Most of us have come to think of Benjamin Franklin as a worldly-wise fellow, loved by his associates, and almost super-human in his ability to invent practical solutions. Some of his abilities may have come from his childhood. With 16 brothers and sisters, he probably had to learn to be quick-witted.
It turns out that Continue reading Ben Franklin’s Bifocals
Ben Franklin was born into a family of 19 in 1706. He was one of the most amazingly productive people that have ever lived on this earth. Not only is his list of accomplishments impressive, but Continue reading Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin G’za Affleck-Boldt, better known as “Ben Affleck,” was born on August 15, 1972. As of August, 2018, he is 551 months old. The average American male lifespan is 77, so he is likely to last another 31 years or so. When Ben was eight years old, he became friends with Matt Damon, with whom he co-wrote an starred in Good Will Hunting. Ben’s high school and college career was lackluster, so it is a good thing he was a talented screenwriter and actor. After studying Spanish and Middle Eastern affairs, among other pursuits for a while, he dropped out of one his final courses, a creative writing class, when the professor ridiculed an early draft of “Good Will Hunting.”
Ben Affleck is a non-drinker. He entered an alcohol rehab facility in 2001 as a preventive measure, since his father was an alcoholic.
There has been speculation that he may have a problem with gambling, but it appears not to be an addiction. He is a serious poker player, and he doesn’t bet with large sums of money.
Ben Affleck is 6′ 4″ (1.93 m) tall, which is 9 inches (23 cm) taller than Tom Cruise. Ben is 6 inches (15 cm) taller than Matt Damon, but Matt is two years older.
Ben Affleck is a descendant of a famous American poet, John Greenleaf Whittier.
According to Wikipedia, Ben’s father, Timothy Byers Affleck, was an aspiring playwright who was mostly unemployed. He worked sporadically in many jobs including as a carpenter, auto mechanic, bookie, electrician, bartender, and local theater stage manager.
Ben’s Harvard-educated mother was an elementary school teacher.
He was the first person in his family to graduate from college, attending the University of Vermont.
Affleck is a licensed private pilot and owns his own plane.
He is an accomplished poker player and has won several high-stakes tournaments.
Affleck is left-handed as are 11.11 percent of all people.
He was roommates with actor Matt Damon when they were both struggling actors in Hollywood.
He was once in a relationship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
Affleck has a rare condition called synesthesia, which causes him to see colors when he hears music.
He is a big fan of the Boston Red Sox and has been known to wear their baseball cap frequently.
Affleck has a prominent back tattoo that he once tried to pass off as fake, but later admitted was real.
He has been arrested twice for disorderly conduct, once in 2000 and again in 2019.
Affleck has appeared in five films directed by his close friend Kevin Smith.
He played the superhero Daredevil in the 2003 film of the same name.
Ben likes women named Jennifer. He has been married twice, first to actress Jennifer Garner and later to actress Jennifer Lopez.
Affleck is a vegan, meaning he eats no meat, eggs, or milk products, and has been known to promote animal rights causes.
He has been open about his struggles with alcohol addiction and has been in and out of rehab multiple times.
Affleck is a fan of classic rock music and has cited Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen as some of his favorite artists.
He has a younger brother named Casey who is also an actor.
Affleck has written several screenplays, including the Oscar-winning film “Good Will Hunting.” One of the jobs Ben’s father held was as a janitor at Harvard, which those who have seen the movie will understand immediately.
He played a vampire in the 1998 horror-comedy “Phantoms.”
Affleck has a keen interest in politics and has been known to donate money to Democratic candidates.
He once starred in a music video for the rock band Aerosmith.
Affleck is a big fan of comic books and has collected them since he was a child.
He has two daughters and one son with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Affleck has won two Academy Awards, one for writing and one for producing the film “Argo.”
He has a strong connection to the city of Boston, where he was born and raised.
When Ben was engaged to actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, the couple was known as “Bennifer” in the media.
He has a close friendship with fellow actor and filmmaker George Clooney.
Affleck is a big fan of the TV show “The Wire” and has said that he has watched the entire series multiple times.
Christopher Columbus thought the earth was pear-shaped, not round.
The man who invented scissors was Leonardo da Vinci.
Sir Isaac Newton’s mother didn’t think education was necessary for farming, the business she wanted him to take up, so he had to quit school.
Sherlock Holmes was modeled after a real person, Dr. Joseph Bell, a famous surgeon and lecturer of author A Conan Doyle’s time. Dr. Bell taught his medical students Continue reading The Real Sherlock Holmes
One of Leonardo da Vinci’s less known but very effective inventions was a weapon – stink bombs mounted on arrows.
When Marie Antoinette became pregnant, many of the fashionable women of Paris started wearing padding over their stomachs. As the pregnancy developed, the ladies wore thicker and thicker pads. When her child was born, the women’s fashions all returned to normal dimensions.
W.C. Fields used to open savings accounts everywhere he went. He put over one million dollars in 700 different banks. He couldn’t remember where many of his accounts were.
When the Prince of Wales visited Niagara Falls, he tried to talk people into letting him ride across the falls on a high wire in a wheelbarrow. Evidently the local authorities refused to let him do it.
One time Albert Einstein was jotting down some notes about his thoughts while attending a banquet. Everyone rose in a standing ovation and they were applauding, so Dr. Einstein rose and clapped his hands too. He didn’t realize the ovation was for him.
One time American President William Howard Taft, who weighed 352 pounds, settled into his bathtub for a warm soak. When he was ready to get out, he couldn’t. He became stuck in the tub and required help getting out.
Don’t drink and dive. Sam Patch was the man known throughout America in the 1820’s for leaping from the tops of bridges and waterfalls. He was a professional. Sam made his money like a street juggler or magician, by passing the hat. He created as much of a show of it as possible, sometimes jumping into the water with his pet bear. He successfully jumped Niagara Falls. Sam became a national rage, and started a jumping craze. Farmers jumped over fences, retailers leaped over their sales counters.
While attempting a second jump into Gennesee Falls, a smaller but still spectacular waterfall in Rochester, NY, Sam disappeared. He jumped from a 100 foot high tower in November, just to make the feat more difficult. Over 6,000 people watched him jump, but none saw him return. Some folks reported that he had been drinking before his fatal dive. Finally, in March of the following year, his body was discovered encased in a block of ice.
Right out of law school, Richard Nixon, later to become a an American President, got his first job as a lawyer, representing a client in court trying to recover a bad debt. He lost the case. He was then sued by the client for inept handling of her case.
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When Thomas Edison was twelve years old, he had a job selling newspapers on a commuter train. He had set up a printing press on the train to make his own newspapers, and thereby increase his profits. He also set up a chemistry lab, to indulge his already well-developed scientific curiosity. One day, as the train went around a particularly tight turn, some of Edison’s phosphorus fell on the floor and started a small fire. As the train came into the station, and the conductor discovered the problem, Tom tried to run away. The conductor pulled him back up into the train by his ears. “I felt something snap inside my head,” Edison said. From that time until his death, he was hard of hearing.
“Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein
“Whether a school has or has not a special method for teaching long division is of no significance, for long division is of no importance except to those who want to learn it. And the child who wants to learn long division will learn it no matter how it is taught.” – A. S. Neill
Alexander Sutherland Neill, better known as A. S. Neill, founded Continue reading A. S. Neill
