Snails are one of the world’s most deadly creatures because they carry a parasitic disease called schistosomiasis, which kills 200,000 people a year.

A chimpanzee named Evie (short for Evolution) played the robot dog Muffit the Daggit on the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series.

Australians call a portable cooler an “esky” for the original brand name. In fact, some historians say the portable cooler was invented in Australia by a company called Malley’s. In New Zealand the term is “chilly bin.”

In 1871, England and Wales introduced the use of mugshots, but by the 1890s they were changed to also include the suspect’s hands and were taken with a mirror positioned by the suspect’s shoulder to capture the profile view.

Martin Luther King Sr. was born Michael King. He adopted “Martin Luther” after a visit to Germany.

This article appears in June 13 • 2025.

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