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.
... that in Mesoamerican folklore, it is believed that a dog (mythical dog pictured) carries the newly deceased across a body of water into the
afterlife?
... that
Abandon's music was first discovered when a
record label manager was dining and got distracted by hearing them play a concert next door?
... that using the memory of his late sister as motivation, Tyler Sloan made his
National Hockey League debut on October 21 after seven years in the minor leagues?
... that
Harold Owen claimed the ghost of his brother, the poet
Wilfred Owen, appeared to him on board HMS Astraea a week after Wilfred's death?
... that no
football team in
Berlin was declared the winner of the Berlin Cup in 1969 because the
penalty shootout was not yet introduced and the finalists were unable to schedule a re-match after a
draw?
... that in 1894, US$20,000 to US$40,000 mysteriously disappeared from the Mississippi Levee Board, of which General Samuel W. Ferguson(pictured) was both secretary and treasurer?
... that Süreyya Opera House in
Istanbul, built in 1927 as a
musical theater but used all the time as a cinema, gained its intended status only in 2007 after redevelopment?
... that at the time of her completion in 1918,
Americancargo shipWest Lianga held the distinction of being both the fastest-
launched and the fastest-constructed ocean-going ship in the world?
... that production on the 1969
Fred Zinnemann film Man's Fate was canceled one week before shooting was to begin?
... that Julio A. Garcia, called a "legal lion" by his hometown
newspaper in
Laredo,
Texas, once broke a bone while passionately defending a client in court?
... that before becoming
mayor of
Seattle in 1912, George F. Cotterill had been instrumental in
platting its piers, building its
sewers, and innovating its mode of financing major utility projects?
14:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
... that Parikrama, an integral part of
Hindu ritual, involves walking around a sacred object or place, as
Ganesha(statue pictured) walked around
Shiva in legend?
... that women baring their breasts in front of higher class people and deities was considered a sign of respect in the 19th-century
Travancore kingdom in
South India?
... that best-selling author Laurence Leamer, author of The Kennedy Women, spent two years in
Peru while researching the
cocaine trade for his book Assignment?
... that the
Tang Dynasty official Cui Youfu had a dispute with his superior
Chang Gun over whether a mother cat allowing a mouse to live with her constituted a sign of good fortune or ill fortune?
... that although the official government death toll of the 1997 Ardabil earthquake was given as 965 deaths, rescue workers at the scene claimed it was as much as three times higher?
... that
Tang Dynasty general Li Na was, at one point, reduced to tears when he was under
siege by another general, Liu Qia?
... that the monastic
goldsmithSpearhafoc became Bishop-elect of London in 1051, but absconded abroad with a large treasure after his consecration was prevented?
... that upcoming film Afterwards is shot entirely in
English, despite being written and directed by Frenchman
Gilles Bourdos, adapted from a French novel and co-produced by a French production company?
... that Animerica, launched in 1993, was one of the first American professional
anime and
manga magazines, and was one of the most popular throughout the 1990s?
... that Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of
India that experiences considerable
Naxalitecommunist militant activity?
... that the
Bulgarian village and architectural reserve Brashlyan was referenced in the "
StrandzhaMarseillaise", the song The Clear Moon is Already Rising?
... that
Tang Dynasty general Tian Xu designated his youngest son Tian Ji'an as his heir because his sonless wife adopted Tian Ji'an, born of a
concubine, as her own?
... that George M. Keller added
US$1 per share at the last minute to his company's bid for
Gulf Oil, providing the margin needed to win a 1984 bidding war to buy Gulf in a deal valued at US$13.3 billion?
... that modern experts estimate that around 90% of the
natural gas discovered in the Indiana Gas Boom was wasted in flambeau displays?
... that Sinop Fortress Prison in
Turkey, abandoned in 1997, hosts hundreds of thousands tourists yearly thanks to its featuring in popular
literature, music and film?
... that the Vanuatu Labour Party first gained parliamentary representation in 2005, as the Minister for Ni-Vanuatu Business
Joshua Kalsakau joined the party?
... that the first keeper of the South Bass Island Light was picked up and committed as insane on the same day that his assistant's suicide was reported in the newspaper?
