This DYK STATS/Archive 2011 page is an archive of the monthly DYKSTATS leaders for each month in 2011, recognizing the DYK entries that have received the most page views while being featured on DYK.

On an important note: Please do not see this list as a competition, but rather a celebration of some of the most effective DYK hooks.

2011 DYK page view leaders by month (over 5,000 views)

January 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Brittany CoxXx		26,064	... that Borat Sagdiyev's son, who appeared in photos in the movie Borat, was actually trans woman and porn star Brittany CoxXx (pictured)?
Bloody Saturday (photograph)		24,400	... that Life magazine estimated 136 million people saw the photograph " Bloody Saturday" (detail pictured) after the August 1937 bombing of Shanghai?
Stargazy pie		23,300	... that the Cornish delicacy Stargazy pie (pictured), which includes pilchards protruding through the crust, was designed to be fun and amusing to children?
Bacon ice cream		21,200	... that bacon ice cream (pictured) was originally created for April Fools' Day but went on to be one of Heston Blumenthal's signature dishes?
Chengdu J-20		19,325	... that the development of the Chengdu J-20 fighter aircraft may have been assisted by cyberespionage?
ZX81		18,900	... that users of the Sinclair ZX81 (pictured), a British home computer of the early 1980s, balanced cartons of cold milk on top of the case to stop it from overheating?
General Dynamics F-111C		14,900	... that a General Dynamics F-111C bomber (RF-111C pictured) of the Royal Australian Air Force sank the North Korean freighter Pong Su in 2006?
BOAR (rocket)		14,500	... that the Bombardment Aircraft Rocket carried a 20 kiloton nuclear warhead, was unguided, and was launched using an " idiot loop" manoeuvre (pictured)?
AQM-127 SLAT MA-31		8,200 + 6,000 = 14,200	... that the U.S. Navy purchased a Russian missile for use as a target drone after the AQM-127 SLAT failed seven of eight test firings?
iPad 2		14,000	... that the iPad 2 is thinner than an iPhone 4 and comes in black and white?
Circumcision of Jesus		13,600	... that the Gospel of Luke states that the Circumcision of Jesus (pictured) took place eight days after his birth?
Zouaves of Death		13,015	... that the Zouaves of Death (pictured), a Polish military unit of the January Uprising, drew their traditions from the French Zouaves of the Crimean War?
Allied naval bombardments of Japan during World War II		12,900	... that United States Navy, British Royal Navy and Royal New Zealand Navy warships bombarded several Japanese cities (bombardment of Kamaishi pictured) during the last weeks of World War II?
Roger Locher		12,800	... that USAF General Vogt "shut down the war" and sent 119 aircraft to recover Major Roger Locher (pictured) only 60 miles (97 km) from Hanoi—the deepest rescue inside North Vietnam during the Vietnam War?
Edward Proger		12,500	... that nonagenarian Edward Proger (pictured) died of cutting teeth?
Have Dash		12,400	... that the Have Dash II (artist's concept pictured) missile was an attempt to develop a stealthy air-to-air missile?
Peter Turnbull (RAAF officer)		12,400	... that RAAF flying ace Peter Turnbull (pictured) was fired on by his own anti-aircraft gunners as he brought his Kittyhawk fighters in to land at Port Moresby, New Guinea, in March 1942?
Operation Tarnegol		12,100	... that Operation Tarnegol, in which an Israeli Meteor NF.13 (pictured) shot down an Egyptian Ilyushin Il-14 transport, was only made public 32 years after the event?
Mitsubishi 1MF9		12,100	... that the Mitsubishi 1MF9 was the first Japanese-designed fighter intended for use from aircraft carriers?
A Star Is Born (2012 film)		10,900	... that the 2012 version of A Star Is Born, due to star Beyoncé Knowles (pictured), would be the fourth remake of the film?
Cornfield Bomber		10,600	... that after the Cornfield Bomber landed in a field, one of the members of the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron received a call from a sheriff who got excited when the plane started moving?
Auriscalpium vulgare		10,000	... that the mushroom Auriscalpium vulgare (pictured) is named for an instrument used for personal hygiene?
Murder of Joanna Yeates		9,900	... that the inquiry into the murder of Joanna Yeates, dubbed "Operation Braid", has become one of the largest police investigations in Bristol, England?
Japanese air attacks on the Mariana Islands		9,800	... that the Japanese air attacks on the Mariana Islands between November 1944 and January 1945 sought to disrupt the bombing of Japan by United States Army Air Forces aircraft based on the islands?
Vein matching		9,700	... that the FBI and CIA used vein matching as evidence that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed of al-Qaeda had killed journalist Daniel Pearl?
GTR-18 Smokey Sam		9,400	... that the GTR-18 rocket (launch pictured), used extensively by the U.S. military, is made using phenolic paper and styrofoam?
I.S.T. XL-14 Maya		9,000	... that the I.S.T. XL-14 Maya, a light aircraft, was constructed primarily from woven bamboo?
Douglas XCG-17		8,500	... that the Douglas XCG-17 glider (pictured) was converted from a C-47 transport that had originally flown for Northwest Airlines?
Jared Lee Loughner		8,200	... that Jared Lee Loughner was detained at the Federal Correctional Institution at Phoenix after the 2011 Tucson shooting?
Thomas-Morse MB-4		7,000 + 1,100 = 8,100	... that Thomas-Morse's general plant superintendent called the company's MB-4 mail plane "the worst thing on wings"?
Peter Jeffrey (RAAF officer)		7,900	... that in 1941, RAAF Squadron Leader Peter Jeffrey (pictured) introduced the radical concept of commissioned and non-commissioned pilots sharing a common mess while on combat duty?
Hudson Valley Rail Trail		7,800	... that the Hudson Valley Rail Trail (pictured), once owned by a felonious charlatan, is patrolled by a police officer riding a Segway?
Pilophorus acicularis		7,800	... that the devil's matchstick (pictured) supplies fixed nitrogen to the environment?
Coffin birth		7,800	... that, in 1551, hours after a pregnant woman was hanged during the Spanish Inquisition, two dead infants were seen to fall free of the body in an unusual case of coffin birth?"
EADS CASA HC-144 Ocean Sentry		7,389	... that the U.S. Coast Guard's HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircraft have been used for search and rescue, oil spill monitoring, and sea-turtle transport?
Alpha Draco WS-199		5,000 + 2,300 = 7,300	... that the Alpha Draco rocket (pictured), developed as part of Weapons System 199, evaluated the lifting body principle for reentry vehicles?
Marburg's Bloody Sunday		7,000	... that during Marburg's Bloody Sunday massacre, military units commanded by Rudolf Maister killed between 11 and 13 German civilian protesters in a central Maribor square?
Long Tail Point Light		7,000	... that the Long Tail Point Light survived attempts to demolish it in 1870, and has outlasted both its successors?
Helixanthera schizocalyx		6,900	... that the hairless half-meter parasite Helixanthera schizocalyx was discovered by lepidopterist Colin Congdon on the lookout for loranths near the summit of Mozambique's Mount Mabu?
Nuri Demirağ Nu D.38		6,875	... that although the Nuri Demirağ Nu D.38 transport aircraft was completed in 1941, it was not flown until 1944?
Hopi (missile)		6,800	... that the Hopi missile could carry a nuclear warhead of up to 400 kilotons yield?
Hughes Airwest Flight 706		6,800	... that, following the collision of Hughes Airwest Flight 706 with a Marine Corps F-4B Phantom II, the US Armed Forces required military aircraft to obey civilian air traffic controllers?
Vought XSO2U		6,700	... that although the Vought XSO2U (pictured) was judged superior to the Curtiss XSO3C by the U.S. Navy in a competition for a new scout aircraft for operation from cruisers, the Curtiss aircraft won the contract?
Jackie (dog)		6,600	... ... that a Nazi saluting dog nearly brought the wrath of the Third Reich upon a Finnish pharmaceutical company?
MQR-16 Gunrunner		6,600	... that the stabilizing fins of the MQR-16 Gunrunner rocket were made from plywood?
Irish honours system		6,600	... that the Republic of Ireland has no honours system, though the issue has been considered by successive governments since 1930?
Penshurst Airfield and October 1926 Air Union Blériot 155 crash		1,700 + 4,800= 6,500	... that the October 1926 crash of a Blériot 155 (pictured) at Leigh, Kent, whilst trying to reach Penshurst Airfield was the result of the first mid-air fire on a civil airliner?
The Double Sunrise		6,500	... that The Double Sunrise was a non-stop, approximately 30-hour airline flight, crossing over 3,500 nautical miles (6,500 km; 4,000 mi) above the Indian Ocean during World War II?
Pratt & Whitney J48		6,500	... that the Pratt & Whitney J48 turbojet engine (pictured) was originally designed by Rolls-Royce, who abandoned it in favor of a different project?
Maud Crawford		6,473	...that the March 2, 1957, disappearance of attorney Maud Crawford from her Camden, Arkansas, home (pictured) remains officially unsolved?
B&F Fk9		6,400	... that the B&F Fk9 lightplane can be equipped with either a tricycle or conventional undercarriage?
Squab pie		6,300	... that squab pies, which Charles Dickens said inspired "hatred of the whole human race", are not actually made with squabs?
Tropolis		6,300	... that Tropolis has been called an attempt to "snackify" beverages?
St John's Church, High Legh		6,200	... that the apparent timber framing of St John's Church, High Legh, Cheshire (pictured) is "a sham"?
Peucedanum galbanum		6,200	... that the surface of the South African plant Peucedanum galbanum (pictured) is covered with blister-causing toxins, and that exposure to sunlight could make the blisters worse?
Diamondback (missile)		6,100	... that the Diamondback air-to-air missile was originally known as the "Super Sidewinder"?
Fishery Protection Squadron		6,100	... that two destroyers of the Royal Navy's Fishery Protection Squadron, commanded by a commodore aboard a fishing trawler (pictured), once thwarted an Icelandic boarding attempt?
Johngarthia lagostoma		6,000	... that the largest native land animal on Ascension Island is a crab, Johngarthia lagostoma (pictured)?
Aleksandra Samusenko		5,900	... that Soviet tank commander Aleksandra Samusenko was buried near the monument to German Emperor William I in Łobez?
Vought XSB3U		5,900	... that the Vought XSB3U was designed as a result of the U.S. Navy's reluctance to embrace the monoplane for carrier operations?
Jamaican Flightless Ibis		5,700	... that the extinct Jamaican Flightless Ibis developed unique club-like wings that could be used as a flail?
Decatur County Courthouse (Indiana)		5,700	... that the Decatur County Courthouse (pictured) in Greensburg, Indiana, has a tree growing on it?
Grumman XSBF		5,500	... that the Grumman XSBF was designed to the same specification that produced the SBD Dauntless of World War II fame?
Gulfstream X-54		5,200	... that despite being designated as an X-plane by NASA, the Gulfstream X-54 project does not otherwise involve the space agency?
Sky Scorcher		5,100	... that the Sky Scorcher air-to-air missile would have carried a two- megaton nuclear warhead?
Murder of Anni Dewani		5,100	... that Anni Dewani was a Swedish woman who was kidnapped and murdered during her honeymoon in Cape Town, South Africa?
Saguaro boot		5,100	... that Saguaro boots are the co-creation of a bird and a cactus?
SNCASE SE-400		5,000	... that the SNCASE SE-400 was cancelled before the second prototype of the French floatplane could be completed?

February 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Faces of Meth		15,505	... that the Faces of Meth project shows before-and-after images documenting physical deterioration caused by meth use?
Piper LBP Taylorcraft LBT		9,300 + 4,600 = 13,900	... that the Piper LBP (pictured) and Taylorcraft LBT were both developed during World War Two in response to a U.S. Navy requirement for a "Glomb", an unmanned glider bomb?
BLT (sandwich)		13,600	... that high autumn pork prices are blamed on Americans eating so many BLTs (pictured) during the summer?
