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 between 5% and 45% of the
words made by two year olds are speech repetitions, and that higher skill in
infant speech repetition predicts more rapid expansion of spoken
vocabulary?
... that many government-planted trees in the Banni grasslands in
India were legally cut down to make charcoal for profits from 2004 to 2008 even though the area has been a
protected forest since 1955?
... that the Ballaine House was one of six built in 1905 in
Seward, Alaska, known as "Millionaire's Row", not for their owners' wealth, but because they believed Alaska would soon have one million residents?
03:42, 31 December 2009 (UTC)
... that SS President(pictured) became the first transatlantic
steamship to founder when she disappeared in 1841 en route from
New York to
Liverpool with 136 people on board?
... that as a self-described "geek" and a curious person,
Whoopi Goldberg created Head Games to show people that there are "all kinds of science"?
... that the Famous Smoke Shop, one of the largest
mail order and internet
cigar businesses in the United States, was initially a retail shop on
Broadway founded in 1939?
... that the Hanneford family of the Royal Hanneford Circus have origins in performance dating back to 1690?
... that between 1970 and 1976, former Spanish-Argentine
footballer and
managerJuan Carlos Touriño was part of three Spanish league championships and two Spanish cup-winning squads?
... that André Roch, a pioneer in
avalanche research, was caught in avalanches three times?
11:42, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
... that the Oriental Theatre's chandelier (ceiling pictured) in
Portland, Oregon, United States, contained 3,000 light bulbs and weighed 2,000 pounds (910 kg)?
... that Frank Conner is one of only two men to have competed in the U.S. Open in both
tennis and
golf?
... that the white wine grape Furmint is said to have been introduced to
Hungary after the 13th-century
Mongolian invasion, by immigrants recruited by King
Béla IV?
... that
Botswana international footballer Donald Thobega was involved in the Test For Life campaign, which encourages supporters to get tested for
HIV and
AIDS?
... that
Nikolai Polikarpov was arrested and imprisoned by the
OGPU in September 1929 for the crime of industrial sabotage when his Polikarpov I-6 and
I-5fighter projects both failed to meet their deadlines?
... that after playing for over twenty clubs and enjoying only mild success, former professional
footballerFred Eyre made his name as a businessman,
after dinner speaker, and author?
... that the
carnivorous plantDrosera regia(pictured, with prey) is one of the most imperiled Drosera species, with a single small population estimated to consist of only 50 mature plants?
... that the flag on the top of the
Tall Hermann tower on Toompea Hill is one of the best-known symbols in
Estonia of the government in power?
... that shortly after
World War II,
Douglas Aircraft designed the prototype airliner
DC-8 that had engines in the fuselage and propellors in the tail?
... that flooding of the Tishrin Dam reservoir in
Syria was postponed so that three houses found at the archaeological site of Jerf el-Ahmar could be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere?
... that after a winless 0–11 record in 1996, the Michigan Wolverines men's gymnastics team won the NCAA championship in 1999 and finished in the "Super Six" in 10 of the past 11 seasons?
... that ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a proposed
DOI for
scientific authors that according to journal Nature could be used in "edits of
Wikipedia entries"?
... that even after
Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of the "
Yorkshire Ripper" murders, Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield maintained that taunting letters and tape from
Wearside Jack were connected to the case?
... that Oilite bearings were developed by
Chrysler in the 1930s?
... that the 2009
television movieA Dog Named Christmas was based on a novel by Greg Kincaid, who said his family hated the story when he originally wrote it?
... that most lake-dwelling
grayling in the
American West today can be genetically traced to
Yellowstone Park's Grebe Lake, where millions of fish eggs were harvested and distributed from 1931 to 1956?
... that the red
pigment of the Christmas wreath lichen(pictured) is one of several chemicals that help the organism survive inhospitable environments?
... that after removal of a dam that blocked their migration for nearly a century,
salmon and
steelhead returned in 2009 to the Little Sandy River in
Oregon?
... that after exhausting his
shot fighting a
privateer for two days, Commander Hugh Downman of
HMS Speedy was reduced to firing nails at his opponent?
... that in a manner unusual for
snakes, the female Natal rock python guards its hatchlings for up to two weeks after they emerge from their eggs to protect them from predators?
