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 after ramming U-405, crewmen of USS Borie (DD-215)(pictured) fought the sub's crewmen with Tommy guns, rifles, pistols, shotguns and a
flare pistol, and even by throwing a knife and an empty shell casing?
... that during a military campaign in
1312,
EmperorTrần Anh Tông entrusted the temporary throne to his son Trần Minh Tông who was only twelve years old at that time?
... that according to legend, a beautiful widow drowned herself in the Adalaj Stepwell(pictured) to avoid being remarried?
... that in filmmaking, a
screenwriter usually creates a production package that they hand out during their pitch, which generally includes a plot synopsis and budgeting information on their idea?
... that the wreck of Indefatigable has belatedly been declared a protected place under the
Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 to discourage further damage to the resting place of 1,015 officers and men?
... that Danskammer Generating Station(pictured) was among the top ten releasers of pollutants by weight in
New York, releasing 560 tonnes of hazardous emissions, in 2000?
... that although USS Cocopa was built for service in
World War II, she remains on active duty with the Mexican Navy as ARM Seri?
... that Canadian middleweight boxing champion Del Fontaine was executed at
Wandsworth Prison in 1935 for murdering his lover?
... that although some sources state that they can weigh up to 3 pounds (1.4 kg), the largest recorded Saucereye porgy weighed only half that at 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg)?
... that at Modern Toiletrestaurants, the chairs are made out of toilets, dishes are served on plastic miniature toilet bowls, and drinks come in miniature urinals?
... that the
Israeli ground-based missile-defense
radarEL/M-2080 Green Pine(diagram pictured) operates in search, detection, tracking, and missile guidance modes simultaneously?
... that although efforts to create a transportation trades department in the
AFL-CIO began in the 1960s, the idea did not gain momentum until after the
Teamsters reaffiliated with the AFL-CIO in 1987?
... that one of the few cases of
poisoning by the Montpellier snake occurred when someone stuck his finger into the snake's mouth?
... that
Trần Minh Tông ceded the throne to his five-year-old son Trần Dụ Tông because he considered the eldest prince too extravagant for the position of
Đại Việt Emperor?
... that King
Henry I of England granted the medieval English nobleman Walter de Beauchamp (d. around 1130) the right to keep pheasants on his lands and fine any who poached them?
... that following reactions to his admission of committing the offence of
handball in the France vs Republic of Ireland game on 18 November 2009, French captain
Thierry Henry considered retirement from international football?
... that the citizens of Morella, Spain, hold a sexennial nine-day celebration to commemorate their deliverance from the plague by the
Virgin of Vallivana?
08:14, 27 November 2009 (UTC)
... that among the many stories about the origins of the name Vin Santo (or "holy wine"; pictured), is the legend that a
Tuscanfriar used the
wine left over from
Mass to
miraculously cure the sick?
... that although the Spanish introduced barley-based beer in Mexico, various
Mesoamerican cultures had a corn-based fermented drink which is still made today?
... that former
Louisiana legislative auditor Steve Theriot investigated a
police-operated toy charity which uncovered various improprieties at
Mandeville City Hall?
... that some
garter snakes engage in kleptothermy by creating fake female
pheromones that cause other males to cover them in attempted mating letting them steal their warmth?
... that grinding bararite partly converts it to another
polymorph cryptohalite?
... that Unthanksgiving day is held annually on
Alcatraz Island as a counterpoint to the traditional
Thanksgiving story and to give thanks for Native American survival in the face of genocide?
... that after several previous dismissals from jobs and his wife leaving him, professor Holmes Beckwith responded to his firing from
Syracuse University in 1921 by shooting his dean and then himself?
... that the Parnall Puffin was an
experimentalamphibious fighter-reconnaissance
biplane with several unusual features, principally a single central float and an inverted fin and rudder?
... that about 75% of all the hotel rooms in the Indian town of
Bhuj have been booked for the period of the opening ceremony of a new Swaminarayan Temple scheduled for May 2010?
... that before beginning a career in
animation, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh worked as a vice president of sales and marketing for a computer company, where he "freaked out" and decided to quit?
... that Alter the Ending was released by American
rock band
Dashboard Confessional in a deluxe edition, which includes a full CD of acoustic versions of the album's songs?
... that the Great Western Arms Company was founded in 1953 to produce copies of the
Colt SAA revolver, used in many Western movies and TV shows of the 1950s and 1960s?
... that
NCAA tennis coach Dick Gould was named "Coach of the Decade" for both the 1980s and 1990s and coached 50 All-Americans, including
John McEnroe and the
Bryan Brothers?
... that American band
Person L's use of a diverse mix of sounds and genres on their record The Positives, has been compared to the style used by
Jawbox and
Fugazi?
... that when the CGS Hawk first flew in January 1982, it was the first
ultralight aircraft with an enclosed cockpit and to use
strut bracing?
... that according to local tradition on
Coll, the now-ruinous
dun of Dùn an Achaidh was once the fortress of the son of a
Norse king named
Olaf?
... that
Big Ten champion Chet Murphy defeated America's top-ranked woman tennis player
Alice Marble in a 1939 exhibition match played in front of a "throng" of spectators?
... that the Simpsons episode "The Devil Wears Nada", in which
Marge poses for racy photographs in a calendar, aired soon after she appeared nude on the cover of Playboy?
