Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for March 29, 2014

I recall reading of a restaurant in China that offers “American-style” fortune cookies.

I knew that Washington had been unopposed, but I am surprised to find that out about Monroe. You learn something new every day. One does wonder why Monroe did not face an opponent; surely the opposition party would have found someone to run against him, especially since James Monroe had nothing like Washington’s stature in America.

Codeine, an opiate, is taken orally. But I don’t have a clue as to the difference in effect as compared to it taken intravenously.

No wonder little Jimmy’s not coughing.

The exact origin of fortune cookies is unclear, though various immigrant groups in California claim to have popularized them in the early 20th century, basing their recipe on a traditional Japanese cracker. Fortune cookies have been summarized as being “introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, but ultimately … consumed by Americans.” – Wikipedia

Heroin may not have stopped the coughing but it would stop the user from caring.

I wonder if David Henry Hwang knew that when he wrote “M. Butterfly.” There a Chinese character implies that fortune cookies come from China, but maybe he just meant the wisdom that goes into the cookies.

James Monroe was our fifth president. All of our first seven presidents except the Adamses served two terms. James Monroe was Virginia’s governor before getting elected President. Monroe, Michigan was named after him.

When Washington was elected president, John Adams became Vice President because he received the second highest vote count. Unanimous is not an appropriate description of the election.

I’ve been to China. They have no idea what fortune cookies are there. I thought it was common knowledge that fortune cookies were actually American cuisine, then I remember… people are stupid.