Neatorama

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• Awesome Tattoo Is Filled with Classic Tattoos
• Tracks
• Beer and Wine Pairings for Girl Scout Cookies
• Winter Is Just Like Being In A Personal Roleplaying Game
• <i>Star Wars: The Empire Striketh Back</i> by William Shakespeare
• TARDIS Cat Condo
• Clint Eastwood Saves a Man from Choking
• Theremin Simulator
• Giant Koosh Balls Are Warming Spots for Winter Fun
• Cats Who Look Like Ron Swanson
• Drive-Through Buddhist Supply Store
• 20 Things You Might Not Know About <i>Blazing Saddles</i>
• Panda in the Snow
• Super Pig Socks
• Every Year, I Have the Same Problem
• Only You and Snow Can Prevent Forest Fires
• 100 Funny T-Shirts Perfect For Your Favorite Geek
• The Great Language Game
• Pop Culture Characters Created Using Peanuts
• Swiss Siren Test
• Heeeere's Goofy
• Senzu Beans by tombst0ne
• Zoich, the Sochi Olympics Anti-Mascot
• Aquarium Feeds Peanut Butter To A Jellyfish
• Chickens with Heavy Tails Walk Like Dinosaurs
• 11 Lights That Can Add Some Spark to Your Space
• Jane Perkins Recreates Famous Works of Art with Buttons, Beads and Other Bits of Plastic
• Neatolinks: Love Is Precious
• 10 Shocking Stories About America's First Ladies

Awesome Tattoo Is Filled with Classic Tattoos Posted: 08 Feb 2014 04:00 AM PST (Photo: unknown) Everything great from the golden age of American animation is here: Tom & Jerry, Bugs Bunny, Daffy and the Tasmanian Devil. The film perforations are a nice accent. I don't know who owns this tattoo, but s/he has great taste. -via Fashionably Geek

Tracks Posted: 08 Feb 2014 02:00 AM PST Identifying tracks in the snow can be fun! In my yard, we have cat, dog, duck, goose, opossum, and squirrel tracks. And some from small birds and/or theropod dinosaurs. At least that’s what I’m going to pretend, thanks to Lunarbaboon.

Beer and Wine Pairings for Girl Scout Cookies Posted: 08 Feb 2014 12:00 AM PST (Photo: Beer & Brewing) Friday is the beginning of Girl Scout Cookie season (not rabbit or duck season). After you've gorged yourself on 3 boxes of Thin Mints in as many minutes, wash down your shame with an appropriate beer or wine selection. Beer & Brewing rounded up suggestions from around the web for which beers or wines to responsibly consume with particular cookies. Here's what the Beer Chicks recommend for Thin Mints: Thin mints + Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout,Kiuchi Brewery, Japan. 7.5% ABV. - The Thin Mint is a masterpiece on its own, but paired with this thick stout from one of our favorite breweries out of Japan, the thin mint takes on another level of decadence.  The minty chocolate mixed with coffee is like a peppermint mocha, and carries the kick of coffee and alcohol.  We can polish off a whole box of thin mints no problem, and this is the perfect beer with which to wash those babies down! If you love Somoas, then Melissa Mackaly of Central Track recommends Dirty Bastard: Samoas. • A crisp cookie coated in caramel, sprinkled with toasted coconut and striped with a dark chocolate coating. • Paired best with a red dessert wine such as a Port, or an 8.5 percent ABV heavy ale, like a Founders Dirty Bastard.  I'm really not sure about these picks. It would be helpful if the Girl Scouts themselves provided a pairing guide or trained their door-to-door salespeople on the subject. -via VA Viper

Winter Is Just Like Being In A Personal Roleplaying Game Posted: 07 Feb 2014 11:00 PM PST Winter time may seem like a boring, freezing cold and extremely inconvenient exercise in how to stay indoors for months without going stir crazy, but if you think of it as your own personal roleplaying game set in a wintery kingdom full of quests, danger and customizable wardrobe choices the whole thing may become a bit more tolerable. Gone are the days of punks throwing snowballs at you for no reason- now they're random encounters, and you have to defeat them all to gain experience points. When you're shopping online you're actually visiting the local merchant, who deals in armor, weapons and magic items delivered right to your doorstep.And hot beverages now serve as health potions, and if you go for the triple espresso you're talking speed and healing in one! -Via Nerd Approved