13:42, 25 November 2009 (UTC)
... that there are two types of Russkiy Toy, a
Russian breed of dog, which are long haired (pictured) and smooth haired?
... that when the George Armstrong Custer statue was moved to a new location near the
River Raisin in 1923, it remained in relative isolation, being obscured by unkempt scrubs and trees?
... that
Vanderbilt's 130-pound
quarterbackIrby "Rabbit" Curry, an elusive runner who "only needed the suspicion of an opening to wriggle through," was killed in aerial combat in 1918?
... that at the time he was elected to the
New Jersey Senate in 1913, Charles M. Egan received the largest margin of victory for any county-wide office in
New Jersey history?
... that Argentine spy Bill Gaede was so successful in his
clandestine operation of sending technical information from
AMD to Cuban representatives that he was invited to meet
Fidel Castro?
... that some people once moved to the now abandoned city of Pioneer, Nevada, with their houses?
... that the murder of the 4th
Earl of Eglinton in 1586, as he set out from Polnoon Castle was a result of a long-standing feud between the Eglinton and the Cunninghame clans?
... that stand-up comedian and actress Retta said her role on Parks and Recreation is stressful because she was initially unsure the show would last due to poor reviews?
... that when
U2 recorded their 1991 song "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" (life performance pictured), they debated
Bono's repeated use of a cliché lyric "baby"?
... that 7000 people were left stranded on Edurumandi Island after they refused to be evacuated during the 1990 Andhra Pradesh cyclone?
... that the house now called Hill Bark was built as Bidston Court on
Bidston Hill,
Birkenhead,
Merseyside, England, in 1891, but was demolished and rebuilt on its present site and renamed in 1928–31?
... that when
Turkey gave out personal identification numbers to their citizens in 2000, they chose to number all 120 million people born since 1840, living or dead?
... that when Rakel Seweriin stepped down as a member of the
Parliament of Norway in 1969, she had served for 24 years, a record for a Norwegian woman?
... that Mandazi, a form of
fried bread that is popular in
Eastern Africa, is often mixed with
coconut milk and other ingredients, toppings, and dips to create different flavors?
... that once Li Yingshi, a decorated veteran of the
Korean War of 1592–1598, converted to Catholicism, it took him and two
Jesuits three days to find and
burn all the prohibited books in his library?
... that a British 18-inch (460 mm) gun(example pictured) made naval history on 28 September 1918 as it fired the heaviest shell from the biggest gun at the longest range in combat to date?
... that Parker's Buildings(pictured), built in
Chester, England, for the
Duke of Westminster, are still standing after 120 years despite former complaints about their 'poor materials and workmanship'?
... that in his book Acquainted with the Night,
Dewdney tells of a
syndrome in which the victims, almost always Asian men, presumably die of terror while dreaming of something sitting on their chest?
... that Richard Barre (died around 1202), a medieval English judge and clergyman, wrote a work on the Bible titled Compendium de veteri et novo testamento?
... that the Phineas and Ferb episode "
Are You My Mummy?" originally aired as part of "Phineas and Ferb-urary," a special event which showed episodes of the series every night in February 2008 on
Disney Channel?
... that in spite of the Canadian
telecommunications industry being gripped by "Telidon fever" in 1982, most attempts to commercialize the
videotex system had ended by 1985?
... that the Gothic style railroad station originally built 1868 at the Newlin Mill Complex served as a railway station, post office, polling station, and finally a park office?
... that after being told he was too small for
professional wrestling, Sam DeCero increased his weight from 75 to 90 kg (165 to 200 lbs) within three months?
... that the
Soviet Minister for the Aviation Industry set up a commission in 1946 to investigate why the I-250(pictured) production was delayed, but refused to accept its findings and had the factory director arrested for sabotage?
... that mifamurtide is a drug used against
osteosarcoma, a kind of bone cancer diagnosed in only 1,000 persons per year in Europe and the US?
... that the Røa Line has been extended eight times, more than any other line of the
Oslo Metro?
... that
Michael Jackson blamed his record label,
Sony Music, for the failed release of his charity song "What More Can I Give", and branded the label's CEO "racist" and "very, very, very devilish"?
... that the Japanese
documentary filmmaker Fumio Kamei had films banned by both
Japan's militarist wartime government and the democratizing Allied
Occupation?
... that the Texas Engineering Extension Service operates the largest firefighter and emergency responder training facility in the United States, which includes a 52-acre replica city for use in training simulations?
... that the opposition against the use of censorship to fight
child pornography on the internet by MOGIS helped strengthen the credibility of the movement against such measures?
... that Cliff Sparks, hailed in 1916 as "eel-like," a "whirlwind" and "the greatest
quarterbackMichigan ever has had," punted by forcefully throwing the ball at his uprising foot?
... that Sherza Darwaza in Bidar Fort, India, depicts two images of tigers carved on its fascia, which according to
Shia belief, denotes
Ali's assured protection of the fort from enemy attack?
... that although the Kongsvegen glacier has been retreating in length since 1948, its ice mass has been increasing consistently for the past 22 years?
... that the single known specimen of the Irrawaddy river shark was generally dismissed as an abnormal
bull shark until 2005?
