Trivia

Q. That Chinese dog called the Shar-pei dates back to 200 B.C. Before its successful revival several decades ago, it was near extinction. Only 12 pairs were left. What killed off so many?

A. It’s meat was considered a delicacy. People ate just about the entire breed.

A proverb well known among the Saudi translates: “If a man and a woman are alone in one place, the third person present is Satan.”

Q. Who thought up the notion of giving diamond engagement rings to prospective brides?

A. Diamond sellers in Medieval Italy.

When the cavalrymen of Media fought the Greeks in an antique age, they distinguished themselves most notably: They rode ostriches.

Q. How long does it take to paper-train a pet baby pig?

A. Three days. Or such is the contention.

It was in 1401 when the English Parliament ruled that anyone caught in possession of a copy of the Bible written in English should be burned alive.

Many, if not most, of the thousands of people who fall on escalators every year blame their bifocals.

King Henry VIII wore tennis shoes.