Mental Floss: Instant Knowledge (3 page)

(a.k.a. the Sultan of Swat, the King of Crash)

USEFUL FOR:
ballpark chatter, seventh-inning stretches, and anytime you’re watching
The Sandlot

KEYWORDS:
Sultan of Swat, King of Crash, Great Bambino, etc.

THE FACT:
Home wasn’t the only plate at which George Herman “Babe” Ruth was a dominator.

This guy had a big appetite for everything—food, drink, women, you name it. In fact, the Sultan of Swat’s favorite breakfast was said to include a porterhouse steak, six fried eggs, and potatoes, all washed down with a quart mixture of bourbon whiskey and ginger ale. The Babe also had a certain fondness for hot dogs, downing between 12 and 18 one day in April 1925. Disgustingly enough, one of the Babe’s partially eaten hot dogs (now black and shriveled and nasty) is still on display at the Baseball Reliquary in Monrovia, California. And although Ruth became pretty hefty in the last few years of his career, the rumor that the Yankees adopted their famous pinstripes to make him look slimmer is false. The pinstripes first appeared in 1912, when the Yanks were still the New York Highlanders.

(now for eligible adults!)

USEFUL FOR:
cocktail parties, making small talk when visiting bachelor pads

KEYWORDS:
single, singles, or what’s worse than New Coke?

THE FACT:
No matter how well known your brand is, there are some markets you just can’t tap into…like trying to pitch baby food as grown-up chow.

At some point in time, almost every adult has tasted baby food and discovered that the stuff isn’t half bad. But that doesn’t mean people want to make a meal out of it. For some reason, Gerber had to learn that lesson the hard way. In 1974, the company released Gerber Singles, small servings of food meant for single adults, packaged in jars that were almost identical to those used for baby food. It didn’t take long for Gerber execs to figure out that most consumers, unless they were under a year old, couldn’t get used to eating a pureed meal out of a jar—particularly one depressingly labeled “Singles.” Baby food for grown-ups was pulled from the marketplace shortly after its birth.

USEFUL FOR:
baby showers, first birthdays, and making small talk at track-and-field events

KEYWORDS:
jump, baby, or please jump my baby

THE FACT:
In parts of northern Spain, newborns take part in a ceremony that’s disturbingly similar to an Evel Knievel stunt.

Several babies are placed on a mattress surrounded by members of the community while a man jumps over the length of the mattress. (We’re thinking they must have professional baby leapers over there.) The ceremony is based on the biblical story in which King Herod ordered all male babies in the area to be killed after hearing that a “new king” had been born in Bethlehem. Just as Mary and Joseph escaped with baby Jesus to Egypt, this Spanish ritual is meant to symbolize a similar experience for a child. By undergoing this and coming out unharmed, the babies are prepared for a safe passage through childhood.

(…you might not want to give your kid)

USEFUL FOR:
baby showers, making friends at Lamaze, and justifying your lack of preparation at your kid’s birth

KEYWORDS:
curses, spirits, or
The Exorcist

THE FACT:
Since many societies believe that newborns are particularly susceptible to evil spirits, a baby’s name is sometimes kept secret (or not given at all) so it can’t be used against the child in spells.

In some Haitian, Nigerian, and Romany (Gypsy) cultures, babies are given two names at the time of birth. The parents keep one of them a secret, and they do not share it with the child until he is considered old enough to guard the name for himself. Similarly, in Thailand, a newborn is often referred to by a nickname (usually that of an animal or a descriptive term) to escape the attention of evil spirits, who are believed to be the spirits of dead, childless, unmarried women. The newborn is given a two-syllable name that is mainly used later on by teachers, employers, and during formal occasions. Some Vietnamese parents even delay naming their baby until it’s over one month old—the safety margin, spiritwise.

(how Cincinnati gets hosed)

USEFUL FOR:
ballpark chatter, seventh-inning stretches, impressing anyone over the age of 100 (who still remembers baseball)

KEYWORDS:
bad trades, bad management, or bad foresight

THE FACT:
Forget the Curse of the Bambino. Compared to this gaffe by the Cincinnati Reds, Boston’s decision to trade Babe Ruth (and the subsequent 86-year curse) looks like a carefully orchestrated work of managerial genius.

In 1900, the Reds traded relative newcomer and Renaissance man Christopher “Christy” Mathewson to the New York Giants for the ailing “Hoosier Thunderbolt,” Amos Rusie. Following this brilliant move, Mathewson won 372 games for the Giants, including more than 20 games in 11 different seasons. He won wide renown as one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. Rusie, on the other hand, pitched in three games following the trade, losing one and winning none…following which he promptly retired.