... that
R. J. Reynolds marketing executive Ralph Seagraves facilitated using red and white paint on American
short track's walls to give the illusion of greater speed?
... that Avraham Herzfeld, one of the founders of the
Ahdut HaAvoda party and the
Histadrut, was known for his habit of bursting into song, sometimes in the middle of his speeches?
... that Tropical Storm Rosa was the first eastern North Pacific tropical storm to develop during the month of November since 2000?
... that, when
Tang Dynasty general Zhang Xiaozhong turned against the warlord Li Weiyue whom he had served and joined the imperial cause, Li killed Zhang's brothers and sons?
... that mathematician Brian Bowditch wrote a paper solving the
angel problem of
John Conway, proving that the angel can win and evade the devil in the "angel game"?
... that a siruv is a
contempt of court order issued by a
Jewish rabbinical court that can exclude people who do not observe the court's orders from participation in religious services?
... that The Golden Fleece, written in 1628 by Sir
William Vaughan while at his colony New Cambriol, was a fanciful attempt to galvanise his colonists into hard work?
... that one of sculptor
Paul Manship's earliest public works, "The Four Elements", is at the former
AT&T corporate headquarters at 195 Broadway in
Manhattan?
... that the dome-shaped
nest of the Yellow-rumped Thornbill(pictured) has a cup-shaped depression fake nest to distract attention from the real nest inside?
... that
University of Notre Damebasketball player Luke Harangody and his brother were banned from playing basketball in their backyard as children because their games regularly ended in fights?
... that the planned community of Albany, Alabama existed for 40 years (1887 to 1927) and formed a major population center before merging with the modern city of
Decatur, Alabama?
... that in
Shinto, yorishiro, such as sacred trees, attract
spirits, give them a physical space to occupy and make them accessible to people for religious ceremonies?
... that after his ship was captured by the French,
CaptainThomas Thompson complained that his captors stole his
surgeon's instruments whilst he was trying to operate on the wounded?
... that in 1962, politicians Robin Bailie and
Bob Cooper launched a journal entitled Review, even though they were only able to publish a single issue?
... that when the
PolishEddie Borysewicz became coach of the
UScycling team in 1977, he used a 12-year-old to translate his commands?
... that the historic Slipper Chapel in
Norfolk,
England was used as a cow-shed and barn for almost 400 years before being rededicated as a chapel in 1934?
... that
Tang Dynasty general Hun Zhen was pleased that his requests to
Emperor Dezong were sometimes rejected, believing that it showed the emperor trusted him?
... that Ronnie Boon scored all the match points for
Wales when their rugby team finally broke the "Twickenham bogey", beating
England at
Twickenham after 21 years and ten failed attempts?
... that the 1937 film Chintamani(promotional snapshot pictured) was the first
Tamil film to run for a year in a single theatre?
... that Edward Jardine, after commanding 200 Union troops in an attempt to quell the
New York Draft Riots, only escaped the rioters by wearing civilian clothes?
... that
Betsy, a
border collie, has intelligence greater than that of the
great ape which is regarded as humans' closest relative?
... that
George Gordon Byron drew up a will leaving Nicolò Giraud, his young companion while in Greece,
£7,000, but later changed his mind?
... that the
Iraqi Army launched an offensive into
Saudi Arabia on 29 January 1991, leading to the Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the
Gulf War(U.S. Marine artillery pictured)?
... that Meinong's jungle is the name given to the
ontological realm in which non-existent objects such as
unicorns, square circles, and golden mountains subsist?
... that after
Dale Earnhardt's first win, his crew chief Jake Elder said, "Stick with me, kid, and we'll win diamonds as big as
horse turds"?
... that The New York Times moved in 1858 to a building at 41 Park Row, making it the first newspaper in
New York City housed in a building built specifically for its use?
... that the media of the Mortal Kombat franchise not only includes the
video game series which has sold 26 million copies but also two feature films, a television series, two books, and several comics books?
... that historic Sleddale Hall, the filming location for Crow Crag in the 1986
cult filmWithnail and I is derelict and has faced demolition in the past?
... that after being rejected from
HaShomer, a Jewish defense organization in
Ottoman Palestine, Yosef Lishansky founded a rival group called HaMagen, operating in the south of the country?
