A Blonde's Perspective - Senior trivia 101

By Jan Stadtherr

Looking back at my last column regarding the season of spring, I said that pink flamingos pop up in yards before the flowers do. The pink bird is usually standing on one leg. Do you know why? The lanky bird is trying to stay warm by tucking the other skinny leg into its feathers.

Ah, yes! Welcome to senior trivia 101! When you share such tiny facts, it makes you feel smarter whether with family, friends, in the local coffee shop, or at card club. For me, trivia  has become a pastime. It’s a cognitive workout, like glue, and a good reminder that some knowledge is forever. So, I’m going to share some curious facts, memory-boosting tips, and the kind of humor that makes forgetting where you left your keys or your phone less tragic.

First, the useful trivia. Studies show that taking part in mentally-stimulating activities such as puzzles, games, or learning new facts helps to preserve cognitive function. The brain is like a muscle as it responds to many challenges. Whether you’re learning the capital of Vermont (Montpelier), recalling the year the first moon landing occurred (1969), or remembering the lyrics to a song that makes you dance in your kitchen, you’re doing valuable work. Did you know that Montpelier is the only state capital that doesn’t have a McDonalds?

Now for the fun stuff. A friend recently told me that a senior moment should be a medical diagnosis. (I hope she was joking.) It’s a phrase invented with a wink to describe everyday lapses like forgetting names or where you parked the car at Wal-Mart. That happened to me during a recent visit to Florida. We rented a black SUV. Do you know how many black cars there are in a large, hot parking lot? Rather than pressing the horn on the FOB, that may continue honking, I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. I’d rather push the grocery cart as I talked and laughed to myself walking up and down the rows, and finally remembered that the rental had a New Jersey license plate. Duh! I proved that humor reduces stress and helps my memory by making experiences more significant. For example, telling a joke about my blonde moments can actually be a smart strategy, as long as I can remember the punchline. I usually do.

Did you know that your tongue has 10,000 taste buds that regenerate every two weeks? Do you know the shortest war in history? It was 38 minutes when Zanzibar surrendered in 1896. Did you know that sharks are older than dinosaurs by 100 million years?

One of my favorite trivia facts is the blue whale, which is the largest animal in the world. It has a tongue as large as an elephant. This mammal can grow up to 100 feet and weighs 200 tons equal to 150 mid-size cars!

Did you know that microwaves were born by accident? Engineer Percy Spencer noticed that a chocolate bar was melting near radar equipment in 1945.

Did you know Cleopatra lived closer to the invention of the iPhone than the pyramids? Two thousand years from the smart phone compared to 2,500 years from the pyramids.

Do you feel smarter now? Just a reminder that aging doesn’t mean intellectual decline. It means our memory has different filing systems. Some files have yellowed with age such as childhood memories, recipes, or old songs. We need to create new files and use a brighter light and a magnifying glass. Learn one odd fact daily and share it with a friend or play trivia with a group.

Let’s raise our glass as we wade through the fountain of youth together! Cheers!