Tidbits of Grand Forks - January 19, 2023

By Kathy Wolfe

O wow! O boy! O my! O I see! Let’s see what Tidbits has to offer with these words beginning with the letter “O.”

• It’s the 15th letter of the alphabet, and thought to be the oldest letter, about 3,150 years old. Ancient Syrians called the letter “o” ayin, which translates “eye.” “O” is about the fourth most-commonly used letter in English printed material.

• The 24th and final letter of the Greek alphabet is omega, often used to mean “the last” of a series.

• The most common blood type is O positive, about 38% of the U.S. population. Seven percent have O negative. Those with Type O negative blood can donate to anyone, hence the name “universal donor,” but can only receive transfusions of Type O blood. Over 80% of the population has a positive blood type -- A+, B+, AB+, or O+ and can receive O positive transfusions.

• The prefix oeno- is used to form words relating to wine. One who studies wines is an oenologist, while a lover of wine is an oenophilist. Oenomel is a mixture of wine and honey.

• What do these scientists do? An osmologist studies odors, while an orologist researches mountains. The oikologist analyzes the science of housekeeping.

What is the word for a tall four-sided shaft of stone?

Name the country that produces the most olives. What tree sheds about 700,000 leaves every autumn?

What is the third letter of the Greek alphabet?

When was the last time the Liberty Bell rang in Philadelphia —1836, 1846, 1856 or 1866?

In what year did McDonald’s introduce the Big Mac to all of its customers?

What was the name of the fictional kingdom in “Frozen”? How many minutes in a week? Which president officially named the executive mansion the White House? Which song would Elvis Presley always sing to end his concerts?

“O” BOY (continued):

• Are you irritating others by constantly repeating yourself? The fancy word for what you’re doing is obganiating. It’s from the Latin for “yelp” or “growl.” If you force your ideas upon others with undue insistence, you’re obtruding.

• Oklahoma is America’s 20th largest state and takes its name from the Choctaw language – “okla” means “people” and “humma” translates to “red” referring to the red earth found there. The state’s nickname is “The Sooner State,” referring to settlers who staked their land claims before the official opening date of lands in the territory in 1889. An Oklahoma resident became the first person to be hit by space debris falling from the sky in 1997 when a 5-inch-long piece of fiberglass struck her shoulder. It was part of a rocket launched in California the year before. Fortunately, the craft’s 551-lb. fuel tank crashed into the ground near a Texas farm.

• Oklahoma is home to a community located in the middle of a toxic waste dump. Picher, Oklahoma, just _ mile off Route 66, was founded in 1920 with more than 9,700 residents. It was America’s leader in lead and zinc mining, providing half of the lead used to make the bullets fired in World War I. Large piles of waste produced from the mines were scattered around the town, and groundwater was contaminated with enormous amounts of lead. By the time the EPA investigated the area in the early 2000s, 63% of the community’s children suffered from lead poisoning. In 2009, the agency evacuated the town.

• The residents of a monastery aren’t all monks. Those layman inhabitants who are not bound by monastic vows but choose to live and serve in the religious community are known as oblates.

Joe

“O” BOY (continued):

“O” BOY (continued):

• The sharpshooter Annie Oakley gained fame in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, but her skill began as a child in western Ohio, where she honed her hunting skills providing game for her impoverished family. In 1875, at age 15, she won a shooting contest against a top shooter and vaudeville performer named Frank Butler. She married Butler the following year. The pair didn’t work together professionally until 1882, when Butler’s shooting partner became ill and Oakley stepped in. They joined Buffalo Bill in 1885, and performed throughout Europe. Oakley’s tricks included snuffing out the flame on a candle with a bullet, shooting corks off bottles, and shooting a cigar from her husband’s lips. At age 40, she was badly injured in a train accident, but was able to recover following temporary paralysis and five spinal surgeries. She moved on from Buffalo Bill to an acting career on stage. She was still shooting at age 62 when she hit 100 consecutive clay targets from 16 yards. At 64, she was still setting records.

