Bob and Marcia discussed the fascinating world of insect behavior, highlighting the complexity and resilience of nature. They delved into the mating rituals of fireflies and the remarkable ability of jellyfish to revert back to their tadpole stage. Later, they engaged in a lively discussion on various historical and cultural aspects, sharing interesting facts and trivia. They explored the origins of the American shipbuilding industry, discussed the mental health of boxers, and examined the stories of two former presidents, Millard Fillmore and Andrew Johnson, who were once indentured servants. Marcia shared her knowledge on the dominance of the letter.
Outline
US National Park bidding for Olympics and stress-related gray hair.
- Researchers find that stress can cause gray hair to return to its original color.
- Bob Smith shares a lesser-known fact about Yosemite National Park bidding for the Winter Olympics in 1932.
- Yosemite hosted ice skating tryouts for the 1932 Olympics, but ultimately lost to Lake Placid due to unseasonably warm weather.
Swimming with pigs, music trivia, and historical facts.
- Marcia and Bob discuss swimming with pigs in the Bahamas, with Marcia providing information on how to get there and Bob expressing skepticism.
- Bob asks Marcia about music from 1966, and she names several songs that started with the letter S, including “Summer in the City” by the Lovin Spoonful and “Sunshine Superman” by Donovan.
- Marcia Smith shares a unique story about a spy who disguised himself as a baby to cross enemy lines during the French Revolution.
Language, dogs, and boxing.
- Marcia and Bob discuss the meaning of “head over heels in love,” discovering it refers to a normal standing position.
- Marcia and Bob discuss the origins of the term “bloodhound,” learning it has nothing to do with smelling blood.
- Marcia and Bob discuss boxing, geography, and the sun’s timing.
US history, literature, and insults.
- Bob Smith asks Marcia Smith a question about famous American paintings, but Marcia corrects him and provides information on indentured servants instead.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss Andrew Jackson and Andrew Carnegie as potential answers to the question, with Bob revealing that his middle name is Andrew.
- Marcia Smith explains that indentured servants were different from slaves, as they were bound by a contract to work for a master for a set term in exchange for food, clothing, and sometimes education.
- Bob Smith asks Marcia why Hamlet tells Ophelia to “Get thee to a nunnery,” and Marcia explains that the phrase was slang for a brothel in Shakespeare’s time, making Hamlet’s rejection of Ophelia much more brutal than modern audiences realize.
Animal behavior, trivia, and word origins.
- Marcia and Bob discuss the mating dance of fireflies, with the male flashing every 5.7 seconds and the female responding with a 2.1-second flash.
- Marcia corrects Bob’s mistake about the difference between a postcard and a postal card, explaining that a postal card has a stamp printed on it while a postcard requires a stamp to be purchased separately.
- Bob Smith asks Marcia Smith about the origin of the term “leathernecks” and Marcia provides an incorrect explanation.
- Marcia Smith then asks Bob Smith how much weight an average human hair can support, and Bob provides a confused response.
- Bob Smith: Shipbuilding in America started in 1631 due to cheap labor and materials, with the first ship built in Boston being a 30 ton sloop called the Blessing of the Bay.
- In 1853, a publication called the United States Review predicted that by 1900, machinery would perform all work, and humans would only have to do three things: make love, study, and be happy.
Bob Smith 0:00
What is the only US National Park to bid for the Olympic Games?
Marcia Smith 0:05
And can the color of gray hair be reversed naturally?
Bob Smith 0:09
I’m hoping so. answers to those and other questions coming up in this episode of the off ramp with Bob and Marsha Smith.
Welcome to the off ramp a chance to slow down steered clear of crazy take a side road to sanity and learn if your gray hair can be reversed. Okay, I want to know the answer to that.
Marcia Smith 0:45
course you do. A study at Columbia University found that grain can temporarily be undone without hair dye, really? Yep. You’ve known high stress or being scared can actually turn your hair gray. Yes. Right.
Bob Smith 0:59
I mean, you can scare somebody to having gray hair. Maybe you could scare them back. Well,
Marcia Smith 1:03
that’s not so far out. If you get rid of people that cause you stress your hair can really start reverting back
Bob Smith 1:10
to people that cause you stress. Let me think about that for a minute. Okay, all right. All right.
