Archives are generally grouped by month of Main Page appearance. (Currently, DYK hooks are archived according to the date and time that they were taken off the Main Page.) To find which archive contains the fact that appeared on Did you know, go to article's
talk page and follow the archive link in the DYK talk page message box.
Please add the line ==={{subst:CURRENTDAY}} {{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}=== for each new day and the time the set was removed from the DYK template at the top for the newly posted set of archived hooks. This will ensure all times are based on UTC time and accurate. This page should be archived once a month. Thanks.
... that
John Douglas' design for 78–94 Foregate Street, Chester was so unlike any of his previous architectural styles that it "shocked the City Council Improvement Committee"?
... that Jacob Svetoslav(pictured on coin), a 13th-century
Bulgarian noble of
Russian origin and ruler of
Vidin, twice changed allegiance between
Hungary and Bulgaria and vice versa before possibly being poisoned?
... that the Alfie Atkins children's book series by Swedish author Gunilla Bergström has been translated into twenty-nine different languages and sold over eight million copies worldwide?
... that if anyone appeals to the
Pashtunwali doctrine of Nanawatai, even his sworn enemy will have to give him
sanctuary?
... that during the construction of the Manila Film Center, its scaffolding collapsed, where at least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying wet cement?
... that the
Hindu mythical beast Sharabha(pictured, god
Shiva as Sharabha), described as mightier than the lion and elephant, is included in the list of edible animals in the Mahabharata?
... that completion of the Howard A. Hanson Dam(pictured) in 1961 ended a 70-year era of
flooding in the
Green River Valley, and by 1996, the dam had prevented an estimated
US$694 million in flood damages?
... that 13 and 14-year-old Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan achieved fame in 2009 for "The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and Its Importance In Milk Production"?
... that after decommissioning, the Commandant's Quarters of the Dearborn
Arsenal was used as a library,
American Legion hall, town hall, police station, school, newspaper office, and finally a
museum?
... that Donald Goerke invented
SpaghettiOs, choosing the "O" over pasta shaped like baseballs, cowboys, and spacemen, and later ran the company's dog food division?
... that Jon Hippe, who suggested higher taxes as a way to reduce the gap between rich and poor, was appointed leader of the
Norwegian Financial Crisis Committee by the
Ministry of Finance?
... that after engaging ten German fighters single-handed on 16 August 1917, Alexander Pentland(pictured) found that four bullets had penetrated his flying suit without injuring him?
... that Enoch Cobb left land in his will to be used to raise funds that would benefit public school students of the town of
Barnstable, Massachusetts?
... that US Project Exploration received a Presidential Award for creating collaborations between scientists and students, especially girls and minorities, traditionally underrepresented in science?
... that seed of the flowering shrub Banksia dryandroides made its way from
King George Sound to the United Kingdom, before it was finally described from plants growing in
Bayswater, then a London suburb?
... that after being stranded by Ghana Airways at
Banjul'sinternational airport, a group of disgruntled passengers threatened to burn the airline's aircraft and offices at the airport?
... that Syrian-American Mohammed Loay Bayazid, a former member of
al-Qaeda, was noted for "always teasing bin Laden"?
12:00, 27 January 2010 (UTC)
... that Suvarnadurg(pictured), on the west coast of India, which was called a "Golden Fort" and the pride of the
Marathas, was a naval fortification built to defend against European colonialist attacks?
... that Thor, scheduled for release in 2011, was envisioned and pitched to
20th Century Fox as early as 1990?
... that
clan tradition states that Iain Borb MacLeod was wounded in the head at the
Battle of Harlaw in 1411 and that the wound's reoccurring bleeding caused his death 31 years later?
... that a recent outbreak of "hat mania" surrounding
RTÉ reporter Paul Cunningham's "woolly pancake" from "Pakistan's tribal areas" has led to a
Facebook campaign for fans to gather in their own hats?
00:00, 27 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the superior design of HMS Princess, a former
Spanish ship captured (pictured) in 1740, led to the
Admiralty initiating a series of increases in British warship dimensions?
... that an 1867 Tintaraclaret became the oldest surviving bottle of
Australian wine after the previous record holder was accidentally broken by a
Christie's office cleaner?
... that construction innovator Olav Selvaag started
Norway's first music school?
... that the passage of the
A.B. 390 by California's Public Safety Committee marked the first time in
United States history that a
bill legalizing
marijuana passed a legislative committee?
... that Frederick Hobbs, after singing leading roles from 1914 to 1920 with the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, became its stage manager and then business manager for the last two decades of his life?
... that the Cucuteni-Trypillian people experienced a considerable abundance of
food, which contributed to why they had no evidence of
war throughout their entire existence?
... that Yakubu Mu'azu is one of a group of
Nigerian former military administrators who formed the United Nigeria Development Forum, a political
pressure group?
... that
CaptainGeorge Eyre narrowly escaped death in 1810, when he was hit in the head by a
musket ball and three others passed through his clothes?
12:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
... that seven generations of Morya Gosavi(pictured) – a prominent saint of the
GanapatyaHindu sect – were worshipped as incarnations of the god
Ganesha, and his tomb still attracts many Ganesha devotees?
... that when 30 Bridge Street, Chester was rebuilt in 1890, it was unique at that period in the city because it was no higher than the building it replaced?
