Trivia: Tre vie
By Rosario Mariani, http://www.europebychoice.com
The word “trivia” is borrowed from the Latin word trivium, which means “the crossroad” 
(literally translated: three roads coming together). It has often been suggested that the word indicates a physical space that it is a meeting place, where three roads come together. A common place if you will – where people meet to discuss unimportant or useless information.
I’m confident you all know a place in Rome where three roads come together, where you can meet people and share trivia with anyone: “la Fontana di Trevi.”
Now, just in case you don’t know this little tidbit of trivia…
On July 20, 1969, as commander of the Apollo 11 lunar model, Neil Armstrong was the first person to set foot on the moon. At that particular moment, I was on 45th Street and Broadway in New York City, and was getting my news of the landing by watching the electronic news ticker where Armstrong uttered his first words once he landed on the moon: “That’s one small step for man, one giant step for mankind.” It was televised to earth and heard by millions. But, just before he re-entered the lunar lander, he made the enigmatic remark “Good Luck Mr Gorsky.”
Many at NASA thought it was a casual remark concerning some rival Soviet cosmonaut.
However, upon checking, there was no Gorsky in either the Russian or American space programs. Many questioned Armstrong as to what the “Good Luck Mr Gorsky” meant, but 
Armstrong just smiled. On July 5, 1995, in Tampa, Florida, while answering questions after a speech, a reporter approached the 65 year old astronaut and asked the question about Mr Gorsky. This time Mr. Armstrong responded because Mr. Gorsky had just passed away, and so Mr. Armstrong was free to reveal his motive.
As a young kid in a mid-western town, Neil was playing baseball in his back yard when a friend hit the ball that landed just under the bedroom window of the neighbors Mr. and Mrs. Gorsky. As he leaned down to pick up the ball, young Armstrong heard Mrs. Gorsky shouting at Mr Gorsky, “Sex?! You’ll get sex when the kid next door walks on the moon!”
If this story is true or not it doesn’t matter, since it is only trivia.
Rosario Mariani is the owner/CEO of Europe By Choice, which promotes travel to Italy and other select European countries. He has more than 40 years of experience in the travel industry, previously serving as Director of Italy Product for Italiatour and Club ABC Tours, and also in other positions with EuroFly, Alitalia and Air France.
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