What was the longest recorded year in human history?

By JACK BAGLEY
didyouknowcolumn@gmail.com
And we’re up to our knees in summertime, enjoying the season. I hope you’ve had a chance to go on your vacation, and if you haven’t yet done so, that you’ll get to enjoy one very soon.
Vacation … there’s a word I don’t use very often. I like working, apparently. Maybe, as many of my friends have told me repeatedly, I need my head examined.
They once took x-rays of my head and found nothing. (Apologies to Yogi Berra for that one.)
Okay, enough old jokes.  Let’s get to some new trivia.
Did you know …
… Britain’s World War II Prime Minister was half American? Winston Churchill (1874-1965) was the son of Jeanette Jerome Churchill (1854-1921), who was born in Brooklyn, New York. In 1963, Churchill was given the extremely rare honor of honorary American citizenship – one of only eight people in U.S. history who have received that honor. (And one of those who definitely deserved it.)
… a Thanksgiving classic dish was invented in 1955? Green bean casserole, a staple of most U.S. Thanksgiving tables, was invented by Dorcas Reilly (1926-2018) while she was working at the test kitchens of the Campbell’s Soup Company in Camden, New Jersey. (I love me some green bean casserole!)
… you have ancient DNA inside of you? Worse than that, it isn’t even human DNA. Researchers tell us that about 8% of our DNA is made of ancient viruses that have allowed our bodies to have automatic protection or even immunity from some illnesses. Most of those viruses died out a long, long time ago, but the remnants – called endogenous retroviruses – still play a role in preventing or even causing some diseases. (Hey, whatever works!)
… a fad designed to help promote safe driving may have caused more problems than it solved? Back in the 1980s, drivers began placing “Baby on Board” signs on their vehicles, ostensibly to let people know that there was (of all things) a baby in the car. But one out of every 20 drivers said the signs obscured their vision and even caused accidents. (You know what they say about “good intentions,” don’t you?)
… the word “verb” is actually a noun? (English is so confusing.)
… the longest recorded year in human history was 46 BC? First, of course, a reality check – the length of a year is something fixed at a level far, far above humanity. But as we maintain records of such things, the year 46 BC ended up lasting 445 days. The reason? The calendar being used by the Romans changed. Prior to that year, the Roman calendar was based on cycles of the Moon. Roman dictator Julius Caesar (100 BC-44 BC) realized that the lunar and solar years had gotten way off track, and he extended the year 46 BC until they were again synchronized, which took a total of 445 days. The Julian calendar became the standard in Rome and elsewhere until the 16th Century, when the Gregorian calendar (which we now use) was implemented to correct an 11-day error that had developed since Caesar’s calendar was introduced. (I always wondered what photos Roman calendars had on them.)
… one nation bans television advertising on special holidays? In New Zealand, advertising on TV is banned on Christmas, Easter, Good Friday, and ANZAC Day, which is a special holiday commemorating all Australians and New Zealanders who served in war – kind of a combination of the United States’ Veterans Day and Memorial Day. (You know, I kind of like that idea.)
… most of the money in the world is not backed by anything? Called “fiat money,” most of the currencies used in the world today are not backed by gold or other metals. It has a value that is accepted simply because the issuing government says it’s worth what they say it’s worth. (Gee, imagine if Monopoly money had that kind of backing! Well, in the game, it does.)
… Australian Aborigines have a form of execution that is totally based in the mind? If an Aborigine commits an offense worthy of death, the offender is cursed by other members of his community – and within a few days, the offender dies, because they believe so strongly in the ritual curse. No medical cause of death can be determined in most cases. The Aborigines call it being “sung.”
… kissing can cause you to go deaf? (Huh?)
… the first ruler to put his or her face on a coin was a Persian? Tissaphernes (445 BC-395 BC), a ruler of Lydia, part of Persia, was the first to have his own likeness stamped into a coin. Other rulers throughout Persia followed suit. Additional trivia note: The first Greek ruler to use his own face on coins was Alexander the Great (356 BC-323 BC). Prior to his rule, Greek coins bore the faces of gods or goddesses. (Bonus points if you can pronounce “Tissaphernes.”)
… the Hollywood Walk of Fame has stars devoted to 17 fictional characters? Among the many stars of movies, television, radio, and recordings who are honored on the Walk of Fame you will find, in chronological order of dedication: Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny, Snow White, Woody Woodpecker, Big Bird, The Simpsons, the Rugrats, Kermit the Frog, Godzilla, Donald Duck, Winnie the Pooh, the Munchkins from The Wizard of Oz, Shrek, Tinker Bell, the Muppets, Snoopy, and Minnie Mouse. (And yet, I can’t get one.)
… red-haired people require more anesthesia to be knocked out? Compared to people with other colors of hair, gingers need twenty percent more anesthesia to reach unconsciousness. (Stubborn, aren’t they?)
… it is illegal in Urbana, Illinois, for a monster to enter the city’s corporate limits? (Why would they want to?)
Now … you know!
Copyright © 2025 Jack Bagley