Archive for the 'Trivia' Category

US: Seattle, WA – Sound Lab in MoPop, Seattle

Monday, September 9th, 2019

Pedals make an artistic statement in the Sound Lab in Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture. 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

US: Palm Beach, Florida – Henry Flagler Five Dollar Bills

Wednesday, August 10th, 2016

How many of you know that Henry Flagler of Standard Oil, who was a pioneer of tourism in Florida, appears on some US five dollar bills? His Flagler mansion, which was known as the Whitehall Hotel, appears on the back.

Flagler Five Dollar Bill

 

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

US: Boca Raton Sports Memorabilia Museum, Florida – Shaq O’Neal

Tuesday, August 9th, 2016

It’s really hard to beat Shaq O’Neal at his own game, especially since he’s so tall (7 ft, 1 in). I tried this at the Sports Memorabilia Museum in Boca.

Sahaq O'Neal

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

US: Boca Raton Sports Memorabilia Museum, Florida – Lou Gehrig

Tuesday, August 9th, 2016

Lou Gehrig played for 17 seasons as a first baseman for the NY Yankees, from 1923 to 1939, including 6 World Series, and won numerous awards for his achievements. He was forced to retire at age 36 because of ALS, now called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and died 2 years later.

Lou Gehrig

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

US: Boca Raton, Florida – Death Ball

Tuesday, August 9th, 2016

On August 16, 1920, Ray Chapman, the Cleveland shortstop, was accidentally hit on the head by a ball pitched by New York’s Carl Mays, and he died the next day due to severe brain damage. This is the ball, which can be seen at the Sports Memorabilia Museum in Boca.

Death Ball

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Paprika in Hungary

Saturday, December 27th, 2014

PaprikaIn Hungary, paprika cream is a condiment on the table – they use it like we would use ketchup or mustard. It’s quite spicy. Locals like to call it  Hungarian Viagra. Why?  If you eat it, the heartburn will keep you up. Since you can’t sleep, you have to do something  to keep  busy, soooo….

 www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Religion in Czech Republic

Friday, August 15th, 2014

It was surprising to find out that 92% of the population of the Czech Republic are atheists.CzechChurch However they still enjoy the traditions of  Christmas.

 www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Oktoberfest

Friday, August 15th, 2014

Oktoberfest began as a wedding party.Oktoberfest

On October 12, 1810, when Crown Prince Ludwig, who later became King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen,  all the citizens of Munich were invited to the wedding!

The festivities were held in the fields in front of the city gates. The fields were named Theresienwiese (“Theresa’s meadow”) in honor of the Crown Princess, and have kept that name ever since. Locals have since abbreviated the name simply to  “Wiesn” which is what locals call the festival.

Oktoberfest is not a German national event. It is a local Bavarian festival, held in Munich.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Hapsburgs

Thursday, August 14th, 2014

The Hapsburgs ruled the Austro-Hungarian Empire for 630 years.

www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Habsburg

Tags: , , , , , ,

Cosmos Tour: Prague Vienna Budapest – Budweiser and Pilsner Beer

Wednesday, August 13th, 2014

BudweiserBudweiser beer was developed  in the Czech Republic. It was originally called Budvar (and still goes by that name in some countries). Beer has been brewed in Budweis since 1245. It tastes different here than the one in the US.

The two cities most associated with Czech beer are Pilsen and Budweis which both had breweries in the 13th century. The 2 most famously exported Czech beer brands are Pilsner Urquell, which was the world’s first pilsner (pale lager) and Budweiser Budvar. Pilsners have a clear golden colour, a light flavor and lots of foam.

In 2012, for the 20th consecutive year, the Czech Republic had the highest beer consumption per capita in the world –  170 litres per person.

 www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,