... that, in
Montreal, since a shish taouk is not grilled on a skewer, it would better be called a chicken
shawarma?
... that psychiatrist Herbert Spiegel, whose work established
hypnosis as a legitimate medical therapy, used "
Sybil" as a demonstration case for his hypnosis classes at
Columbia University?
... that thousands of people watched the Action of 31 July 1793 between British and French frigates from the
New Jersey shoreline?
... that the Upper Harz Water Regale(pictured), a network of dams, lakes, ditches, and tunnels built between 1536 and 1866 to supply water to the mines of the
Harz mountains in Germany, is the largest of its kind in Europe?
... that the
Byzantine general Vitalian led a large-scale revolt against
EmperorAnastasius I, was pardoned and named
consul by his successor,
Justin I, and was murdered seven months into his consulship?
... that one of Canada's most prolific
mass murderers, Dale Nelson, had been still hiding at the scene of his first killing when police left the scene?
... that the Lawless Court had only natural light and charcoal to see and write with, could only end its session when a cock crowed, and arose after the local lord discovered a plot to murder him?
... that British sculptor Marcus Cornish has created a sculpture of the fictional
Paddington Bear(pictured) and a statue of Jesus Christ dubbed "Jesus in Jeans" by the media?
... that Rock 'n' Roll Prophet, the only album on which
Rick Wakeman sang lead vocals, received criticising reviews that described it as "goofy", "novelty", and like "pressing the self-destruct button"?
... that the defunct Wichita Wind ice hockey team once had
their coach and a public relations employee on their roster?
... that the Schnütgen Museum of religious art in
Cologne was founded with the collection of a priest known for his "zealous and sometimes crafty collection tactics"?
... that
fashion designerCharles Kleibacker earned the nickname "Master of the
Bias" for the complex designs of his women's clothing, carefully cut from fabric at a diagonal to the weave?
... that
Japanesefilm criticNagaharu Yodogawa did not miss a single appearance in his 36 years as the host of
TV Asahi's Sunday Western Movie Theatre until a week before his death?
... that Eunice W. Johnson, who created Ebony together with husband
John H. Johnson in the 1940s, suggested the magazine's title to match that of the fine black
ebony wood?
... that Charles Benham invented a "miniature twin elliptic pendulum
harmonograph" described as being "a good means of entertaining friends at home or elsewhere"?
... that architect George J. Wimberly came to Hawaii in 1940 as a
journeyman architect doing naval work at
Pearl Harbor before establishing a successful reputation for the design of
resorts?
... that the
Red Army prevented the incomplete
Borodino class battlecruiserIzmail(pictured) from being converted to a
carrier by gaining control of a commission appointed to review the needs of the Navy?
... that Captain Cedric Howell was awarded the
DSO for bringing down eight
Central aircraft in a four-day period in July 1918, including destroying five in a single action against ten or fifteen planes?
... that the 13th and 14th century
Hebridean chieftains Tormod and Torquil were once believed to have been brothers, and sons of
Leod; but now Torquil is considered as a grandson of Tormod?
... that Arthur E. Bartlett co-founded
Century 21 Real Estate with a single office in 1971 and saw the firm grow to 7,700 offices worldwide by the time of his death in 2009?
... that the daughter of
Canadian adventurer Tillson Harrison claims that her father's life served as the inspiration for the
Indiana Jones film series?
... that it is said that when the 10th-century
Viking leader Onlafbald invoked the power of his Norse gods
Thor and
Odin, he was miraculously killed by the spirit of the 7th-century English saint
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne?
... that the
Pullman Company boycotted Transpo '72 after the US government provided millions in funding so military contractors could show their attempts to enter the
mass transit field?
... that artist
Harry Bertoia's sculpture "Textured Screen" was labelled "a piece of junk painted up" when it was unveiled at the Old Dallas Central Library building in 1955?
... that the Anevo Fortress, a medieval castle near
Sopot in central
Bulgaria, was the capital of a short-lived quasi-independent domain in the late 13th century?
... that actress Naya Rivera from the musical comedy series Glee had a
talent agent before she was even one year old?
... that colitis-X is a fatal form of acute
colitis in
horses, with severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, shock and dehydration, and near 100% mortality in less than 24 hours?
... that the leaders of the Bourla-papey revolt in 19th century Switzerland were sentenced to death but then amnestied to defend the government they opposed?
... that although the name of the
palm genus Aiphanes means "always conspicuous", many of its species are actually small plants which are inconspicuous in the forest understorey?
... that after the Battles of Kfar Darom and a prolonged Egyptian siege, the Israelis evacuated the village on July 8, 1948, but not knowing this, the Egyptians staged an offensive on the next day?
... that
Byzantine general Peter Phokas was originally born a slave and made a
eunuch, but rose to become one of the senior-most commanders of the
Byzantine Empire in the 960s and 970s?
... that the medieval chronicler
Matthew Paris accused the medieval bishop Hugh of Wells (d. 1235) of being biased against monks, calling him "an untiring persecutor of monks"?
... that the marriage settlement of Richard Basset (d. before 1144) still survives and assigns his wife Matilda a
dowry of four
knight's fees?
00:00, 17 January 2010 (UTC)
... that St Andrew's Church(pictured) in
Worthing,
West Sussex, stood unused for two years after its completion as controversy raged over the "Worthing Madonna"?