ASM-N-5 Gorgon V		13,100	... that during the 1950s, the United States Navy intended to use Gorgons to deliver chemical weapons?
U Dhammaloka		13,000	... that U Dhammaloka (pictured) was an Irish hobo who became one of the first known western Buddhist monks and was twice tried for sedition?
Maersk Triple E class		12,400	... that Maersk Line's Triple E Class are expected to be the largest ships in the world when they enter service?
I Want to Break Free		12,100	... that in 1984, while Queen's song " I Want to Break Free" charted within the Top 10 in Europe and South America, its video was banned in the US?
JB-4		12,100	... that the JB-4 missile (pictured) was guided via television?
George Wyndham, 3rd Earl of Egremont		11,800	... that the 3rd Earl of Egremont (bust pictured) simultaneously maintained around 15 mistresses with more than 40 children at Petworth House?
Consolidated XB2Y		11,500	... that the center section of the Consolidated XB2Y dive bomber was cut from a solid steel block?
John Hines (Australian soldier)		11,300	... that a photograph of Private John Hines with the German money and equipment he had looted during the Battle of Polygon Wood in 1917 (pictured) is one of the best known Australian images of World War I?
Hubble Bubble (astronomy)		11,100	... that the Hubble Bubble was a mysterious Local Void sphere, centered on Earth, predicted from redshift velocities of Type Ia Supernovae (pictured at lower left of NGC 4526)?
Death and funeral of Leonid Brezhnev		10,600	... that because Leonid Brezhnev (pictured) had more than 200 decorations, it was decided to break the Soviet custom of featuring only one decoration on cushions during his funeral?
Rosendale Village, New York		10,600	... that the 1977 dissolution of Rosendale Village (pictured) in Upstate New York was viewed by its mayor as a work of conceptual art?
3.5-Inch Forward Firing Aircraft Rocket		10,500	... that the 3.5-Inch FFAR, developed by the U.S. Navy as an anti-submarine weapon, lacked an explosive warhead?
Spherical tokamak		10,100	... that the spherical tokamak fusion power concept (typical plasma pictured) was initially tested in the START reactor on a shoestring budget using bits of older experiments?
Cornelius XBG-3		10,100	... that the Cornelius XBG-3 "bomb glider", an early guided missile designed in 1942, would have used a forward-swept wing?
Buridan's bridge		9,900	... that a humorous solution for the Buridan's bridge sophism is that Plato should let Socrates cross the bridge and then throw him into the river on the other side?
Tara (Ramayana)		9,700	... that the monkey-queen Tara (pictured with her first husband) is described in the Hindu epic Ramayana to have set a habit to visit her second husband Sugriva drunk before indulging in sex?
Belemnotheutis		9,700	... that the 150-million-year-old ink of the extinct, squid-like Belemnotheutis (artist's rendition pictured) was used to draw a picture that paleontologists called "the ultimate self portrait"?
Capel Lligwy		9,200	... that after a fox took shelter in the ruins of Capel Lligwy (pictured), in Anglesey, north Wales, a vault was discovered containing "a large mass of human bones, several feet in depth"?
ASM-A-1 Tarzon		8,800	... that the United States Air Force enlisted Tarzon to destroy North Korean bridges?
Kamo (Bolshevik)		8,600	... that Kamo (pictured) stole 341,000 rubles, was caught, feigned insanity for over three years, partly by eating his own excrement, escaped, was recaptured and sentenced to death, but was freed after a revolution?
Quicksilver GT500		8,300	... that the Quicksilver GT500 is the first aircraft certified under Part 21.24 of the Federal Aviation Regulations?
Never Miss a Super Bowl Club		8,180	... that the Never Miss a Super Bowl Club will not only lose a member at the kickoff of Super Bowl XLV, but the person will not be able to root for their favorite team?
Ranveer Singh		8,100	... that Ranveer Singh had to stay at Delhi University and prepare for his role as Bittoo Sharma of Delhi, in his debut film Band Baaja Baaraat?
Suillus salmonicolor Partial veil		7,000 + 1,100 = 8,100	... that slippery Jills wear a baggy veil?
Casper the Commuting Cat Casper (cat)		5,100 + 2,900 = 8,000	... that Casper the Commuting Cat is a book about the true story of a cat who was a regular bus commuter in Plymouth, England?
AAM-A-1 Firebird		8,000	... that the AAM-A-1 Firebird (pictured on DB-26) was the first air-to-air missile to be developed following the end of World War II?
Seneb		8,000	... that the dwarf Seneb (sculpture pictured) overcame his diminutive size to become a high-ranking royal official in ancient Egypt, marry a priestess and own thousands of cattle?
Ain Dara temple		7,600	... that fortuitous finding of a colossal basalt lion (pictured) in 1955 led to discovery of the Ain Dara temple near Aleppo in Syria, which was built in three structural phases between 1300 BC and 740 BC?
ClariS		7,300	... that the Japanese pop music female duo ClariS have not released photos of themselves to the public, and instead have employed illustrators to draw their likenesses?
Joachim Meichssner		7,300	... that Colonel Joachim Meichssner refused to kill Hitler in a suicide attack because he could not bear the stress of waiting?
Niagara Parkway		7,300	... that Winston Churchill, after being driven down the Niagara Parkway, described it as "the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world"?
Tewkesbury Medieval Festival		7,300	... that 2,000 people in medieval garb re-enacted the Battle of Tewkesbury at the 2003 Tewkesbury Medieval Festival, one of the "ten most bizarre festivals" in England?
Techno Viking		7,000	... that Techno Viking has received more than 20 million clicks on YouTube and given rise to more than 700 responses and remixed versions?
Zliten mosaic		6,853	... that the Zliten mosaic (portion pictured) is an ancient Roman floor mosaic from about the 2nd century AD that depicts gladiators and scenes from ordinary life?"
Antioch mosaics		6,700	... that over 300 mosaic floors (example pictured) were discovered during archaeological excavations of Antioch between 1932 and 1939?
HMS Nimble (1826) Guerrero (ship)		5,000 + 1,670 = 6,670	... that in 1827, HMS Nimble, an anti-slave patrol, ran aground near the Florida Keys while engaged in a gun battle with the Spanish slave ship Guerrero, which also ran aground and sank?
Belitung shipwreck		6,486	... that the Belitung shipwreck was an Arabian dhow which was sewn together, held the " Tang treasure" and the largest gold Tang cup ever found?
ROKS Choi Young (DDH-981) MV Samho Jewelry		4,830 + 1,528 = 6,358	... that the South Korean naval vessel Choi Young (pictured) launched a rescue operation that freed the tanker Samho Jewelry from Somali pirates with only one hostage injured?
John David Duty		6,331	... that John David Duty is the first person to be executed in the United States with pentobarbital, which is commonly used for animal euthanasia?
2.25-Inch Sub-Caliber Aircraft Rocket		6,300	... that during World War II, bomber pilots of the United States Navy learned how to launch aerial rockets using SCARs?
Balancing Rocks	File:Zimbabwe : 2007 Obverse.jpg	6,300	... that the popularity of the Balancing Rocks formation grew when the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe featured it on certain issues of Zimbabwean banknotes (pictured), including the current series?
James Dutton (Royal Marines officer)		6,200	... that Royal Marine Lieutenant General Sir James Dutton (pictured) was sent to The Pentagon as a liaison in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks in 2001?
Gris-gris (talisman)		6,200	... that, according to a 1982 survey, Gris-gris were one of the top-three forms of birth control known to women in Senegal?
Bonetown		6,100	... that Comedy Central's South Park was the "number one influence" for the humor in the adult video game Bonetown, a game which encourages the player to have sex with as many women in-game as possible?
GT-1 (missile)		6,100	... that the GT-1 could deliver a torpedo up to 25 miles (40 km) from its launching aircraft?
Calliactis parasitica		6,000	... that the mutualism between hermit crabs and the sea anemone Calliactis parasitica (pictured) may require the presence of an octopus?
Charles Dvorak		6,000	... that Charles Dvorak (pictured) missed the pole vault finals at the 1900 Olympics after being told the event was postponed, but returned to win the gold medal at the 1904 Olympics?
Moyes Dragonfly		6,000	... that the Moyes Dragonfly ultralight aircraft was designed for the specialised role of towing hang gliders, but is also used for herding livestock?
Martin D-45		5,900	... that commanding prices up to $400,000, pre– World War II versions of the Martin D-45 guitar (first made for Gene Autry) are the most expensive production-model guitars in the United States?
Ed Westcott		5,600	... ... that, before Ed Westcott photographed J. Robert Oppenheimer holding a cigarette (pictured), he gave the physicist money so he could buy cigarettes?
Callipogon relictus		5,500	... that Callipogon relictus (pictured) is the largest beetle of Russia, reaching a length of 110 mm (4.3 in)?
Cortinarius vanduzerensis		5,500	... that the mushroom Cortinarius vanduzerensis (pictured) is so slimy that it has been described as "much too slippery to be of value"?
Shchi		5,400	... that the two-letter Russian word щи is transliterated with eight letters in German?
Farman Moustique		5,334	... that the Farman Moustique, a French sport and training monoplane from the 1930s, was sold with an optional dog compartment?
Marguerite (woman of color)		5,300	... that in 1805 Marguerite was the first slave to file a freedom suit in St. Louis, and she gained an end to Indian slavery in Missouri?
THUMS Islands		5,300	... that the THUMS Islands in California are camouflaged drilling rigs named in honor of NASA astronauts who died in accidents?
Organ Pipes National Park		5,200	... that the Organ Pipes National Park, which has 400 million year old volcanic formations, features hexagonal basalt columns (pictured) known as the "Organ Pipes"?
SA-500D		5,200	... that NASA engineers shook a Saturn V test vehicle (S-IC stage pictured) for over 400 hours to ensure it would withstand the rigors of launch?
Pratt-Read LBE		5,126	... that the Pratt-Read LBE glider bomb was intended to be guided by television signals and radio control?
Sylvester H. Roper Roper steam velocipede		1,400 + 3,700 = 5,100	... that Sylvester H. Roper's steam velocipede (pictured) of 1867–1869 is one of three candidates for the title of first motorcycle?
Lump (dog)		5,100	... that a dachshund named Lump once ate a work by Pablo Picasso?
El Grande (tree)		5,100	... that the eucalyptus El Grande, Australia's largest tree, was killed by forestry officials by mistake?

March 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Walter Koch (Fallschirmjäger)		31,200	... that German paratrooper Walter Koch (pictured) acted against the Commando Order and saved John Dutton Frost's British paratroopers from execution?
Gleno Dam		30,400	... that, in 1923, the Gleno Dam (pictured) in Italy failed shortly after it was completed and its flooding killed at least 356 people?
Godley Statue		18,900	... that after the Godley Statue (pictured) toppled during the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, time capsules were discovered in its plinth?
Batman, Turkey Batman River Batı Raman oil field		3,900+ 2,500+ 8,700 =15,100	... that the largest oil field in Turkey lies near the city of Batman and the Batman River?
Linni Meister		15,000	... that glamour model Linni Meister appeared nude in the music video for her single "My Ass" which was released as promotion for the 2009 Norwegian comedy-horror film Dead Snow?
Transformer (flying car)		14,200	... that the U.S. military hopes to incorporate Transformers into its combat units?
1965 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crash		13,958	... that although the 1965 Skyways Coach-Air Avro 748 crash ended with the passengers hanging upside down in their seats, they all survived?
Joanne Siegel		13,600	... that Joanne Siegel (pictured) was the original model for Lois Lane and later married Superman's co-creator?
List of people who adopted matronymic surnames		13,500	... that Marilyn Monroe, Dr. Seuss, Elvis Costello, and Prince Philip all adopted matronymic surnames?
Nimrud Ivories		13,500	... that crime writer Agatha Christie used her face cream to clean the more than 2500-year-old Nimrud Ivories (example pictured) after their excavation?