... that Dipor Bil reportedly provides its natural resources for the livelihood of 14 indigenous villages (1,200 families) located in its
wetland ecosystem in
Assam,
India?
... that
footballerPeter Stringfellow suffered a dramatic decline in form, which ultimately ended his professional career, after being involved in a car crash in which a team-mate died?
... that after his son was murdered during a
study abroad program,
entrepreneurTom Petters formed a foundation to provide endowments that would benefit future students at several universities?
... that Marguerite Sylva(pictured) modestly told
W. S. Gilbert at her sister's audition that she "sang a little" and, after demonstrating, was offered a part?
... that the Universal Edit Button is a
Firefoxadd on supported by many websites that informs users when the web page they are viewing contains editable content?
... that
Dick Trickle, billed as the winningest short track driver in history, won his first race outside of his home region at the 1966 National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway?
... that the
Victorian painter William Shakespeare Burton was said to have dug a hole in the ground to stand in, so that he could paint the grass and ferns at eye level?
... that
Zac Brown Band's single "Chicken Fried" was previously recorded by
The Lost Trailers, whose version was withdrawn after Brown changed his mind about licensing the song to that record label?
... that the
penitential tone of John Audelay's poetry may have been influenced by his sense of responsibility for his
lord's involvement in a fatal brawl?
... that
Spain, which placed second at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with "Su canción", was rumored to have given high marks to a competitor so it would not have to host the contest the following year?
... that Dave Levine, the president of an
e-commerce company, was featured in the inaugural episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where he described the type of wife he sought?
13 October 2008
18:04, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
... that after the 1985 Mexico City earthquake(destroyed building pictured), a number of infants were safely rescued from the Juárez Hospital despite being without food and water for seven days?
... that
Australian politician Charlie Lynn held the New South Wales 24-hour Ultra Marathon record in 1985 and 1986?
... that the Oregon State Bar was the first
bar association in the U.S. to provide complete access to all attorney records it keeps, but only after a lawsuit?
... that M-67, a state highway in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, has remained essentially unchanged but the highways connecting to it have changed three times since 1919?
... that Julie Couillard's memoir My Story reveals confidential opinions that
Canadian member of
ParliamentMaxime Bernier allegedly shared with her and was released eight days before Bernier is seeking
re-election?
... that Clarence D. Wiley, already a 40-year public official in
Louisiana, was to have joined his
parish governing council when he died in 1976 of a sudden
stroke?
... that
EnglishfootballerGlen Thomas came close to losing an eye in 1996 when he stumbled into a tree during a training session and was hit in the face by a branch?
... that the medieval
motetSub Arturo plebs has the name of its composer along with those of 14 fellow musicians, plus instructions on how to perform the piece, written into its own lyrics?
... that
BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme The Media Show, which looks at the current state of the
media, is seen as a replacement to The Message, a similar programme axed by the BBC earlier in 2008?
... that only twelve examples survive of the Bosom of Abraham Trinity, a uniquely English subject in late medieval religious art?
... that, when
Tang Dynasty poet
Wang Wei was set to be punished for having joined the rebel state
Yan under duress, his brother Wang Jin successfully interceded for him by offering to resign as an imperial official?
... that British activist Emmeline Pankhurst(pictured) once slapped a police officer so she would get arrested to raise awareness about the need for
women's suffrage?
... that the website Techmeme, created by Gabe Rivera, searches for the most popular
technology-related news on the
Internet and orders them based on an
algorithm that determines popularity?
... that Nic Waal, who rescued
Jewish children in
Norway from the
Holocaust, started her own institute for pediatric
psychiatry when turned down for a job because her appearance was too messy?
... that after Robert Bealknap offended the people of
London before the coronation of
Richard II they placed a model of his head on a water fountain so that it would vomit wine when the king walked past?
... that the existence of a Stroke Belt in the
southeastern United States was recognized as early as 1962, but the causes of high
stroke incidence in this region have not been determined?
... that in addition to teaching underprivileged youth, Giovanni Buscaglione designed such architectural works as
Colombia's Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora del Carmen?
... that after Milt Davis was rejected by the
Detroit Lions because they did not have a
black roommate for him, Davis won two championships in four seasons with the
Baltimore Colts?