... that
Jain textAtma Siddhi propounds six fundamental truths: the
soul exists, is eternal, is doer of
action, enjoys or suffers its actions,
liberation exists, and means to achieve liberation exists?
... that friends of the family raised $3,500 for Laurie Phenix to travel to the
2000 Summer Olympics and see her daughter Erin Phenix win a gold medal?
... that Stephen Reay, Under-Librarian at the
Bodleian Library, Oxford, was remembered by colleagues for his habit of "hovering over hot-air gratings in search of warmth"?
... that today on Mattu Pongal, the bull riding sport
Jallikattu(pictured) – that has led to deaths in the past – is traditionally conducted in the villages of
Tamil Nadu, India?
... that after a meeting in 1940, the English Judges' Council did not meet for another 10 years?
... that Aiphanes bicornis, a
palm species known only from two locations in
Ecuador, is named for the notched tips of its leaves which are said to evoke the horns of an
antelope?
... that the English coin collector Roger Gale (d. 1744) not only donated his collection of coins to
Cambridge University, but translated a book that helped new coin collectors avoid being cheated?
... that one day after
Mexican soldier Melquisedet Angulo Córdova was honored as a hero at his funeral, his mother and three relatives were gunned down in retaliation by
drug cartel hitmen?
... that despite snowfall totals exceeding 24 in (60 cm), the effects of the December 2000 nor'easter were minimized due to its weekend arrival?
... that
Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning author and illustrator Wolf Erlbruch illustrated his first book so his son could boast, "Look, my papa made a children's book"?
... that
Zairean PresidentMobutu gained renown for treating Air Zaïre as his personal service, and would commandeer its aircraft for shopping trips abroad?
... that a Sunday
assassination attempt against Malkiat Singh Sidhu caught
Canadian authorities off-guard, as information about the threat received on Friday was not passed along until Monday?
... that the Master of SS Brighton committed suicide in a pub after he was blamed for the collision with the
windjammerPreußen in 1905?
... that Old Ephraim, a giant
grizzly bear that lived in
Utah, was known as "Old Three Toes" by shepherds because of a congenital deformity on one foot?
... that in Santa María Tonameca,
Oaxaca, Mexico, there is a group of people called “pintos” or “Ñutis” who have patches of yellow, black, red, white and even blue on their skin due to a
genetic mutation?
... that
pin-up girlGloria Nord attracted more than a million people to her rolling skating exhibitions in 1942 and 1943 and later gave a command performance for
Queen Elizabeth II?
... that a Spanish vessel blown into
Texas' Saint Charles Bay by a storm, was allegedly stranded in a creek and later taken apart to construct houses?
... that the Simpsons episode "Million Dollar Maybe" will feature a new character created by the winner of a fan-contest organized by the staff of the show?
13 January 2010
18:00, 13 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the royal fly agaric(pictured) was the German Mycological Society's "Mushroom of the Year" in 2000?
... that the Irish novelist
Lady Morgan was married to the private physician Thomas Charles Morgan after a meeting engineered by the wife of his employer?
... that the Mary Rose Trust, the
charitable trust that salvaged the Mary Rose in 1982, played an important part in preserving historical shipwrecks in the UK from exploitation?
... that in the first naval engagement of the
War of 1812, the American
privateerDash captured HMS Whiting but the US released her, telling her captain to leave American waters as soon as possible?
... that the first photography subjects of the German photographer Aenne Biermann were her own children?
... that the American Journal of Physical Anthropology was selected as one of the top 10 most influential journals of the last 100 years in the fields of biology and medicine?
... that the juvenile leaves of the Australian
Queensland rainforest tree Stenocarpus cryptocarpus reach 115 cm long, but the adult leaves only 14 cm long?
... that
cellistFelix Wurman founded the Church of Beethoven, described by
NPR as "a church for people who don't go to church," in an abandoned gas station off
Route 66 in
New Mexico?
... that while recording their album Fight the Tide,
Sanctus Real's guitarist tried putting
nail polish on his fingertips because they were raw from continuous playing?
12:00, 11 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the 90-ton Mingun Bell(pictured) in
Mingun,
Myanmar, was the world's heaviest hanging bell until 2000, when the 116-ton Bell of Good Luck was erected in
Pingdingshan,
China?
... that there are more than 80
geysers(example pictured) at the southwest end of Shoshone Lake in
Wyoming, US, one of the highest concentrations of geysers in the world?
... that although little is known of the episcopate of William de Blois,
Bishop of Lincoln from 1203 to 1206, he was still remembered as a learned man in the 14th century?
... that Swedish painter Hugo Birger's most famous work is Frukosten hos Ledoyen(pictured), which depicts several famous
Nordic painters having breakfast together on the day of the
Paris Salon's opening?
... that the Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleshipSovetskaya Belorussiya was cancelled on 19 October 1940 after it was discovered that 70,000
rivets used in her hull plating were of inferior quality?
... that at the 1949 congress of the government-sponsored
Iraniantrade union centre ESKI, only two out of 36 delegates were workers?
... that
Bertrand Tavernier directed Safe Conduct because of his interest in reviving films from 1942 to 1944 and because he has friendships with key figures from those films?
... that Patrick Whelan allegedly assassinated
Thomas D'Arcy McGee four months after warning the police about a similar plot against the Canadian politician?
