– BEAUTIFUL BODY – February 2 is observed as Rheumatoid Arthritis Day, giving Tidbits the opportunity to investigate this autoimmune disease and its effects on the human body. • The body’s immune system normally protects your body from disease. However, with rheumatoid arthritis, the immune system mistakenly attacks the healthy tissue lining the joints. Although the exact cause is unknown, research indicates that it’s caused by a combination of genetics, hormones, and environmental factors. The immune system can be triggered by an infection, smoking, stress, or even a change in the weather. • RA creates inflammation that can cause […]
January 2024
Davy Crockett
• In March of 1836 a legendary man died at a soon-to-be-legendary place. That man was Davy Crockett, and the place was the Alamo. • Known as “king of the wild frontier,” Crockett was born in Tennessee in 1786. He was a braggart, and once his escapades sparked the imagination of his countrymen, he did nothing to lessen their excitement. Sedate Easterners were just then idolizing idealized wilderness ways. Meanwhile, rowdies were swapping wild yarns of any hero who had a story to tell. • During Davy’s own lifetime, someone published a wildly embellished account of […]
Tongue – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – • The tongue is one of the most sensitive muscles in the human body and is the most flexible muscle of all. Its sensitivity is advantageous when identifying unwanted items in your foods, right down to the tiniest fish bone, a strand of hair, or a grain of sand. • Up to 10,000 taste buds are in the mouth, but only 80% are located on the tongue. The rest are scattered in the nose, upper esophagus, the back of the throat, the lips, and the palate. The lifespan of a taste bud is ten days to […]
TIDBITS® Climbs Trees
by Janet Spencer Trees have evolved in many fascinating ways. Keep reading to find out facts about trees! TREE TRIVIA • Over 60,000 species of trees have been identified worldwide. There are an estimated 3.04 trillion trees in the world, which works out to about 422 trees for each person. • Earth is about 4.5 billion years old, but trees didn’t exist for the first 90% of the planet’s history. The first mosses evolved about 470 million years ago, but no plant grew taller than three feet (1 m) for millions more years. • It was another 85 million years […]
Birthdays
Is this your birthday month? Tidbits hopes you enjoy these facts about this special celebration. • The ancient Romans and Egyptians were the first to celebrate birthdays. Egyptian pharaohs or other powerful, wealthy people were the only ones honored. The earliest written mention of a birthday celebration is in the Bible, when the Pharaoh served by Joseph was honored on his birthday. The Romans were the first to celebrate the birthday of the commoners, calling the celebration “Name Day.” • The Greeks were responsible for adding candles to cakes. These ancients baked round-shaped honey cakes, which they offered in […]
Eyes – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – This week, Tidbits opens your eyes to see the facts about the organs of vision. • There are more than 2 million working parts in the human eye. It weighs just under an ounce and is about an inch across. Just over 16.5% of the eyeball is exposed. The eyes begin to develop just two weeks after conception. • How do we see images? Light enters the eye through the cornea and goes to the lens. The cornea and lens bend the light to bring the image into focus. The light reaches the retina […]
TIDBITS® Visits City Names
by Kathy Wolfe There is an abundance of cities across the U.S. with unusual names, and this week, Tidbits takes the time to visit a few. • The city of Tucson was founded in 1775, although the spelling and pronunciations were quite different from our modern ones. A Franciscan priest spelled it Tuqison. The Pima Indians called it Ts-iuk-shan, which translates “village of the dark spring at the foot of the mountain,” referring to nearby Sentinel Mountain. Hugo O’Conor, who is considered the founding father of the city, spelled it Toixon. O’Conor was a colonel in the Spanish Army, having […]
TIDBITS® Wears Sapphires
by Janet Spencer Because sapphires are so resistant to scratches, they are an excellent gem that can be worn daily without worry. Come along with Tidbits as we admire sapphires! SAPPHIRE FACTS • Although usually thought of as blue, sapphires come in a rainbow of hues. Sapphires in any color, but blue are known as “fancy sapphires” and are called according to their color: yellow sapphire, pink sapphire, purple sapphire. • Sapphires are made of aluminum and oxygen, which combine to form a mineral called corundum. Most corundum is cloudy with flaws, but rare glass-like pockets of pure gem-quality corundum […]
Nothing to Sneeze at – BEAUTIFUL BODY –
– BEAUTIFUL BODY – • The average healthy person sneezes four times a day. • In official doctor language, a sneeze is “a physiological response to the irritation of the respiratory epithelium lining of the nose.” The official name for sneezing is “sternutation,” from the Latin word meaning “to sneeze.” • Doctors compare a good hearty sneeze to a computer reboot. The force of it gives a tremendous shake to everything in the nasal passages, dislodging mucus and cleaning off the nasal hairs. • Sneezing is a cooperative effort between the throat, chest, diaphragm, and abdomen. It’s nearly impossible to […]
Running Hot and Cold
• Sebring, Florida, is a mid-sized city smack in the middle of the state. The town was founded by George Sebring in 1912. • In the summer of 1921, a crew was hired to drill a well in the middle of the industrial district, adjacent to the downtown district. The drill hit water about 60 feet (18 m) down, and the drilling crew all celebrated. It was hot that day, and the sweaty workers decided to cool off with some of the water that was flowing out of the freshly drilled hole. Amazingly, however, the water coming up out […]
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