The HMS Romney was used by the British in the American Revolution.

In ancient Egypt, false metal beards were worn by kings –
and occasionally by cows. We don’t know why.

The 1989 Exxon Valdez (of oil spill fame) went through several transformations over the years. In 2011, she was last renamed Oriental Nicety and was sold for $16 million to an Indian demolition company, Priya Blue Industries.

According to one film historian, the last straw between
comedy team Jerry Lewis and Dean Martin came in 1956 when the pair were due to star in a film called The Delicate Delinquent. Martin was slated to play a policeman,
but didn’t like the role.

OBAMA is an astronomical acronym used by the European Southern Observatory for “Optical Bidule for Aberration Measurement on the ATs.”

This article appears in September 28 • 2012.

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