39) does not lend itself to ‘fun’ facts, but recalling it can help us cope during the pandemic. In The Four Winds (2021), Kristin Hannah writes a stirring story of an American family struggling to survive in the southern Great Plains during the Dirty Thirties — the decade-long Depression. Like us today, […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: WOMEN’S FIRSTS
A few years ago I published random facts arranged chronologically about the progress of women through the years. In anticipation of International Women’s Day on Monday, today’s post offers fun facts about women’s firsts. The year 2020 gave cause for celebration as Kamala Harris became the first female Vice President in the USA. The daughter […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: IDIOMS 3
One night our son Brandon asked about the origin of ‘a needle in a haystack’ and also wondered why we feel happy on ‘cloud nine’ rather than on seven or three. He reminded me it’s been a long while since FFF posted a list of idioms and proverbs, so I found the answers to his […]
FUN FACTS FRIDAYS: CANADA DAY
On July 1, 1867, four founding provinces officially became the Dominion of Canada. From the original four, Canada has grown to ten provinces and three territories. From a population of 3,463,000, Canadians now number 37,728,000. In anticipation of Canada Day next Wednesday, I provide a dozen fun facts about our country: Canada is the largest […]