Zenga Zenga		13,400	... that the Libyan opposition has embraced " Zenga Zenga", an Israeli-created auto-tuned song and viral YouTube video that parodies Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi (pictured)?
Český Šternberk Castle		12,242	... that Český Šternberk Castle (pictured) appears several times in the Albanian-Czech movie The Sorrow of Mrs. Schneider?
Wrath of the Titans		12,200	... that Wrath of the Titans, the upcoming sequel to the 2010 film Clash of the Titans, is being shot in 3-D rather than being converted to 3-D like its predecessor?
Despina Storch		12,200	... that alleged German spy Despina Storch was described as "Turkish Delight", "Turkish beauty", and a "modern Cleopatra" in spy literature?
Dear Friend Hitler		12,100	...that Dear Friend Hitler, an Indian film, centres on letters written from Mahatma Gandhi to Adolf Hitler?
Operation Moolah		12,100	... that Operation Moolah was an attempt during the Korean War by the United States Air Force to capture a fully operational Russian MiG-15?
Lockington Locks		11,800	... that the Lockington Locks (pictured) lay at the end of the highest point on the Miami and Erie Canal?
Honda CBR250R (2011)		11,500	... that the 2011 Honda CBR250R sport bike (pictured), styled after the VFR1200F, shows design influence from the Chrysler 300 car?
Indian rolling		11,400	... that an incident of Indian rolling led to the death of three Navajos in 1974?
Gaman (term)		10,900	... that the Japanese have been regarded as demonstrating " gaman" in the wake of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami?
Charles F. Watkins		10,800	... that Michigan Wolverines baseball player and coach Charles F. Watkins (pictured) sustained severe burns from an X-ray machine, which ultimately resulted in his death?
Luke Matheny		10,600	... that Luke Matheny, whose hair was described as "a vast black bouffant that makes him look like an untidy microphone", began his Academy Award acceptance speech by joking, "I should've gotten a haircut"?
Kepler-11b Kepler-11c Kepler-11d Kepler-11e Kepler-11f (March 31, 2011)		6,900 + 928 + 646 + 625 + 1,300 = 10,399	... that the orbits of exoplanets Kepler-11b, Kepler-11c, Kepler-11d, Kepler-11e, and Kepler-11f can fit within the orbit of Mercury?
Selphyl		9,800	... that in the U.S., vampire facelifts are not approved by the FDA?
Malati Dasi		9,647	... that a US-born ex- hippie Malati Dasi, despite fierce opposition, in 1998 became the first international female leader of the Hare Krishna movement?
Rolleston Statue		9,600	... that the 2011 Christchurch earthquake broke the neck on the Rolleston Statue (pictured)?
Battle of Ismailia		9,500	... that when the ceasefire was issued to end the Battle of Ismailia, some Israeli paratroopers and Egyptian Sa'iqa found that they were no more than 20 meters apart?
Brown Willy Cairns		9,500	... that the Brown Willy Cairns (pictured) are two man-made rock piles situated on the highest ridge in Cornwall?
Sydenham Heritage Church		9,100	... that the Sydenham Heritage Church (pictured), twice threatened by demolition since 1997, was demolished without authorisation after the 2011 Christchurch earthquake?
Emilia Carr		8,900	... that Emilia Carr is the first woman from Marion County, Florida to be sentenced to death since Aileen Wuornos in 1992?
Al Szolack		8,700	... that that Al Szolack lost all 245 professional basketball games he ever played in?
Air-tractor sledge		8,700	... that the air-tractor sledge, the first aeroplane to be taken to Antarctica, went without wings?
Anna Murray-Douglass		8,524	... that Anna Murray (pictured) helped her future husband, Frederick Douglass, escape slavery by giving him sailor's clothes and a part of her savings?
Deeringothamnus pulchellus Deeringothamnus rugelii		5,100+ 3,200 =8,300	... that despite their names, white squirrel banana and yellow squirrel banana are not bananas, but rare custard apples in Florida, and their fruits are berries?
HMS Mendip (L60)		8,300	... that HMS Mendip (L60) served in the navies of three other countries after her use by the Royal Navy in World War II?
Ivy Alvarez		8,100	... that award-winning poet and Cardiff resident Ivy Alvarez (pictured) was born in the Philippines, grew up in Tasmania, has worked in Scotland, Ireland, and Spain, and had her first book published in the US?
Marathon Dam		8,100	... that the Marathon Dam (pictured) in Greece is coated with the same Pentelikon marble used to construct the Parthenon and is symbolic of the Battle of Marathon?
Crash Position Indicator		8,000	... that shortly after it was introduced, the Crash Position Indicator was credited with saving the life of a critically injured airman?
The Mouse Problem		7,900	... that the Monty Python sketch " The Mouse Problem", a mockumentary about men who want to be mice, parodies 1960s TV documentaries on homosexuality?
Fred Rehor		7,861	... that Fred Rehor (pictured), a 256-pound pharmacy student from the University of Michigan, helped lead the 1917 Massillon Tigers to the "world's professional football championship" against Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs?
Maxberg specimen		7,800	... that the Maxberg specimen, one of only 10 Archaeopteryx specimens ever found, has been lost since 1991?
Pleasure Dissociative Orgasmic Disorder		7,400 + 200= 7,600	... that people who suffer from Pleasure Dissociative Orgasmic Disorder are unable to feel pleasure from an orgasm?
Peter Cleary		7,400	... that the Cork Examiner described the killing of Peter Cleary, the first person to be killed by the Special Air Service in Northern Ireland, as "an act of utter folly"?
Penguins–Islanders brawl		7,400	... that, following a brawl-filled game, Pittsburgh Penguins team owner Mario Lemieux (pictured) questioned whether he still wanted to be a part of the National Hockey League?
Philemon Pownoll		7,400	... that Captain Philemon Pownoll (pictured), killed in battle in 1780, was a mentor for future admirals Sir John Borlase Warren and Sir Edward Pellew?
Lernaeocera branchialis		7,300	... that a young Lernaeocera branchialis is an ectoparasitic crustacean on the gills of a flounder or lumpsucker, and it moves on to cod or related fishes after it has matured and mated (infested gills of a whiting pictured)?
Murder of Koby Mandell and Yosef Ishran		7,300	... that the stoning murder of two Israeli boys on the outskirts of their settlement in the Judean desert in 2001 led to U.S. legislation cracking down on killers of Americans overseas?
St Faith's Church, Little Witchingham		7,000	... that St Faith's Church, Little Witchingham, (pictured) in Norfolk had fallen into ruin by the time its medieval wall paintings were rediscovered in 1967?
Great Reality TV Swindle		6,900	... that in 2002, a British man working in a bookstore conned 30 people into leaving their homes and quitting their jobs?
Matthieu Borsboom Richard Rossmanith		4,300+ 2,600 =6,900	... that Matthieu Borsboom (pictured), the current head of the Royal Netherlands Navy, previously served with ISAF in Afghanistan until he was succeeded by German Major General Richard Rossmanith?
United States v. Lee		6,900	... that in United States v. Lee (1882), the Supreme Court held that a jury had properly ordered that the U.S. government return Arlington National Cemetery to the heir of Confederate General Robert E. Lee?
Operation Kita		6,900	... that during Operation Kita in February 1945, six Imperial Japanese Navy warships, sailing from Singapore to Japan, evaded the 26 Allied submarines which were positioned to attack them?
ILoo		6,800	... that the iLoo was a cancelled Microsoft project by British subsidiary MSN UK to develop a Wi-Fi-enabled Internet portable toilet for summer festivals?
Sophismata		6,400	... that depending on the interpretation, sophismata like "All men are donkeys or men and donkeys are donkeys" can either be true or false?
Saigō-no-Tsubone		6,300	... that Saigō-no-Tsubone, or "Lady Saigo" (pictured), was a concubine who advised Tokugawa Ieyasu before the 1575 Battle of Nagashino, a major turning point in the history of Japan?
Santa Maria de Ovila		6,000	... that William Randolph Hearst removed 10,000 stones of the Spanish monastery Santa Maria de Ovila (pictured), but never used them in a building?
Joseph Schleifstein		5,700	... that Joseph Schleifstein arrived at the Buchenwald concentration camp at age two, and survived because his father hid him in a sack?
Wyntoon		5,700	... that 26-year-old John F. Kennedy swam in the freezing McCloud River while wintering with William Randolph Hearst at Wyntoon?
Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God		5,600	... that the high medieval Patriarchal Cathedral (pictured) atop the Tsarevets hill in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria, has had its interior repainted in a modernist style?
Al Karama, United Arab Emirates		5,600	... that according to its original constitution, the capital of the United Arab Emirates is Al Karama, but no such city actually exists?
Lyttelton Timeball Station		5,500	... that Lyttelton Timeball Station, one of only five remaining time balls in working order worldwide until the 2010 Canterbury earthquake, is to be demolished?
Reuben Wells (locomotive)		5,500	... that for 30 years the Reuben Wells steam engine (pictured), now displayed at The Children's Museum of Indianapolis, pushed train cars up the steepest railroad incline in the United States?
1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision		5,400	... that on 29 September 1940, two Avro Ansons collided in mid-air over Brocklesby, Australia, became locked together in "piggyback" fashion, and then successfully landed in a field?
Monty the meerkat		5,400	... that in September 2007, Monty the meerkat made headlines in The Times, The Daily Telegraph, The Sun, and other leading newspapers for his purported ability to take pictures with a digital camera?
Portrait of Père Tanguy		5,400	... that the final Portrait of Père Tanguy (pictured) was purchased by the sculptor Auguste Rodin and now resides in his museum in Paris?
Theo Berger		5,300	... that Bavarian criminal Theo Berger, despite escaping four times, spent 36 years in jail and committed suicide there in 2003?
Becky Edelsohn		5,300	... that anarchist Becky Edelsohn was the first woman to attempt a hunger strike in the United States?
Victoria Affair		5,200	... that while inspecting the cargo of the freighter Victoria, Israeli naval commandos found 50 tons of weapons concealed beneath bags of cotton and lentils from Syria?
Xochimilco		5,200	... that the canals and chinampas of Xochimilco (pictured), a World Heritage Site in Mexico City, are in danger of disappearing within 50 years?
Gare de Bellegarde		5,200	... that when Gare de Bellegarde (current station building pictured) opened in 1858 as part of the Lyon–Geneva railway, the station building was built in the style of a Swiss chalet?
Balquhain		5,200	... that three lunar alignments of the Balquhain stone circle near Inverurie in Scotland were discovered in the 1980s?
Estacado, Texas		5,100	... that the ghost town of Estacado, Texas, was founded by Quakers as a farming community?

April 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Dacian Draco		21,700	... that at the height of battle the wolf's head of the Dacian Draco (pictured), with its several metal tongues, made a shrill sound and its strips of material waved in the wind?
Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond		21,100	... that Frances Howard, Duchess of Richmond (pictured) was known as the "Double Duchess"?
Baron of Arizona		20,600	... that the U.S. government imprisoned the Baron of Arizona (pictured) after learning he had damaged books in Mexican and Spanish libraries?
Ethiopian eunuch		17,700	that the Ethiopian eunuch (pictured) has been described as the "first baptized gay Christian"?
William Brill		15,800	... that during a raid on Berlin in 1944, RAAF Squadron Leader Bill Brill's (pictured) Avro Lancaster was struck by incendiary bombs dropped by another Allied aircraft above him?
Lion Gate		14,100 (12,600+1,500)	... that the Lion Gate (pictured), the main entrance of the Bronze Age citadel of Mycenae in Greece, is the sole surviving monument of Mycenaean sculpture?
George (dog)		13,800	... that George, a Jack Russell Terrier, died from injuries sustained while protecting several children from an attack by two Pit Bulls?
