Bob and Marcia Smith discuss various trivia topics, including the height of baby giraffes (six feet), the ethnic diversity of George Washington’s troops at Valley Forge, and the extinction of northern white rhinos. They explore historical fashion, such as ruffles in the 16th century, and the origins of slang terms from the Victorian era. Geography questions reveal Alaska as the largest peninsula in the U.S. and Michigan as the state made entirely of peninsulas. They delve into the history of roller coasters, political advertising, and the evolution of Nike’s slogan. The episode concludes with a discussion on dog commands and gratitude quotes.
Outline
Giraffe Birth and Native American Service at Valley Forge
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the height of baby giraffes, revealing they are six feet tall at birth.
- Marcia Smith explains the birthing process, including the giraffe’s fall from its mother and the gestation period of 13 to 15 months.
- Bob Smith shares that Native Americans, including the Stockbridge Brigade, served with George Washington at Valley Forge.
- Marcia Smith and Bob Smith discuss the diverse ethnic groups who served under Washington, including African Americans, German Americans, French volunteers, Scottish people, Irish Americans, Swedish, Dutch, and Prussian soldiers.
Extinction of Northern White Rhinos and 16th Century English Fashion
- Marcia Smith reveals that only two northern white rhinos remain, both female, and mentions efforts to save the species through advanced technology.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the decline of the northern white rhino population due to poaching, habitat loss, and conflict.
- Marcia Smith explains the significance of ruffles in 16th-century English fashion, noting that larger and more elaborate ruffles indicated higher social status.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the influence of Queen Elizabeth I on fashion, including the use of ruffles to symbolize authority and wealth.
New York City’s Financial Crisis and Victorian Slang
- Bob Smith recounts the New York City financial crisis in the mid-1970s and the brief versus verbose headlines from the New York Times and New York Daily News.
- Marcia Smith shares slang phrases from the Victorian era, including “got the morbs” (meaning glum), “bags” (meaning mystery), “giggle mug” (meaning someone with a very smiley face), and “chuck a boo” (meaning a favorite chum).
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the origins of these slang phrases, noting their use in the 1840s.
- Marcia Smith explains that these slang phrases are from a book of Victorian slang written in 1909.
Geography and Coffee Culture: Zarf and Postcards
- Bob Smith asks Marcia Smith about the largest peninsula in the United States, revealing it is Alaska, and the state made entirely of peninsulas, which is Michigan.
- Marcia Smith explains the definition of a peninsula and provides details about Alaska and Michigan.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the origin of the word “zarf,” which is a cardboard sleeve for hot paper coffee or tea, and its historical roots in the Ottoman Empire.
- Marcia Smith shares that the first postcard was issued in Austria in 1869, and the first recurrent printed postcard was produced in connection with the Franco-Prussian War.
Secret Societies and Ancient Advertising
- Marcia Smith asks Bob Smith about the Order of Skull and Bones, a secret society co-founded by Yale University students in 1832.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the members of Skull and Bones, including three U.S. presidents: George W. Bush, George H.W. Bush, and William Howard Taft.
- Marcia Smith shares that the first known advertisement is a papyrus from ancient Egypt, created by a weaver named Hapu to find his runaway slave.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the origins of political advertising, noting its presence in ancient Pompeii and the use of billboards and statues for political promotion.
Nike’s Slogan and Roller Coaster History
- Marcia Smith reveals that Nike’s famous slogan “Just Do It” was inspired by the last words of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore, “Let’s do it.”
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the evolution of Nike’s slogan and its impact on the brand’s market share.
- Bob Smith asks Marcia Smith about the origin of roller coasters, revealing they were first invented in Russia in the 15th century as large, ice-covered slides.
- Marcia Smith explains the adaptation of these slides into carriages on grooved tracks in St. Petersburg in 1784, which are considered the first wheeled roller coasters.
Thanksgiving’s Origin and American Roller Coasters
- Marcia Smith explains that Thanksgiving was originally celebrated in mid-October, and it was moved to November by President Abraham Lincoln to coincide with the Pilgrims’ landing on Plymouth Rock in 1863.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the origins of American roller coasters, noting that mining companies in Pennsylvania built railways to transport coal, which later inspired the design of roller coasters.
- Marcia Smith shares that the first American roller coasters were built using coal carts and a safety device invented by a mining company.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the evolution of roller coasters from mining railways to amusement park attractions.
