The lyrics for the first three verses of the Dick Van Dyke theme song are: “So you think that you’ve got troubles? Well, there’s a bubble. So tell old mister trouble to get lost. Why not hold your head up high and stop cryin’, start tryin’ and don’t forget to keep your fingers crossed. When you find the joy of livin’ is lovin’ and givin’ you’ll be there when the winning dice are tossed.”

Alex the Parrot (1976-2007), owned by animal psychologist Irene Pepperberg, had a vocabulary of more than 100 words.

Author Robert Heinlein once said, “A zygote is a gamete’s way of producing more gametes. This may be the purpose of the universe.”

Australia’s Shell Beach is one of only two beaches in the world composed entirely of shells.

At times, TV host Ed Sullivan was bad with names. Once he introduced the Three Stooges as “the Ritz Brothers.” Instead of calling them “Diana Ross and the Supremes,” he introduced them as “the girls.”

This article appears in February 19 • 2016.

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