Weekend Open Thread

CONG-RATS CW

… you might have created a paraph? At least once, anyway. A paraph is a flourish at the end of your signature. It is said that they originated as a check against forgery. (And they looked really keen, too!)

… many performers insure parts of their bodies? For example, actress Julia Roberts (born 1967) has insured her smile for $30 million. Singer Mariah Carey (born 1970) has her legs insured for $35 million. Dolly Parton (born 1946) has had her bosom insured for $600,000. And it’s not a new practice, either. Bette Davis (1908-1989) had her waist insured for $28,000; Jimmy Durante (1893-1980) had his famous nose insured for $50,000; and Jennifer Lopez (born 1969) has had her backside insured for $300 million. (I’d love to know what the premiums on such policies are, wouldn’t you?)

… a baseball star and the actor who played him in a movie had a previous connection in their lives? In 1925, New York Yankees baseball star Babe Ruth (1895-1948) became ill with a stomach condition that many believed at the time was caused by an excessive consumption of hot dogs and soda, provided mainly by the team’s batboy, William Bendix (1906-1964). Rumor had it that Bendix brought Ruth 30 hot dogs and 12 bottles of soda, rendering him unable to play that day – or any day for several weeks. The Yankees fired Bendix as a batboy after Ruth took ill, but today it is known that Ruth had an intestinal abscess, and that was what kept him out of the lineup. Twenty-three years later, Bendix – who went on to become an award-winning actor – would portray Ruth in the movie The Babe Ruth Story. Additional trivia note: At the time the movie premiered, Ruth – who had wanted to star in it himself – was dying of cancer. He reportedly saw the movie but became uncomfortable and left before it was over. Bendix’ portrayal of Ruth was variously called “dreadful,” “amateurish” and “wrong from start to finish.”

… the person who would be Emperor of Korea had a very menial job? Yi Won (born 1962) is the great-grandson of Gojong (1852-1919), the first Emperor of Korea, and is head of the Imperial House of Yi. Until 2005, Yi was general manager of Hyundai Home Shopping in Seoul. Active in the drive to restore at least a constitutional monarchy in Korea, Yi would be Emperor of both North and South Korea if the effort is successful, though the North Koreans would not recognize his position. The actual Korean Empire was abolished in 1910 when Korea was basically annexed by Japan. (Good luck, Your Majesty!)

… croissants are not from France? True, the name “croissant” means crescent in French, and the rolls are shaped like crescents, but the flaky roll actually was invented in Vienna, Austria. (How nice!)

Now … you know!