... that the practice of breeding show dogs has produced popular sire effects that reduce genetic diversity and can exacerbate the spread of inherited diseases?
... that in
England until the early 20th century, a man wishing to separate from his wife could lead her to market by a
halter and sell her(process pictured) to the highest bidder?
... that Sir Frederick Stovin was removed from command of the
92nd Gordon Highlanders in 1821, after scandalising the regiment by demanding they wear trousers?
... that in seeking to overcome the low in
Congo–
Zaire relations in the early 1970s due to the LICOPA affair, Congolese authorities sentenced a Zairean opposition member to three years' imprisonment?
... that the Boston Brigade Band was in existence for over 40 years, from 1821 to 1862?
... that since its launch in January 2008, DogsBlog.com has helped to
rehome more than six thousand
dogs in the United Kingdom?
... that due to receding
glaciers, in 1951, the
Alaska Railroad was able to move its route and abandon a curved tunnel built in 1906?
... that the 1955
Bo Diddley song "
Diddley Daddy" was originally called "Diddy Diddy Dum Dum," but the lyrics had to be rewritten in the studio for contractual reasons?
11:42, 19 December 2009 (UTC)
... that in the City Palace of
Udaipur, India(pictured), a princess poisoned herself, unable to choose from two suitors of royal families of
Jaipur and
Jodhpur seeking her hand in marriage?
... that Berg River Dam is the first dam in
South Africa where provision is made for flood releases for environmental purposes?
... that producers of the
Showtime series Dexter imposed security measures and staff members had to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent leaks of the surprise twist ending of the episode "The Getaway"?
... that the Carden-Baynes Auxiliary sailplane was the first
motor glider with a retractable engine, and that it had a throttle in its wing tip?
... that in an effort to prevent the extinction of the Mauna Kea silversword(pictured), scientists rappel over cliffs to hand-
pollinate the approximately 41 remaining individuals in the wild, on the rare occasion that one blossoms?
... that professional
footballerAndy Bell spent nearly a decade with hometown club
Blackburn Rovers, without making a single first-team appearance?
... that
Michigan's Don McEwen, two-time
NCAA champion in the two-mile run, also won consecutive
Big Ten cross country championships even though his school had no varsity cross country team?
... that for more than thirty years, John Torreano has created "real fake art" by using fake
gemstones in his one of a kind art works?
... that the ambush of a Turkish patrol in
Reşadiye was the deadliest
PKK attack since April 2009?
... that the Connaught Theatre in
Worthing, UK, is a rare example of a cinema being converted into a theatre in the 1930s, when the reverse was common?
... that the Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine, which cost US$2.2 billion to build, was sold by
BHP Billiton for only $340 million in December 2009 after having operated for less than one year?
... that Airlines of New South Wales was created after airline entrepreneur
Reg Ansett flew nine planeloads of shareholders to a meeting to help take over rival Butler Air Transport?
... that Daulatpol gate in the Junagarh Fort(pictured) in India has 41 hand imprints of the wives of
Maharajas of
Bikaner, who committed
sati (self-immolation) on the funeral
pyres of their husbands?
... that during the
Six-Day War, the Golani Brigade participated in the battle of Tel Faher, where it lost 23 of its soldiers?
... that in
North Korea, the question "How good was the taste of sungeoguk (trout soup)" is used as a common greeting to people returning from
Pyongyang?
... that the entire collection of the Frissell Museum in San Pablo Villa de Mitla has disappeared?
11:35, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
... that at 13 years, the tough, leathery leaves of the shrub Banksia petiolaris(pictured) are the longest lived of any
flowering plant thus far recorded?
... that in 1814, the American
privateerSyren captured HMS Landrail, and that in 1896, her namesake, the torpedo gunboat HMS Landrail, rammed and sank the four-masted clipper Siren?
... that excavations in 1887 and 1919 on Bussell Island uncovered a number of small, round graves of early inhabitants of present-day
Tennessee,
USA, circa 3000 BC to 1000 AD?
... that
Australian aviator Captain Thomas Baker(pictured) was credited with the destruction of 12 German aircraft between July and October 1918, before he was shot down and killed?
... that before the first season of the
NBC series Parks and Recreation even aired, critics thought it would fail due to early reports of poor test screenings?
