08-15-2012, 03:12 PM
HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY JULIA! 
![[Image: t1larg-jc-in-smithsonian.jpg]](http://cnneatocracy.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/t1larg-jc-in-smithsonian.jpg)
10 lesser-known facts about Julia Child
Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, and Eatocracy is celebrating her legacy. Here are some lesser-known facts about the beloved TV chef and cookbook author.
- At 6 feet, 2 inches tall, Julia was no stranger to standing out. But her height wasn’t always welcomed. Child moved from California to Washington D.C. at the start of World War II to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). She’d previously been rejected for active duty by the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service and the Women’s Army Corps. The OSS eventually became the CIA.
- Her maiden name is McWilliams.
- Julia had high hopes of distinguishing herself in college basketball, but the administration of Smith College, her alma mater, changed the game rules (they did away with the jump ball) to ensure she didn't receive an unfair advantage due to her height. "I was not good at the rest of the game," said Child in her only authorized biography, "Appetite for Life" by Noel Riley Fitch.
- Julia was a research assistant in the Secret Intelligence division of the OSS. While she never spent time in the field, she did have a high security clearance that allowed her to handle top secret documents.
- While with the OSS, she also worked with the Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section and even helped develop shark repellent that was crucial during WWII. Underwater bombs that were meant for German U-boats would attract curious sharks that would sometimes cause premature explosions when they bumped into them.
- With the OSS, Julia was stationed in Sri Lanka and China. While she was stationed overseas she met Paul Child, also an OSS officer. He is credited with teaching her to appreciate French cuisine.
- 573 pounds of butter were used on her show “Baking with Julia.”
- Julia wrote short stories in college and advertising copy for a furniture company after graduation.
- Child once attributed her longevity to "red meat and gin." She died two days shy of her 92nd birthday.
- Child was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame.
10 lesser-known facts about Julia Child
Today would have been Julia Child's 100th birthday, and Eatocracy is celebrating her legacy. Here are some lesser-known facts about the beloved TV chef and cookbook author.
- At 6 feet, 2 inches tall, Julia was no stranger to standing out. But her height wasn’t always welcomed. Child moved from California to Washington D.C. at the start of World War II to join the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). She’d previously been rejected for active duty by the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service and the Women’s Army Corps. The OSS eventually became the CIA.
- Her maiden name is McWilliams.
- Julia had high hopes of distinguishing herself in college basketball, but the administration of Smith College, her alma mater, changed the game rules (they did away with the jump ball) to ensure she didn't receive an unfair advantage due to her height. "I was not good at the rest of the game," said Child in her only authorized biography, "Appetite for Life" by Noel Riley Fitch.
- Julia was a research assistant in the Secret Intelligence division of the OSS. While she never spent time in the field, she did have a high security clearance that allowed her to handle top secret documents.
- While with the OSS, she also worked with the Emergency Sea Rescue Equipment Section and even helped develop shark repellent that was crucial during WWII. Underwater bombs that were meant for German U-boats would attract curious sharks that would sometimes cause premature explosions when they bumped into them.
- With the OSS, Julia was stationed in Sri Lanka and China. While she was stationed overseas she met Paul Child, also an OSS officer. He is credited with teaching her to appreciate French cuisine.
- 573 pounds of butter were used on her show “Baking with Julia.”
- Julia wrote short stories in college and advertising copy for a furniture company after graduation.
- Child once attributed her longevity to "red meat and gin." She died two days shy of her 92nd birthday.
- Child was the first woman inducted into the Culinary Institute of America’s Hall of Fame.