<i>Star Wars: The Empire Striketh Back</i> by William Shakespeare Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:00 PM PST Some silly knaves claim that Geroge Lucas, the 17th Earl of Oxford, wrote the Star Wars plays. But this is sheer rouguery. Indeed, it was the Bard of Avon, William Shakespeare, who composed them. Ian Doescher, a tireless scholar of manuscripts, discovered this and last year published the first play in the sequence: Verily, A New Hope. Now Doescher has published the second play, which Shakespeare entitled The Empire Striketh Back. It has all that you have come to expect from Shakespeare: Return to the star-crossed galaxy far, far away as the brooding young hero, a power-mad emperor, and their jesting droids match wits, struggle for power, and soliloquize in elegant and impeccable iambic pentameter. Illustrated with beautiful black-and-white Elizabethan-style artwork, these two plays offer essential reading for all ages. Something Wookiee this way comes! But pray thee, attend, for there is also a third play: The Jedi Doth Return. -via Blame It on the Voices

TARDIS Cat Condo Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:00 PM PST Etsy seller MonksHomefurnishings is a furniture builder who made this TARDIS Cat Condo for a friend who loves cats and Doctor Who. Figuring that there are other people who love both (duh), he offers to build more for anyone who wants one -and is willing to part with $695.00. The TARDIS is 47 inches high and contains three cat platforms and openings on all sides. The color and features can be customized. Shipping is free! This TARDIS is not guaranteed to turn your cat into a Time Lord, but that doesn't matter because your cat already thinks he is the ruler of time and space. See more pictures at the Etsy page. -via Geeks Are Sexy

Clint Eastwood Saves a Man from Choking Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 PM PST (Image: Warner Bros.) Steve John is currently feeling like a lucky punk. When Clint Eastwood isn't throwing people off his lawn, he's saving their lives. John found that out while attending a golf tournament in Pebble Beach, California. John and Eastwood were both attending a party for volunteers at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am tournament. John started choking, so the 83-year old actor swung into action: "I looked in his eyes and saw that look of panic people have when they see their life passing before their eyes," Eastwood told The Carmel Pine Cone. "It looked bad." He said it was the first time he had used the Heimlich maneuver. "I can't believe I'm 202 pounds and he threw me up in the air three times," John said. -via Ace of Spades HQ

Theremin Simulator Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:00 PM PST Oooh, here’s a toy guaranteed to drive your cats crazy and draw everyone into the room to see what you’re doing. Play a simulated theremin online with your mouse. Change the parameters at both the top and bottom of the screen to get different sounds. Cosmic! Beware: you will play with this at least long enough to annoy those around you. You are warned that it “currently has some bugs in Firefox.” So I tried it in Safari and the only difference seems to be that the Firefox version is lacking some visual feedback I found unimportant.  -via b3ta (Image credit: Flickr user Alberto Garcia)

Giant Koosh Balls Are Warming Spots for Winter Fun Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:00 PM PST (Photos: Raw Design) They're called Nuzzles, but I thought of Koosh toys as soon as I saw them. Raw Design, a studio in Toronto, recently won a competition in Canada to design warming huts that people enjoying outdoor winter fun could use to warm themselves. All submissions had to be transportable and no higher than the trees in a recreation area by the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg. Nuzzles consist of a geodesic dome with a heat source beneath them. Pool noodles radiate from the surface of the dome, carrying heat. People who want to warm themselves can nestle inside the warm tentacles.

Cats Who Look Like Ron Swanson Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:00 PM PST (Video Link) Nick Offerman’s character on the hit sitcom Parks & Recreation is a steak loving, moustachioed manly man named Ron Swanson, who loves nothing more than fine whiskey, people not talking to him and making city hall less effective for the citizens of Pawnee. In real life Nick is far less of a curmudgeon than Ron, but both sides of the man inexplicably resemble famous internet cats. Nick came on Conan to promote his role in the LEGO Movie, but stayed long enough to see some side-by-side comparisons between him and some of the finest kittehs the net has to offer, and man did he have a hard time telling who was who! Head over to Team Coco if you can't get enough Nick Offerman!

Drive-Through Buddhist Supply Store Posted: 07 Feb 2014 04:00 PM PST (Photos: Another Tokyo) In Japanese Buddhism, butsudans are small cabinet-shaped shrines, often kept in private homes. They typically contain an idol to the Buddha and pictures of deceased loved ones. What you see above are pictures of a shop in Tokyo that display butsudans in a car drive-through format. Customers can drive through the lane. If they spot butsudans that they want to buy, they can simply push an intercom button to speak with a salesperson, who will bring the requested items out. You can see more photos of this innovative store at Rocket News 24.