... that
Americana group Or, The Whale formed through the website
Craigslist, where the two founding members of the group posted an advertisement titled "Wanna Form a Sweet Country Rock Band"?
... that for scenes in the Phineas and Ferb episode "
Jerk De Soleil" where the character Candace had a deep voice, co-creator
Dan Povenmire had to step in for the normal voice actress?
01:26, 16 November 2009 (UTC)
... that the historic Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery(pictured), which played a critical role in the preservation of the
Golden trout, California's state fish, was badly damaged by a mudslide on July 12, 2008?
... that the church cemetery of San Andrés Mixquic(pictured) glows with thousands of lighted candles and burning incense on the night of 2 November for for its
Day of the Dead commemorations?
... that bandmates of Beverley O'Sullivan, recently killed in
India, found out the true extent of her hearing difficulties when she developed a sore ear during a
Westlife performance?
... that
State RepresentativeJim Fannin wrote the
Louisiana "career diploma" law, designed to reduce the dropout rate by allowing high schoolers to pursue less rigorous studies?
... that the bolete eater which attacks
boletes is actually another type of fungus?
... that the
Colombian actress and beauty queen Liliana Lozano was shot to death two days after the murder of her boyfriend, the drug lord
Leonidas Vargas?
... that Makerita Urale, a leading figure in contemporary
Polynesian theatre, directed the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all-female cast?
... that both spans of
Washington, D.C.'s 11th Street Bridges are considered "fracture critical", which means if one girder in a span fails the entire bridge is likely to collapse?
... that unlike other other Siricid
Wood wasps, Xeris spectrum does not have symbiotic fungi to aid its larvae as they burrow in the wood of fir and other conifer trees?
... that before a hitman shot
Colombian drug lord Leonidas Vargas to death in his hospital bed, the shooter asked a neighboring patient whether he was Vargas?
... that the 61st Battalion was an Australian
infantrybattalion that adopted Scottish-style uniforms including
kilts and the designation of Queensland Cameron Highlanders?
... that cassareep, a flavoring and preservative made from
cassava roots, has been rumored to keep a meat stew called
Guyanese pepperpot edible for over a century?
... that athletes in the
1928 Winter Olympics competed in skijoring, a demonstration sport in which the competitors wore skis while being pulled behind horses?
... that the
Soviet mixed-construction Yak-8utility aircraft was never produced in spite of a recommendation to do so, probably because the Soviets were switching to all-metal aircraft?
... that
pirated CDs were identified by the IFPI to account for 50% of all music sales in Greece in 2006?
... that former
pro wrestling announcers, and real life husband and wife, Joe Pedicino and Boni Blackstone, often referred to themselves humbly as "wrestling fans who got lucky"?
... that the
roller coasterJumbo Jet(pictured) has operated in at least four different
amusement parks, in at least three countries, and on two continents?
... that Meadow is believed to be the first
bovine calf fitted with double prosthetics?
06:04, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
... that after
George III was attacked with an ivory-handled dessert knife by Margaret Nicholson, the number of men guarding him was increased from 4 to 11?
... that the Sankeien garden in
Yokohama, Japan, which houses ten Important National Cultural Properties, was created by a man who collected old buildings?
... that the next
Bishop of Peterborough, Donald Allister, hit the headlines in the UK in 2001 when it was reported that he had banned a couple from having the hymn "
Jerusalem" at their wedding?
... that when a
SovietG-5-classmotor torpedo boat(pictured) fired a torpedo from its rear deck, it had to turn immediately to avoid being hit by its own torpedo?
... that the Kondapalli Fort built in the
14th century was initially used as a business centre, but after the
British took control in 1766 it was converted to a military training base?
... that two decades after its release, the
U2 song "Running to Stand Still" remains strongly associated, in different and sometimes unwanted ways, with the
Ballymun Flats tower block in
Dublin?
... that former professional
footballerSpike Rawlings, winner of a 1976 edition of TV talent show Opportunity Knocks, began his entertainment career after being asked to provide the half-time entertainment during a game?
... that Ready Georgia can help people determine exactly how much food, water, and other essential supplies they need to have in their
survival kit in the event of a
natural disaster?
11:14, 10 November 2009 (UTC)
... that
Central Powers combat pilots often painted individual color schemes on their personal aircraft (example pictured) in spite of the factory-applied lozenge camouflage?
... that Troy Smith established the
Sonic Drive-In chain in the 1950s after stopping at a
Louisiana drive-in restaurant that used an intercom-based ordering system ?
... that Teddy Tail was a cartoon mouse featured in The Daily Mail and was the first daily cartoon strip in a British newspaper?
... that Jack E. Anderson's 300,000 pound sculpture Iron Man was a not only a tribute to
iron oreminers, but is also the third largest statue in the United States?
... that Ree Drummond'sConfessions of a Pioneer Woman, the 2009
Bloggies "Weblog of the Year", is known for its "How to Cook a Steak" tutorial with photos in "ridiculous detail"?
... that according to
Hindu mythology, Ila was cursed to change his/her gender every month?
17:14, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
... that
sappers blew up the
Godesburg with mines (pictured), including a 1500 pound bomb, when the large caliber cannons did not damage the walls in the 1583 siege?
... that as of 2005, theories of foul play still have not been ruled out in the 1976 death of jockey Michael Hole?