George Washington Masonic National Memorial		13,800	... that the George Washington Masonic National Memorial (pictured) was proposed in 1852, began construction in 1922, dedicated in 1932, and finished in 1970?
Pelican Pete		13,500	... that the world's largest pelican is over 15 feet (4.6 m) high?
Spill (audio)		13,300	... that although audio spill is often undesirable in the recording of popular music, it can be heard on records by The Beatles and Christina Aguilera?
Salaì		12,700	... that Leonardo da Vinci's student Salaì painted a nude version of the Mona Lisa called Monna Vanna (pictured)?
Ray William Johnson		12,500	... that Ray William Johnson is the second most subscribed person on YouTube?
Self-propelled particles		12,200	... that the concept of self-propelled particles can explain why flocking birds (pictured) suddenly change direction for no apparent reason, or abruptly switch from a flying state to a landing state?
Jack the Giant Killer (2012 film)		12,200	... ... that the upcoming 2012 film, Jack the Giant Killer directed by Bryan Singer is expected to take an adult look at the Jack and the Beanstalk legend?
Colin Campbell Cooper		12,000	... that American artist Colin Campbell Cooper helped rescue survivors of the Titanic, and during the rescue created several paintings (example pictured) which document the events?
CTV Building		11,500	... that more than 100 people died in the CTV Building (ruins pictured) in the 2011 Christchurch earthquake?
Spill (audio)		11,500	... that although audio spill is often undesirable in the recording of popular music, it can be heard on records by The Beatles and Christina Aguilera?
Tomb of Akhethetep and Christiane Ziegler		7,900 + 3,000 = 10,900	... that Christiane Ziegler excavated the Tomb of Akhethetep (pictured) from 1991–1999?
History of the horse in Britain		10,400	... that the early Britons were skilled horsemen and faced Julius Caesar with a well-organized force of 4,000 horse-drawn chariots?
Klee–Minty cube & Criss-cross algorithm		10,381 ( 5,845 + 4,536 )	... that, while the criss-cross algorithm visits all eight corners of the Klee–Minty cube when started at a worst corner, it visits only three more corners on average when started at a random corner?
Kawasaki's theorem		10,300	... that according to Kawasaki's theorem, an origami crease pattern with one vertex may be folded flat (pictured) if and only if the sum of every other angle between consecutive creases is 180º?
German prisoners of war in the United States		9,800	... that 425,000 German prisoners of war were held in 700 camps throughout the United States during World War II?
Wildlife of the Falkland Islands		9,300	... that the wildlife of the Falkland Islands includes no native terrestrial reptiles, amphibians, or even trees, and that the only native terrestrial mammal, the warrah (pictured), became extinct in the mid-19th century?
HMS Prince William (1780)		9,200	... that HMS Prince William was named for the future King William, who was present at the engagement she was captured in?
Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle		9,000	... that Edward II of England made Andrew Harclay (pictured) Earl of Carlisle in 1322, only to have him hanged, drawn and quartered less than a year later?
The Man in the Moone		8,900	... that The Man in the Moone, a 1638 book (frontispiece and title page pictured) by the English bishop Francis Godwin, is considered one of the first science fiction books?
Rushbearing		8,500	... that the ancient British custom of rushbearing (pictured) was opposed by the Puritans, probably for encouraging intemperance, but deemed acceptable by King James I in his Declaration of Sports?
Myth of Skanderbeg		8,097 (7,300+797)	... that the Myth of Skanderbeg is one of the main constitutive myths of Albanian nationalism?
Stele of the Vultures		7,800	... that the Stele of the Vultures (fragment pictured) celebrates a victory of Eannatum of Lagash (2460 BC) over Umma in southern Mesopotamia?
Jurassic Museum of Asturias		7,745	... that among the replicas exhibited in the Jurassic Museum of Asturias in Colunga, Spain, are the copulating Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaurs (pictured)?
Cyclida		7,637	... that cycloids are believed to have been driven to extinction when crabs spread across their territory?
Celts in Transylvania		7,600	... that Celts (helmet pictured) once inhabited Transylvania?
Carl Lundgren		7,500	... that Cubs' pitcher Carl Lundgren (pictured) had "speed to burn green hickory and an assortment of curves that would keep a cryptograph specialist figuring all night but he was wild as a March hare in a cyclone"?
Two-mass-skate bicycle		7,500	...that a two-mass-skate bicycle has demonstrated self-stability even though it has minimal gyroscopic effects and does not have positive trail, two features most commonly associated with bike stability?
Knoxville Riot of 1919		~7,500 (6,900 + 666)	... that the Knoxville Riot of 1919, one of the events of that year's Red Summer, began when a lynch mob stormed the jail in pursuit of a man believed to have been the mayor's illegitimate son?
Douglas 2229		7,100	... that after plans for the Douglas 2229 SST left no room for fuel other than in the fuselage, a designer sketched a cartoon with diving suit-clad passengers immersed in fuel, under "No Smoking" signs?
HMS Diamond (H22)		7,100	... that the British destroyers HMS Diamond (pictured) and HMS Wryneck were sunk by German aircraft on 27 April 1941, about four hours after they rescued over 500 troops from a sinking Dutch troopship?
Großgaststätte Ahornblatt		6,900	... that the Großgaststätte Ahornblatt, a concrete building in the shape of a maple leaf in former East Berlin, was built in 1973 and demolished in 2000?
Stalin's poetry		6,800	... that before he entered politics, Joseph Stalin's poetry was widely read and much admired in Georgia?
Volkmar Wentzel		6,400	... that, in 1960, Volkmar Wentzel photographed Capt. Joseph Kittinger making a record-setting 102,800-foot (31,300 m) skydive (pictured)?
Shoot to Kill (1990 TV drama)		~6,400 (5,500 + 913)	... that Shoot to Kill (1990) had to be made as a drama documentary because many of its subjects had either been shot by the RUC, given new identities, or forbidden to talk by the Official Secrets Act?
HMS Polyanthus (K47)		6,400	... that during convoy escort duty in the Battle of the North Atlantic in 1943, HMS Polyanthus was sunk by U-952 using new weapons technology?
Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now!		6,300	... that "G.I.R.L.F.R.E.N (You Know I've Got A)" by Everybody Was in the French Resistance...Now! is a reply to Avril Lavigne's song, "Girlfriend"?
Bobby Lowe		6,000	... that Boston Beaneater Bobby "Link" Lowe (pictured) was the first Major League player to hit four home runs in a game and was selected in 1911 as the best utility player in baseball history?
Pensacola Dam		6,000	... that Pensacola Dam on the Grand River in Oklahoma is referred to as the longest multiple- arch dam in the world, with 51 arches?
Landysh		5,800	... that Landysh, a Russian vessel built with funding from Japan to decommission nuclear submarines, was requested by Japan to assist in the aftermath of the Fukushima I nuclear accidents?
Alecton discoidalis		5,700	... that larvae of Cuban endemic firefly Alecton discoidalis (pictured) attack land snails?
Twenty-five Year Award		5,700	... that the John Hancock Tower (pictured), in Boston, Massachusetts, won the Twenty-five Year Award thirty-five years after it was completed?
Zugspitze		5,700	... that the first recorded ascent of Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze (pictured) on 27 August 1820, was led by a Bavarian Army officer, Josef Naus?
Davidka Square		5,600	... that the homemade Israeli mortar memorialized in Jerusalem's Davidka Square was totally inaccurate, but it made such a huge noise that it sent the enemy fleeing in panic?
Law of Æthelberht		5,600	... that the 7th-century Law of Æthelberht (first folio pictured), a Kentish legal text, is the earliest extant document in the English language?
The Fab Five (film)		5,500	...that in response to Jalen Rose's comments in The Fab Five, which has become the highest-rated ESPN documentary, Grant Hill's response was shared by nearly 100,000 people on Facebook in the next few days?
SS British Corporal		5,500	... that General Franco (pictured) denied the fact that the British merchant ship British Corporal had been attacked by his forces during the Spanish Civil War?
Alice Manfield		5,400	... that Alice Manfield (pictured), commonly known as Guide Alice, worked as a mountain guide on Australia's Mt Buffalo for forty years from the 1890s?
Semper_Fidelis_(march)		5,400	... that " Semper Fidelis" by John Philip Sousa is regarded as the official march of the United States Marine Corps?
The Egyptian Halls		5,400	... that although described as one of the finest buildings in Glasgow, The Egyptian Halls may be demolished?
Charles Inglis (c. 1731–1791)		5,400	... that Captain Charles Inglis (pictured) helped frustrate a planned French invasion of Britain?
Soybean Car		5,300	... that the first car that had a body entirely of plastic was manufactured by the Ford Motor Company in 1941?
Perceptual trap		5,300	... that the use of herbicide on the natural habitat of the Lesser Prairie Chicken may have created a perceptual trap?
Domonique Ramirez		5,200	... that Miss San Antonio 2010 Domonique Ramirez temporarily lost her title after pageant officials complained that she had gained weight and allegedly told her to "get off the tacos"?
Measuring rod		5,200	... that a measuring rod is depicted on both the Code of Hammurabi and the Tablet of Shamash (pictured)?
Monastery of the Virgins		5,200	.. that archaeologists believe they have uncovered the Monastery of the Virgins described in a 6th-century account of Byzantine Jerusalem?
Wildlife of Cape Verde		5,100	... that three million trees, including pine, oak, sweet chestnut, and acacia (pictured), are being planted every year as part of reforestation efforts in Cape Verde?
The Motherfucker With the Hat		5,100	... that The Motherfucker With the Hat was the Broadway debut for actor Chris Rock?

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Batman Province		38,300	... that Batman is half female?
Candy desk		32,100	... that there is a desk full of candy (pictured) on the floor of the US Senate?
Labia minor		27,700	... that a typical Labia minor is chocolate brown, up to 7 mm long, and is equipped with pincers?
Malus baccata		26,100	... that 14-metre (46 ft) tall Siberian crabs are being used in experimental breeding programs?
La Pelegrina pearl		24,500	... that a wanderer survived both the French Revolution of 1789–99 and the Russian Revolution 127 years later?
California Balloon Law		22,700	... that the California Senate passed a bill making the sale of balloons (pictured) illegal in January 2011?
Sodium ethyl xanthate		21,200	... that the Australian government requires high-risk sex workers to wear full-face respirators (example pictured)?
Diethyl azodicarboxylate		18,600	... that even small amounts of dead cat can explode when heated?
Law Ting Holm		18,400	... that nesting is not used by breeding Mute Swans but they do use this thing?
Clubfoot George		16,900	... that Clubfoot George was executed by vigilantes because they believed that he was innocent?
Ntrepid		15,900	... that Ntrepid was paid $2.76 million by the U.S. military to create sock puppets?
USCGC Chincoteague (WPB-1320), MY Titanic		8,592+ 6,800= 15,392	... that in 2010, three survivors of the Titanic were rescued by the USCGC Chincoteague?
HMS Europa (1765), Smith Child (Royal Navy officer)		4,400 + 10,500 = 14,900	... that Europe was ruled by a child during the American Revolutionary War?
Neoregelia 'Dr. Who'		13,500	... that Dr. Who's parents are Brazilians from a family known for pineapples?
Sayyida al Hurra		12,800	... that the noble lady Sayyida al Hurra became well respected for her booty?
Thomas Jefferson Hogg		11,000	... that Thomas Jefferson wished to practice free love but the object of his affections became pregnant and gave birth to Frankenstein?
Jafr alien invasion		10,600	... that in early 2010 reporters claimed that an unprecedented attack on Jordan was targeted at both terrorists from Al-Qaida and U.S. military bases?
Ice Cream (mango)		9,800	... that ice cream grows in Florida?
Tumidotheres maculatus		9,500	... that a species of crab, Tumidotheres maculatus, has been found living on an asteroid?
John Bastard (Royal Navy officer)		9,500	... that a real Bastard commanded Africa in the nineteenth century?
