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31 October 2009
19:28, 31 October 2009 (UTC) Halloween hooks
... that bodies (example pictured) buried in Chauchilla Cemetery still retain skins and hair?
... that Mycena nargan was so named because its white speckles were like the eyes of the mythical
nargun of Australian aborigines?
... that people paid to see a skeleton strike a thigh bone against a human skull every sixty minutes?
... that the carnivorous monster called a Hidebehind from
American folklore cannot be accurately described because it is always hiding behind something?
... that the Seinfeld episode "The Phone Message" was written to replace a script in which one of the main characters bought a
handgun, which was considered too provocative?
... that as special counsel for compliance in the
United States Department of Energy, Paul Bloom recovered $6 billion from American oil companies that had overcharged refiners for their "old oil"?
... that streets in the
Cambridge, New York, historic district(Hubbard Hall, pictured) intersect at odd angles because the village was created from the combination of three crossroads
hamlets?
... that
church services may be held in
Serbia under the crown of a zapis, a large
oak with a cross inscribed into its bark, sacred for the village at which it is situated?
... that radio personality Yngvar Ustvedt has written more than seventy books?
... that the lyrics in the
U2 song "No Line on the Horizon" were inspired by an image of a place "where the sea meets the sky and you can't tell the difference between the two"?
... that Les Cocker, a coach with the victorious
England team at the
1966 World Cup, received a winner's medal in June 2009, nearly 30 years after his death, following a campaign launched by his family?
... that former
Louisiana State SenatorHeulette Fontenot wrote legislation to require that disaster preparedness officials also provide for the safety of household pets during evacuations?
... that it took the U.S. government seven years to design, then two additional years to build, the
Hoosick Falls, New York, post office after it acquired the land?
... that American band
Cartel took one year to record their third full-length album, Cycles, after spending less than a month in the studio for each of their previous two albums?
... that the
U2 song "Fez – Being Born", created by joining the two in-progress songs "Fez" and "Being Born" together, was originally called "Chromium Chords"?
... that contraception expert Dr. Sheldon Segal led the team that developed the implantable device
Norplant, described as "the first significant advance in birth control since the
pill"?
... that although
United Kingdom law has a principle of "innocent until proven guilty", under parts of the Prevention of Crime Act 1953 the burden is on the defendant to prove his innocence?
... that the Phosphorite War is regarded in
Estonia as a catalyst that led to the dissolution of the Soviet regime?
... that Ritchie Yorke instigated and organized the first political meeting between a pop star and a prime minister, between
John Lennon and
Pierre Trudeau in 1969?
... that despite serving as the editor of The Observer for fifty years, Lewis Doxat prided himself on never having written a single
article for the paper?
... that the exact location of the city of
Cialis, where Bento de Góis became convinced in 1605 that
Cathay is
China, has been a subject of debate among later historians?
... that although the torpedo scad(pictured) is of major importance to
Indianfisheries and extensively studied in that country,
worldwide catch statistics for the species do not include India?
... that actress
Michelle Wild, whose real name is Katalin Vad, changed her name to accommodate to the international distribution of Hungarian pornography?
... that in 1944 the
Soviet Factory No. 500 began to disassemble the stored Charomskiy M-40 engines to use their components in the closely related
Charomskiy ACh-30B engine?
... that when the musical Kelly closed after one night on
Broadway, a reviewer noted "
Ella Logan was written out of Kelly before it reached the
Broadhurst Theater Saturday night. Congratulations, Miss Logan"?
... that when
SwedeAnna Bågenholm got trapped under a layer of ice in a river for eighty minutes, her body temperature decreased to 13.7 °C (56.7 °F) — the lowest survived body temperature ever recorded in a human?
14:28, 27 October 2009 (UTC)
... that Swedish painter Richard Bergh(pictured) was established as a portrait painter, although his landscape paintings played an important role in the development of Swedish
romantic nationalism?
... that there are five main types of
metalcasting defects:
gas porosity, shrinkage defects, mold material defects, pouring metal defects, and metallurgical defects?