Marcia Smith 1:16
So researchers at Columbia analyzed strands of hair plucked from study participants who kept diaries of their stress levels in some participants hair that had been great returned to its original color, near the follicle after periods of low stress. Okay, so the graying process is closely associated with psychological well being and genetics, not surprisingly, no, you’re not going to get a full head of gray hair back to its original color. Darn. So don’t go knocking off your husband or wife, Bob. But you can change back, you can change things back sometimes sometimes in the earliest stages.
Bob Smith 2:00
Particularly, I would assume that’s probably true if a person is younger, too, and they just may be prematurely grateful for something that could be you know, if you remember, we had time when I was losing my hair, and it was due to stress job and I changed the job and I lost the stress.
Marcia Smith 2:12
Bob, this is before you with you. Before you.
Bob Smith 2:18
Wow. Alright, thanks a lot. Okay, let’s switch to another subject. Okay. Okay. The Olympic Games recently ended. And you know, you and I have shared some trivia on the Olympics. And that was fun. I found another fact. Did you know that a US National Park once was bidding for the Olympic Games. Oh, which one? It was the Winter Games.
Marcia Smith 2:40
Okay, so are we talk and maybe in Idaho? No,
Bob Smith 2:43
that would make sense. Is it in California? Yes, it is.
Marcia Smith 2:47
Is it Yosemite?
Bob Smith 2:49
It’s Yosemite. You’re right. The US National Park that bid for the Olympics was Yosemite. Now it’s hard to imagine a massive event such as the Olympic Games ever taking place in National Park, right? Because I think we think of them as sacred spaces, you know,
Marcia Smith 3:07
But that oh my god.
Bob Smith 3:08
But Yosemite actually did bid to host the Winter Olympics back in 1932. And it was part of an effort to lower winter visitors to what had only been a summertime destination at that point, the construction of what is now highway 140 in 1926. That was the turning point for Yosemite is transformation into a winter resort, giving motorists year round access to the park. Basically, I think the concessionaires the people that run the tourist attractions, you know, had a lot more sway back in the day apparently because Don Tresidder who was the concessionaire after he visited the St. Moritz games in Switzerland. He bid for the Olympics. He pushed for the 1932 Winter Olympic Games to be hosted in Yosemite, and apparently nobody from the government said no, okay, so they were in the run. Ultimately, his bid was unsuccessful in the games went to Lake Placid, New York, flat cities like Duluth and Minneapolis. They were also in contention to host the Winter Olympics, because there was no downhill skiing in the winter Olympics was all skating and things like Oh, okay. Anyway, today, Yosemite remains the only US National Park to bid for the Olympics. But they did host the ice skating tryouts for the 1932 games on their rink. And funny back in 1932. Lake Placid got the games Well, Lake Placid had one of its warmest winters on record. What did they do? I don’t know. But no, no downhill skiing. Oh, that was in 32. It 32 the US National Park that bid for the Olympics was Yosemite. Okay.
Marcia Smith 4:44
So where can you go Bob if you want to swim with pigs, if
Bob Smith 4:48
I want to swim with pigs? Can I ask you a question? Sure. Why would anyone want to swim? People
Marcia Smith 4:54
love it. Yes, we’re not keeping up with the tourist destinations back okay. pig beach as it’s known, is located in the Bahamas on an uninhabited island located in Exuma. And there’s nothing on this island but pigs. Nobody’s quite sure how they first got there. But they procreated great numbers and they’d love to swim in the ocean. Pig’s swimming in the ocean. Yeah, there’s, you got to Google it. You see them out there snorting around having a grip game.
Bob Smith 5:27
Where do we get these things?
Marcia Smith 5:30
Well, that I got on Google. Yeah, so this is people pay a lot of money to just go there. You can’t stay there. But you got to either fly in or take a boat in and the pigs don’t send your mind you swimming alongside of them or going scuba diving. Where’s this again? In the Bahamas?
Bob Smith 5:49
In the Bahamas? Swimming with Pete? Yeah,
Marcia Smith 5:51
that’s the truth. And a lot of people go there. So
Bob Smith 5:54
not when pigs fly. It’s when pigs swim. Okay,
Marcia Smith 5:59
I didn’t even know they could swim in the ocean.