... that the 1978 book The Green Cockatrice asserted that Irishman William Nugent was the real author of
Shakespeare's works?
... that "experienced Euro watcher" Tony Connelly wrote Don't Mention the Wars: A Journey Through European Stereotypes, examining the
stereotypical views of
Europeans?
... that Leonard Paulu won consecutive
NCAA championships in the
100 yard dash despite
war injuries that included the loss of an eye and a right-leg stride four inches shorter than his left?
... that the Federal Triangle building complex in
Washington, D.C.(construction pictured) has been called "one of the most important design and construction projects" in American history?
... that radio station
CKLW played "
Wildflower" for three months before it was released as a single, in order for the station to meet
Canadian content requirements?
... that the
Boston Park Board was given permission to review building designs for new structures along the Fenway to prevent unattractive buildings from depreciating property values?
... that even though the first specimens of the
BolivianrodentOecomys sydandersoni were collected in the 1960s, it was not formally described as a distinct
species until 2009?
... that when the Canadian government attempted to move the
land titles office out of
Edmonton's Land Titles Building to a rival town, an angry mob sabotaged the move and had an armed standoff with police?
... that the
TexaspoliticianRay Farabee entitled his 2009
autobiographyMaking It Through the Night and Beyond because he unexpectedly survived his premature birth?
03:14, 12 December 2009 (UTC)
... that the Hawa Mahal(pictured) in
Jaipur,
India, has 953 small windows (
jharokhas) which were built with the intention to allow royal ladies to view the street below without being seen?
... that for the 10 Seasons Awards, almost 750,000
football fans from 184 countries voted, in a celebration of the first ten years of the English
Premier League(trophy pictured)?
... that the Type numbering system in
Japan specified that the
Mitsubishi A6M of 1940 would be designated "Type 0 Carrier Fighter", giving rise to the popular name "Zero"?
... that in his clemency application to
Arkansas Governor
Mike Huckabee, Maurice Clemmons claimed to have learned "to appreciate and respect the right of others"?
... that the Pygmy Pine, a tiny creeping
alpine plant growing in New Zealand, is believed to be the smallest
conifer in the world?
... that
Colombian billionaire entrepreneur Carlos Ardila Lülle has expanded from his start in the
soft drink business with television channels and a soccer team?
... that the 1957 film Edge of the City, starring
John Cassavetes and
Sidney Poitier, won acclaim from critics and civil rights groups for its portrayal of an interracial friendship?
... that although he ceded the throne to
his son in 1279, Trần Thánh Tông continued to co-rule
Đại Việt for 11 years until his death in 1290?
... that the Naval Training Center San Diego was the home of a commissioned "non-ship" of the
U.S. Navy, the USS Recruit, a concrete model of a warship built right into the ground and nicknamed the "USS Neversail"?
... that during his career, comic actor Willie Edouin was said to have portrayed as many as 500 characters?
... that unlike her predecessors, the Empress Regnant Lý Chiêu Hoàng was not worshipped in
Lý Bát Đế Shrine because of her responsibility in the collapse of
Lý Dynasty?
... that in 1999, Robyn Regehr made his
National Hockey League debut with the
Calgary Flames less than four months after breaking both legs in a car accident that doctors feared would end his career?
... that the missing terminal of the
goldenSedgeford Torc was found thirty-nine years after the original discovery of the
artifact?
... that the first
single from In the Room Up There, Australian band
Elora Danan's debut
album, was entitled "Door, Up, Elevator" and "inspired by elevator music, and the etiquette that goes on in elevators"?
... that actress
Jessalyn Gilsig hoped viewers would warm to her Glee character
Terri Schuester after the episode "
Mattress", having previously experienced a fan backlash?
... that David Colbert was given permission to publish the book The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter only if there was a note on the cover stating that it had not been approved by
J.K. Rowling?
... that Shraddha Jadhav, who was recently elected as the
Mayor of Mumbai and chief of India's richest municipal body, is known for her "elegant dressing"?
... that
Philippine real estate company Megaworld Corporation renamed a condominum project from "The Trumps" to "One Central" after threats of legal action from
Donald Trump?
... that in 1298, three brothers established the Myinsaing Kingdom after inviting King
Kyawswa of Pagan to lead the dedication of a
monastery, only to dethrone him and force him to become a monk?