• The sharpshooter Annie Oakley gained fame in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, but her skill began as a child in western Ohio, where she honed her hunting skills providing game for her impoverished family. In 1875, at age 15, she won a shooting contest against a top shooter and vaudeville performer named Frank Butler. She married Butler the following year. The pair didn’t work together professionally until 1882, when Butler’s shooting partner became ill and Oakley stepped in. They joined Buffalo Bill in 1885, and performed throughout Europe. Oakley’s tricks included snuffing out the flame on a candle with a bullet, shooting corks off bottles, and shooting a cigar from her husband’s lips. At age 40, she was badly injured in a train accident, but was able to recover following temporary paralysis and five spinal surgeries. She moved on from Buffalo Bill to an acting career on stage. She was still shooting at age 62 when she hit 100 consecutive clay targets from 16 yards. At 64, she was still setting records.

• The city of Orlando starts with O, but it wasn’t always so. In 1840, when the community sprang up near Fort Gatlin, it was known as Jernigan. It became Orlando in 1857, but still wasn’t incorporated for another 18 years, when it boasted 29 residents. By 1900, the population was 2,481. The current metro area population is about 2,038,000. Opinions differ as to the origin of the city’s name. Some say it was named for a U.S. soldier killed near the Fort in 1835, while others maintain that a Florida judge named Orlando after the character in Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It,” just because he liked Shakespeare. This theory seems reasonable since the main street through the heart of the city is named Rosalind, the name of Orlando’s lover in the play.

• The city of Orlando starts with O, but it wasn’t always so. In 1840, when the community sprang up near Fort Gatlin, it was known as Jernigan. It became Orlando in 1857, but still wasn’t incorporated for another 18 years, when it boasted 29 residents. By 1900, the population was 2,481. The current metro area population is about 2,038,000. Opinions differ as to the origin of the city’s name. Some say it was named for a U.S. soldier killed near the Fort in 1835, while others maintain that a Florida judge named Orlando after the character in Shakespeare’s comedy “As You Like It,” just because he liked Shakespeare. This theory seems reasonable since the main street through the heart of the city is named Rosalind, the name of Orlando’s lover in the play.

“O” BOY (continued):

• What’s the difference between an optician and an optometrist? Most folks have their eye exams at the optometrist’s office who can give exams, write prescriptions for contact lenses and glasses, diagnose abnormalities in the eye, and treat certain eye diseases. An optometrist is not a medical doctor and is not licensed to perform any surgeries. A Doctor of Optometry degree typically takes four years to complete. The optician is the professional who is trained to fit eyeglasses and frames on patients. It’s the ophthalmologist who is the medical doctor, capable of diagnosing and treating all eye diseases and performing surgery. The word “optic” has its roots in the Greek words “optikos,” meaning “having to do with sight,” and “optos,” which translates “seen or visible.”

• The law that created OSHA went into effect in April, 1971 during the administration of President Richard Nixon. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration was established to promote safer working conditions, safeguarding workers from death, injuries, and illnesses resulting from their job environment. Its need was recognized after 1970’s nearly 14,000 fatalities, 2.5 million disabilities, and 300,000 illnesses brought about by poor working conditions. The program seems to have done its job, resulting in a reduction to 4,340 work-related fatalities during 2009. There were 4,764 workers killed on the job in 2020.

• What are you afraid of? If it’s crowds, you suffer from ochlophobia. A fear of rain is ombrophobia, while oneirophobia is a fear of dreams. And how about ornithoscelidaphobics? Those folks are afraid of dinosaurs!

How about these big O words? If you can’t seem to control your desire to buy things, you’re an oniomaniac. Those with ombrosalgia have all sorts of aches and pains when it rains. The prefix “opsi-“ is related to lateness. Couples who marry late in life are opsigamists, while the word opsimath defines a person who is a late learner, gaining knowledge late in life.

