Strange But True 10/13/11

STRANGE BUT TRUE

• It was 19th-century American humorist Josh Billings who made the following sage observation: “Don’t mistake pleasure for happiness. They’re a different breed of dog.”

• Those who study such things say that the immortal bard, William Shakespeare, used a grand total of 17,677 words in his works. (That must have been a tedious calculation.) They also say that fully one-tenth of those words had never been used in writing before.

• If you’re like the average American, you eat approximately 10 pounds of chocolate every year.

• You might be surprised to learn that the first automobile insurance policy was sold way back in 1897. One Gilbert J. Loomis of Dayton, Ohio, was evidently concerned about the potential damage that could be done by his newly acquired car, so he got general liability protection in case driving his car resulted in someone’s death or injury, or in case property was damaged.

• High-quality opals can be more valuable than diamonds.

• In the early 1900s, the average American got about nine hours of sleep every night. (I presume that statistic excludes the parents of new babies, who have been sleep-deprived since time immemorial.)

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Thought for the Day: “Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt.” — George Sewell

(c) 2011 King Features