Fun Facts: September 2019

A day where you don’t learn anything is truly a wasted day.

I am a strong proponent of the “life-long learning” attitude. Not that we all need to be in a formal classroom, but that we all need to keep stretching our brains. Since we need to learn some stuff today, I have prepared a blog bit with some excellent trivia “Fun Facts”. As for a great topic, I’ve chosen a dandy – Seattle, Washington.

The handsome husband and I made a couple of trips to Seattle this summer. It’s not a place that we spend a lot of time in – I’m usually only there because I’m driving through on my way to somewhere else – but this seemed like a great opportunity to learn stuff about the Emerald City of the Pacific Northwest.

I told Mike that I didn't want to include the same old stuff about Bill Gates, Starbucks, or Costco, or "Seattle was the birthplace of Jimi Hendrix".... turns out that Mike didn't know that about Jimi. Maybe I'm no judge of what everybody does or doesn't already know.

Just so you know: most of the following bits have been paraphrased by yours truly, some are copied & pasted straight off of one of the websites listed at the end, and nearly none of them have been fact-checked.

Somebody came up with the idea to raffle off an orphan at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1909. Nobody claimed the prize, and no one is certain what happened to the child.
Wow.

Seattle’s first millionaire was a sawmill operator named Henry Yesler. A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, Yesler came to Seattle shortly after it was settled and built what became the country’s first steam-powered sawmill. He also served as Seattle’s 7^th (1874) and 15th mayor (1886).
This will seem especially strange to all you young folks in British Columbia who have never heard of anyone getting rich in the timber industry.

A recent study by navigation system developer TomTom shows Seattle ranked in the top 10 for worst traffic cities in North America, and the fifth worst in the United States, with an overall congestion level of 31%.
I think that 31% stat is supposed to mean that it will take you 31% longer to get anywhere during rush hour than it would at non-congested times. Theoretically, a 20-minute trip would become a 26-minute jaunt during peak times. But if you've driven in Seattle, then you know that a 15-minute trip takes 4 hours. ‘Peak time’s are right now, anytime since 1972, and keep getting worse. 
If you need to drive through, in or around Seattle, be sure to add an extra day or two to your itinerary. Bring snacks. File your intended route with Park Rangers and call in when you arrive.

"Airbust"?  (sorry!)

Airplane manufacturer Boeing opened near Seattle in 1916, originally in boat production. Business was tough in the years following the First World War, so Boeing also manufactured furniture, phonograph cases, and corset frames.
Yep, really.
I wonder if the corset styles were named "Jumbo" or "Dreamliner" or... you're right, I should just stop now.

The iconic Pike Place Market launched because of overpriced onions. Between 1906 and 1907, the price of produce skyrocketed, onions in particular, and consumers as well as civic leaders believed price-gouging wholesalers were to blame. So the city proposed a public market where customers could buy directly from farmers. In August 1907, Pike Place Market opened for business. Today, it’s the oldest continually operating farmer’s market in America.

Seattle has its own, real-deal, in a suit and everything super hero: Phoenix Jones. He started in 2009, all bright-eyed and ready to snag the bad guys off the street. He’s thinking of retiring this year, and seems to be somewhat disillusioned about his own contribution to his community and society in general.
If you ask me, Phoenix Jones had Marvel & Disney dreams while living in our DC, screwed up world.
Read this: https://mynorthwest.com/1299501/seattle-superhero-phoenix-jones-retiring/? 

The Washington State ferry system is the largest ferry system in the country and the second largest in the entire world. (#1 is Istanbul, Turkey.) Okay, you got me, that’s not wholly specific to Seattle but the lion’s share of the state’s ferries are in and around the city and the gulf islands.

Everybody knows that Seattle is non-stop rainy days, right? Nope. Seattle’s annual rainfall is less than that of Houston, Chicago or New York City. People in Seattle buy the most sunglasses per capita than any other U.S. city.

There is a wall of gum underneath the Pike Place Market.
Chewed gum.
Legend has it that a few years back, some cheeky comedian performing at the Market Theater was told no gum was allowed inside as he was entering. His reaction was to take the gum and stick it to the wall … Eventually, people caught wind and started putting their chewed up gum on the wall. There’s gum everywhere in this weird little alley, up as high as anyone can reach and then some. The city has cleaned it at least twice and it just keeps filling up; now they accept it as a tourist attraction and embrace its popularity. At least one Pike Place vendor was hawking packages of gum "for the wall."

In the over 100-year history of major league baseball, no other team has won more games in a single season than the 2001 Seattle Mariners — which may be the greatest team to never win a World Series.
Finishing with an absurd 116-46 record, the team was carried by Japanese import Ichiro Suzuki, who electrified the organization, city and baseball with his unique style of play and endearing personality, leading him to the AL Rookie of the Year and league MVP awards.
In the playoffs, the Mariners needed all 5 games in the first round to get past the Cleveland Indians. Then the Yankees took the M’s out in 5 in the second round (the Arizona Diamondbacks won the World Series.)
Mike & I watched every game of the finals on TV while on our honeymoon in Whistler. Now that's some worthwhile trivia for ya!

Bibliography ~ 
... or should I say “internetography”? Can that be a thing?  And no, it’s not in the MLA format.

http://mentalfloss.com/article/67858/25-things-you-should-know-about-seattle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_of_Seattle#List_of_mayors
https://travelingwiththejones.com/2014/09/03/42-fun-facts-about-seattle-washington/
https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/washington/bizarre-facts-about-wa/
https://travelingwiththejones.com/2014/09/03/42-fun-facts-about-seattle-washington/
https://www.boboandchichi.com/2017/08/24-unique-things-seattle/
https://komonews.com/news/local/seattles-traffic-is-among-the-worst-in-north-america-study-says
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2344385-highs-and-lows-only-seattle-sports-fans-would-understand#slide15

I was a bad dog and forgot to keep track of the photo credits of the pics I stole for this episode. Thank goodness I only have 7 readers, and don't make any money at this, because the guilt is already getting to me.

~ 30 ~

•