Bob Smith 6:01
I didn’t know pigs could swim. It’s a thing. It’s, it’s okay, Marcia. I have an interesting question about music. In 1966. The letter s dominated the pop music charts. Seven of the top 25 records that year began with an S Now my question is can you name. Now I’ll tell you some of the artists Tommy Rowe, The Happening, Sheila, Bobby Hebb, the Lovin spoonful and Donovan
Marcia Smith 6:27
That see what was that Donovan
Bob Smith 6:31
Sunshine Superman, Marcia. Okay, that was one now let’s see you know Sheila here all the songs were on the charts in 1966 on the started with S, Summer in the City by the Lovin spoonful okay? Sonny by Bobby Hebb. I’ll see you in September by the Happenings and the other four are Sweet Pea by Tommy Row, sunshine. Superman, by Donovan, summertime by Billy Stewart and sunny afternoon by the kings salad town. Okay, let’s move on to the
Marcia Smith 7:01
living Newsies. Where does that come from? Bob what show what Broadway show
Bob Smith 7:06
now let’s move on. That’s I know that’s Porgy and Bess, right?
Marcia Smith 7:11
That’s correct. Okay. Ding ding. How about this a French aristocrat named Rishi Lindbergh okay was a successful spy during the French Revolution. Okay, he could get behind the lines and deliver secret messages to allies without being caught and executed. When he gets Bob how he got behind the lines without being captured.
Bob Smith 7:32
What was his superpower?
Marcia Smith 7:34
Yes, exactly power Yeah, okay.
Bob Smith 7:37
I will suggest that he dressed up as a beautiful lady and charm the soldiers into submission
Marcia Smith 7:46
That’s a good guess. I like it myself. Well, you aren’t completely wrong usually at attractive woman carried him over as a baby. A baby. We should Berg was less than two feet tall. And he was taken in baby blankets bonnets and frilly infant were and carried across enemy lines by a woman fellow spy he knew posing as a nurse and he kept fine cigar that’s in his little baby pants to celebrate after completing his very stressful and hair raising mission. So a little two foot
Bob Smith 8:20
tall guy you look like a little baby. Yeah, less than two feet tall looks like a little baby with smoke cigars with his buddies to celebrate the fact that he went over enemy lines. Okay. Well, that’s a unique story mark you can’t
Marcia Smith 8:33
make this stuff up. No,
Bob Smith 8:34
you can’t. Hey, you know you had a thing about Attila the Hun our last show ah Attila the Hun died of nosebleed right very good that’s in your head some fun 100 Facts You said so I’ve got one for you. Okay, even though the Huns were able to scale the Great Wall of China why were they not able to effectively conquer China?
Marcia Smith 8:54
too big too many people too hilly to any of those
Bob Smith 9:00
no none of those ah, their greatest military advantage was a disadvantage horses That’s right. It’s
Marcia Smith 9:07
right that horses couldn’t get over they depended heavily
Bob Smith 9:10
on cavalry they found many places along the wall separating China and Mongolia where they could scale the structure with ladders Yeah, but they had to leave their horses behind that was their big thing and without horses the Huns? Were not defective conquerors in China. I’ll
Marcia Smith 9:25
be darned. Yeah, so it worked though that wall Yeah,
Bob Smith 9:28
get kept them out and kept the horses out. And the Huns? Yeah.
Marcia Smith 9:32
You don’t want to hunt on horseback or walking towards. Alright, ponder this, Bob. Okay, what do we mean when we say I’m head over heels in love? That
Bob Smith 9:41
means you’re you’ve lost control. You’re jumping for joy.
Marcia Smith 9:45
You’re head over heels. But did you ever consider the words in that phrase? Head over heels? Yeah, well, it means I’ve done a handspring. Think about it. Having your head over your heels. Oh, that’s normal is in fact the normal standing position. If
Bob Smith 10:00
you’re head over heels in love, it’s no big deal, just
Marcia Smith 10:02
standard fare. That’s right. You can blame American frontiersman Davy Crockett for screwing up the phrase when the expression first appeared around 1350. Okay, it was heels overhead in love. But in his 1834 with autobiography, Crockett wrote, I soon found myself head over heels in love with this girl. Isn’t that funny? And none of us think of us. So it has been ever since. And you’re right. Nobody thinks well, wait, that’s the normal position. I’m
Bob Smith 10:38
head over heels in love. And that’s just like standing here normally. Oh, that is amazing that that’s just a fun thing. You know, you’re astounded personally that you didn’t ever think of? Yeah, yeah. Well, okay. All right, Marsha. How did the bloodhound get into a
Marcia Smith 10:54
dog question? For you right after the dog questions today. Okay,
Bob Smith 10:59
how did the bloodhound get its name? Well,
Marcia Smith 11:01
I assume that it smells blood from a great distance because they have these as most dogs do these incredible noses. But the bloodhound is even superior to most diagnosis and they can smell it so they call him a bloodhound. So
Bob Smith 11:17
many words and not even accurate.
