And the answer is...
Follow-up to yesterday's impromptu Trivia Trio
1) What state (or territory) lost the highest percentage of its population during the War Between the States?
Oklahoma.
It shocked me, too. But then again, the population for all of "Indian Territory" was only about 65,000 at the time.
I have often found it hard to remember that the American Civil War affected the ENTIRE country, not just the Deep South. But the truth is that some of the bloodiest turmoil occured out here in the western territories.
And for years before the firing on Fort Sumter, too. The original Missouri Compromise (which led to the Dred Scott decision, which in itself was a major climax leading to the outbreak of the War) took place all the way back in 1820. Guerrilla warfare had been going on out West for years, what with the Jayhawkers, Bushwhackers, Quantrill's Raiders, etc.
Civil-War era Oklahoma was certainly no stranger to conflict.
First, you have the infamous Trail of Tears not even a full generation before. Two thirds of the population were Native American tribes - those indiginous to the area and those relocated, each with full- and mixed blood members and insuing factions between them. Plus there were slave-owning tribal members and tribes like the Seminole which were in large part composed of freedmen and escaped slaves and their descendents. Add in the remaining population with the white minority primarily military, missionaries, and government agents.
...And each and every one of these groups with their own agendas regarding slavery and succession. No wonder they went to war.
(Oh, and by the way, the Newberry Award-winning children's novel Rifles for Watie is an excellent Civil War adventure story that takes place almost entirely in what is present day Oklahoma. - Gen. Stand Watie, a Cherokee chief, is sometimes referred to as "The Indian Swamp Fox," because he fought in the much the same manner (and with much the same success) as Francis Marion of Revolutionary War fame. [and if you don't know who Francis Marion is - did you see The Patriot? Mel Gibson's character is based on him.] Here endeth my Civil War history nerd ramble.)
2) What is the second most profitable trade in South America after drug running? (and with a product that often, pound for pound, is generally even more valuable than cocaine)
*SQUAAAAAWK!* "Polly wanna kilo!"
Believe it or not, the answer is ... Parrots. The exotic bird trade is the second most lucrative industry in South America. And, depending on the breed, the value-per-pound is better than cocaine.
3) Why is your urine yellow and poop brown? (This serves double-duty as a “Thing I Have Learned From My Brother”)
The answer is ...BLOOD! Or actually, red blood cells. Dead ones. Your body contains more blood cells than any other type of cell, with some thirty TRILLION of the being red blood cells. (That's approx. 5 million per cubic millimeter of blood - and for size comparison, ['cause I looked it up] a dime measures about 17 millimeters accross. That's a LOT of blood cells in a VERY itty bitty space!)
Red blood cells have a lifespan of about four months and your body is constantly producing new ones to replace the old, at a rate of - WHOA!
Heh, okay, this is funny, I was looking up the exact figure and I thought it said 1,011 a day and I thought "Hmm, that isn't very much" - but it was actually 10 to the 11th POWER a day.
Which makes more sense.
Anyway, about 3 million red blood cells in your body die EVERY SECOND. When they die, they are broken down in the liver and - and I owe westcoastlovin an apology, because her guess of "bile" is actually correct, because once red blood cells are broken down in your liver they become a type of bile when they leave. I didn't have my biological technicalities straight. However the pigmentation of that bile (and from there your urine, etc) is from the red blood cells. "Red" is a misnomer at this point. Dead red blood cells are actually browny-yellow. Think of the color of a fading bruise.
So, anyway, now you know - and I know more accurately!
Honorable mention to petunia846 for being closest on Question #2
Honorable mention to westcoastlovin for being closest on Question #1 - and a big congrats for being more terminology right than I was on Question #3.
1) What state (or territory) lost the highest percentage of its population during the War Between the States?
Oklahoma.
It shocked me, too. But then again, the population for all of "Indian Territory" was only about 65,000 at the time.
I have often found it hard to remember that the American Civil War affected the ENTIRE country, not just the Deep South. But the truth is that some of the bloodiest turmoil occured out here in the western territories.
And for years before the firing on Fort Sumter, too. The original Missouri Compromise (which led to the Dred Scott decision, which in itself was a major climax leading to the outbreak of the War) took place all the way back in 1820. Guerrilla warfare had been going on out West for years, what with the Jayhawkers, Bushwhackers, Quantrill's Raiders, etc.
Civil-War era Oklahoma was certainly no stranger to conflict.
First, you have the infamous Trail of Tears not even a full generation before. Two thirds of the population were Native American tribes - those indiginous to the area and those relocated, each with full- and mixed blood members and insuing factions between them. Plus there were slave-owning tribal members and tribes like the Seminole which were in large part composed of freedmen and escaped slaves and their descendents. Add in the remaining population with the white minority primarily military, missionaries, and government agents.
...And each and every one of these groups with their own agendas regarding slavery and succession. No wonder they went to war.
(Oh, and by the way, the Newberry Award-winning children's novel Rifles for Watie is an excellent Civil War adventure story that takes place almost entirely in what is present day Oklahoma. - Gen. Stand Watie, a Cherokee chief, is sometimes referred to as "The Indian Swamp Fox," because he fought in the much the same manner (and with much the same success) as Francis Marion of Revolutionary War fame. [and if you don't know who Francis Marion is - did you see The Patriot? Mel Gibson's character is based on him.] Here endeth my Civil War history nerd ramble.)
2) What is the second most profitable trade in South America after drug running? (and with a product that often, pound for pound, is generally even more valuable than cocaine)
*SQUAAAAAWK!* "Polly wanna kilo!"
Believe it or not, the answer is ... Parrots. The exotic bird trade is the second most lucrative industry in South America. And, depending on the breed, the value-per-pound is better than cocaine.
3) Why is your urine yellow and poop brown? (This serves double-duty as a “Thing I Have Learned From My Brother”)
The answer is ...BLOOD! Or actually, red blood cells. Dead ones. Your body contains more blood cells than any other type of cell, with some thirty TRILLION of the being red blood cells. (That's approx. 5 million per cubic millimeter of blood - and for size comparison, ['cause I looked it up] a dime measures about 17 millimeters accross. That's a LOT of blood cells in a VERY itty bitty space!)
Red blood cells have a lifespan of about four months and your body is constantly producing new ones to replace the old, at a rate of - WHOA!
Heh, okay, this is funny, I was looking up the exact figure and I thought it said 1,011 a day and I thought "Hmm, that isn't very much" - but it was actually 10 to the 11th POWER a day.
Which makes more sense.
Anyway, about 3 million red blood cells in your body die EVERY SECOND. When they die, they are broken down in the liver and - and I owe westcoastlovin an apology, because her guess of "bile" is actually correct, because once red blood cells are broken down in your liver they become a type of bile when they leave. I didn't have my biological technicalities straight. However the pigmentation of that bile (and from there your urine, etc) is from the red blood cells. "Red" is a misnomer at this point. Dead red blood cells are actually browny-yellow. Think of the color of a fading bruise.
So, anyway, now you know - and I know more accurately!
Honorable mention to petunia846 for being closest on Question #2
Honorable mention to westcoastlovin for being closest on Question #1 - and a big congrats for being more terminology right than I was on Question #3.