But it was found in my mother tongue, once I noticed it!
That’s the part that floored me. I’d learned tenses en français, and much later noticed authors and educated people using phrases like “Well, if I were going to the beach…”
The first time, I almost blurted out “Conditional Tense! It does exist!”
The same thing happened to me when I first heard of performative utterances. I couldn’t help but notice them everywhere. My then-partner thought it got old quickly.
I learned some German while being lectured in English class about grammar and punctuation so some of it stuck in with me. But German classes ended and I stopped thinking about grammar. But I was receiving better grades for my papers than many of my fellow students. This caused me to think about becoming some sort of writer. Therefore, I pursued writing in college, which is when I took French classes. It all came together with college having higher standards for writing while I was decoding French sentence structure. Aha! Miss Cruikshank was right! I sent her belated thanks but she had already retired.
The 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago had an exhibit consisting of all the known bacteria in the world.
I can’t find an image for that. Anybody who can please, please, please post it.
Please.
Yes, it’s true:
The horror, the horror!
The flag of Jamaica is the only national flag that does not have any red, white, or blue:
TIL about Indian stepwells. This is one example.
They’re basically deep wells with steps so you can walk down to the water.
Amazing engineering.
Frustrated by their individual sale only, a friend who lives near the plant goes there to buy them by the case. Last night, he was musing about investing in a freezer today and stocking up. If I were in his place, I might consider it too.
A certain relative of mine bought ten of them today - leaving a few behind for others - and somehow managed to get them all into the freezer.
In recent years, they’ve been dissed for inferior quality and diminished size, but I liked them well enough… though I’ve always thought they’d be even better with chocolate ice cream rather than vanilla.
Agreed, but dark chocolate preferred here. Or maybe cherry chocolate.
I have been to a number of them in India. Different areas have different designs, the ones in Gujurat, for example, are more a long, long single flight of stairs with a roof supported by intricately carved pillars.
Unfortunately for me, I missed the step well that you linked to when I was in Jaipur, but there is another incredible site worth visiting in that city:
The 1700s Jantar Mantar Observatory
And because this is interesting random facts… the observatory has the largest sundial in the world.
Also (from wikipedia)
Rachel Robinson, widow of famed baseball player Jackie Robinson, turned 100 last week. She was there for the opening of the Jackie Robinson Museum yesterday in New York.
Cool.
Ganna Walska, not Marian Davies, was the inspiration for Susan Alexander in Citizen Kane. What’s more: at one time she was married to Harry Grindell Matthews, inventor of the 1920’s-Style Death Ray.
Mammoths were not named after the adjective, rather, the adjective comes from the animal.
Which leads to the fact that there is an extinct species called the Pygmy Mammoth
Likewise, the adjective “jumbo” comes from the name of an elephant.
The word blizzard originally meant a violent blow, and only later got transferred to a fierce snowstorm; the idea being that the storm was a knockout blow to a town or city.
So, a sockdolager.
Today’s Forward has a neat article on Faux Hebrew fonts. If you are into graphic design, it is worth your time.
And was later appropriated by Lyndon Baines Johnson as a moniker for his penis.
Sock it to me!
