Trivia

Raw sap in the roots of the cassava plant is poisonous. A Spanish explorer, unidentified by name in the record at hand, lost his way in the Amazon jungle. Forewarned, he knew the available cassava roots could sicken, maybe even kill him, but driven by hunger, he dug up, boiled and ate same, and thrived. Heat had tamed the toxins. And he had discovered tapioca.

Am told there are cafe servers who call in an order for apple pie with the cry: “Eve with a leaf.”

Cleopatra may have seen herself reflected in shiny surfaces from time to time, but she saw no accurate image of herself every day. Ancient Egyptians had no mirrors.

Q. What part of the human body, if any, will grow back after injury without scar tissue?

A. Only the tongue, research suggests.

Cafeterias come and go. Weren’t any 130 years ago. Those first to crop up didn’t serve women. Later many did. They flourished. But 50 years ago their numbers started to diminish.

The law in Shreveport, La., prohibits funeral directors from giving away book matches.

Tank warfare injuries mostly are burns.

Only one out of five car wrecks, overall, occurs in bad weather.