The rumor about Gore Vidal writing a scene with homosexual innuendo into the Ben Hur script without star Charlton Heston knowing about it is false.
The old AMD K series of chips (K5, K6) was named “K” as an abbreviation for Kryptonite, because Intel was considered the “Superman” of the industry. AMD dropped the Kryptonite and went to the abbreviation after running into some legal issues with DC Comics.
The day after Sam Houston married the beautiful Eliza Allen in a candlelight ceremony, he engaged in a playful snowball fight with the children of friends. Eliza remarked she wished they would kill him. Whatever happened, the marriage ended abruptly 11 weeks later, and neither party ever said why.
According to author Henry Wiencek, in the first order to his London merchant as a married man, George Washington ordered some Spanish fly.
Beware the grasshopper mouse. They have been known to eat kangaroo rats.
This article appears in February 13 • 2004.