Pam and I were driving though a less familiar part of Indiana and saw signs that pointed to the town of Cataract Falls. Pam said, very reasonably, “Why would you name falls ‘Cataract’?”

I said “Actually… I know the answer to that one.”

Pam said “Of course you do.”

I’ve a reputation for knowing odd things. Some folks see this as an annoyance rather than a gift so I sometimes hesitate to add more tidbits to the trivia pool.

Pam wanted to know anyway: In the late 90s, I read a history book by Isaac Asimov about Egypt named (duh) “Egypt”. The book mentioned that certain stretches of the Nile weren’t navigable because of waterfalls or rapids. These stretches of impassable river are called cataracts.

It turns out that “Cataract Falls” is a perfectly reasonable name.