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 the eleven Hindu deities, the Rudras, are associated with the ten
vital energies of the body and the
soul, and their departure is said to cause death and tears?
... that racing wins by the American
racehorseLuke McLuke, including the
Belmont Stakes, made owner John Schorr the leading owner for 1914 and his son, J.F. Schorr, the leading trainer?
... that the sea slug Aiteng ater feeds on insects?
... that a 1953
strike organized by the plantation workers
trade unionSarbupri forced the
Indonesian government to raise wages of estate labourers by 30%?
... that the Armadillo, an armoured fighting vehicle
extemporised by the British in 1940, used a layer of
gravel to protect its crew?
... that the
lift jets on the Hawker Siddeley HS.141 airliner were expected to provide a safety margin in case the
V/STOL aircraft's main engines failed?
... that the last
Umayyad governor of
Khurasan, Nasr ibn Sayyar, hoped to ease resentment among local
Muslims by streamlining the province's tax system?
... that when Central Methodist Church(pictured) in
Eastbourne was completed, some worshippers were hauled to the top of the spire in a box to eat a celebratory breakfast?
... that during one of his campaigns, the troops of
Umayyad general Sulayman ibn Hisham suffered so much due to disease and famine that many defected to the
Byzantines and converted to
Christianity?
... in January 1944,
fighters of No. 73 Wing participated in the two largest raids mounted by the
RAAF to that time, attacking targets in
New Britain?
... that with the money his aunt paid him not to attend university, which she considered a den of vice, Thomas Coke travelled to
Italy, where the wife of
Bonnie Prince Charles fell in love with him?
... that for 14 years Moira Hoey played a character on television considered "the quintessential Irish mammy"?
... that physicist Gunnar Nordström's early death may have been caused by his passion for radioactivity and consequent use of water containing radioactive matter for
sauna baths?
... that Howard Lester bought
Williams-Sonoma in 1976 when it had four stores and sales of US$4 million and grew the company to annual sales of US$3.4 billion at 600 stores, including the
Pottery Barn chain?
... that
Dinamo Zagreb footballer Mateo Kovačić became the youngest ever goalscorer in the
Prva HNL in November 2010 at the age of 16 years and 198 days?
... that John Mills Houston, a stage actor, was one of 19 men selected to act as President
Woodrow Wilson's honor guard during World War I?
... that five of the seven men killed when the St Ives Lifeboat was wrecked in January 1939 were survivors of a previous
lifeboat wreck in January 1938?
12:00, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
... that the 72-metre (236 ft) tall
Laboe Naval Memorial(pictured) by the architect Gustav August Munzer was confiscated by the British Army after World War II?
... that although the Black Carts Turret Roman fortification is connected to
Hadrian's Wall, it was probably built before the wall itself?
... that No. 71 Wing RAAF was active to the last day of
World War II, flying its final mission only hours before news arrived of the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945?
... that, in the late 8th and early 9th centuries, the
Maya city of Sacul was one of the few kingdoms in the southeastern
Petén region to use its own
Emblem Glyph?
... that in the aftermath of the unsuccessful
January Uprising, Polish insurgent Zygmunt Padlewski was captured and executed by the Russian authorities?
... that
Guineansocialist politician Barry III was nicknamed "Little Elephant", due to the similarities of his political programme with that of
Sékou Touré, whose nickname was "Elephant"?
... that episodes of The Jimmy Durante Show ended with
Durante's catchphrase, "Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!" – a reference to his deceased first wife?
... that then-unknown singer
Estelle featured on DJ Skitz's debut album in 2001?
... that in 1929 the
Hudson Motor Car Company ranked third in total U.S. production by targeting budget minded buyers, but introduced the Greater Eight, a premium line of cars, at the height of the
Depression?
... that the
creator of
Kaboom!'s villainous "Mad Bomber" also programmed a series of Brain Games that have been said to improve memory?
... that actress and chanteuse Raquel Meller attempted to book a deluxe suite for her five
Pekingese on a 1926 transatlantic voyage aboard the
SS Leviathan?
12:00, 25 November 2010 (UTC)
... that in defying Spanish dominance, locals built a chapel at a higher elevation next to Fort Santa Cruz(pictured) in
Oran,
Algeria?
... that in hippika gymnasia or
Roman cavalry tournaments, riders wearing elaborate armour (helmet pictured) competed in teams to reenact battles from mythology such as those between the
Greeks and
Amazons?
... that in March 1994, the
communist-led Indian People's Front rallied tens of thousands of barefoot, starving workers, some of whom walked more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) to reach the
venue?
... that Norwegian
hardingfele fiddler Arne Bjørndal played in more than 600 weddings and gave more than 1,000 concerts?
... that disputes between rival railway companies during the building of the Cleveland Railway became so intense that they led to a "battle" on the
River Tees?
... that the 1960 congress of the Popular Socialist Youth was the first occasion at which the
Cuban motto "Fatherland or Death" was displayed in print?
... that Ōkōchi Sansō(pictured), the villa of the Japanese film star
Denjirō Ōkōchi, contains several buildings designated cultural properties by the
Japanese government?
... that Henry Lambert of the
Royal Navy fought the 36-gun French privateer Psyché twice in the same year with two different ships, drawing the first battle and winning the second?
... that James Charles Fahey started self-publishing The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet when he thought editors were "butchering" his manuscripts?
... that in his
European Cup debut, German football goalkeeper Jens Ramme conceded 6 goals in 45 minutes, turning a 5–1 lead for
Dynamo Dresden into a 7–5 defeat?
... that
brandy and
wine seized from a Dutch ship on 18 August 1779 changed hands during the night, as the captain of the Monsieur and the squadron leader,
John Paul Jones, both claimed it for themselves?
