10 Random Facts - October 2020 Edition

This month it was my birthday, and it left me feeling pretty nostalgic so these facts will all pertain to something important that has happened to me so far in life or things I just like. I also just want to thank my amazing mom for not only spending fourteen hours in labor with me, but also for raising me to be the person I am today. I love you Mom.

1. Each modern Shih Tzu owes their existence to two of the fourteen that rebuilt the breed.

During the Chinese Communist Revolution the Shih Tzu breed almost went extinct. One of the main reasons was the death of Dowager Empress Tzu Hsi in 1908 which resulted in her breeding program for Shih Tzu, Pekingese, and Pugs falling apart. From the almost non existent numbers rose seven males and their seven female counterparts who were used to bring about the return of the Shih Tzu. My mom got me my Shih Tzu when I was seven years old, and my little old man is still kicking.

2. Tornadoes can be invisible.

Sometimes you can see something called a condensation funnel lowering from a storm cloud to the ground. These funnels are made up of water droplets and if they touch the ground they are considered a tornado, if not they simply called funnel clouds. If there is dust and debris at the base of the funnel then it further confirms it as a tornado. But since the tornadoes themselves are just wind and they don't always produce a condensation funnel sometimes tornadoes can be basically invisible until they either form a cloud within the funnel or start to pick up debris. When I was five years old my Granny and Pawpaw's house was hit by an EF4 tornado, we thought we lost them but by some miracle they were okay and eventually moved closer to us.

3. Older siblings have a good excuse for being bossy.

Birth order plays an important role in a child's development and among the traits that come with being oldest being bossy is one of the more annoying ones for others in the family. Generally speaking the firstborn in the family is given more responsibilities such as helping out with the younger kids and doing household chores, the responsibilities can make older siblings be more apt to take charge and therefore be bossy. In addition to this many firstborns like nothing more than to be around their parents and can become mini adults which doesn't help with the whole bossy thing. I can definitely relate, shout out to my little sis who came into my life when I was almost four and made me into the oldest. I love you even though you made me bossy. 💜

4. Nacho Cheese Doritos are older than you may think.

Or at least they're older than I thought. Turns out that they weren't let out until 1974. Originally Doritos were supposed to be a standard salted tortilla chip, and that's how they were released for the first time in 1966. Since those original plain chips the brand has come a long way. Now Doritos are available in well over a hundred flavors including some pretty specific ones such as Winter Crab Pizza, Late Night Cheeseburger, Italian Seafood Pizza, and Yogurt and Mint. I think I'll stick with Cool Ranch. And there's no heartwarming reason I wrote a fact about Doritos, they're just my favorite chip. I really missed them while I had my braces. Speaking of which...

5. The history of braces is complicated.

First of all it is unclear who first invented braces. Some people think it started all started in 1728 when Pierre Fauchard, also known as the father of modern dentistry, made "the first set" of braces which was a flat piece of metal material attached to the teeth by thread. But there is evidence that the Egyptians had the idea first, and in ancient times. Apparently they used to wrap animal intestines around the teeth to try and straighten them. So I'm pretty glad that I just got the brackets since I got them when I was young and had to wear them for a very long time.

6. Galaga wasn't supposed to be this hard.

Turns out we can at long last blame someone for the countless hours spent trying to reach Level 15 of Galaga (Oh just me? Never mind. 😊). But seriously we have someone to blame. When the creator of the game, Shigeru Yokoyama, first developed the game and gave it to the higher ups they decided it was too easy. They were worried that players would be able to play for too long only using one coin, so it was back to the drawing board for Yokoyama. Even though it was unnecessarily difficult Galaga was one of my favorite games as a kid.

7. Pneumonia is to blame for more deaths in young children than any other disease.

For children under the age of five pneumonia is the disease with the highest death rates. The risk of death is higher in less developed countries due to a lack of pediatric care and exposure to open fires among other things, but even highly developed countries like the US death is possible. There are some studies to suggest that breastfeeding for at least the first six months can reduce the risk of pneumonia in children by boosting their immune system. This fact hits particularly close to home since I had pneumonia when I was a toddler.

8. A lot of stars got their start on PBS kid's shows.

Ben Affleck started his acting career in 1984, debuting in The Voyage of the Mimi which was an educational series put out by PBS. And one actor started his career in television operating the trolley on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, the one and only Michael Keaton. Now that's what I call a dream job. And famous singers Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez co-starred on Barney & Friends when they were kids. PBS shows made a huge mark on me personally and among my childhood favorites were Mister Rogers', Sesame Street, and Barney & Friends.

9. Playing rummy is good for you.

Turns out that playing rummy can help improve important skills such as hand-eye coordination, mathematical understanding, and visual judgement. Other than that the game helps you learn to more effectively read people since being able to tell what your opponent is thinking is an important part of being able to win. You can accomplish this by learning what different postures and gestures mean. This is all pretty good news for me since I've been playing rummy since I was little, courtesy of my Granny and Pawpaw.

10. Cats are more than just cute.

Well we all know that, they're also uppity. But that's not what I'm referring to. Some cats have lead arguably more interesting lives than us, and richer as well. One cat, Felicette, was dubbed "Astrocat" after it went to space on October 18th, 1963, making it the one and only kitty to do so. Another was the mayor of a small Alaskan town for twenty years. Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, and despite not having any actual power he was beloved by his people. And last cat we'll be talking about was the heir to a seven million pounds fortune. Named Blackie, his owner didn't want to leave his money to family so instead he recognized his cat as the heir. I've unfortunately never owned a cat, but I will someday so I'm putting this fact in here anyway.