Weekend Open Thead

… elephants use their ears to regulate their body temperature? Blood flow into the ears carries excess heat from the elephant’s body, and cooler blood re-enters the bloodstream. And flapping their large ears allows elephants to reduce their body temperature by 10˚ or more. (The fact that it makes them look silly is not considered.)

… a well-known actor was supposed to play one of the main characters on a popular 1980s television show, but walked out after being insulted? When the creators of Punky Brewster, a situation comedy about a young girl being raised by a foster parent, were casting the role of the foster father, their first choice was actor Fred Gwynne (1926-1993). Gwynne was deep into discussions regarding the role when a casting director referred to him as “Herman Munster,” a reference to his role in the early 1960s comedy The Munsters. Gwynne had worked diligently over the years to distance himself from that role which had typecast him, and when the casting director called him that, an insulted Gwynne walked out of the meeting and away from the program. The role eventually went to George Gaynes (1917-2016).

… a snail spent several years glued to a card before being discovered to be alive? In 1846, authorities at the British Museum glued what they believed was a dead snail to a card for display. When the snail came unglued some five years later, the staff of the museum was astonished to see it was still alive, and had been the whole time. (Now that’s what I call living. Thanks to Mason for the tip!)

… the symbol of medicine, the caduceus, has snakes on it for a reason? In an ancient Greek legend, snakes were thought to have revealed the practice of medicine to human beings. They are recognized for that on the caduceus. (Trying to make up for that debacle with Adam and Eve, I’d wager.)

… presidents have not always been featured on U.S. currency? There are numerous examples, but one of the most striking is the face of the $20 bill from 1875. It features the image of Pocahontas (1596-1617), a Native American woman best known for assisting the English settlers at Jamestown, Virginia. If that doesn’t strike you odd, try this: in 1855, back when banks were allowed to print their own currency, the Saint Nicholas Bank of New York City printed five-dollar notes which featured a portrait of Santa Claus. (Ho, ho, ho indeed.)

… the first U.S. president to visit a foreign country while in office was Theodore Roosevelt? In November of 1906, Roosevelt (1858-1919) sailed on the USS Louisiana to visit Puerto Rico and Panama. (Many others wanted to, but didn’t.)

… a town in Minnesota has 20 zip codes? Young America Township, in Carver County, Minnesota, has a population of about 700 people. But it is also the home of a major rebate processing center, which requires a lot of different zip codes. The U.S. Postal Service has assigned at least 20 to the town of 34 square miles. The township is about ten miles southwest of Minneapolis. (Both sides of the sign say “City Limits.”)

Now … you know!