Dog Commands and Gratitude Quotes
- Marcia Smith provides a list of dog commands, including “sit,” “stay,” “goose feathers” (meaning down), “heel,” and “shake” (meaning not a malt).
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith discuss the meanings of these dog commands and their common usage.
- Marcia Smith shares gratitude quotes from Winnie the Pooh, Dennis Whateley, and Nitya Prakash, emphasizing the importance of living with love, grace, and gratitude.
- Bob Smith and Marcia Smith express their gratitude to the audience and conclude the episode of the Off Ramp.
Bob Smith 0:00
American history question, what surprising ethnic group served with George Washington at Valley Forge?
Marcia Smith 0:08
And how tall are baby giraffes when they are born?
Bob Smith 0:13
Answers to those and other questions coming up in this episode of the off ramp with Bob
Marcia Smith 0:18
and Marcia Smith.
Bob Smith 0:35
Welcome to the Off Ramp, a chance to slow down, steer clear of crazy and take a side road to sanity with fascinating facts and tantalizing trivia. Okay? Marcia, how tall are baby giraffes when they’re born?
Marcia Smith 0:50
Bob, the question’s for you. How tall are giraffes baby giraffes when they’re born? You don’t ask me, that’s my question.
Bob Smith 0:59
Let me see. I bet they’re pretty tall by by children’s standards, I say they’re four feet tall or something like that. Are they more than that?
Marcia Smith 1:07
Yeah.
Bob Smith 1:08
Really?
Marcia Smith 1:08
Yeah.
Bob Smith 1:09
Giraffes are taller than four feet when they’re born.
Marcia Smith 1:12
Six feet.
Bob Smith 1:13
Oh, my God. How do they get out oftheir mother?
Marcia Smith 1:15
Yeah, well, they fall. They weigh between 100 and 150 pounds. I thought our first baby was a lot.
Bob Smith 1:24
Wow.
Marcia Smith 1:24
They are born standing upright, and they fall about six feet to the ground from their mother.
Bob Smith 1:30
Jeez.
Marcia Smith 1:31
When they’re born, it’s part of the process that helps them take their first breaths and breaks the amniotic sac.
Bob Smith 1:38
Jeez.
Marcia Smith 1:38
And just so you know, gestation for Mama is between 13 and 15 months.
Bob Smith 1:44
13 to 15 months to have a baby giraffe,
Marcia Smith 1:46
Yeah,
Bob Smith 1:47
and then it falls six feet from its mother to the ground.
Marcia Smith 1:50
Yeah.
Bob Smith 1:51
Wow.
Marcia Smith 1:51
I think last time we were at a zoo it was in LA by the giraffes. If I saw a six foot baby drop out of its mother, I would have keeledover.
Bob Smith 1:58
That would have been amazing, right?
Marcia Smith 2:00
Yeah.
Bob Smith 2:00
Amazing and strange, okay, speaking of strange, what unusual ethnic group served with George Washington at Valley Forge. I just recently learned this Marcia
Marcia Smith 2:11
Well, okay, was it American Indians?
Bob Smith 2:13
That is exactly right. There you go. That’s right. George Washington sought help from all kinds of people. He had African Americans. There, German Americans, French volunteers. There were Scottish people there. One of the generals born in Scotland, served under Washington. Irish American, Swedish and Dutch and Prussian. My goodness, so many different kinds of people. But there were also Indians, Native Americans, members of the Stockbridge brigade, including a Christian Indian chief, Benjamin Wanach Nawit and his son, Daniel Wanach Nawit, who both spoke English, served with Washington at Valley Forge. They fought in numerous battles and were considered heroic soldiers in the Revolutionary War. Some of their descendants live in reservations in New York and in Wisconsin
Marcia Smith 3:02
No kidding.
Bob Smith 3:02
to this day. Yeah, the S6tockbridge warriors were officially integrated into the Continental Army, and they participated in the Battle of Saratoga and the Battle of Monmouth at Valley Forge. George Washington also welcomed Oneida and Tuscarora warriors. And some of these Indians are credited with saving the life of Lafayette, who went on to become a major hero in the Revolutionary War.
Marcia Smith 3:02
Wow.
Bob Smith 3:05
These Native Americans played a major role and served with George Washington at Valley Forge. Who knew?
Marcia Smith 3:19
I did not know that. Okay, Bob, there are only two of these animals left in the world, and unfortunately, they’re both female. What are they?
