I will make a new hobby at work! Since ALL knowledge is power, and I occasionally have slow night shifts at work, I will research a subject NOT using wikepedia, then give you 25 stupid facts about it.

BTW, last week, I tried to post 25 stupid facts about potatoes. My login timed out and all of that precious information was lost. So if you feel cheated out of information on potatoes, blame the wonders of cyberspace.

Tonight I give 25 facts about George Frideric Handel, in technicolor!

1. Handel was born on 23 February 1685.

2. Handel's family originally wanted him to be a lawyer. However, his true love was playing the organ.

3. His most famous work, The Messiah, premiered as a charity fund raiser.

4. At the time of his composition, many of his works, including The Messiah, were considered profane.

5. Suffered from anxiety, depression, and cataracts. He attempted to undergo cataract surgery, but was left blind.

6. The Handel Institute, founded in London, is dedicated to studying the works and life of Geroge Frideric Handel. They even have a yearly Handel festival!

7. There are numerous spellings of his name. He was born Georg Friederich Händel, yet signed his name Georg Friedrich. In Germany, his last name remains spelled Händel, in Italy Hendel, Haendel in France, and in English it is traditionally spelled Handel.

8. It is believed that Handel was born Lutheran but later joined the Church of England.

9. (Found at one website) Traditionally, the audience stands for Handel's Hallelujah Chorus, but there is no documentation on why this is.

10. The first time that Handel's Messiah was performed in its entirety in one performance on U.S. soil was on Christmas Day, 1818, in Boston.

11. A museum dedicated to Handel now exists in the home he resided in from 1923 until his death.

12. Handel was known to compose in Germany, Italy, and London.

13. Bach was a great fan of Handel, and wanted to meet him very much. The meeting, however, never took place. It is believed that the admiration was not mutal.

14. Handel's first professional music job was as with an opera orchestra in Hamburg. He started out as a violinist, but eventually also performed on the harpsicord and then as a composer.

15. Wrote over 40 operas in Italian.

16. In 1707, he was commissioned to write music for the Catholic church.

17. He was the second son of his father's second marriage.

18. Attended Halle University.

19. He was never married, and never known to have fallen in love.

20. (Found at a different website) The first time the Hallelujah Chorus was performed, the entire audience stood. This started the tradition of standing during this movement.

21. His composition Water Music was first performed on a barge floating on the Thames River.

22. He founded The Royal Academy of Music, his own Italian opera company.

23. Buried in the Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in London.

24. Handel was born the same year as Bach.

25. Handel's father passed away when he was 12 years old.

But can you link George Handel to Kevin Bacon in 6 steps or less?

Easy.

Georg Handel wrote the Hallelujah Chorus used in the movie Christmas with the Kranks starring Dan Akroyd.

Dan Akroyd was in Ghostbusters with Bill Murray.

Bill Murray was in Wild Things with Kevin Bacon.

Eat it, Wudda. Eat it with a spoon of worms.

BTW, we missed you tonite. Worst hockey game ever.

Wow. That connection was pretty impressive.

Why, thank you.

. . . And tonight I give you 25 facts about hamburgers in technicolor.

1. Hamburger was created by the army of Ghengis Khan, who ate raw, ground meat as they traveled and pilaged.

2. The word hamburger is derived from the dish "Hamburg steak," which was nothing like the hamburger we know and love today. The Hamburg steak was a salted piece of minced beef served with onions and breadcrumbs.

3. It was once believed that the first ever hamburger was served in Delmonico's Restaurant, NYC, in 1834. This was later proved untrue, as

4. Others believe the first hamburger was served at the Clipper Restaurant in San Fernando. From 1871 to 1884, it was listed on the menu as the Hamburg Steak.

5. In 1906, Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle caused so much distrust of the ground meat industry that for a few years, hamburgers were very unpopular.

6. People who claim to have invented the original American hamburger include Charlie Nagreen, Frank and Charles Menches, Oscar Weber Bilby, and Louis Lassen.

7. Wimpy, the cartoon character from Popeye, greatly popularized the entree with his saying "I'd gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today."

8. The best heat to cook a hamburger on is medium-low. Any warmer will burn a burger on the outside before the inside is done.

9. When grilling a hamburger, always close the lid on the grill. This will keep the heat inside of the cooking area and reduce cooking time.

10. It is true that fat increases the moisture and taste of a burger. 85% fat is optimal. If cooking a less fatty meat, such as chicken, try supplementing the with broth or olive oil to keep the meat from becoming too dry. (Ozzygoddess prefers moist tomato slices.)

11. When mixing ingredients, turn the hamburger only until everything is barely mixed. This will keep the meat light and airy, and prevent your burgers from being too tough.

12. Cleaning your grill plate will not only keep your burgers from sticking, but will give them those attractive grill marks as well.

13. Never push a burger with a spatula. The sizzle sound is satisfying, but all of the juice produced will mean less flavor and moisture in your resulting burger.

14. Ground beef should always be cooked to 160 degrees farenheit to ensure no yucky bugs will make you sick!

15. Gas is superior to charcoal because it is clean burning, quick, and very easy to control temperature and ensure a perfectly cooked burger.

16. Charcoal is superior to gas, as it is less expensive to maintain and gives a delightful smokey flavor to the meat.

17. At the website http://burgeridf.org/, you can send money and provide a hamburger to an Israeli soldier. The legitimacy of this website is not verified by ozzygoddess.

18. The first fast food mass distribution of hamburgers was started by White Castle in 1921.

19. The first McDonald's was a hot dog stand, and never was intended to become a fast food hamburger chain!

20. Big Boy introduced the double layered hamburger in the 1930s.

21. The average American eats 3 hamburgers a week.

22. McDonald's has sold, on average, 12 burgers to every person worldwide.

23. 7% of Americans worked their first job at McDonald's.

24. Before White Castle popularized the hamburger in the 1920s, the most commonly eaten household meat was pork.

25. The hamburger is the most commonly consumed recipe containing ground beef.