... that the
U2 song "Stand Up Comedy" was recreated so many times during the No Line on the Horizon sessions that six different songs were written as a result?
... that after being reported as the site of the alleged murders by "Dr. X"
Mario Jascalevich, Riverdell Hospital closed in 1981 due to declining numbers of patients?
... that General
Lucius D. Clay's (pictured) justification for U.S. food policy in occupied Germany was that "Germans should suffer from hunger and from cold ... to make them realize the consequences of a war which they caused"?
... that the
Bavarian ministry of education once ordered 75,000 copies of a song book for school children to be destroyed because it contained Biermösl Blosn's Gott mit dir, du Land der
BayWa?
... that in 2008 61-year-old Rosie Swale-Pope completed a five-year 20,000-mile around the world run to highlight the importance of early diagnosis of
prostate cancer?
... that in 2008, a 49% stake in Air Malawi was offered to
Comair for only
US$3,500?
01:07, 26 October 2009 (UTC)
... that the first winner of the contest to design the Parliament of Norway Building was rejected because it looked too much like a church (design pictured)?
... that
Dominican baseball prospect Miguel Angel Sano received the highest international signing bonus in
Minnesota Twins history, more than the Twins spent on 70 international prospects from 2006 to 2008 combined?
... that the copilot of the Tupolev Tu-8 could turn his seat 180° and man a 20 mm (0.79 in)
Berezin B-20cannon in the rear of the pilot's compartment?
13:07, 25 October 2009 (UTC)
... that
Puerto RicantenorAntonio Paoli's birthplace, the Casa Paoli(pictured), was a wedding gift to his parents, who already had five children together at the time of their marriage?
... that the
elephants of Mole National Park,
Ghana(pictured) do more damage to the economically important trees of the park than to less valuable species?
... that Werner Heubeck, the managing director of
Ulsterbus during
The Troubles, was known for personally removing
IRA bombs from buses to keep them running on time?
24 October 2009
19:07, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
... that the Beaver River(pictured) flows through the heart of the
Yukon Flats, one of the most productive
waterfowl breeding areas in North America, and the most productive in
Alaska?
... that Nancy Wexler, who discovered the location of the gene that causes
Huntington's disease and created a genetic test for it, is herself at risk as the daughter of a sufferer?
... that
Katie Piper, a former model who was
burnt by acid in an attack arranged by her ex-boyfriend, had her face removed and rebuilt in a single operation, which was the first of its kind?
... that theater reporter Sam Zolotow of The New York Times was said to be able to get any information he needed, as long as he had "a corned-beef sandwich, a cigar and a telephone"?
01:07, 24 October 2009 (UTC)
... that the 1999 Suzuki Hayabusa(pictured) was named the fastest production
motorcycle of the 20th century?
... that after fighting in six wars throughout
Europe and
Russia, General Hotze(pictured) was killed within 32 km (20 miles) of his birthplace on 25 September 1799 at the
Second Battle of Zurich?
... that the
alternative country band The V-Roys were originally named The Vice Roys, but were forced to change their name after being threatened with a lawsuit from a
Jamaican band?
... that the
U2 song "Unknown Caller" was written from the perspective of a suicidal
drug addict whose phone begins receiving cryptic text messages?
... that in a 1933
first-class cricket match, Jack Lee claimed the wicket of his older brother
Harry, with the catch being taken by younger brother
Frank?
... that the title of the
Bob Dylan song "The Wicked Messenger" mirrors a
Proverbs passage, which reads "A wicked messenger falleth into mischief; but a faithful ambassador is health"?
... that
Moroccan alligator wrestler and circus strongman Tahar Douis set a world record by lifting 12 men weighing a total of 1,700 pounds on his shoulders?
... that by the time Lyon's Inn was dissolved it was being run by only two of the standard twelve governors, neither of whom had any idea what their duties were?
... that despite being one of the largest malls in the
Denver area, Westminster Mall is half-vacant?