... that the day after a UCLA art student set the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church afire, the pastor of the church prayed for forgiveness for the arsonist?
... that former
Broadway actor Paul Ballantyne was born in a town that today has only about 200 residents?
... that
MoghulEmperor Akbar became vegetarian, banned slaughter of animals, and gave up fishing and hunting after being influenced by
Jain monk, Hiravijaya who preached
non-violence?
... that Émilien Amaury left school at 12 to ride a delivery bicycle, became head of propaganda in the government of
Vichy France aged 30, and then founded the Amaury publishing empire?
... that the highest-ranked British casualty in the 1878 Battle of Ali Masjid suffered a gunshot wound that drove a metal locket with his wife's photograph through his heart?
... that ESPN The Magazine's October 9, 2009, Body Issue sold more issues at the
news stand than any other issue of the magazine in the prior two years?
... that following court directives, Indian BEST Bus launched limited 'disabled friendly' buses (pictured) on exclusive routes in 2005?
... that as the
mayor of
Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, W.W. Dumas called a
curfew in 1969 to halt riots after the fatal shooting of a fleeing black suspect by a white police officer?
... that during the latter part of the 20th century, Heekin Can was one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of food
cans?
... that the 1905
silent filmRescued by Rover was so popular that it had to be re-shot twice because the negatives wore out in order to meet the demand for prints?
... that chemist Lester Shubin has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of police officers?
... that the only known specimen of the
early crocodile relativeStegomosuchus was kept in the discoverer's yard for several years before being given over for study?
... that "elegant, witty and amusement-loving"
Bulgarian physician, politician and diplomat Georgi Valkovich was assassinated by people dressed in
carnival costumes?
... that American entertainer
Eve was asked to guest-star in the Glee episode "Hairography" after
Whitney Houston declined to appear?
... that the Alden staRRcar was originally designed as a high-speed four-passenger intercity electric car but emerged in the
Morgantown PRT as a bus-like system for short distance travel?
... that the Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật of the
Trần Dynasty spoke foreign languages so well that he was once mistaken as a
Chinese by a
Yuan ambassador?
... that the ex-monastery of San Francisco in Tzintzuntzan, Mexico, has a
wax figure of
Christ in a glass coffin (pictured), the limbs of which are claimed to be growing?
... that some Australian rodeo(pictured) shows have been called Bushmen's Carnivals?
... that the Philippine government unsuccessfully auctioned the decommissioned Manila Thermal Power Plant three times before it was sold to a Malaysian company?
... that The Legarde Twins are a country act from
Australia consisting of two twins, Tom and Ted, who left home in 1945 to become cowboys, then started playing country music, and are still performing—64 years later?
03:46, 2 December 2009 (UTC)
... that the Los Angeles Times wrote that a motorist passing the playground at Precious Blood Church(pictured) might think "he'd been transported to a Catholic school in circa-1950s Chicago or Pittsburgh"?
... that U.S.
birth control advocate Dr. Bessie Moses gave up her practice as an
obstetrician because she became emotionally attached to the outcome of every birth she attended?
... that in 1997 the
Law Commission called the Trustee Investments Act 1961 too "cautious and restrictive", suggesting some
trusts were under-performing due to difficulty in complying with its terms?
... that
LA's St. Cecilia Church, built in 1927, adapted to its multiethnic community by installing shrines to a beatified
Nigerian priest, a
Oaxacan Virgin, and a
Guatemalan "Black Christ"?
... that
Đại Việt EmperorTrần Thuận Tông was forced to cede the throne to his three-year old son Trần Thiếu Đế and thus held the title Thái thượng hoàng (Retired Emperor) at the age of 20?
... that under Jewish views of moral agency a
deaf-mute could even commit murder with impunity, as
Jewish law forbids legal cases without verbal communication between the involved parties?
... that one part of
Mendelssohn’s operetta Son and Stranger comprises only a few bars, all on the note F, because the composer’s brother-in-law,
Wilhelm Hensel, had no ability as a singer?
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 between 5% and 45% of the
words made by two year olds are speech repetitions, and that higher skill in
infant speech repetition predicts more rapid expansion of spoken
vocabulary?