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by Freddy Groves

VA needs More Employees for the PACT Act

PACT is officially up and running as of the first of the year. PACT, aka Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, extends health care and benefits to veterans who were exposed to toxins around the globe and who subsequently became ill with an expanded number of presumptives. The key feature of PACT is that veterans no longer have to fight to prove where their illness came from. It's "presumed" the illness was the result of the toxins in the environment where they served.

Meanwhile, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been on a massive hiring blitz to fill positions in support of the new PACT Act. These positions will be all across the U.S. and Puerto Rico at all 56 regional offices. Not only do they need people to process the 175,000 claims that have been submitted since August (when the PACT Act was signed into law), but they need the people who give the actual support care.

If you, a spouse, a caregiver, a survivor or family member are interested in signing on for a position, check usajobs.gov and search for "veterans service representative" or "rating veterans service representative."

The first step as part of the big push at the VA is to process the claims for veterans who are terminally ill, something the VA actually started weeks before the official Jan. 1 date. Additionally they will prioritize claims by homeless veterans, those over 85 years of age, those with cancer, those experiencing financial hardship and those who are recipients of a Purple Heart or Medal of Honor.

If you need to learn how to file a claim, go to VA.gov/PACT or call them at 800-MyVA411 (800-698-2411). A caregiver, survivor or family member can also make the call for the veteran.

To learn more about PACT, go to VA.gov/ PACT and read "The PACT Act and your VA benefits."

by Lucie Winbourne

• Michael Buffer has made over $400 million from his trademark catchphrase, "Let's get ready to rumble!"

• Martin Van Buren was the first U.S. president to be born an American.

• After the terrorist attacks that destroyed New York City's Twin Towers, thousands of radio stations across the country received memos from media companies with a list of songs they considered "lyrically questionable" for a grieving nation. The list included The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" and (perhaps unsurprisingly) "Jump," by Van Halen.

• Bacteria can live longer than four weeks in car pets, as well as other types of flooring, and can instantly transfer those germs to any food that touches them. In other words, forget that famous "five-second rule," folks!

• Fingers prune in water to give you a better grip.

• In 2017, 70 students drank so much alcohol at a fraternity house party in Maryland that the air in side the house registered .01 on a breathalyzer.

• Woodpeckers are the only animals to make sounds with something other than a part of their bodies. They will drum on a variety of objects to mark their territory, attract mates, locate food, or maybe just exercise or play.

• There's a town named Hospital, in County Limer ick, Ireland, that has no hospital.

• Not that most of us will ever get a chance to consume polar bear liver, but in case someone does offer it, you're best off refusing. The meal might, and quite unpleasantly so, cost you your life. It contains too much vitamin A for humans to handle.

• During a 1976 strike by Los Angeles medical doctors, the death rate decreased by 18%. ***

Thought for the Day: "A bad attitude is like a flat tire; if you don't change it, you won't go anywhere." -- Joyce Meyer

ANNIE EDSON TAYLOR

The name of Annie Edson Taylor isn’t well-known in history, but her feat was truly astounding! This week, Tidbits has gone overboard with the facts on the first woman to survive a trip over Niagara Falls in a barrel.

• Annie was just 25 when her husband was killed in the Civil War. For the next 38 years, she struggled financially, single and broke. She worked as a traveling schoolteacher, but the pay was poor and she could never get ahead. After reading a magazine article about folks who became famous for riding in barrels in the currents at the bottom of Niagara Falls, she put her mind to work on a solution to her fiscal dilemma.

• The mode of transportation was Annie’s first issue. A custom-made barrel, five feet high and three feet in diameter was constructed of oak and iron. She outfitted it with mattresses inside to cushion her against injuries, along with a leather harness to secure her body. A 200-lb. anvil was placed at the bottom of the barrel. Annie did a trial run of the launch, sending her own cat over Horseshoe Falls to see if the barrel itself would withstand the plunge.

