GREENSBORO, N.C. — It's time for another "Eric Chilton's Useless Trivia" segment! Today we are talking about wasabi, zip codes, and smiling.
First up, the truth about wasabi. So, after reading an article in Readers Digest I discovered that the act of actually making wasabi is a very expensive undertaking. So much so that most companies use green-colored horseradish in place of real wasabi. In fact, real wasabi is actually milder than the horseradish stuff!
Next, let's talk about smiling in pictures. If you've ever looked at old pics from, say, the 1800s you will notice that no one smiled. Creepy!! But according to this article, smiling was seen as goofy back in those days so no one did it in pictures. Now, one article I researched said they believe it was because the cameras of that period required you to hold still for a minute or two so it could take the picture. Therefore it would be easier to hold the pose with a straight face than hold that smile.
Either way, here's the actual trivia. Back in those days, they didn't say "cheese" to take a picture since the idea was NOT to smile. Believe it or not, they said "prunes" Go figure.
And lastly were talking zip codes. We use them each and every time we mail ANYTHING, but what do they mean and where did they come from?
So, we have to travel back to 1944 when postal worker Robert Moon came up with the idea of grouping clusters of states and giving them a number. For example, he started with 0 on a section of the east coast and worked his way west ending with 9's in California. (Think Beverly Hills 90210).
The next two numbers identify the regional mail center that would handle that mail. Then, years later they said they needed another improvement so they added the final two numbers which identify the local post office to handle that mail. They called that last adjustment the zone improvement postal code or Z.I.P. Code. Now you know.
This knowledge won't get you anywhere in life but you'll be fun at parties.
You're welcome.