Answers to Outside the Box Puzzles from page 54 1. Wet behind the ears 2. A standing offer 3. Makeshift 4. Dog-eat-dog 5. Eye shadow 6. In any case Fast Facts The Big Chill Stuff about winter you may not know: ▶▶ During the First World War, Germans and Russians had a temporary winter ceasefire to hunt hundreds of wolves that were viciously attacking their troops. ▶▶ The only recorded instance of a cavalry capturing an enemy’s ships occurred in the unusually cold winter of 1795, when most of the waterways in Northern Europe froze over and the French cavalry was able to charge out onto a frozen port to capture the Dutch fleet stranded there. ▶▶ Russia has to bomb their rivers every winter to prevent dangerous flooding caused by ice dams. ▶▶ There is a frog that allows itself to completely freeze into a “frogsicle” every winter. Its heart stills, blood stops flowing and eyes go white because its lenses freeze. Come spring, it thaws out and is as good as new. ▶▶ In winter, rumble strips on roads cause an increase in “road kill.” The salt applied to roadways freezes between the strips and moose, elk and deer view it as a convenient salt lick, thereby becoming at higher risk of being hit by vehicle traffic. ▶▶ Some scientists believe that a large-scale nuclear war would result in what is commonly known as a “nuclear twilight,” a global, winter-like climatic event that would potentially last for decades or even centuries. ▶▶ The Earth is about three million miles closer to the Sun during winter than in summer. Stroke of Genius From one of the greatest geniuses of our time, here are some Albert Einstein quotes worthy of pondering. “The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.” “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge, but imagination.” “If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, then you don’t understand it yourself.” “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” “Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” “Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools.” “Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind.” Mistletoe Myths & Legends ▶▶ The origin of kissing under the mistletoe is vague, but may stem from the ancient Viking belief that it was related to fertility. ▶▶ Correct mistletoe etiquette is for the man to remove one berry when he kisses a woman. When all the berries are gone, there’s no more kissing permitted under the plant. ▶▶ One legend says that a couple kissing under the mistletoe will have good luck, but that those who fail to do so will have bad luck. ▶▶ Vikings believed that the plant had the power to raise people from the dead. ▶▶ First-century Druids in Britain believed that it had the power to heal diseases and protect them from witchcraft. ▶▶ Ancient Greeks were known to use it for everything from menstrual cramps to spleen disorders. ▶▶ Romans believed that it was an effective cure for epilepsy, ulcers and poisoning. A Hundred Years Ago: what happened in 1918. ▶▶ Canadian women won the right to vote in federal elections. ▶▶ The First World War ended, in which Canada lost 60,000 troops. ▶▶ The Spanish influenza epidemic swept across Canada, killing an estimated 50,000 Canadians. ▶▶ Czar Nicholas of Russia and his family were murdered in their prison house in the Ural Mountains. ▶▶ The world’s first tricolour traffic lights were introduced in New York City. ▶▶ Charles Jung, Chinese immigrant to the U.S., created the fortune cookie. ▶▶ Ontario-born Joseph Coyle invented the egg carton, a product that remains largely unchanged. ▶▶ Ripley’s Believe it or Not first appeared in print under the title Champs and Chumps. ▶▶ The Toronto Arenas, a national hockey team that evolved into today’s Toronto Maple Leafs, won the Stanley Cup. 62 | www.snowbirds.org
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