DID YOU KNOW …? Did a beloved “Star Trek” actor almost wind up on a different science fiction show?

By JACK BAGLEY
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
It’s time for the first mea culpa of 2026!
Yes, it seems I’ve been caught in an error in the column two weeks ago.
In it, I mentioned the fact that actor Michael J. Fox’s middle name doesn’t actually begin with a “J.” That wasn’t the error, however. The error was in the listing of his birth. I said he was born in 1981, when he was actually born in 1961.
To his credit, Mr. Fox wasn’t the one who pointed it out, and if he saw it at all he probably appreciated my taking 20 years off his age.
I do want to thank my friend Hack Stone at valorguardians.com for correcting me on Mr. Fox’s year of birth. Now, on to this week’s trivia!
Did you know …
… probability has actually been calculated regarding the “monkey typing Hamlet” saw? You know, the one that says if you put a hundred monkeys in a room with a hundred typewriters, eventually they’d write Hamlet. Well, the actual probability of such a thing happening is 1 in 10360,783. I don’t know about you, but I have no idea how big a number that actually is. (Maybe if the monkeys wrote the National Enquirer, the probability would be lower. Or perhaps they already do.)
… two of the belligerent nations of World War II have never actually ended the war? Japan and Russia never formally ended hostilities following the Japanese surrender in 1945. An attempt was made in 2000 to finally sign a peace treaty between the two nations, but the attempt failed when Russia refused to return to Japan four offshore islands it had occupied during the war. (Talk about holding a grudge!)
… Valentine’s Day is banned in Iran? The Islamic Republic’s government prohibited celebrating Valentine’s Day in 2011. According to the hardline government, cards, teddy bears, and other Valentine’s gifts are part of “the spread of Western culture” and are against Iranian norms. (Why am I not surprised?)
… an iconic role in the movie Ghostbusters was meant for someone else? The original 1984 film featured Bill Murray (born 1950) in the role of Peter Venkman, and he played it in the 1989 sequel as well. But Murray was not the first choice for the role of Venkman. The part was written to be played by John Belushi (1949-1982), but Belushi died of a drug overdose before production could start.
… a beloved Star Trek actor almost ended up on another science fiction show? Actor James Doohan (1920-2005) is known the world over as Montgomery Scott, irascible Chief Engineer of the USS Enterprise in Star Trek. But not long after Doohan was cast for the second pilot episode of the classic sci-fi series, he was offered another major role in a different show – that of the Chief Petty Officer of the research submarine Seaview in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Doohan would have replaced actor Henry Kulky (1911-1965), who had played CPO Curley Jones of the Seaview on the first season of the series and who had died suddenly after the season had finished filming. Doohan chose to keep his commitment to Star Trek, even though the series had not yet sold, and Voyage went with actor Terry Becker (1921-2014) in the new role of CPO Francis Sharkey. (He was, indeed, a miracle worker!)
… one of the most famous rulers of ancient Egypt was not Egyptian? Cleopatra VII (69 BC-30 BC), famous today for her affairs with Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC) and Mark Antony (83 BC-30 BC), was actually of Greek descent. She was the last active ruler of Egypt under the Ptolemaic kingdom. After her death, Egypt was annexed as a province of the Roman Empire.
… the champagne used to christen a ship is a modern substitute for human blood? Back in the days of the Vikings, they – and various South Sea tribes – would sacrifice people on the prows of newly-built ships so that the spirit of the victim would guard the craft. Later, wine was substituted for the blood, and today we use champagne. (Which is a good thing, if you ask me.)
… pistachio nuts sometimes spontaneously combust? That’s right, it’s possible for a bag of pistachio nuts to break into a glorious fire for no apparent reason. Well, there is a reason, of course. Pistachios are high in fat, and low in moisture. That causes them to be self-heating, and if they’re tightly packed, that can have a blazing consequence. When pistachios are transported, things like temperature and humidity have to be carefully controlled to prevent fire or even possible explosions. (That’s just nutty.)
… movies once had some very strange guidelines to follow? From 1930 to 1968, Hollywood had to follow the Hays Code, named for its first official censor, Will H. Hays (1879-1954). Hays was the first chairman of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America. His code had some very strict guidelines regarding the interaction of men and women on screen. For example: men and women kissing in American films would only be permitted if one of the participants was sitting or standing; all on-screen married couples had to sleep in twin beds; and if a kiss happened in one of those beds, at least one of the spouses had to have one foot on the floor. The Code was replaced by the voluntary rating system of the Motion Picture Association of America in 1968. (And actors and audiences are glad of that.)
… the Greeks had a god of sleep? His name was Hypnos. Like most other Greek gods, he carried over into Roman mythology with a different name; the Romans called him Somnus. (I’ve had many nights when I wished he’d come visit.)
Now … you know!
Copyright © 2026 Jack Bagley