# Category Archives: Trivia

## Major General William Rufus Shafter Has a Bacon number of 7 (Updated to 4)

Original Post Major General William Rufus Shafter (October 16, 1835–November 12, 1906), commander of the 5th Army Corps in 1898, has a Bacon number of 7! 7. William Rufus Shafter was in Surrender of General Toral (1898) with Joseph Wheeler. 6. Joseph Wheeler was in General Wheeler and Secretary of War Alger at Camp Wikoff… Read More »

## Quote: “Heaven Helps Those Who Help Themselves”

Discussing the origin of the phrase “Heaven helps those who help themselves”, I made the claim that it did not originate in the Bible/Quran, but in the UFO song “Lights Out”. So, to prove my claim, I whipped out the Strangers in the Night CD (because it was easier to get to than the Lights… Read More »

## If the Sum of the Digits of a Number is Divisible by Three, the Number Is Divisible by Three

Take a two-digit base-10 number where the digits are represented by ab. This number is equal to 10a + b and the sum of its digits are a + b. The difference between the number and the sum is 9a, which is divisible by three. So a + b is divisible by three, if and only… Read More »

## Can You Find Three Digits for A, B and C Such That ABC in Base-10 Is Equal to CBA in Base-9?

The only 3-digit answer is $$544_9 = 445_{10}$$. However, there are answers in other bases: $$211_3 = 112_4$$ $$322_5 = 223_6$$ $$433_7 = 334_8$$ $$544_9 = 445_{10}$$ Are you seeing a pattern here? Does the pattern extended to bases higher than 10? Does $$655_{10} = 556_{11}$$? Does $$766_{11} = 667_{12}$$? Cheating a little bit by… Read More »

## Trivia for August 2019

A tree planted in memory of George Harrison, the lead guitarist of The Beatles, died after being infested by beetles. If the sum of the digits of a number is divisible by three, the number is divisible by three. Likewise, if the sum of the digits of a number is divisible by nine, the number… Read More »

## Trivia for July 2019

Sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia is the medical term for brain freeze (ice cream headaches). Oraibi, Arizona has been continuously inhabited since sometime around 1100 CE. St. Augustine, Florida, which makes the claim it is the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States, was not founded until 1565, more than 450 years later. Damascus, Syria has been… Read More »

## Which Weighs More? A Pound of Feathers or a Pound of Gold?

I was playing Quelf with the kids. I received the question, “Which weighs more? A pound of feathers or a pound of gold?” Quelf’s answer was, “Neither. They both weigh a pound.” Wrong answer, Quelf! The feathers weigh more. Gold and other precious metals are weighed in troy pounds. A troy pound is 12 troy… Read More »