Monday, October 23, 2017

Greetings Infomaniacs,

We all know the story about how 6-year-old George Washington
chopped down his father's cherry tree, and when his dad confronted him about it, George supposedly confessed claiming, "I cannot tell a lie." Except it's not true.

As it turns out, the story first appeared in an 1806 autobiography of Washington, whose writer admitted that he was just trying to show how our most beloved president's "unparalleled rise and elevation were due to his Great Virtues."

So if this famous story is false, what other 'facts' do we know that just aren't true?

Enjoy!

Questions? Comments? email the editor

P.S. Did you miss an issue? You can read every issue from the Gophercentral library of newsletters on our exhaustive archives page. Thousands of issues, all of your favorite publications in chronological order. You can read AND comment. Click http://gopherarchives.gophercentral.com




***********************************************************

WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."

HINT: (1835 - 1910) was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer, famous for his "great American novels" and short stories.

***********************************************************

RANDOM TIDBITS
Columbus' discovery of America. Let's start with the basics. You can't "discover" something that's already occupied. But even if you discount the Native Americans, Columbus was still 500 years too late. Norse explorer Leif Erikson beat him to the punch, landing on these shores during the 10th century. What's more, Columbus didn't even set foot on what would become the United States. He landed on several Caribbean islands.

***
Pocahontas fell in love with John Smith. Never get your history for Disney movies. The essence of the Pocahontas/John Smith story is true. A young Native American girl did befriend an Englishman, and their relationship may have saved the Jamestown colony. But Pocahontas was just 12, which would make a romantic relationship with a 28-year-old man wildly inappropriate, even by 17th century standards.

***
The Puritans came to the New World seeking religious freedom. The problem with that sentence is the "freedom" part. It all started in 1593, when the Protestant "Separatists" emigrated to Holland from England for the chance to practice their religious preferences without interference. The only problem? Holland allowed too much religious freedom, giving free reign to Judaism and Catholicism and even atheism. It was too much for their pure Puritan hearts. So they jumped on the Mayflower and went looking for a new world.

***
George Washington was our first President. We all just naturally assume that George was number one. Except maybe not. Maybe he was ONE of the firsts. During the American Revolution, several presidents were elected by the Continental Congress, the first being Peyton Randolph, who created the Continental Army. Thomas Mifflin, who was president between 1783 and 1784, oversaw the ratification of the Treaty of Paris. John Hancock, who became more famous for signing the Declaration of Independence, was the president between 1785 and 1786. George Washington was our first president to be elected by the people, but technically speaking, he was our 15th president.

***
Witches were burned at the stake at Salem. During the witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts between February, 1692 and May, 1693, nearly 200 people were accused of practicing "the Devil's magic," including the elderly, homeless, and a 4-year-old girl who was grilled on the stand. Most were jailed, but 19 were hanged on what would soon be known as "Gallows Hill," and a 71-year-old man was crushed with heavy stones. But nobody got burned. Not a single person. Sorry.

***
Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb. Edison had a record number of patents - 1,093, to be exact - and the vast majority of them weren't his own inventions. He was just a guy smart enough to find real inventors and steal their ideas before they could take the credit. Edison got the patent for the light bulb in 1880, but it's true father was Warren de la Rue, a British astronomer and chemist, who created the first light bulb forty years earlier.




***********************************************************

*** Weekly Mind-Scrambler ***
Do not begrudge this,
For it is the fate that men want.
Yet it is feared,
And shunned in many lands.
Causes problems, and sometimes gaps,
Can hobble the strongest, and make memory lapse.
What is this danger we all face
For being a part of the human race?

Submit your answer by clicking: TheDailyTease

Answer will be posted in Friday's Trivia Today. Good Luck! If your name appears in Friday's newsletter, EMAIL MICHELE your complete name and address to be shipped your prize.

Be sure to put "Winner" in the subject line.

***********************************************************

WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure that just ain't so."

ANSWER: Mark Twain