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 just three days after announcing he would retire in August, John Lipsky became Acting Managing Director of the
IMF when
Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned?
... that the majority trained with Artisans d'Angkor in
Siem Reap are uneducated young Cambodians from rural areas?
... that
abortion provider Susan Wicklund has been obliged to wear disguises to get past protesters in airports and at her workplace?
... that the comforts of the Association Residence Nursing Home, now the largest youth hostel in North America, have caused many people to wish they were old women?
30 May 2011
16:00, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the Smålandsstövare(pictured) originates from dogs brought home by soldiers in the 16th century wars of the
Swedish Empire?
... that botanist Alfred Byrd Graf's richly illustrated books included some of the more than 100 plant species he had discovered on his worldwide journeys, including the first known
white African Violet?
... that in the early stages of
World War II the steamer Refah from neutral Turkey was torpedoed by an unidentified
submarine in the eastern
Mediterranean killing 168 of the 200 people aboard?
... that a planet was discovered around the star MOA-2009-BLG-387L after it eclipsed a background star, refracting the star's light in a process called
gravitational microlensing?
... that vermouth was originally consumed as a medicinal drink, but is now popular as a
cocktail ingredient?
28 May 2011
16:00, 28 May 2011 (UTC)
... that although Laotian women(pictured) are constitutionally equal to Laotian men, due to inequalities in education only 63% are
literate, compared with 83% of Laotian men?
... that the orbit of WASP-43's one planet, which has the smallest orbit known amongst planets of its kind, has been attributed to the star's unusually low mass?
... that, due to the
California gold rush, the Seated Liberty dollar became scarce in American commerce in the early 1850s, only to cause complaints due to a surplus of the coins by the end of the decade?
... that the Fasci Italiani all'Estero, the
fascist movement for Italian expatriates, which was led by Giuseppe Bastianini, claimed to have groups in over 40 countries in 1925?
... that the approximately 1,400
caves of
China's Longmen Grottoes contain about 100,000
statues, some of which are only 1 inch (25 mm) high, while the largest
Buddha statue (pictured) is 57 feet (17 m) in height?
... that although the
Brazilian rodent Drymoreomys has traits that suggest it lives in trees, it is usually captured on the ground?
... that 84-year-old Gus Douglass, who was first elected as
West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner in 1964, is the longest-serving state agriculture commissioner in United States history?
... that residents of a street in the
British city of
Preston went without council services for six weeks as part of a BBC documentary?
... that having "killed" her
alter ego Sasha Fierce in 2010,
Beyoncé Knowles planned to create her own mix of
music genres with her fourth studio album, 4?
... that "unruly" diplomat
Henry Labouchère was the first person to publish Truth in Britain?
25 May 2011
16:00, 25 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the
Lorca Castle(pictured) of medieval origin built in Lorca,
Spain, between the 9th and 15th centuries suffered serious damages to its walls and the Espolón Tower during the
2011 earthquake?
... that the scene featuring
Ursula Andress in her iconic white bikini in the 1962
James Bond film Dr. No has been voted No. 1 in "the 100 Greatest Sexy Moments" of cinema?
... that taaffeite, one of the world's rarest
gemstones, is the first mineral known to contain both
beryllium and
magnesium as essential components?
... that Will Rogers'sengraved portrait Queen Elizabeth Standing in a Room with a Lattice Window(pictured) is based on a drawing by
Isaac Oliver?
... that the Franklin House, built on a lot once owned by the
University of Georgia, has held a hotel and a hardware company, and now leases office space to the university?
... that families of farmers and fishermen affected by submergence of the Upper Wardha Dam, in
Maharashtra resorted to agitation, seeking fishing rights in the reservoir as an economic incentive?
... that the
Sixty Pillar Mosque located in Bagergat in south
Bangladesh is one of the oldest mosques in the country, and is described as "historic mosque representing the Golden Era of Muslim Bengal"?
... that according to
Hindu mythology, the god-king
Indra was cursed with having a thousand vagina marks on his body for having extra-marital sex with Ahalya(pictured)?
