Thomas Edison and his wife learned Braille – the writing system for the blind – because it allowed them to read books in bed with their hands under the covers.
Thomas Edison is also one of ten finalists in a vote being organized by the Ohio Historical Society for placement of a statue in Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol.
Edison once electrocuted an elephant, in a shocking display of callous cruelty.
Thomas Edison used the fact that his rival George Westinghouse’s AC model for an electric chair was accepted over his own as part of a smear campaign- AC current being so deadly that the state used it for electrocutions versus DC current, which Edison employed and which was your friend.
Neither Westinghouse, Tesla, nor Edison was bi-sexual.
Although the demarcation lines of sexual identity were a bit vaguer in ancient times, many historians consider Alexander the Great to have been bisexual.
Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland “Pete” Alexander had mild epilepsy. He had a reputation for drinking heavily, but some of that may have just been a symptom.
A Brandy Alexander is made with cognac, crème de cacao, and fresh cream (for which Half-and-half may be substituted). Grated nutmeg is used as garnish.
In soccer, playing the ball between an opponent’s legs and then retrieving control of it is called “nutmegging”. Done properly, the player yells “Nuts!” or “Megs!” while doing so.
Connecticut was nicknamed “The Nutmeg State” as a dubious “salute” to unscrupulous Yankee merchants and peddlers, some of whom were notorious for selling small wooden balls and pretending they were nutmeg, a valuable spice.
The 1972 pop song “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl)” was recorded by Looking Glass for their debut album. It reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, remaining in the top position for just a week. The song does not mention nutmeg. According the Social Security Administration, “Brandy” increased in popularity as a girl’s name in the United States over the next two years.
Calvados is an apple brandy made in the Normandy region of France.
Slivovitz is a plum brandy made in the Balkans. Imitation slivovitz is made with prunes and almonds.
In Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, a mysterious hooded, red-eyed coachman taking Johnathan Harker to Castle Dracula offers him a flask of slivovitz for the journey.
Windsor Castle, near London, has been a royal palace in one form another since the Norman Conquest. During World War I, the British Royal Family took the name “Windsor,” discarding the too-Germanic sounding “Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.”
Neuschwanstein Castle, built in Bavaria by Ludwig II, was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty’s Castle at Disneyland in California.
Neuschwanstein itself was used as Baron Bomburst’s castle in Vulgaria in the movie “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang”.
The children’s book “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” was written by Ian Fleming, who was better-known for creating James Bond, and writing the original novels and short stories featuring the British spy.
Ian Faith, played by humorist Tony Hendra, was the manager of the band Spinal Tap. He always carried a cricket bat everywhere he went.
John Belushi, Chevy Chase, and Christopher Guest all had their first starring roles in National Lampoon’s Lemmings off-Broadway, directed by Tony Hendra (who also starred and co-wrote).