12:00, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
... that the Crissal Thrasher(pictured) is a bird that runs more than it flies?
... that when the wife of the owner of Kapetanovo Castle in
Serbia was told that it had to be sold, she was so devastated that she poured
gasoline on herself and burned to death?
... that Theodore W. Kheel's deals ended various strikes in
New York City, but Mayor
Ed Koch blamed Kheel for overly generous pay packages that led to the city's fiscal crisis in the 1970s?
... that the
Finnish novel Puhdistus (Purge) by
Sofi Oksanen has won awards in Finland and France but had mixed reviews in Estonia, where the story takes place?
... that
executionerRobert Baxter, who was blind in one eye, once caused his assistant to fall through a trapdoor along with the man sentenced to death by
hanging?
... that the 1932 Changma earthquake in the
China resulted in a surface
rupture of approximately 116 km (72 mi), the largest rupture observed for a reverse-
slip event in Asia in the 20th century?
... that HIP 13044 b(artist's impression pictured), discovered in November 2010, is the first known case of a planet which originated outside of our galaxy, but then got absorbed into it?
... that Thomas Hooman's obituary in The Times claimed that he scored the winning goal in the
1872 FA Cup Final, contradicting all known contemporary newspaper reports on the match?
... that the
Crusher is a 13,200-pound (6,000 kg)
autonomous robot capable of climbing 4-foot (1.2 m) walls and crossing 6.5-foot (2.0 m) trenches?
... that the city of Guanajuato,
Mexico, is filled with narrow alleys, cobblestone streets and thoroughfares that are partially or fully underground (tunnel pictured)?
... that the Areopagus sermon was the most dramatic and fullest speech of the missionary career of
Apostle Paul?
... that hangmen brothers William and John Billington formed England's primary
execution duo until John fell through an open trapdoor on the gallows and died?
... that Tel Zeror, an archaeological
tel in the
Sharon Plain,
Israel, was excavated by a Japanese expedition in the 1960s?
... that St Matthew's Church, Langford, Oxfordshire has two
Anglo-Saxon carved stone reliefs of the
Crucifixion, and that in one of them Christ's left and right arms have later been swapped over (pictured)?
... that after winning the Welsh heavyweight boxing title on
Boxing Day, Tom Norris held onto the title for just 100 days before being beaten by Dick Power?
... that
Revolution Software co-founder
Tony Warriner created the 1986 video game Obsidian when he should have been revising his school exams, causing him to fail them all?
... that a myth from
Choiseul Island has a man who betrayed a tribal chief punished by suffocation by the
flatulence caused by the people around him eating the kernels of the Tahitian Chestnut tree?
... that despite the construction of modern office and apartment buildings and the
1985 Mexico City earthquake, Colonia Roma still contains 1,100 of the mansions built there in the early 20th century?
... that in 1972,
Denver voters approved a
bond issue to build a performance hall for the Denver Symphony Orchestra, which played in theaters and auditoriums for its first 44 years?
... that on 6 April 1945,
B-25 Mitchells of No. 79 Wing RAAF bombed the Japanese cruiser Isuzu, claiming two hits without loss despite anti-aircraft fire and frontal attacks by enemy fighters?
... that in 8,000
BCE the Paiján people of northern
Peru used needle-like
projectile points mounted on hollow shafts of cane or reed as harpoons to catch fish?
... that Latin American public beach resorts known as balnearios can be highly politicized?
... that a spheromak is a stable ring of hot
plasma that's been described as the electrical equivalent of a
smoke ring?
... that before the
Battle of North Borneo, No. 77 Wing RAAF surgically attacked targets at
Labuan as few as 100 m (330 ft) from Allied demolition teams laying charges on the invasion beach?
... that the armor of the Fusō-class battleships was incapable of stopping their own shells?
... that William Austin Burt was the first to invent a workable typewriter in America, as well as a workable solar compass(pictured), a solar use surveying instrument, and an equatorial sextant, a precision navigational aid to determine with one observation the location of a ship at sea?
... that the name of Ghardaïa in northern-central
Algeria has its origins in a female saint named
Daïa who lived in a cave (ghār) in the
M'zab valley?
... that
World War II canteen assistant Tommy Brown and two sailors boarded
U-559 in order to retrieve documents which would later help break the
Enigma code?
... that in
Rolling Stones guitarist
Keith Richards' memoir Life, Richards makes unflattering claims about
Mick Jagger, but adds "I love the man dearly; I'm still his mate"?
... that
Nevada GovernorDenver S. Dickerson resisted pressure to stop the interracial boxing match of defending champion
Jack Johnson and later supervised Johnson's federal prison sentence?
... that the Australian town of Tumbulgum was the third town in the state of
New South Wales to agree that retail outlets will not provide disposable plastic shopping bags?
... that a Chinese police officer's son, convinced that he would avoid facing
criminal consequences after hitting a
pedestrian, yelled "My dad is Li Gang!"?
... that the California Voting Rights Act makes it easier for minority groups in California to prove that their votes are being diluted in "
at-large" elections?
... that American Baptist missionary George J. Geis was working at the Kachin Bible Training School he had established in Kutkai at the time of his death in 1936?
... that the newly named extinct prawn Aciculopoda is the third unambiguous fossil
decapod from before the
Mesozoic?
... that FBI informant Angela Calomiris donated
US$50 of government money to the legal defense fund for
CPUSA leaders before testifying against them in court?
... that the upcoming film My Idiot Brother went into production unusually quickly for an
independent film, with a first cut to be completed less than a year after the script was picked up?
... that William Dennison Clark, whose "wretched blunder" in 1905 ended
Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak in
football, killed himself 27 years later, reportedly expressing the hope to atone for his error?
