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Five Interesting Facts About the World

CONFUSING CITY NAMES AND CONSEQUENCING CONUNDRUM
by Shivam Patel

There are many cities in the United States, but in the 7th installment of FIFAW, we delve into the most amazing, oddest, purely hilarious city names. From names that were solely created to arrive at the bottom of the alphabetical order, to those that all to honestly describe the city’s characteristics, prepare to laugh and be bewildered.

Have you ever wanted to visit Zzyzx, California? You probably have not heard of this remarkable town, as it is meant to appear alphabetically last on the google search list. In fact, it is meant to appear last in almost all of the alphabetical search methods in existence. This quaint unincorporated town in the middle of the Mojave Desert was previously named Soda Springs. This is because the town is located inside the Mojave Natural Reserve, home of the Zzyzx Mineral Springs, giving some reason to the odd naming of the town. The little town isn’t very populated, mainly consisting of mineral research scientists, a few permanent residents who make a living from the park, and quite a few maintenance crews. [Picture Description: a mineralogy lab in Zzyzx]

Some cities in the United States of America are named after icons in their vicinity. Often, and most unfortunately for the residents of these towns, these icons are named after words, physical properties, and other resemblances. These result in interesting town names: a chain of events that often end up on social media. Such is the name of the town Chugwater, named after the nearby creek of the same name, which in turn was named after a spring simply named ‘Chug’. It is a nice, rural town, with a quaint, western structure and neighborhood. The town is just off of I-25, making it readily accessible, and just 45 minutes south from the bustling heart of the state, Cheyenne. The city also holds cultural significance, marking a key stopping point during many American expeditions, specifically in the 1800s. It was also a key cattle shipping center, providing a key stopping point in the cattle trade and meat market in the 1800s and early 1900s. This trade, along with the requisite railroad and trains, gave the small town an initial purpose and soon paved the way for a growing population. Who knew! [Picture description: A scenic overlook near Chugwater]

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There are probably many people that, while reading this, are feeling quite hungry. Maybe it’s after school – I understand. Unfortunately, your hunger is about to triple. Meet Fries, Virginia, a town nestled in Grayson County, a small, rural, mountain county. This town, pronounced ‘Freeze’, is an incorporated community of around 500 people, situated along the New River, which winds its way through the southern edge of Virginia and into North Carolina. The small town resides on an outlet, right beside I-98. It revolves around the New River; hydropowered mills and textile factories provide a steady income for the people in the small community. The town is named after Francis Henry Fries, a pioneer who implemented the first hydroelectric dam in the town, which powered a textile mill and other small electric necessities. [Picture Description: A hydroelectric dam in Fries, VA]

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This list may seem boring, though I assure you, your interest will come back after hearing about Boring, Oregon. Yes. The town is named after William Boring, and continues to hold its name long after its founding. It claims the name promotes tourism, and thus has partnered with two of its ‘sister’ cities to form the ‘League of Extraordinary Communities’. Unsurprisingly, it paired with none other than Dull, Australia, and Bland Shire, Wales. The towns even celebrate Boring and Dull day, in commemoration of their unusual connection. Boring, however, is nothing but its name. It is a popular recreational site: the unincorporated area makes the perfect place for ski resorts and summertime activities. In fact, mountaineering and hiking are a major part of the economy, attracting thousands of visitors looking to scale the iconic Mt. Hood, a small mountain that stretches up to 11,000 feet in the air. [Picture Description: Mt. Hood painting, depicted from the sky, overlooking Boring, Oregon]

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While we’re in the region, we can hop down and pay a visit to Booger Hole, West Virginia, a small town of roughly 500 that resides in the heart of Clay County. The town, officially recognized as Whispering Pines, is famous for its superstition regarding ghosts and monsters lurking nearby, and was named after its peculiar reputation: Bogies/Bogeymen - Booger, in slang. Thus the place was called Booger Hole, a suspected hideout for monsters, ghouls, bogeymen, and other creatures of the like. Quite a few disappearances have happened over the years; those who have disappeared have, most notably, never been found, leading superstition and speculation to grow around the disappearances. There is even a mob/coalition growing around the town, seeking to protect the residents from any possible threat; be it mortal or supernatural. A special jury was called in to handle the case, but in due time, a lack of sufficient evidence meant that most of the disappearances were turned down, and the cases were later dropped. Nonetheless, the reputation of Booger Hole, WV, continues to this day, manifesting in ill temperament and lore amongst the locals. [Picture Description: A famous field in Booger Hole; the alleged scene of a disappearance.]