... that the ancient
Bronze Age site of Ulug Depe in modern day
Turkmenistan was once a flourishing agricultural town in the foothills of the
Kopet Dag mountains?
... that until 1981 the Municipality of La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas in
Canada had one of the longest place names in
Quebec history, namely "La Visitation-de-la-Sainte-Vierge-de-l'Isle-du-Pads"?
... that shelter in place is a strategy emergency authorities use in case of release of biological, chemical, or radiological contaminants?
... that the Ulugh Beg Observatory in
Samarkand,
Uzbekistan enabled astronomers to work out the time of a single year to within 1 minute of modern electronic calculations back in 1437?
... that in a scientific paper, Equasy, David Nutt compared the risk of taking the drug
ecstasy with the risk of
horse riding?
05:14, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
... that the underwater
glue secreted by the sandcastle worm(pictured) is being investigated for potential medical applications, including holding
bone fragments together?
... that Charles Wilson Cross was re-appointed to the office of Attorney-General of
Alberta after resigning in scandal, only to be fired by Premier
Charles Stewart six years later?
... that the scales of the flaming Pholiota are easily sloughed off due to the gelatinous
hyphae that make up the
cap surface?
... that
W. S. Gilbert's first full-length comedy, An Old Score, was unsuccessful partly because Victorian audiences would not accept a scene in which a son argues with his father?
... that members of the Maryland Senate were not elected from districts balanced by population until 1972?
... that although it was derided as a "million dollar monster" and eventually cancelled,
Ferranti Canada used their Route Reference Computermail sorter as the basis of a series of specialized computers?
... that the Martin Marmon House, built in 1820, is a leading example of
Quaker architecture in Ohio?
... that owing to its generous seasoning, the poet
Thomas Warton used the Oxford sausage as the title for his 1764 compilation of "highly spiced" political and satirical verse?
... that John P. Yount, an American soldier and
Medal of Honor recipient, was buried with full military honors in 2007, over a century after his death?
... that laid-off workers have turned to bossnapping, or kidnapping their bosses, as a tactic in labor disputes during the
current recession?
... that wood-carver Hristo Hristov, the debutant male lead in 2009
Bulgarian film Eastern Plays, died of a
drug overdose shortly before the end of filming?
... that Dee Anthony,
talent manager for
Peter Frampton and
Devo, had three rules of success: 1) Get the money; 2) Remember to get the money; and, 3) Don't forget to always remember to get the money?
... that "Kaboom", an episode of
NBC's Parks and Recreation, featured the real-life charity
KaBOOM! as part of a multi-network television campaign to spotlight volunteerism?
... that
Alison Brie, whose character "Annie" debuted in the pilot episode of the
sitcomCommunity, was chosen after the producers failed to find a
Latina or
Asian girl for the role?
... that the song "
Tu vuò fà l'americano" is about an Italian who imitates the 1950s American lifestyle, drinking and
rock 'n' roll dancing, but still depends on his parents for money?
... that Nguyen Ton Hoan learned that he had been offered the prime ministership of
South Vietnam over the radio?
14:42, 4 November 2009 (UTC)
... that the "polygraph" (pictured) was an early 19th century mechanism used to create a duplicate of a handwritten document as it was created, as used by
U.S. PresidentThomas Jefferson?
... that the rear decking of the Yakovlev Yak-2's fuselage was hinged to pivot down to allow the rear gunner to use his gun?
... that although his 1897 drama The Fortune Hunter is largely forgotten, a letter to The Times written by
W. S. Gilbert on the day of its premiere, complaining about rail services, is frequently quoted?
... that the mushroom Hebeloma aminophilum gets its common name of ghoul fungus because it grows on the carcasses of dead animals?
... that
Lake County,
Oregon's Warner Lakes and their associated wetlands (pictured) offer numerous recreational opportunities but have relatively few visitors because of their remote location?
... that the
sakia (water wheel) for the former
PalestinianArab village of Zayta was built out of a
Corinthiancapital, marble pillars, a rough pulley, and 85 stone jars attached by grass ropes?
... that every year the Portwaytrunk road in
Bristol is closed to traffic to allow inspection of the
limestone cliffs of the
Avon Gorge and to allow remedial work on loose rocks to be carried out?
... that Flight Lieutenant Charles Crombie shot down two Japanese
bombers and damaged a third in a single action in 1943 despite his aircraft being ablaze?
... that a team of 13 writers from
London aged between 17 and 22 created and wrote the entire series of EastEnders: E20 at a summer school?
... that American singer-songwriter Thad Cockrell's father is a
Baptistpastor, and Cockrell is the only child amongst three sons not to also become a pastor?
... that during India's
Mughal period, the Gwalior Fort(pictured) was used for imprisoning and killing royal princes?
... that the Tulsi Vivah (performed today) – the ritual wedding of the
Tulsi plant and god
Vishnu – marks the beginning of the current
Hindu wedding season?
... that
QueensBorough PresidentJoseph Cassidy, who ran the borough with an iron fist and made a fortune despite a $5,000 salary, was nicknamed "The King of Queens"?
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 after ramming U-405, crewmen of USS Borie (DD-215)(pictured) fought the sub's crewmen with Tommy guns, rifles, pistols, shotguns and a
flare pistol, and even by throwing a knife and an empty shell casing?
