Strange But True

* It was best-selling author and aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart -- the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean -- who made the following sage observation: “The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers.”

* The elephant is the only animal that can be trained to stand on its head (other than humans, of course).

* Historians of ancient Rome say that a three-man crew was required to handle a war chariot: The rein handler was responsible for managing the horses, and the shooter focused on launching arrows at the enemy. The straphanger, who stayed at the back of the chariot, had the unenviable task of making sure the other two crew members didn’t fall out as the chariot bounced over bodies.

* Those who study such things say that your blood is filtered through your kidneys approximately 20 times every hour.

* You surely know what a boycott is -- a method of protest entailing the refusal to buy a product or deal with a person or organization. You might not know, however, where we got the word. Here’s the story: In 19th-cuntury Ireland, there was an English land agent named Charles C. Boycott. During a time when crops were failing -- depriving many farmers of income as well as food -- he refused their pleas to lower rents. In retribution, he was ostracized, with many people refusing to do business or even socialize with him.

* Statisticians say that women who marry younger men tend to live longer.

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Thought for the Day: “A man who is ‘ill-adjusted’ to the world is always on the verge of finding himself. One who is adjusted to the world never finds himself, but gets to be a cabinet minister.” -- Hermann Hesse

(c) 2017 King Features Synd., Inc.