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ABNORMALLY ATROCIOUS AND ADORABLE ANIMALS
by Shivam Patel

I should let out a warning right now: if you get squeamish easily, or frightened on the slightest spook, this should probably be the farthest that you read in this article. But to all that are brave enough: welcome to the 6th edition of FIFAW this school year! I hope you have enjoyed the incredulous content that has been published on FIFAW (I’m surprised that none of it has been questioned). So now, we take on a pressing endeavor: a journey across the globe in a race to find the oddest creature possible!

There is a shark, not far from a deep sea canyon, which boasts the name “living fossil”. The Goblin Shark, a mediocre shark with a length of about 5 meters, is the last living representative of it’s family,  Mitsukurinidae. It can live incredibly long, but that is not why it is on this list. It is known for its famously disfigured jaw shape, with a long protruding mouth sticking out from the rest of the sharks. This oddity, a remarkable feature used for grabbing prey more efficiently in its natural habitat and circumstance, gives the shark the appearance of a goblin. They can also extend their jaws with a slingshot, giving it an extended range which allows it to capture larger and farther away prey, surreptitiously. This extension of the jaw is so profound that two separate individuals of the species, one with its jaw extended and the other with it retracted, were thought to be of a separate species, each with a different physiology. It was only recently that scientists discovered and extensively studied the species, the Goblin Shark living 1000 feet below sea level. [Picture Description: two individuals of the Goblin Shark species, M. Owstoni]

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From a fish to an amphibian, we move to another pink-skinned fellow, who dwells within mountains and in swamps. The Purple Frog, or Indian Purple Frog, is an unusual looking creature which I am most certain you have seen in some shape or form appear on social media. Nasikabatrachus Sahyadrensis, the specific species name of the unusual frog, lives in a region known as West Ghats (in South India), which is heavily influenced by Indian language. In fact, a derivation of its name, ‘Nasika’, translates to ‘nose’ in certain Indian dialects. Speaking of its nose, the purple frog is nicknamed the pignose frog, which is a testament to its short, remarkably puny nose. The frog, in its natural environment underneath the soil of rocky mountains, requires less of its sense of smell, it being in little contact with the aboveground fresh air. So over time, it has evolved to the dark and earthy undergrounds, thus giving it its pale appearance. It is a distinct, purple hue, with a large body and small legs, with an undistinguishable head which houses its eyes and its infamously small nose. [Picture Description: The Purple Frog in a pile of detritus, seen above ground near the Western Ghat mountain]

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We travel from fish to slug, staying under the water, as we view the Blue Glaucus Atlanticus, or Blue Dragon. This species of sea slug more closely resembles a flattened lionfish, with a long tail and branching tentacles and spines that cover its body, consisting of 6 bunches, 3 on each side of it. It has a small head as well, located at the front of the creature (most notably the largest part of it). The Blue Glaucus’s nickname (mentioned before) is adequate, as it appears to look like a miniature dragon - highlight miniature, as it can grow up to a meager  3 centimeters, able to fit on one's thumb. The slug eats the Portuguese Mann’ O’ Warr, a poisonous creature. The slug then ingests the nematocysts from the Mann’ O’ Warr for its own use, concentrating it and releasing a potent sting that can severely injure an unknowing human. It is cautioned that if these slugs are found on beaches, the beach should be evacuated, as its sting can bring severe nausea, stomach ache, diarrhea, abdominal pain, skin rashes, and other unpleasant symptoms. [Picture Description: Glaucus Atlanticus]

