Tuesday Trivia

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In 1964 Mattel released a doll that was promoted as being Barbie’s sister. Her name was Skipper Roberts and she was younger than Barbie, designed to counteract criticism of Barbie’s measurements and sex symbol image. Over the years the appearance of Skipper changed, becoming taller and older. In 1975 Mattel released Growing Up Skipper, who grew in height and who grew breasts when her arm was rotated.

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The total of the numbers on a roulette wheel add up to 666. Because that is the Number of the Beast, roulette is sometimes called the Devil’s Game or the Devil’s Wheel.

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Financial woes as a result of the Great Depression created problems for Brazil in sending its athletes to the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles. The delegation of 82 athletes traveled in a ship, the Itaquicê, selling coffee along the way to fund the trip. 

Since the San Pedro authorities charged one dollar for each person who disembarked in the port of Los Angeles, the organisers only let out of the ship the athletes they felt had a chance to win medals plus swimmer Marai Lenk, the first South American woman to compete in the Olympics.

Afterwards, the Itaquicê went to San Francisco to sell more coffee, and there the water polo, rowing and athletics competitors were financed and authorised to leave, but 15 athletes still remained on the ship and did not compete.

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