... that the 15.5-metre (51 ft)
floodgate that protected Fudai, Iwate, Japan, from the
recent tsunami was derided as a waste of public funds when it was built in the 1970s?
... that
Adam Mansbach's bedtime-book Go the Fuck to Sleep was No. 1 on
Amazon.com's bestseller list on May 12, 2011—a month before its release—thanks to free advance copies emailed via
PDFs?
... that before appearing in the episode "Eagleton", actress
Parker Posey(pictured) long wanted to appear on the
NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, and grew frustrated by the time taken to be asked?
... that when Father Raymond V. Kirk was appointed president of
Duquesne University at the age of 38, he was one of the youngest university presidents in the United States?
... that 20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence's
Best Actress Academy Award nomination, which made her the second youngest nominee ever in that category, was one of a number of accolades received by Winter's Bone?
... that industrialist Wellington Burt, once among the richest Americans, left his fortune to
descendants yet unborn in his lifetime; his
will's conditions were met in 2010—92 years after his death?
01:15, 19 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the discovery of the fossil giant ant Titanomyrma(pictured with a hummingbird) in
Wyoming indicates that warmth-loving
fauna spread through the north between Europe and America during hot spells in the
Eocene?
... that according to folklore, descendants of the royal family of
Abomey who built the Royal Palaces of Abomey in
Benin are the progeny of Princess Aligbonon of
Tado and a panther?
... that Linwood Pendleton discovered that 49% of U.S. economic output comes from
estuaries and
coasts, which account for only 13% of its land?
... that the newly discovered mineral krotite likely was one of the earliest minerals formed in the
Solar System?
... that Rabbi Nosson Meir Wachtfogel,
mashgiach (spiritual supervisor) of the
Lakewood Yeshiva, was so removed from worldly concerns that he called his house an "inn" and his furniture "lumber"?
18 May 2011
17:30, 18 May 2011 (UTC)
... that "Musica proibita" by Italian composer Stanislao Gastaldon(pictured) was the first of six songs for which he also wrote the lyrics under the
pseudonym "Flick-Flock"?
... that the Lacandon Jungle is one of the last forests in North America large enough to support
jaguars?
... that Anna, the first wife of 13th-century
Bulgarian tsarIvan Asen II, was retired to a monastery and became a nun shortly after her husband's accession?
... that
Easwaran's Dhammapada states that the joy in the
Buddha's message is "that he has found a way for everyone, not just great sages, to put an end to sorrow"?
... that in 2008,
Burmese88 Generation democracy activist Mie Mie was sentenced to 65 years imprisonment for "illegally using electronic media" and "forming an illegal organization"?
... that RAF Air Vice-Marshal William "Paddy" Harbison's 1952 report on Korean War air combat tactics was used as a strategy guide for a 1999
computer game?
... that prior to Ghana's independence, the Ghana Immigration Service was known as the Immigration and Passport Unit and was a unit under the Colonial Police Force of the
Gold Coast?
... that the state of Chiapas produces most of
Mexico's coffee and hydroelectric power?
... that imprisoned
Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence was "kidnapped" by his own men after being granted two days' leave to attend his daughter's wedding?
06:00, 16 May 2011 (UTC)
... that commissioner Bart Chilton(pictured), who sports long hair and cowboy boots, has been called "the modern-day equivalent of
Eliot Ness" for wanting the
CFTC to prosecute fraud?
... that since 2007, the Narcotics Control Board of Ghana, through its collaboration with the Operation West Bridge project, has intercepted illicit drugs worth
£214 million at the
Kotoka International Airport?
... that the POLYGON experiment, conducted in the 1970s, was the first experiment to establish the existence of so-called "
mesoscaleeddies", giving rise to the "mesoscale revolution" in
oceanography?
... that the wildlife of Zimbabwe(flame lily pictured) is collectively called the "Wildlife Estate", which covers about 12.5% of the total land area of
Zimbabwe?
... that
extrasolar planetKOI-428b was confirmed as a planet after astronomers compiled the equivalent to one night of observations on the planet using a 1.93m telescope?
... that the German
destroyerErich Giese managed to torpedo the British destroyer
HMS Jersey during the night of 6/7 December 1939 without ever being spotted?