We travel again to the underwater realm, taking a look at the Red Lipped Batfish, known for its extreme absurdity in the color of its mouth and its overall shape. It is about 25cm in length, lives at a shallow depth of 50-300+ feet below sea level, and is endemic to the island of Galápagos Island. This means that they only inhabit the nearby seas of the Galápagos. The fish, known to inhabit the nearby waters of the Galápagos, boasts a specifically unusual set of leg-like appendages. Its red mouth is a bright crimson, setting it off from the rest of the fish species. It has poor swimming ability, thanks to its absurdly small fins, but it is known to comfortably walk on the sea floor, scavenging for food and eating what it can. The creature is also known for its distinctly large nose, and its overall flat shaped body, which allow it to blend into the surrounding rock quite easily. The species is not poisonous, though it is quite unusual to behold! [Picture Description: The Red Lipped Batfish, taken off the coast of the Galápagos Islands]

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Finally, we move down to the deepest depths of the ocean, where we find the unusual livestock of the ocean: the Sea Pig. Scotoplanes Spp, affectionately known as the Sea Pig, can grow up to 17 cm long, and are known to snuffle across the sea floor in search of food and algae to eat. These creatures, often the most abundant creature on the sea floor, have an unusual, translucent appearance, and an almost mockable physique. They have several tentacles for a mouth, to grab and detect food whenever it is present, and tube-like feet that sense the floor for sudden drops and obstacles. It is often described as otherworldly, its translucent skin giving it a blue-ish tint. They are invertebrates,and are known to carry around juvenile king crabs, a part of a mutual relationship that we do not fully understand, although we know that the crab is seeking to, most likely, receive protection from the underwater predators. [Picture description: A Sea Pig, scavenging on the forest floor]

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FIVE INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE WORLD (FOR REAL THIS TIME)
by Shivam Patel

A shocking discovery has appeared in my mind… this section is named FIFAW, though never in history has there been an article in this section that is titled, and namely about, Five Interesting Facts About The World! Welcome to FIFAW edition 5, where we unravel the quirks of our earth, bit by bit!

The earth is a planet of dynamic change, and it is often subject to a lot of weird phenomena in its projected past and future. The earth has some shenanigans up its sleeve that could render the GPS quite unreliable in the near future. The earth’s magnetic poles, which are rooted in humanity’s navigation history, are known to flip every 300,000 years. It isn’t something that is instantaneous, rather a slow and steady event that causes the magnetic poles to weaken significantly, impacting satellite communications and many machines and operating systems. It has been 780,000 years since that last flip, so we are quite ‘overdue’, though this phenomenon is unpredictable in its intervals. Humans know of this flipping as paleontologists and geologists can see the direction in which igneous rock solidifies, which, since it contains ferromagnetic materials and exhibits properties of magnetism, solidifies in the direction of the magnetic field. As the direction of the igneous rock flips, we can infer that the poles have flipped! 
[Picture Description: a artist description of the earth’s magnetic field. ]

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Traveling to the Tibetan Plateau, we meet the 3rd pole — let me explain. The Tibetan Plateau is classified as a pole due to its high amount of solidified water… or ice. The Tibetan Plateau, also known as the Hindu-Kush-Karakoram-Himalayan-System (HKKHS) ice supplies freshwater to the local region, encompassing most of Nepal and the neighboring countries. But recently, global warming is accelerating the natural melting of the icecaps, releasing more freshwater than what is prepared for in neighboring villages. This causes massive floods and weakens the nearby soil considerably, creating massive mudslides. The Tibetan Plateau’s importance in its overall surroundings is so profound that it has, in the more recent past, earned itself the nickname ‘The Third Pole’... imagine that! [ Picture Description: An aerial photograph of the HKKHS system]

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Continuing our spiel on earth oddities, did you know the days are getting longer? The speed at which earth rotates is slowing down, causing the days to get longer. On the human scale, this difference is negligible: an approximate 0.018 milliseconds per year longer. But over the scale of millions of years, we can see a difference. 70 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous, a normal day was 23.5 hours long – 30 minutes shorter. But going to earth’s formation (4.6 billion years ago), we can see that the average day would last a mere 6 hours. But why does this happen? The phenomenon is due to the gravitational pull of the moon. In a concept known as ‘Gravitational Friction’, the moon slows down the earth. By studying the daily growth ring of mollusks, (which are quite periodic), scientists have been able to see that the fast paced night and day cycles indicate that the day was slightly longer. The differences may be minute, but by studying them under a laser, they’re as clear as day (however long that is) [Picture Description: aspects of earth’s rotation, and most commonly used axes.]