... that the prototype Tracked Hovercrafthigh-speed train(remains pictured) was expected to reach 300 mph on its test track north of
London, but had only broken 100 mph on a short portion before the program was cancelled in 1973?
... that approximately 6,000 years ago in central Oregon,
Lava Butte exploded, and eventually created Benham Falls?
... that installation of about 25,000 pail closets in 19th-century
Manchester, England helped clear the city's drains and rivers of up to 3,000,000
gallons of waste?
... that the director of the 2009 film The French Kissers chose to use mostly untrained actors because he feared that professional actors would be too egotistical?
... that
Time magazine described Aake Anker Ording, who initiated the international
fundraiserUnited Nations Appeal for Children, as "Norway's tall, blue-eyed, idealistic U.N. Staffer"?
... that in June 2005,
Intel threatened photo printing company FotoInsight with
legal action over their use of the name "The 'INSIDE' format" saying it infringed their trademark "
Intel Inside"?
... that
Swiss writer Dominique Caillat briefly worked as an international lawyer before turning to literature and the stage, which helped her receive a basic training in acting and directing?
... that Petalura hesperia dragonflies lay their eggs along stream margins because their
larvae are semi-aquatic?
... that Slade's Case has been called a "watershed" moment in English law?
... that a skimmington, a custom in which victims were mocked and humiliated in a noisy public procession, occurred in England as late as 1917?
12:00, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the bronze Gniezno Doors, of about 1175, are the only
Romanesque doors in Europe decorated with scenes from the life of a saint (his murder pictured)?
... that the floral clock in Frankfort, Kentucky, has a face that is 34 feet (10 m) in diameter and is composed of more than 10,000 individual flowers?
... that upon the death of
Louisiananewspaper publisherSam Hanna, his state's press association in 2006 renamed its "Best Regular Column" award in his honor?
... that during the recording process of
Stone Sour's second album Come What(ever) May drummer Joel Ekman decided to leave the band following the diagnosis of his son's
brainstem glioma?
... that author and
anti-globalization advocate Tim Costello started his writing career in the back of his truck while traveling as a long-haul truck driver?
... that
Greek professor Albert Pattengill played on
Michigan's 1867 baseball team, nominated "azure-blue and maize" as the university's colors, and was one of the founders of the
Big Ten Conference?
... that two months after the final five Green Line stations on
Washington, D.C.'s
Metro opened, more than 30,600 riders per day boarded at the stations—three times as many as originally estimated?
... that the Black-fronted Tern of
New Zealand is known as the ploughboy or ploughman's friend for its propensity to eat worms and grubs in newly ploughed ground?
... that the existence of Outer Temple, a body that is thought to be one of the ten
Inns of Chancery and was disestablished in the 16th century, was only confirmed in 2008?dubious –
discuss
... that, according to the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto, Eadred,
abbot of
Carlisle, tried to take the body of
St Cuthbert to
Ireland, but was thwarted by the weather?
... that besides mechanical failures, fuel leaks and collisions, the
passengerlinerSS Iberia also suffered multiple fires and blackouts, and twice grounded in the
Suez Canal, before she was finally decommissioned in 1972?
... that
John Cage caused a sensation at the 1963 Music Biennale Zagreb by crawling under the piano during his stage performance, despite promising not to?
... that because of its aquatic origin and resemblance to the vulva, the shankha(carved examples pictured) is linked with female fertility and is an integral part of
Tantric rites?
... that the mechanism of the Winchester Model 1911, an autoloading shotgun made from 1911 to 1925, is so tricky that in 2005 four people shot themselves accidentally while clearing the weapon?
... that between 19,500 and 50,000 Japanese military personnel are estimated to have surrendered during World War II, despite being prohibited from doing so?
... that Kevin Rockett is considered one of the pre-eminent authorities on the
history of
Irish cinema?
... that INFORM, a British charity providing impartial information on
new religious movements, was established with the support of the
Home Office and Britain's mainstream churches?
... that Mamajuda Island in the
Detroit River, which once contained a lighthouse, has since been eroded away to nothing more than a few boulders seen only during times of low water levels?
... that the 9th Bomber Regiment was tasked to lead groups of
Soviet fighters and attack aircraft (over 2,000 aircraft in total) to their targets during 1941 because their pilots could not navigate on their own?
... that plans were shelved for the Southside Connector over concerns that it would pollute aquifers that were later found to be polluted inadvertently by the military?
... that Johan Kling, a
Swedish filmmaker whose career started with making TV shows and
McDonald's commercials, won the award for best Swedish film for his debut movie, Darling?
... that the 1894 Michigan football team played
Chicago in a sleet storm as the grandstand was "packed with yelling collegians" and the carriage rooms "filled with society people"?
... that in 1989, a block of flats in
Worthing, England, was named in commemoration of the Capella, wrecked off the coast in 1891, but the name was accidentally misspelt?
11:42, 1 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the Lyceum in
Port Sunlight,
Merseyside,
England, (pictured) was built as a school and it is planned to develop part of it as a museum?
... that the Rugrats episode "At the Movies" introduced the character of
Reptar, who became a heavily recurring character throughout the series and the basis of countless merchandising tie-ins?
Archives are generally grouped by month of Main Page appearance. (Currently, DYK hooks are archived according to the date and time that they were taken off the Main Page.) To find which archive contains the fact that appeared on Did you know, go to article's
talk page and follow the archive link in the DYK talk page message box.