Arsole		8,800	... that recent quantum chemical calculations have established that arsoles are only moderately aromatic?
Climate of the Falkland Islands		7,900	... that the Falkland Islands have on average only 2–3 hours of direct sunlight per day in winter and only 6 hours in summer?
Rudyard Kipling (ship)		6,900	... that Rudyard Kipling's final resting place is at the bottom of the sea off the coast of Ireland?
United States v. Morris		6,300	... that Robert Tappan Morris was convicted of a crime for releasing a worm?
Clough Creek and Sand Ridge Archeological District		5,800	... that the inhabitants of the Sand Ridge Site ate drums?

May 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Euthanasia Coaster		86,300	... that the concept for the Euthanasia Coaster, a roller coaster designed to kill its riders, caused concern among anti- euthanasia groups when it went on display?
False potto		21,900	... that the false potto may be a true potto (pictured)?
Pink Chanel suit of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy		21,400	... that Jacqueline Kennedy wore her pink Chanel suit (pictured) at the inauguration of President Lyndon B. Johnson, even though it was stained with her husband's blood?
Meat dress of Lady Gaga		19,900	... that the meat dress of Lady Gaga was to be preserved by being made into a type of jerky?
Black Versace dress of Elizabeth Hurley		19,600	... that " That Dress", worn by Elizabeth Hurley at the premiere of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994, has been voted the greatest red carpet dress of all time and is perhaps Gianni Versace's best-known creation?
Green Versace "jungle" dress of Jennifer Lopez		19,500	... that David Duchovny said, "I'm sure that nobody is looking at me", when standing beside Jennifer Lopez who was wearing her "jungle" Versace dress?
Palaeochiropteryx		18,900	... that the many examples of extinct 48-million year old bat genus Palaeochiropteryx (life restoration pictured) found in the Messel lake may have drowned after being rendered unconscious in flight by poisonous volcanic gases?
Code of the Secret Service		18,400	... that the film Ronald Reagan called " the worst picture I ever made" inspired Jerry Parr to join the Secret Service, and that Parr saved President Reagan's life during the 1981 assassination attempt (pictured)?
HMS Princess Irene		16,200	... that there was only one survivor of the explosion which obliterated HMS Princess Irene (pictured) and killed 352 people?
Kalantaka		15,500	... that the icon of " the Death of Death" is popular in South India?
Pierre Koffmann Pig's trotters La Tante Claire		2,500 + 10,700 + 2,200 = 15,400	... that Pierre Koffmann served a signature dish of pig's trotter (pictured) with chicken mousseline, sweetbreads and morels at his three Michelin star restaurant La Tante Claire?
Patricia Horoho		15,900	... that President Obama's nominee for Surgeon General of the United States Army, Patricia Horoho (pictured), gave first aid to 75 victims of the September 11 attacks?
Wedding dress of Kate Middleton		15,200	... that dressmakers working on Kate Middleton's wedding gown (pictured) changed needles every three hours, and washed their hands every half hour?
Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler story		15,000	... that during World War II, a Luftwaffe pilot, observing that there were several wounded crewmen on a United States Army Air Corps's plane, declined to fire and safely escorted it to the North Sea?
Debate between sheep and grain		12,800	... that Edward Chiera considered the setting of the Debate between sheep and grain (example of sheep pictured) to be the Babylonian Garden of Eden?
4 (Beyoncé Knowles album)		11,600 (23.5 - (11.3+12.5)/2)	... 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?
Ahalya		11,600	... 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)?
Osama bin Laden's house in Khartoum	File:Osama bin Laden portrait.jpg	11,500	... that, while in Sudan, the late Osama bin Laden (pictured) lived in a pink stucco and brick house in Khartoum, and often weekended with his family in a one-storey mud house overlooking the Blue Nile in Soba?
White bikini of Ursula Andress		11,500	... 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?
Women in Singapore		11,400	... that there are three paradoxes confronting career women in Singapore?
2030 (novel)		11,000	... that 2030: The Real Story of What Happens to America, a 2011 dystopian novel by Albert Brooks, was originally written as a movie script?
Smålandsstövare		10,800	... that the Smålandsstövare (pictured) originates from dogs brought home by soldiers in the 16th century wars of the Swedish Empire?
Screaming Hairy Armadillo		10,700	... that sand may form 50% of the stomach contents of a Screaming Hairy Armadillo (pictured)?
List of chronometers on HMS Beagle		10,600	... that HMS Beagle's chronometers (example pictured) were so important to its mission that John Lort Stokes rescued one despite being speared in the chest by an indigenous Australian?
Tessaratomidae		10,300	... that some species of giant stink bugs (example pictured) are edible?
America's Most Hated Family in Crisis		10,100	... that the creation of the documentary film America's Most Hated Family in Crisis was prompted by an email?
Charles Brady King		10,100	... that Charles Brady King made and drove the first automobile (pictured) in Detroit—three months before Henry Ford made his?
Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov		9,900	... that during his life Alexei Grigoryevich Orlov (pictured) defeated an Ottoman fleet, seduced a princess, bred horses and chickens, and is alleged to have murdered a Tsar?
The Dog Pillow		9,700	... that according to The Dog Pillow, wearing armour without underwear makes one's hair stand on end?
1st Filipino Infantry Regiment (United States)		9,600	... that there was a segregated Filipino Infantry Regiment (insignia pictured) in the United States Army during World War II?
Battle for the Río San Juan de Nicaragua Fortress of the Immaculate Conception El Castillo (village) El Castillo (municipality) Rafaela Herrera		2,700 + 4,300 + 440 + 287 + 1,700 = 9,427	... that during a 1762 British siege of the Fortress of the Immaculate Conception (pictured) in El Castillo village within El Castillo municipality, Nicaragua, Rafaela Herrera inspired the outnumbered Spanish defenders to victory?
Titanomyrma		9,400	... 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?
Kegasus		9,400	... that Kegasus, the centaur mascot of the infield party at the 2011 Preakness Stakes, has a nipple ring, body hair and a beer gut?
American Express Gold card dress of Lizzy Gardiner Lizzy Gardiner		7,600 + 1,700 = 9,300	... that the American Express Gold card dress worn at the 67th Academy Awards by costume designer Lizzy Gardiner was made from 254 expired American Express cards?
William Ward (American football)		9,200	... that Michigan football coach William Ward (pictured) later became a physician who experimented with the surgical creation of artificial vaginas?
Battle of Bautzen (1945)		9,200	... that the Battle of Bautzen in 1945 was the bloodiest battle of the Polish Army since the Battle of Bzura in 1939?
Go the Fuck to Sleep		9,200	... 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?
Pisa Griffin		9,100	... that the Pisa Griffin (pictured) is the largest known medieval Islamic metal sculpture, and may have been designed to emit noises?
Keith Thiele		9,000	... that Keith Thiele (pictured), whose daring motorcycle escape during WWII has been compared to Steve McQueen's in The Great Escape, is one of only four New Zealanders to be awarded the DFC and two bars?
German destroyer Z13 Erich Koellner		8,900	... that German destroyer Z13 Erich Koellner visibly tilted when hit by the 15-inch (380 mm) semi-armor piercing shells fired by the battleship HMS Warspite during the Second Battle of Narvik on 13 April 1940?
Eurypterus		8,900	... that a fossil of the extinct sea scorpion Eurypterus (restoration pictured) was once thought to be a catfish?
Richard Laurence Marquette		8,800	... that serial killer Richard Laurence Marquette was the first person to be an eleventh name on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list?
Wedding dress of Princess Alexandra of Denmark		8,600	... that the wedding dress of Princess Alexandra of Denmark (pictured) was the first to be filmed of any royal family member?
Don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story		8,200	... that Don't take it personally, babe, it just ain't your story has been described as a profoundly moving video game about love, sex and the internet?
Wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer		8,100	... that the wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer became one of the most famous outfits in the world and featured a 25-foot (7.6 m) train?
Skinny triangle		8,100	... that the skinny triangle is used by snipers to estimate target range?
Cry Macho		8,100	... that filming for the now-on-hold Arnold Schwarzenegger movie project Cry Macho originally began in 1991 with Jaws star Roy Scheider in the lead role?
Longmen Grottoes		8,000	…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?
Wedding dress of Grace Kelly		7,800	... that the wedding dress of Grace Kelly, characterized as "one of the most-beloved of all time", was designed by Helen Rose, a leading costume designer of the era for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)?
Taaffeite		7,800	... that taaffeite, one of the world's rarest gemstones, is the first mineral known to contain both beryllium and magnesium as essential components?
Loire		7,700	... that the Loire (pictured) is the longest river in France?
Lansdowne Road football riot		7,600	... that some English fans, including members of Combat 18, gave the Nazi salute to the Irish national anthem before the Lansdowne Road football riot?
13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion		7,500	... that after World War II, 252 men of the 13th (Lancashire) Parachute Battalion were charged with mutiny?
Nude Nuns with Big Guns		7,400	... that Nude Nuns with Big Guns is a nunsploitation thriller film that is the subject of a copyright lawsuit against torrent users involving 5,865 IP addresses?
Wellington R. Burt		7,400	... 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?
WASP-15		7,400	... that star WASP-15 has a planet whose large radius cannot be explained without some other factor, such as some form of internal heating?
Lolowah bint Faisal Al Saud		7,300	... that Princess Lolowah (pictured) supports overturning the prohibition of women from driving in Saudi Arabia?
Cambriae Typus		7,300	... that the Cambriae Typus map shows a sea monster in the Irish Sea?
HMY Alexandra		7,200	... that the former British royal yacht Alexandra (pictured), sold to Norway in 1925, was sunk by Luftwaffe bombers when she tried to escape to the United Kingdom in 1940?
Sanmenxia Dam		7,200	... that Sanmenxia Dam (pictured) on the Yellow River in the People's Republic of China was hailed as an engineering success after completion and its picture was printed on banknotes?
Desmond Arthur		7,100	... that the ghost of Desmond Arthur is believed to have been haunting Montrose Airfield since 1916?
Run the World (Girls)		7,100	... that Beyoncé Knowles hired 200 native African dancers to appear in her music video for " Run the World (Girls)"?
9th (Eastern and Home Counties) Parachute Battalion		7,100	... that Paratroop dog Glen of the 9th Parachute Battalion was killed during the Normandy Landings and is buried in a British war cemetery?
Taaffeite		7,000	... that taaffeite, one of the world's rarest gemstones, is the first mineral known to contain both beryllium and magnesium as essential components?
Aman Sveti Stefan		7,000	... 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"?
Rick Welts		7,000	... that Phoenix Suns president and CEO Rick Welts became the first prominent American sports executive to come out as gay when he did so in an interview with The New York Times on May 15, 2011?
Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes		6,900	... that Chrono Trigger: Crimson Echoes was in development from 2004 to 2009 before a cease-and-desist letter from Square Enix led to its cancellation?
James William Middleton		6,800	... that James Middleton, the brother of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, baked 21 cakes for HELLO! magazine's 21st birthday?
Federico Fernández Cavada Adolfo Fernández Cavada		5,600 + 1,200 = 6,800	... that Federico Fernández Cavada (pictured), Commander-in-Chief of Cuban forces during the Ten Years' War, and his brother Adolfo, were both former Union Army officers and US Consuls?
Pink Ralph Lauren dress of Gwyneth Paltrow		6,800	... that the Ralph Lauren dress which Gwyneth Paltrow wore to the 71st Academy Awards in 1999 has been cited as bringing pink back into fashion?
Barry John		6,700	... that The King retired after a girl curtsied to him?
Walt Disney's Riverfront Square		6,700	... that Walt Disney's Riverfront Square in St. Louis, Missouri, was to have been entirely indoors, with artificial lighting simulating weather and time of day?
Black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn		6,700	... that the black Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's has been called "perhaps the most famous little black dress of all time"?