Moving from the outside to the inside, we find a precious metal locked away from our prying hand: gargantuan gold deposits inside the core, enough to cover the whole earth’s surface in a 1.5 foot thick layer. It is estimated that a gross 99% of all gold on earth is located deep beneath the earth’s core, kept away from our prying hands for most of eternity. But why is all of the gold in the center of the earth, and how do we know it’s there if we cannot see it! Gold is a siderophile: a term to describe a mineral that ‘sticks’ to iron, if you will. During earth’s formation, when everything was hot and rocks were fluid, iron had the chance to sink to the center, amidst all the lighter minerals; thus pulling large quantities of gold with it. We know this as we can directly detect leaks in heavy metals and other gold isotopes that blast out of volcanoes, coming straight from the core, and that contain stray iron and rhodium isotopes that mark their origin from the center of the earth. [Picture Description: A gold-quartz mineral ore, with a gold vein. Originates from a hydrothermal vent.]

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When someone refers to Earth, they may say ‘The Blue and Green Marble’. But truth be told, Earth has a chance of having a purple past! Scientists theorize that early earthlings used retinals (specifically bacteriorhodopsin) to convert sunlight into energy. But to see why this makes a difference, we need to start with what we already know. Modern plants appear green because their chlorophyll uses red and blue light to make glucose, reflecting green light. But bacteriorhodopsin, on the other hand, uses green and yellow light, collectively reflecting red and blue… and a vast range of purples! So just as plants from the modern day appear green because they don’t use green, past plants are theorized to have used green, expelling all the other colors which coalesce to resemble a deep purple. But why use retinals? Bacteriorhodopsin is simpler than modern chlorophyll, and is thought to have been easier to build and use in the more premature times of the earth’s biology. However, this is a theory, and though it is likely that plants used retinal, it is not certain. [Picture Description: an artist rendering of a ‘Purple Earth’]

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The Sneaky Secrets of Santa Claus
by Shivam Patel

Santa Claus is a prominent figure in western culture, and is often associated with being a jolly and happy fellow, clad in red. Some prominent modern aspects of this figure can be associated with some unusual sources. But what is most unusual about this amazing carrier of gifts would be the strong lore and prominent backstory of this character.  We are now into the fourth amazing feature of the Griffin Post, so join me once more as we explore some of these fascinating factoids!

The poise and idea of Santa Claus is probably a head scratcher for many folks. The figure originated from the real and more tangible St. Nicholas (which is why we sometimes refer to Santa as “Ol’ St. Nick”). St. Nicholas of Myra (Modern day Türkiye) was the patron saint of merchants, the innocent, the poor, and children. As a saint, his work was centered around piety and  charity. The story goes that, after his parents’ deaths, he was given a sizable inheritance, which he used for charitable purposes. He was very generous with his wealth, and sought to improve and further Christian belief with his actions. On a specific day of the year, most commonly December 6th, St. Nicholas would take a sack full of toys and candies and place them in the shoes and stockings of children, who were incentivized to share the treats with others. He also tossed gold coins and other riches into the poor households at night. Fun Fact: St. Nicholas had a nickname - Sinterklaas, which evolved into Santa Claus! [Picture Description: A portrait of St. Nicholas, a renovated depiction from an old artist sketch.]

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St. Nicholas may have been the ancient roots of Santa, though he was certainly not the most iconic aspect to the figure. The 1930s saw a huge boom in the popularity of the patronized figure, with the prominent song Santa Claus is Coming to Town (written by James Gillepsie) embellishing the few features of the character that we recognize most prominently to be of his nature. Starting with the list. The song includes a verse about the nice and naughty list, which reinforced the nature of Santa Claus’s efforts. Overall, it enforced the nature for kids to be good to be rewarded with Santa’s presents. Another prominent figure that has been associated with the modern Santa Claus would be Rudolph, an iconic figure who evolved separately from the rest of the reindeer. This character was iconized in the poem created for Montgomery Ward, written by Robert L. May. This poem, which was later pushed into a book, was an amazing hit, selling rapidly and proving a major profit for the client. More importantly, it introduced the story of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer to the world. [Picture Description: An image of the 1939 publication of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, for Montgomery Ward]

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Santa Claus is often depicted as living at the North Pole. But there is a town dedicated to him, or rather a village, that is said to be his home town. Rovaniemi is said to be Santa’s official office, from where he goes to and from his facility at the north pole to manage his yearly effort. Rovaniemi is a village in Lapland, Finland, with designated stations for visitors to learn about the iconic character. It even has a specialized post office for letters addressed to Santa Claus. The village also boasts various gardens, Santa’s office, and a station where visitors can meet Santa Claus personally. Korvantunturi, the official home of the iconic figure, was built in this village. The village recently attracted over 600,000 visitors, all flocking to see the beloved Santa Claus.

