Trivia

Astonishing what people throughout history have done to the bodies of their dead. They’ve bandaged them in linen, salted them down like halibut, packed them in quicklime, pumped them full of preservatives, mounted them on ships’ bows, left them to wither in treehouses, and baked, smoked them, painted them, and interred them variously. Each for specific reasons detailed in their mythologies.

Some World War II bomber fliers stashed ice cream mix in lidded cans on lengthy flights. Vibration blended it and high-altitude chilled it. Made a dandy dessert if and when they touched back down.

In Washington, D.C., is the Red Light Museum. It records the history of prostitution. With pictures. And drawings. Goes way back. Way way back.

Every banana plant in the wild is a different species. All plants are female. They don’t produce seed. They can’t be crossbred. That’s what a banana expert says, and it’s a bit more than I grasp entirely.

Report is that numerous restaurants now give frequent-diner points toward free meals. That goes back farther than frequent-flyer miles. When cafes sold punchable meal tickets before World War II, some offered a free meal after so many punches.