... that many government-planted trees in the Banni grasslands in
India were legally cut down to make charcoal for profits from 2004 to 2008 even though the area has been a
protected forest since 1955?
... that the Ballaine House was one of six built in 1905 in
Seward, Alaska, known as "Millionaire's Row", not for their owners' wealth, but because they believed Alaska would soon have one million residents?
03:42, 31 December 2009 (UTC)
... that SS President(pictured) became the first transatlantic
steamship to founder when she disappeared in 1841 en route from
New York to
Liverpool with 136 people on board?
... that as a self-described "geek" and a curious person,
Whoopi Goldberg created Head Games to show people that there are "all kinds of science"?
... that the Famous Smoke Shop, one of the largest
mail order and internet
cigar businesses in the United States, was initially a retail shop on
Broadway founded in 1939?
... that the Hanneford family of the Royal Hanneford Circus have origins in performance dating back to 1690?
... that between 1970 and 1976, former Spanish-Argentine
footballer and
managerJuan Carlos Touriño was part of three Spanish league championships and two Spanish cup-winning squads?
... that André Roch, a pioneer in
avalanche research, was caught in avalanches three times?
11:42, 29 December 2009 (UTC)
... that the Oriental Theatre's chandelier (ceiling pictured) in
Portland, Oregon, United States, contained 3,000 light bulbs and weighed 2,000 pounds (910 kg)?
... that Frank Conner is one of only two men to have competed in the U.S. Open in both
tennis and
golf?
... that the white wine grape Furmint is said to have been introduced to
Hungary after the 13th-century
Mongolian invasion, by immigrants recruited by King
Béla IV?
... that
Botswana international footballer Donald Thobega was involved in the Test For Life campaign, which encourages supporters to get tested for
HIV and
AIDS?
... that
Nikolai Polikarpov was arrested and imprisoned by the
OGPU in September 1929 for the crime of industrial sabotage when his Polikarpov I-6 and
I-5fighter projects both failed to meet their deadlines?
... that after playing for over twenty clubs and enjoying only mild success, former professional
footballerFred Eyre made his name as a businessman,
after dinner speaker, and author?
... that the
carnivorous plantDrosera regia(pictured, with prey) is one of the most imperiled Drosera species, with a single small population estimated to consist of only 50 mature plants?
... that the flag on the top of the
Tall Hermann tower on Toompea Hill is one of the best-known symbols in
Estonia of the government in power?
... that shortly after
World War II,
Douglas Aircraft designed the prototype airliner
DC-8 that had engines in the fuselage and propellors in the tail?
... that flooding of the Tishrin Dam reservoir in
Syria was postponed so that three houses found at the archaeological site of Jerf el-Ahmar could be dismantled and rebuilt elsewhere?
... that after a winless 0–11 record in 1996, the Michigan Wolverines men's gymnastics team won the NCAA championship in 1999 and finished in the "Super Six" in 10 of the past 11 seasons?
... that ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) is a proposed
DOI for
scientific authors that according to journal Nature could be used in "edits of
Wikipedia entries"?
... that even after
Peter Sutcliffe was convicted of the "
Yorkshire Ripper" murders, Assistant Chief Constable George Oldfield maintained that taunting letters and tape from
Wearside Jack were connected to the case?
... that Oilite bearings were developed by
Chrysler in the 1930s?
... that the 2009
television movieA Dog Named Christmas was based on a novel by Greg Kincaid, who said his family hated the story when he originally wrote it?
... that most lake-dwelling
grayling in the
American West today can be genetically traced to
Yellowstone Park's Grebe Lake, where millions of fish eggs were harvested and distributed from 1931 to 1956?
... that the red
pigment of the Christmas wreath lichen(pictured) is one of several chemicals that help the organism survive inhospitable environments?
... that after removal of a dam that blocked their migration for nearly a century,
salmon and
steelhead returned in 2009 to the Little Sandy River in
Oregon?
... that after exhausting his
shot fighting a
privateer for two days, Commander Hugh Downman of
HMS Speedy was reduced to firing nails at his opponent?
... that in a manner unusual for
snakes, the female Natal rock python guards its hatchlings for up to two weeks after they emerge from their eggs to protect them from predators?