On the topic of living somewhere, citizenship often comes up. In 2008, Santa Claus was given official citizenship to Canada, which was administered by Minister Jason Kenney. The Canadian officials issued a Canadian passport for Santa Claus and Mr. Claus. The government even issued an official mailing address, HOH OHO. With this, people can mail to Santa and even get a reply. The official reason for this status for citizenship was mainly to gain public attention, and to stem multiculturalistic welcome from Canada. Additionally, this was an opportunity for the Canadian government to start economic ventures in the north, furthering the reasoning for such an unexpected decision. The Canadian officials welcome Santa to stay in Canada after his trip around the world is complete. It is fun to know that Santa Claus is welcome to stay in Canada, even if it seems uncertain if he will be doing that anytime soon. [Picture Description: An image of a typical Canadian passport 

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But how would Santa Claus be able to fly… in traditional aerospace, he would need to have a pilot’s license to fly. Astoundingly, he was awarded an official pilot’s license in 1927, with the memo “Although there may not be sufficient snow for his reindeer sleigh,”. His license was awarded to him by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce. He also has special flight and launch permits, granted by the FAA. He also has a… commercial space license?! That’s right. For a crewed mission to the International Space Station using his StarSleigh-1 space capsule powered by the Rudolph Rocket, of course! (That is literally what the FAA stated, [paraphrased], no joke!) With this license and specific launch permit, anyone threatening to sue Santa should think twice. Santa’s operations are 101% legal! [Picture Description: Santa Claus receiving his license (depicted) and giving presents!]

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The Confusions of Common Foods

by Shivam Patel

Welcome back to the 3rd edition of the Griffin Post, where today on FIFAW we explore the hidden conundrum and misconceptions that come up around many modern fruit flavors. I hope you are as hungry as I am by the end of this, so get reading! (Somebody could pass me a piece of chocolate right about now…)

The expectation of foods brings us to our strange ordinance with our eyes and tongue, were we stumble upon an interesting phenomenon: researching studies on whether Skittles© have a unique flavor dependent of the color of difference of the colors in the Skittle, leading to further research on the effect of colors on people’s sense of taste. When blinded, participants in major studies of this phenomenon comment how the differentiation of the colors and their uniqueness is quite blurred compared to their tastes in full sight. Many studies report that similar flavored candies colored separately are known to have a unique reaction. Early on, science has proved a relation between red and sweetness, yellow and green with sour, black and brown with bitter, and white with salty. It is believed that this association ancestrally originates from the nomadic periods of human evolution, when this identification can help differentiate various fruits and items that are edible and that are supposedly harmful. This association also comes to play on M&M© and other colored candies, and sometimes on fruits and curries. Sweets are also colored based on this leading perception of colors. A fun tidbit: external lighting and container color have the same effect! [Picture Description: Skittles, assorted, in a random collection.]

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This next fact takes us to the lineages of fruit and botanical mistakes that were later fixed to astonishingly unusual connections. I will say this point blank: the apple is a rose, the banana is a very big berry though the strawberry is anything but. First, taking a look at the more breathtaking fact that the apple is a rose, we can see similarities in the structure of the fruit and flower by looking through this mindset, such as the seed structure of the apple which is similar to the fruiting seed of the rose plant, often named the “rosehip” fruit. We also see similarities in the structure of the flower and the structure of the plants, including the various arrangements of the xylem and phloem tissues in the plant. They both belong to the Rosaceae family, with similar lineage tracing back to the common 5 pedaled flower tree. The apple is joined with the peaches, plums, cherries, and strawberries. Side Fact: bananas are berries because their seeds are dispersed evenly amongst an inner layer, and the fruit develops together and more cohesively from a singular source (strawberries aren’t berries for this reason).

