I remember (as if it were yesterday) reading how the farmers living along the Hudson River in North America were so dependent upon the river that they spoke of “disembarking” from their horses and “mooring” them outside the local store. It is one of the few facts I can remember from my in-depth study of the socio-economic geography of North America, confirming that our recall of information largely depends upon how it is presented. What prompted this observation, you may ask. Well, daughter Eva bought me a copy of a couple of Monty Python DVDs for Fathers’ Day (and will no doubt be borrowing them for her own entertainment shortly - we share the same sense of humour). One of the DVDs includes the “Galaxy Song” - here downloaded from YouTube. This novelty song is one of my favourites. If only all facts could be packaged like this, we could all be studying for a masters in our chosen field - not necessarily astronomy.