... that after Li Xilie, who had rebelled against the
Tang Dynasty,
grew ill after eating beef, his general Chen Xianqi induced his physician to poison him to death?
... that the 2004 Cairns Tilt Train derailment was the result of excessive speed which may have been caused by the driver leaving his seat?
... that Anastasiu di Iaci wrote Vinuta di lu re Iapicu in Catania shortly after 1287, making it one of the earliest narrative sources for the
War of the Vespers?
... that while his father-in-law, brother and son were national politicians, Wincentz Thurmann Ihlen concentrated on entrepreneurship, establishing the railway car factory
Strømmens Værksted?
... that
Irving Berlin stuffed towels into a piano while he was composing "That International Rag" (listen) to muffle the sound because other hotel guests made noise complaints?
... that
Los Angeles police were sent to guard the remains of the 1000-year-old Encino Oak Tree, a victim of "slime flux", after it was felled by an
El Niño storm in 1998?
... that there are currently over 1,000 more international chess tournaments per year than there were in 1951?
... that in addition to being a government aide during the
Vietnam Conflict, Michael Forrestal was also a mediator in international disputes between the
USSR and the US?
... that the album title Ordinary Dreamers is about doing extraordinary things with a "dreamer mentality" as an ordinary person?
... that Bob Miller lost his first 12 games with the
1962New York Mets and played for 10 different teams in his
Major League Baseball career, tying modern-day records for both that have since been broken?
... that John T. David, a small-town
Louisianamayor, was elected to his parish governing council in 1956, less than a year after resigning as mayor because of two
bootlegging convictions?
... that the
1923Tour de France winner Henri Pélissier(pictured) was shot by his lover using the gun with which his wife had shot herself some years earlier?
... that
Tang Dynasty warlord Tian Yue was, along with his mother, wife, and children, killed by his cousin Tian Xu, who then took over the circuit that he governed?
... that Henry Jolles, who had played
Schubert's complete piano music in
Heidelberg in 1928, escaped
Nazi persecution in 1942 by fleeing from France to Brazil with the assistance of American
Varian Fry?
... that the song "
I'm Just Wild About Harry"(listen) was the most popular number from the first successful
Broadway show to have an all African-American cast?
... that it took Peter Steinfeld six weeks to write the opening eleven pages of his first screenplay, Drowning Mona?
3 October 2008
23:13, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
... that the Dome of the Chain(pictured), a free-standing dome functioning as a prayer house on the
Temple Mount, was possibly used as a building model for the adjacent
Dome of the Rock?
... that
deadpan comedian Kevin Wu was one of three Asians under the age of 21 to be in the top five of
YouTube's all time most subscribed in 2008?
... the loading coil saved
AT&T an estimated US$100 million in the first quarter of the 20th century but
Oliver Heaviside was paid nothing for the idea?
... that the threadfin jack(pictured) has been found at a number of archaeological sites in
Central America, indicating this species has been caught by humans for
food for at least three millennia?
... the San Esteban Chuckwalla can exceed two feet (61 cm) in length, making it the largest member of its genus, and a textbook example of
insular gigantism?
... that the
weroance of the Appomattoc tribe, Perecute, personally led Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam on an expedition in 1671 to become the first Europeans to set foot within what is now
West Virginia?
... that many of the pieces of the anthology Suspiria de Profundis were lost before publication, as its author
Thomas de Quincey may have accidentally set them on fire?
... that after living in the U.S. for 50 years, painter Kazys Varnelis returned to
Lithuania in 1998 at the age of 81?
... that on April 17,
1964, Tim Harkness of the
New York Mets became the first Met player to bat and the first to get a hit in the team's first game played at
Shea Stadium?
... that the Oxford Music Hall, opened in 1861, burned down twice within its first dozen years of operation?
... that the magazine Electrician and Mechanic(cover pictured) changed its title six times in two years before acquiring its current title, Popular Science?
... that, after the rebellious
Tang Dynasty general Zhu Tao was defeated by Wang Wujun and
Li Baozhen, he immediately executed two subordinates who had suggested that he battle Wang and Li?
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.
... that in Mesoamerican folklore, it is believed that a dog (mythical dog pictured) carries the newly deceased across a body of water into the
afterlife?