Bob Smith 3:19
Okay. Now this is a, as you would say, not enough information for me to make a guess.
Marcia Smith 3:19
Okay
Bob Smith 3:19
So are they marsupials? Are they mammals? Are they? What are they?
Marcia Smith 3:19
African animals,
Bob Smith 3:19
Elephants, perhaps?
Marcia Smith 3:19
No.
Bob Smith 3:19
Rhinoceros.
Marcia Smith 3:19
Yes!
Bob Smith 3:19
Really?
Marcia Smith 3:19
They’re the northern white rhino. And since the last male died in 2018 they are functionally extinct. However, some scientists are working to save the species through advanced technology, including embryo implantation. In the 1970s Bob, there were over 2000 of these rhinos, but population declined as a result of poaching, habitat loss and conflict, the remaining two live in a protected sanctuary in Kenya.
Bob Smith 3:19
Wow, just two, yeah, two left. Isn’t that hard to believe?
Marcia Smith 3:19
Yes, it is. Bob during the 1500s in England. What was a way to best show off your status of wealth in the 1500s
Bob Smith 4:39
In England? Yeah, it was your stockings.
Marcia Smith 4:41
Nope.
Bob Smith 4:42
Okay, throw that. That’s how I show my wealth.
Marcia Smith 4:47
Yes, those little gold toe socks you wear with shorts, it’s very attractive.
Bob Smith 4:53
What an elite person he is!
Marcia Smith 4:56
You want to guess so, something you see in a lot of pictures,
Bob Smith 4:59
And it’s not the wigs. Is it a certain type of dress?
Marcia Smith 5:03
It’s a part of the ensemble. You’ll certainly see it on Queen Elizabeth.
Bob Smith 5:07
Oh, it’s ruffles.
Marcia Smith 5:08
That’s it.
Bob Smith 5:08
The ruffles. The collar, right?
Marcia Smith 5:11
Yes, the rough, it’s called the Ruffs.
Bob Smith 5:13
Oh, no kidding.
Marcia Smith 5:14
Yeah, it’s hard to miss the sight of these towering, fluted sculptures circling the faces and necks of the English elite,
Bob Smith 5:22
Right? It’s so strange looking, isn’t it?
Marcia Smith 5:24
Yes, and fashion was a way for people to visibly demonstrate their rank, besides saying, I’m rich and you’re not. The larger and more elaborate, the rough, the more important and wealthier you were. One of the most famous proponents of this ridiculous fashion was Queen Elizabeth I, who after taking the throne in 1558 used her striking appearance to symbolize her authority. Hher ornate structured gowns and imposing rough collars influenced the looks not only of her courtiers, but of the whole country. Pretty soon, all the classes tried to have at least some kind of ruffle, but she enacted a law that restricted the most luxurious clothing to the upper classes.
Bob Smith 6:04
Oh, geez
Marcia Smith 6:05
Making the truly showy roughs the domain of the rich. I thought this was interesting. The average rough had as much as 15 to 20 feet of fabric.
Bob Smith 6:15
Oh, my goodness, that went around their neck. Yes, 15 to 20 feet. You see them in the painting.
Marcia Smith 6:19
Yeah.
Bob Smith 6:20
Sir Walter Raleigh had one, you know, other people.
Marcia Smith 6:22
And once starch was invented, early in her reign, they got bigger because they could stand up.
Bob Smith 6:28
I wonder, how those work? Could you take them off and on, like, ties or something, you know,
Marcia Smith 6:33
Yeah, originally they were attached to your outfit, but then they had detachable ones, and then starch came along. So, you know, they evolved, but when she retired, so did they?
Bob Smith 6:43
Marcia.
Marcia Smith 6:44
Yeah.
Bob Smith 6:44
It pays to be brief. As you’ve often told me.
Marcia Smith 6:47
Yes, it does.
Bob Smith 6:47
Brevity is more memorable than verbosity. In the mid 1970s New York was in a financial crisis, and it was seeking bailout money from the US government, and Gerald Ford eventually made the decision, no, we’re not going to do that. I’m going to veto anything. And so the New York Times and The New York Daily News both covered this. One had a very, very brief headline, the other had a very verbose headline, and the New York Times is the one that was verbose. 60 years later, they decided to give the son of that headline writer for the New York Daily News, the tabloid the opportunity to write about his dad and how the headline came about. His headline was “Ford to city drop dead.”
Marcia Smith 7:29
Oh gosh.