... that Mikhail Beketov, a Russian journalist who opposed construction of the
Moscow – Saint Petersburg motorway, was beaten up by unknown assailants in November 2008, leaving him wheelchair-bound?
... that a series of diplomatic struggles between the major Mediterranean powers of the 15th century culminated in newly crowned
Mehmed II ordering
his first invasion of Albania?
... that a 3,000 ft (910 m)
breakwater built by the
British to protect its Navy in the 19th century shelters the Braye Harbour?
... that Ayame Koike was one of three recipients of the Judges' Special Acting Award from the Japan Movie Critics Awards in recognition of their performance in Always Zoku Sanchōme no Yūhi?
... that since the 1890s, a warmer climate has caused Breiðamerkurjökull(pictured), an outlet glacier of the larger glacier of
Vatnajökull, to rapidly retreat?
... that a malfunctioning starting gate at the
lugevenue during the men's doubles event at the
1972 Winter Olympics in
Sapporo would lead to the only tie in Olympic luge history?
... that the Okomu and Cross River national parks in
Nigeria, both home to many rare species including
chimpanzees, are both increasingly threatened by illegal forestry?
... that presenter
Natasha Fatah said she broke down in tears in response to her interviewees' stories about being a refugee during the recording of the
CBC Radio One program Promised Land?
... that Johanna Bugge Olsen was convicted of treason for having printed some "un-national" material in Arbeidet during
WWII?
... that one definition of judicial bias in Singapore is that a "reasonable and fair-minded person" who is present in
court and knows all the relevant facts suspects that a
fair trial is not possible?
... that on 21 June 2001, on the Mount Newman railway, a
BHP Billiton iron ore train consisting of 682 cars broke the world record for the heaviest train, weighing 99,734 tons and being 7.3 kilometres long?
... that when playing for the
Chicago Bulls in 1985, Quintin Dailey complained that
Michael Jordan received more attention from the team's coaches, arguing that he was "a player who likes to shine a little bit myself"?
... that in the 16th century people convicted of
sedition had their ears nailed to the
pillory in Norwich Market, and when their pillory time was completed their ears were cut off?
... that Jule Sugarman helped design and administer the
Head Start Program, which has served 27 million American children from low-income families since its inception in 1965?
... that West Shore, a magazine published from 1875 to 1891 in
Portland,
Oregon, was well known for its illustrations of scenery, architecture, and commerce of the
Pacific Northwest?
... that the SimplySiti cosmetic line was founded by and named after
Malaysian singer
Siti Nurhaliza, and some of its products are named after her recordings?
... that after hanging for nineteen years in a staff cafeteria and eleven in a living room,
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri's painting Warlugulong sold at auction in 2007 for a record-breaking
A$2.4 million?
... that American burglar Johnny Hope, the son of
another burglar, may have been part of his father's gang that robbed the Manhattan Bank in 1878, netting nearly $3 million in cash and securities?
... that
AmericannovelistHarold "Hal" King earned the title "the crown prince of suspense" with the publication of his 1979 anti-
Nazi thriller Closing Ceremonies?
... that
Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev once proposed a major dam on the Bzyb River(pictured), but dropped the idea when he learned it would affect the beach at his favorite resort of
Pitsunda?
... that the "secretive character" of the Beggar Looking Through His Hat(pictured), attributed to 17th-century artist Jacques Bellange, may have appealed to its former owner, American
KGB spy
Michael Straight?
... that, referring to Che Guevara T-shirts and other clothing (jacket pictured),
Aleida Guevara said that Che "probably would have been delighted to see his face on the breasts of so many beautiful women"?
... that an early example of the Berliner Helicopter(pictured) was thought to have potential as a "flying
torpedo" to be used to hold cities for
ransom?
... that, because of a lifelong medical condition that may be
Proteus syndrome, Mandy Sellars' legs and feet weigh about 210 lb (95 kg), while her upper body only weighs about 84 lb (38 kg)?
... that film studies are less concerned with
filmmaking than with exploring the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic, and political implications of cinema?
... that the Cloud Break mine project, worth
A$2 billion, was in danger of not being approved after the discovery of the incredibly rare
Night Parrot in the area?
... that the large ritual
E-Group complex northeast of the ancient
acropolis in the
Maya city of El Chal(altar pictured) in
Guatemala was once the city centre?
... that the body of amateur
cricketerHenry Arkwright, who was killed by an
avalanche in 1866, was found 31 years later missing its head and both feet?
... that the seeds of Ipomoea violacea(pictured) contain several indole alkaloids having
LSD-like hallucinogenic properties, and therefore were used in
Aztec rituals?
... that remarks by Hall Thompson that "we don't discriminate in every other area except blacks" before the
1990 PGA Championship led
golf's governing bodies to ban holding tournaments at all-white clubs?
... that Jews are prohibited from praying at the alleged tomb of
Nahmanides, a foremost medieval rabbinic scholar and
kabbalist?
... that in response to the banning of the niqāb in Egypt, students protested by wearing protective face masks?
... that when A. Skjegstad was hired by Aftenposten, he became one of the few journalists in
Norway to go from a labour newspaper to a high-profile conservative newspaper?
... that U.S. President
George H. W. Bush nominated Alfred C. Sikes to be chairperson of the
FCC instead of Sherrie Marshall because Sikes was thought to have a better relationship with
Congress?
... that
Talyllyn Railway locomotives No. 3 Sir Haydn and No. 4 Edward Thomas both hold the unusual distinction of carrying the same number through the ownership of four different railway companies?
... that discretionary trusts in English law have been described as "powers in the nature of trusts" because they cross the traditional distinction between trusts and powers?
... that Gee Jon became the first person in the United States to be executed in a
gas chamber, after Nevada State Prison officials found that pumping the poison directly into his
cell did not work?