... that the practice of breeding show dogs has produced popular sire effects that reduce genetic diversity and can exacerbate the spread of inherited diseases?
... that in
England until the early 20th century, a man wishing to separate from his wife could lead her to market by a
halter and sell her(process pictured) to the highest bidder?
... that Sir Frederick Stovin was removed from command of the
92nd Gordon Highlanders in 1821, after scandalising the regiment by demanding they wear trousers?
... that in seeking to overcome the low in
Congo–
Zaire relations in the early 1970s due to the LICOPA affair, Congolese authorities sentenced a Zairean opposition member to three years' imprisonment?
... that the Boston Brigade Band was in existence for over 40 years, from 1821 to 1862?
... that since its launch in January 2008, DogsBlog.com has helped to
rehome more than six thousand
dogs in the United Kingdom?
... that due to receding
glaciers, in 1951, the
Alaska Railroad was able to move its route and abandon a curved tunnel built in 1906?
... that the 1955
Bo Diddley song "
Diddley Daddy" was originally called "Diddy Diddy Dum Dum," but the lyrics had to be rewritten in the studio for contractual reasons?
11:42, 19 December 2009 (UTC)
... that in the City Palace of
Udaipur, India(pictured), a princess poisoned herself, unable to choose from two suitors of royal families of
Jaipur and
Jodhpur seeking her hand in marriage?
... that Berg River Dam is the first dam in
South Africa where provision is made for flood releases for environmental purposes?
... that producers of the
Showtime series Dexter imposed security measures and staff members had to sign non-disclosure agreements to prevent leaks of the surprise twist ending of the episode "The Getaway"?
... that the Carden-Baynes Auxiliary sailplane was the first
motor glider with a retractable engine, and that it had a throttle in its wing tip?
... that in an effort to prevent the extinction of the Mauna Kea silversword(pictured), scientists rappel over cliffs to hand-
pollinate the approximately 41 remaining individuals in the wild, on the rare occasion that one blossoms?
... that professional
footballerAndy Bell spent nearly a decade with hometown club
Blackburn Rovers, without making a single first-team appearance?
... that
Michigan's Don McEwen, two-time
NCAA champion in the two-mile run, also won consecutive
Big Ten cross country championships even though his school had no varsity cross country team?
... that for more than thirty years, John Torreano has created "real fake art" by using fake
gemstones in his one of a kind art works?
... that the ambush of a Turkish patrol in
Reşadiye was the deadliest
PKK attack since April 2009?
... that the Connaught Theatre in
Worthing, UK, is a rare example of a cinema being converted into a theatre in the 1930s, when the reverse was common?
... that the Ravensthorpe Nickel Mine, which cost US$2.2 billion to build, was sold by
BHP Billiton for only $340 million in December 2009 after having operated for less than one year?
... that Airlines of New South Wales was created after airline entrepreneur
Reg Ansett flew nine planeloads of shareholders to a meeting to help take over rival Butler Air Transport?
... that Daulatpol gate in the Junagarh Fort(pictured) in India has 41 hand imprints of the wives of
Maharajas of
Bikaner, who committed
sati (self-immolation) on the funeral
pyres of their husbands?
... that during the
Six-Day War, the Golani Brigade participated in the battle of Tel Faher, where it lost 23 of its soldiers?
... that in
North Korea, the question "How good was the taste of sungeoguk (trout soup)" is used as a common greeting to people returning from
Pyongyang?
... that the entire collection of the Frissell Museum in San Pablo Villa de Mitla has disappeared?
11:35, 15 December 2009 (UTC)
... that at 13 years, the tough, leathery leaves of the shrub Banksia petiolaris(pictured) are the longest lived of any
flowering plant thus far recorded?
... that in 1814, the American
privateerSyren captured HMS Landrail, and that in 1896, her namesake, the torpedo gunboat HMS Landrail, rammed and sank the four-masted clipper Siren?
... that excavations in 1887 and 1919 on Bussell Island uncovered a number of small, round graves of early inhabitants of present-day
Tennessee,
USA, circa 3000 BC to 1000 AD?
... that
Australian aviator Captain Thomas Baker(pictured) was credited with the destruction of 12 German aircraft between July and October 1918, before he was shot down and killed?