Bob Smith 7:30
You’ve seen that very famous The New York Times headline that day, “Ford castigating city, asserts he’d veto federal bailout offers bankruptcy bill.” Nobody. Nobody remembers that o.ne
Marcia Smith 7:44
Drop dead is – that’s click bait, baby.
Bob Smith 7:46
William Brink is the fellow, and his father was William J Brink. Anyway, I just thought that was a good example of verbosity. The New York Times obviously learned its lesson. It let the guy whose father wrote the competitive headline take the lead in remembering that very famous news event,
Marcia Smith 7:59
Well that was smart of the paper of record, Bob. I’m going to give you some slang phrases and what they mean, but you have to tell me from what era, from now, going backwards.
Bob Smith 8:10
Okay.
Marcia Smith 8:11
These are all from the same era.
Bob Smith 8:12
Okay.
Marcia Smith 8:13
Just tell me which one. Okay, got the morbs, M, O, R, B, S
Bob Smith 8:15
Got the morbs?
Marcia Smith 8:17
Yeah. Like morbid. It means you’re very glum. I like that.
Bob Smith 8:22
Got the morbs.
Marcia Smith 8:23
I got them
Bob Smith 8:24
It’s like I’m glum or I’m depressed.
Marcia Smith 8:25
That’s exactly what it
Bob Smith 8:27
Got the morbs
Marcia Smith 8:27
Bags oh mystery. And that means don’t ask how the sausage is made.
Bob Smith 8:32
Bags. Oh, mystery
Marcia Smith 8:34
Isn’t that funny. I like that.
Bob Smith 8:35
Oh, that’s funny.
Marcia Smith 8:36
How about giggleMug that someone who has a very smiley face all the time.
Bob Smith 8:41
That sounds endearing. Giggle mug. Okay,
Marcia Smith 8:44
And one more I’ll do chuck a boo, a favorite chum.
Bob Smith 8:48
Wow. These are strange.
Marcia Smith 8:50
You never heard of them did ya?
Bob Smith 8:51
I would say these go back to the 1920s that’s my first guess. The other guess was the 50s. But I think I would have known those if neither one of those are right. Let’s go back to the 1840s
Marcia Smith 9:02
Really?
Bob Smith 9:02
Yeah.
Marcia Smith 9:03
You’d go back that far.
Bob Smith 9:04
Yeah.
Marcia Smith 9:04
You’re right. It’s Victorian.
Bob Smith 9:06
No kidding.
Marcia Smith 9:07
I thought these words were very current. I would put that in a text to you – Hey, chuck a boo, what’s with the giggle mug?
Bob Smith 9:16
I love giggle mug. That sounds funny.
Marcia Smith 9:18
Yeah.That’s all from a book of slang written in 1909 called Victorian slang.
Bob Smith 9:25
It was the era of Queen Victoria,
Marcia Smith 9:28
That’s right, she died 1901
Bob Smith 9:30
All right, Marcia, I have a geography question for you. Two questions, two questions.
Marcia Smith 9:34
All right.
Bob Smith 9:34
Several US states occupy peninsulas. Now the question is, which is the largest Peninsula? That’s the first question. Question two is, which state is made entirely of peninsulas?
Marcia Smith 9:49
Peninsula? It’s was Florida?.
Bob Smith 9:51
Florida is one of the peninsula states.
Marcia Smith 9:53
Yeah.
Bob Smith 9:53
it’s not the largest Peninsula. Now, the definition of a peninsula is a portion of land nearly surrounded by one. Water and connected to the larger body by an isthmus.
Marcia Smith 10:03
Isthmus?
Bob Smith 10:03
Yes, now, what US state occupies the largest peninsula in the United States?
Marcia Smith 10:08
Well, I don’t know. Is it? No, it wouldn’t be that. I don’t know. Tell me.
Bob Smith 10:12
The answer is Alaska.
Marcia Smith 10:14
Oh, I didn’t even.
Bob Smith 10:15
I never think of it that way. Alaska, its Southwestern extension, the Alaska Peninsula is a massive land mass jutting into water, and it’s bordered by the Arctic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea, plus the Alaska Peninsula shares a maritime border with Russia to the west. So it is huge. It occupies the largest peninsula in the United States. Alaska does. That’s the first question. Question two is, so what state is made up entirely of peninsulas, plural, two parts. They’re both peninsulas.
Marcia Smith 10:48
Well, it’s not Michigan.
