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... that after a massive expansion program in the 1980s, Lavalin's corporate bankers forced it to merge with the rival
SNC Group, forming one of the largest
civil engineering firms in the world?
... that
psychologistSidney W. Bijou would not punish his 15-year old son for a
joyriding arrest as he "had punishment enough", his son recalling that "it can pay off to have a psychologist for a father"?
01:28, 31 July 2009 (UTC)
... that the State Capitol of
Pennsylvania(pictured) is the third capitol building to be in
Harrisburg, after the first one burned down in 1897 and the second was deemed "ugly" by
its designer?
... that
Ziegfield GirlSusan Fleming found
Harpo Marx, despite his non-speaking film persona, to be "a warm, fun, darling man to talk to", and they married in 1936 after she had proposed to him three times?
... that the St. Johns River was
Florida's first tourist attraction and the primary travel route to the more remote parts of the territory before it was developed?
... that pocket neighborhood developments have included smaller homes around a landscaped common area to promote neighborly contact while keeping parking out of view?
... that Walter O. Bigby, who served in the
Louisiana House of Representatives during the 1970s, was called the "Dean of the House" because of his reputation for integrity, fairness, and hard work?
... that in 1904, the whitewash was removed from the west wall of St. George's church, Trotton, leading to the discovery of an unprecedented 600-year-old wall painting?
... that the first newspaper in
Hawaii was printed by students of Lorrin Andrews in 1834, on a printing press brought to the islands in 1820?
... that professional
poker player Ilari Sahamies lost over US$3 million playing
online poker while drunk, including more than $700,000 in a single day?
... that Barbara Margolis, creator of a
Rikers Island restaurant training program, was held in such regard by inmates that her car was returned after prisoners learned it was stolen from a prison lot?
... that the first Hof's Hut was opened in
Belmont Shore by Harold Hofman on September 16, 1951, the same day that his son was born?
... that due to a violent intimidation campaign of the Federal Republican Party, no other political groups dared to contest the 1900 municipal elections in
Las Villas,
Cuba?
... that the
CubanPeople's Party was barred from contesting the 1901 elections, as the government demanded the party produce a register of thousands of members in just two hours?
... that the earliest activities of the Port of Amsterdam, today the
Netherlands' second largest port, date back to the 13th century?
... that when hired as CEO of Rocket Chemical Company, John Barry changed its name to
WD-40 to match its primary product, whose name came from "water displacement, formulation successful in 40th attempt"?
... that an ad campaign for the
MMORPGEvony featured depictions of scantily clad women and the tagline "Save the Queen!", despite the fact that there is no queen to save in the game?
06:07, 27 July 2009 (UTC)
... that the rough skin of the nursehound(pictured) was once used as an
abrasive called "rubskin", which cost a hundred times more than
sandpaper?
... that Nguyen Van Tuong helped install and depose three Vietnamese emperors in the space of a year?
... that, for a period of 100 days, families featured on the
television seriesThe 100 Mile Challenge were not allowed to consume any food or drink grown or produced more than 100 miles from their home?
... that humans living next to a lake at the Bouri Formation in
Ethiopia 160,000 and 154,000 years ago butchered not only adult
Hippopotamuses but also those that were newborn?
... that before marching to the Battle of White Wolf Mountain, the warlord
Cao Cao fooled his enemy into thinking he had retreated by simply erecting a sign saying so?
... that in the
Broadway comedy Two Blind Mice, two government workers keep their office running after its abolition by
Congress by renting out rooms and hiring out the front lawn as a parking lot?
... that Lorraine Sneed, partner for 15 years of
blade server inventor Christopher Hipp, said she had "got him" on their first date after asking "if he wanted to come see my
SGI"?
... that
Dutch writer Louis Ferron, born of a German soldier and a Dutch mother during the
German occupation in
World War II, wrote a series of novels later called The Teutonic Trilogy?
... that Judy and Alfred were two 90-inch (2.3 m) tall steam locomotives specially designed to fit under a bridge at
Par that was only 96 inches (2.4 m) high?
... that the farming of
celery was first introduced to the United States by George Taylor in 1856?
... that in the wake of the
Sino-Soviet split, Albanian, Chinese and Korean editions of the journal Problems of Peace and Socialism(commemorating stamp pictured) were cancelled during 1962–1963?