Please add the line ==={{subst:CURRENTDAY}} {{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}=== for each new day and the time the set was removed from the DYK template at the top for the newly posted set of archived hooks. This will ensure all times are based on UTC time and accurate. This page should be archived once a month. Thanks.
... that
John Douglas' design for 78–94 Foregate Street, Chester was so unlike any of his previous architectural styles that it "shocked the City Council Improvement Committee"?
... that Jacob Svetoslav(pictured on coin), a 13th-century
Bulgarian noble of
Russian origin and ruler of
Vidin, twice changed allegiance between
Hungary and Bulgaria and vice versa before possibly being poisoned?
... that the Alfie Atkins children's book series by Swedish author Gunilla Bergström has been translated into twenty-nine different languages and sold over eight million copies worldwide?
... that if anyone appeals to the
Pashtunwali doctrine of Nanawatai, even his sworn enemy will have to give him
sanctuary?
... that during the construction of the Manila Film Center, its scaffolding collapsed, where at least 169 workers fell and were buried under quick-drying wet cement?
... that the
Hindu mythical beast Sharabha(pictured, god
Shiva as Sharabha), described as mightier than the lion and elephant, is included in the list of edible animals in the Mahabharata?
... that completion of the Howard A. Hanson Dam(pictured) in 1961 ended a 70-year era of
flooding in the
Green River Valley, and by 1996, the dam had prevented an estimated
US$694 million in flood damages?
... that 13 and 14-year-old Liam McCarthy and John D. O'Callaghan achieved fame in 2009 for "The Development of a Convenient Test Method for Somatic Cell Count and Its Importance In Milk Production"?
... that after decommissioning, the Commandant's Quarters of the Dearborn
Arsenal was used as a library,
American Legion hall, town hall, police station, school, newspaper office, and finally a
museum?
... that Donald Goerke invented
SpaghettiOs, choosing the "O" over pasta shaped like baseballs, cowboys, and spacemen, and later ran the company's dog food division?
... that Jon Hippe, who suggested higher taxes as a way to reduce the gap between rich and poor, was appointed leader of the
Norwegian Financial Crisis Committee by the
Ministry of Finance?
... that after engaging ten German fighters single-handed on 16 August 1917, Alexander Pentland(pictured) found that four bullets had penetrated his flying suit without injuring him?
... that Enoch Cobb left land in his will to be used to raise funds that would benefit public school students of the town of
Barnstable, Massachusetts?
... that US Project Exploration received a Presidential Award for creating collaborations between scientists and students, especially girls and minorities, traditionally underrepresented in science?
... that seed of the flowering shrub Banksia dryandroides made its way from
King George Sound to the United Kingdom, before it was finally described from plants growing in
Bayswater, then a London suburb?
... that after being stranded by Ghana Airways at
Banjul'sinternational airport, a group of disgruntled passengers threatened to burn the airline's aircraft and offices at the airport?
... that Syrian-American Mohammed Loay Bayazid, a former member of
al-Qaeda, was noted for "always teasing bin Laden"?
12:00, 27 January 2010 (UTC)
... that Suvarnadurg(pictured), on the west coast of India, which was called a "Golden Fort" and the pride of the
Marathas, was a naval fortification built to defend against European colonialist attacks?
... that Thor, scheduled for release in 2011, was envisioned and pitched to
20th Century Fox as early as 1990?
... that
clan tradition states that Iain Borb MacLeod was wounded in the head at the
Battle of Harlaw in 1411 and that the wound's reoccurring bleeding caused his death 31 years later?
... that a recent outbreak of "hat mania" surrounding
RTÉ reporter Paul Cunningham's "woolly pancake" from "Pakistan's tribal areas" has led to a
Facebook campaign for fans to gather in their own hats?
00:00, 27 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the superior design of HMS Princess, a former
Spanish ship captured (pictured) in 1740, led to the
Admiralty initiating a series of increases in British warship dimensions?
... that an 1867 Tintaraclaret became the oldest surviving bottle of
Australian wine after the previous record holder was accidentally broken by a
Christie's office cleaner?
... that construction innovator Olav Selvaag started
Norway's first music school?
... that the passage of the
A.B. 390 by California's Public Safety Committee marked the first time in
United States history that a
bill legalizing
marijuana passed a legislative committee?
... that Frederick Hobbs, after singing leading roles from 1914 to 1920 with the
D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, became its stage manager and then business manager for the last two decades of his life?
... that the Cucuteni-Trypillian people experienced a considerable abundance of
food, which contributed to why they had no evidence of
war throughout their entire existence?
... that Yakubu Mu'azu is one of a group of
Nigerian former military administrators who formed the United Nigeria Development Forum, a political
pressure group?
... that
CaptainGeorge Eyre narrowly escaped death in 1810, when he was hit in the head by a
musket ball and three others passed through his clothes?
12:00, 25 January 2010 (UTC)
... that seven generations of Morya Gosavi(pictured) – a prominent saint of the
GanapatyaHindu sect – were worshipped as incarnations of the god
Ganesha, and his tomb still attracts many Ganesha devotees?
... that when 30 Bridge Street, Chester was rebuilt in 1890, it was unique at that period in the city because it was no higher than the building it replaced?