20 Things You Might Not Know About <i>Blazing Saddles</i> Posted: 07 Feb 2014 03:00 PM PST The movie Blazing Saddles was released on February 7, 1974, forty years ago today. It was full of offensive humor that would never make it into a movie today, but also lauded as one of the funniest films of all time. In honor of Blazing Saddles’s 40th anniversary, let’s have some movie trivia! 3. First time farts. According to the movie’s DVD commentary, Blazing Saddles marks the first time a fart recording had been used in cinema. Mel Brooks came up with the idea after noticing that cowboys in westerns were always consuming lots of black coffee and baked beans. A deadly combination around the campfire if there ever was one. Those fart noises were made by using a little soap and the old stand-by of putting one’s hand under their armpit. 13. Gene Wilder agreed to do the film as a trade-off. In the commentary for Space Balls, Brooks says that Wilder only agreed to do the film if Brooks would consider his idea for a movie. That movie happened to be Young Frankenstein. 20. Guests rode in horseback to the movie’s premiere. The film had its premiere at the now defunct Pickwick Drive-In Theater in Burbank, California where guests rode in on horseback for the event. Read the rest of the twenty tidbits in a list at Uproxx. Bonus: the post has a silent-but-deadly video clip of Joseph Pujol, the original Le Pétomane.

Panda in the Snow Posted: 07 Feb 2014 02:00 PM PST (YouTube link) Da Mao, a giant panda at the Toronto Zoo, was caught on a security camera having a ball during the heavy snowfall on Wednesday. Too bad they didn’t get more footage of his tumbling glee! Da Mao is the male of the breeding pair the zoo has until 2018. The female is Er Shun. Read more about them at the zoo’s website. -via Viral Viral Videos

Super Pig Socks Posted: 07 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST Super Pig Socks You are a sensational individual. Your style is matchless, robust, and downright meaty. Celebrate your smokin' hot personality with the topnotch Super Pig Socks from the NeatoShop. This groovy pair of knee high socks, featuring a super pig design, is a wonderful way to make your wardrobe really take flight.   Be sure to check out the NeatoShop for more great Footwear.  Link

Every Year, I Have the Same Problem Posted: 07 Feb 2014 01:00 PM PST It'll be June before I finally get into the habit of writing the correct year. This cartoon by Dan Piraro of Bizarro contains at least 2 symbols: aliens and dynamite. The aliens constitute the Flying Saucer of Possibility. Piraro explains: The UFO/alien is a symbol of the immense and immeasurable universe and all its possibilities. As anyone who has ever found themselves at the cold, steely end of an extraterrestrial's medical examination can tell you, aliens are already here and living among us. They are benevolent creatures who wish to study us and learn what they can about our culture. Disguised as earthly creatures of all sorts, they watch us daily. You undoubtedly know many and do not realize it. My Aunt Ruth is an alien. Two of my three brothers-in-law are. Most fast-food workers are, as well as some dogs and all cats. It has been scientifically proven that people who disagree with this are stupid. ACTIVITY TO IMPROVE BIZARRO AWARENESS Print out the alien on this page and tape him to the lining of your jacket. When you suspect someone may be an alien, simply flash the picture where only they can see it, and say quietly, "You're not fooling me--I know all about you. Use the following chart to judge whether or not they are extraterrestrial by their response. Denial: yes Confusion: yes Ignore you: probably Laugh in your face: definitely Full confession: definitely not

Only You and Snow Can Prevent Forest Fires Posted: 07 Feb 2014 12:00 PM PST Like Smokey Bear said, remember that only you can prevent forest fires. Well, you and snow. Mostly snow.

