Quiz Bowl Camp!

It was pretty good. I learned a lot, actually, especially about poetry. Now I know all these poets and famous lines from poetry (like Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard is full of good quotes). You learn some quizbowltastic* facts at ACE, too. Some of my favorites?

• Mussolini started out as an elementary school teacher. Does anyone else find this a bit scary? It's like saying Hitler used to run a day care in his backyard or something. (OK, perhaps the Hitler part is worse...but still.)
• Kepler got a chunk of his nose cut off in a duel with some other astronomer. Apparently Kepler was like, "I'm the greatest astronomer!" and some other guy was like, "No, I am!!" Kepler may have been the better astronomer, but he was not the better swordsman...
• Samuel Coleridge wrote Kubla Khan while high on opium. While writing it, a man from Portlock came and interrupted him but he got the wrong address and when Coleridge went back to finish his poem, his high had worn off. Sadly, he couldn't finish it. (You are very welcome for that bit of information. Now go and power that question in a quiz bowl match.)
• The chancellor of Germany before Hitler, Papen, greatly underestimated his successor. Here's how it went:

Hitler: Papen! Convince Hindenburg to make me chancellor!

Papen: LOL, yeah he's so old he won't even know what's happening. I think he crossed the Alps with Hannibal.

Hitler: ROTFL!! But seriously, will you help me!?!?

Papen: [thinking Hitler is a weak leader and that he can use Hitler's failures to make himself president of Germany] Yeah, OK!

...do I need to finish the rest of the story? Obviously he underestimated Hitler, seeing as how Papen isn't even mentioned in most textbooks.

• Andrew Marvel's "To His Coy Mistress" talks about vegetable love. Seriously. I don't even know what it means:

"My vegetable love should grow/Vaster than empires, and more slow"

• If you were to travel to a black hole, time would slow down. Also, black holes are bald. ("No Hair Theorem.")

I'm probably forgetting some others...oh well.

*Quibowltastic is an original Bianka Rose. It's going on the same list as hupix, I do declare.