... that during a military campaign in
1312,
EmperorTrần Anh Tông entrusted the temporary throne to his son Trần Minh Tông who was only twelve years old at that time?
... that according to legend, a beautiful widow drowned herself in the Adalaj Stepwell(pictured) to avoid being remarried?
... that in filmmaking, a
screenwriter usually creates a production package that they hand out during their pitch, which generally includes a plot synopsis and budgeting information on their idea?
... that the wreck of Indefatigable has belatedly been declared a protected place under the
Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 to discourage further damage to the resting place of 1,015 officers and men?
... that Danskammer Generating Station(pictured) was among the top ten releasers of pollutants by weight in
New York, releasing 560 tonnes of hazardous emissions, in 2000?
... that although USS Cocopa was built for service in
World War II, she remains on active duty with the Mexican Navy as ARM Seri?
... that Canadian middleweight boxing champion Del Fontaine was executed at
Wandsworth Prison in 1935 for murdering his lover?
... that although some sources state that they can weigh up to 3 pounds (1.4 kg), the largest recorded Saucereye porgy weighed only half that at 1.5 pounds (0.68 kg)?
... that at Modern Toiletrestaurants, the chairs are made out of toilets, dishes are served on plastic miniature toilet bowls, and drinks come in miniature urinals?
... that the
Israeli ground-based missile-defense
radarEL/M-2080 Green Pine(diagram pictured) operates in search, detection, tracking, and missile guidance modes simultaneously?
... that although efforts to create a transportation trades department in the
AFL-CIO began in the 1960s, the idea did not gain momentum until after the
Teamsters reaffiliated with the AFL-CIO in 1987?
... that one of the few cases of
poisoning by the Montpellier snake occurred when someone stuck his finger into the snake's mouth?
... that
Trần Minh Tông ceded the throne to his five-year-old son Trần Dụ Tông because he considered the eldest prince too extravagant for the position of
Đại Việt Emperor?
... that King
Henry I of England granted the medieval English nobleman Walter de Beauchamp (d. around 1130) the right to keep pheasants on his lands and fine any who poached them?
... that following reactions to his admission of committing the offence of
handball in the France vs Republic of Ireland game on 18 November 2009, French captain
Thierry Henry considered retirement from international football?
... that the citizens of Morella, Spain, hold a sexennial nine-day celebration to commemorate their deliverance from the plague by the
Virgin of Vallivana?
08:14, 27 November 2009 (UTC)
... that among the many stories about the origins of the name Vin Santo (or "holy wine"; pictured), is the legend that a
Tuscanfriar used the
wine left over from
Mass to
miraculously cure the sick?
... that although the Spanish introduced barley-based beer in Mexico, various
Mesoamerican cultures had a corn-based fermented drink which is still made today?
... that former
Louisiana legislative auditor Steve Theriot investigated a
police-operated toy charity which uncovered various improprieties at
Mandeville City Hall?
... that some
garter snakes engage in kleptothermy by creating fake female
pheromones that cause other males to cover them in attempted mating letting them steal their warmth?
... that grinding bararite partly converts it to another
polymorph cryptohalite?
... that Unthanksgiving day is held annually on
Alcatraz Island as a counterpoint to the traditional
Thanksgiving story and to give thanks for Native American survival in the face of genocide?
... that after several previous dismissals from jobs and his wife leaving him, professor Holmes Beckwith responded to his firing from
Syracuse University in 1921 by shooting his dean and then himself?
... that the Parnall Puffin was an
experimentalamphibious fighter-reconnaissance
biplane with several unusual features, principally a single central float and an inverted fin and rudder?
... that about 75% of all the hotel rooms in the Indian town of
Bhuj have been booked for the period of the opening ceremony of a new Swaminarayan Temple scheduled for May 2010?
... that before beginning a career in
animation, Jeff "Swampy" Marsh worked as a vice president of sales and marketing for a computer company, where he "freaked out" and decided to quit?
... that Alter the Ending was released by American
rock band
Dashboard Confessional in a deluxe edition, which includes a full CD of acoustic versions of the album's songs?
... that the Great Western Arms Company was founded in 1953 to produce copies of the
Colt SAA revolver, used in many Western movies and TV shows of the 1950s and 1960s?
... that
NCAA tennis coach Dick Gould was named "Coach of the Decade" for both the 1980s and 1990s and coached 50 All-Americans, including
John McEnroe and the
Bryan Brothers?
... that American band
Person L's use of a diverse mix of sounds and genres on their record The Positives, has been compared to the style used by
Jawbox and
Fugazi?
... that when the CGS Hawk first flew in January 1982, it was the first
ultralight aircraft with an enclosed cockpit and to use
strut bracing?
... that according to local tradition on
Coll, the now-ruinous
dun of Dùn an Achaidh was once the fortress of the son of a
Norse king named
Olaf?
... that
Big Ten champion Chet Murphy defeated America's top-ranked woman tennis player
Alice Marble in a 1939 exhibition match played in front of a "throng" of spectators?
... that the Simpsons episode "The Devil Wears Nada", in which
Marge poses for racy photographs in a calendar, aired soon after she appeared nude on the cover of Playboy?