... that, in
Montreal, since a shish taouk is not grilled on a skewer, it would better be called a chicken
shawarma?
... that psychiatrist Herbert Spiegel, whose work established
hypnosis as a legitimate medical therapy, used "
Sybil" as a demonstration case for his hypnosis classes at
Columbia University?
... that thousands of people watched the Action of 31 July 1793 between British and French frigates from the
New Jersey shoreline?
... that the Upper Harz Water Regale(pictured), a network of dams, lakes, ditches, and tunnels built between 1536 and 1866 to supply water to the mines of the
Harz mountains in Germany, is the largest of its kind in Europe?
... that the
Byzantine general Vitalian led a large-scale revolt against
EmperorAnastasius I, was pardoned and named
consul by his successor,
Justin I, and was murdered seven months into his consulship?
... that one of Canada's most prolific
mass murderers, Dale Nelson, had been still hiding at the scene of his first killing when police left the scene?
... that the Lawless Court had only natural light and charcoal to see and write with, could only end its session when a cock crowed, and arose after the local lord discovered a plot to murder him?
... that British sculptor Marcus Cornish has created a sculpture of the fictional
Paddington Bear(pictured) and a statue of Jesus Christ dubbed "Jesus in Jeans" by the media?
... that Rock 'n' Roll Prophet, the only album on which
Rick Wakeman sang lead vocals, received criticising reviews that described it as "goofy", "novelty", and like "pressing the self-destruct button"?
... that the defunct Wichita Wind ice hockey team once had
their coach and a public relations employee on their roster?
... that the Schnütgen Museum of religious art in
Cologne was founded with the collection of a priest known for his "zealous and sometimes crafty collection tactics"?
... that
fashion designerCharles Kleibacker earned the nickname "Master of the
Bias" for the complex designs of his women's clothing, carefully cut from fabric at a diagonal to the weave?
... that
Japanesefilm criticNagaharu Yodogawa did not miss a single appearance in his 36 years as the host of
TV Asahi's Sunday Western Movie Theatre until a week before his death?
... that Eunice W. Johnson, who created Ebony together with husband
John H. Johnson in the 1940s, suggested the magazine's title to match that of the fine black
ebony wood?
... that Charles Benham invented a "miniature twin elliptic pendulum
harmonograph" described as being "a good means of entertaining friends at home or elsewhere"?
... that architect George J. Wimberly came to Hawaii in 1940 as a
journeyman architect doing naval work at
Pearl Harbor before establishing a successful reputation for the design of
resorts?
... that the
Red Army prevented the incomplete
Borodino class battlecruiserIzmail(pictured) from being converted to a
carrier by gaining control of a commission appointed to review the needs of the Navy?
... that Captain Cedric Howell was awarded the
DSO for bringing down eight
Central aircraft in a four-day period in July 1918, including destroying five in a single action against ten or fifteen planes?
... that the 13th and 14th century
Hebridean chieftains Tormod and Torquil were once believed to have been brothers, and sons of
Leod; but now Torquil is considered as a grandson of Tormod?
... that Arthur E. Bartlett co-founded
Century 21 Real Estate with a single office in 1971 and saw the firm grow to 7,700 offices worldwide by the time of his death in 2009?
... that the daughter of
Canadian adventurer Tillson Harrison claims that her father's life served as the inspiration for the
Indiana Jones film series?
... that it is said that when the 10th-century
Viking leader Onlafbald invoked the power of his Norse gods
Thor and
Odin, he was miraculously killed by the spirit of the 7th-century English saint
Cuthbert of Lindisfarne?
... that the
Pullman Company boycotted Transpo '72 after the US government provided millions in funding so military contractors could show their attempts to enter the
mass transit field?
... that artist
Harry Bertoia's sculpture "Textured Screen" was labelled "a piece of junk painted up" when it was unveiled at the Old Dallas Central Library building in 1955?
... that the Anevo Fortress, a medieval castle near
Sopot in central
Bulgaria, was the capital of a short-lived quasi-independent domain in the late 13th century?
... that actress Naya Rivera from the musical comedy series Glee had a
talent agent before she was even one year old?
... that colitis-X is a fatal form of acute
colitis in
horses, with severe diarrhea, abdominal pain, shock and dehydration, and near 100% mortality in less than 24 hours?
... that the leaders of the Bourla-papey revolt in 19th century Switzerland were sentenced to death but then amnestied to defend the government they opposed?
... that although the name of the
palm genus Aiphanes means "always conspicuous", many of its species are actually small plants which are inconspicuous in the forest understorey?
... that after the Battles of Kfar Darom and a prolonged Egyptian siege, the Israelis evacuated the village on July 8, 1948, but not knowing this, the Egyptians staged an offensive on the next day?
... that
Byzantine general Peter Phokas was originally born a slave and made a
eunuch, but rose to become one of the senior-most commanders of the
Byzantine Empire in the 960s and 970s?
... that the medieval chronicler
Matthew Paris accused the medieval bishop Hugh of Wells (d. 1235) of being biased against monks, calling him "an untiring persecutor of monks"?
... that the marriage settlement of Richard Basset (d. before 1144) still survives and assigns his wife Matilda a
dowry of four
knight's fees?
00:00, 17 January 2010 (UTC)
... that St Andrew's Church(pictured) in
Worthing,
West Sussex, stood unused for two years after its completion as controversy raged over the "Worthing Madonna"?
