The Belarus Giant...!

Did you know that there were really giants not that long ago? Most of course were that way because of genetic defects, but others we still don't know what made them grow so big. Here from Listverse is the story of the Belarus Giant.

Fyodor Makhnov

Photo credit: viola.bz

Fyodor Makhnov (alternatively spelled “Fyodor Machnow” or “Fedor Machnov”) was born in Kasciuki (in today’s Belarus) in June 1878. He started growing rapidly at eight and measured 200 centimeters (6’7″) when he was 14. He wore custom-made clothes and shoes and slept on a custom-made bed. His boots reached the waist of normal-sized people, and children often hid inside his boots when playing hide-and-seek.

Makhnov joined the circus when he was 14 but started performing at 16. Although sources vary about his height, he would later reach approximately 250 centimeters (8’2″) as he grew into adulthood.

Scientists often met him to ask for contracts for ownership of his corpse, but he always refused over fears that he could be murdered. He later married Efrosinja Lebedeva, who was 100 centimeters (3’3″) shorter than him even though she was taller than most women. They had a girl and three boys.

Makhnov had a huge appetite. Every day, he consumed a hefty breakfast of 20 eggs, eight loaves of bread, and 2 liters (0.5 gal) of tea. For lunch, he consumed 1 kilogram (2.2 lb) of potatoes, 2.5 kilograms (5.5 lb) of meat, and 3 liters (0.8 gal) of beer. For dinner, he managed a loaf of bread, 15 eggs, and 1 liter (0.3 gal) of milk. He died in 1912 at age 34.

There certainly wasn't anything wrong with his appetite, that's for sure. A body that big needs a lot of fuel, I reckon.

Coffee out on the patio, where the temps are supposed to reach about 83.

Drunk Moose Law On Freaky Friday...!

We all are aware that there are some fairly strange laws on the books around the country, but some of them are really over the top, in my opinion. Take this crazy law in Fairbanks, Alaska.

It Is Illegal For A Moose To Enter A Saloon Via The Sidewalk

Fairbanks, Alaska

It is illegal for a moose to enter a bar through the sidewalk in Fairbanks, Alaska. The law was passed during the early 20th century because a tavern owner was fond of getting his pet moose drunk. The intoxicated moose often went on rampages, destroying property.

City officials soon had enough and passed a law banning moose from public sidewalks, thus meaning that the moose in question could no longer get into the man’s saloon. The tavern owner stopped bringing his moose to his bar but still got it drunk in his home. It is unknown why the town couldn’t simply outlaw getting moose drunk.

I reckon that even a moose needs a stiff drink once in a while, right?

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Sunshine is on the menu.

No Post Today...!

Sorry, but I want to take the day off and enjoy this beautiful weather while it last. See ya tomorrow.

Frank Canton On Western Wednesday...!

Back in the days of the Wild West, it was not uncommon for an outlaw to change his ways and become a lawman. Some earned a pretty good reputation as lawmen, too. Frank Canton was one of those.

Frank M. Canton, was a famous lawman, gunman, cowboy and at one point in his life, an outlaw during the wild days of the Old West.

Canton was actually born as Josiah Horner on September 15, 1849, near Richmond, Virginia. As a child he moved to Texas with his family and while in his teens became a cowboy, herding cattle from North Texas to the Kansas railheads in the 1860s. In 1871 he dropped from sight and made his living as a bank robber and rustler. On October 10, 1874, Horner got into a gunfight with some Buffalo Soldiers, killing one and wounding the other. In 1877, he was jailed for robbing a bank in Comanche, Texas but escaped and returned to cattle herding. After driving a herd to Ogallala, Nebraska, he changed his name to Frank Canton and vowed to uphold law and order.

He was soon hired as the top enforcer of the Wyoming Stock Grower’s Association, a group of powerful cattlemen in Johnson County, Wyoming. He was later elected sheriff of the county. It was here that he made his reputation in the notorious Johnson County War of Wyoming in the 1890s and was involved in the unlawful hanging of James Averell and Cattle Kate.

Afterward, he fled south, becoming a U.S. Deputy Marshal in Indian Territory under Judge Isaac Parker and made a name for himself as a strong and honest lawman. In 1897, Canton went to Alaska to follow the Klondike Gold Rush but instead became a Deputy U.S. Marshal again. After a couple of years, he returned to Oklahoma and once more became a lawman. In 1907, he became adjutant general of the Oklahoma National Guard, a post he held until his death on September 27, 1927. He was buried at the Fairlawn Cemetery in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

I reckon even the baddest of the bad can change when they really want to.

Coffee out on the patio this morning!

An Interesting Autobiography...!

If you enjoy reading as much as I do, you might find this book worthwhile. Here from the folks at Did You Know Facts, is the information about this novel.

‘A Void’ is a 300-page autobiographical novel written entirely without the letter ‘e.’ Author Georges Perec lost both parents during the Holocaust and spent his youth living under a fake identity, so the absence of such a familiar letter symbolizes his life and loss. The book has over 12 translations by authors who also wrote them without using the most common letter of their alphabets.

It must be hard for a writer to not use a certain letter in his writings, especially one like the letter E.

Coffee out on the patio again today. After the high of 84 yesterday, we are expecting only the high 70s today.

The Mysteries Of The Bennington Triangle...!

Nearly every mountain has some elements of mystery to it. They are beautiful to look at, but many are surrounded by myth and mystery. That's the case of Glastenbury Mountain in Vermont.

Native American Warnings

Photo credit: Andy Arthur

It’s stated in Joseph A. Citro’s 1996 book, Passing Strange: True Tales of New England Hauntings and Horrors, that Native Americans refused to set foot on Glastenbury Mountain unless they were burying their dead. They believed that the whole mountain was cursed land because the “four winds” met there in an eternal struggle. While most refer to this as a myth, there is some truth to it. The wind pattern on Glastenbury Mountain is so erratic that weather changes suddenly, and plants grow at odd angles.

Another myth attributed to the native people of Vermont is that they believed an enchanted stone among the cairns on top of the mountain could swallow a man whole. As reported by Davy Russell in X-Project Paranormal Magazine, a person would stand on the rock to survey the area from the highest point and find themselves suddenly swallowed whole. That person would never be heard from again.

Like I said, nearly every mountain has a bit of myth attached to it in some fashion, but that's probably why we are so fascinated by them. Beautiful, nonetheless!

Coffee out on the patio, where the temps are supposed to reach the 80s today!

Stuckie The Dog...!

Animals can get themselves in trouble every so often and it can lead to very unhappy results. Such is the case for Stuckie the Dog. Here is his story from the folks over at Listverse.

Stuckie The Dog

Photo credit: allthatsinteresting.com

Stuckie is the mummified remains of a hunting dog that was trapped in a chestnut oak tree for almost 60 years. The dog was probably chasing a raccoon when it entered the tree through a hole around 1960.

Unfortunately, the dog was too big to pass through the hollowed-out tree and got stuck. Eventually, it died of starvation. However, its body mummified instead of decaying. It remained untouched for about 60 years until it was discovered after some loggers cut the tree.

Scientists later discovered that the moisture-absorbing tannin in the tree prevented Stuckie from decaying. The fact that the animal was stuck inside the tree also protected its body from scavengers. Stuckie is currently displayed at the Southern Forest World Museum in Waycross, Georgia. The dog’s remains are still inside the tree

Now that was one dedicated hunting dog, I have to admit. Just goes to show that accidents can easily happen when hunting.

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Nice warm temps headed our way again.