13:42, 25 November 2009 (UTC)
... that there are two types of Russkiy Toy, a
Russian breed of dog, which are long haired (pictured) and smooth haired?
... that when the George Armstrong Custer statue was moved to a new location near the
River Raisin in 1923, it remained in relative isolation, being obscured by unkempt scrubs and trees?
... that
Vanderbilt's 130-pound
quarterbackIrby "Rabbit" Curry, an elusive runner who "only needed the suspicion of an opening to wriggle through," was killed in aerial combat in 1918?
... that at the time he was elected to the
New Jersey Senate in 1913, Charles M. Egan received the largest margin of victory for any county-wide office in
New Jersey history?
... that Argentine spy Bill Gaede was so successful in his
clandestine operation of sending technical information from
AMD to Cuban representatives that he was invited to meet
Fidel Castro?
... that some people once moved to the now abandoned city of Pioneer, Nevada, with their houses?
... that the murder of the 4th
Earl of Eglinton in 1586, as he set out from Polnoon Castle was a result of a long-standing feud between the Eglinton and the Cunninghame clans?
... that stand-up comedian and actress Retta said her role on Parks and Recreation is stressful because she was initially unsure the show would last due to poor reviews?
... that when
U2 recorded their 1991 song "Ultraviolet (Light My Way)" (life performance pictured), they debated
Bono's repeated use of a cliché lyric "baby"?
... that 7000 people were left stranded on Edurumandi Island after they refused to be evacuated during the 1990 Andhra Pradesh cyclone?
... that the house now called Hill Bark was built as Bidston Court on
Bidston Hill,
Birkenhead,
Merseyside, England, in 1891, but was demolished and rebuilt on its present site and renamed in 1928–31?
... that when
Turkey gave out personal identification numbers to their citizens in 2000, they chose to number all 120 million people born since 1840, living or dead?
... that when Rakel Seweriin stepped down as a member of the
Parliament of Norway in 1969, she had served for 24 years, a record for a Norwegian woman?
... that Mandazi, a form of
fried bread that is popular in
Eastern Africa, is often mixed with
coconut milk and other ingredients, toppings, and dips to create different flavors?
... that once Li Yingshi, a decorated veteran of the
Korean War of 1592–1598, converted to Catholicism, it took him and two
Jesuits three days to find and
burn all the prohibited books in his library?
... that a British 18-inch (460 mm) gun(example pictured) made naval history on 28 September 1918 as it fired the heaviest shell from the biggest gun at the longest range in combat to date?
... that Parker's Buildings(pictured), built in
Chester, England, for the
Duke of Westminster, are still standing after 120 years despite former complaints about their 'poor materials and workmanship'?
... that in his book Acquainted with the Night,
Dewdney tells of a
syndrome in which the victims, almost always Asian men, presumably die of terror while dreaming of something sitting on their chest?
... that Richard Barre (died around 1202), a medieval English judge and clergyman, wrote a work on the Bible titled Compendium de veteri et novo testamento?
... that the Phineas and Ferb episode "
Are You My Mummy?" originally aired as part of "Phineas and Ferb-urary," a special event which showed episodes of the series every night in February 2008 on
Disney Channel?
... that in spite of the Canadian
telecommunications industry being gripped by "Telidon fever" in 1982, most attempts to commercialize the
videotex system had ended by 1985?
... that the Gothic style railroad station originally built 1868 at the Newlin Mill Complex served as a railway station, post office, polling station, and finally a park office?
... that after being told he was too small for
professional wrestling, Sam DeCero increased his weight from 75 to 90 kg (165 to 200 lbs) within three months?
... that the
Soviet Minister for the Aviation Industry set up a commission in 1946 to investigate why the I-250(pictured) production was delayed, but refused to accept its findings and had the factory director arrested for sabotage?
... that mifamurtide is a drug used against
osteosarcoma, a kind of bone cancer diagnosed in only 1,000 persons per year in Europe and the US?
... that the Røa Line has been extended eight times, more than any other line of the
Oslo Metro?
... that
Michael Jackson blamed his record label,
Sony Music, for the failed release of his charity song "What More Can I Give", and branded the label's CEO "racist" and "very, very, very devilish"?
... that the Japanese
documentary filmmaker Fumio Kamei had films banned by both
Japan's militarist wartime government and the democratizing Allied
Occupation?
... that the Texas Engineering Extension Service operates the largest firefighter and emergency responder training facility in the United States, which includes a 52-acre replica city for use in training simulations?
... that the opposition against the use of censorship to fight
child pornography on the internet by MOGIS helped strengthen the credibility of the movement against such measures?
... that Cliff Sparks, hailed in 1916 as "eel-like," a "whirlwind" and "the greatest
quarterbackMichigan ever has had," punted by forcefully throwing the ball at his uprising foot?
... that Sherza Darwaza in Bidar Fort, India, depicts two images of tigers carved on its fascia, which according to
Shia belief, denotes
Ali's assured protection of the fort from enemy attack?
... that although the Kongsvegen glacier has been retreating in length since 1948, its ice mass has been increasing consistently for the past 22 years?
... that the single known specimen of the Irrawaddy river shark was generally dismissed as an abnormal
bull shark until 2005?