Marcia Smith 11:22
I could have kept babbling I could see from your face. I was going down the toilet. Okay. Well,
Bob Smith 11:27
you know, most of us would think it comes from the dog’s ability to sniff trails of blood, but
Marcia Smith 11:32
that’ll simpletons like me No, no, you know, I
Bob Smith 11:34
thought bloodhound had to do with crime and how they sniffed out murderers or something. But the name refers to something different. It refers to its pedigree. A bloodhound was the first pedigreed or pure blood breed of a dog. Oh, the blood breed.
Marcia Smith 11:49
Yeah, that town.
Bob Smith 11:50
Yeah, that’s what
Marcia Smith 11:51
it has nothing to do with smelling. No,
Bob Smith 11:53
it was just like they call that’s the bloodhound because it was all this is the first your blood bread.
Marcia Smith 11:59
I’ll be darned
Bob Smith 12:00
who’s not interested. Yeah,
Marcia Smith 12:01
I wouldn’t have thought no, I wouldn’t be the speaking of dogs. Did you ever wonder why dogs circle around so much before lying down? You know, they go do that little circle walk and yeah, kind of laugh and go. What are they doing?
Bob Smith 12:16
I always thought they were preparing the ground. They would walk in the wild, they would mat down the grass.
Marcia Smith 12:21
Oh, for God’s sakes. What’s wrong? That’s the answer. Oh,
Bob Smith 12:25
that’s cool. Of course. Of course. That’s the answer. I always
Marcia Smith 12:29
thought it looks like they’re trying to make themselves comfortable. Yeah. Which actually they are. Yeah, the fact is, dogs have been doing this since their origins in the wild. And like their ancestors and cousins, such as wolves, coyotes, foxes, domesticated dogs still turn circles to beat down a bed of tall grass. Huh? Isn’t that amazing? How that oh, yeah, that that, you know, there’s that demo sitting there on your plush velvet couch and matting down the
Bob Smith 12:57
walking around it. Like, gotta get this thing down here. So
Marcia Smith 13:00
it feels good. Yeah, it’s just funny. Okay,
Bob Smith 13:03
I’ve got a sports question. We oftentimes think of boxers as well, you know, boxers get hit in the head and a lot of them unfortunately ended up having mental problems. Absolutely. But what US heavyweight boxing champion, actually lectured on Shakespeare at Yale University. Is this
Marcia Smith 13:20
a well known boxer for his time? Yeah, before my time, but you’ve probably heard the name. It wasn’t Marcial. No, no, it wasn’t.
Bob Smith 13:29
There was Mohamed El Nino. I don’t know. Gene Tunney. Gene Tunney, he is considered to have been one of the most intelligent boxers in history. So he actually lectured on Shakespeare at Yale University. And one more question, a geography question. All right. Imagine this, if you will imagine, if you will, country so big that the sun rises and sets at the same time?
Marcia Smith 13:55
Well, that doesn’t make any sense to me. So large,
Bob Smith 13:59
the sun rises and sets at the same time, more time zones than any other country. That’s my clue. It’s not Russia. Yes, it is. Okay. It’s the former Soviet Union. It reaches westward into Europe and eastward to the edges.
Marcia Smith 14:12
Eastern Asia comes up and goes down at the same time, the only
Bob Smith 14:16
country where the sun rises and sets at the same time according to a book called Would you believe? And I do?
Marcia Smith 14:24
I believe, I believe okay.
