A parsec, which is short for “parallax second,” is 3.26 light-years.
Saddam Hussein once had a copy of the Quran written in his own blood.
Samuel Smiles (1812-1904) is credited with writing the first self-help book in 1859. Titled Self-Help, the book explains how everyone is personally responsible for their own success or failure. He relied on biographical anecdotes of historical figures to stress the importance of perseverance.
“Agony aunt” and “agony uncle” are British expressions referring to advice columnists. In 1691, The Athenian Mercury in London ran the first known advice column with contributions by various experts. In 1709, Della Manley became the first agony aunt when her magazine, The Female Tatler, included her advice column.
Richard Branson once flew John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, and Devo to Jamaica in an attempt to install him as Devo’s lead singer.
This article appears in The Books Issue.