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We regroup, again, from our spiel to discover that most fruit labels, indeed most of the ones that we often so distastefully discard, are edible. These labels, though not intended to be eaten, are often considered edible due to the food safe materials and inks that they are made out of. This means that the stickers can be consumed occasionally by a careless child, who in utter forgetfulness, doesn’t take off the label. These sticky and annoying patches contain various tidbits, such as information on whether the fruit is GMO or not, if it is grown with pesticides, or is organic, where it comes from, what company it is from (most notably) and even when it was picked, if you look at some of the detailed ones. The paper and adhesive can be a choking hazard, notes the FDA, thus best to stay away. A sidenote: California has found a way to laser-imprint labels onto a fruit, leaving it unharmed and the fruit free of paper and adhesive residue… a win-win situation!

Now continuing with this peculiar fascination from red berries to those berries’ pulp, we find that ketchup (tomato is also a berry) was often used initially as a common medicine to various ailments in the minor cases of gastrointestinal discomforts. In the early 1800s, specifically from 1812 and on, we met a peculiar trend, originating from the practices of Ohioan Dr. John Cook Bennet marketed this newer tomato based ketchup as a medicinal cure for jaundice, diarrhea, and indigestion. Eventually, in the later 1800s, people started marketing the tomato pills, said to be the finest extract of the essence of tomatoes. These pills became popular all over the USA and many countries in Europe. In the early 1860s, the first critical examinations of tomato pills and other condiments that were marketed as “homeopathic” were first realized, later to find that the tomato pills often contained no tomato at all, instead other natural and synthetic materials were used. 

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Now for some numbers: we’re moving on from consumable stickers to a realm of small crime… like stealing cheese? Cheese is the #1 most stolen food, with a reported 4% of all cheeses put on sale being stolen annually. Of these, the most coveted for cheese thieves would be “Parmigiano Reggiano”, an acclaimed cheese that is often boasted as the world’s most precious cheese, and it gains value as it ages. In fact, there is a bank in Italy that stores a whopping 300,000 wheels of cheese, that of which modern experts assume are worth about 7 dollars each, for a rough total of about 200,000 dollars worth of cheese. This bank often accepts these cheeses for loans and payback money from local farmers, increasing their stockpile all the faster. Cheeses are especially hard to track, mainly because they are often small and un-noticeable. This is why many cheese retailers often prefer RF EAS type labels to prevent theft, as these trackable labels can easily be disguised as a product barcode, or even company branding, if they want it tailored to the product. 

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The Spooky Secrets of Monsters and Decor
by Shivam Patel

Greetings - Let’s welcome a spooky spirit by starting off this installment of Five Fun Facts About the World with some freakish, ghoulish, downright chilling factoids as we push into the second edition of the Griffin Post. Again, I am so happy to be sharing these tidbits with you, and I hope that you appreciate these factoids a little bit more than I do (If humanly possible)!

Traveling to Haiti first, we rewind a little bit in time, up until about the 17th - 18th centuries, where slavery and spiritual tradition (Bokongo and Haitian Voodoo)  mingled to create a metaphorical and spiritual monster: the zombie, or ‘zumbi’ as it was called there. The story starts with the bokor, a character in Haitian belief that is relatable to the western ‘evil sorcerer’. The bokor, in vengeance for a sin or crime, will take and resurrect the body of the dead to serve the bokor without will. Another type of zombie, one that was easier to spread - though didn’t catch much attention worldwide - would be the zombie astral, the belief that the bokor could take the spirit of a now deceased person and capture it, using and selling it as a charm of good luck and profit. Either one embodies the two cultural significances of the time: the underlying concept of Dual Soulism (where the soul has two parts: flesh and spirit) and the more resonating concepts of slavery and civil injustice at the time. (This is most noticeably emulated inside the concept and essence of the zombie - something that fueled its popularity.)