100 Funny T-Shirts Perfect For Your Favorite Geek Posted: 07 Feb 2014 11:06 AM PST Hundreds of geeky T-shirts are on sale over at the NeatoShop - save up to 25% on the funniest shirts that'll be perfect for your favorite geek. Hurry, sale ends this weekend! Some of our favorites: Dawn of Gaming Dawn of Gaming by Naolito More from Naolito: Indiana Mouse Lucky Ghostbusted Beakerful of Science Ink Skull Ink Skull by ddjvigo More from ddjvigo: The Princess Witch King Kaiju Splatted Violence Thundermice Hoooo Thundermice Hoooo by Pinteezy More from Pinteezy: Master of His Universe Vitamin E Tons of Fantasy Cosmo Canyon Reds Jurassic Stark Jurassic Stark by KARMADESIGNER More from KARMADESIGNER: Bad Mini Banana Jones Batmon Doctores Rock Paper Scissors Rock Paper Scissors by Samiel More from Samiel: Titan Evolution Bat Dead End Xeno Evolution Titan Bueno Malo Mr White is the Devil Mr White is the Devil by Punksthetic More from Punksthetic: Chucky Charms Calvydia and Beetlehobbes Treehouse Game of Thorones The Powerhipster Team The Powerhipster Team by Edwoody More from Edwoody: Dreaming Alice Cheshire Joker Head Sailor Venus Art Nouveau Stewie is Snow My Evil Neighbor My Evil Neighbor by pigboom More from pigboom: The Hunter Physics 101 Force Kaiju Alpha Prince No Face A Song of Ice and Fire A Song of Ice and Fire by David Bear More from David Bear: Ice Age King Attack on the Others Grand Theft Moon Pocket Titan The Walking Mini Dead The Walking Mini Dead by Donnie More from Donnie: Family Stark Darth Smoke Daryl Mixon Wake Up Donnie Cast of the Dead Cast of the Dead by Kenny Durkin More from Kenny Durkin: The Ribbit It's Not Easy Being Scary TEETH Willy Wocka A Falling Star A Falling Star by ntesign More from ntesign: Royal Stone The Ring Bearer Impostor Mecha Warrior Doctor Plumber Doctor Plumber by Bomdesignz More from Bomdesignz: Akuma Martial Arts School Abbey Road in Colors Winterfell Coffee 11th in UK The Grey The Bag and The Smaugly The Grey The Bag and The Smaugly by Firepower Tees More from Firepower Tees: Better Stronger Faster ... Smaller The Hoth Face Iron Throne Original Little Critters Jack Jack by AP Designs More from AP Designs: Fightin' Oaks Not So Shy Guy Silly Plumbers Minions of Nightmare Holmes & Watson Holmes & Watson by Olipop More by Olipop: 50 Years of Doctors Asterisk Hodor Famous Quotes Obtainer of Rare Antiquities Anatomy of a Time Traveller Anatomy of a Time Traveller by ZombieMedia More from ZombieMedia: Bad Motivator Anatomy of a Droid Bust Me Benedict is My Holmesboy Pac to the Future Pac to the Future by Retro Review More from Retro Review: Evolve Today Play More Video Games Gamer Boy Team Rocket Motto Keep Calm and Carry On My Wayward Son Misbehave Misbehave by Warbucks Design More from Warbucks Design: Daft Hero Zoinks ... They're Zombies Heisenbeagle Highly Illogical Sharktopus Tamer Sharktopus Tamer by Chibi T-Shirts More from Chibi T-Shirts: Zombie Conga Line Cthulhu Dreaming Best Friends Forever Introvert Party Your purchase helps support indie artists as well as this blog, so wontcha buy something? View more Funny T-Shirts over at the NeatoShop

The Great Language Game Posted: 07 Feb 2014 11:00 AM PST How good are you at identifying languages by their sounds? Out of thousands of languages spoken in the world, only 80 are in The Great Language Game. You will be given a snippet of speech, and you must select from two, three, or four choices. It starts out easy, but gets more difficult along the way. How much difference is there in several languages spoken in the former Yugoslavia, anyway? The first time around, I scored 450. That’s probably not particularly good; I don’t know. But the test is also good for training your ear to recognize languages. How do you do?  -via Boing Boing

Pop Culture Characters Created Using Peanuts Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:00 AM PST Steve Casino, the guy whose name sounds like a Las Vegas hotspot, is apparently in the art business for the peanuts because he has chosen those tasty legumes as his model making canvas. Steve has created some amazing looking superhero and pop culture character models using an ordinary peanut, one of three he keeps handy in case they break, some limbs made out of modeling clay(?) and an incredible paintjob that can take upwards of ten hours to complete. The fine detail is what truly sells each piece, but I love the fact that he leaves the backside open, so you can see that it all begins with an unadorned shell and a vision of Mr. Peanut dancing in Steve’s head. -Via GeekTyrant