... that most of 75 was recorded on
Joe Zawinul's 75th birthday and about two months before he died?
... that the perpetrator of the Kaycee Nicolehoax was investigated by the
FBI but charges were never filed because the financial loss was not large enough?
... that Beckington Castle, built in the early 17th century, was not called a castle until 1839?
... that Antiguan politician Vere Bird, Jr. became Minister of Science, Technology and Communications in 1996, despite an earlier report recommending that he never be allowed to hold public office again?
... that Gene Schoor, the author of more than forty "juvenile" sports biographies, was awarded
US$5000 damages in a suit against boxing champion
Rocky Marciano for being punched by him?
... that Sir George Gibb, head of the
British government's former Road Board, was accused of having delayed the construction of new roads because he had been a
railwayman?
06:00, 11 May 2011 (UTC)
... that in 2010, the Waterside Inn(pictured) became the first restaurant outside of France to hold three
Michelin stars for 25 years?
... that the 14 workers that constructed Wyborn Reef Light in 1938 had to live in tents on a 50 by 50 feet (15 m × 15 m) wooden platform, 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) above
tiger shark infested water?
... that the former British
royal yachtAlexandra(pictured), sold to
Norway in 1925, was sunk by Luftwaffe bombers when she tried to escape to the United Kingdom
in 1940?
... that a luxury hotel and resort on the islet of
Sveti Stefan,
Montenegro(pictured) has been described as a "'70s Adriatic playground on a hilly peninsula that's barely connected to the mainland"?
... that during the terms of Governor
Jeb Bush, the Republican-dominated Florida Council of 100 began taking an activist role, funding studies and proposing solutions to critical issues?
... that the Teufelsturm, a prominent rock tower and
climbing rock about 40 metres (130 ft) high in
Saxon Switzerland, is referred to as the "Symbol of Saxon Climbing"?
... that after
sopranoGianna Galli'sopera career ended at the age of 40 due to problems with her
vocal cords, she had a second successful career as a talent manager of singers in Italy?
... that Phaeacius, a very lazy
jumping spider, waits motionless until prey walks almost into its jaws?
12:00, 8 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the government of
Skopje passed a law to preserve the Ristiḱ Palace(pictured) as a "Cultural Heritage" when it was threatened with destruction for illegal infringement?
... that at its peak in the early 20th century, the Matador Ranch had 90,000 head of
cattle on nearly 900,000 acres in parts of four
West Texas counties?
... that basketball player Othyus Jeffers and his two older brothers, Gerome Allen and Edmund Allen, were all shot during three separate shooting incidents in
their hometown, but only Jeffers survived?
... that the earliest history of Alishang in
Afghanistan is traced to the
Mughal EmperorBabur, when in the 1520s he hunted wildlife in the mountains there before returning to
India?
... that an
extremophile bacterium, Paracoccus denitrificans, has been found to grow even under 400,000 times Earth's gravity, a fact having implications on the feasibility of
panspermia?
... that Debedeavon, the Laughing King of the Accawmacke
Virginia Indian tribe, and an Englishman whom he adopted named Thomas Savage, warned the settlers at
Jamestown of the impending
1622 Massacre?
... that Russell and Sigurd Varian, who played childhood pranks on family guests by giving them minor electric shocks, went on to invent the
klystron and become pioneers of
microwave technology?
... that the buildings in Jižní Město, the Czech Republic's largest housing estate, were color-coded to facilitate orientation?
12:00, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
... that
shea trees, most heavily concentrated in Burkina Faso, are referred to as "women's gold" (woman processing shea nuts pictured) by the locals for their properties?
... that although
Earth, Wind & Fire's song "Reasons" has never charted, it is included on several dozen albums including most of the group's greatest hits
compilation albums?
... that next-generation DDR4 computer memory, developed since 2005, is the first of its family to discard
multi-channel architecture, and the first to include
3D silicon stacking in its specification?
... that despite his racing career cut short by two wars,
Finnhorse trotter Eri-Aaroni(pictured) sold in 1946 for the equivalent of 680,000 euros, the all-time highest price for a horse in
Finland?
