- ... that Thaddeus P. Mott (pictured), a 19th century adventurer and soldier of fortune, recruited ex-Union and Confederate veterans for service in the Egyptian Army?
- ... that personal injury lawyers mapped the sidewalks of New York City for defects, rendering the city liable for $600 million in judgments between 1997 and 2006?
- ... that New York Judge Charles Fraser MacLean earned the first U.S. Ph.D. in philosophy and was among the first non-combatants to enter Paris after the French surrender in the Franco-Prussian War?
- ... that the Archdiocese of New York fought unsuccessfully to have the National Museum of Catholic Art and History remove the word "Catholic" from its name?
- ... that diners at beefsteak banquets "keep score" by piling up the bread slices that come with their beef tenderloin?