If you or someone you know is a trivia book, then Firsts
This is a browsing book that you can glean information from which to impress your friends OR make them roll their eyes at you. I suppose it’s all on how you present the following facts to them:
– When the first computer mouse was used (when, where, why and whatfor).
– Who created the Purple Heart award.
– Who invented the Punch Clock (that every employee loves to hate?)
– Where the first modern medical school was located.
– Who created the first earmuff device
– When was the triatholon held?
All of this information and more can be yours with a quick, handy dandy perusal of this book.
I really don’t know what you’d do with this information except for gather random facts about the world around you. I’m not typically a random fact gatherer, however, it is the random facts that best stick in my head.
For example – years ago I read the biography of Archibald Leach (do you know who that is?!). Out of his whole life story, the two things I most remember about him are that his favorite color was orange and his last meal on earth was a hotdog. Know who I’m talking about yet? I’ll give you another hint – my favorite movie of his is I Was a Male War Bride. Any guesses? (If you haven’t seen that movie, I highly recommend it. And maybe this actor didn’t change the WORLD but who’s nitpicking? Not I!)
If you like spitting out such random facts and making all who are in your present company guess at what you are referring to, then check out Firsts
Carrie comes by her book obsession honestly, having descended from a long line of bibliophiles. She blogs about books regularly at Reading to Know and Reading My Library.
Yup, that book sounds like it would be read a whole lot and fit right into our bookshelves! Thank you for the review!
Too funny! My friends used to call me the trivia queen, I think mostly because I read so much I just knew a lot of useless information! But once on a hiking trip I won an impromptu trivia game hands down! 😉
I love random facts, and I agree with you the movie I Was A Male War Bride is great. 🙂 Love him in this movie and all of his others as well.
Yes, I know and love Mr. Leach, but I have never seen that particular movie. Maybe I should put it on my list.
I met the author at a book signing, such a nice guy.
The book is such a pleasant read that I keep going back and forth to. I admire his courage to set the records straight on so many “firsts”. I believe in his research, no politics involved. If so and so was “first”, so be it, he didn’t care what their background was, whether they were female, black or white, Asian or European, Baptist or Buddhist, etc, and so forth, if one was first, they were first.
I think he truly stood up for the little guy or gal. I love the one he accredited as to being the first female astronaut, it wasn’t a Russian but an American.
There’s over 500 entries of “firsts” and such an entertaining, factual read taht I highly recommend to all ages. I sincerely mean that, and hats off to the author! It’s a book that I can’t put down! (The “firsts” are in alphabetical order, too, that helps!)