... that George Cain's book Blueschild Baby was called "the most important work of fiction by an Afro-American since Native Son" for its portrayal of "a world that only black people can fully comprehend"?
... that although the fungus Aseroe coccinea was characterized in 1989, its validation as a
species was delayed until 2007 because the initial description was not in
Latin?
... that Sirocco(pictured), an endangered
flightless parrot, gained fame when he was caught on video attempting to
mate with the back of a
zoologist's head?
... that the Seelbach Hotel in
Louisville,
Kentucky, was frequented by
Al Capone, who is said to have once avoided police by escaping through secret tunnels in the hotel?
... that soon after the
ocean linerSS Utopia collided with the battleship
HMS Anson, resulting in 564 deaths near
Gibraltar in 1891, the partially submerged wreckage was involved in another collision?
... that the recently restored Wara Wara (1930) is the only known surviving
Boliviansilent feature film?
... that Anglo-Saxon nobleman Ælfric Cild married into the powerful family of the
ealdorman of Mercia, and succeeded him in office before being expelled by the end of two years?
... that actor
Dax Shepard received strong reviews for both his comedic and dramatic performance in "No Good Deed", an episode of the
NBC series Parenthood?
... that Reinhard Mohn took what was left of his family's publishing company (its premises demolished by
Allied bombing in World War II) and turned it into the sixth-largest media conglomerate in the world?
... that Alexei Kudrin was declared "Finance Minister of the Year 2010" by Euromoney magazine?
... that several
MPs have signed an
Early Day Motion to stop hunters from killing wild animals in Britain after the supposed death of the Emperor of Exmoor, a
red stag (Cervus elaphus)?
... that
politicianJames R. Lewis was involved in plans to build a
laser gun "designed to blind people", sell it to a
Guatemalan colonel, and use the proceeds to build a
laetrile factory in South America?
... that despite having to teach out of a poorly converted hotel building, Mary Adams transformed the Wesleyan Female College into a highly regarded institution?
... that the New York Times described Dick Miles as "perhaps the greatest
table tennis player the United States has ever produced" after Miles won 10 national championships in the sport?
... that a Leo Cullum cartoon published in the first illustrated issue of The New Yorker printed after the
September 11 attacks had the caption "I thought I'd never laugh again. Then I saw your jacket"?
... that Frankism, an 18th-century movement derived from
Judaism, maintained that the best way to emulate God—and one's most important personal responsibility—was to transgress every taboo?
... that
Detroit mayor William G. Thompson was considerably pummeled in a sensational public fight with his brother-in-law, who accused him of talking about his wife in barrooms?
... that by 2001, there were over 1,000 research studies regarding the children's television show Sesame Street's efficacy, impact, and effect on American culture?
... that
R&B singer Tobi Lark's most successful recording was issued under a different name, became very popular in
Wigan, and has recently been compared to a
Shakespearesonnet?
... that
Americanboogie-woogie pianist Booker T. Laury appeared in two films, but did not record his debut album until he was almost eighty years of age?
... that over 110 people were killed when SS Vestris sank in 1928?
... that
Winslow Homer's painting Right and Left(pictured) was named by a hunter who recognized the sportsman's achievement of killing two birds in succession with a double-barreled shotgun?
... that one of the earliest driving clubs in Britain, the Bensington Driving Club, was also called the Black and White Club, after the Black Dog and White Hart public houses where it met?
... that due of a lack of an official
UK Singles Chart before 1969 the
BBC averaged four different charts in the early 1960s, none of which are now regarded as the canonical source?
... that despite numerous proposed changes to the Constitution of
American Samoa, voters in today's constitutional referendum cannot vote on each of them individually?
... that the NSB Class 72 trains could at first not be used on the high-speed
Gardermoen Line because their electronics interfered with the signaling system?
... that the British Engineerium, created by a
steam enthusiast who started with
£300, was later bought for £3 million by another enthusiast?
2 November 2010
18:00, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
... that World Heritage Sites in Cuba include two national parks and examples of the island's historic tobacco and coffee economy (Viñales Valley pictured)?
... that prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, imprisoned in Iran's notorious
Evin Prison, went on a month-long
hunger strike to protest her ill-treatment?
... that
Norway's train radio system Scanet was replaced by
GSM-R after only 13 years of operation?
... that the traditionalist
Italian wine producer Giacomo Conterno has long held the motto that at the time of bottling, their
barolos should be "undrinkable"?
12:00, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
... that most of the approximately 300
Belgian soldiers killed in the explosion of the Fort de Loncin(entrance pictured) remain buried in the wreckage of the fort?
... that each book in the Epic Horse series has a new protagonist and setting?
... that the
Maya city of La Blanca in northern
Guatemala features an unusually well-built palace complex for such a small city?
... that Nunavut Day, originally celebrated on April 1, was moved to July 9 in 2001 because the former date was not considered to be significant enough to the people of
Nunavut?
... that the process of cheese ripening determines the texture and flavour of
cheese?
... that during the Siege of Kandahar,
Nader Shah told his
Bakhtiari troops that they would each be given 1,000
rupees and a share of the spoils if their assault was successful?
... that eight players selected in the 1980 NBA Draft went on to became head coaches in
the league?
... that Jeffrey Grosset of Grosset Wines led a movement in the 1980s to stop
Australian wines that do not contain
Riesling grapes from using the word "Riesling" on their labels?
... that politician Olav Steinnes, who dabbled in
nuclear physics as a
hobby, claimed to have made "the most important discoveries ever made in history by a single man"?
... that the removal of Omar Gjesteby as a deputy trade union leader in 1940 was partially investigated by his son, a
Norwegian police investigator, some years later?
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 the eleven Hindu deities, the Rudras, are associated with the ten
vital energies of the body and the
soul, and their departure is said to cause death and tears?
