Timbits2Toonies

Chandler is the correct term for one who makes or sells candles.  This is Independence Day for 1.3 million revellers in  The Republic of Trinidad & Tobago. The earliest known crokinole board bowed in Perth County, Ontario in 1876. Physician and scientific pedagogue, Maria Montessori was born on this date, in 1870. A good chuckle is equal to a day off. 1% of Canadians live in seniors’ residences or long-term care facilities. Canadians buy Doritos in seven different flavours and several limited edition runs.  Little Jack Horner has sat in his corner since the 1520s. They trek to Tavistock, ON from every corner of Canada, the UK, the US, Germany, Spain and Australia each summer for the World Krokinole Championship. Immersion, affusion and aspersion are the three types of baptism. Elvis died last night—our pet mouse got caught in a trap. In 1964, Doritos were created by a Disneyland chef, to use up leftover tortillas. With a fu...

Today in 1835,  the City of Melbourne was founded in the State of Victoria. Chinese chequers were invented in Germany. Animal Crackers have had 103 different zoo critters since 1903; now they run free! The USSR dissolved today in 1991, triggered by Azerbaijan’s declaration of independence. Don’t run with bagpipes, you could put an eye out--or worse--get kilt. 40% of all commutes in Amsterdam are by bicycle. Simple Simon met the pieman in 1685. To treat gout and frostbite, physicians once prescribed crude oil.  At 14 apiece, Chile, Indonesia and Slovakia boast the most public holidays. Magic dogs are called Labracadabradors.  50% of Canadians admit to believing in at least one conspiracy theory.  There are three species of storks. Pteridophobics suffer from an irrational fear of ferns. In 1953, the price of that doggie in the window averaged $4. The hardest part of running a business is to mind your own. From 1923 ...

Today in 1919, Prince Edward Island lifted the province’s ten-year ban on automobiles. In The Middle Ages, Venetians bought the day's paper with a coin called the gazette. A cow must drink four litres of water to produce one litre of milk. The Canadian Diabetes Association rebranded in 2017 but Diabetes Canada has served for 65 years. One of the few things that duct tape cannot fix is poor table manners. 41,277 convicts currently serve time in 111 of Her Majesty’s Royal Australian hoosegows.  When invited to dinner In the 1300s, etiquette required guests to bring their own cutlery.  It takes twelve hours to fly from one end of Indonesia to the other.  The Canada Pension Plan has $328.2 billion in the investment kitty. Though I fly through the Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil, for I am at 25,000 metres and climbing. ~Korean airport sign Akihito is the 125th monarch to occupy the Chrysanthemum Throne. Vehophobes struggle with th...

This is independence Day for three million Moldovans. Hurricanes, cyclones, typhoons and tropical storms have killed 2 million+ in  200 years. Laugh often, trigger HGH, that boosts the immune system, be less likely to fall ill.  There are more than 16,500 hospitals on the planet. When the mercury hit 44°C, my shadow melted on the sidewalk. The word Canuck entered the lexicon in 1835. Say ‘good-bye’ to summer in 26 days. Today, in 1912, Thomas Wilby and Jack Haney left Halifax in a REO for the first car trek across the Dominion. They arrived in Victoria 52 days later. The most common surname in Jamaica is Brown. Knowledge is power and power corrupts—it's obvious that when you study hard, you will be evil.  Toronto scientists have replaced barley with weed to create a world first-beer with a buzz. Germany added Samoa to the Second Reich in 1900. August owes its name to Augustus Caesar, founder and first ruler of the Roman Empire...

Saturday’s child works hard for a living.  Since 1825, this is Independence Day for 3.5 million in the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. The liver is the second largest organ in the human body. Phyllis is a Greek name, meaning green bough or leafy foliage.  Spinal fusion surgeries are performed by lumbar jacks. Uruguay generates 95% of its energy requirements from renewable sources. In Balkan folklore, Saturday is the optimal day to hunt vampires.  Montevideo’s 20,000 Jews worship in any of twelve synagogues. Windsor, Ontario has 259 dedicated firefighters, posted at seven fire stations. Ask yourself—how much clean air do we need? ~Lee Iacocca Today in 1944, Allied forces liberated Paris from the Nazis. 15% of Uruguayans speak Portuguese as their mother tongue. Since 1609, more than 1,000 vessels have disappeared within the Bermuda Triangle. Barn owls are usually monogamous  but 25% of mated couples ‘divorce’. The hat-steal...