Swiss Siren Test Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:30 AM PST (YouTube link) In Switzerland, they stage a nationwide test of emergency sirens every February. The annual test was performed a couple of days ago. To remind people ahead of time, this ad was aired explaining the process. The actual procedure is probably not exactly like this, but if you want to get people’s attention, sometimes you need to slap a sheep. -via Daily Picks and Flicks

Heeeere's Goofy Posted: 07 Feb 2014 09:00 AM PST From the Disney Horror Collection comes Stanley Kubrick's adaptation of Stephen King's novel The Shining. Come on, Disney! Make this idea a reality. Max Grecke recreated an iconic scene from that movie. He's right: Goofy would be perfect for the role of Jack Torrance. (Video Link)

Senzu Beans by tombst0ne Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:30 AM PST Senzu Beans by tombst0ne They may taste like fish, but they're great in battles! I wonder if anyone has made them into ketchup ... NeatoShop artist tombst0ne extolled the 57 virtue of Senzu Beans in this geeky mash-up T-shirt, perfect for your anime geek. Check out tombst0ne's official website, Facebook page and his NeatoShop for more neat designs: Geisha Heisenberg Quotes Magic Spells Typo Time Machine View more designs by tombst0ne | More Funny T-shirts | New T-Shirts Are you a professional illustrator or T-shirt designer? Let's chat! Sell your designs on the NeatoShop and get featured in front of tons of potential new fans on Neatorama!

Zoich, the Sochi Olympics Anti-Mascot Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST (YouTube link) Zoich is a blue frog with only two legs and whirling Olympic rings for eyes. He very much resembles Hypnotoad to Western viewers. When the Russian Olympic Committee held a nationwide contest to select the mascot for the Sochi Olympics back in 2010, he drew more votes by far than any of the thousands of other designs. You know how internet voters are. Of course, the Committee overruled the voting and selected a few other designs as finalists. Zoich remains a popular character in Russia, mainly as a protest over how the Olympics are being handled. But Zoich turned out to be a ringer. Russian artist Yegor Zhgun was commissioned to produce an attention-getting design to promote the contest itself. The stunt worked magnificently, but Zoich never had any chance of being selected. You can see Zhgun’s design process here. But here are the official Sochi Olympics mascots: A cute leopard, hare, and polar bear. They all live together in harmony, along with Snowflake and Ray of Light (“Snezhinka” and “Luchik”), the Paralympics mascots, in a snow-covered dacha in Sochi. They should have gone with the frog. -via Digg

Aquarium Feeds Peanut Butter To A Jellyfish Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:30 AM PST Being an aquarist must be a mentally straining job, because researchers P. Zelda Montoya and Barret L. Christie from the Children’s Aquarium at Fair Park in Dallas, Texas have begun to conceive of some rather crackpot experiments. Case in point: they recently fed peanut butter to a jellyfish just to see if they could (pg. 14), creating the first seafood sandwich to come loaded with peanut flavor straight out of the ocean, although those who like more peanut butter and less jelly will have to look elsewhere. It may seem like they were just having a bit of punny fun at the expense of their jellyfish, but the search for cheap protein replacements that are also from sustainable sources is of vital importance for many aquariums struggling to stay in business. And you thought a peanut butter jellyfish was only a shirt in the Neatoshop! -Via Geekosystem

Chickens with Heavy Tails Walk Like Dinosaurs Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:00 AM PST What’s the difference between a chicken and a theropod dinosaur? First off, we have chickens, but all the dinosaurs are dead. But if we make a chicken more like a dinosaur, we can study how theropods (like T. rex and Velociraptor) may have moved. A team of researchers from the Universidad de Chile and the University of Illinois at Chicago put artificial tails, resembling toilet plungers, on chickens to see if it affected the way they walked. Did the tail make a difference? The conclusion of the study says that shifting the center of mass in the chickens resulted in a different gait. Chickens with tails moved with a knee-driven walk, presumably like theropod dinosaurs, while regular chickens move with a hip-driven gait. Why do we want to know that? So you can see gifs of chickens walking with and without artificial tails at Business Insider. (Image credit: Grossi, et. al, PLoS 2014)

11 Lights That Can Add Some Spark to Your Space Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:30 AM PST You know what every room has no matter what its purpose? Some kind of lighting source. And because lights are the one thing that you need no matter what kind of room you're decorating, they really deserve a lot of thought when you're designing a space. That's why our newest article on Homes and Hues shows you how to Light Up Your Life With These 11 Uniquely Beautiful Lights. Of course, if you don't see the perfect light you're looking for in the article, we have plenty of other great lights in the site's lighting category, so be sure not to miss that section as well in order to catch things like the Marfa Tumbleweed Light and ReTech's steampunk lamps.