Bob Smith 14:26
You’re listening to the off ramp with Bob and Marshall Smith. We’ll be back in just a moment. Okay, after a bourbon, we’re back. No, I didn’t have a bourbon. I did not maybe
Marcia Smith 14:38
later with the pizza. Oh, that’s a good idea. Okay. So
Bob Smith 14:41
we’re back again with the off ramp Bob and Marsha Smith. What famous American painting used the Rhine River in Germany in its scenery, even though the river depicted was supposed to be an American one. Oh, really? Yeah. famous painting, famous painting of river painting. This You have five seconds
Marcia Smith 15:02
to do an American artist. Yes painting or landscape. Use the Rhine River as his muse. Muse. No.
Bob Smith 15:13
The Muse was an historical event. Yeah. Oh, okay, tell me, okay, it’s American painter Emmanuel Lutz, who was actually born in Germany. He did the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware in Dusseldorf. And he used the Rhine River as the model for the river and the painting. Okay. I never heard of that art. Isn’t this a legitimate question mark,
Marcia Smith 15:34
but I asked you a question. You asked me who the artist is. I didn’t ask me what? I
Bob Smith 15:38
said. White, famous American painting. Use the
Marcia Smith 15:42
printer? No. Oh.
Bob Smith 15:46
Are we over are? Yes, we must listen to the question. When I asked, Hey, what
Marcia Smith 15:53
make President smarty pants as young men, we had two presidents who were actually property of their masters at one time. Really? Yeah. Who
Bob Smith 16:04
were they time to take a break?
Marcia Smith 16:07
You’re not gonna see you’re gonna ask me to my
Bob Smith 16:09
phone and get on Wikipedia. Okay, the question again, is that there were two
Marcia Smith 16:14
presidents were once property of their masters. So they
Bob Smith 16:17
were indentured servants is what they were correct. indentured, not meaning I’m wearing dentures. indentured meaning I’m working for someone or other. Wow, that’s interesting. I’ll say I think of two people I knew were born kind of in poverty. Andrew Jackson, you got the first name right. Andrew, or the president named Andrew. Andrew. Who’s another Andrew. Andrew Carnegie. No, that’s not a president Andrew. Andrew Smith. That’s my middle name. Oh, let me see. I don’t know
Marcia Smith 16:46
who you’re sweating. Bob. Okay. Andrew Johnson. Bob, What’s your middle name? And Millard Fillmore, okay, indentured servant was a different kind of slave bound by a contract to work for a Master who in effect, own them for the term of the contract like your ancestor.
Bob Smith 17:04
I bet Andrew Johnson was indentured to a tailor. How do you know that? Well, I know he worked for a tailor and he had fancy clothes all his life. Yes. Yes, that’s true. Oh, okay. Good. That’s all I knew was that he? In fact, he apparently made some of his suits. That’s what his
Marcia Smith 17:18
own suit. Yeah. As an adult. Yes, Johnson was indentured to a tailor. Okay, you guessed correctly, and he ran away. The Taylor took out an ad in the Raleigh North Carolina Gazette, offering a $10 reward with the return of the future president. There were no takers. And Fillmore was indentured to a cloth maker. And he served his master and finally bought his own freedom for $30. Wow. And it says here apparently Fillmore was worth $20 More than Andy Johnson.
Bob Smith 17:54
You know, it’s funny, because I always think of indentured servants. Like with my experience, it was a person who came over on the Mayflower, you know, indentured servants, and that people would pay for these very expensive journeys with that I will work for you for five years. That kind of a thing. I never think of people who were living here who weren’t slaves who were in that kind of a situation for a regular business person or as an apprentice.
Marcia Smith 18:16
Instead of hiring them. They just said, work for me and you’ll get food and clothing. Let you go in five years,
Bob Smith 18:23
and you’ll learn about my trade. Yeah. All right, Marcia, literature question for you. When he had Hamlet, tell Ophelia, Get thee to a nunnery. Ah, Shakespeare didn’t mean go to a convent. What did he mean? Ah,
Marcia Smith 18:38
he didn’t mean a campaign. No, you
Bob Smith 18:40
thought he did, didn’t you?
Marcia Smith 18:40
I did all these years. What does he mean? Just get get to a place where there are no boys. Well, that that
Bob Smith 18:47
word meant something different back in those. So really? What did it mean? Well, in those days, a nunnery was Elizabethan slang for a brothel. No. Yes.
Marcia Smith 18:56
You mean it’s the total reverse.
