Friday Fun Facts - 1/27/2012

I've decided to try a new meme: Friday Fun Facts! This will be a selection of odd, unusual, humorous, or otherwise interesting facts that I've learned from reading Diana Gabaldon's books.

1) Jamie measures short distances with the joints of his left middle finger.  (SCOTTISH PRISONER, chapter 20, "Stalking Horse", p. 263 in the hardcover)

2) Brianna had a Swiss army knife with her in the 18th century.  (ABOSAA chapter 6, "Ambush")

3) Lawrence Stern, the Jewish natural philosopher in VOYAGER, is named after the 18th-century author of TRISTRAM SHANDY, Laurence Sterne.

4) There really was a window tax in Britain in the 18th century.  (Roger mentions it in FIERY CROSS, chapter 100, "Dead Whale".)

5) The passenger pigeons are not the only extinct species mentioned in THE FIERY CROSS.  Just before Claire's encounter with the immense flock of pigeons, Roger sees some "vivid little parakeets" (beginning of chapter 82, "A Darkening Sky"), which are in fact Carolina parakeets -- also an extinct species in our time.



Thanks to Margaret Campbell on Compuserve, who pointed this out to me several years ago. I didn't actually find the reference until my most recent "re-listen" of FIERY CROSS, just a couple of months ago, but apparently it was Margaret who suggested to Diana that she include the parakeet. Isn't it beautiful?  Really a shame that they're gone.

I hope you enjoyed these.  I plan to make this a regular blog feature, so please stop by next week for more!

Look here to see all of my Friday Fun Facts blog posts.