(Picture description: A depicted drawing of a zombie at twilight, in a corn field)

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    Going from zombies to vampiric creatures, we find ourselves staring down the barrel of an interesting question: why do vampires hate garlic? This simple question actually has science behind it, but to understand, we must go back to the roots of vampires. Vampires are thought to originate from a misconceived perspective on the blood disorder Porphyria, whose side effects include an uncanny sensitivity to light, an irregularity of the hormone Heme, and a corpse-like appearance (pale skin, eroded gums and teeth, etc.) This disease also brings about the intolerance of allicin (found in garlic) and sulfur-rich compounds (also found in garlic). So when the creation and cultivation of the idea of the vampire took place, it was commonly assumed that because of this disease, the antibacterial and moreover essence of garlic would shun or even kill a vampire. Vampires were thought to live on this disease, though it wasn’t recognized as Porphyria at the time. In fact, real people with the disease also avoid garlic – it makes their gums painfully shrink, so it is thought that this effect transferred into the popular myth of the vampire! (Picture description: A clove of garlic )

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Following this eerie trend of pale and discolored skin, our queries take us to Frankenstein’s Monster, a pitied character that is unusually portrayed… green? Now this may not seem like much of a question – something must have stimulated Mary Shelley to include that detail. Although, to all of you who have read the book, you know the book described it (he, if you want to personify it) as having yellowish pale skin, not green. The true origins of this magnificent colorflash occurs in the silent era of moviemaking, when the first movie of the book (1931 adaptation, directed by James Whale) was adapted into the stereotypical black and white orthochromatic (that highlights green and blue) film of the time. Little do many know that the green originated from this adaptation; the makeup artist, when selecting a color of skin for the actor, noted that green colors specifically reflect interestingly on the film, giving the skin a ghastly hue. Further adaptations kept the green as it distinguished the creature quite nicely - becoming the green we know and love today!

(Picture description: an image of Frankenstein's Monster on orthochromatic B&W film)

Scooting to Europe we travel back in time to a most peculiar sight: before witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts, there were werewolf hunts going back to the 15th – 18th centuries, where people, moreover beggars and people on the poorer side of society, were accused of lycanthropy, a special process where a human transforms into a werewolf. Often other charges were pressed: witchcraft, sorcery, and other crimes associated with dark magic. The punishment were severe: beheading, execution, and imprisonment awaited those convicted, and many times over there were 

cases of innocent people confessing due to pressure and torture from prosecutors. These trials, though most prominently practiced in Switzerland, France, and Germany, unfortunately spread across most of Europe - killing many across the continent. (Picture description: a depiction [sketch] of a werewolf attack)

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Shifting once more to monstrous mysteries, focusing this time not on the appearance of this apparition but rather the sound of it. Ghosts have been saying BOO for a long time, going back to Latin and Greek origins or even further at least from the middle ages. The sound was first associated with an alarming sound when its first uses were the Latin and Greek ‘boare’ or ‘βoâv’ respectively, meaning something along the lines of I am here or a general sound of attention or presence. Later it started to evolve into a word that was used to warn people: beware, watch out. In Scotland, it evolved into a word that was actually described as “to scare crying children”, as was the case for similar sounds like bo or bu (Hobgoblins being later named bo-man or bu-man for this reason). Eventually, due to the volume of the syllable and the sharp b sound that comes before the body of the syllable, it was adopted to be associated with frightening or jumpscaring people, soon being commonized with monsters, and eventually became accustomed with the ghost. A fun tidbit: the figure of a ghost used to be of a talkative apparition, though over time the ghost’s vocabulary was replaced with the more desultory sound of BOO!

(Picture description: an artist rendering of an apparition)

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The Hidden Factoids of Newspapers
by Shivam Patel

Hi! If you have read the ‘by’ section of the title, you are probably wondering why the name changed from the last few years. Let me introduce myself. My name is Shivam Patel, and I am a 6th grader here at GATE starting out on FIFAW at the Griffin Post. I love getting and displaying fun factoids, and I am sure these factoids will get better through the editions. Let’s get started with the first ever 2025-2026 FIFAW entry in the Griffin Post! Today’s topic: The hidden factoids of newspapers around the world!

