Seasonal leaf color change in the fall is officially called “leaf senescence.” As chlorophyll breaks down, carotenoids are formed.

Charles Douglass (1910-2003) invented the TV laugh track – technically, a machine called a “laff box.” Recording TV shows before live audiences fell out of fashion in the 1960s, and the laff box was used to simulate an audience reaction.

Betelgeuse is 25% closer than scientists thought – about 530 or so light-years away from Earth.

Baseball’s seventh-inning stretch tradition started in 1910 when 27th President William Howard Taft attended a Washington Senators game. When Taft stood up to stretch his legs in the seventh inning, the crowd thought he was rising to leave and all stood out of respect.

Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson) practices tai chi.

This article appears in November 6 • 2020.

A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austin’s independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the community’s political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands.

SUPPORT US