List of curious facts
One: Just over two pounds of Japanese green tea leaves—known as Samidori—sold for an insane price of 1.96 million yen ($15,500). This is almost double the record-breaking price of $8,507.70 in 2021 fetched at a Japanese auction. That said, this isn’t a patch on far expensive Chinese teas like the legendary Da Hong Pao which sells for $600,000 per pound. (Forbes)
Two: When Pakistani actress Neelo Begum—born Cynthia Alexander Fernande—passed away last year, everyone mourned her death—including PM Imran Khan. But what is notable is one of her great acts of feminist resistance:
“In March 1965, the Shah of Iran was on an official visit to West Pakistan. The Nawab of Kalabagh, the then Governor, asked Neelo—who was then at the height of her popularity—to dance before the Shah. Allegedly, armed persons were even sent to her home to abduct her, yet she resisted and attempted suicide on the way to the Governor’s House. She was taken to a hospital where doctors managed to save her life.”
Dawn has more details. As you can see, she was lovely.
Three: Carrie Finnell—the ‘Bad Girl of Burlesque’—holds the record for the longest known striptease act. During the 1920s, she removed one item of clothing per week in a run that lasted 54 weeks. She had “the $100,000 legs” and a self-described “educated bosom” that could spin strategically placed tassels lol! (History Daily)
Four: The British sport Racquets was a precursor of squash—and originated in Fleet Prison in England. It became respectable by the mid-nineteenth century—and was brought to India by the colonial sahibs—who played it at their exclusive clubs. The Indians were not allowed to play but they could occasionally be a marker—or a scorer. The PaperClip unearthed this fabulous photo of an Indian marker dating back to 1876 at the Madras Club—which is one of the rare clubs where Indians were allowed at that time. FYI: The Madras Club’s attempts to import a pucca English marker in 1933 ended with the poor man dying in the city a year later.