Jane Perkins Recreates Famous Works of Art with Buttons, Beads and Other Bits of Plastic Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:00 AM PST Jane Perkins is a found objects artist. She works with whatever bits of plastic that she can find, most commonly buttons, beads and toys. She collects and sorts them, then arranges them so that they resemble classic works of art. Here artistic career did not come quickly. Perkins first spent 17 years as a nurse and then 10 years at a full-time mother. It was only afterward that she went to art school to study textiles. She developed an appreciation for found materials because, she writes, "I enjoy using materials which have a history."  -via 22 Words

Neatolinks: Love Is Precious Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:30 AM PST Remember When New York Was Terrifying? (Incredible Things) Google Celebrates the Olympics and Takes a Stand (Geekosystem) These Lightning Pictures Remind Us of the End of Ghostbusters (Oddee) Three Words: Star Wars Taxidermy (Geek Girls) Image: The Most Precious Geek Valentine (The Mary Sue)

10 Shocking Stories About America's First Ladies Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:00 AM PST This mental_floss magazine article was compiled with excerpts from Secret Lives of the First Ladies: What Your Teachers Never Told You about the Women of the White House by Cormac O'Brien. 1. The First to Throw Glass in Stone Houses: Martha Washington (First Lady, 1789-1797) George Washington might have been America's first president, but he could never claim the title of Martha's first love. Prior to Georgie, Martha had been married to a wealthy Williamsburg plantation heir named Daniel Parke Custis, who was a scandalous 20 years her senior. While blissful for the most part, Martha and Daniel's short marriage was saddled by the antics of Custis' cantankerous father-in-law, John Custis IV, whom Martha absolutely abhorred. Shortly after Daniel died (only seven years into their marriage), she paid a not-so-friendly visit to the Williamsburg mansion that had been John's main residence and auctioned off the remainder of her father-in-law's valuable possessions. Everything, that is, except for his priceless collection of hand-blown wineglasses. Those she proceeded to smash in a spectacular act of vengeance. 2. The First to Don a Party Hat: Dolley Madison (First Lady, 1809-1817) One thing is certain about Dolley Madison: The girl knew how to throw a party. From the moment she stepped foot in the White House, the stiff, humorless receptions of her predecessors became a thing of the past. At Dolley's affairs, people mingled, joked, laughed, and treated themselves to ice cream. Such graces were indispensable, but not only to her husband. Dolley once got two congressmen, John Eppes and Thomas Randolph, to call off their duel over a nasty political argument. When husband James died in 1836, she moved back to the capital to resume her role as First Entertainer and was even granted an honorary seat in Congress (by unanimous vote, no less). In fact, until her death in 1849, it was customary for newly inaugurated presidents to call on Dolley to receive her blessing. 3. The First to Be Suspected of Murder: Margaret Taylor (First Lady, 1849-1850) When Zachary Taylor passed away unexpectedly in 1850, it hit his wife hard. On several occasions, Margaret, saddened to the point of hysteria, pawed the preserving ice from his corpse so that she could gaze upon his frozen face. She also did something slightly more questionable: She refused to have him embalmed. Such an unorthodox demand raised eyebrows, and a rumor quickly circulated that Margaret wanted to prevent anyone from learning that she'd poisoned her husband. Not until 1991, when historians convinced Taylor's descendants to exhume his remains, were the rumors finally put to rest. 4. The First to Sell White House Manure for Cash: Mary Todd Lincoln (First Lady, 1861-1865) During Abe's re-election campaign in 1864, Mary Todd Lincoln fretted—but not out of hope for her husband's success. An infamous shopoholic, Mary had run up tens of thousands of dollars in department store debt. Should Abe win, she could sit on the expenses for a while. But should he lose, the couple's transformation into ordinary citizens would leave her no option but to tell him. And, as it turned out, Mary knew all too well how Abe would react to her spending habits. When she had overspent the congressional appropriation for White House furnishings within months of moving into the mansion, it left Abe fuming. So, rather than turning to her husband for financial aid, Mary resorted to more creative tactics, such as selling off excess manure purchased for the fertilization of White House grounds and firing some of the mansion's staff. 