... that when sailors more than 320 kilometres (200 mi) off the coast of
Massachusetts felt the 1755 Cape Ann earthquake, they thought their ship had run aground?
... that items from the collection of Mark Samuels Lasner relating to
Aubrey Beardsley,
Oscar Wilde and other writers and artists of the
1890s have provided the basis for numerous publications and exhibitions?
... that in a 1981 case, Judge Fred C. Galda allowed a woman to claim she shot her husband in self-defense, making him the first judge in
New Jersey to accept a
battered woman defense in a spousal killing?
... that the 15th-century Ancient Priors in
Crawley had hidden rooms reached by pulling meat-hooks to open a trapdoor and twisting a wall-carving to move a fireplace?
... that the ritual baton called a shaku held by Japanese officials like Emperor
Hirohito(pictured) was originally meant just to keep small sheets for
memoranda and other notes?
... that Thomas Trantino spent 38 years in the prison system for the murder of two
Lodi, New Jersey, police officers, making him the longest-serving prisoner in the state as of his parole in 2002?
... that the name of the Black Abbey is based on the fact that the
Dominicans were often referred to as Black Friars, because of the black cappa or cloak which they wear over their white
habits?
... that the three
caducei on the Flag of Brisbane(pictured) represent
Hermes' role as the protector of
commerce, and not their more familiar meaning of being associated with
medicine?
... that the 2009 film Heart of Stone is the story of
Weequahic High School beset by gangs, and its principal working with Black and Jewish alumni and gang members to restore its glory prior to 1960?
... that homosexual novelist Myron Brinig wrote several novels about homosexuality, yet he was
closeted all his life?
... that the song "Full Circle", from
The Byrds' 1973 reunion album, was not released as a
single in the
United Kingdom until August 1975, more than two years after The Byrds' reunion had come to an end?
... that during a rouge test(example pictured), an experimenter places a colored dot on a child's nose to assess
self-recognition when looking in the mirror?
... that in 1906 Ernest Archdeacon commissioned an Aéromotocyclette (propeller driven motorcycle) which achieved 79.5 kph?
... that
thoroughbred horseLord Avie, bought for $37,000 in 1980, was put to
stud after retiring in 1981 and by 2002 had sired 578 starters, including 429 individual winners with total earnings of $35 million?
... that one scene of the Cold Feet television episode "Going to Australia" was filmed on a set that was physically falling apart as the camera was rolling?
... that in 1961, a year before he died, turn-of-the-century racecar driver Gus Monckmeier recreated his 1911 1,000-mile run around Lake Michigan?
... that the people of Pachuca call the city the "Cradle of Mexican Soccer"?
... that some historians believe that Edith Rogers was left out of the
Albertacabinet in 1935 because she was a woman?
... that the
United States Army's Camp Warner in south central
Oregon was so cold that on several occasions the camp's entire detachment of
soldiers had to walk in circles all night to keep from freezing?
... that Judge Peter T. Farrell presided over the trial of bank robber
Willie Sutton, who claimed to have stolen millions from banks in his career, and sentenced him to 30–120 years in
Attica State Prison?
... that
lots on the West Side(houses on Washington Street, pictured) of
Saratoga Springs, New York, were so uniformly narrow that even
bungalows were built with their sides facing the street?
... that French
indie rock band Stuck in the Sound got their name from the fact that when the group formed, the four band members locked themselves in a basement with their music?
... that patient activist Rose Kushner is credited with helping to end the practice of treating
breast cancer by performing both a
biopsy and a
mastectomy as a one-step surgical procedure?
... that in order to register themselves as a political association according to
Austro-Hungarian regulations, the
JewishsocialistBund of
Bukovina had to limit its membership to male Austrian citizens?
... that although a
yellow fever epidemic forced the team to play the final month of the season on the road, Otto Williams batted .278 and helped the
New Orleans Pelicans win the 1905 pennant?