... that
Jain textAtma Siddhi propounds six fundamental truths: the
soul exists, is eternal, is doer of
action, enjoys or suffers its actions,
liberation exists, and means to achieve liberation exists?
... that friends of the family raised $3,500 for Laurie Phenix to travel to the
2000 Summer Olympics and see her daughter Erin Phenix win a gold medal?
... that Stephen Reay, Under-Librarian at the
Bodleian Library, Oxford, was remembered by colleagues for his habit of "hovering over hot-air gratings in search of warmth"?
... that today on Mattu Pongal, the bull riding sport
Jallikattu(pictured) – that has led to deaths in the past – is traditionally conducted in the villages of
Tamil Nadu, India?
... that after a meeting in 1940, the English Judges' Council did not meet for another 10 years?
... that Aiphanes bicornis, a
palm species known only from two locations in
Ecuador, is named for the notched tips of its leaves which are said to evoke the horns of an
antelope?
... that the English coin collector Roger Gale (d. 1744) not only donated his collection of coins to
Cambridge University, but translated a book that helped new coin collectors avoid being cheated?
... that one day after
Mexican soldier Melquisedet Angulo Córdova was honored as a hero at his funeral, his mother and three relatives were gunned down in retaliation by
drug cartel hitmen?
... that despite snowfall totals exceeding 24 in (60 cm), the effects of the December 2000 nor'easter were minimized due to its weekend arrival?
... that
Hans Christian Andersen Award-winning author and illustrator Wolf Erlbruch illustrated his first book so his son could boast, "Look, my papa made a children's book"?
... that
Zairean PresidentMobutu gained renown for treating Air Zaïre as his personal service, and would commandeer its aircraft for shopping trips abroad?
... that a Sunday
assassination attempt against Malkiat Singh Sidhu caught
Canadian authorities off-guard, as information about the threat received on Friday was not passed along until Monday?
... that the Master of SS Brighton committed suicide in a pub after he was blamed for the collision with the
windjammerPreußen in 1905?
... that Old Ephraim, a giant
grizzly bear that lived in
Utah, was known as "Old Three Toes" by shepherds because of a congenital deformity on one foot?
... that in Santa María Tonameca,
Oaxaca, Mexico, there is a group of people called “pintos” or “Ñutis” who have patches of yellow, black, red, white and even blue on their skin due to a
genetic mutation?
... that
pin-up girlGloria Nord attracted more than a million people to her rolling skating exhibitions in 1942 and 1943 and later gave a command performance for
Queen Elizabeth II?
... that a Spanish vessel blown into
Texas' Saint Charles Bay by a storm, was allegedly stranded in a creek and later taken apart to construct houses?
... that the Simpsons episode "Million Dollar Maybe" will feature a new character created by the winner of a fan-contest organized by the staff of the show?
13 January 2010
18:00, 13 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the royal fly agaric(pictured) was the German Mycological Society's "Mushroom of the Year" in 2000?
... that the Irish novelist
Lady Morgan was married to the private physician Thomas Charles Morgan after a meeting engineered by the wife of his employer?
... that the Mary Rose Trust, the
charitable trust that salvaged the Mary Rose in 1982, played an important part in preserving historical shipwrecks in the UK from exploitation?
... that in the first naval engagement of the
War of 1812, the American
privateerDash captured HMS Whiting but the US released her, telling her captain to leave American waters as soon as possible?
... that the first photography subjects of the German photographer Aenne Biermann were her own children?
... that the American Journal of Physical Anthropology was selected as one of the top 10 most influential journals of the last 100 years in the fields of biology and medicine?
... that the juvenile leaves of the Australian
Queensland rainforest tree Stenocarpus cryptocarpus reach 115 cm long, but the adult leaves only 14 cm long?
... that
cellistFelix Wurman founded the Church of Beethoven, described by
NPR as "a church for people who don't go to church," in an abandoned gas station off
Route 66 in
New Mexico?
... that while recording their album Fight the Tide,
Sanctus Real's guitarist tried putting
nail polish on his fingertips because they were raw from continuous playing?
12:00, 11 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the 90-ton Mingun Bell(pictured) in
Mingun,
Myanmar, was the world's heaviest hanging bell until 2000, when the 116-ton Bell of Good Luck was erected in
Pingdingshan,
China?
... that there are more than 80
geysers(example pictured) at the southwest end of Shoshone Lake in
Wyoming, US, one of the highest concentrations of geysers in the world?
... that although little is known of the episcopate of William de Blois,
Bishop of Lincoln from 1203 to 1206, he was still remembered as a learned man in the 14th century?
... that Swedish painter Hugo Birger's most famous work is Frukosten hos Ledoyen(pictured), which depicts several famous
Nordic painters having breakfast together on the day of the
Paris Salon's opening?
... that the Sovetsky Soyuz-class battleshipSovetskaya Belorussiya was cancelled on 19 October 1940 after it was discovered that 70,000
rivets used in her hull plating were of inferior quality?
... that at the 1949 congress of the government-sponsored
Iraniantrade union centre ESKI, only two out of 36 delegates were workers?
... that
Bertrand Tavernier directed Safe Conduct because of his interest in reviving films from 1942 to 1944 and because he has friendships with key figures from those films?