... that
Abandon's music was first discovered when a
record label manager was dining and got distracted by hearing them play a concert next door?
... that using the memory of his late sister as motivation, Tyler Sloan made his
National Hockey League debut on October 21 after seven years in the minor leagues?
... that
Harold Owen claimed the ghost of his brother, the poet
Wilfred Owen, appeared to him on board HMS Astraea a week after Wilfred's death?
... that no
football team in
Berlin was declared the winner of the Berlin Cup in 1969 because the
penalty shootout was not yet introduced and the finalists were unable to schedule a re-match after a
draw?
... that in 1894, US$20,000 to US$40,000 mysteriously disappeared from the Mississippi Levee Board, of which General Samuel W. Ferguson(pictured) was both secretary and treasurer?
... that Süreyya Opera House in
Istanbul, built in 1927 as a
musical theater but used all the time as a cinema, gained its intended status only in 2007 after redevelopment?
... that at the time of her completion in 1918,
Americancargo shipWest Lianga held the distinction of being both the fastest-
launched and the fastest-constructed ocean-going ship in the world?
... that production on the 1969
Fred Zinnemann film Man's Fate was canceled one week before shooting was to begin?
... that Julio A. Garcia, called a "legal lion" by his hometown
newspaper in
Laredo,
Texas, once broke a bone while passionately defending a client in court?
... that before becoming
mayor of
Seattle in 1912, George F. Cotterill had been instrumental in
platting its piers, building its
sewers, and innovating its mode of financing major utility projects?
14:51, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
... that Parikrama, an integral part of
Hindu ritual, involves walking around a sacred object or place, as
Ganesha(statue pictured) walked around
Shiva in legend?
... that women baring their breasts in front of higher class people and deities was considered a sign of respect in the 19th-century
Travancore kingdom in
South India?
... that best-selling author Laurence Leamer, author of The Kennedy Women, spent two years in
Peru while researching the
cocaine trade for his book Assignment?
... that the
Tang Dynasty official Cui Youfu had a dispute with his superior
Chang Gun over whether a mother cat allowing a mouse to live with her constituted a sign of good fortune or ill fortune?
... that although the official government death toll of the 1997 Ardabil earthquake was given as 965 deaths, rescue workers at the scene claimed it was as much as three times higher?
... that
Tang Dynasty general Li Na was, at one point, reduced to tears when he was under
siege by another general, Liu Qia?
... that the monastic
goldsmithSpearhafoc became Bishop-elect of London in 1051, but absconded abroad with a large treasure after his consecration was prevented?
... that upcoming film Afterwards is shot entirely in
English, despite being written and directed by Frenchman
Gilles Bourdos, adapted from a French novel and co-produced by a French production company?
... that Animerica, launched in 1993, was one of the first American professional
anime and
manga magazines, and was one of the most popular throughout the 1990s?
... that Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of
India that experiences considerable
Naxalitecommunist militant activity?
... that the
Bulgarian village and architectural reserve Brashlyan was referenced in the "
StrandzhaMarseillaise", the song The Clear Moon is Already Rising?
... that
Tang Dynasty general Tian Xu designated his youngest son Tian Ji'an as his heir because his sonless wife adopted Tian Ji'an, born of a
concubine, as her own?
... that George M. Keller added
US$1 per share at the last minute to his company's bid for
Gulf Oil, providing the margin needed to win a 1984 bidding war to buy Gulf in a deal valued at US$13.3 billion?
... that modern experts estimate that around 90% of the
natural gas discovered in the Indiana Gas Boom was wasted in flambeau displays?
... that Sinop Fortress Prison in
Turkey, abandoned in 1997, hosts hundreds of thousands tourists yearly thanks to its featuring in popular
literature, music and film?
... that the Vanuatu Labour Party first gained parliamentary representation in 2005, as the Minister for Ni-Vanuatu Business
Joshua Kalsakau joined the party?
... that the first keeper of the South Bass Island Light was picked up and committed as insane on the same day that his assistant's suicide was reported in the newspaper?
... that
R. J. Reynolds marketing executive Ralph Seagraves facilitated using red and white paint on American
short track's walls to give the illusion of greater speed?
