Chapter 43

Panic over a soccer field, led to the Cuban Missile Crisis. In September of 1962, a CIA consultant noticed something strange. He spotted soccer fields along the coast of Cuba. “Cubans play baseball,” he said. “Russians play soccer.” He correctly deduced that it indicated the presence of a Soviet military camp. President Kennedy authorized U2 flights over Cuba that provided further evidence.

An ancient Irish folk remedy was confirmed by science. According to local belief, the soil from a churchyard in Boho can cure infections. In 2018 a microbiologist took soil samples and found a unique strain of streptomycis. It’s a micro-organism used to prodice antibiotics.

In 1836, the Bank of Englands gold vault was broken into. A sewer man doing repairs discovered an old drain that led into the vault. He wrote an anonymous letter to the back and showed then the flaw. The man didn’t steal any gold, and the bank gave him a reward of 800 pounds.

In 1875, rivers of whiskey flowed through Dublin. A fire destroyed a malthouse and a storehouse, resulting in approximately 5000 barrels of whiskey bursting open. People scooped up from the burning premises. 13 people died. From alcohol poisoning, none from the fire.

Napoleon was once attacked by bunnies. And lost. The French Emperor wanted to go on a rabbit hunt, so his men rounded up 3000 rabbits. The animals were let loose on the hunting grounds, and they unexpectedly charged the hunting party, who were forced to retreat.

Beethoven used a process called Bone Conduction to hear his piano. By the age of 45 e had completely lost his hearing. He clenched a stick in his teeth and holding it against the keyboard of his piano, the vibrations allowed him to make out faint sounds and notes. He composed the 9th Symphony this way.

Wyoming refused to join the Union, unless Congress let their women vote. The Wyoming Territory was the first to recognize women’s sufferage in 1869. In 1890, Wyoming sought to join the United States as a state. Congress demanded they recind the provision allowing women the right to vote. But the territorial legislature refused, sending a telegram that said: “We will remain out of the Union for 100 years, tather than come in without the women.” Congress relented.

Medieval Germans had a special punishment for bad musicians. It was a device called “The Shame Flute”. It was shackled to the offenders neck and he would be paraded through town, for public humiliation. The musician (?) would have their fingers placed in special finger holes, giving the impression he was playing the instrument.

From: joreymay concerning something in Chapter 42.

Nutmeg:

“The toxicity of nutmeg is uncertain, although case reports suggest that if ingested doses are sufficient, acute toxicity can occur. Two tablespoons of ground nutmeg, one to three whole nutmegs, or 5 g of powdered nutmeg may cause clinical signs of hallucinations, nausea, and severe emesis.”

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwi1rMCf3YyCAxX-MjQIHRKEA9gQFnoECA0QAw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Ftopics%2Fpharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science%2Fnutmeg&usg=AOvVaw2NTn43HDqf3Sg7LRocEBdq&opi=89978449