From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a record of material that was recently featured on the
Main Page as part of
Did you know (DYK). Recently created
new articles , greatly expanded former
stub articles and recently promoted
good articles are eligible; you can
submit them for consideration .
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.
Current archive |
255 |
254 |
253 |
252 |
251 |
250 |
249 |
248 |
247 |
246 |
245 |
244 |
243 |
242 |
241 |
240 |
239 |
238 |
237 |
236 |
235 |
234 |
233 |
232 |
231 |
230 |
229 |
228 |
227 |
226 |
225 |
224 |
223 |
222 |
221 |
220 |
219 |
218 |
217 |
216 |
215 |
214 |
213 |
212 |
211 |
210 |
209 |
208 |
207 |
206 |
205 |
204 |
203 |
202 |
201 |
200 |
199 |
198 |
197 |
196 |
195 |
194 |
193 |
192 |
191 |
190 |
189 |
188 |
187 |
186 |
185 |
184 |
183 |
182 |
181 |
180 |
179 |
178 |
177 |
176 |
175 |
174 |
173 |
172 |
171 |
170 |
169 |
168 |
167 |
166 |
165 |
164 |
163 |
162 |
161 |
160 |
159 |
158 |
157 |
156 |
155 |
154 |
153 |
152 |
151 |
150 |
149 |
148 |
147 |
146 |
145 |
144 |
143 |
142 |
141 |
140 |
139 |
138 |
137 |
136 |
135 |
134 |
133 |
132 |
131 |
130 |
129 |
128 |
127 |
126 |
125 |
124 |
123 |
122 |
121 |
120 |
119 |
118 |
117 |
116 |
115 |
114 |
113 |
112 |
111 |
110 |
109 |
108 |
107 |
106 |
105 |
104 |
103 |
102 |
101 |
100 |
99 |
98 |
97 |
96 |
95 |
94 |
93 |
92 |
91 |
90 |
89 |
88 |
87 |
86 |
85 |
84 |
83 |
82 |
81 |
80 |
79 |
78 |
77 |
76 |
75 |
74 |
73 |
72 |
71 |
70 |
69 |
68 |
67 |
66 |
65 |
64 |
63 |
62 |
61 |
60 |
59 |
58 |
57 |
56 |
55 |
54 |
53 |
52 |
51 |
50 |
49 |
48 |
47 |
46 |
45 |
44 |
43 |
42 |
41 |
40 |
39 |
38 |
37 |
36 |
35 |
34 |
33 |
32 |
31 |
30 |
29 |
28 |
27 |
26 |
25 |
24 |
23 |
22 |
21 |
20 |
19 |
18 |
17 |
16 |
15 |
14 |
13 |
12 |
11 |
10 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1
...that the
Alexander Column (pictured) on
Palace Square in
Saint Petersburg , despite its weight of 600 tons, is set so nicely that no attachment to the base is required?
The Alexander Column in the Palace Square
...that former movie actress
Vera Ralston personally insulted
Adolf Hitler in the
1936 Winter Olympics , and won a silver medal?
...that a
circumferentor was an important tool to
surveyors for
mapping the
North American
frontier ?
...that the works of
Polish poet
Jerzy Ficowski were banned for several years in the
People's Republic of Poland , following his
criticism of the government ?
...that only one percent of the
Key West National Wildlife Refuge is above
sea level ?
...that
Christopher and Cosmas were two Japanese men who travelled the world's oceans with the English explorer
Thomas Cavendish between
1587 and
1592 ?
...that
Reverend William Mitchell was an
Anglican
missionary , and the first ordained person to provide
Christian religious services in the
Swan Valley area of the
Swan River Colony in Australia?
Rev. William Mitchell
...that
Popeye Village , where the 1980 film
Popeye was filmed, is now one of
Malta 's most popular tourist attractions?
...that a commission as an
Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska gives authority over "all
officers ,
seamen ,
tadpoles and
goldfish " under one's command?
... that the
Chartered Society of Designers is the world's largest and oldest chartered body of professional
designers , and is unique in having designers of all disciplines?
...that the
Temple Sanitarium hired the first female
anesthesiologist to work in the
U.S. , Dr. Claudia Potter, in
1906 ?
...that the
Ahmedabad Stock Exchange is the second oldest stock exchange in
India , and first functioned under a
banyan tree ?
...that in the
Finnish wilderness, a
backpacker can spend the night in a rent-free
wilderness hut ?
The Oahujoki wilderness hut in Lemmenjoki National Park, Finland
...that the
chrysargyron tax forced some
Byzantine families to sell their children into
slavery and
prostitution ?