Bob Smith 10:49
Here’s the hint. You lived in one.
Marcia Smith 10:51
That’s what I just said, Michigan.
Bob Smith 10:52
Yes, it is Michigan. Ning. Ning, that’s right,
Marcia Smith 10:55
Yeah Lake Huron on the East.
Bob Smith 10:57
Lake Michigan, West.
Marcia Smith 10:56
And north is Lake Superior.
Bob Smith 10:59
That’s right. Two peninsulas, the lower peninsula and the Upper Peninsula, and it’s surrounded by the Great Lakes. It’s the only state made up entirely of peninsulas. All right, we’ll take a break now. We’ll return in just a moment. You’re listening to the off ramp with Bob and Marcia Smith.
Bob Smith 11:15
You’re listening to the off ramp with Bob and Marcia Smith, we do this each week for the Cedarburg Public Library, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. After that, we put it on podcast platforms, and it is heard all over the world, speaking of the world. Marcia, in which country
Marcia Smith 11:30
It’s my turn, Bob.
Bob Smith 11:31
Speaking of the world. Marcia
Marcia Smith 11:32
It’s my turn.
Bob Smith 11:33
What’s your question?
Marcia Smith 11:34
Oh, I kind of jumped in there. Okay, Bob, what is a zarf, Z, A R F,
Bob Smith 11:41
Z, A R F?
Marcia Smith 11:42
Yeah.
Bob Smith 11:43
A zarf?
Marcia Smith 11:43
Yeah, you’ve seen these. You use them. In fact, you had one in your hand today.
Bob Smith 11:48
I had a zarf in my hand today.
Marcia Smith 11:49
Yes, you did.
Bob Smith 11:50
Was it alive?
Marcia Smith 11:52
No,.
Bob Smith 11:52
Okay, maybe I should have been scared.
Marcia Smith 11:57
Yeah.
Bob Smith 11:57
A zarf.
Marcia Smith 11:58
Everything has a name, and so does the zarf,
Bob Smith 12:00
Okay? Is this a writing instrument?
Marcia Smith 12:03
No.
Bob Smith 12:03
Is it a spoon or some kind of utensil I used to eat?
Marcia Smith 12:08
No.
Bob Smith 12:08
is it a banana? I just had a banana in my hand. Is that
Marcia Smith 12:12
No
Bob Smith 12:12
All right? What is the zarf
Marcia Smith 12:13
It is the cardboard sleeve you put around hot paper coffee or tea.
Bob Smith 12:18
Oh, no kidding,
Marcia Smith 12:19
Yeah, you know, you pick up your zarfs at Starbucks.
Bob Smith 12:22
Zarfs, they’re called Z, A, R, F?
Marcia Smith 12:24
Yeah, it’s Arabic.
Bob Smith 12:25
Where in the world does that name come from?
Marcia Smith 12:28
Well, it comes from Turkey in the Ottoman Empire. Coffee was served in small, handleless cups, often too hot to hold directly, so they were placed in decorative holders. Zarfs, made of metal, wood, ivory or tortoise shell.
Bob Smith 12:42
It’s not the same thing as today.
Marcia Smith 12:44
Zarfs were oftenly elaborately crafted with filigree, enamel and jewels. Geez.
Bob Smith 12:49
Jewels. Wow. Zarfs had jewels?
Marcia Smith 12:51
Symbolizing sophistication. Oh, they weren’t just functional. They were part of a ritualized coffee ceremony like you and I have every morning. The cardboard sleeve we use today was invented in 1991 while it’s a far cry from the jeweled zarfs of the 18th century, the name persists and is a nod to its historical predecessor, wow.
Bob Smith 13:15
So it’s worth knowing that it’s called the zarf Why?
Marcia Smith 13:18
Because you get 16 points and Scrabble.
Bob Smith 13:21
Oh, really. Okay, well, then that is worth Oh, that’s a good all right. So let’s tell this to everybody listening, that that ribbed sleeve you use when you buy your cup at Starbucks or any other coffee shop is called a zarf. Zarf. Okay, and unfortunately, ours don’t have jewels on them like they did back in the Ottoman Empire. Wow. That that word has made a long journey, hasn’t it?
Marcia Smith 13:43
Isn’t it amazing? Yes, stick around
Bob Smith 13:45
it is! Zarf. All right. New topic, in which country was the first postcard issued? Belgium, Austria, China, England, France or the United States?
Marcia Smith 13:56
Did you say China?