... that racing wins by the American
racehorseLuke McLuke, including the
Belmont Stakes, made owner John Schorr the leading owner for 1914 and his son, J.F. Schorr, the leading trainer?
... that the sea slug Aiteng ater feeds on insects?
... that a 1953
strike organized by the plantation workers
trade unionSarbupri forced the
Indonesian government to raise wages of estate labourers by 30%?
... that the Armadillo, an armoured fighting vehicle
extemporised by the British in 1940, used a layer of
gravel to protect its crew?
... that the
lift jets on the Hawker Siddeley HS.141 airliner were expected to provide a safety margin in case the
V/STOL aircraft's main engines failed?
... that the last
Umayyad governor of
Khurasan, Nasr ibn Sayyar, hoped to ease resentment among local
Muslims by streamlining the province's tax system?
... that when Central Methodist Church(pictured) in
Eastbourne was completed, some worshippers were hauled to the top of the spire in a box to eat a celebratory breakfast?
... that during one of his campaigns, the troops of
Umayyad general Sulayman ibn Hisham suffered so much due to disease and famine that many defected to the
Byzantines and converted to
Christianity?
... in January 1944,
fighters of No. 73 Wing participated in the two largest raids mounted by the
RAAF to that time, attacking targets in
New Britain?
... that with the money his aunt paid him not to attend university, which she considered a den of vice, Thomas Coke travelled to
Italy, where the wife of
Bonnie Prince Charles fell in love with him?
... that for 14 years Moira Hoey played a character on television considered "the quintessential Irish mammy"?
... that physicist Gunnar Nordström's early death may have been caused by his passion for radioactivity and consequent use of water containing radioactive matter for
sauna baths?
... that Howard Lester bought
Williams-Sonoma in 1976 when it had four stores and sales of US$4 million and grew the company to annual sales of US$3.4 billion at 600 stores, including the
Pottery Barn chain?
... that
Dinamo Zagreb footballer Mateo Kovačić became the youngest ever goalscorer in the
Prva HNL in November 2010 at the age of 16 years and 198 days?
... that John Mills Houston, a stage actor, was one of 19 men selected to act as President
Woodrow Wilson's honor guard during World War I?
... that five of the seven men killed when the St Ives Lifeboat was wrecked in January 1939 were survivors of a previous
lifeboat wreck in January 1938?
12:00, 27 November 2010 (UTC)
... that the 72-metre (236 ft) tall
Laboe Naval Memorial(pictured) by the architect Gustav August Munzer was confiscated by the British Army after World War II?
... that although the Black Carts Turret Roman fortification is connected to
Hadrian's Wall, it was probably built before the wall itself?
... that No. 71 Wing RAAF was active to the last day of
World War II, flying its final mission only hours before news arrived of the Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945?
... that, in the late 8th and early 9th centuries, the
Maya city of Sacul was one of the few kingdoms in the southeastern
Petén region to use its own
Emblem Glyph?
... that in the aftermath of the unsuccessful
January Uprising, Polish insurgent Zygmunt Padlewski was captured and executed by the Russian authorities?
... that
Guineansocialist politician Barry III was nicknamed "Little Elephant", due to the similarities of his political programme with that of
Sékou Touré, whose nickname was "Elephant"?
... that episodes of The Jimmy Durante Show ended with
Durante's catchphrase, "Good night, Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are!" – a reference to his deceased first wife?
... that then-unknown singer
Estelle featured on DJ Skitz's debut album in 2001?
... that in 1929 the
Hudson Motor Car Company ranked third in total U.S. production by targeting budget minded buyers, but introduced the Greater Eight, a premium line of cars, at the height of the
Depression?
... that the
creator of
Kaboom!'s villainous "Mad Bomber" also programmed a series of Brain Games that have been said to improve memory?
... that actress and chanteuse Raquel Meller attempted to book a deluxe suite for her five
Pekingese on a 1926 transatlantic voyage aboard the
SS Leviathan?
12:00, 25 November 2010 (UTC)
... that in defying Spanish dominance, locals built a chapel at a higher elevation next to Fort Santa Cruz(pictured) in
Oran,
Algeria?
... that in hippika gymnasia or
Roman cavalry tournaments, riders wearing elaborate armour (helmet pictured) competed in teams to reenact battles from mythology such as those between the
Greeks and
Amazons?
... that in March 1994, the
communist-led Indian People's Front rallied tens of thousands of barefoot, starving workers, some of whom walked more than 100 kilometres (62 mi) to reach the
venue?
... that Norwegian
hardingfele fiddler Arne Bjørndal played in more than 600 weddings and gave more than 1,000 concerts?
... that disputes between rival railway companies during the building of the Cleveland Railway became so intense that they led to a "battle" on the
River Tees?
... that the 1960 congress of the Popular Socialist Youth was the first occasion at which the
Cuban motto "Fatherland or Death" was displayed in print?
... that Ōkōchi Sansō(pictured), the villa of the Japanese film star
Denjirō Ōkōchi, contains several buildings designated cultural properties by the
Japanese government?
... that Henry Lambert of the
Royal Navy fought the 36-gun French privateer Psyché twice in the same year with two different ships, drawing the first battle and winning the second?
... that James Charles Fahey started self-publishing The Ships and Aircraft of the United States Fleet when he thought editors were "butchering" his manuscripts?
... that in his
European Cup debut, German football goalkeeper Jens Ramme conceded 6 goals in 45 minutes, turning a 5–1 lead for
Dynamo Dresden into a 7–5 defeat?
... that
brandy and
wine seized from a Dutch ship on 18 August 1779 changed hands during the night, as the captain of the Monsieur and the squadron leader,
John Paul Jones, both claimed it for themselves?