Bob Smith 18:58
Total opposite. So it’s a real insult. So when Hamlet rejects Ophelia is advanced his saying, Get thee to a nunnery. He’s being much more brutal than today’s audience.
Marcia Smith 19:09
Okay, Bobby, yes. Why do fireflies light up?
Bob Smith 19:14
Why do they light up? I would assume that is like a mating call.
Marcia Smith 19:18
You’re right. They do it to attract a mate. But fireflies flash their lights to each other in precise and split second codes. Really? Yeah. The male black Firefly of North America flashes every 5.7 seconds when flying. And when he gets within 10 to 15 feet of a lady who’s sitting around on the ground she flashes back exactly 2.1 seconds after he does really that’s the code and that’s their little mating dance. Well, let’s sit in the backyard tonight with a stopwatch and let’s say gotta see to
Bob Smith 19:56
look at the ground you’re looking here. You can Follow up. I got one 2.1 seconds. 2.1
Marcia Smith 20:02
Yeah. 2.1 seconds she responds after he flashes. So that’s
Bob Smith 20:06
how he knows. Okay, I’ll go and answer a landing. Well, that makes that to remark sounds a little more suggestive than I intended. I apologize. Oh,
Marcia Smith 20:18
yeah, this is a podcast, Bob. It’s not okay. Yes.
Bob Smith 20:22
Okay, another word origin. We’re actually definition there is a difference between a postal card and a postcard. Did you know that? No.
Marcia Smith 20:29
Well, what
Bob Smith 20:30
is the difference? Marcia,
Marcia Smith 20:32
I just told you. No. Oh.
Bob Smith 20:35
I guess you did. Okay. Sorry.
Marcia Smith 20:37
Let me guess. Difference between a post card and a postal card is one stamped and one is metered?
Bob Smith 20:45
No, that’s not the answer. But your close, a postal card has a stamp printed on it. A postcard has no stamp, and most likely is one that has a picture of seen printed on one side. And it’s one you pick up and you have to put a stamp on it, or it has to run through a stamping machine.
Marcia Smith 21:03
Alright, if not purposely killed? Is there any animal that is immortal?
Bob Smith 21:09
What do you mean? No, if
Marcia Smith 21:11
not purposely killed by you know, something like a predator or a human being? Is there any animal that is mortal? And in other words, doesn’t die of old
Bob Smith 21:22
age in us something kills it? Is there any animal that always remains alive? That’s
Marcia Smith 21:26
pretty much what I said. But if you understand it, I have to understand this
Bob Smith 21:30
better. Oh, and frankly, I can’t imagine the answer is yes. So tell me I’m wrong.
Marcia Smith 21:35
You’re wrong. Okay. And this is one we’ve had numerous questions about the jellyfish, specifically the Torah Topsis door and I, this particular jellyfish, if it faces some kind of stress, like starvation or injury, it can revert back to being a tiny blob of tissue and start all over again. Really, if it has stress. It’s like a frog becoming
Bob Smith 21:59
a tadpole, metamorphosis into something else. Yeah, it has
Marcia Smith 22:03
various stages of metamorphosis, but the tiny blob is way back towards the beginning. So there you go, and more immoral.
Bob Smith 22:13
How many generations can this go on? Forever?
Marcia Smith 22:16
That’s the definition of memorial.
Bob Smith 22:18
I’m gonna have to hit Wikipedia on
Marcia Smith 22:20
that is where I got it. That’s very unique. Think about that tonight.
Bob Smith 22:25
I will think about that tonight. All right. You think about this tonight? Where does the term leather next come from? Now? That’s what we use to describe Marines. Marines.
Marcia Smith 22:34
Semper Fi. Oh, here we go. Okay, well,
Bob Smith 22:38
where did the term leather necks come from?
Marcia Smith 22:41
I knew once. That doesn’t count Marsh. Okay. Did it have something to do with the helmet or hat? It did it? Did it have a leather lap on it that hung over his neck?
Bob Smith 22:52
Well, let me just give you the answer I have here and then you can picture it in your mind. It has nothing to do with sunburn or, you know, stiff military bearing but the first persons called Leathernecks. Were members of the light infantry. This was the elite of George Washington’s army. Oh, really? Yeah. They wore dashing leather helmets with horsehair crests. And they were called leather necks because of the way the helmets hung on their head.
Marcia Smith 23:18
No, then I was right. No, you weren’t.