Bob Smith 13:57
Yes, I did.
Marcia Smith 13:58
I’ll say that.
Bob Smith 13:59
And you’re wrong
Marcia Smith 14:00
China. It’s not China, then it’s Austria.
Bob Smith 14:03
Yes, it is.
Marcia Smith 14:04
I’m thinking of those colored postcards we have from the lithographs and stuff in Austria.
Bob Smith 14:09
Yes, a lot of those were from Europe, because that’s where printing was very advanced back in the 19th century. But Austrian economist Dr Emmanuel Hermann lays claim to the first postcard, a brief message, no envelope and low cost postage. It was designed and approved by the Austrian Hungarian government in 1869 Austria and Hungary were one country at the same time, but that’s where it was. And a year later, production began on the first recurrent printed card, a historical postcard in connection with the Franco German war. Wow, that’s depressing. I’ve got the morbs! Seeing the value in these low cost postings, Great Britain started using postcards for advertising in 1872. And the first postcard of the Eiffel Tower debuted in 1889 and that began the popularity of the now common vacation postcard,
Marcia Smith 15:00
Yeah, yeah.
Bob Smith 15:01
That’s where they came from.
Marcia Smith 15:02
All right, Bob, in 1832 Yale University students, William Huntington, Russell and Alfonso Taft co founded the order of Skull and Bones. You’ve heard of that? Yes, I have what is
Bob Smith 15:15
it? It’s a club.
Marcia Smith 15:16
It’s a secret society.
Bob Smith 15:18
Secret Society. Secret club. George W Bush the elder. George Bush the elder was in it as a college student.
Marcia Smith 15:24
Well, you just jump ahead to my question.
Bob Smith 15:27
So the question is, what President
Marcia Smith 15:30
I’ll get there. Hold on. Sorry. The Secret Society has gone on to become one of the most elite organizations of its kind in the US. For almost two centuries, Skull and Bones has been a subject of much fascination, speculation and suspicion. Its members have included three US presidents, three.
Bob Smith 15:50
Oh, there are three. So I only got one, so George Bush was one. Yes. Who are the other two presidents?
Marcia Smith 15:55
That’s the question. Okay, that’s what I’m asking. Oh, you don’t, Bob, are you saying? I’m saying I don’t know. You’re not gonna guess you got one. It’s
Bob Smith 16:03
probably from that same time. Is it Teddy Roosevelt? Is he one of them? No, could it be? No, see, I was thinking of Wilson, President Wilson. No, he was an ivy Leaguer too. He had it at Princeton University, I believe. But I don’t know where he went to college. Okay? I don’t know who they who are,
Marcia Smith 16:18
right? It was Bush the younger George W and Howard Taft.
Bob Smith 16:23
William Howard Taft, yeah. Okay, so there were two bushes and a Taft, yeah, huh. They were all members of Skull and Bones.
Marcia Smith 16:30
Yeah, I didn’t know that. And other people included Lyman Spitzer. He was a theoretical physicist. And Henry Luce, influential publisher of Time Magazine, yeah, Life magazine, fortune, time and Sports Illustrated. Well, okay, okay, what do you
Bob Smith 16:45
got? I’ve got, speaking of publications, an ad, where was the first, oldest known ad? Now, we’ve had questions like this before, but this is a new one, okay, now it’s considered the oldest known ad, and it’s a papyrus from ancient No kidding, Ancient
Marcia Smith 17:01
Egypt, that’s right, they keep finding new
Bob Smith 17:04
things. That’s what I said. Yeah, okay, so let me tell you about this one. It was created by a weaver named hapu in the city of Thebes to find his runaway slave. Shem 3000 years ago. The Text offers a gold coin to anyone who found his slave. But it also used the opportunity to promote hapu’s business, describing it as the shop of the weaver hapu, where the most beautiful canvases in all of Thebes are woven according to everyone’s taste.
Marcia Smith 17:32
Isn’t that funny? He’s the first one to say, hey, I can use this as a shout out,
Bob Smith 17:37
right? Find my runaway slave. If you find Shem, let me know, yeah, and I’m hapu. And then I’ve got some weaving for you, the Weaver where the most beautiful canvases in all of Thebes are woven. Isn’t that funny? God Lost and Found advertising on papyrus was common in Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome.