... that before the first season of the
NBC series Parks and Recreation even aired, critics thought it would fail due to early reports of poor test screenings?
... that the 1978 book The Green Cockatrice asserted that Irishman William Nugent was the real author of
Shakespeare's works?
... that "experienced Euro watcher" Tony Connelly wrote Don't Mention the Wars: A Journey Through European Stereotypes, examining the
stereotypical views of
Europeans?
... that Leonard Paulu won consecutive
NCAA championships in the
100 yard dash despite
war injuries that included the loss of an eye and a right-leg stride four inches shorter than his left?
... that the Federal Triangle building complex in
Washington, D.C.(construction pictured) has been called "one of the most important design and construction projects" in American history?
... that radio station
CKLW played "
Wildflower" for three months before it was released as a single, in order for the station to meet
Canadian content requirements?
... that the
Boston Park Board was given permission to review building designs for new structures along the Fenway to prevent unattractive buildings from depreciating property values?
... that even though the first specimens of the
BolivianrodentOecomys sydandersoni were collected in the 1960s, it was not formally described as a distinct
species until 2009?
... that when the Canadian government attempted to move the
land titles office out of
Edmonton's Land Titles Building to a rival town, an angry mob sabotaged the move and had an armed standoff with police?
... that the
TexaspoliticianRay Farabee entitled his 2009
autobiographyMaking It Through the Night and Beyond because he unexpectedly survived his premature birth?
03:14, 12 December 2009 (UTC)
... that the Hawa Mahal(pictured) in
Jaipur,
India, has 953 small windows (
jharokhas) which were built with the intention to allow royal ladies to view the street below without being seen?
... that for the 10 Seasons Awards, almost 750,000
football fans from 184 countries voted, in a celebration of the first ten years of the English
Premier League(trophy pictured)?
... that the Type numbering system in
Japan specified that the
Mitsubishi A6M of 1940 would be designated "Type 0 Carrier Fighter", giving rise to the popular name "Zero"?
... that in his clemency application to
Arkansas Governor
Mike Huckabee, Maurice Clemmons claimed to have learned "to appreciate and respect the right of others"?
... that the Pygmy Pine, a tiny creeping
alpine plant growing in New Zealand, is believed to be the smallest
conifer in the world?
... that
Colombian billionaire entrepreneur Carlos Ardila Lülle has expanded from his start in the
soft drink business with television channels and a soccer team?
... that the 1957 film Edge of the City, starring
John Cassavetes and
Sidney Poitier, won acclaim from critics and civil rights groups for its portrayal of an interracial friendship?
... that although he ceded the throne to
his son in 1279, Trần Thánh Tông continued to co-rule
Đại Việt for 11 years until his death in 1290?
... that the Naval Training Center San Diego was the home of a commissioned "non-ship" of the
U.S. Navy, the USS Recruit, a concrete model of a warship built right into the ground and nicknamed the "USS Neversail"?
... that during his career, comic actor Willie Edouin was said to have portrayed as many as 500 characters?
... that unlike her predecessors, the Empress Regnant Lý Chiêu Hoàng was not worshipped in
Lý Bát Đế Shrine because of her responsibility in the collapse of
Lý Dynasty?
... that in 1999, Robyn Regehr made his
National Hockey League debut with the
Calgary Flames less than four months after breaking both legs in a car accident that doctors feared would end his career?
... that the missing terminal of the
goldenSedgeford Torc was found thirty-nine years after the original discovery of the
artifact?
... that the first
single from In the Room Up There, Australian band
Elora Danan's debut
album, was entitled "Door, Up, Elevator" and "inspired by elevator music, and the etiquette that goes on in elevators"?
... that actress
Jessalyn Gilsig hoped viewers would warm to her Glee character
Terri Schuester after the episode "
Mattress", having previously experienced a fan backlash?
... that David Colbert was given permission to publish the book The Magical Worlds of Harry Potter only if there was a note on the cover stating that it had not been approved by
J.K. Rowling?
... that Shraddha Jadhav, who was recently elected as the
Mayor of Mumbai and chief of India's richest municipal body, is known for her "elegant dressing"?
... that
Philippine real estate company Megaworld Corporation renamed a condominum project from "The Trumps" to "One Central" after threats of legal action from
Donald Trump?
