Trivia

A fancier of felines says many cats tend to groom themselves fastidiously when they get upset. He says countless mammals do that.

Scholars think man’s first cooking utensil, the ladle, was created - no huge surprise - by a woman.

The best-selling mousetrap - this year, yesteryear, probably next year - was invented in 1899 by John Mast of Lititz, Pa., and patented in 1903. The “Victor,” that little snapper, is still in production.

A scholar says all early peoples practiced the sacrifice of human beings before they switched to the sacrifice of lesser beasts.

Q. Who came up with the bright idea of night school?

A. Peter Cooper, American inventor, industrialist, and genius in sundry fields. He founded Cooper Union in 1859 to pioneer evening classes in engineering and art.

Anatole France said, “I prefer the errors of enthusiasm to the indifference of wisdom.”

Q. Not counting those ancient structures of the Indians, what’s the oldest surviving building in the United States?

A. Governor’s Palace, Santa Fe, N.M. The Spanish built it in 1609.