Marcia Smith 17:55
Okay? Bob, this is up your alley. The world’s oldest museum was built by WHO and WHERE,
Bob Smith 18:03
the oldest museum, uh huh, the oldest museum in the world, in the world, see, geez. Was that built before Christ? Yeah, the oldest museum in the world, okay, I assume it was like the Greeks maybe had
Marcia Smith 18:16
one the Babylonian Princess, wow. Built it 2500 years ago, early museums began as private collections of wealthy people, and they were often displayed in so called wonder rooms and cabinets of antiquity. In 1925 archeologist Leonard Woolley discovered a curious collection of artifacts while excavating a Babylonian palace. They were from many different times and places, and they were all neatly organized and labeled. Willie had discovered the world’s first museum. That’s amazing, it is. And what’s so remarkable is this princess and a Goldie Nanna, her collection contained artifacts as ancient to her as the fall of Rome is to us.
Bob Smith 19:01
Wow, so their stuff went way back.
Marcia Smith 19:03
Yeah, that’s amazing. I thought you’d like that. Well,
Bob Smith 19:07
speaking of the ancient world, I have a little more about advertising in the ancient world. It included signs outside of shops in the ruins of Pompeii, archeologists have found murals with advertisements from the first century after Christ displayed right outside the shops. Here’s one beautiful Matron. Did you see what aberginis Claudius makes? You can find this morning. What beautiful matron Do you see what Aberdeen is Claudius
Marcia Smith 19:34
made? The matron is the potential customer. That’s right, yeah, beautiful woman.
Bob Smith 19:37
That’s that’s exactly what I’m saying. Spend your money. Come over here, my dear. And when did political advertising begin? Any idea?
Marcia Smith 19:45
Ah, Politico it goes way back also
Bob Smith 19:49
at Pompeii. Oh, in ancient Pompeii, to promote yourself to be elected to the Senate, there were two possibilities, either you’d commission a statue of yourself in the forum, or hang. Billboards on the street. I like commissioning. Guess which of the two vehicles was used the most? The statues, no billboards. Billboards, and some are still there, painted on the ancient walls. No kidding, yeah. Wow, for the ancient candidates running for the forum. Wow. So political advertising began at least at 70 ad so it’s been around for well over 2000 years. Well,
Marcia Smith 20:21
speaking of advertising, isn’t it amazing how we just glide off each other? What was the first iteration of Nike’s famous slogan, just do it. It
Bob Smith 20:31
wasn’t just do it originally. It was something else. Oh, okay, was it like verbose like the New York Times versus the New York Daily News Now, drop dead. Just do it and drop dead. No, I don’t know what would be the original slogan,
Marcia Smith 20:46
let’s do it, inspired by the last words of convicted murderer Gary Gilmore. Oh, that’s right, that’s where it came from, who said, Let’s do it right before his 1977 execution. Jeez. Dan Wyden, the co founder of widening Kennedy ad agency, was inspired by that phrase, let’s do it, because it was direct and personal, but he decided to tweak it to create a final slogan, just do it, which was smart, because otherwise it would have been
Bob Smith 21:16
tied Well, Gilmore, let’s do it. Was pretty morbid, you know? Yeah, the
Marcia Smith 21:20
slogan was first used in Nike’s 1988 advertising campaign and helped the brand’s market share increase significantly in the following decade. And everybody knows that slogan today, still, of
Bob Smith 21:32
course, okay, Marcia, I have a question for you. That’s
Marcia Smith 21:35
why we’re here.
Bob Smith 21:36
Where was the first roller coaster invented in the world? Yes, in the world, what country? I’ll say Germany, good. It wasn’t Germany, Vienna. It was not in Vienna. No, tell me, it was in Russia. Yeah, yeah. Roller coasters have their origins in large, ice covered slides made of wood that became popular in Russia in the 15th century. An adaptation opened in 1784 in St Petersburg, which included carriages on grooved tracks. So they’re considered the first roller coasters, and you can get
Marcia Smith 22:09
a little vodka when you got on. I
Bob Smith 22:11
don’t think so. Okay. And apparently these sleds were constructed of cut lumber and tree trunks, and they sped down man made ice covered hills, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour and earning the nickname flying mountains, both children and adults would make the trek up the stairs, about 70 feet high, wow, to an ice block sled outfitted with a straw seat. The trip back down was relatively brief, they say, and that was, I would think so. A ride was inaugurated at St Petersburg in 1784, comprised of carriages in grooved tracks that traveled up and down small hills by means of power generated by the height and slope of the initial descent. So when one went down, another went up, okay, to the top. That’s how it apparently worked. All right, that makes sense. And then, when roller coasting came to Paris in 1804 they called them Russian mountains, le montagil russe, and small wheels were added to sleds on the ride. So that was a modification that persuaded Some historians to credit it as the first wheeled roller coaster.