Titanic Engineers' Memorial, Southampton		6,600	... that the Titanic Engineers' Memorial (pictured) in Southampton was unveiled in front of a crowd of 100,000, who gathered in Andrews Park on 15 April 1914, two years after the disaster?
Motocycle		6,500	... that a motocycle is not a two-wheeled bicycle with an engine, but a four-wheeled automobile?
Bride-buying		6,400	... that bride-buying, although illegal, still takes place in some countries?
Jihadi tourism		6,400	... that destinations for jihadi tourism have included a mosque in Hamburg and Somali terrorist training sites?
Unadilla class gunboat		6,400	... that during the American Civil War, the U.S. Navy's Unadilla-class gunboats (example pictured) played a leading role in the capture of New Orleans?
Gunner (dog)		6,400	... that during the bombing of Darwin in World War II, Gunner's hearing was so acute that he detected approaching Japanese aircraft before they showed up on radar?
David Werdyger		6,300	... that future cantor David Werdyger was saved from a Nazi firing squad by singing the Jewish prayer for the dead?
Krotite		6,200	... that the newly discovered mineral krotite likely was one of the earliest minerals formed in the Solar System?
Walt Disney's Riverfront Square		6,200	... that Walt Disney's Riverfront Square in St. Louis, Missouri, was to have been entirely indoors, with artificial lighting simulating weather and time of day?
White floral Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn		6,200	... that Time magazine voted the white floral Givenchy dress worn by Audrey Hepburn at the 1954 Academy Awards as the greatest Oscar dress of all time?
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission		6,200	... that the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission is named for the only Holocaust survivor (pictured) ever to serve in the United States Congress?
Susan Wicklund		6,200	... that abortion provider Susan Wicklund has been obliged to wear disguises to get past protesters in airports and at her workplace?
Rocky Mountain Bank v. Google Inc.		6,100	... that in Rocky Mountain Bank v. Google Inc., if a Gmail user had viewed a particular email, Google was ordered to disclose to a bank the user's real name?
Lacandon Jungle		6,100	... that the Lacandon Jungle is one of the last forests in North America large enough to support jaguars?
Vermouth		6,100 (5.4+2.4 - (1.6+1.7)/2)	... that vermouth was originally consumed as a medicinal drink, but is now popular as a cocktail ingredient?
Bernard Trottier		6,000	... that Conservative Party candidate Bernard Trottier won a seat in the 41st Canadian Parliament by defeating the incumbent Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada in the 2011 federal election?
The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World		6,000	... that the characters of " The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World" are only allowed to experience one day a week?
Armoured trains of Poland		6,000	... that armoured trains of Poland proved to be surprisingly successful during the Polish Defensive War of 1939?
Black and white Valentino dress of Julia Roberts		6,000	... that Valentino Garavani cited the moment Julia Roberts collected her Academy Award for Best Actress wearing his gown as the high point of his 45-year career?
Formicium		6,000	... that the extinct giant ant genus Formicium is known only from forewings found in Dorset, England and Tennessee, US?
M2 gas mask		5,900	... that the M2 gas mask protected the wearer for at least five hours against the common World War I chemical weapon phosgene?
SS Santa Kyriaki		5,900	... that over 70,000 cubic yards (54,000 m3) of sand was excavated to extricate the Liberian steamship Santa Kyriaki from a beach in the Netherlands?
Our City, Christchurch		5,900	... 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?
Waterside Inn		5,900	... that in 2010, the Waterside Inn (pictured) became the first restaurant outside of France to hold three Michelin stars for 25 years?
Kaycee Nicole		5,800	... that the perpetrator of the Kaycee Nicole hoax was investigated by the FBI but charges were never filed because the financial loss was not large enough?
VX-6		5,800	... that the first people to visit the South Pole since Robert Falcon Scott (1912) arrived in 1956 in a U.S. Navy R4D Skytrain (pictured) of the VX-6 squadron?
The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus		5,700	... that Joseph Wright of Derby's painting, The Alchemist Discovering Phosphorus (detail pictured), was only sold after his death, when all of his possessions were auctioned at Christie's?
German destroyer Z16 Friedrich Eckoldt		5,700	... that the German destroyer Friedrich Eckoldt was sunk during the 1942 Battle of the Barents Sea when she mistook the British light cruiser Sheffield for the German heavy cruiser Admiral Hipper?
Tell Halula		5,700	... that the first settlers of Tell Halula brought fully domesticated forms of wheat, barley and flax from somewhere else, circa 7750 BC?
Siam Cup		5,600	... that the Siam Cup was hidden in an unknown place to prevent it from being melted down by the Nazis, and was only rediscovered in 1947?
Women in Laos		5,600	... 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?
Anna Letenská		5,500	... that Czech actress Anna Letenská was killed by the Nazis for her alleged participation in the assassination of Reinhard Heydrich?
VXE-6		5,400	... that the first all-female crew to open up Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station was a Lockheed LC-130 crew of VXE-6 squadron (insignia pictured) in 1991?
United States military chaplain symbols		5,400	... that the first Jewish chaplain in the U.S. Navy wore a cross?
Battle of the Echinades (1427)		5,300	... that the Battle of the Echinades in 1427 was the last naval victory in the history of the Byzantine Empire?
Olivia Ward		5,300	... that mezzo-soprano opera singer Olivia Ward won season 11 of US television show The Biggest Loser?
Lysimachia asperulifolia		5,300	... that the endangered rough-leaved loosestrife of the Carolinas is threatened by the U.S. military?
Baron Carrickfergus		5,200	... that the title Baron Carrickfergus was given to Prince William as a gift from Queen Elizabeth II for his wedding?
German destroyer Z12 Erich Giese		5,200	... that the German destroyer Erich Giese managed to torpedo the British destroyer HMS Jersey during the night of 6/7 December 1939 without ever being spotted?
LIV (SO) Serval		5,100	... that the German Light Infantry Vehicle for Special Operations is built on the chassis of the Mercedes-Benz G-Class?
Kingdom of the Little People		5,100	... that the Kingdom of the Little People theme park in Kunming, China, requires its performers to be less than 51 inches (130 cm) tall?

June 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Fortress of Mimoyecques		51,700	... that the underground Fortress of Mimoyecques (pictured) was built by Nazi Germany to bombard London with 10 shells a minute using the V-3 supergun?
Olek		23,900	... that participants in performance art by Polish-born American artist Olek (pictured) are literally crocheted into her body suits, without fasteners?
La Coupole		22,200	... that the Second World War Allies feared that Nazi Germany intended to use a secret underground rocket base in France to fire ballistic missiles ( V-2 pictured) at New York City?
List of fastest production motorcycles		20,800	... that the competition to build the fastest production motorcycle raged for over a century, and then ended in a truce?
Magicicada neotredecim Decim periodical cicadas Brood XIX		2,000+ 8,200+ 10,200= 20,400	... that a new species of decim periodical cicada (pictured) was discovered by studying the songs of Brood XIX, now re-emerging in 2011 after 13 years underground?
The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)		23,900- (5,400+4,800)/2 =18,800	... that The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence) has been banned by the British Board of Film Classification?
Daphne Oseña-Paez		17,100	... that Filipina TV host Daphne Oseña-Paez (pictured) got her big break by waiting for a network executive in the ABS-CBN parking lot to show him a TV program that she filmed, shot, and edited herself?
Desegregation of the United States Marine Corps		600 + 16,000 = 16,600	... that Howard P. Perry (pictured) was the first African American recruit in the United States Marine Corps?
Disney bomb		15,500	... that the Disney bomb of the Second World War is thought to have been inspired by the Walt Disney cartoon Victory Through Air Power?
Armored Rat		15,100	... that the Armored Rat (pictured) has spines which grow up to 33 millimetres (1.3 in) in length?
List of common false etymologies		14,200	... that the f-word did not begin as an acronym, as is commonly claimed, but is of much older Proto-Germanic origin?
Dinocampus coccinellae		14,100	... that the wasp Dinocampus coccinellae can turn a ladybird into a " zombie bodyguard"?
William P. Cronan		13,000	... that American William P. Cronan (pictured), once described as "the most popular man in the Navy", lost two fingers when he shoved his hand in a breechblock to prevent a potentially deadly explosion?
Invisible Rail		11,100	... that the most recent confirmed sighting of the vulnerable Invisible Rail was in 2003?
List of sections of Chester city walls and associated structures		10,900	... that the Chester city walls (section pictured) form the most complete circuit of Roman and medieval defensive town walls in Britain?
Wildlife of Zanzibar		10,600	... that the wildlife of Zanzibar included its own species of leopard (mounted specimen pictured) that survived from the ice age but may now be extinct?
Shin-kicking		9,900	... that success in the sport of shin-kicking requires the ability to endure pain?
Beau (poem)		9,600	... that when James Stewart recited his poem " Beau" on The Tonight Show, he moved host Johnny Carson to tears?
Seriously McDonalds		9,500	... that McDonald's does not have a policy of charging African Americans more for their food?
Machine of Death		9,300	... that after the science fiction anthology Machine of Death reached No. 1 on the Amazon.com bestseller list instead of his own book, Fox News commentator Glenn Beck denounced it as part of a liberal "culture of death"?
Nazi talking dogs		9,000	... that Nazi scientists claimed to have trained a dog to call " Adolf Hitler" as "Mein Führer"?
Paula Barbieri		9,000	... that Paula Barbieri was reportedly the last girlfriend of O. J. Simpson before the murder of Nicole Simpson and stuck with him during his trial?
Louisiana pancake batfish		8,900	... that the rare Louisiana pancake batfish only lives in the area affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill?
Sun Weishi		8,800	... that China's first female director was adopted by the first Premier of the People's Republic of China (pictured together in Moscow)?
Mike Jackson (right-handed pitcher)		8,600	... that Michael Jackson played professional baseball?
List of places of worship in Arun Bailiffscourt Chapel Littlehampton Friends Meeting House Trinity Congregational Church, Arundel Angmering Baptist Church		1,600 + 572 + 480 + 533 + 5,300 = 8,485	... that past and present churches in Arun, West Sussex, include one in the grounds of a luxury hotel, one in a former Penny School, one (pictured) that became a market, and a "strangely towered" one?
Percé Rock		8,300	... that Percé Rock (pictured), one of the largest and most spectacular natural arches in the world, is an icon of the province of Quebec?
Christopher Hutton		8,100	... that the inventions of Christopher Hutton helped 32 men escape successfully from World War II prisoner-of-war camp Colditz Castle (pictured)?
Medieval Merchant's House		7,900	... that the Medieval Merchant's House (pictured) in Southampton was being used as a brothel when bomb damage during the Blitz revealed the building's important medieval architecture?
Mexican pointy boots		7,800	... that Mexican pointy boots, made by elongating the toes of normal boots by as much as 5 feet (1.5 m), are popular among Mexican men in parts of Mexico and the U.S.?
Alcyonium digitatum		7,800	... that the soft coral dead man's fingers (pictured) can live for 20 years?
Hubur		7,800	... that the Sumerian "river of paradise", the Hubur (pictured), derived partly from real geography before becoming a demonic fantasy?
Bill Foley		7,700	... that Bill Foley's photograph "The Last Smile" shows Anwar Sadat only moments before his assassination?
K computer		8,600- (786+1,300)/2 =7,600	... that the world's fastest computer is the Japanese K?
1st Parachute Brigade (United Kingdom)		7,600	... that the 1st Parachute Brigade earned their nickname Red Devils during the Tunisian Campaign?
Sofia Hellqvist		7,100	... that glamour model Sofia Hellqvist, the current girlfriend of Swedish Prince Carl Philip, appeared in a photoshoot for the men's magazine Slitz in which she posed wearing only bikini bottoms and a live python?
1911 Sarez earthquake		7,100	... that the 1911 Sarez earthquake triggered a huge landslide, forming the tallest dam in the world?
Hidden roof		6,800	... that many Buddhist temples in Japan have a hidden roof?
