What I've Learned

What's the easternmost point in the United States?

If you said Lubec, Maine, you are wrong.

Even if you said Sail Rock, just offshore from West Quoddy Head, Maine, you are wrong.

Technically--and why not be technical--Semisopochnoi Island is the easternmost point. Never heard of Semisopochnoi Island? Don't get out your Maine Atlas, it's not part of Maine. It's part of Alaska.

Semisopochnoi Island is one of the Aleutian Islands chain that swings out southwesterward from the coast of our 49th state. Because Semisopochnoi is 23 minutes (about 25 nautical miles) west of the 180th meridian, it is in the Eastern Hemisphere. To get to Semisopochnoi from Maine, head east across the Atlantic, Europe, and Russia.

Want another trick question?

If you lived on Mercury— assume that you could — and if you skipped breakfast and didn't eat until noon, what would you have for lunch?

Nothing. You would have starved to death. Mercury rotates so slowly on its axis, a single Mercurian day equals 176 Earth days.

Also, it take Mercury only 88 Earth days to circle the sun, so on Mercury a day is twice as long as a year, a fact of no interest to you because you skipped breakfast.

I hear you crying out for more. Here's another.

You go to a junk shop, and there among the crock pots, old tennis rackets, and knick-knacks is, of all things, a gold statuette. You pick it up. It's heavy.

Holy cow, it's an Oscar.

Oscars, of course, are not solid gold, they are a pewter-like alloy that is gold-plated. Still, how amazing to find one in a junk shop.

"How much for this?" you ask, trying to sound not very interested.

The proprietor says, "Two hundred bucks. That's the Oscar Gig Young won for best supporting actor in They Shoot Horses Don't They. It was part of an estate sale his family held after he died.

You haggle the price down to $175, shell out the money, and take home a bit of motion picture history.

What's the name of the junk shop proprietor?

If you said Dishonest Jake or Sneaky Pete, or Cheatin' Hannah, you're right. The Oscar is a fake.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences prevents the sale of Oscar statuettes, even by heirs of the recipient. Rule 10 of their regulations says:

"Academy Award winners have no rights whatsoever in the Academy copyright or goodwill in the Oscar statuette or in its trademark and service mark registrations. Award winners must comply with these rules and regulations. Award winners shall not sell or otherwise dispose of the Oscar statuette, nor permit it to be sold or disposed of by operation of law, without first offering to sell it to the Academy for the sum of $1.00. This provision shall apply also to the heirs and assigns of Academy Award winners who may acquire a statuette by gift or bequest."

This rule came into effect in 1950. Oscars awarded before that time are not subject to the rule and have been sold, but you're not going to find one in a junk shop for 200 bucks. They sell for millions.

Want another? Sorry. I'm done.