Tuesday Trivia

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Henry:   Come on, Junior.

Indiana: Will you please stop calling me Junior?

Sallah:   Please, what does this mean? Always with this Junior?

Henry:   That's his name: Henry Jones, Junior.

Indiana: I like Indiana.

Henry:   We named the dog Indiana.

Sallah:   The dog? You are named after the dog.

Marcus:  Can we go home please?

Indiana: I have a lot of fond memories of that dog.

- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Indiana Jones was named after a dog, but that dog happened to be George Lucas’s Alaskan malamute, Indiana. The appearance and demeanour of Indiana, Lucas’s dog, not the archaeologist-adventurer, also inspired Chewbacca, the furry giant alien in Star Wars.

"I had an Alaskan Malamute when I was writing the film. A very sweet dog, she would always sit next to me when I was writing. And when I'd drive around, she'd sit in the front seat. A Malamute is a very large dog—like a hundred and thirty pounds and bigger than a human being and very long-haired. Having her with me all the time inspired me to give Han Solo a sidekick who was like a big, furry dog. Not quite like a dog, but intelligent."

―George Lucas

Lucas and Indiana

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New York jeweller Harry Winston donated the famous 45.52 carat Hope Diamond to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC in 1958. He mailed the diamond to the Smithsonian by registered post, the cost being $2.44 plus $142.85 for $1m insurance. “It’s the safest way to mail gems,” Winston told The Evening Star (Washington, D.C.). “I’ve sent gems all over the world that way.” 

The envelope

The Hope Diamond.  Look familiar? . . . .

The Heart of the Ocean necklace and diamond from the Titanic film

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In the 17th century, King George I of England, decreed all pigeon droppings to be the property of the Crown. Pigeon lofts were policed to enforce the law. This was because pigeon poo was the only known source of saltpeter, an essential ingredient in making gunpowder. Reliance on pigeon poo ended in the late 18th century when saltpeter was discovered naturally occurring in South America.

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The mimic octopus can alter its colours, body shape and behaviour to resemble more than a dozen other underwater species to make itself appear less palatable to predators.

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The real estate that "plays" Downton Abbey, Highclere Castle, has been the home of the Carnarvon family since 1679. In 1922, George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, co-discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamun. On the show, the names of the Earl of Grantham's beloved dogs, Isis and Pharaoh, are nods to the real castle's connection to Egyptian history.