Kremówka		6,800	... that the kremówka cake gained international recognition after Pope John Paul II noted he once ate 18 of them as part of a bet?
African Owl		6,700	... that the African Owl is actually a pigeon?
Nasothek		6,600	... that a Nasothek (example pictured) is a collection of noses?
John Law Hume		6,300	... that after John Law Hume, violinist on the RMS Titanic, was lost in the disaster, his family were sent an invoice for his uniform?
Jurang Pemisah Sabda Alam Konser Tur 2001 Dekade Senyawa		2,500+ 800+ 1,300+ 300+ 1,800= 6,700	... that during his career, Chrisye released albums that sold like "chicken shit", were recorded with studio executives locked out, raised controversy for being "against Asian mores", went double platinum on his birthday, and had to be recalled to replace the cover design?
2011 New England tornado outbreak, 1995 Great Barrington tornado		5,100 + 1,400=6,500	... that the 2011 New England tornado outbreak (EF3 in Springfield pictured) resulted in Massachusetts' first tornado fatalities since the 1995 Great Barrington tornado?
Samuel Bogart		6,500	... that after murdering a man in Missouri, Samuel Bogart fled to Texas, where he became a Texas Ranger and a member of the State Legislature?
De Rivaz engine		6,400	... that the world's first automobile powered by an internal combustion engine, the De Rivaz engine (model pictured), was made in 1807?
Pink dress of Marilyn Monroe		6,400	... that the pink dress (pictured) which Marilyn Monroe wore in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953) was emulated by Madonna in her video to Material Girl?
London Necropolis Railway		6,300	... that the London Necropolis Railway was used to relocate the exhumed contents of at least 21 London graveyards to Brookwood Cemetery in Surrey?
Richard MacDonald		6,300	... that sculptor Richard MacDonald (pictured) was a successful commercial illustrator until his late 30s when a fire destroyed his entire art studio along with all his illustrations and paintings?
McPike Mansion		6,200	... that the McPike Mansion in Alton, Illinois, is reputed to be one of the most haunted houses in North America?
Titanic Musicians' Memorial, Southampton		6,100	... that the Titanic Musicians' Memorial (pictured) in Southampton features the hymn, " Nearer, My God, to Thee", commonly believed to have been played as the ship went down?
Chuy		6,100	... that the Uruguayan city of Chuy is only separated from the Brazilian city of Chuí by an avenue (pictured)?
William Thompson (journalist)		6,100	... that newspaper editor Col. William Thompson won his 1871 shootout with a rival newspaper editor despite sustaining severe gunshot wounds, including a bullet lodged behind his eye, and a beating from a cane?
Blockhaus d'Éperlecques		6,100	... that the Blockhaus d'Éperlecques was built in France by the Nazi Organisation Todt during World War II to launch V-2 missiles against England?
Jurang Pemisah, Sabda Alam, Konser Tur 2001, Dekade, Senyawa.		2,200 + 731 + 1,100 + 377 + 1,600 = 6,008	... that during his career, Chrisye released albums that sold like "chicken shit", were recorded with studio executives locked out, raised controversy for being "against Asian mores", went double platinum on his birthday, and had to be recalled to replace the cover design?
Kesh temple hymn		6,000	... that the Sumerian Kesh temple hymn (similar temple pictured) is one of the oldest texts?
MV Empire Darwin		5,900	... that a Hawker Sea Hurricane (example pictured) from Empire Darwin was involved in the last action flown from a CAM ship, shooting down a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 on 28 July 1943?
Flåm Line NSB El 9		4,000+ 1,900=5,900	... that the Flåm Line, originally operated with El 9 locomotives, is the steepest standard gauge railway in Europe?
English Pouter		5,900	... that Charles Darwin described the English Pouter (pictured) as "... the most distinct of all domesticated pigeons"?
The Green Men		5,800	... that the Green Men wear green spandex suits while annoying the player(s) who sit inside the opposing team's penalty box during Vancouver Canucks games?
Perp walk		5,800	... that the perp walk of Lee Harvey Oswald ended with his assassination on live television?
A Glorious Way to Die		5,800	... that A Glorious Way to Die is a book about the World War II kamikaze mission of the world's largest battleship, the Yamato, against the American Pacific Fleet?
Garden of the gods (Sumerian paradise)		5,730	... that in the Epic of Gilgamesh, the hero travelled through the cedars near Mount Hermon in Lebanon (pictured) to find the Garden of the gods?
Kölnbrein Dam		5,600	... that the Kölnbrein Dam (pictured) is the tallest dam in Austria?
Barbara Longhi		5,500	... that Barbara Longhi's painting Saint Catherine of Alexandria (pictured) is believed to be a self-portrait, presented as a devotional image to avoid the appearance of indulging in the sin of vanity?
Cornélie Falcon Stradella (opera)		5,000+ 500= 5,500	... that the career of soprano Cornélie Falcon (pictured), star of the Paris Opéra, collapsed after she lost her voice in 1837 performing in the opera Stradella by Louis Niedermeyer?
The Broken Tower (film)		5,400	... that the storyline of James Franco's upcoming film The Broken Tower started out as his master's thesis at New York University Tisch School of the Arts?
Franquet's Epauletted Fruit Bat		5,300	... that Franquet's Epauletted Fruit Bat (pictured) is one of three fruit-eating bats found to be a reservoir for Ebola virus in the wild?
South American dreadnought race		5,300	... that the Brazilian government's order for dreadnought battleships (one pictured) led to a South American naval arms race?
Patricia Preece		5,300	... that Patricia Preece persuaded artist Stanley Spencer to divorce his wife, marry her, and sign his house over to her, but never left her lesbian lover?
Black Bear Ranch		5,300	... that the Californian commune Black Bear Ranch was founded using money from both entertainment industry executives and from an LSD deal?
Tony Tetro		5,300	... that while in parochial school, art forger Tony Tetro was hit by a nun after he painted her as a Vargas girl in a habit with a "pruney face"?
Sonderkommando Blaich		5,300	... that, in February 1942, a lone German Heinkel He 111 from the Sonderkommando Blaich successfully attacked Free French Forces at Fort Lamy, Chad, but ran out of fuel on the return flight?
Lola Sanchez (Confederate spy)		5,200	... that Lola Sanchez was a spy during the American Civil War who provided information to the Confederate Army, which led them to a victory over the Union Forces in the "Battle of Horse Landing"?
Coding (therapy)		5,200	... that if the alternative therapeutic practice of coding is successful, patients will fear for their lives?
Cock ale		5,200	... that Cock ale, described as a "provocative drink", was popular in 17th- and 18th-century England?
Shouwang Church		5,200	... that Beijing police dedicate 4,500 officers to preventing the Shouwang Church from holding Sunday prayer meetings?
MV Empire Dawn		5,100	... that although the continued attack by the German auxiliary cruiser Michel on Empire Dawn after she had surrendered was considered to be a war crime, Michel's captain was acquitted of the charge?
Aelita Andre		5,100	... that Aelita Andre, an Australian artist who recently sold US$30,000 worth of paintings at a New York exhibition, is just four years old?
Ehrenbürg		5,022	... that human sacrifices and perhaps cannibalism took place on the Ehrenbürg in Franconia during the Hallstatt and La Tène periods?

July 2011

Article	Image	DYK views	DYK hook
Leroy Petry		66,900- (925+5,100)/2= 63,900	... that Leroy Petry (pictured) is receiving the U.S. Medal of Honor today, marking only the second time that the award has been bestowed upon a living soldier for actions after the end of the Vietnam War?
Red or Black?		23,300	... that Simon Cowell conceived the idea for Red or Black?, the most expensive game show ever made?
Murder of Julia Martha Thomas		19,400	... that the severed head of Julia Martha Thomas, murdered, boiled and dismembered by her maid in 1879, was found next door to Sir David Attenborough's house in 2010?
Jean Thurel		17,900	... that Jean Thurel (pictured) was a soldier in the French Régiment de Touraine for more than 90 years?
Tipu's Tiger		14,400	... that the 18th-century Indian automaton Tipu's Tiger (pictured) shows a near life-size European being mauled by a tiger, and emits wails and grunts as well as containing a pipe organ?
Opposition to the overthrow of the Hawaiian Kingdom		13,800	... that, in 1898, the United States government annexed the Kingdom of Hawaii despite protestation from Queen Liliuokalani (pictured)?
Victoria Fyodorova Zoya Fyodorova		5,100+ 8,100= 13,200	... that Joseph Stalin expelled an American Navy captain from Moscow after learning he had fathered a " love child" with a well-known Soviet film actress, who was then banished to Siberia for eight years?
Ephraim McLean Brank		13,000	... that according to an account by a British officer, the marksmanship of Kentucky rifleman Ephraim McLean Brank (pictured) contributed more than anything else to the US victory at the Battle of New Orleans?
Svið		13,000	... that Svið (pictured), a traditional Icelandic dish, consists of a sheep's head that has been cut in half, singed and boiled with the brain removed?
Capnomancy		12,800	... that capnomancy was still practiced in New England as late as 2003?
Sempervivum tectorum		12,400	... that many people still plant Jove's beard on the roofs of houses, as Charlemagne recommended?
Harley-Davidson XR-750		12,100	... that Evel Knievel's preferred stunt bike, the Harley-Davidson XR-750 (pictured), has won the most AMA Races?
Sonderbehandlung		12,100	... that the Nazis documented murder and genocide during their perpetration of the Holocaust with euphemisms such as Sonderbehandlung?
Georgine Darcy		11,500	... that the mother of Georgine Darcy, an actress in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, urged her to become a stripper?
Robert Mulka		11,300	... that despite overseeing the construction of the crematoria and gas chambers at Auschwitz, what specifically shocked SS- Obersturmführer Robert Mulka at the camp was his colleagues' dress sense?
Macellum of Pozzuoli		11,200	... that columns at the Roman Macellum of Pozzuoli (pictured) remained upright over centuries while the site sank below sea level, then re-emerged?
Morris Dam		11,200	... that the reservoir of Morris Dam (pictured) in Los Angeles County, California, was used as a testing site for torpedoes and underwater missiles beginning in World War II?
Torrs Pony-cap and Horns		11,100	... that scholars debate whether the Torrs Pony-cap and Horns (pictured) of c. 200 BC in the Museum of Scotland were intended to be worn by a horse, a human or a statue?
Battle of Drashovica		10,900	... that during the Battle of Drashovica over 3000 German soldiers died, more than 200 of whom were inside the barracks of Drashovicë?
Russian ironclad Pervenets		10,400	... that the Russian ironclad Pervenets was launched in the 1860s by the Imperial Russian Navy but was not scrapped by the Soviet Union until a century later during the 1960s?
BMW F650CS		10,300	... that the 2001 BMW F650CS motorcycle's offbeat, " iMac-inspired" styling was meant to attract non-motorcyclists of the extreme sports generation?
Xavier Mertz		10,300	... that Xavier Mertz is suspected to have died as a result of eating dog liver?
Death of Michael Gilbert		10,000	... that Michael Gilbert was kept as a slave and regularly beaten by a family who eventually murdered him?
Station bell		9,900	... that 1000 years ago Japanese officials used bells (pictured) to procure horses?
Liberty Place		9,700	... that the construction of One Liberty Place was in breach of a "gentlemen's agreement" not to build any building taller than the statue of William Penn on Philadelphia City Hall (both buildings pictured)?
Three Emperors Dinner		9,500	... that Tsar Alexander II of Russia had a special crystal bottle of Roederer champagne made for the Three Emperors Dinner in 1867 so he could admire the bubbles?
Robinson Crusoes of Warsaw		9,400	... that Władysław Szpilman (pictured), whose life inspired the film The Pianist, was the most famous Robinson Crusoe of Warsaw, hiding in the ruins of Warsaw after the Nazis destroyed it?
Takabisha		9,200	... that the steepest roller coaster in the world, with a drop angle of 121°, is Takabisha at the Fuji-Q Highland amusement park in Japan?