... that Avraham Herzfeld, one of the founders of the
Ahdut HaAvoda party and the
Histadrut, was known for his habit of bursting into song, sometimes in the middle of his speeches?
... that Tropical Storm Rosa was the first eastern North Pacific tropical storm to develop during the month of November since 2000?
... that, when
Tang Dynasty general Zhang Xiaozhong turned against the warlord Li Weiyue whom he had served and joined the imperial cause, Li killed Zhang's brothers and sons?
... that mathematician Brian Bowditch wrote a paper solving the
angel problem of
John Conway, proving that the angel can win and evade the devil in the "angel game"?
... that a siruv is a
contempt of court order issued by a
Jewish rabbinical court that can exclude people who do not observe the court's orders from participation in religious services?
... that The Golden Fleece, written in 1628 by Sir
William Vaughan while at his colony New Cambriol, was a fanciful attempt to galvanise his colonists into hard work?
... that one of sculptor
Paul Manship's earliest public works, "The Four Elements", is at the former
AT&T corporate headquarters at 195 Broadway in
Manhattan?
... that the dome-shaped
nest of the Yellow-rumped Thornbill(pictured) has a cup-shaped depression fake nest to distract attention from the real nest inside?
... that
University of Notre Damebasketball player Luke Harangody and his brother were banned from playing basketball in their backyard as children because their games regularly ended in fights?
... that the planned community of Albany, Alabama existed for 40 years (1887 to 1927) and formed a major population center before merging with the modern city of
Decatur, Alabama?
... that in
Shinto, yorishiro, such as sacred trees, attract
spirits, give them a physical space to occupy and make them accessible to people for religious ceremonies?
... that after his ship was captured by the French,
CaptainThomas Thompson complained that his captors stole his
surgeon's instruments whilst he was trying to operate on the wounded?
... that in 1962, politicians Robin Bailie and
Bob Cooper launched a journal entitled Review, even though they were only able to publish a single issue?
... that when the
PolishEddie Borysewicz became coach of the
UScycling team in 1977, he used a 12-year-old to translate his commands?
... that the historic Slipper Chapel in
Norfolk,
England was used as a cow-shed and barn for almost 400 years before being rededicated as a chapel in 1934?
... that
Tang Dynasty general Hun Zhen was pleased that his requests to
Emperor Dezong were sometimes rejected, believing that it showed the emperor trusted him?
... that Ronnie Boon scored all the match points for
Wales when their rugby team finally broke the "Twickenham bogey", beating
England at
Twickenham after 21 years and ten failed attempts?
... that the 1937 film Chintamani(promotional snapshot pictured) was the first
Tamil film to run for a year in a single theatre?
... that Edward Jardine, after commanding 200 Union troops in an attempt to quell the
New York Draft Riots, only escaped the rioters by wearing civilian clothes?
... that
Betsy, a
border collie, has intelligence greater than that of the
great ape which is regarded as humans' closest relative?
... that
George Gordon Byron drew up a will leaving Nicolò Giraud, his young companion while in Greece,
£7,000, but later changed his mind?
... that the
Iraqi Army launched an offensive into
Saudi Arabia on 29 January 1991, leading to the Battle of Khafji, the first major ground engagement of the
Gulf War(U.S. Marine artillery pictured)?
... that Meinong's jungle is the name given to the
ontological realm in which non-existent objects such as
unicorns, square circles, and golden mountains subsist?
... that after
Dale Earnhardt's first win, his crew chief Jake Elder said, "Stick with me, kid, and we'll win diamonds as big as
horse turds"?
... that The New York Times moved in 1858 to a building at 41 Park Row, making it the first newspaper in
New York City housed in a building built specifically for its use?
... that the media of the Mortal Kombat franchise not only includes the
video game series which has sold 26 million copies but also two feature films, a television series, two books, and several comics books?
... that historic Sleddale Hall, the filming location for Crow Crag in the 1986
cult filmWithnail and I is derelict and has faced demolition in the past?
... that after being rejected from
HaShomer, a Jewish defense organization in
Ottoman Palestine, Yosef Lishansky founded a rival group called HaMagen, operating in the south of the country?
... that Dipor Bil reportedly provides its natural resources for the livelihood of 14 indigenous villages (1,200 families) located in its
wetland ecosystem in
Assam,
India?