...that
Australian Olympic medal-winning swimmer
Gary Chapman died in a fishing accident, after retiring from swimming to pursue this very hobby?
...that
spoons ,
eyeglasses , and
toothbrushes have been removed from
stomachs using
endoscopic foreign body retrieval techniques with specialized cameras?
...that in the
1930 Polish election , due to government
censorship , opposition papers were reduced to using images of
Nietzsche , because he resembled dictator
Józef Piłsudski ?
...that 19th-century German
Wilhelm Hasenclever did not live to see the political party he co-founded get its present name, the
Social Democratic Party of Germany ?
...that
Henryk Zieliński (pictured) , a modern
Polish historian who
studied in the underground university in his youth, died in mysterious circumstances?
Henryk Zielińsk
...that the
Byzantine
Komnenian army was deployed in places as far-ranging as
Italy ,
Hungary , and
Egypt , and was instrumental in the
Komnenian restoration of the empire?
...that the film
Autism Every Day , though praised by many parents of autistics, has been heavily criticized by people with
autism ?
...that
NASCAR driver
Stephen Leicht , who started racing at age 7, was unable to participate in
go-karting for 6 months after rupturing his
spleen in an accident at age 11?
...that
Heraldo Muñoz , former National Supervisor of the People's Stores under
Allende , is now
Chile's Permanent Ambassador to the
United Nations ?
...that the technique of
double-balloon enteroscopy allows any position along the
gastrointestinal tract to be visualized in real-time? (pictured: polyp in small intestine )
A polyp in the small bowel
...that
Pando , an
aspen
colony , is the
oldest known living being at 80,000 years, and the heaviest at six million kilograms (6,000 tonnes)?
...that the deployment of
Panjandrum , an experimental
British weapon devised during
World War II , invariably resulted in the random firing of dozens of
cordite rockets into the air?
...that
John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle inspired one of the pioneering works of
British
satire , and half a century later, fell down the stairs at the
coronation of
Queen Victoria ?
...that if one of the
dams of
Ukraine 's
Dnieper River reservoirs is destroyed, it may cause
radioactive contamination of the whole
Black Sea area?
...that
Humphrey the whale may be the most publicized
Humpback whale in history, having twice wandered off his migration course into
San Francisco Bay ?
A Humpback whale
...that of the 27
U.S. Marines in
World War II who threw themselves onto exploding
grenades to save others,
Richard K. Sorenson was one of only 3 to survive?
...that a
zayat is a combination rest-house and religious school funded and run by
Burmese
Theravada Buddhists , as an act of
daná (meritorious charity)?
...that the remains of
Henri Huet and three other noted
war photographers , shot down in their helicopter over the
Ho Chi Minh trail in 1971, have never been found?
...that the
EU legal doctrine of
state liability was first introduced following the
Italian government's failure to properly compensate
laid off workers?
...that
Nicholas II of Russia and his family preferred the cosy apartments of the
Anichkov Palace to their official residence,
Winter Palace ? (
Anichkov Palace in Saint Petersburg )
...that the Grand
Chartophylax was considered the right arm of the
Patriarch of Constantinople ?
...that the scandalous tales of
Aristides of Miletus are still being discussed after over two millennia, although not one word of them has survived?
...that the
endangered
cui-ui
sucker fish was a staple of the
Native American
Paiute tribe for over a millennium?
... that
William Lee was
U.S. President
George Washington 's personal servant, and the only one of his
slaves freed by Washington in his will?
...that
bread and salt is a traditional
greeting ceremony (pictured) symbolizing
hospitality in
Slavic countries?
Bread and salt presented to Stefan Batory during the Siege of Pskov
...that
Stanisław Warszycki , a wealthy 17th-century
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
magnate , gave rise to many
legends about his cruelty, and several places in
Poland claim sightings of his ghost?
...that in the
Penguins' Rebellion , over 800,000
Chilean high school students demanded education reforms from the government of
Michelle Bachelet ?
...that the victory of
Alexios I Komnenos over the
Pechenegs at
Levounion marked a resurgence of Byzantine military power after half a century of turmoil?
...that
Tropical Storm Larry caused five deaths and US$53.6 million in damage when it struck the
Tabasco state of
Mexico , the first landfall in the state since
1973 ?
...that the
All Saints Church, Henley Brook , the oldest church in
Western Australia , held its first service almost eight years before it was consecrated?
All Saints Church, Western Australia
...that a
catholicon was a purported
universal remedy taken
orally or
rectally ?
...that a
cento is a
poetic work composed entirely of
verses taken from other authors?
...that British architect Ron Herron proposed building massive robotic
walking cities in 1964?
...that the poem
The Absent-Minded Beggar was written to raise money for servicemen's families during the
South African War ?