A list of curious facts

One: At the age of 57, Michelangelo declared his love for a young 23-year-old man named Tommaso de’ Cavalieri, in a letter in 1532. Cavalieri was also the muse for paintings described as among “the most sublime declarations of gay love in art.” Example: ‘Punishment of Tityus’ (see: lead image):

In The Punishment of Tityus, an eagle pecks at a man’s naked form. It is a scene of torment, but it’s clear Michelangelo finds pleasure in this pain: the eagle rests on top of Tityus like a lover, and the nude man’s body is tilted to ensure a clear view of his genitals. Instead of a gory depiction of exposed entrails as other artists have pictured it, Michelangelo feasts his and Tommaso’s eyes on a softly shaded, lusciously sensual encounter.

Also famous: The sculpture Victory—which portrays a young man who has conquered and subdued an older one. By passion, presumably. FYI: Michelangelo insisted his love was ‘Platonic’. Well, the art dedicated to Tommaso certainly was not. (The Guardian) 

Two: Did you know there’s a disorder that makes you have sex in your sleep? It’s a form of parasomnia—like sleepwalking or sleep paralysis. In the case of sexsomnia, people may either touch themselves, make moaning noises, or even try to sexually engage with a partner. But they don’t remember any of it when they wake up:

They most often occur during the slowest, deepest stage of sleep, called delta sleep. It’s like an alarm or trigger goes off in the central nervous system, and you go from your basement to your roof in no time flat. Your cognition is deeply asleep, and you’re not with the program, but your body is activated.

Experts say that sexsomnia can be triggered by stress, anxiety, excessive alcohol use, or sleep deprivation. And despite what it sounds like, it isn’t a lot of fun. Examples:

A 38-year-old man repeatedly tries to force his wife to have sex in the middle of the night but has no memory of his actions when he wakes up. A married woman in her mid-20s often tears off her clothing and masturbates but remembers nothing when her partner rouses her. 

CNN has loads more on the condition and the limited treatments available. 

Three: Wanna butt of wine or whiskey? No, we’re not being cheeky (we couldn’t help ourselves). It’s an actual unit of measurement. One butt equals 129 gallons—as in, 488 litres. And it has a long lineage:

The words are not only derived from Old English but also Dutch, Italian, and French. Butt actually comes from “botte,” a Medieval French and Italian word for boot. In Italy, at least, botte is still used to refer to a wine cask.

The term is only used at wineries and distilleries these days—along with a number of other equally fun terms. Half of a butt is called a hogshead—while a kilderkin is 18 gallons. The smallest unit is nine gallons and called a firkin—or a rundlet. We could certainly use some firkin wine. Check out the handy visual guide below. (Gizmodo)