Bob Smith 23:21
You were that was right. You were right. You figured it out?
Marcia Smith 23:24
How much weight can an average head of human hair support?
Bob Smith 23:29
How much weight can an average human hair support? I don’t understand that question. Like,
Marcia Smith 23:34
single human hair can support approximately three ounces of weight. Oh, if something seemed too strong, is it? Yeah. How can it support? How much can it support?
Bob Smith 23:44
Like how much can it lift? Or hold? Yes. Oh, okay. Okay. So if all of the human hairs were used, essentially as tiny little ropes or strings on your head? Yeah. How much could you hold? Yeah. Oh, that’s a good question.
Marcia Smith 23:56
You’re having a hard time visualizing visualizing.
Bob Smith 23:58
I’m trying to visualize what that would look like. I don’t know how many,
Marcia Smith 24:02
two elephants What 12 tons. That I can’t believe that. I know. But I in fact, I spent way too long on this answer. Because it that’s what I said, when the average single hair can support approximately three ounces. How can that be that it’s 12 tonnes? Well,
Bob Smith 24:21
you have to multiply that by the number of hairs on the head, which is
Marcia Smith 24:24
an average 100,000 hair. Wow. And so it comes out to you know, the weight of two elephants. So
Bob Smith 24:31
let me summarize that. Marcia is interesting answer but totally impractical. I can’t use that information
Marcia Smith 24:39
to shave off my hair and just let’s go pick up some elephants down there. And, my dear.
Bob Smith 24:44
Okay, I’ve got another question. And it goes back to early American history. Okay. Why did the American shipbuilding industry get its start in 1631? What was the reason we started building ships on this continent in What year 1631? Now here’s a clue think about current industry or industry of the 20th century and why things move to another place. Why production moved to another? Yeah. For trade? Why? For trade? No,
Marcia Smith 25:15
no for to get the Pilgrims back to where they wanted to go.
Bob Smith 25:18
No cheap labor cheap materials. Let’s build it offshore, the British found that they can build a ship in America and send it back to England cheaper than they could build it in England at the time. Oh, you’re kidding. No, it’s true. And it was due to the lumber being cheap. And of course, the labor being cheap compared to people in England. Yeah, shipyard started up in Boston and other Massachusetts ports. And the British began building their ships here in the New World, where there was a wealth of inexpensive timber, the air we had forest, virgin forests. In fact, an American built ship was only half as expensive as one built in England in 1631.
Marcia Smith 25:56
That’s amazing. They started building up here. The labor was cheaper. Yeah. And
Bob Smith 26:00
so are the materials. Yeah. So one of the first ships built at Boston was a 30 ton sloop built for Governor John Winthrop called blessing of the bay that was launched in 1631. And that’s the reason cheap labor cheap materials, let’s build it offshore. not a new concept at all. Hmm, I’ll be darned. I’m gonna wrap up my material with a prediction. You tell me when it happened. Okay, okay, machinery will perform all work. Automator will direct them the only tasks of the human race will be to make love, study and be happy. When was that prediction? When was that prediction? What year?
Marcia Smith 26:37
Oh, my gosh, was it the only
Bob Smith 26:39
things human beings will have to do is make love, study and be happy at 93? It was an 1853. Okay, there’s a publication called the United States review, they predicted by 1900 that would happen, wow, that machinery would perform all the work and the only thing a human being would have to do is make love, study and be happy. And they were foreseeing that before the Civil War, that prediction. Wow,
Marcia Smith 27:03
that’s amazing. All right. Well, it’s summertime. And I’m gonna end up with a quote from Van Morrison. Smell the sea and feel the sky. Let your soul and spirit fly.
Bob Smith 27:15
That sounds great. Let’s go to the beach. Okay, and we just want to remind you, if you’d like to contribute to the off ramp, we’d love to take your question. And you can do that by going to our website,
Marcia Smith 27:24
the off ramp dot show and go to contact
Bob Smith 27:27
us and you can leave your information, your name and the answer to the question, and we’d like to know where you’re at too. So thanks for listening. I’m Bob Smith.
Marcia Smith 27:36
I’m Marcia Smith. Join us again next
Bob Smith 27:38
time when we return with more trivia here on the offering. The off ramp is produced in association with CPL Radio Online, and the Cedarburg Public Library Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
