RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Mon 2/05/24

“One Quarter Is These Ten…When You’re Not Stepping On Them They Can Be Quite Relaxing…& Uncommon Double-U” 

Around 25% of the words we use every day are the 10 most common words in English:  The, be, to, of, and, a, in, that, have, and I.

In 2021, Lego used the sound of its bricks to create a relaxing “white noise” album.  It’s streaming on Apple Music and Spotify.

There are only a few words in English that have two u’s in a row . . . and most of them are obscure.  The three most common ones are vacuum, continuum, and muumuu, although that came into English from Hawaiian.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
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RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Fri 2/02/24

“Your Toy Could Take Down A Plane…Delicious Mushroom Ketchup…& Keep Our Baseball Player’s Name Outta Your Mouth” 

Furbys were HOT in 1999, and the FAA was concerned they could disrupt flight equipment.  There were rumors that some airlines had banned Furbys, but the FAA denied that.  They said, “We did recommend that Furbys should not be on when the plane is below 10,000 feet.”  And people with Furbys onboard were asked to remove their batteries.  A rep for Tiger Electronics, which made Furbys, said, “There have been no reports of Furbys interfering with any kind of takeoff or landing.”

Ketchup was originally made in England and the United States with mushrooms as the main ingredient, not tomatoes.  That lasted until the early 1800s, when tomato ketchup started getting more popular.

In World War Two, Japanese soldiers would taunt American soldiers during battles by yelling insults about Babe Ruth, like “to hell with Babe Ruth!”  

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
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RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Thu 2/01/24

“Kids Can Visit-Then Leave…Minnesota More North Than Alaska…& Interesting German Man Making Mexican Beer” 

Children are banned from living in Sun City, Arizona, because they take being a retirement community VERY seriously.  Kids are allowed to visit their grandparents, but only for nine days max.

Woods County, Minnesota is further north than any other county in the United States . . . because Alaska doesn’t HAVE counties.

The guy who created Dos Equis wasn’t the most interesting man in the world.  However, he was born in Germany . . . and he randomly loved the idea of making a Mexican beer.  So he moved to Mexico in 1897 to create it.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites in Altoona

RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Wed 1/31/24

“Disastrous Star Birth…Red Ground-Blue Dusk…& Windy City Exodus” 

The word “disaster” comes from the Italian “disastro,” which translates to “evil star.”  Because in astrology, it was considered unlucky to be born under a bad star.

Mars may be the “Red Planet,” but the SUNSETS there are blue.

Chicago’s population peaked in 1950, when there were 3.6 million people living in the city.  Now it’s down to 2.7 million, according to the latest Census.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites in Altoona

RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Tues 1/30/24

“My Galaxy Tastes Like Fruit…Almost But Kinda Yes…& Far From Big Salt Water” 

Astronomers say the Milky Way smells like rum and tastes like raspberries.

Technically Bruce Springsteen has never had a #1 hit.  The closest was “Dancing in the Dark” at #2 in 1984.  But a song he WROTE was #1.  Manfred Mann hit #1 in 1977 with a cover of “Blinded by the Light”.

 The point in North America that’s the furthest from any ocean is in southwest South Dakota.  It’s 1,024 miles from the nearest coastline.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
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RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Mon 1/29/24

“Pro Outdoor Hoops…Motor City Denial…& Tough Hippo Procedure” 

There have only been four outdoor games in NBA history.  All of them were preseason games, and the Phoenix Suns played in all four of them.  The most recent one was in 2010.

The city that’s made the most bids to host the Olympics without ever getting one is Detroit . . . they’re zero for seven on their bids.  Their most recent one was in 1972. London is the opposite.  They’ve made four bids and they’ve gotten the Olympics every time. 

It’s almost impossible to castrate a hippo.  Their testes are on the inside, they recede even deeper during the surgery, and their location can be up to 16 inches different from hippo to hippo.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites in Altoona

RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Fri 1/26/24

“Sinful Kentuckians…Georgia Hub…& Fowl Ceasefire” 

Before Vegas was known as “Sin City,” that title usually went to . . . Newport, Kentucky.  It became a hotspot of corruption, gambling, and prostitution during Prohibition . . . and stayed that way until the 1960s.

80% of the population of the United States lives within a two-hour flight of Atlanta.

During a battle at a park between England and Ireland in 1916, there was a cease fire every day so a park employee could feed the ducks.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites in Altoona

RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Thu 1/25/24

“Proud Of Their Country-But, Not Enough To Mention It…Same Building-Different Seats…German Army Knives”

Sweden isn’t mentioned in the Swedish national anthem . . . but it IS mentioned in the Polish national anthem, since they once occupied Poland.
(Verses that DO mention Sweden have been added to the Swedish anthem over the years, which is why you might see it show up in some versions of the lyrics.)

The Lakers and the Clippers both play at the Crypto.com Arena in L.A. . . . formerly Staples Center . . . but the arena has different capacities depending on who’s playing.  Because of the way they lay out the courtside seats, there are 63 more tickets available when the Clippers play.

The first Swiss Army Knives were made in Germany in 1891, because there was no place in Switzerland that could produce them.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
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RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Wed 1/24/24

“It’s A Joke Gesture…Bronco Almost A Yankee…Odd Men Out Not Touchin’ Water”

The “middle finger” has been an obscene gesture . . . for around 2,500 YEARS.  The ancient Greeks developed it as a “phallic gesture,” although at the time it was more of “a joke, an insult, or a sexual proposition” . . . than the aggressive, offensive (“eff you”) tone that it has today.

John Elway didn’t just play football.  He pitched and played right field when he was at Stanford.  The New York Yankees drafted him in the second round of the 1981 draft.  That was five spots AHEAD of Tony Gwynn, and he’s in the Baseball Hall of Fame. Elway got $150,000 for playing for a Yankees minor league team, but then he decided to go to the NFL.

There are only two countries in South America that are totally landlocked:  Bolivia and Paraguay.  Every other country touches an ocean.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
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RANDOM TIDS & BITS- Tue 1/23/24

“At First You Succeed-That Might Be It…Touching The Capital…& Cereal Story”

A pitcher named Hoyt Wilhelm made his Major League Baseball debut in 1952, and hit a home run in his first at-bat.  He played for 20 more years, had a total of over 400 at-bats . . . and NEVER hit another homer.

The only capital city in the world that has a border with two countries is Bratislava, Slovakia.  It borders Austria and Hungary.

The first cereal that offered kids a prize was Kellogg’s Corn Flakes in 1909.  People who bought two boxes could send away for a book called “Funny Jungleland Moving Pictures”.

“Random Tids & Bits” -Weekday Mornings around 7:15-Brought to you by:
Holiday Inn Express & Staybridge Suites in Altoona