... that Nathan "Ned" Miller had two hit songs in the 1920s at the age of 22?
... that richness of the wildlife of the Central African Republic(gorilla pictured) is reflected in its about 3,600 species of plants and more than 1,000 species of birds, mammals and reptiles?
... that Alfred E. Goodey collected and commissioned paintings to record the history of
Derby?
... that
Mochtar Lubis's novel Salah Asuhan had to avoid themes of rebellion and portray the European characters in a positive light in order to be published?
... that Dragan Velić is the current President of the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija of
North Kosovo?
... that workers at the Bata shoe factory in
East Tilbury,
England, lived in "Bata-ville", a
company town complete with houses, schools, shops, sports facilities, a theatre, a post office, and its own newspaper?
... that during Operation Rhodes of January 1970, Israeli
paratroops held the Egyptian island of
Shadwan for over a day before leaving with 62 prisoners of war?
... that the design competition for Our City(pictured) caused much controversy, as the winning architect was young, inexperienced and proposed an
architectural style that
New Zealanders were unfamiliar with?
... that American sailor Ed Baird has won the
America's Cup with syndicates from
New Zealand and
Switzerland, but failed at two attempts to win it with teams from his native country?
... that the name of Fisheating Creek(pictured) is derived from the
Seminole name for the stream, Thlothlopopka-Hatchee, or "the river where fish are eaten"?
... that the M2 gas mask protected the wearer for at least five hours against the common World War I chemical weapon
phosgene?
... that the Emissions Control Technology Association (ECTA) claims that more than
$20 in healthcare savings is generated for every dollar spent on the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act?
... that despite intending to cast a 40–50 year old
Japanese actor in the upcoming Fringe episode "The Day We Died", American actor
Brad Dourif was chosen instead?
... that the Cloth of St Gereon is the oldest known European tapestry still existing?
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 just three days after announcing he would retire in August, John Lipsky became Acting Managing Director of the
IMF when
Dominique Strauss-Kahn resigned?
... that the majority trained with Artisans d'Angkor in
Siem Reap are uneducated young Cambodians from rural areas?
... that
abortion provider Susan Wicklund has been obliged to wear disguises to get past protesters in airports and at her workplace?
... that the comforts of the Association Residence Nursing Home, now the largest youth hostel in North America, have caused many people to wish they were old women?
30 May 2011
16:00, 30 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the Smålandsstövare(pictured) originates from dogs brought home by soldiers in the 16th century wars of the
Swedish Empire?
... that botanist Alfred Byrd Graf's richly illustrated books included some of the more than 100 plant species he had discovered on his worldwide journeys, including the first known
white African Violet?
... that in the early stages of
World War II the steamer Refah from neutral Turkey was torpedoed by an unidentified
submarine in the eastern
Mediterranean killing 168 of the 200 people aboard?
... that a planet was discovered around the star MOA-2009-BLG-387L after it eclipsed a background star, refracting the star's light in a process called
gravitational microlensing?
... that vermouth was originally consumed as a medicinal drink, but is now popular as a
cocktail ingredient?
28 May 2011
16:00, 28 May 2011 (UTC)
... that although Laotian women(pictured) are constitutionally equal to Laotian men, due to inequalities in education only 63% are
literate, compared with 83% of Laotian men?
... that the orbit of WASP-43's one planet, which has the smallest orbit known amongst planets of its kind, has been attributed to the star's unusually low mass?
... that, due to the
California gold rush, the Seated Liberty dollar became scarce in American commerce in the early 1850s, only to cause complaints due to a surplus of the coins by the end of the decade?
... that the Fasci Italiani all'Estero, the
fascist movement for Italian expatriates, which was led by Giuseppe Bastianini, claimed to have groups in over 40 countries in 1925?
... that the approximately 1,400
caves of
China's Longmen Grottoes contain about 100,000
statues, some of which are only 1 inch (25 mm) high, while the largest
Buddha statue (pictured) is 57 feet (17 m) in height?
... that although the
Brazilian rodent Drymoreomys has traits that suggest it lives in trees, it is usually captured on the ground?
