Yes, Coldplay.  But it relates, really. It’s fun fact Friday!

Part of the polymath quest includes random knowledge.  I love knowing – well, as much as I hate using the word – stuff.  This probably stems from an early obsession with the original Trivial Pursuit.  (I still have a genus edition, though it’s pretty banged up now – and who knows how many questions are out of date.)  But the best way to remember the random tidbits is to repeat them and share them. 

What are buckeyes?  This came up when discussing that the Ohio State teams are “the Buckeyes.”  I was aware of this term, but I realized that I had no idea what a buckeye was.  It’s a tree – the Ohio state tree.  They get big, about 50-60 feet.  The nut is toxic, but it’s the inspiration for the OSU mascot, Brutus Buckeye, an anthropomorphic buckeye nut.  Frankly, the costume looks a little weird to me, but maybe naming your team after a poisonous nut is intimidating?  My favorite thing about this, though, is that the nut inspired a particular treat, found many places in Ohio: the buckeye ball!  It sounds like a peanut butter truffle dipped in chocolate (leaving a bit of the peanut butter exposed so that it looks like the nut).  They’re now on my list to make.

Cracker Jack, the caramel-covered popcorn and peanut mix, has been in production for more than 125 years.  I miss the little boxes with the cheesy prizes.  I found out that they’re still making the product but no more prizes in the boxes.  I’d forgotten that the sailor had a dog; the dog’s name is Bingo.

There’s a bridge in Frankfort, Kentucky, called the Singing Bridge (also one in Australia called the same thing for the same reasons).  It was built in 1893, and it was an amazing achievement for the time.  The roadway part of the bridge is grated steel, and the cars going over the grates makes a musical noise.

I’ve read a lot of historical romance novels, and there are almost always part about visiting the modiste and prepping gowns.  I’ve seen “primrose” as a color multiple times.  I always thought of it as a pink color.  But this time it was described as yellow.  Lo and behold, while primroses *can* be a variety of colors, including the span from red to white, primroses are typically pale yellow. 

Coldplay was right – it’s all yellow.