12:00, 23 November 2010 (UTC)
... that the Crissal Thrasher(pictured) is a bird that runs more than it flies?
... that when the wife of the owner of Kapetanovo Castle in
Serbia was told that it had to be sold, she was so devastated that she poured
gasoline on herself and burned to death?
... that Theodore W. Kheel's deals ended various strikes in
New York City, but Mayor
Ed Koch blamed Kheel for overly generous pay packages that led to the city's fiscal crisis in the 1970s?
... that the
Finnish novel Puhdistus (Purge) by
Sofi Oksanen has won awards in Finland and France but had mixed reviews in Estonia, where the story takes place?
... that
executionerRobert Baxter, who was blind in one eye, once caused his assistant to fall through a trapdoor along with the man sentenced to death by
hanging?
... that the 1932 Changma earthquake in the
China resulted in a surface
rupture of approximately 116 km (72 mi), the largest rupture observed for a reverse-
slip event in Asia in the 20th century?
... that HIP 13044 b(artist's impression pictured), discovered in November 2010, is the first known case of a planet which originated outside of our galaxy, but then got absorbed into it?
... that Thomas Hooman's obituary in The Times claimed that he scored the winning goal in the
1872 FA Cup Final, contradicting all known contemporary newspaper reports on the match?
... that the
Crusher is a 13,200-pound (6,000 kg)
autonomous robot capable of climbing 4-foot (1.2 m) walls and crossing 6.5-foot (2.0 m) trenches?
... that the city of Guanajuato,
Mexico, is filled with narrow alleys, cobblestone streets and thoroughfares that are partially or fully underground (tunnel pictured)?
... that the Areopagus sermon was the most dramatic and fullest speech of the missionary career of
Apostle Paul?
... that hangmen brothers William and John Billington formed England's primary
execution duo until John fell through an open trapdoor on the gallows and died?
... that Tel Zeror, an archaeological
tel in the
Sharon Plain,
Israel, was excavated by a Japanese expedition in the 1960s?
... that St Matthew's Church, Langford, Oxfordshire has two
Anglo-Saxon carved stone reliefs of the
Crucifixion, and that in one of them Christ's left and right arms have later been swapped over (pictured)?
... that after winning the Welsh heavyweight boxing title on
Boxing Day, Tom Norris held onto the title for just 100 days before being beaten by Dick Power?
... that
Revolution Software co-founder
Tony Warriner created the 1986 video game Obsidian when he should have been revising his school exams, causing him to fail them all?
... that a myth from
Choiseul Island has a man who betrayed a tribal chief punished by suffocation by the
flatulence caused by the people around him eating the kernels of the Tahitian Chestnut tree?
... that despite the construction of modern office and apartment buildings and the
1985 Mexico City earthquake, Colonia Roma still contains 1,100 of the mansions built there in the early 20th century?
... that in 1972,
Denver voters approved a
bond issue to build a performance hall for the Denver Symphony Orchestra, which played in theaters and auditoriums for its first 44 years?
... that on 6 April 1945,
B-25 Mitchells of No. 79 Wing RAAF bombed the Japanese cruiser Isuzu, claiming two hits without loss despite anti-aircraft fire and frontal attacks by enemy fighters?
... that in 8,000
BCE the Paiján people of northern
Peru used needle-like
projectile points mounted on hollow shafts of cane or reed as harpoons to catch fish?
... that Latin American public beach resorts known as balnearios can be highly politicized?
... that a spheromak is a stable ring of hot
plasma that's been described as the electrical equivalent of a
smoke ring?
... that before the
Battle of North Borneo, No. 77 Wing RAAF surgically attacked targets at
Labuan as few as 100 m (330 ft) from Allied demolition teams laying charges on the invasion beach?
... that the armor of the Fusō-class battleships was incapable of stopping their own shells?
... that William Austin Burt was the first to invent a workable typewriter in America, as well as a workable solar compass(pictured), a solar use surveying instrument, and an equatorial sextant, a precision navigational aid to determine with one observation the location of a ship at sea?
... that the name of Ghardaïa in northern-central
Algeria has its origins in a female saint named
Daïa who lived in a cave (ghār) in the
M'zab valley?
... that
World War II canteen assistant Tommy Brown and two sailors boarded
U-559 in order to retrieve documents which would later help break the
Enigma code?
... that in
Rolling Stones guitarist
Keith Richards' memoir Life, Richards makes unflattering claims about
Mick Jagger, but adds "I love the man dearly; I'm still his mate"?
... that
Nevada GovernorDenver S. Dickerson resisted pressure to stop the interracial boxing match of defending champion
Jack Johnson and later supervised Johnson's federal prison sentence?
... that the Australian town of Tumbulgum was the third town in the state of
New South Wales to agree that retail outlets will not provide disposable plastic shopping bags?
... that a Chinese police officer's son, convinced that he would avoid facing
criminal consequences after hitting a
pedestrian, yelled "My dad is Li Gang!"?
... that the California Voting Rights Act makes it easier for minority groups in California to prove that their votes are being diluted in "
at-large" elections?
... that American Baptist missionary George J. Geis was working at the Kachin Bible Training School he had established in Kutkai at the time of his death in 1936?
... that the newly named extinct prawn Aciculopoda is the third unambiguous fossil
decapod from before the
Mesozoic?
... that FBI informant Angela Calomiris donated
US$50 of government money to the legal defense fund for
CPUSA leaders before testifying against them in court?
... that the upcoming film My Idiot Brother went into production unusually quickly for an
independent film, with a first cut to be completed less than a year after the script was picked up?
... that William Dennison Clark, whose "wretched blunder" in 1905 ended
Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak in
football, killed himself 27 years later, reportedly expressing the hope to atone for his error?