... that 84-year-old Gus Douglass, who was first elected as
West Virginia Agriculture Commissioner in 1964, is the longest-serving state agriculture commissioner in United States history?
... that residents of a street in the
British city of
Preston went without council services for six weeks as part of a BBC documentary?
... that having "killed" her
alter ego Sasha Fierce in 2010,
Beyoncé Knowles planned to create her own mix of
music genres with her fourth studio album, 4?
... that "unruly" diplomat
Henry Labouchère was the first person to publish Truth in Britain?
25 May 2011
16:00, 25 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the
Lorca Castle(pictured) of medieval origin built in Lorca,
Spain, between the 9th and 15th centuries suffered serious damages to its walls and the Espolón Tower during the
2011 earthquake?
... that the scene featuring
Ursula Andress in her iconic white bikini in the 1962
James Bond film Dr. No has been voted No. 1 in "the 100 Greatest Sexy Moments" of cinema?
... that taaffeite, one of the world's rarest
gemstones, is the first mineral known to contain both
beryllium and
magnesium as essential components?
... that Will Rogers'sengraved portrait Queen Elizabeth Standing in a Room with a Lattice Window(pictured) is based on a drawing by
Isaac Oliver?
... that the Franklin House, built on a lot once owned by the
University of Georgia, has held a hotel and a hardware company, and now leases office space to the university?
... that families of farmers and fishermen affected by submergence of the Upper Wardha Dam, in
Maharashtra resorted to agitation, seeking fishing rights in the reservoir as an economic incentive?
... that the
Sixty Pillar Mosque located in Bagergat in south
Bangladesh is one of the oldest mosques in the country, and is described as "historic mosque representing the Golden Era of Muslim Bengal"?
... that according to
Hindu mythology, the god-king
Indra was cursed with having a thousand vagina marks on his body for having extra-marital sex with Ahalya(pictured)?
... that the 15.5-metre (51 ft)
floodgate that protected Fudai, Iwate, Japan, from the
recent tsunami was derided as a waste of public funds when it was built in the 1970s?
... that
Adam Mansbach's bedtime-book Go the Fuck to Sleep was No. 1 on
Amazon.com's bestseller list on May 12, 2011—a month before its release—thanks to free advance copies emailed via
PDFs?
... that before appearing in the episode "Eagleton", actress
Parker Posey(pictured) long wanted to appear on the
NBC comedy Parks and Recreation, and grew frustrated by the time taken to be asked?
... that when Father Raymond V. Kirk was appointed president of
Duquesne University at the age of 38, he was one of the youngest university presidents in the United States?
... that 20-year-old Jennifer Lawrence's
Best Actress Academy Award nomination, which made her the second youngest nominee ever in that category, was one of a number of accolades received by Winter's Bone?
... that industrialist Wellington Burt, once among the richest Americans, left his fortune to
descendants yet unborn in his lifetime; his
will's conditions were met in 2010—92 years after his death?
01:15, 19 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the discovery of the fossil giant ant Titanomyrma(pictured with a hummingbird) in
Wyoming indicates that warmth-loving
fauna spread through the north between Europe and America during hot spells in the
Eocene?
... that according to folklore, descendants of the royal family of
Abomey who built the Royal Palaces of Abomey in
Benin are the progeny of Princess Aligbonon of
Tado and a panther?
... that Linwood Pendleton discovered that 49% of U.S. economic output comes from
estuaries and
coasts, which account for only 13% of its land?
... that the newly discovered mineral krotite likely was one of the earliest minerals formed in the
Solar System?
... that Rabbi Nosson Meir Wachtfogel,
mashgiach (spiritual supervisor) of the
Lakewood Yeshiva, was so removed from worldly concerns that he called his house an "inn" and his furniture "lumber"?
18 May 2011
17:30, 18 May 2011 (UTC)
... that "Musica proibita" by Italian composer Stanislao Gastaldon(pictured) was the first of six songs for which he also wrote the lyrics under the
pseudonym "Flick-Flock"?
... that the Lacandon Jungle is one of the last forests in North America large enough to support
jaguars?
