Random Trivia
In the world’s oceans, there are: 58 species of sea grasses. Less than 1,000 species of cephalopods – squids, octopi, & pearly nautiluses. 1,000 species of sea anemones. 1,500 species of brown algae. 7,000 species of echinoderms – starfishes, sea urchins, sea cucumbers and sea lilies. 13,000 species of fishes. 50,000 species of molluscs.
The guillotine was originally called a louisette. Named for Antoine Louis, the French surgeon who invented it. It became known as the guillotine for Joseph Ignace Guillotin, the French physician.
Writer L. Frank Baum chose “Oz” as the name of the fantasyland in his The Wizard of Oz stories while making up the stories for his children and their friends. He spotted a file cabinet marked O-Z, and impusively named the magical land was “Oz.”
Desi Arnaz’s father was mayor of Santiago, Cuba, and his mother the daughter of one of the founders of Bacardi Rum. His family went into exile after the coup that brought Fulgencio Batista to power in 1934. The family made its new home in Miami, Florida. Desi’s best friend in high school — Al Capone, Jr.