5. The First to Walk Like a Crab: Julia Dent Grant (First Lady, 1869-1877) Julia Dent Grant was cross-eyed her entire life. While that never stopped her from being a tomboy in her youth, or—remarkably—from developing into an accomplished equestrienne, it did lead to some embarrassing White House moments. At the galas she was fond of throwing, Julia had a habit of standing in the corner to avoid bumping into people. When she did manage to move, she did so in a noticeably sideways gait that some likened to the motion of a crab, often knocking into furniture. 6. The First to Make Fun of the President's Libido: Grace Coolidge (First Lady, 1923-1929) Calvin and Grace Coolidge didn't have one of the more romantic marriages on White House record. Fortunately, they had a sense of humor about their love life. According to biographer Carl Sferrazza Anthony, the couple once visited a chicken farm in Maryland, where the first lady witnessed a rooster copulating with a hen. Upon asking the farmer if the rooster did that often, Grace was informed that he did it several times a day. "Tell that to the president," she responded, and the farmer did just that. "To the same hen?" Calvin inquired. "No, Mr. President," said the red-faced farmer. "Tell that to Mrs. Coolidge," said the president. 7. The First to Show No Fear: Lou Henry Hoover (First Lady, 1929-1933) Lou Hoover wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty. Posted in China during the Boxer Rebellion in 1900, Lou actually joined in the action, delivering tea and other supplies to troops by bicycle. In fact, on one trip, a stray bullet flattened her tire. But even the Hoovers' residence in China wasn't safe from danger. One day, Lou was playing solitaire when a shell burst through the window in the adjoining room and nearly blew the staircase apart. When a group of witnesses rushed in to check on her safety, they saw her calmly sitting at the table with her cards. She then asked them to join her for tea. Not surprisingly, Lou's obituary mistakenly appeared in a Peking newspaper. Upon reading it, she was thrilled to discover that the editors had devoted three columns to her. "I was never so proud in my life," she quipped. 8. The First to Clean Her Clothes Long-Distance: Bess Truman (First Lady, 1945-1953) Upon finding out that she was going to become first lady, Bess Truman had the exact same reaction as her predecessor, Eleanor Roosevelt: She wept. Apparently, anything that kept Bess away from her home in Independence, Mo., was cause for despair. She had been in school in Kansas City when her father committed suicide in 1903 (his drinking and debt had finally overwhelmed him), and thereafter had done everything possible to stay close to her family. Despite her attempts, Bess never got used to life in Washington; she even preferred the Laundromats back home. Upon moving to D.C., she was so unimpressed with the city's cleaning establishments that she insisted on having her laundry mailed to Kansas City for washing. 9. The First to Lose a Fiance to a Train: Nancy Reagan (First Lady, 1981-1989) If Nancy and Ronald Reagan are known for their intensely romantic relationship, it may be because of their decidedly tragic romantic pasts. The two met when Ronald was recovering from his divorce from starlet Jane Wyman, and Nancy was coping with the loss of her fiancé, who'd been atomized by a train while crossing a railroad track. And even then, their relationship didn't get off to the most fairy-tale start. Their courtship lasted two years, during which Nancy became pregnant with their first child. Actor/friend William Holden and his wife Ardis were the only guests present at their 1952 wedding. 10. The First to Go Gray: Barbara Bush (First Lady, 1989-1993) Barbara Bush got her trademark gray hair at quite an early age. Unfortunately, the cause was tragic. In 1953, the Bushes' first daughter, Robin, contracted leukemia. The little girl spent eight months in a New York hospital, attended by her parents, until she died. By the time of Robin's death, Bar's hair had gone gray. The change likely didn't bother her much, though; the former first lady had a great sense of humor about her appearance. A master of self-deprecating humor, she once said of her predecessor, Nancy Reagan, "As you know, we have a lot in common. She adores her husband; I adore mine. She fights drugs; I fight illiteracy. She wears a size three —so's my leg." _______________________ The article above, written by Cormac O'Brien, is reprinted with permission from the September-October 2006 issue of mental_floss magazine. Get a subscription to mental_floss and never miss an issue! Be sure to visit mental_floss' website and blog for more fun stuff!

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