For All of You Trivia Buffs (Part 2) - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

tv star collector · 08-03-2008, 07:10 PM

5. What does the "X" in Xmas stand for?
The "X" doesn't stand for the cross, as is commonly thought, nor is it intended
to keep the name of Christ from being used in a frivolous or unholy way. Quite the opposite. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos, from which the
English word is derived. Xristos begins with the letter chi, the 22nd
letter of the Greek alphabet and the equivalent of our letter "X." That makes
the subsitution both accurate and respectful.

6. Why do ships in danger signal "Mayday"?
The radio cry has nothing to do with the month or the springtime celebration.
The word "mayday" is a mangled version of the French m'aider, which
means "help me." Meanwhile, the telegraphic cry for help, SOS, does not
mean "save our ship" or "save our souls," as is commonly thought. In fact, SOS isn't an acronym for anything. It just so happens that the telegraphic pulses for the letters are "...---...," which happen to be the easiest to remember and send, and the clearest to understand.

7. What is the only food that doesn't go bad?
No, it isn't last year's Christmas fruit-cake. It's honey--the oldest known sweet. Jars of honey discovered in the tombs of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs
were sampled by archaeologists, who discovered it edible and quite tasty.
Not only does honey have a natural ability to destroy bacteria (which is why
parents have been putting it into tea for sick children for centuries), but the
only way it can go bad is if it absorbs moisture from the air and ferments.
If the container is well-sealed, this won't happen.

8. Is Walt Disney really frozen?
The rumor has existed almost since the day he died: Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen, either somewhere at the Walt Disney studios or in
Disneyland. Alas, he wasn't frozen. Quite the opposite. A heavy smoker,
Disney died of lung cancer on Dec. 15, 1966, at St. Joseph's Hospital, across
the street from his studio. He was 65. Upon his death, according to his wishes, his body was cremated. Only the immediate family attended the
funeral service.

AB · 08-04-2008, 07:36 PM

Interesting!

Tweety · 08-05-2008, 09:45 PM

Hey, I must be getting better at this.

I knew all of these ones...including the "Mayday" one, thanks to your other post

I remember hearing about the Walt Disney rumor as a kid.

I did know about the "X" for Christmas and the honey items.

Furienna · 08-13-2008, 09:01 PM

Ah, cool! Where's part 3?

08-03-2008, 07:10 PM	#1
tv star collector I Love Susie Forum 4000 Club Member Join Date: Oct 18, 2005 Location: South Carolina Posts: 4,486	For All of You Trivia Buffs (Part 2) 5. What does the "X" in Xmas stand for? The "X" doesn't stand for the cross, as is commonly thought, nor is it intended to keep the name of Christ from being used in a frivolous or unholy way. Quite the opposite. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos, from which the English word is derived. Xristos begins with the letter chi, the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet and the equivalent of our letter "X." That makes the subsitution both accurate and respectful. 6. Why do ships in danger signal "Mayday"? The radio cry has nothing to do with the month or the springtime celebration. The word "mayday" is a mangled version of the French m'aider, which means "help me." Meanwhile, the telegraphic cry for help, SOS, does not mean "save our ship" or "save our souls," as is commonly thought. In fact, SOS isn't an acronym for anything. It just so happens that the telegraphic pulses for the letters are "...---...," which happen to be the easiest to remember and send, and the clearest to understand. 7. What is the only food that doesn't go bad? No, it isn't last year's Christmas fruit-cake. It's honey--the oldest known sweet. Jars of honey discovered in the tombs of ancient Egyptian Pharaohs were sampled by archaeologists, who discovered it edible and quite tasty. Not only does honey have a natural ability to destroy bacteria (which is why parents have been putting it into tea for sick children for centuries), but the only way it can go bad is if it absorbs moisture from the air and ferments. If the container is well-sealed, this won't happen. 8. Is Walt Disney really frozen? The rumor has existed almost since the day he died: Walt Disney is cryogenically frozen, either somewhere at the Walt Disney studios or in Disneyland. Alas, he wasn't frozen. Quite the opposite. A heavy smoker, Disney died of lung cancer on Dec. 15, 1966, at St. Joseph's Hospital, across the street from his studio. He was 65. Upon his death, according to his wishes, his body was cremated. Only the immediate family attended the funeral service.

08-04-2008, 07:36 PM	#2
AB Member Eternal Member Forum Icon Join Date: Dec 26, 2006 Location: The South Posts: 59,429	Interesting!

08-05-2008, 09:45 PM	#3
Tweety Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jan 18, 2002 Location: Florida Posts: 6,804	Hey, I must be getting better at this. I knew all of these ones...including the "Mayday" one, thanks to your other post I remember hearing about the Walt Disney rumor as a kid. I did know about the "X" for Christmas and the honey items.

08-13-2008, 09:01 PM	#4
Furienna Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Oct 22, 2006 Location: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden Posts: 6,277	Ah, cool! Where's part 3?