Hi!

Over the past few weeks, I’ve come across a lot of fun (or, uh, not so fun) facts that I couldn’t turn into Now I Know stories — they’re weird coincidences or just too much of a one-note item to warrant a 500+ word treatment. But I still want to share them, so, let’s go!

This could have been a bonus fact, but I’ll share it here instead: A German fire station caught fire in 2024, which in and of itself is ironic, but not all that weird — there’s no reason why a fire station can’t catch fire. The strange part: As the AP reported, “Local officials told [the press] that no fire alarm system was installed in the building because experts had considered it not necessary — much to the astonishment of many observers now that the station has burned down.” The fire caused about $20 million in damages.

An odd coincidence, but no story behind it: In 1938, a freighter called the MS Windoc — which originally launched in 1899 — struck a bridge in the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada. It only suffered minor damage. No big deal. The Windoc had a long career afterward, ultimately being scrapped in 1967. In 1988, the MS Steelcliffe Hall, another freighter, was rechristened the MS Windoc after the 1899 ship. A few years later, in 2001, this new Windoc had an accident — it hit a bridge in the Welland Canal in Ontario, Canada, too. As a result, the Wikipedia entry for the ships Windoc is a sight to behold. 

There’s a story here, I think, but the details haven’t been reported (yet?): In 2015, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport received 8,760 noise complaints — that’s exactly one per hour, on average. But that weird quirk of math isn’t the strange part. From a 2017 study: “For complaints lodged with Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 2015, 78 percent (6,852) were made by a single household in the Foxhall neighborhood in northwest Washington, DC.” That’s…  incredible, and I really wanted to write about it, but to date, no one has interviewed the complaining household. (And their identities haven’t been shared, so I can’t even email them to ask about it.) 

Funny (in retrospect) but again, not a story: In February 2024 a three-year-old Australian kid decided he really wanted a toy from a claw machine, he climbed up inside it — and couldn’t get out. This would have made for a great Now I Know if the police or parents popped in a quarter or two and used the claw to grab him, but alas, the police smashed the glass instead. (The child’s parents were able to get him to move away from the glass before the police smashed it.) Also: why didn’t they just find the machine’s proprietor and have it unlocked? I can think of a few reasons, but they’re all speculative. But the question seems obvious and I wish it had not gone unanswered.

Enjoy!

The Now I Know Week In Review

Monday: A Prankster With a Legacy of Love: A Valentine’s Day story.

Tuesday: Why Do Nigerian Email Scammers Still Claim to Be From Nigeria?: The best scam is the most obvious one, if your’re a scammer.

Wednesday: When Margarine Went Pink: The plan to keep butter butter meant imitators had to look different — and why not make it fluorescent?

Thursday: The Life-Saving Power of a … Jump Rope?: A feel-good story.

Long Reads and Other Things

Here are a few things you may want to check out over the weekend:

1) “Rose Totino, Patron Genius of Frozen Pizza” (Mental Floss, 8 minutes, January 2017). To continue my theme of “stuff I want to share but I don’t know where to share it” comes this story, which I’ve been sitting on for years and have had no idea of how to bring it to you. It’s not a traditional longread but it’s interesting.

2) “They’re Adorable. And Endangered. Meet the World’s Smallest Monkey: the Pygmy Marmoset” (Smithsonian, 15 minutes, February 2025). A story about monkeys.

3) “Can Characters Come Alive Without People?” (New York Times/gift like, 10 minutes, February 20204). First, you’ll need your sound on for this one. It’s written by Hank Azaria, the voice actor behind many, many Simpsons characters, and… well, you’ll see. It’s fun. But I’m sharing it because I want to share my Hank Azaria story and today feels like a good day to share it.

One day, while walking to work in Manhattan, I passed by two people going the opposite direction. One, a man, was wearing sweatpants and a New York Mets t-shrt. I’m a die-hard Mets fan and the Mets must have had a good day or something, because — uncharacteristically for me — I said “Let’s Go Mets!” to him as I walked by. He responded with a “go Mets”!” and I realized, oh wow, that’s Hank Azaria. Azaria is also a graduate of Tufts University, as am I. So I quickly added “and go Jumbos!” as I was a step or two passed him. He laughed (I made Hank Azaria laugh!) and responded in kind again.

Later that week, I was walking through Central Park on my way to Grand Central (yes, that’s a long walk, but it was a nice day) and I see Azaria again — and this time, I say “Go Jumbos!” — but he acknowledged me with a head bob and a wave. And so the story ended, or so I thought.

That weekend, my wife and I went to an upscale restaurant in Westchester for our anniversary… and three tables away is Hank Azaria and his wife. I made sure to sit in a seat where he couldn’t see me — while I’m sure I didn’t register in his brain, in the off chance that I did, I didn’t want him to think I was stalking him. Thankfully, he didn’t notice me (and no, I didn’t go up to him). Everyone enjoyed their meals and no police were involved.

Have a great weekend!

Dan