... that Mikhail Beketov, a Russian journalist who opposed construction of the
Moscow – Saint Petersburg motorway, was beaten up by unknown assailants in November 2008, leaving him wheelchair-bound?
... that a series of diplomatic struggles between the major Mediterranean powers of the 15th century culminated in newly crowned
Mehmed II ordering
his first invasion of Albania?
... that a 3,000 ft (910 m)
breakwater built by the
British to protect its Navy in the 19th century shelters the Braye Harbour?
... that Ayame Koike was one of three recipients of the Judges' Special Acting Award from the Japan Movie Critics Awards in recognition of their performance in Always Zoku Sanchōme no Yūhi?
... that since the 1890s, a warmer climate has caused Breiðamerkurjökull(pictured), an outlet glacier of the larger glacier of
Vatnajökull, to rapidly retreat?
... that a malfunctioning starting gate at the
lugevenue during the men's doubles event at the
1972 Winter Olympics in
Sapporo would lead to the only tie in Olympic luge history?
... that the Okomu and Cross River national parks in
Nigeria, both home to many rare species including
chimpanzees, are both increasingly threatened by illegal forestry?
... that presenter
Natasha Fatah said she broke down in tears in response to her interviewees' stories about being a refugee during the recording of the
CBC Radio One program Promised Land?
... that Johanna Bugge Olsen was convicted of treason for having printed some "un-national" material in Arbeidet during
WWII?
... that one definition of judicial bias in Singapore is that a "reasonable and fair-minded person" who is present in
court and knows all the relevant facts suspects that a
fair trial is not possible?
... that on 21 June 2001, on the Mount Newman railway, a
BHP Billiton iron ore train consisting of 682 cars broke the world record for the heaviest train, weighing 99,734 tons and being 7.3 kilometres long?
... that when playing for the
Chicago Bulls in 1985, Quintin Dailey complained that
Michael Jordan received more attention from the team's coaches, arguing that he was "a player who likes to shine a little bit myself"?
... that in the 16th century people convicted of
sedition had their ears nailed to the
pillory in Norwich Market, and when their pillory time was completed their ears were cut off?
... that Jule Sugarman helped design and administer the
Head Start Program, which has served 27 million American children from low-income families since its inception in 1965?
... that West Shore, a magazine published from 1875 to 1891 in
Portland,
Oregon, was well known for its illustrations of scenery, architecture, and commerce of the
Pacific Northwest?
... that the SimplySiti cosmetic line was founded by and named after
Malaysian singer
Siti Nurhaliza, and some of its products are named after her recordings?
... that after hanging for nineteen years in a staff cafeteria and eleven in a living room,
Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri's painting Warlugulong sold at auction in 2007 for a record-breaking
A$2.4 million?
... that American burglar Johnny Hope, the son of
another burglar, may have been part of his father's gang that robbed the Manhattan Bank in 1878, netting nearly $3 million in cash and securities?
... that
AmericannovelistHarold "Hal" King earned the title "the crown prince of suspense" with the publication of his 1979 anti-
Nazi thriller Closing Ceremonies?
... that
Soviet Premier
Nikita Khrushchev once proposed a major dam on the Bzyb River(pictured), but dropped the idea when he learned it would affect the beach at his favorite resort of
Pitsunda?
... that the "secretive character" of the Beggar Looking Through His Hat(pictured), attributed to 17th-century artist Jacques Bellange, may have appealed to its former owner, American
KGB spy
Michael Straight?
... that, referring to Che Guevara T-shirts and other clothing (jacket pictured),
Aleida Guevara said that Che "probably would have been delighted to see his face on the breasts of so many beautiful women"?
... that an early example of the Berliner Helicopter(pictured) was thought to have potential as a "flying
torpedo" to be used to hold cities for
ransom?
... that, because of a lifelong medical condition that may be
Proteus syndrome, Mandy Sellars' legs and feet weigh about 210 lb (95 kg), while her upper body only weighs about 84 lb (38 kg)?
... that film studies are less concerned with
filmmaking than with exploring the narrative, artistic, cultural, economic, and political implications of cinema?
... that the Cloud Break mine project, worth
A$2 billion, was in danger of not being approved after the discovery of the incredibly rare
Night Parrot in the area?
... that the large ritual
E-Group complex northeast of the ancient
acropolis in the
Maya city of El Chal(altar pictured) in
Guatemala was once the city centre?
... that the body of amateur
cricketerHenry Arkwright, who was killed by an
avalanche in 1866, was found 31 years later missing its head and both feet?
... that the seeds of Ipomoea violacea(pictured) contain several indole alkaloids having
LSD-like hallucinogenic properties, and therefore were used in
Aztec rituals?
... that remarks by Hall Thompson that "we don't discriminate in every other area except blacks" before the
1990 PGA Championship led
golf's governing bodies to ban holding tournaments at all-white clubs?
... that Jews are prohibited from praying at the alleged tomb of
Nahmanides, a foremost medieval rabbinic scholar and
kabbalist?
... that in response to the banning of the niqāb in Egypt, students protested by wearing protective face masks?
... that when A. Skjegstad was hired by Aftenposten, he became one of the few journalists in
Norway to go from a labour newspaper to a high-profile conservative newspaper?
... that U.S. President
George H. W. Bush nominated Alfred C. Sikes to be chairperson of the
FCC instead of Sherrie Marshall because Sikes was thought to have a better relationship with
Congress?
... that
Talyllyn Railway locomotives No. 3 Sir Haydn and No. 4 Edward Thomas both hold the unusual distinction of carrying the same number through the ownership of four different railway companies?
... that discretionary trusts in English law have been described as "powers in the nature of trusts" because they cross the traditional distinction between trusts and powers?
... that Gee Jon became the first person in the United States to be executed in a
gas chamber, after Nevada State Prison officials found that pumping the poison directly into his
cell did not work?