Let’s start off with a little bit of history. Tracing back through the lineage of old – though still continued – newspapers, we find ourselves at Wiener Zeitung, the oldest daily newspaper that is still continued. This newspaper is based in Vienna (The name literally translates to ‘Vienna Newspaper), Austria. This old paper is thought to have been established in 1703 by Johann Baptist Sh Johann Baptist Schönwetter. Diving back further, we find another old relic, which is the Post- och Inrikes Tidningar, a Swedish newspaper started back in 1645 and is continued to this day, though switched to a continual digital format starting January 1st, 2007. A little tidbit: Post- och Inrikes Tidningar actually translates to ‘postal and domestic newspapers’ in its original language, Swedish. (Pictures descriptions: front: first issue of the Wiener Zeitung, released on August 8th, 1703. behind: fifteenth issue of Post- och Inrikes Tidningar, published on the 9th of April, 1645)

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Continuing our spiel in Europe, we move to the UK, where a nostalgic tradition remembered by many shakes up curiosity in many young minds. The “Fish-&-Chips-served-in-newspapers” tradition goes back decades, though seeing its peak in the 1930s, has seen a recent decline. The dish Fish (or Cod) and Chips was originally wrapped in newspaper and regular paper layers, as this paper was said to be more absorbent than any other, and was ideal for soaking up the oil. More recently, this practice was discontinued, as it was found to be somewhat unhygienic. Newspaper also was found to be cheap and available, and also insulatory, keeping the dish rather warm inside the wrappings. It is said that instead of regular newspaper paper, people used printed newspapers, resulting in a rather inky taste in the food. Toxic mineral and lead inks that were being used posed a serious health risk to the users or consumers of the food. Surprisingly, restaurants are now printing food safe ink in a newspaper-like design onto the food safe paper that they use for this dish to create a more authentic feeling! 

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From food to feud, we find ourselves back further in time, all the way to the Civil War, where we come to the most inconspicuous part of the daily news: the advertisements. In the Civil War, confederate troops and regiments communicated with one another through messages in personal advertisement columns, where these newspapers, such as the Daily Herald, easily reached  other generals and civilians who would then pass it on to higher commanding army officials. Interception was unlikely, as though the Daily Herald was mostly used for its widespread reach, there were small town weeklies, monthly news-magazines, and over 400 semi-major newsletters to choose from. The same practice of newspaper manipulation also occurs in the Ohioan regiments, and further north for the same reasons - easy though hard to pick through. Repeated and edited prints made this total substantially larger - 4 million prints!!! Going even further back to the civil war, we can see that newspapers have taken a major role in intelligence, as newspapers brought in from Britain and from British publishings can give great insight into the state and motives of the British side. (Picture description: The New York Herald clipping, dating to the Civil War.

We take ourselves back a little in history to the first ever comic in a newspaper, the successful Yellow Kid comic,  first installed in Joseph Pulitzer’s New York World and later in the New York Journal. This extravagant yet simple comic, created and drawn by Richard F. Outcault. Here’s a little background on the ‘Yellow Kid’, or Mickey Dungan. He was an Irish tenement mischief maker, who came to New York. The comic itself is mostly of relatively slapstick humor, though also contains a great deal of social commentary. The comic is famous for being the namesake of the idea “yellow journalism”, the idea of stories that were made widespread for the pure purpose of selling newspapers, as was the case for the Yellow Kid comic – the strip originated out of a feud between the New York World and New York Journal, both installing the comic out of means of increased sales. (Picture Description: Mickey Duncan)

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Another beloved part of the newspapers is the crossword, a puzzling yet delightful brain teaser that is especially appealing to many people. Though this treat mostly comes in 15x15 to 22x22 square grids, this is sometimes exceeded. The largest crossword in a newspaper is a special feature of the NYT newspaper called the Puzzle Mania, characterized by the gargantuan 50x50 grid with a whopping 700+ clues, up and down! The New York Times, an already famous newspaper, released the competition for this fascinating puzzle first in 2016, continuing the tradition with an annual Puzzle Mania, exclusively featuring the Cryptic Crossword, the famed crossword that was mentioned earlier. Puzzle Mania was originally created to bring revenue and to bring a new and exciting interruption to the regular NYT puzzles, though this feature has since taken over as a hallmark for many solvers - a treat that for some is just a little difficult to swallow!

GENERAL SOURCE: 

SOURCES FOR FACTOID 1

SOURCES FOR FACTOID 2

SOURCES FOR FACTOID 3

SOURCES FOR FACTOID 4

SOURCES FOR FACTOID 5

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