... that antique china dolls were predominantly made in
Germany in the 1800s?
... that Robert Isabell had four tons of glitter dumped on the floor of
Studio 54 for a 1970s New Year's Eve party, which owner
Ian Schrager described as like "standing on stardust"?
... that Bagel Bakers Local 338 controlled
bagel making in
New York City for decades, with a 1951 strike creating a "bagel famine" that resulted in sales of
lox dropping up to 50% in area
delis?
... that
SMU All-American Truman "Big Dog" Spain, known for his "rumba king" good looks, was described as "hard as ship's steel and as torrid as a foundry furnace"?
... that four-time U.S.
table tennis champion Lou Pagliaro hated when the sport was called "ping-pong", a name that he said "sounds sissy" in a 1942 article in The New Yorker?
... that Dartmouth Conferences is one of the longest ongoing bilateral unofficial dialogues between American and Soviet (now, Russian) representatives?
... that during the first recording session of
Sanctus Real's album The Face of Love, the studio was 90°
F and "nobody wanted to be there"?
... that the lake in Adams Lake State Park was built as a water source for
West Union, Ohio, and became the focus of the new park in 1950, when a new water source was developed?
... that unless HR 2267 passes, there will be no federal or state regulatory agency protecting US citizens or ensuring "standards of integrity and fairness" on certain interstate activities?
... that photographer Fred Hartsook went from driving a mule-drawn mobile darkroom around California to taking pictures of
Hollywood stars like
Mary Pickford?
... that
Helen Callaghan of the
AAGPBL and son Casey Candaele are the only mother/son duo to play professional baseball, with Candaele having a career
batting average seven points lower than his mother's?
... that the next Finnish
Chief of Defence Lieutenant-General Ari Puheloinen, is a son of an electrician, while the four preceding chiefs-of-defence have come from officer families?
... that one theory suggests that the unique Chester Rows(pictured) were constructed in the
medieval era on top of debris from the ruins of
Roman buildings?
... that in 1960, top US labor mediator Joseph F. Finnegan said employers shouldn't be stuck with "antiquated rules" nor should workers hit by
automation be handled as "a robot to be cast on a trash heap"?
... that nurses have been alarmed by
brain-dead patients moving their arms in front of their faces, a phenomenon named the Lazarus sign after the
biblical character resurrected by
Jesus?
... that in 1999 at the Battle of Aidabasalala an Australian
SAS team was surrounded but were able to shoot their way out, killing five of their attackers before being successfully extracted?
... that Carl Daniel Ekman, who first commercialized the
sulfite process of wood pulp paper production, was the last of his father's sixteen children, who were all born in the same house?
... that the skin colour of the
PokémonJynx was modified because of complaints that the original design was racist?
... that the prize fund for chuckwagon racing at the
Calgary Stampede has grown from $275 at its inception in 1923 to $1.15 million in 2009?
... that Frances Fuller Victor, an influential writer of history and fiction, was initially uncredited for her major contributions to historian
Hubert Howe Bancroft's monumental work, The History of the West?
... that although the design of the Livingston County Courthouse was chosen in part for its
fireproof qualities, the building was called "hardly fireproof" in 1915?
... that while governor of
Jaffa in the early 19th century, Muhammad Abu-Nabbut initiated the city's fortification, the erection of two public fountains, and renovation of the
Mahmoudiya Mosque?
... that the
BrazilianorchidI. virginalis (pictured), the first species of Isabelia discovered, remained without a formal description or
scientific name for four decades after its discovery?
... that on July 9, 2009, the racing yacht Alfa Romeo II broke the
Transpac record for miles sailed in one day, by sailing 431 nautical miles in 24 hours?
... that the diesel exhausts from the Royal Navy's Dark-class fast patrol boats caused the ships to become so dirty that they had to paint the hulls black?
... that the
Canary Islands are one of the few places left where there are still substantial numbers of angelsharks(pictured), once common all around
Europe?
... that in 1696, Catherine Bernard established the aesthetic principle of the
French literary conte de fées with the dictum: "the [adventures] should always be implausible and the emotions always natural"?
... that, although mayor Hardin Bigelow served the city of
Sacramento for only seven months, a flood, several fires, a
riot, and a
cholera epidemic all afflicted the city during his term?
... that King Kot aMweeky of the
Kuba Kingdom told his people that William Henry Sheppard(pictured) was his deceased son, in order to spare Sheppard's life?