... that Patrick Whelan allegedly assassinated
Thomas D'Arcy McGee four months after warning the police about a similar plot against the Canadian politician?
... that the prototype Tracked Hovercrafthigh-speed train(remains pictured) was expected to reach 300 mph on its test track north of
London, but had only broken 100 mph on a short portion before the program was cancelled in 1973?
... that approximately 6,000 years ago in central Oregon,
Lava Butte exploded, and eventually created Benham Falls?
... that installation of about 25,000 pail closets in 19th-century
Manchester, England helped clear the city's drains and rivers of up to 3,000,000
gallons of waste?
... that the director of the 2009 film The French Kissers chose to use mostly untrained actors because he feared that professional actors would be too egotistical?
... that
Time magazine described Aake Anker Ording, who initiated the international
fundraiserUnited Nations Appeal for Children, as "Norway's tall, blue-eyed, idealistic U.N. Staffer"?
... that in June 2005,
Intel threatened photo printing company FotoInsight with
legal action over their use of the name "The 'INSIDE' format" saying it infringed their trademark "
Intel Inside"?
... that
Swiss writer Dominique Caillat briefly worked as an international lawyer before turning to literature and the stage, which helped her receive a basic training in acting and directing?
... that Petalura hesperia dragonflies lay their eggs along stream margins because their
larvae are semi-aquatic?
... that Slade's Case has been called a "watershed" moment in English law?
... that a skimmington, a custom in which victims were mocked and humiliated in a noisy public procession, occurred in England as late as 1917?
12:00, 8 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the bronze Gniezno Doors, of about 1175, are the only
Romanesque doors in Europe decorated with scenes from the life of a saint (his murder pictured)?
... that the floral clock in Frankfort, Kentucky, has a face that is 34 feet (10 m) in diameter and is composed of more than 10,000 individual flowers?
... that upon the death of
Louisiananewspaper publisherSam Hanna, his state's press association in 2006 renamed its "Best Regular Column" award in his honor?
... that during the recording process of
Stone Sour's second album Come What(ever) May drummer Joel Ekman decided to leave the band following the diagnosis of his son's
brainstem glioma?
... that author and
anti-globalization advocate Tim Costello started his writing career in the back of his truck while traveling as a long-haul truck driver?
... that
Greek professor Albert Pattengill played on
Michigan's 1867 baseball team, nominated "azure-blue and maize" as the university's colors, and was one of the founders of the
Big Ten Conference?
... that two months after the final five Green Line stations on
Washington, D.C.'s
Metro opened, more than 30,600 riders per day boarded at the stations—three times as many as originally estimated?
... that the Black-fronted Tern of
New Zealand is known as the ploughboy or ploughman's friend for its propensity to eat worms and grubs in newly ploughed ground?
... that the existence of Outer Temple, a body that is thought to be one of the ten
Inns of Chancery and was disestablished in the 16th century, was only confirmed in 2008?dubious –
discuss
... that, according to the Historia de Sancto Cuthberto, Eadred,
abbot of
Carlisle, tried to take the body of
St Cuthbert to
Ireland, but was thwarted by the weather?
... that besides mechanical failures, fuel leaks and collisions, the
passengerlinerSS Iberia also suffered multiple fires and blackouts, and twice grounded in the
Suez Canal, before she was finally decommissioned in 1972?
... that
John Cage caused a sensation at the 1963 Music Biennale Zagreb by crawling under the piano during his stage performance, despite promising not to?
... that because of its aquatic origin and resemblance to the vulva, the shankha(carved examples pictured) is linked with female fertility and is an integral part of
Tantric rites?
... that the mechanism of the Winchester Model 1911, an autoloading shotgun made from 1911 to 1925, is so tricky that in 2005 four people shot themselves accidentally while clearing the weapon?
... that between 19,500 and 50,000 Japanese military personnel are estimated to have surrendered during World War II, despite being prohibited from doing so?
... that Kevin Rockett is considered one of the pre-eminent authorities on the
history of
Irish cinema?
... that INFORM, a British charity providing impartial information on
new religious movements, was established with the support of the
Home Office and Britain's mainstream churches?
... that Mamajuda Island in the
Detroit River, which once contained a lighthouse, has since been eroded away to nothing more than a few boulders seen only during times of low water levels?
... that the 9th Bomber Regiment was tasked to lead groups of
Soviet fighters and attack aircraft (over 2,000 aircraft in total) to their targets during 1941 because their pilots could not navigate on their own?
... that plans were shelved for the Southside Connector over concerns that it would pollute aquifers that were later found to be polluted inadvertently by the military?
... that Johan Kling, a
Swedish filmmaker whose career started with making TV shows and
McDonald's commercials, won the award for best Swedish film for his debut movie, Darling?
... that the 1894 Michigan football team played
Chicago in a sleet storm as the grandstand was "packed with yelling collegians" and the carriage rooms "filled with society people"?
... that in 1989, a block of flats in
Worthing, England, was named in commemoration of the Capella, wrecked off the coast in 1891, but the name was accidentally misspelt?
11:42, 1 January 2010 (UTC)
... that the Lyceum in
Port Sunlight,
Merseyside,
England, (pictured) was built as a school and it is planned to develop part of it as a museum?
... that the Rugrats episode "At the Movies" introduced the character of
Reptar, who became a heavily recurring character throughout the series and the basis of countless merchandising tie-ins?