Perhaps even more addicting, and lamen, than Wikipedia is Yahoo!’s ‘Ask Yahoo!’ It’s simple and to-the-point, with a structure usually no more than 4 paragraphs. Instead of identifying the subject matter as a whole, it offers an answer to a specific role in the topic that usually sparks enough interest to do a Wikipedia followup. They work well together in tabs, and here’s what I’ve gathered in the past hour or so.

— The practice of bestowing a ceremonial “key to the city” dates back to medieval times. Feudal lords protected their cities with high walls and imposing gates. [In 2004] New York City awarded a key to taxi driver Nestor Sulpico who graciously returned a bag containing $70,000 in rare South Pacific black pearls.

— Rolling out the red carpet was, at one time, reserved for kings and queens. For much of history, though, purple was considered the most regal color. From a Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute paper: Probably the most…expensive dye of ancient times was Tyrian purple…obtained from a small sac in the body of a snail-like marine mollusk…Only royalty and the very wealthy…could afford to wear apparel colored with this dye.

Oh oh! And Yahoo has a Spy Directory! Moving along..

— Why do barber shops have blue and red striped poles? This is the coolest one so far. I’ll let you read it in context and get lost in the Previous - Next links.