Random Crap I’ve Learned Recently, Vol. 2
- Jimmy Fallon was a computer science major in college before he switched to communications. [1]
- Our immune systems peak around age 18 and begin a slow deterioration thereafter. [2]
- Roger Bart, the actor who played Bree’s creepy pharmacist/lover/stalker on Desperate Housewives, won a Tony and a Drama Desk Award for playing Snoopy in the 1999 Broadway revival of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.” [3]
- Barnacles are actually crustaceans (not mollusks!), are typically hermaphroditic, and have the highest penis-to-body-size ratio of all animals. [4]
- The P-51 Mustang (the magnificent WWII prop fighter) flew more combat missions during the first year of the Korean War than any other U.S. plane. [5]
Crapnotes:
[1] MSNBC article: “Funny man Fallon a college grad after 14 years.”
[2] Kathleen Sullivan on NPR’s Talk of the Nation, Science Friday (May 8th, 2009).
[3] Wikipedia entry on Roger Bart. I looked him up because we got the “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” CD from the library. The kids and I loved his performance. He’s a riot!
[4] Carl Zimmer’s book, Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea. Apparently the… ahem… wonderschlong is an adaptation to overcome the difficulty of mating when one is permanently attached to a rock.
[5] The Military Channel’s Great Planes: P-51 Mustang episode.