Strange But True: September 12, 2019

* It was infamous French statesman and military leader Napoleon Bonaparte who made the following sage observation: "In politics, absurdity is not a handicap."

* It may be hard to believe, but there is an official competition to see who can sit in a sauna for the longest period of time. The World Sauna Championships have taken place in Heinola, Finland, annually since 1999. The starting temperature is 110 F, and a liter of water is poured on the stove every 30 seconds. The winner is the last person who is able to leave the sauna without assistance. Competitors participate at their own risk, and they are required to sign a waiver agreeing not to take legal action against the event organizers.

* The ubiquitous summertime flip-flop sandals are known in Australia as pluggers, are called slops in South Africa and slippers in Hawaii, and New Zealanders call them jandals.

* Evidently, it's not just humans who associate a deeper voice with maturity (and desirability) in males. It seems that male owls try to appear more macho and attract females by lowering the tone of their hoots.

* Those who keep track of such things say that about 15 percent of all Google searches are new -- that is, they have never been searched before on Google.

* You might be surprised to learn that Jane Austen's novel "Pride and Prejudice" was originally titled "First Impressions."

* In 2006, an Illinois police officer was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. This probably would not be noteworthy, except that it was the same police officer who received an award for making the most DUI arrests in his county.

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Thought for the Day: "Be not too hasty to trust or admire the teachers of morality; they discourse like angels but they live like men." -- Samuel Johnson

(c) 2019 King Features Synd., Inc.