Did you know: Did the director of‭ ‘‬Spider-Man‭’ ‬hold auditions for the spider‭?‬

With the double celebration of the Fourth of July and the four hundredth installment of this silly column now behind me, it’s time to turn my attention to the future and look forward.

As I do, though, I should note that a lot of you reading this haven’t been able to see the entire 400-column series, because your newspaper started carrying my wacky writing rather recently. Don’t fret, you haven’t missed much – or, rather, you have, but it all comes back around. Besides, there’s a Facebook page called “The Did You Know? Column” where all of the previous listings can be found.

So if you want to go read some blasts from the past, please feel free to indulge yourself.

Meanwhile, here’s number 401.  Enjoy!

Did you know …

… at one time, Academy Award winners were announced before the ceremony? For the first Oscars in 1929, the winners were announced three months before the actual presentation of the awards. Over the next 10 years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences released a list of winners prior to the ceremony, with a caution to the press to “embargo” or not use it until after the ceremony. But in 1940, the Los Angeles Times printed the list of winners the day of the ceremony, and the surprises were spoiled. For 1941 and onward, the Academy used the “sealed envelope” method of announcing winners at the ceremony. (And the winner is … the movie industry!)

… liquid nail polish was introduced in 1916? Devised by the Northan Warren Corporation, the initial polish was clear. Pink was the first color produced. (A proper selection, I would say.)

… you may suffer from achluophobia? If you do, you have a fear of the dark. (I’m not necessarily afraid of the dark; I’m more fearful of what’s in the dark.)

…you or someone you know could be a funambulist? Before you go looking up a telethon to help support the research, know that a funambulist is nothing more than a tightrope walker. By definition, then, walking a tightrope is called funambulism. (It’s fun, all right … until you trip, that is.)

… a Soviet attempt at blackmail against a world leader backfired spectacularly? The KGB, the Soviet Union’s secret police, tried to blackmail the president of Indonesia, Achmed Sukarno (1901-1970), with films of him being, shall we say, indiscrete with Russian women disguised as flight attendants.

Rather than becoming angry and giving in to the blackmail, however, Sukarno was said to be flattered and pleased, and even asked for copies of the films. (That’s how you show ‘em!)

… camels don’t have a lock on going long times without water? Rats and giraffes can actually survive longer without water than camels do. (That’s about the only time you’ll ever hear rats and giraffes mentioned favorably at the same time.)

… the director of 2002’s Spider-Man held auditions for the spiders? Sam Raimi (born 1959) was looking for a particular kind of spider to use in the movie, for the scene in which lead character Peter Parker is bitten (and thus becomes Spider-Man). Entomologists suggested several species, and Raimi’s choice was the black widow. 

Using a real black widow wouldn’t work, of course, so Raimi held “spider auditions” to find one that would come as close to a black widow’s gait as possible without actually being poisonous. The one selected had only a single problem – it was the wrong color. Raimi actually had the spider made up to appear black for its scene. (Thus proving that makeup can cure just about anything.)

… two brothers combined to pitch a shutout in a Major League Baseball game? On August 22, 1975,

brothers Rick (born 1949) and Paul Reuschel (born 1947), both pitching for the Chicago Cubs, combined to throw a five-hit shutout at the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs won the game, 7-0, played at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Rick was the starting pitcher, and Paul came on in relief in the seventh inning. (At that point in Cubs history, brothers pitching a shutout was the high point of the season.)

… bridesmaids at weddings have a historic purpose? Now positions of honor for friends and/or relatives of the bride, originally the purpose of the bridesmaid was to confuse evil spirits so they couldn’t tell who the real bride was. (I’ve got a line here, but it would close the show.)

… the Internet has a patron saint? In 1997, Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) named Saint Isidore of Seville (560-636) as Patron Saint of the Internet. The pontiff chose Isidore because, during Isidore’s lifetime, he tried to record everything ever known into one comprehensive encyclopedia. That’s sort of what the Internet does. (Patron saint of the Internet … now there’s a novel idea.)

… the Great Pyramids of Egypt were almost destroyed in the 1830s? During that decade, Egypt’s ruler, Muhammad Ali Pasha (1769-1849), had the idea of disassembling the Pyramids and using the stone as pre-cut construction material. It almost happened, too, until the project’s Quantity Surveyor fudged the numbers and convinced the ruler that it would cost more to take the Pyramids apart than they could possibly earn from selling the materials. (And the tourism industry said, “Whew!”)

… about half of the apartments available for rent in Los Angeles, California, do not have refrigerators? It’s legal, too. Refrigerators are considered an “amenity,” not a necessary appliance, so landlords don’t have to furnish one if they don’t want to. (One more reason not to move to Los Angeles.)

… you may be suffering from scopophobia? That’s the fear of being looked at. (I sure don’t suffer from it!)

Now … you know!

You can reach Jack Bagley at didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com.