• Two days after the cat emerged from its journey relatively unharmed, Annie stepped into the barrel on her 63rd birthday, October 24, 1901. She had advertised her stunt and attempted to rally publicity by claiming she was 43 years old, perhaps believing a younger person could make more money from the feat.

• At 4:00 PM that day, Annie Taylor climbed into her barrel, and was towed by a boat to the middle of the Niagara River where the line was cut. Rapids carried her along to Horseshoe Falls.

• At the Falls, more than 3,000 tons of water rushed to the pool below at a speed of 32 feet per second, and more than 2,500 tons of force. Over the edge she went, remaining in view for most of the plunge, except for disappearing into the mist several times.

• Within a few minutes, she was in the pool below and floating to a rock, reaching the shore about 20 minutes after launch. As she was lifted out of the barrel, her first words were: “I prayed every second I was in the barrel, except for a few seconds after the fall when I went unconscious.” She emerged with just a 3-inch cut behind her right ear and complaints of shoulder pain.

• Reporters and cameramen rushed to her side to record the event. She remarked to the media that she would “caution anyone against attempting the feat.” Annie was sure that her money worries were over, confident that the deed would bring her fame and fortune. With plans to tour the country with her barrel, she was devastated to discover that her manager had vanished…with the barrel! Even after enlisting the help of private investigators to locate her stolen barrel, it was not recovered.

• Annie managed to acquire some photo ops and speaking engagements without the barrel, but it didn’t take long for her fame to dissipate, and once again she was in financial trouble. She had used much of her savings on trying to find her barrel. Although Annie penned a memoir about her adventure, returning to the Falls to sell it, it didn’t generate much income, and she returned to traveling teaching jobs. She died penniless 20 years later and was buried in a cemetery near Niagara Falls.

by Matilda Charles

Goals for 2023

I didn't rush to create my goals for 2023, but the time has come ...

One year ago I made two goals: to buy weekly food donation cards at the grocery store to give to the food bank and to continue to pick up weekly groceries for three elderly neighbors. I made it three-quarters of the year on both of those.

Food prices just got too high for me to continue to buy a donation card each week. And picking up groceries for the three elderly ladies was no longer necessary once I introduced them to the food bank. Now I have new goals for 2023.

I'm going to continue with "Growing Stronger," the free 126-page strength-training book for seniors on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website (cdc. gov). I've reprinted new, blank pages for the charts, such as Long-Term Personal Goals and How Fit and Strong Are You Now? I'm just about ready to buy a pair of slightly heavier hand weights. If you decide to start the "Growing Stronger" strength program, ask your doctor first if it's appropriate for you. And remember: Start slowly, with low weights.

In the tech category, my goal is to successfully set up a personal Wi-Fi hotspot. (A hotspot is letting your phone's cellular service serve as Wi-Fi.) This desire comes after a day with no power during a storm. No power meant no computer, but I did have cellphone service. Had I been able to set up a hotspot, I would have been able to access the internet on my tablet. If you decide to try this, be mindful of security.

As a final goal for the year, I'm going to have a banana each and every day. Whether it's sliced over cereal or put in a smoothie, I'll get my fiber, magnesium, potassium and vitamins B6 and C ... like it or not.

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On Jan. 25, 1533, England's King Henry VIII secretly married Anne Boleyn. The bride was pregnant with the future Queen Elizabeth I, and the ceremony took place shortly before dawn with just a handful of witnesses present. Its stealthy nature was, of course, due to a lack of papal permission.

• On Jan. 24, 1935, the Gottfried Krueger Brewing Company of Richmond, Virginia, sold the first canned beer, Krueger Cream Ale, to the public. When approached by the American Can Company, Krueger executives were unenthused, but American Can's offer to install the necessary equipment for free helped seal the deal, to a nearly 100% customer approval rating.

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On Jan. 29, 1886, Carl Benz applied for a patent for his "vehicle powered by a gas engine." His first model, known as the "Benz Patent Motorwagen," was financed by his wife and business partner Bertha's dowry, had three wheels, and ran on an internal combustion engine similar to modern automobiles.

