12 Trivia Tidbits for Thursday, July 11, 2024
Need an excuse to ditch work? Look to the ancients for wisdom.
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Whoopi Goldberg Is Getting Into the Comics Game
She just released a comic she wrote a quarter of a century ago called The Change, and it’s all about menopause.
A List of Ancient Excuses for Missing Work
A tablet at the British Museum from 1250 BC contains a list of reasons people called off work, ranging from “I had to brew beer” to “my wife is on her period.”
Chipotle’s Golden Burritos
Chipotle is honoring the Olympics with that classic fast food lie, “Here’s what famous athletes order here!” But they’re going the extra mile and covering their burritos in gold foil, too.
The Best Airports in the World
Ranked according to On-Time Performance, Customer Opinion and Food and Shops, a recent study found the top three airports in the world are: 3) Japan’s Nagoya Chubu Airport; 2) South Africa’s Cape Town Airport; and 1) Qatar’s Doha Hamad Airport.
The World’s Strongest Eye Sockets
Las Vegas sideshow extraordinaire Andrew Stanton broke two Guinness Records by pulling a 5,000-pound Cadillac, and then lifting a 129-pound person, both with hooks affixed to his eye sockets. For good measure, he swallowed a sword before lifting the person.
Europe Is Weaning Itself Off of Elon Musk
For one horrible year, the European Space Agency was relying on Elon Musk to get them into space. They finally launched the Ariane 6, a $4.5 billion effort to not have their fortunes tied to the world’s saddest man.
The God of Roads Was Found in a Sewer
A seven-foot marble statue of Hermes, the Greek God of roads, athletes and wit, among other things, was discovered in an ancient Roman sewer.
Going Sober Is Big Business
Non-alcoholic beer company Athletic was just valued at $800 million, after raking in $90 million in one year. Eighty percent of its customers drink alcohol, but are sober-curious.
The TSA’s New One-Day Record
The Transportation Security Authority broke its record by screening 3,013,413 people nationwide at the end of Fourth of July weekend. That’s 35 passengers per second.
Magnetic Bacteria May Help Animals Navigate the Globe
Biologists are compiling a database of bacteria known to be magnetic, and which animals they tend to thrive in, to figure out the correlation between an animal’s microbiome and its ability to navigate using Earth’s magnetic field.
Two Tech Jagoffs Want Computers to Teach You How to Be a Human
Sam Altman and Arianna Huffington have teamed up to develop a product they’re calling Thrive A.I. Health, a personalized A.I. health and wellness coach. We wish them the worst in their endeavor.
Canadian Garden Gnome Bandits
People around British Columbia have fallen “victim” to a group of mysterious bandits who are stealing garden gnomes, then repairing and returning them.