... that George Cain's book Blueschild Baby was called "the most important work of fiction by an Afro-American since Native Son" for its portrayal of "a world that only black people can fully comprehend"?
... that although the fungus Aseroe coccinea was characterized in 1989, its validation as a
species was delayed until 2007 because the initial description was not in
Latin?
... that Sirocco(pictured), an endangered
flightless parrot, gained fame when he was caught on video attempting to
mate with the back of a
zoologist's head?
... that the Seelbach Hotel in
Louisville,
Kentucky, was frequented by
Al Capone, who is said to have once avoided police by escaping through secret tunnels in the hotel?
... that soon after the
ocean linerSS Utopia collided with the battleship
HMS Anson, resulting in 564 deaths near
Gibraltar in 1891, the partially submerged wreckage was involved in another collision?
... that the recently restored Wara Wara (1930) is the only known surviving
Boliviansilent feature film?
... that Anglo-Saxon nobleman Ælfric Cild married into the powerful family of the
ealdorman of Mercia, and succeeded him in office before being expelled by the end of two years?
... that actor
Dax Shepard received strong reviews for both his comedic and dramatic performance in "No Good Deed", an episode of the
NBC series Parenthood?
... that Reinhard Mohn took what was left of his family's publishing company (its premises demolished by
Allied bombing in World War II) and turned it into the sixth-largest media conglomerate in the world?
... that Alexei Kudrin was declared "Finance Minister of the Year 2010" by Euromoney magazine?
... that several
MPs have signed an
Early Day Motion to stop hunters from killing wild animals in Britain after the supposed death of the Emperor of Exmoor, a
red stag (Cervus elaphus)?
... that
politicianJames R. Lewis was involved in plans to build a
laser gun "designed to blind people", sell it to a
Guatemalan colonel, and use the proceeds to build a
laetrile factory in South America?
... that despite having to teach out of a poorly converted hotel building, Mary Adams transformed the Wesleyan Female College into a highly regarded institution?
... that the New York Times described Dick Miles as "perhaps the greatest
table tennis player the United States has ever produced" after Miles won 10 national championships in the sport?
... that a Leo Cullum cartoon published in the first illustrated issue of The New Yorker printed after the
September 11 attacks had the caption "I thought I'd never laugh again. Then I saw your jacket"?
... that Frankism, an 18th-century movement derived from
Judaism, maintained that the best way to emulate God—and one's most important personal responsibility—was to transgress every taboo?
... that
Detroit mayor William G. Thompson was considerably pummeled in a sensational public fight with his brother-in-law, who accused him of talking about his wife in barrooms?
... that by 2001, there were over 1,000 research studies regarding the children's television show Sesame Street's efficacy, impact, and effect on American culture?
... that
R&B singer Tobi Lark's most successful recording was issued under a different name, became very popular in
Wigan, and has recently been compared to a
Shakespearesonnet?
... that
Americanboogie-woogie pianist Booker T. Laury appeared in two films, but did not record his debut album until he was almost eighty years of age?
... that over 110 people were killed when SS Vestris sank in 1928?
... that
Winslow Homer's painting Right and Left(pictured) was named by a hunter who recognized the sportsman's achievement of killing two birds in succession with a double-barreled shotgun?
... that one of the earliest driving clubs in Britain, the Bensington Driving Club, was also called the Black and White Club, after the Black Dog and White Hart public houses where it met?
... that due of a lack of an official
UK Singles Chart before 1969 the
BBC averaged four different charts in the early 1960s, none of which are now regarded as the canonical source?
... that despite numerous proposed changes to the Constitution of
American Samoa, voters in today's constitutional referendum cannot vote on each of them individually?
... that the NSB Class 72 trains could at first not be used on the high-speed
Gardermoen Line because their electronics interfered with the signaling system?
... that the British Engineerium, created by a
steam enthusiast who started with
£300, was later bought for £3 million by another enthusiast?
2 November 2010
18:00, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
... that World Heritage Sites in Cuba include two national parks and examples of the island's historic tobacco and coffee economy (Viñales Valley pictured)?
... that prominent Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, imprisoned in Iran's notorious
Evin Prison, went on a month-long
hunger strike to protest her ill-treatment?
... that
Norway's train radio system Scanet was replaced by
GSM-R after only 13 years of operation?
... that the traditionalist
Italian wine producer Giacomo Conterno has long held the motto that at the time of bottling, their
barolos should be "undrinkable"?
12:00, 2 November 2010 (UTC)
... that most of the approximately 300
Belgian soldiers killed in the explosion of the Fort de Loncin(entrance pictured) remain buried in the wreckage of the fort?
... that each book in the Epic Horse series has a new protagonist and setting?
... that the
Maya city of La Blanca in northern
Guatemala features an unusually well-built palace complex for such a small city?
... that Nunavut Day, originally celebrated on April 1, was moved to July 9 in 2001 because the former date was not considered to be significant enough to the people of
Nunavut?
... that the process of cheese ripening determines the texture and flavour of
cheese?
... that during the Siege of Kandahar,
Nader Shah told his
Bakhtiari troops that they would each be given 1,000
rupees and a share of the spoils if their assault was successful?
... that eight players selected in the 1980 NBA Draft went on to became head coaches in
the league?
... that Jeffrey Grosset of Grosset Wines led a movement in the 1980s to stop
Australian wines that do not contain
Riesling grapes from using the word "Riesling" on their labels?
... that politician Olav Steinnes, who dabbled in
nuclear physics as a
hobby, claimed to have made "the most important discoveries ever made in history by a single man"?
... that the removal of Omar Gjesteby as a deputy trade union leader in 1940 was partially investigated by his son, a
Norwegian police investigator, some years later?