... that
footballerPeter Stringfellow suffered a dramatic decline in form, which ultimately ended his professional career, after being involved in a car crash in which a team-mate died?
... that after his son was murdered during a
study abroad program,
entrepreneurTom Petters formed a foundation to provide endowments that would benefit future students at several universities?
... that Marguerite Sylva(pictured) modestly told
W. S. Gilbert at her sister's audition that she "sang a little" and, after demonstrating, was offered a part?
... that the Universal Edit Button is a
Firefoxadd on supported by many websites that informs users when the web page they are viewing contains editable content?
... that
Dick Trickle, billed as the winningest short track driver in history, won his first race outside of his home region at the 1966 National Short Track Championships at Rockford Speedway?
... that the
Victorian painter William Shakespeare Burton was said to have dug a hole in the ground to stand in, so that he could paint the grass and ferns at eye level?
... that
Zac Brown Band's single "Chicken Fried" was previously recorded by
The Lost Trailers, whose version was withdrawn after Brown changed his mind about licensing the song to that record label?
... that the
penitential tone of John Audelay's poetry may have been influenced by his sense of responsibility for his
lord's involvement in a fatal brawl?
... that
Spain, which placed second at the
Eurovision Song Contest 1979 with "Su canción", was rumored to have given high marks to a competitor so it would not have to host the contest the following year?
... that Dave Levine, the president of an
e-commerce company, was featured in the inaugural episode of Millionaire Matchmaker where he described the type of wife he sought?
13 October 2008
18:04, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
... that after the 1985 Mexico City earthquake(destroyed building pictured), a number of infants were safely rescued from the Juárez Hospital despite being without food and water for seven days?
... that
Australian politician Charlie Lynn held the New South Wales 24-hour Ultra Marathon record in 1985 and 1986?
... that the Oregon State Bar was the first
bar association in the U.S. to provide complete access to all attorney records it keeps, but only after a lawsuit?
... that M-67, a state highway in the
Upper Peninsula of Michigan, has remained essentially unchanged but the highways connecting to it have changed three times since 1919?
... that Julie Couillard's memoir My Story reveals confidential opinions that
Canadian member of
ParliamentMaxime Bernier allegedly shared with her and was released eight days before Bernier is seeking
re-election?
... that Clarence D. Wiley, already a 40-year public official in
Louisiana, was to have joined his
parish governing council when he died in 1976 of a sudden
stroke?
... that
EnglishfootballerGlen Thomas came close to losing an eye in 1996 when he stumbled into a tree during a training session and was hit in the face by a branch?
... that the medieval
motetSub Arturo plebs has the name of its composer along with those of 14 fellow musicians, plus instructions on how to perform the piece, written into its own lyrics?
... that
BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme The Media Show, which looks at the current state of the
media, is seen as a replacement to The Message, a similar programme axed by the BBC earlier in 2008?
... that only twelve examples survive of the Bosom of Abraham Trinity, a uniquely English subject in late medieval religious art?
... that, when
Tang Dynasty poet
Wang Wei was set to be punished for having joined the rebel state
Yan under duress, his brother Wang Jin successfully interceded for him by offering to resign as an imperial official?
... that British activist Emmeline Pankhurst(pictured) once slapped a police officer so she would get arrested to raise awareness about the need for
women's suffrage?
... that the website Techmeme, created by Gabe Rivera, searches for the most popular
technology-related news on the
Internet and orders them based on an
algorithm that determines popularity?
... that Nic Waal, who rescued
Jewish children in
Norway from the
Holocaust, started her own institute for pediatric
psychiatry when turned down for a job because her appearance was too messy?
... that after Robert Bealknap offended the people of
London before the coronation of
Richard II they placed a model of his head on a water fountain so that it would vomit wine when the king walked past?
... that the existence of a Stroke Belt in the
southeastern United States was recognized as early as 1962, but the causes of high
stroke incidence in this region have not been determined?
... that in addition to teaching underprivileged youth, Giovanni Buscaglione designed such architectural works as
Colombia's Santuario Nacional de Nuestra Señora del Carmen?
