Newspapers and Trivia

I miss newspapers the way they used to be, when metal type was set by hand, rather than the computer massaging the articles so that they came out exactly right.

It has nothing to do with the quality of writing, which is another topic all together.

I liked those little filler lines that used to go in, that gave you visual sound-bites of information in those pre-computer days.

“Madagascar primarily exports agricultural products coffee, vanilla, shellfish, sugar, and fiber.”
“Babe Ruth was born on February 6, 1895.”
"Woodrow Wilson’s first name was Thomas. His middle name was Woodrow.”

Useless facts, but for some reason they have always stuck in my brain. My nephew observed on more than one occasion that this tendency is probably the reason I can not remember where we parked the car at the mall. I’d used up all my available memory with bits of trivia.

Now, of course, you go to the internet to find out anything you want instantly. With the availability of WiFi, Blackberries and iPhones, facts about anything you want are almost always available.

Those factoids of information were like the prize in a box of CrackerJack, (first created in 1896). You never knew what it was going to be, it was of little value and intended for immediate consumption after which it could be discarded without consequence.

I wondered who found all these tidbits, and did they have a “fact-checker” following along behind them, sending memos, “No, Jim, you’re wrong there. Champagne was originally invented by a Benedictine Monk, not a Dominican. If you’re not more careful with your research, it’s going to reflect poorly on your next evaluation.”

Or, like the tour guides on those open topped buses that show you around big cities, do they simply make up stuff that sounds reasonable, figuring it’s not likely to rise to the level that anyone sends a letter of outrage to the Editor?

“I was deeply offended to see that the quality of journalism for your paper has fallen to the point that you fail to recognize that the Hoary Marmot (Marmota caligata) is a separate and distinct creature from the Yellow Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris), as is obvious from the distinct black feet which are readily apparent. I chose to no longer waste my time reading such shoddy journalism. Please cancel my subscription immediately.”

As with so many other functions newspapers no longer perform, there’s no longer a need for these fillers. Computers set the type perfectly, making the story fit the space available, stretching or shrinking the print as needed.

You can find an endless supply of random facts at http://www.mentalfloss.com/amazingfactgenerator, a particularly addictive site for those who suck up and store minutiae just in case we ever get picked as a fill-in contestant on Jeopardy.

Having this endless supply of trivia available may be helpful if you’re an information junkie like me, but if you emerge from the bathroom and suddenly announce, “About one in every 30 American births results in twins,” you’re likely to get a very different reaction from the family than you would if you’d had the newspaper in there with you.