Brain Snacks: Tasty Tidbits of Knowledge
The best part of waking up isn't Folgers in your cup, because Folgers hasn't been invented yet in this book. But even if it were, it still wouldn't be the best part of waking up. Augustus McCrae's sourdough biscuits would be. This Lonesome Dove super-fan has a recipe to get you cooking. Dutch Oven optional. (Source)
Bum-buh-duh-dum- buh-duh-dum-buh-duh-dum Bandolero! Oh, wait, it's supposed to be Bonanza. No one cared about Bandolero!, a 1968 Western starring Jimmy Stewart, Dean Martin, and Raquel Welch. Well, no one cared except Larry McMurtry, that is. Looking at the cast list for Bandolero!, you'll notice some familiar names: Dee, July, and Roscoe. Larry McMurtry was inspired by Bandolero! to create the July Johnson subplot of Lonesome Dove, with some tweaks to actually make it interesting. (Source)
The scene in which lightning rolls off a cow's horns isn't pure fantasy—it's fact. This phenomenon is also known as St. Elmo's Fire, Foxfire, corona discharge, point discharge, or holy crap that cow is shooting lightning. Some of those terms are more scientific than others. (Source)