DAILY DIRT: Next time you use Listerine, think about this

I guess my first question would be, considering all the other items Listerine had been used for, who thought it would work as a mouthwash? … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,026 of The Daily Dirt.

1. If you knew more than two or three of the following facts, I will be legitimately impressed.

I knew exactly zero.

• Listerine was originally a surgical antiseptic. It was also used as a cure for gonorrhea. An 1888 article also suggested using Listerine for “sweaty feet” and “soft corns” that would develop between the toes. Want more? It was also marketed as a cure for dandruff. Not until the 1920s did it become associated with dental hygiene.
• Play-Doh was first used a wallpaper cleaner when it was invented in 1933.
• Viagra was actually discovered for its current usage when it failed as a heart drug.
• 7-Up (under a different “medical” name) was invented in 1929, designed to be a mood stabilizer, used to treat manic depression.
• What we know as frisbees were originally made to be pie containers. Students at Yale were reportedly the first to discover an alternate use, and the rest is history.
• The slinky was created in 1943 to stabilize navigational equipment. Its use as a “toy” was accidentally discovered when a scientist knocked it down some stairsteps. More than 300 million slinkies have been sold since.

2. Did you know (Part 88)

• That Mike Tyson once bought a 24-karat gold bathtub for $2.2 million.
• That Kim Kardshian and Kanye West once purchased gold-plated toilets for $750,000.
• That Nicolas Cage once bought a dinosaur skull for $276,000.
• That Lady Gaga once purchased a ghost detector for $50,000.
• That Celine Dion once bought a specialized humidifier for $2 million.

3. Of all the Olympic athletes we’ve watched and come to know over the past couple of weeks, I think my favorite has been gold-medal winning U.S. sprinter Gabby Thomas.

The backstory of Thomas is both impressive and inspiring. She holds a bachelor’s degree in neurobiology from Harvard and a Master’s degree in public health from the University of Texas. Thomas works out up to six hours a day and at night works in an Austin (Texas) volunteer health care clinic for people without insurance. She say that kind of “balance” helps keep her “grounded”.

Thomas’s ultimate dream is to run a hospital or a non-profit medical facility.

And the best news? Thomas is planning to compete in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which means we’ll be hearing more from this very special athlete — and person.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – I had a slinky once as a wee boy. Most boring toy ever. Play-Doh was a close second, though.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. Silly Putty was far superior to Play-Doh.