... that after Milt Davis was rejected by the
Detroit Lions because they did not have a
black roommate for him, Davis won two championships in four seasons with the
Baltimore Colts?
... that after Li Xilie, who had rebelled against the
Tang Dynasty,
grew ill after eating beef, his general Chen Xianqi induced his physician to poison him to death?
... that the 2004 Cairns Tilt Train derailment was the result of excessive speed which may have been caused by the driver leaving his seat?
... that Anastasiu di Iaci wrote Vinuta di lu re Iapicu in Catania shortly after 1287, making it one of the earliest narrative sources for the
War of the Vespers?
... that while his father-in-law, brother and son were national politicians, Wincentz Thurmann Ihlen concentrated on entrepreneurship, establishing the railway car factory
Strømmens Værksted?
... that
Irving Berlin stuffed towels into a piano while he was composing "That International Rag" (listen) to muffle the sound because other hotel guests made noise complaints?
... that
Los Angeles police were sent to guard the remains of the 1000-year-old Encino Oak Tree, a victim of "slime flux", after it was felled by an
El Niño storm in 1998?
... that there are currently over 1,000 more international chess tournaments per year than there were in 1951?
... that in addition to being a government aide during the
Vietnam Conflict, Michael Forrestal was also a mediator in international disputes between the
USSR and the US?
... that the album title Ordinary Dreamers is about doing extraordinary things with a "dreamer mentality" as an ordinary person?
... that Bob Miller lost his first 12 games with the
1962New York Mets and played for 10 different teams in his
Major League Baseball career, tying modern-day records for both that have since been broken?
... that John T. David, a small-town
Louisianamayor, was elected to his parish governing council in 1956, less than a year after resigning as mayor because of two
bootlegging convictions?
... that the
1923Tour de France winner Henri Pélissier(pictured) was shot by his lover using the gun with which his wife had shot herself some years earlier?
... that
Tang Dynasty warlord Tian Yue was, along with his mother, wife, and children, killed by his cousin Tian Xu, who then took over the circuit that he governed?
... that Henry Jolles, who had played
Schubert's complete piano music in
Heidelberg in 1928, escaped
Nazi persecution in 1942 by fleeing from France to Brazil with the assistance of American
Varian Fry?
... that the song "
I'm Just Wild About Harry"(listen) was the most popular number from the first successful
Broadway show to have an all African-American cast?
... that it took Peter Steinfeld six weeks to write the opening eleven pages of his first screenplay, Drowning Mona?
3 October 2008
23:13, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
... that the Dome of the Chain(pictured), a free-standing dome functioning as a prayer house on the
Temple Mount, was possibly used as a building model for the adjacent
Dome of the Rock?
... that
deadpan comedian Kevin Wu was one of three Asians under the age of 21 to be in the top five of
YouTube's all time most subscribed in 2008?
... the loading coil saved
AT&T an estimated US$100 million in the first quarter of the 20th century but
Oliver Heaviside was paid nothing for the idea?
... that the threadfin jack(pictured) has been found at a number of archaeological sites in
Central America, indicating this species has been caught by humans for
food for at least three millennia?
... the San Esteban Chuckwalla can exceed two feet (61 cm) in length, making it the largest member of its genus, and a textbook example of
insular gigantism?
... that the
weroance of the Appomattoc tribe, Perecute, personally led Thomas Batts and Robert Fallam on an expedition in 1671 to become the first Europeans to set foot within what is now
West Virginia?
... that many of the pieces of the anthology Suspiria de Profundis were lost before publication, as its author
Thomas de Quincey may have accidentally set them on fire?
... that after living in the U.S. for 50 years, painter Kazys Varnelis returned to
Lithuania in 1998 at the age of 81?
... that on April 17,
1964, Tim Harkness of the
New York Mets became the first Met player to bat and the first to get a hit in the team's first game played at
Shea Stadium?
... that the Oxford Music Hall, opened in 1861, burned down twice within its first dozen years of operation?
... that the magazine Electrician and Mechanic(cover pictured) changed its title six times in two years before acquiring its current title, Popular Science?
... that, after the rebellious
Tang Dynasty general Zhu Tao was defeated by Wang Wujun and
Li Baozhen, he immediately executed two subordinates who had suggested that he battle Wang and Li?