... that
Americana group Or, The Whale formed through the website
Craigslist, where the two founding members of the group posted an advertisement titled "Wanna Form a Sweet Country Rock Band"?
... that for scenes in the Phineas and Ferb episode "
Jerk De Soleil" where the character Candace had a deep voice, co-creator
Dan Povenmire had to step in for the normal voice actress?
01:26, 16 November 2009 (UTC)
... that the historic Mount Whitney Fish Hatchery(pictured), which played a critical role in the preservation of the
Golden trout, California's state fish, was badly damaged by a mudslide on July 12, 2008?
... that the church cemetery of San Andrés Mixquic(pictured) glows with thousands of lighted candles and burning incense on the night of 2 November for for its
Day of the Dead commemorations?
... that bandmates of Beverley O'Sullivan, recently killed in
India, found out the true extent of her hearing difficulties when she developed a sore ear during a
Westlife performance?
... that
State RepresentativeJim Fannin wrote the
Louisiana "career diploma" law, designed to reduce the dropout rate by allowing high schoolers to pursue less rigorous studies?
... that the bolete eater which attacks
boletes is actually another type of fungus?
... that the
Colombian actress and beauty queen Liliana Lozano was shot to death two days after the murder of her boyfriend, the drug lord
Leonidas Vargas?
... that Makerita Urale, a leading figure in contemporary
Polynesian theatre, directed the play Frangipani Perfume, the first Pacific play written by a woman for an all-female cast?
... that both spans of
Washington, D.C.'s 11th Street Bridges are considered "fracture critical", which means if one girder in a span fails the entire bridge is likely to collapse?
... that unlike other other Siricid
Wood wasps, Xeris spectrum does not have symbiotic fungi to aid its larvae as they burrow in the wood of fir and other conifer trees?
... that before a hitman shot
Colombian drug lord Leonidas Vargas to death in his hospital bed, the shooter asked a neighboring patient whether he was Vargas?
... that the 61st Battalion was an Australian
infantrybattalion that adopted Scottish-style uniforms including
kilts and the designation of Queensland Cameron Highlanders?
... that cassareep, a flavoring and preservative made from
cassava roots, has been rumored to keep a meat stew called
Guyanese pepperpot edible for over a century?
... that athletes in the
1928 Winter Olympics competed in skijoring, a demonstration sport in which the competitors wore skis while being pulled behind horses?
... that the
Soviet mixed-construction Yak-8utility aircraft was never produced in spite of a recommendation to do so, probably because the Soviets were switching to all-metal aircraft?
... that
pirated CDs were identified by the IFPI to account for 50% of all music sales in Greece in 2006?
... that former
pro wrestling announcers, and real life husband and wife, Joe Pedicino and Boni Blackstone, often referred to themselves humbly as "wrestling fans who got lucky"?
... that the
roller coasterJumbo Jet(pictured) has operated in at least four different
amusement parks, in at least three countries, and on two continents?
... that Meadow is believed to be the first
bovine calf fitted with double prosthetics?
06:04, 13 November 2009 (UTC)
... that after
George III was attacked with an ivory-handled dessert knife by Margaret Nicholson, the number of men guarding him was increased from 4 to 11?
... that the Sankeien garden in
Yokohama, Japan, which houses ten Important National Cultural Properties, was created by a man who collected old buildings?
... that the next
Bishop of Peterborough, Donald Allister, hit the headlines in the UK in 2001 when it was reported that he had banned a couple from having the hymn "
Jerusalem" at their wedding?
... that when a
SovietG-5-classmotor torpedo boat(pictured) fired a torpedo from its rear deck, it had to turn immediately to avoid being hit by its own torpedo?
... that the Kondapalli Fort built in the
14th century was initially used as a business centre, but after the
British took control in 1766 it was converted to a military training base?
... that two decades after its release, the
U2 song "Running to Stand Still" remains strongly associated, in different and sometimes unwanted ways, with the
Ballymun Flats tower block in
Dublin?
... that former professional
footballerSpike Rawlings, winner of a 1976 edition of TV talent show Opportunity Knocks, began his entertainment career after being asked to provide the half-time entertainment during a game?
... that Ready Georgia can help people determine exactly how much food, water, and other essential supplies they need to have in their
survival kit in the event of a
natural disaster?
11:14, 10 November 2009 (UTC)
... that
Central Powers combat pilots often painted individual color schemes on their personal aircraft (example pictured) in spite of the factory-applied lozenge camouflage?
... that Troy Smith established the
Sonic Drive-In chain in the 1950s after stopping at a
Louisiana drive-in restaurant that used an intercom-based ordering system ?
... that Teddy Tail was a cartoon mouse featured in The Daily Mail and was the first daily cartoon strip in a British newspaper?
... that Jack E. Anderson's 300,000 pound sculpture Iron Man was a not only a tribute to
iron oreminers, but is also the third largest statue in the United States?
... that Ree Drummond'sConfessions of a Pioneer Woman, the 2009
Bloggies "Weblog of the Year", is known for its "How to Cook a Steak" tutorial with photos in "ridiculous detail"?
... that according to
Hindu mythology, Ila was cursed to change his/her gender every month?
17:14, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
... that
sappers blew up the
Godesburg with mines (pictured), including a 1500 pound bomb, when the large caliber cannons did not damage the walls in the 1583 siege?
