Strange But True
BY SAMANTHAWEAVER

. You're certainly familiar with the word "polygamy" -- the form of marriage in which a person has more than one spouse at the same time -- but you probably haven't heard of the word "digamy." Whether or not you know what it means, though, you could very well be a participant. "Digamy" refers to a person's second legal marriage, whether the first marriage was ended by death or divorce.

. It was 18th-century French writer Nicolas Chamfort who offered the following advice: "Swallow a toad in the morning if you want to encounter nothing more disgusting the rest of the day."

. Have you ever wondered why it's called a boxing ring even thought it's square? Well, boxing matches used to take place in a circular arena, and the name stuck even after the shape changed.

. George Clooney, Academy Award- and Golden Globe-winning actor, tried out for the Major League Baseball team the Cincinnati Reds when he was 16 years old.

. Pneumatic tires -- tires inflated with air -- are found on all types of modern vehicles, from cars to airplanes to construction equipment. Considering the importance of these ubiquitous items to contemporary life, you might be surprised to learn that the pneumatic tire owes its existence to a small child and bad roads in Scotland. Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop came up to the idea because his son complained that riding his bicycle on rough roads gave him headaches.

. It's difficult to believe, but the following classic movies never won a single Academy Award: "Rebel Without a Cause," "Taxi Driver," "Psycho," "A Star Is Born," "The Maltese Falcon," "Dr. Strangelove" and "It's a Wonderful Life."

Thought for the Day: "It's been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues." -- Abraham Lincoln

(c) 2007 King Features Synd., Inc.