... that when the steamer SS Myron(pictured) sank in 1919, she defied the adage that “
Lake Superior seldom gives up her dead” when 17 of her crew were found frozen to death wearing their lifejackets?
... that Arunah Shepherdson Abell, founder of the Baltimore Sun newspaper, used pony express routes, telegraphy, steamships, and even carrier pigeons to gather the news more quickly?
... that John Hyson published articles on the history of the toothbrush,
George Washington's dentures, and one entitled "Did You Know A Dentist Embalmed President
Lincoln?"?
12 October 2009
21:28, 12 October 2009 (UTC)
... that due to scarcity of iron in
Puerto Rico, the Spanish government contracted for the Arenas Bridge(pictured) to be built by a Belgian firm in 1894, and shipped to be assembled in place?
... that the star attraction of the Westminster Pit, a
Victorianblood sport arena, was a dog named "Billy", who was reportedly able to kill 100 rats in five minutes?
... that Giuseppe Giulietti, a leader of the Italian seamen's union, once hijacked a ship that was transporting weapons to the
White movement in
Russia?
... that the illegal
Galician castle constructed by Muño Peláez in 1121 was considered a "den of robbers and bandits" by contemporaries, and was soon razed?
... that Heinrich Roller invented a popular
shorthand system in 1875 after having been sued unsuccessfully for publishing a popular textbook on
Leopold Arends' shorthand system?
... that Lee Robins "pioneered the field of
psychiatric epidemiology" and "played a key role in determining the prevalence of mental problems in the United States and the world"?
... that
Nollywood actress Stephanie Okereke went back to acting and directing her own films after her car accident in 2005?
... that the people of
Scilla spent the night on the beach after the first
shock of the 1783 Calabrian earthquakes sequence only to be caught by the
tsunami caused by the second?
... that in 1991, Victor Erlich, the grandson of Henryk Ehrlich, was informed that his father, a
JewishBund leader who had been executed on
Stalin’s orders, had been "
rehabilitated"?
... that Maria Gulovich sheltered Jews, worked for the anti-fascist underground, and was awarded the
Bronze Star for saving the lives of
OSS agents during
World War II?
... that more than 4,000 people died in 1933 on Nazino Island in the
Soviet Union, many of whom were deported there only because they did not have an
internal passport?
... that the Indian Army during World War II was the largest volunteer army in history, rising to over 2.5 million men in August 1945?
... that according to the book Who's Your City?, in the United States the highest concentrations of people whose dominant personality trait is
neuroticism are found in the
New York and
ChiPitts area?
... that
Alex Rodriguez set the
AL record with 7 RBI in one inning in the team's final game of the 2009 season, the same game where he reached 30
HRs and 100
RBI for a record 13th consecutive year?
... that Hirsh Lekert, a
Bundist, tried unsuccessfully to assassinate the governor of
Vilna, and became a folk hero in the Jewish workers’ movement, with poems and dramas written about him in
Yiddish?
... that the name of the village Kokrebellur, an important breeding ground for the
Spot-billed Pelican(pictured), is derived from the word "Kokkare" meaning stork or pelican in the
Kannada language?
... that a church in Worthing, England (pictured), has the world's only known replica of the
Sistine Chapel ceiling, hand-painted at two-thirds scale by an untrained artist?
... that The Other Economic Summit (TOES), founded in 1984, was a counter-summit to the
G7 meetings, held each year for the next two decades in the G7 host country?
... that Mimi Weddell, whose acting career started in her mid-sixties, was named as one "The Most Beautiful
New Yorkers" by New York magazine in 2005 at age 90?
... that "Papa" De Hem's oyster-house in
Soho was patronised by poets, spies and rock-stars?
... that W. Horace Carter won a 1953
Pulitzer Prize for anti-
KKK reporting, "waged on their own doorstep at the risk of economic loss and personal danger" that led to the conviction of over 100 Klansmen?
... that
footballerArthur Wood had a metal plate inserted in his forehead following an injury received in the
First World War, and was never again able to head the ball?