... that Anna, the first wife of 13th-century
Bulgarian tsarIvan Asen II, was retired to a monastery and became a nun shortly after her husband's accession?
... that
Easwaran's Dhammapada states that the joy in the
Buddha's message is "that he has found a way for everyone, not just great sages, to put an end to sorrow"?
... that in 2008,
Burmese88 Generation democracy activist Mie Mie was sentenced to 65 years imprisonment for "illegally using electronic media" and "forming an illegal organization"?
... that RAF Air Vice-Marshal William "Paddy" Harbison's 1952 report on Korean War air combat tactics was used as a strategy guide for a 1999
computer game?
... that prior to Ghana's independence, the Ghana Immigration Service was known as the Immigration and Passport Unit and was a unit under the Colonial Police Force of the
Gold Coast?
... that the state of Chiapas produces most of
Mexico's coffee and hydroelectric power?
... that imprisoned
Ulster Volunteer Force leader Gusty Spence was "kidnapped" by his own men after being granted two days' leave to attend his daughter's wedding?
06:00, 16 May 2011 (UTC)
... that commissioner Bart Chilton(pictured), who sports long hair and cowboy boots, has been called "the modern-day equivalent of
Eliot Ness" for wanting the
CFTC to prosecute fraud?
... that since 2007, the Narcotics Control Board of Ghana, through its collaboration with the Operation West Bridge project, has intercepted illicit drugs worth
£214 million at the
Kotoka International Airport?
... that the POLYGON experiment, conducted in the 1970s, was the first experiment to establish the existence of so-called "
mesoscaleeddies", giving rise to the "mesoscale revolution" in
oceanography?
... that the wildlife of Zimbabwe(flame lily pictured) is collectively called the "Wildlife Estate", which covers about 12.5% of the total land area of
Zimbabwe?
... that
extrasolar planetKOI-428b was confirmed as a planet after astronomers compiled the equivalent to one night of observations on the planet using a 1.93m telescope?
... that the German
destroyerErich Giese managed to torpedo the British destroyer
HMS Jersey during the night of 6/7 December 1939 without ever being spotted?
... that most of 75 was recorded on
Joe Zawinul's 75th birthday and about two months before he died?
... that the perpetrator of the Kaycee Nicolehoax was investigated by the
FBI but charges were never filed because the financial loss was not large enough?
... that Beckington Castle, built in the early 17th century, was not called a castle until 1839?
... that Antiguan politician Vere Bird, Jr. became Minister of Science, Technology and Communications in 1996, despite an earlier report recommending that he never be allowed to hold public office again?
... that Gene Schoor, the author of more than forty "juvenile" sports biographies, was awarded
US$5000 damages in a suit against boxing champion
Rocky Marciano for being punched by him?
... that Sir George Gibb, head of the
British government's former Road Board, was accused of having delayed the construction of new roads because he had been a
railwayman?
06:00, 11 May 2011 (UTC)
... that in 2010, the Waterside Inn(pictured) became the first restaurant outside of France to hold three
Michelin stars for 25 years?
... that the 14 workers that constructed Wyborn Reef Light in 1938 had to live in tents on a 50 by 50 feet (15 m × 15 m) wooden platform, 4 feet 6 inches (1.37 m) above
tiger shark infested water?
... that the former British
royal yachtAlexandra(pictured), sold to
Norway in 1925, was sunk by Luftwaffe bombers when she tried to escape to the United Kingdom
in 1940?
... that a luxury hotel and resort on the islet of
Sveti Stefan,
Montenegro(pictured) has been described as a "'70s Adriatic playground on a hilly peninsula that's barely connected to the mainland"?
... that during the terms of Governor
Jeb Bush, the Republican-dominated Florida Council of 100 began taking an activist role, funding studies and proposing solutions to critical issues?
... that the Teufelsturm, a prominent rock tower and
climbing rock about 40 metres (130 ft) high in
Saxon Switzerland, is referred to as the "Symbol of Saxon Climbing"?
... that after
sopranoGianna Galli'sopera career ended at the age of 40 due to problems with her
vocal cords, she had a second successful career as a talent manager of singers in Italy?