... that as of 2005, theories of foul play still have not been ruled out in the 1976 death of jockey Michael Hole?
... that the ancient
Bronze Age site of Ulug Depe in modern day
Turkmenistan was once a flourishing agricultural town in the foothills of the
Kopet Dag mountains?
... that until 1981 the Municipality of La Visitation-de-l'Île-Dupas in
Canada had one of the longest place names in
Quebec history, namely "La Visitation-de-la-Sainte-Vierge-de-l'Isle-du-Pads"?
... that shelter in place is a strategy emergency authorities use in case of release of biological, chemical, or radiological contaminants?
... that the Ulugh Beg Observatory in
Samarkand,
Uzbekistan enabled astronomers to work out the time of a single year to within 1 minute of modern electronic calculations back in 1437?
... that in a scientific paper, Equasy, David Nutt compared the risk of taking the drug
ecstasy with the risk of
horse riding?
05:14, 8 November 2009 (UTC)
... that the underwater
glue secreted by the sandcastle worm(pictured) is being investigated for potential medical applications, including holding
bone fragments together?
... that Charles Wilson Cross was re-appointed to the office of Attorney-General of
Alberta after resigning in scandal, only to be fired by Premier
Charles Stewart six years later?
... that the scales of the flaming Pholiota are easily sloughed off due to the gelatinous
hyphae that make up the
cap surface?
... that
W. S. Gilbert's first full-length comedy, An Old Score, was unsuccessful partly because Victorian audiences would not accept a scene in which a son argues with his father?
... that members of the Maryland Senate were not elected from districts balanced by population until 1972?
... that although it was derided as a "million dollar monster" and eventually cancelled,
Ferranti Canada used their Route Reference Computermail sorter as the basis of a series of specialized computers?
... that the Martin Marmon House, built in 1820, is a leading example of
Quaker architecture in Ohio?
... that owing to its generous seasoning, the poet
Thomas Warton used the Oxford sausage as the title for his 1764 compilation of "highly spiced" political and satirical verse?
... that John P. Yount, an American soldier and
Medal of Honor recipient, was buried with full military honors in 2007, over a century after his death?
... that laid-off workers have turned to bossnapping, or kidnapping their bosses, as a tactic in labor disputes during the
current recession?
... that wood-carver Hristo Hristov, the debutant male lead in 2009
Bulgarian film Eastern Plays, died of a
drug overdose shortly before the end of filming?
... that Dee Anthony,
talent manager for
Peter Frampton and
Devo, had three rules of success: 1) Get the money; 2) Remember to get the money; and, 3) Don't forget to always remember to get the money?
... that "Kaboom", an episode of
NBC's Parks and Recreation, featured the real-life charity
KaBOOM! as part of a multi-network television campaign to spotlight volunteerism?
... that
Alison Brie, whose character "Annie" debuted in the pilot episode of the
sitcomCommunity, was chosen after the producers failed to find a
Latina or
Asian girl for the role?
... that the song "
Tu vuò fà l'americano" is about an Italian who imitates the 1950s American lifestyle, drinking and
rock 'n' roll dancing, but still depends on his parents for money?
... that Nguyen Ton Hoan learned that he had been offered the prime ministership of
South Vietnam over the radio?
14:42, 4 November 2009 (UTC)
... that the "polygraph" (pictured) was an early 19th century mechanism used to create a duplicate of a handwritten document as it was created, as used by
U.S. PresidentThomas Jefferson?
... that the rear decking of the Yakovlev Yak-2's fuselage was hinged to pivot down to allow the rear gunner to use his gun?
... that although his 1897 drama The Fortune Hunter is largely forgotten, a letter to The Times written by
W. S. Gilbert on the day of its premiere, complaining about rail services, is frequently quoted?
... that the mushroom Hebeloma aminophilum gets its common name of ghoul fungus because it grows on the carcasses of dead animals?
... that
Lake County,
Oregon's Warner Lakes and their associated wetlands (pictured) offer numerous recreational opportunities but have relatively few visitors because of their remote location?
... that the
sakia (water wheel) for the former
PalestinianArab village of Zayta was built out of a
Corinthiancapital, marble pillars, a rough pulley, and 85 stone jars attached by grass ropes?
... that every year the Portwaytrunk road in
Bristol is closed to traffic to allow inspection of the
limestone cliffs of the
Avon Gorge and to allow remedial work on loose rocks to be carried out?
... that Flight Lieutenant Charles Crombie shot down two Japanese
bombers and damaged a third in a single action in 1943 despite his aircraft being ablaze?
... that a team of 13 writers from
London aged between 17 and 22 created and wrote the entire series of EastEnders: E20 at a summer school?
... that American singer-songwriter Thad Cockrell's father is a
Baptistpastor, and Cockrell is the only child amongst three sons not to also become a pastor?
... that during India's
Mughal period, the Gwalior Fort(pictured) was used for imprisoning and killing royal princes?
... that the Tulsi Vivah (performed today) – the ritual wedding of the
Tulsi plant and god
Vishnu – marks the beginning of the current
Hindu wedding season?
... that
QueensBorough PresidentJoseph Cassidy, who ran the borough with an iron fist and made a fortune despite a $5,000 salary, was nicknamed "The King of Queens"?