... that in non-sexual images of two women, the presence of the Erotes(
Anteros statue pictured), a group of winged gods and demi-gods associated with love and sex, has been interpreted to indicate a
homoerotic subtext?
... that research done by D. Mark Hegsted in the 1960s on the effects of diet on
cholesterol levels led to recommendations to reduce consumption of the
saturated fats found in meat and eggs?
... that according to different versions of his legend,
Hindu cattle-god Bir Kuar was killed by either a
tigress, seven
witches,
Mughal soldiers, or his own sister?
09:35, 15 July 2009 (UTC)
... that
Canadian researchers led by Michael Bigg discovered that many
killer whales(pictured) travel primarily with their mothers throughout their lives?
... that Paul Bunker died in a Japanese
POW camp in 1943 but kept hidden a remnant of the
U.S. flag from
Corregidor now displayed at the West Point Museum?
... that in 1861, plans to build St John the Evangelist's Church closer to
Burgess Hill town centre than first agreed caused local landowners to place a newspaper advert with their strong objections?
... that although
Florida-based
slave holder and trader Zephaniah Kingsley wrote pamphlets defending slavery, he freed dozens of his own and married four of them?
... that Charles Boit's
enamel group portrait of the family of Emperor
Leopold I cracked after one of the Imperial princes accidentally sat down on it?
... that threats of war between England and France and English antagonism to French dancers led to riots in 1755 with the first London production of
Noverre's Les Fêtes Chinoises completely destroyed?
... that
genderbendingChinese spy Shi Pei Pu, inspiration for M. Butterfly, had a sexual relationship with a French diplomatic worker who believed that he was a she and had given birth to their "son"?
... that the Ducati 98, called the
racy motorcycle brand's "first true sporting model," was a hit in the Italian la passeggiata (street cruising scene) of the 1950s?
... that when he was crown prince the future
Emperor Jing of Han killed the Prince of Wu during an argument over a game of Liubo by throwing the game board at his opponent?
... that the earthquake of 1348 in the Alpine region of
Friuli hit at the same time as the
plague in
Italy and it caused odours to come up through the earth?
... that
HarvardAll-AmericanBert Waters was accused of jabbing a finger into a Yale player's eye in the 1893
football game that became known as "The Bloodbath in Hampden Park"?
11 July 2009
21:35, 11 July 2009 (UTC)
... that the spread of red palm mite(pictured) is the biggest
mite explosion ever observed in the
Americas?
... that
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's only novel, Hyperion, was partly based on his attempts to woo Frances Appleton (pictured) who later became his wife despite disapproving of her depiction in the book?
... that, while filming Skins episode "Katie and Emily", actress
Kathryn Prescott genuinely punched her co-star by accident during a fight scene?
02:49, 11 July 2009 (UTC)
... that
American footballhalfbackFranklin Morse(pictured) was the model for a drawing, prints of which reportedly "hung in most college rooms throughout the country" during the 1890s?
... that a 1977 memo by Robert Derzon, overseer of U.S.
Medicaid/
Medicare programs, supported federal
abortion funding for poor women, citing $1,000 in annual
welfare savings on each unwanted child?
... that although its fossils were first discovered in
1946, the
pliosaurid genus Gallardosaurus was not declared a valid taxon until
2009?
... that KATR-FM was honored by the Colorado Broadcasters Association for giving away an "ugly"
pickup truck?
... that Irish playwright Hamilton Deane introduced the
tuxedo and high-collar to the costume of
Count Dracula to facilitate him vanishing
off-stage through the floor in the 1920s stage production of
the novel?
... that the
ClassicMaya archaeological site of Yaxchilan, on the
Mexican border with
Guatemala, is known for its preserved sculpted
lintels(example pictured) detailing the dynastic history of the city?
... that Tommy Thevenow hit his only two
home runs in a six-day span in 1926, but none in his next 12 seasons, setting a
Major League record of 3,347 consecutive regular season
at bats without a home run?
... that in 1958, female
professional wrestlersKay Noble, Lorraine Johnson,
Penny Banner, and Laura Martinez were charged with inciting a riot when they began fighting outside of the
ring, but pleaded not guilty in court?
... that when
Auguste Forel named the zona incerta area of the
brain in 1877, he did so because it was a "region of which nothing certain can be said"?
