AARP Eye Center
11 Things We Didn't Know Last Week
By Steve Mencher, October 8, 2014 04:52 PM
News, discoveries and ... fun
![willie-braids-black-bkgrnd-guernseys](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/48/bf/bb764174121523a03edc31413f32/willie-braids-black-bkgrnd-guernseys.jpg)
1. A pair of Willie Nelson's braids is worth $37,000. (Learn more at NY Times)
2. A thin, million-mile-long cloud of solar material is suspended above the sun. (Learn more at NASA)
![sun-line-montage](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/39/4e/f79c2be921fd9bc5aaa3668b9676/sun-line-montage.jpg)
3. Some of London's iconic red phone booths are becoming solar-powered charging stations for mobile devices. (Learn more at Gizmodo)
![twitter-solarbox](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/bb/c3/061284f8431b80393593917d2783/twitter-solarbox.png)
>> 10 Best U.S. Train Trips to Take This Fall
4. Paul Revere, the rock star from the 1960s and '70s who dressed in Revolutionary War garb, didn't use a stage name. (Learn more at AARP)
![paul-revere-raiders](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/27/2c/16207d62379270dd6e1c81d6f87a/paul-revere-raiders.jpg)
5. Maple leaves dipped in batter and deep fried are a popular snack in parts of Japan. (Learn more at Buzzfeed)
![Deep fried maple leaves](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/14/5f/025b39894728f81803c477a4a9ba/deep-fried-maple-leaves.jpg)
6. When the TV series Twin Peaks ended, one character promised, "I'll see you again in 25 years," and she was right. (Learn more at The Atlantic)
![twin-peaks-twitter-2](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/2b/fd/e3683f15aa453d5dece264485cb9/twin-peaks-twitter-2.png)
7. Identity theft is occurring at up to twice the rate previously believed. (Learn more at AARP)
>> Get travel discounts with your AARP Member Advantages.
8. A berry found only in a small part of Australia kills cancer. (Learn more at ABC)
![Anti-Cancer Berries](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/8b/6c/e8dcb1222d588945096ca9a21581/anti-cancer-berries.jpg)
9. Scientists can make oxygen from carbon dioxide without using plants. (Learn more at LA Times)
10. Your genes determine how much coffee you drink. (Learn more at USA Today)
![Coffee art](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/6b/69/10e842ff995b3282cb40c7b9e683/img-2853.jpg)
11. You — well, your name — can fly to Mars. (Learn more at NASA)
![Fly your name to Mars with NASA](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/bf/54/7d9d26dc81c49576de45255d5295/nasa-lfy-name-to-mars.jpg)
Bonus Video:
To celebrate the launch of BBC Music, here's the Beach Boys' hit "God Only Knows" with a cameo by songwriter Brian Wilson:
Learn something this week? Mail your ideas to 11things@aarp.org, and we’ll try to include your story next time.
On Twitter, we’re using the hashtag # 11things.
Let us read 11 Things to you:
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/171251000" params="color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]
Images — Willie Nelson's braids: Guernsey's; Sun: NASA; London phone booths: Solarbox via Twitter; Paul Revere and the Raiders: GAB Archive/Getty Images; Deep-fried leaves: Bert Kimura/Flickr;Twin Peaks: David Lynch/Twitter/YouTube; Cancer-fighting berries: QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute; Coffee cup: Tammy Gordon; Mars passport: NASA
Music – Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra plays Jimmie Lunceford and his Orchestra – Blue Blazes by Sy Oliver, Creative Commons, courtesy of Smithsonian Remix project and BBC Music production of "God Only Knows"
![Introducing RealPad by AARP](https://aarp-content.brightspotcdn.com/ba/8e/cdf665fc05985ab492d667e993a8/200x150-realpad.jpg)
Also of Interest
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- Join AARP: Savings, resources and news for your well-being
See the AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.