... that in 1298, three brothers established the Myinsaing Kingdom after inviting King
Kyawswa of Pagan to lead the dedication of a
monastery, only to dethrone him and force him to become a monk?
... that the day after a UCLA art student set the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church afire, the pastor of the church prayed for forgiveness for the arsonist?
... that former
Broadway actor Paul Ballantyne was born in a town that today has only about 200 residents?
... that
MoghulEmperor Akbar became vegetarian, banned slaughter of animals, and gave up fishing and hunting after being influenced by
Jain monk, Hiravijaya who preached
non-violence?
... that Émilien Amaury left school at 12 to ride a delivery bicycle, became head of propaganda in the government of
Vichy France aged 30, and then founded the Amaury publishing empire?
... that the highest-ranked British casualty in the 1878 Battle of Ali Masjid suffered a gunshot wound that drove a metal locket with his wife's photograph through his heart?
... that ESPN The Magazine's October 9, 2009, Body Issue sold more issues at the
news stand than any other issue of the magazine in the prior two years?
... that following court directives, Indian BEST Bus launched limited 'disabled friendly' buses (pictured) on exclusive routes in 2005?
... that as the
mayor of
Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, W.W. Dumas called a
curfew in 1969 to halt riots after the fatal shooting of a fleeing black suspect by a white police officer?
... that during the latter part of the 20th century, Heekin Can was one of the largest U.S. manufacturers of food
cans?
... that the 1905
silent filmRescued by Rover was so popular that it had to be re-shot twice because the negatives wore out in order to meet the demand for prints?
... that chemist Lester Shubin has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of police officers?
... that the only known specimen of the
early crocodile relativeStegomosuchus was kept in the discoverer's yard for several years before being given over for study?
... that "elegant, witty and amusement-loving"
Bulgarian physician, politician and diplomat Georgi Valkovich was assassinated by people dressed in
carnival costumes?
... that American entertainer
Eve was asked to guest-star in the Glee episode "Hairography" after
Whitney Houston declined to appear?
... that the Alden staRRcar was originally designed as a high-speed four-passenger intercity electric car but emerged in the
Morgantown PRT as a bus-like system for short distance travel?
... that the Prince Chiêu Văn Trần Nhật Duật of the
Trần Dynasty spoke foreign languages so well that he was once mistaken as a
Chinese by a
Yuan ambassador?
... that the ex-monastery of San Francisco in Tzintzuntzan, Mexico, has a
wax figure of
Christ in a glass coffin (pictured), the limbs of which are claimed to be growing?
... that some Australian rodeo(pictured) shows have been called Bushmen's Carnivals?
... that the Philippine government unsuccessfully auctioned the decommissioned Manila Thermal Power Plant three times before it was sold to a Malaysian company?
... that The Legarde Twins are a country act from
Australia consisting of two twins, Tom and Ted, who left home in 1945 to become cowboys, then started playing country music, and are still performing—64 years later?
03:46, 2 December 2009 (UTC)
... that the Los Angeles Times wrote that a motorist passing the playground at Precious Blood Church(pictured) might think "he'd been transported to a Catholic school in circa-1950s Chicago or Pittsburgh"?
... that U.S.
birth control advocate Dr. Bessie Moses gave up her practice as an
obstetrician because she became emotionally attached to the outcome of every birth she attended?
... that in 1997 the
Law Commission called the Trustee Investments Act 1961 too "cautious and restrictive", suggesting some
trusts were under-performing due to difficulty in complying with its terms?
... that
LA's St. Cecilia Church, built in 1927, adapted to its multiethnic community by installing shrines to a beatified
Nigerian priest, a
Oaxacan Virgin, and a
Guatemalan "Black Christ"?
... that
Đại Việt EmperorTrần Thuận Tông was forced to cede the throne to his three-year old son Trần Thiếu Đế and thus held the title Thái thượng hoàng (Retired Emperor) at the age of 20?
... that under Jewish views of moral agency a
deaf-mute could even commit murder with impunity, as
Jewish law forbids legal cases without verbal communication between the involved parties?
... that one part of
Mendelssohn’s operetta Son and Stranger comprises only a few bars, all on the note F, because the composer’s brother-in-law,
Wilhelm Hensel, had no ability as a singer?