TRIVIA, a plural noun
Matters or things that are very unimportant, inconsequential, or nonessential; trifles; trivialities.

 U.S. Grant’s name is wrong?

   He was a General in charge of the Union Army during the Civil War. He went on to be the 18th president of the United States. We learn in grade school that his name was Ulysses S. Grant.  His name was actually Hiram Ulysses Grant. The Congressman who nominated Grant for West Point made an error and listed him as Ulysses S. Grant. The future president decided not to correct the mistake because he could only have be admitted with the name that had been recorded by the Congressman. The “S”? Maybe his mother’s maiden name, Simpson. The initials “U. S.” were perfect later in life as others said it came to stand for “Unconditional Surrender” Grant.

   Iconic screen villain who loved children

   How ironic that Margaret Hamilton’s performance as the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz in 1939 was so scary for children. Her first job was as a kindergarten teacher. She loved and doted upon children all her life.

   Until the day she died, she had children recognizing her and coming up to her to ask why she was so mean to Dorothy. She became very concerned about the role’s effect on children, and finally did a guest spot on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood to explain that the Witch was just a character in the film, and not herself.

    And who knew that she suffered a second-degree burn on her face as well as a third-degree burn on her hand during the scene of her fiery exit from Munchkinland?

   Delivering books on a mule

   In 1930, up to 31 percent of people in eastern Kentucky could not read. As part of the New Deal, Eleanor Roosevelt wanted to help create projects that would specifically benefit women and children.

   The Pack Horse Librarians were part of the W.P.A. during the Great Depression. Most were women who rode  a circuit of 18 miles to 20 miles. They stuffed their saddlebags or a pillowcase with books and struck out on horseback or a mule to provide library service to the remote areas of the Kentucky mountains.

   No word for a “millionaire”?

   The ancient Greeks had no name for a number greater than ten thousand. India, with its love of large numbers, had names before 3c. for numbers well beyond a billion. The word “millionaire” was apparently coined in France in 1719 to describe speculators who profited in a scheme to buy property in Mississippi.

   The first multi-millionaire in America was German immigrant John Jacob Astor. He made his fortune with a fur monopoly and buying real estate in New York City in the 1800s. Some sources also say he also smuggled opium into into China.

   First self-made female millionaire? 

   Sarah Breedlove began  as a sales agent for a hair-care company run by Annie Turnbo Malone. She struck out on her own with “Madam C J Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower” in 1905. Her company sold a variety of hair care products targeted at African-American women like herself. A marketing wizard, she travelled around America rallying her army of around 25,000 sales agents.

   Billionaire?

   Blah, blah Jeff Bezos. Blah, blah Elon Musk. Blah,blah Bill Gates. Who was the first in America? John D. Rockefeller, a kid that dropped out of school and did menial jobs to survive, became America’s first billionaire. He was relentless, ruthless and showed no mercy to his competitors. Rockefeller became the king of the American oil industry — refining almost 90% of America’s oil at that time. Seems Mr. Rockefeller and Mr. Astor had a lot in common? Both were huge financial successes, but neither would win a beauty contest or a Mr. Congeniality competition.

RESOURCES:

Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky, Kathy Appelt

https://thevintagenews.com

https://www.thefamouspeople.com/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/

https://imbd.com

https://history.com

https://medium.com

https://blueridgecountry.com/

https://siloamspringslibrary.wordpress.com

https://www.npr.org/2018/09/13/647329067/the-pack-horse-librarians-of-eastern-kentucky.

https://en.wikipedia.org/