... that, originally established as the Federation of Crippled and Disabled in 1935, Fedcap Rehabilitation Services switched to its current name in 1992?
... that the
ecosystem contained in
Myanmar's N'Mai River watershed contains some of the most diverse
flora of its type in the world, yet it is threatened with destruction through
damming?
... that Parke H. Davis, who retroactively named the
Americancollege football national champions between 1869 and 1933, was the only
historian to select college champions based on research?
... that after withstanding three years of siege by the
Crusaders on the
Acrocorinth, Leo Sgouros committed suicide by jumping off a cliff on horseback?
... that the Eyelash Cup(pictured) normally grows on rotten wood, but can sometimes be found on
bracket fungi?
... that
federal authorities in
New York may have gambled that there would be no legal challenges to their unexpected seizure of $34 million from 27,000 bank accounts in the
United States?
... that oil extracted from the common prickly-ash Zanthoxylum americanum has been used to treat "chronic
rheumatism,
typhoid and skin diseases and impurity of the blood"?
... that the setting of
John Greenleaf Whittier's poem Snow-Bound, a house in which a family is trapped for three days by a snowstorm, is still standing?
... that Alec Gallup, co-chairman of
The Gallup Organization and the son of founder
George Gallup, was described as someone who could "smell out a bad question or an unreasonable interpretation of data"?
... that in 1864,
René Dagron produced a stanhope which enabled the viewing of a
microphotograph that included the portraits of 450 people in an area of 1 mm2?
... that
Stephen van Rensselaer III is considered the tenth richest American in history because of his ownership of the Manor of Rensselaerswyck during the 19th century, which he inherited at the age of five?
... that though the Raša River in
Croatian Istria is less than 30 km (19 mi) long, it has formed a political boundary for much of the last two millennia?
... that the bus for Australian
jazz band leader,
pianist and composer, Graeme Bell, had groupies posing as band member's wives?
... that Irv Hall's 1,904
at bats without a
home run from 1943 to 1946 places him second among batters since 1900 who never hit a home run during their
Major League Baseball career?
... that radio broadcaster Frank Ford adopted his name while hosting a show sponsored by Frankford Unity Grocery Store, and later wondered what his name would have been if the sponsor had been
Piggly Wiggly?
... that
Broadway producer Morton Gottlieb described theater as a profession easiest to start at the top, noting "All you need is chutzpah. You call all the agents and say, 'Here I am — a producer!'"?
... that an
East German, upon finding a deer shredded by the SM-70antipersonnel mine, reported that the area "appeared as if it had been worked over by a rake"?
... that the
Late ClassicMaya archaeological site of La Muerta, in northern
Guatemala, is distinguished by its unusual subterranean labyrinth?
... that the book The Post-American World was criticized for not delivering on what the title promised: an examination of a world not dominated by America?
... that the first person to die in Australia from the
2009 flu was a
Pintupi man whose people gave up
hunting to settle the remote community of Kiwirrkura at the time of his birth?
... that the Mercedes-Benz W25 was withdrawn from the 1934 Belgian GP as the Belgian customs asked the German teams to pay 180,000
francs duty for their alcohol-based special fuel?
... that the works of
Romanian sociologist and novelist Dan Lungu refer to concealed
communist-era phenomena, such as the
working class practice of stealing state property?
... that
Americanhammer throwerWalter Boal astonished passengers on a ship traveling to
England in 1899 by skipping rope around the deck with another athlete on his back?
... that John Callaway created the award-winning news program Chicago Tonight and was awarded 10 honorary doctorates, despite being a college dropout who hitchhiked to
Chicago with 71 cents in his pocket?
... that one of a series of hotels called the Volcano House, built at the edge of
Kilauea volcano since 1846, burned to the ground from a kitchen fire?
... that the loss of nine military crew members and passengers when Buffalo 461 was shot down over
Syria in 1974, remains the largest single-incident loss of life in
Canadian peacekeeping history?
... that actor
Paul Scofield came out of retirement in 1998 in order to play the part of
Hermes in the BBC radio play Troy?
... that as
GM of the Wenatchee Chiefs, Frank Dasso ran a 1953 promotion where fans could pay whatever they wanted for admission, with game profits exceeding those of any three games so far that season?
... that since 2006, The World Hypertension League has assigned 17 May as World Hypertension Day?