On Jan. 28, 1978, TV viewers were treated to their first sight of the mysterious Mr. Roarke and his sidekick, Tattoo, on a tropical beach with the debut episode of "Fantasy Island." While there were hints that Roarke was immortal or at least centuries old, the real entertainment was in watching guests learn unexpected life lessons or, on occasion, carry out last wishes as they lived their enormously expensive dreams.

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On Jan. 26, 2006, Western Union announced the end of its paper telegram service. The very first telegram had been sent by Samuel Morse, inventor of the Morse Code, to his partner, Alfred Vail, in May 1844. It read simply, "What hath God wrought?"

The Spats

by Jeff Pickering

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On Jan. 27, 1993, French wrestler Andre the Giant (Andre Rene Roussimoff), who stood nearly seven and a half feet and weighed over 500 pounds, died of a heart attack after his father's funeral. Afflicted with acromegaly, Roussimoff had declined potentially life-prolonging medical treatment for fear it might hamper his career.

(c) 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

If you don’t know much about dragonflies, you’ve come to the right place! This week, Tidbits passes along the facts about these members of the Anisoptera infra-order, of which there are more than 5,000 known species.

• The word Anisoptera has its roots in the Greek language, combining “anisos” meaning “unequal,” and “pteron,” which translates “wing,” because this insect’s hindwing is broader than its forewing.

• A dragonfly has large, multifaceted eyes, containing up to 30,000 individual elements known as ommatidia, each consisting of a lens system and a group of light sensitive cells. The eyes have a 360-degree visual field, able to see completely around the insect. Their eyes meet at the top of the head.

• These amazing insects can travel at 45 mph) -about 100 body lengths per second -- flying upwards, backwards, or to either side, and can also hover like a helicopter. They can even mate in midair! This is accomplished all the while the insect is flapping its wings just 30 times per minute. Contrast this with a mosquito that must flap its wings 600 times a minute, and the common housefly that flaps 1,000 times per minute.

• The wings of a dragonfly are truly remarkable! Each of the four transparent wings can move independently, flap up and down or be rotated back and forth on an axis. The wingspan varies between 2 and 5 inches. The largest dragonfly is Australia’s Petalura ingentissima, with a 6.2-inch wingspan.

• Like all insects, dragonflies have six legs, but dragonflies cannot walk.

• Many adult dragonflies have brilliant iridescent or metallic colors, frequently blue or green, colors that change as they age, usually getting even brighter.

• The female lays her eggs on the surface of water. While the dragonflies are in their larval stage, they are known as nymphs, and spend a period of about two years on the water, molting up to 15 times before finally shedding the final skin and taking to the air. They live most of their life as an immature nymphs, since they don’t usually live more than a few months as an adult.

Quiz Answers

• A typical dragonfly might consume hundreds of mosquitoes per day.

• Dragonflies are symbolic in several cultures. The Chinese believe they represent change and instability. The Chinese practice of Feng Shui places dragonfly statues and artwork in areas of a home or office to bring about positive changes or new awareness. In China, they are also a symbol of prosperity and harmony, and are considered a good-luck charm. It’s especially good luck if a dragonfly lands on your head! To the Japanese, they represent courage, strength, and happiness. Swedish legend maintains that the devil uses the insect to check for “bad souls.” Other folklore claims that the insect detects those who tell lies, speak badly of others, or curse, and stitches up the mouth. In fact, some refer to the dragonfly as the “devil’s darning needle.” In the southern United States, legend has it that dragonflies catch insects to feed snakes, as well as stitching up any of their injuries.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

Obelisk Spain Oak tree Gamma 1846 1968 Arendelle

8. 9. 10. 1. 2. 3.

Michelle Kwan Nick Saban 4 times: (1 win, 3 loss)

10,080 Theodore Roosevelt “I Can’t Help Falling in Love With You.”

4. 5. 6.

Theo Epstein Penn State University Detroit Lions (1992-present)