- When asked what their ideal income is, American will tell you, regardless of how much they make, that they would finally be content with twice whatever their income currently is.
- The Spanish flu outbreak of the early 20th century killed between 20 million and 100 million people, depending on who you ask, which rivals the death rate of the black plague. It occurred towards the end of World War I, and consequently it was almost universally regarded as "hurting morale" to discuss publicly how many people the flu was killing. Meanwhile, the mortality rate at the Cook County hospital (near Chicago) of flu intakes was a mindboggling 39%. It was called the Spanish flu because Spain was the only country not fighting the war and, consequently, the only country whose papers were actually talking about the pandemic.
- The Sedition Act of 1918, which makes the PATRIOT Act look enlightened, undoubtedly contributed to the silence regarding the flu pandemic.
- Woodrow Wilson ostensibly contracted the Spanish Flu in the middle of negotiations for the Treaty of Versailles. Accounts from almost everyone he interacted with after contracting the virus reported he was a changed man and seemed to act strangely. He seemed to get easily confused, and persistent neurological problems were one of the occasionally occurring symptoms of Spanish Flu. It was only after contracting Spanish Flu that Wilson conceded to almost everything Clemenceau wanted, resulting in the oppressive and retributive terms to Germany's surrender that most regard as the direct cause of Hitler's rise to power and thus World War II. So it's entirely possible that influenza (indirectly) caused the second world war.
- Hunter Thompson killed himself. :(
Our soccer game tonight was called early because a fight broke out. I got between two belligerent eastern European men in an attempt to break them up. That probably wasn't smart. Fortunately, I escaped unharmed and with all my Adonis-like features fully intact.
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