00:28, 9 October 2009 (UTC)
... that most
attacks on humans by the blacktip reef shark(pictured) consist of people being bitten on their legs or feet while wading in shallow water?
... that Isaac Baker Brown was an English
surgeon who in 1867 was expelled from the Obstetrical Society of London for performing
clitoridectomies without his patients' consent?
... that old houses in England saw an increased number of visitors in the 1840s due to published
lithographs depicting architecture and historical scenes in them drawn by Joseph Nash?
... that the brilliantly-coloured blue and black neon cuckoo bee of Australia (pictured) is a parasite of the
Blue banded bee?
... that the Rev. George W. Bridges libelled anti-slavery activists
Escoffery and
Lecesne when he said they wanted to "sheath their daggers in the breasts of their white inhabitants"?
... that in the
1861Tsushima Incident Japanese warships (pictured) failed to repel a Russian naval intrusion and had to be helped by Britain's
Royal Navy?
... that
English author Selina Davenport, in an attempt to support herself and her two daughters after separating from her husband, ran both a coffee house and a dance school?
... that the 58-foot (18 m) motor yacht Sundowner, manned by
Charles Lightoller, his son Roger, and a Sea Scout called Gerald, evacuated 130 men from
Dunkirk?
... that the writers of the
title track to
Toby Keith's 2009 album American Ride told him he was "the only guy in the world that could get away with cutting" that song?
... that Tutinama is a collection of 52
Persian stories narrated through a
parrot to prevent his owner (pictured) from committing
adultery while her husband was away?
... that Peter Rosted served as chief judge at Inderøy District Court for 46 years, from 1733 to 1776?
... that the sculptor
Emile Norman's largest and most famous work is a four-story high endomosaic window in the lobby of the Masonic Memorial Temple in
San Francisco?
... that the 1915 film The Italian tells the story of an immigrant played by George Beban(pictured) who goes to America in search of fortune but finds a "Darwinian jungle" on New York's
Lower East Side?
... that Gary Lakes became an
opera singer because a cracked
vertebra sustained as a high school football
defensive tackle derailed his plans for a sports career?
... that
philanthropistJoseph Gurwin lost more than $36 million to
Bernard Madoff, but promised he would continue making charitable donations even if he had "to sell apples on the street"?
3 October 2009
18:28, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
... that the golden-green carpenter bee(pictured) defends its nesting burrow by blocking the entrance with its abdomen?
... that Rear Admiral
Bradley A. Fiske patented the aerial torpedo(example pictured) in 1912, and said it could be used against an enemy fleet in its own harbor?
... that despite establishing the mandate that
Port wine should only come from the
Douro, the
Marquis of Pombal allowed grapes grown from his own estate in Carcavelos to be used by Port producers?
... that personal injury lawyers mapped the sidewalks of
New York City for defects, rendering the city liable for $600 million in judgments between 1997 and 2006?
... that the decision in Gyles v Wilcox established the legal precedent of fair abridgement, which later evolved into the modern concept of
fair use?
... that director Paul Weiland, whose credits include Mr. Bean, 66 and more than 500 television commercials, owns an 18th-century country estate in
Wiltshire,
England?
12:28, 2 October 2009 (UTC)
... that the map cowry(pictured) is collected both for its
shell and for
food?
... that baseball player
Warren Cromartie filed an injunction against screening of the comedy film Cromartie High - The Movie because the (fictitious) school was portrayed as full of thugs and delinquents?
... that the designers of the proposed Vigilant Eagle system hope to be able to create an invisible protectant dome around an airport to block a
missile?
... that the Eureka Diamond, the first
diamond discovered in
South Africa, was used as a
toy by the boy who discovered it, given away for free by his mother, and sent by
mail to a
mineralogist in an ordinary paper envelope?
... that
Emmy Award-winning director Dearbhla Walsh described one scene in Talk to Me where a teacher commits
adultery with her 15-year-old pupil as "not so much about
sex as about love"?