Jeff Mellinger		9,000	... that when Jeff Mellinger, the last active-duty draftee in the U.S. Army from the Vietnam War era, received his draft papers, he thought that they were written to him by then-President Richard Nixon?
Io as an X-ray source		9,000	... that one of Jupiter's moons, Io, is an X-ray source?
SR Battle of Britain class 21C151 Winston Churchill		8,900	... that Winston Churchill's funeral train carried the headcode of a breakdown train?
Van de koele meren des doods Van de koele meren des doods (film) Nouchka van Brakel Renée Soutendijk		2,900+ 994+ 565+ 4,400= 8,859	... that the Dutch novel Van de koele meren des doods (1900) was made into a movie in 1982 by Nouchka van Brakel, with Renée Soutendijk (pictured) starring as the sexually repressed main character?
Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve		8,800	... that the Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve contains a "stone tree" (pictured)?
Frog Boys		8,800	... that when the Frog Boys went missing, South Korean President Roh Tae-woo dispatched 300,000 police officers to search for them?
World War Z (film)		11,200- (2,500+2,400)/2 =8,750	... that Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment beat Leonardo DiCaprio's production company in a bidding war for the rights to produce World War Z, an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film?
Robertsbridge United Reformed Church		8,700	... that the design of Robertsbridge United Reformed Church (pictured) in England has been described as "truly horrible" and "most dissolute"?
Nasi kucing		8,700	... that the Javanese eat cat rice?
Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Poland		8,600	... that among the Jewish ghettos in German-occupied Poland the most populous was the Warsaw Ghetto (pictured) with over 400,000 inhabitants crammed into an area of 1.3 sq mi (3.4 km2)?
Zinaida Reich		8,600	... that Zinaida Reich was expelled from school at the end of the eighth grade in the tsarist Russia for her political activities?
Justice League Dark		8,400	... that as part of the DC Universe reboot, Justice League Dark has been launched featuring some of DC Comics' more bizarre and supernatural characters?
Leotia lubrica		8,400	... that jelly babies are considered inedible?
Gudea cylinders		8,300	... that the Gudea cylinders (pictured) are the longest literary composition ever found in the Sumerian language?
Convoy HX 300		8,300	... that during the Second World War, 10 countries formed Convoy HX 300, which consisted of 166 ships covering an area 9 miles (14 km) wide and 4 miles (6.4 km) long?
Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland		8,300	... that reportedly haunted locations in Scotland include a tenement where bubonic plague victims were quarantined and starved to death by local councilmen?
United Nations Honour Flag		8,300	... that the United Nations Honour Flag was designed as a symbol of the Allies of World War II at the suggestion of Winston Churchill?
Paling in 't groen		8,200	... that paling in 't groen (pictured) is a Flemish dish of eel in a green herb sauce?
Invasion of Banu Qaynuqa		8,100	... that according to an Islamic tradition, the Invasion of Banu Qaynuqa was caused by a Jewish jeweler allegedly stripping a Muslim woman?
Battle of Breville		8,100	... that on 12 June 1944, during the Battle of Breville, friendly fire killed the commander of the attacking force and wounded two British brigadiers?
Christine Jorgensen Reveals		8,100	... that Christine Jorgensen Reveals is a docudrama about the first celebrity transsexual, who was called the world's most famous woman at the time?
Demolition of Dhul Khalasa		7,800	... that even after Muhammad ordered the demolition of the pagan idol, Dhul Khalasa, it was resurrected and worshipped until 1815, when members of the Wahabbi movement demolished it with gunfire?
Tzeltal people		7,700	... that the Tzeltal people (Tzeltal child pictured) of the Mexican state of Chiapas are descended from the Maya?
Quiet Birdmen		7,700	... that the Quiet Birdmen were noisy?
Mini Hatch (2001–2006)		7,400	... that as the full-sized clay mock-up of the original new Mini Hatch (pictured) was missing an exhaust pipe, chief designer Frank Stephenson, had to make one out of an empty beer can?
The Last Ringbearer		7,400	... that The Last Ringbearer, an English translation of a Russian alternative retelling of Lord of the Rings, has been published as a non-commercial ebook after a 10-year delay due to fears of litigation?
Omura Shrine		7,400	... that the object of worship at Omura Shrine is a sword?
Homo sapiens (novel)		7,400	... that the late 19th-century novel Homo sapiens, although well received in Germany, was withdrawn from sale in the U.S. after being called obscene?
Sebuku (Borneo)		7,300	... that environmentalists fear that the mine on Sebuku Island could sink it?
Supercomputing in Japan		7,300	... that the world's fastest supercomputer, in Japan, costs $10 million a year to operate?
John Field, George B. Chadwick, Jack Owsley, George S. Stillman, James O. Rodgers, Joseph R. Swan, Charles D. Rafferty, William F. Knox, Art Howe		1,172 + 1,632 + 1,271 + 451 + 318 + 340 + 689 + 365 + 1,009 = 7,247	... that despite winning seven national championships from 1899 to 1912, the Yale football team had 14 head coaches in those 14 years, including a lingerie manufacturer, "the phantom line cleaver", a manufacturer of machine guns, a victim of typhoid fever, a Harvard law student, the senior partner of Smith Barney & Co., the grandfather of a noted documentary filmmaker, the nephew of the U.S. Secretary of State, and the president of a historically black university?
Gottfried Schloemer		7,200	... that Gottfried Schloemer (pictured with car) is considered by some to have built the first practical gasoline automobile in the United States?
Monarchism in Bavaria after 1918		7,000	... that, in 1933, when attempts were made to restore the monarchy in Bavaria to stall the Nazis' rise to power, Adolf Hitler warned the Bavarian government that this would lead to a "terrible catastrophe"?
Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire		7,000	... that in 1681 the strength of the Imperial Army of the Holy Roman Empire ( grenadier pictured) was fixed at 28,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry?
Redstone Test Stand		7,000	... that the Redstone Test Stand was built in Alabama by Wernher von Braun's rocketry team for just $25,000 out of concrete and salvaged materials?
Britannia Coco-nut Dancers		6,900	... that the Britannia Coco-nut Dancers (pictured) bang their nuts together each Easter in Bacup?
The Cenotaph, Whitehall		6,900	... that The Cenotaph, Whitehall (pictured) replaced a wood-and-plaster cenotaph erected in 1919 for the Allied Victory Parade?
Ramsdell Hall		6,900	... that Ramsdell Hall in Cheshire, England, has been described by architectural writers as a "curious" and "appealingly quirky" house?
Castello Orsini-Odescalchi		6,800	... that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes married at the Castello Orsini-Odescalchi (pictured)?
Fighter-pilot school Lipetsk		6,700	... that Germany, prohibited by the Treaty of Versailles from having an air force, operated the secret fighter-pilot school Lipetsk in the Soviet Union from 1926 to 1933?
Far Eastern Party		6,700	... that Douglas Mawson was the sole survivor of the Far Eastern Party, enduring a month alone in the Antarctic and walking about 100 miles (160 km) to safety?
Classical compass winds		6,500	... that today you only really need to remember four names (North, East, South, West) to get around, but ancient Greeks and Romans had to memorize 12 different wind names to orient themselves?
Yakovlev AIR-3		6,500	... that the Soviet Union's Yakovlev AIR-3 aircraft was designed by a student?
The Captive (painting)		6,400	... that the man who bought Sterne's Captive (detail pictured) had John Raphael Smith's engraving plate broken after only 20 prints had been made?
Micronecta scholtzi		6,400	... that the penis of the Lesser Water Boatman Micronecta scholtzi creates mating calls of 99.2 decibels, making it the loudest animal on earth, scaled for its size?
Tower of Jericho		6,400	... that the shadow of nearby mountains first hit the Tower of Jericho on the sunset of the summer solstice and then spread across the entire proto-city in c. 8000 BCE?
Hraschina meteorite		6,300	... that the fall of the Hraschina meteorite in 1751 was the first witnessed fall of an iron meteorite?
Plaza of the Seven Temples		6,200	... that the main temple at the Plaza of the Seven Temples (pictured) in the Maya city of Tikal, in modern Guatemala, was decorated with a skull and crossbones?
Wicklow Way		6,100	... that Ireland's Wicklow Way (pictured) was originally proposed by J. B. Malone in a series of articles in the Evening Herald newspaper?
Maupin Carbon Dragon		6,100	... that the Maupin Carbon Dragon has a 44 ft (13 m) wingspan but weighs only 145 lb (66 kg)?
Russian ironclad Ne Tron Menia		6,100	... that Russian broadside ironclad Ne Tron Menia was named after the biblical verse John 20:17?
Sugar Museum (Berlin)		6,000	... that the Berlin Sugar Museum features a 1903 painting (pictured) of Franz Carl Achard presenting King Frederick William III of Prussia with a loaf of beet sugar?
The Captive King		6,000	... that The Captive King is a lost painting by Joseph Wright of Derby that showed Guy de Lusignan taken prisoner, after the relics of the true cross were said to be lost?
Alex McDonald (prospector)		6,000	... that the Big Moose from Antigonish was the "King of the Klondike?
Dr. John R. Drish House		5,900	... that witnesses have reported ghostly lights and phantom fires emanating from the Dr. John R. Drish House in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
Fokker FG-2		5,900	... that the Fokker FG-2 made the world's first passenger flight with a glider in 1922?
I Am a Camera (film)		5,900	... that I Am a Camera is a 1955 British film that received an X certificate from the BBFC, but only after dialogue suggesting foot fetishism was removed?
195th (Airlanding) Field Ambulance		5,700	... that during World War II, an officer from a British airborne forces unit recommended a German NCO for the Iron Cross?
Mietek Pemper		5,700	... that Mietek Pemper, who was forced to work as Amon Göth's secretary, compiled and typed Oskar Schindler's famous list, which saved 1,200 Jewish prisoners from the Holocaust?
John ya Otto Nankudhu		5,500	... that a pauper received a state burial in Namibia two days ago?
Fee-for-service Overutilization		3,300+ 2,200= 5,500	... that the fee-for-service model encourages overutilization, which is a major factor behind the high cost of U.S. health care?
Feathers Hotel, Ludlow		5,400	... that The New York Times referred to the Feathers Hotel (pictured) in Ludlow, Shropshire, as "the most handsome inn in the world"?
Tanguy Ngombo		5,300	... that in the 2011 NBA Draft, reigning NBA champion Dallas Mavericks selected Qatari basketball player Tanguy Ngombo, even though his age and eligibility were disputed?
SS Clan Mackinnon (1945)		5,200	... that the Empire Dunnet was built in 1945 then sold and renamed three times before wrecking in Borneo in 1967?
225th (Parachute) Field Ambulance		5,200	... that the 225th (Parachute) Field Ambulance a British airborne forces unit, became responsible for the medical welfare of German U-boat crews?
Yak butter		5,200	... that yak butter stays edible for up to a year and finds a new use after it gets old and rancid?
General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of a North American Indian		5,100	... that Benjamin West's painting of General Johnson Saving a Wounded French Officer from the Tomahawk of a North American Indian (pictured) contrasts against Sir William Johnson's "White Savage" reputation?
Great Mosque of al-Nuri (Mosul)	File:Al-Hadba.jpg	5,100	... that the leaning minaret (pictured) of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri in Mosul, Iraq, reputedly gained its tilt after it bowed to the prophet Muhammad?
Communist Party of French India		5,100	... that in 1954 The New York Times warned that the Communist Party of French India was likely to seize power in the colony?
Church Cottage, Tutshill		5,100	... that the writer of Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, lived as a child at Church Cottage, Tutshill, a Grade II listed building constructed in about 1852 in the Victorian Gothic style?
Peter Voss		5,050	... that SS- Oberscharführer Peter Voss was the first commander of the Auschwitz crematoria and gas chambers, buildings used to kill 900,000 people??