Marcia Smith 23:15
Okay, all right, Bob, when was Thanksgiving originally celebrated until Abe Lincoln changed it. When was it originally celebrated? Yeah, don’t forget, we celebrate it in November. Yes, so did
Bob Smith 23:29
it. Was it celebrated like in October or September?
Marcia Smith 23:32
Originally? Was originally mid October, harvest time, okay, until Lincoln set a permanent date in November to coincide with the Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock in 1863 it officially became a national holiday. So there you have it. Okay,
Bob Smith 23:50
back to roller coasters. How about American roller coasters? Marcia, Okay, how about, how did mining companies invent the first American
Marcia Smith 23:59
roller coaster? Because they had those coal carts that would go into the mines. That’s right, they had
Bob Smith 24:03
railways they built to carry their coal out of their mines. And in Pennsylvania, many of those mines were very high in the hills or mountains. And in the 19th century, the so called mock chunk switchback railway in Pennsylvania became a prototype for roller coasters, and they had trains of as many as 14 cars they sped down the mountain under the command of a single courageous runner who operated a brake lever. Oh my. And then mules dragged the cars back up the mountain. And at one point they invented a safety device at this 664 foot tall Mount Pisgah railway in Pennsylvania. And that, that ratcheted device, which kind of you you go up in a roller coaster, you feel that that was invented by a mining company and that was later applied to amusement parks, yeah. So that’s how the mining companies helped invent the first American roller coasters. Makes
Marcia Smith 24:52
perfect sense. Okay, before I go to my quotes, I got an AKA for you, Bob, okay, also known as and today’s. Category is dog commands. All right. Dog commands, all right. So if I said, have a seat, what’s the dog command? Sit, that’s it. How about stick around, stay. How about goose
Bob Smith 25:15
feathers? These are all things you’ve said to me, that’s how I know them. That’s how I know what
Marcia Smith 25:19
I say to you is coming up. Goose feathers,
Bob Smith 25:22
goose feathers, goose feathers. What is goose feathers?
Marcia Smith 25:26
It’s in some of your winter coats. Down. That’s it. Oh, okay, geez. Achilles weakness. Achilles weakness heal. Yes. And finally,
Bob Smith 25:36
smoothie, smoothie, smoothie,
Marcia Smith 25:39
yeah, I don’t know that one? Okay, how about not a malt. It’s a shake. That’s it. You know, shake your hand. Yeah, they put out their
Bob Smith 25:47
little paw. Which one do you say to me? I heal. Oh, geez, that’s nice.
Marcia Smith 25:52
You ignore me, but I’ll say he’ll Bob. Well, well,
Bob Smith 25:56
do I ever say things like that to you? Oh, for heaven. Think of that. Would be terrible to say that. He said that to his wife. He said he’ll to her. He said, Come here. Wench. Much better, much better. Well, that’s okay, nothing wrong with that. Okay, I guess it’s time for a quote now.
Marcia Smith 26:10
Okay, how about some quotes. I’m grateful. Let’s start with gratitude. Okay? From Winnie the Pooh, hey, Milne Piglet, noticed that even though he had a very small heart. It could hold a rather large amount of gratitude.
Bob Smith 26:26
That’s sweet. I love it when these things affect you.
Marcia Smith 26:31
Dennis Whateley, I like this one too. Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.
Bob Smith 26:46
I saw Dennis Whateley years ago. He was a motivational speaker. He was very good.
Marcia Smith 26:50
Yeah, that was nice. I like that. Live every minute with love, grace and gratitude. And finally, nitya prakish, what did she say? Don’t know. I’m just thankful for the people that never left me, and equally thankful for those who did.
Bob Smith 27:08
She didn’t heal. Oh my. She told them, Go leave. Well, we hope that you’ve enjoyed the show today, and we have gratitude for you. And we hope that we do, we do. We really do have gratitude for you? I’m Bob Smith. I’m Marcia Smith. Join us again next time when we return with more fascinating facts and tantalizing trivia here on the off ramp.
Bob Smith 27:40
The off ramp is produced in association with the Cedarburg Public Library, Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Visit us on the web at the offramp. Dot show you.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai
