The Aztecs believed warriors’ souls came back in the form of monarch butterflies.

One study of amphetamine abuse by football players in the 1960s found that linemen preferred dexedrine to methedrine, while quarterbacks liked either methedrine or methylphenidate.

The Rat Pack — Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin — did jingles for a Skokie, Ill., car dealer in the early 1960s.

The French novelist M. Houellebecq’s first novel, Extension du Domaine de la Lutte (literally “Expansion of the Arena of the Struggle”), was published in English this month by Serpent’s Tail Press under the title Whatever.

Studebaker used the name “Land Cruiser” on their vehicles before Toyota did.

The above is information which Mr. Smarty Pants read in a book, a magazine, or the newspaper; heard on the radio; saw on television; or overheard at a party. Got facts? Write to Mr. Smarty Pants at the Chronicle, or e-mail tomrpants@auschron.com.

This article appears in April 30 • 1999 and April 30 • 1999 (Cover).

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