Random Thursday

Now it looks like this latest segment of Weird But True by Leslie Gilbert Elman will dive into the comics before moving onto mountains! Let's see what weird facts we can learn about superheroes today before seguing too mountains!

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

Superman's number one weakness is kryptonite that comes from the planet Krypton. Though krypton is a real gas, kryptonite is not.

That I kind of figured after learning a bit about the periodic table of elements in school way back when. 

(image borrowed from Wikimedia Commons)

The original creators of Superman were Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, but in 1938 they sold the rights to their character for $130. Years later, once Superman became more popular and was bringing in millions of dollars they tried to claim a share of the profits, but were instead fired. In 2009, their families finally won a court case that allowed them to reclaim their rights to Superman.

Wow. I didn't realize that about DC.

(image borrowed from Wikipedia)

Thomas Montgomerie did a geological survey that led him to name the second highest mountain on Earth after Mount Everest, he named it K2. He gave it this name because it was the second peak he charted in the Karakoram mountain range of Pakistan, India, and China. K was for "Karakoram" and "2" represented the second peak.

A fitting name. 

(image borrowed from Britannica) 

K2 may not be as high as Mount Everest, but it's definitely more dangerous. As of June 2008, Everest had 3,684 ascents and 210 deaths in its history. K2 had 284 ascents and 66 deaths.

FUN FACT: Annapurna I is among the most dangerous of mountains also called the "8000ers" (it earns this name because they're taller than 8,000 meters or 26,246.72 feet). As of June 2008, 153 people attempted an ascent and 58 perished. Annapurna I is located in Nepal and is the 10th highest mountain in the world.

Whoa. I only ever remember hearing about Everest.  

(image borrowed from Pinterest)

 Felsenputzer is a group of volunteer mountaineers who clean the bird droppings from the mountainsides in Switzerland.

That job sounds terrifying! Lol.