... that Phaeacius, a very lazy
jumping spider, waits motionless until prey walks almost into its jaws?
12:00, 8 May 2011 (UTC)
... that the government of
Skopje passed a law to preserve the Ristiḱ Palace(pictured) as a "Cultural Heritage" when it was threatened with destruction for illegal infringement?
... that at its peak in the early 20th century, the Matador Ranch had 90,000 head of
cattle on nearly 900,000 acres in parts of four
West Texas counties?
... that basketball player Othyus Jeffers and his two older brothers, Gerome Allen and Edmund Allen, were all shot during three separate shooting incidents in
their hometown, but only Jeffers survived?
... that the earliest history of Alishang in
Afghanistan is traced to the
Mughal EmperorBabur, when in the 1520s he hunted wildlife in the mountains there before returning to
India?
... that an
extremophile bacterium, Paracoccus denitrificans, has been found to grow even under 400,000 times Earth's gravity, a fact having implications on the feasibility of
panspermia?
... that Debedeavon, the Laughing King of the Accawmacke
Virginia Indian tribe, and an Englishman whom he adopted named Thomas Savage, warned the settlers at
Jamestown of the impending
1622 Massacre?
... that Russell and Sigurd Varian, who played childhood pranks on family guests by giving them minor electric shocks, went on to invent the
klystron and become pioneers of
microwave technology?
... that the buildings in Jižní Město, the Czech Republic's largest housing estate, were color-coded to facilitate orientation?
12:00, 5 May 2011 (UTC)
... that
shea trees, most heavily concentrated in Burkina Faso, are referred to as "women's gold" (woman processing shea nuts pictured) by the locals for their properties?
... that although
Earth, Wind & Fire's song "Reasons" has never charted, it is included on several dozen albums including most of the group's greatest hits
compilation albums?
... that next-generation DDR4 computer memory, developed since 2005, is the first of its family to discard
multi-channel architecture, and the first to include
3D silicon stacking in its specification?
... that despite his racing career cut short by two wars,
Finnhorse trotter Eri-Aaroni(pictured) sold in 1946 for the equivalent of 680,000 euros, the all-time highest price for a horse in
Finland?
... that Nathan "Ned" Miller had two hit songs in the 1920s at the age of 22?
... that richness of the wildlife of the Central African Republic(gorilla pictured) is reflected in its about 3,600 species of plants and more than 1,000 species of birds, mammals and reptiles?
... that Alfred E. Goodey collected and commissioned paintings to record the history of
Derby?
... that
Mochtar Lubis's novel Salah Asuhan had to avoid themes of rebellion and portray the European characters in a positive light in order to be published?
... that Dragan Velić is the current President of the Union of Serbian Districts and District Units of Kosovo and Metohija of
North Kosovo?
... that workers at the Bata shoe factory in
East Tilbury,
England, lived in "Bata-ville", a
company town complete with houses, schools, shops, sports facilities, a theatre, a post office, and its own newspaper?
... that during Operation Rhodes of January 1970, Israeli
paratroops held the Egyptian island of
Shadwan for over a day before leaving with 62 prisoners of war?
... that the design competition for Our City(pictured) caused much controversy, as the winning architect was young, inexperienced and proposed an
architectural style that
New Zealanders were unfamiliar with?
... that American sailor Ed Baird has won the
America's Cup with syndicates from
New Zealand and
Switzerland, but failed at two attempts to win it with teams from his native country?
... that the name of Fisheating Creek(pictured) is derived from the
Seminole name for the stream, Thlothlopopka-Hatchee, or "the river where fish are eaten"?
... that the M2 gas mask protected the wearer for at least five hours against the common World War I chemical weapon
phosgene?
... that the Emissions Control Technology Association (ECTA) claims that more than
$20 in healthcare savings is generated for every dollar spent on the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act?
... that despite intending to cast a 40–50 year old
Japanese actor in the upcoming Fringe episode "The Day We Died", American actor
Brad Dourif was chosen instead?
... that the Cloth of St Gereon is the oldest known European tapestry still existing?