The Know-It-All - V, W

V

Van Buren, Martin - The eighth president of the United States. Before that, Van Buren was Andrew Jackson's secretary of state. At that time, Jackson's secretary of war, John Eaton, married a woman named Peggy. Eaton was seen as quite a catch for the daughter of a local tavern owner and she was ceremoniously shunned by Washington society people simply for marrying out of her class. The anti-Peggy brigade was led by the wife of Vice President John Calhoun. This infuriated President Jackson who originally favored Calhoun to succeed him as president.

There was one man in the cabinet, however, who was gracious to Peggy Eaton: Martin Van Buren. Jackson noticed this, made Van Buren his vice president for his next term and then supported him for president four years later. It's good to see nice guys get ahead every now and then.

vehicle - It turns out Hummer owners are not the first drivers to be scorned for vehicle opulence. In the 1500's, large four wheel horse drawn coaches became popular. They were the SUV's of their day. The EB says, "Poets derogated coaches as ostentatious vehicles employed by wantons and rakes..." Pretty harsh language, and they weren't even considering high oil prices or the environment.

vinaigrette - A small gold container with a sponge soaked in vinegar and lavender used to battle body odor in the 18th century. "Darling, your scent is like a glorious green salad on a summer day. I must have you!"

W

war, technology of- Nagasaki was not the original target for the atomic bomb dropped on August 9, 1945. The primary target was Kokura. Because of cloudy conditions, the primary target was difficult to find, so the B-29 proceeded to the secondary target, Nagasaki.

Consider the number of lives that were changed because it was a little overcast in Kokura, Japan on August 9, 1945. People use words like fate, destiny and luck. I don't understand any of it. Like the good people of Kokura that day, until I read this book, I never knew what didn't hit them.

Wood, Grant - The painter of the famous American Gothic portrait we've all seen hundreds of times. I always figured those were his parents or grandparents in that picture. Turns out, the woman is Wood's sister, Nan. And the farmer holding the pitchfork was...wait for it...his dentist! That makes sense. He looks very comfortable holding that sharp implement.