Paul McCartney’s estate is worth £463.64 million. Africa's oldest republic, today marks the 171st Flag Day for 4.7 million Liberians. It takes nine seconds for a combine to reap enough wheat to make 70 loaves of bread. Walter P. Chrysler’s grandfather was born in Chatham, Ontario.  The time-honoured gift that bakers give their wives on special occasions is flours.  The Australian Antarctic Territory was established this day in 1936. It’s all about physics; the pocket in a pita is created by rising steam. Danish Queen Margrethe II is a chain smoker. Her favourite is Karelia, from Greece. A plantation in the US was defined as a business with 20 slaves and 202 hectares of land. Story master Hans Christian Andersen was truly a great Dane. Today in 1814, British troops invaded Washington and burnt the White House. Retired after 29 years, we said, “Good-bye Dick. Good-bye, Jane and Sally. Good-bye Spot, good-by Puff and Tim the teddy bear,”...

Today in 1948, the World Council of Churches was formed by 147 religions from 44 nations. USD$37,000 is the average yearly salary of a lion tamer; $5,466 is the cost of life insurance. The Circle Tour drive of The Great Lakes is 10 460 kilometres—every klick is breathtaking. Tokalu ranks 222nd in world trade, with importation of NZ$1,487,422.34 worth of goods. God seeks spiritual fruit, not religious nuts.  Coleman introduced the portable ice chest in 1954.  Pope Francis once worked as a bar bouncer in Bueños Aires to pay tuition. Australia is the world’s leading producer of bauxite. Population of the three NAFTA signatories is 444.1 million people. Skating on thin ice can get one into hot water.  Miss Piggy looks fabulous at 42.  The most common surname in Taiwan is Chen. Aluminum melts at 660.3°C. Little Briar Rose is the name that appears on the birth certificate of Sleeping Beauty.  The best cure for insomnia is...

Today is National Flag Day for 144.3 million Russians. Defined as betrayal of trust; breach of faith, the word ‘treason’ entered the lexicon c. 1200. Lord Cadillac built Fort Ponchartrain (Detroit, MI and Windsor,ON) for France in 1701. The City of Chennai—once known as Madras—was founded today in 1639. The 4 kilometre-square Stanley Park is home to a dozen species of trees native to BC.  116 years ago today, the Cadillac Motor Company was founded by Henry Leland. Speakers of Inuktitut cannot distinguish the difference between ‘d’ and ’t’ in English. The largest pipeline spans 1.39 metres; it carries 33 billion cubic litres of natural gas a year. On this date in 1992, the nation’s First Ministers signed the Charlottetown Accord. Australia’s 26,000 brickies lay more than 100,000 bricks a year. A baguette in Brussels costs 0.49€. A most fertile Marie-Thérèse,, a.k.a. Lady Cadillac, bore six daughters and seven sons. The Prado is the sixth mos...

Air Canada employs 42,000 people. On this date in 1959, Hawaii was admitted to the Union as the 50th of the United States. Canada spends $242 billion a year on healthcare.  Abdullah is a theophoric name meaning Follower of God. There is a theory that the rings of Saturn are entirely composed of lost airline luggage. Hawaii is comprised of 132 islands, islets, reefs and shoals. Spending $388 million last year, the Canadian Space Agency’s budget is out of this world. Chinese, Indians, Americans, Russians and Brazilians are the planet's most depressed people.  The University of Puerto Rico spent $442,340 to document the behaviours of Vietnamese male prostitutes. To keep a rotting tomato from smelling, pinch its nose. The Robertson screw is 99 years old. Aloha! Hawaiians have the longest lifespan of all Americans, living to an average age of 81.3 years. More than 200,000 commuters a day pass through Toronto’s Union Station.  Eve...