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Post by Rhonda on Mar 12, 2006 19:28:23 GMT -5
Here are some things that most of us didn't know:
1. The world's youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910.
2. Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David, Hearts - Charlemagne, Clubs -Alexander, the Great Diamonds - Julius Caesar
3. 111.111.111 x 111.111.111 = 12.345.678.987.654.321
4. If a statue in the park of a person on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.
5. 'I am.' is the shortest complete sentence in the English language.
6. Q. What occurs more often in December than any other month? A. Conception
7. Q. If you were to spell out numbers, how far would you have to go until you could find the letter "a" ? A. One thousand.
8. Q. What do bullet-proof vests, fire escapes, windshield wipers, and laser printers all have in common? A. All invented by women.
9. Q. What is the only food that doesn't spoil? A. Honey
10. In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase 'goodnight, sleep tight'.
11. It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month or what we know today as the honeymoon.
12. In ancient England a person could not have sex unless you had consent of the King (unless you were in the Royal Family). When anyone wanted to have a baby, they got consent of the King who gave them a placard that they hung on their door while they were having sex. The placard had F**K (Fornication Under Consent of the King) on it. Now you know where that word came from.
13. Last but not least: In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
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Post by Rhonda on Mar 30, 2006 19:28:44 GMT -5
Did Ya' Know:
On election night in 1876, Rutherford Hayes went to bed believing he had lost the presidential election. The next day, however, his Republican campaign manager boldly proclaimed him the winner, opening the curtain on the most fiercely disputed election in American history.
It was discovered that three Republican states in the South (Florida, South Carolina, and Louisiana) had sent in double returns. The Democrats screamed foul, until it was revealed they, too, had committed election return fraud. Congress debated the election results for weeks.
The year ended with no U.S. president-elect. In January 1877, Congress appointed an electoral commission to laboriously re-count the entire vote and settle the dispute. On March 2, the commission announced that Hayes had 185 electoral votes and Samuel Tilden 184.
If only one of the 20 disputed electoral votes had gone to him, Tilden would have been elected. His popular vote was 4,284,020; Hayes's trailed at 4,036,572.
In 1884, the Republicans nominated Senator James G. Blaine for the U.S. presidency to run against Grover Cleveland. The campaign between the two was viciously fought on personal, rather than on political, issues. Blaine was accused of political corruption and Cleveland of immorality, including that he fathered an illegitimate child.
The week before the election, a Republican publicly called the Democrats the party of "rum, Romanism, and rebellion." This so angered Roman Catholics that it cost Blaine countless votes.
The election was extremely close. Cleveland won with a plurality of about 29,000 votes over Blaine. The electoral vote was 219 for Cleveland to Blaine's 182. Cleveland received 48.5 percent of the popular vote; Blaine received 48.2 percent.
During the 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon appeared on four televised debates. Experts agree that these television appearances bumped up Kennedy's popularity more than it helped Nixon. Nixon's TV makeup was garish, and Kennedy appeared more youthful and handsome.
Still, it was a tight race: Senator Kennedy received 49.7 percent of the popular vote; Vice President Nixon received 49.5 percent. There were rumblings about a re-count of the votes in some states, but Nixon wouldn't agree to it. He didn't want to appear a sore loser.
Bill Clinton was the only U.S. president ever to be elected twice without ever receiving 50 percent of the popular vote. He had 43 percent in 1992 and 49 percent in 1996.
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In 1685, Johann Sebastian Bach was born. By the age of ten, both his parents had died. At eighteen he was appointed organist at a church, followed by positions in royal courts.
Once he was imprisoned because the duke he worked for did not want him seeking employment elsewhere.
Widowed with seven children, he remarried and had thirteen more.
Bach composed hundreds of pieces, sometimes at the rate of one per week and influenced composers such as Mozart and Beethoven.
John Sebastian Bach stated: "The aim... of all music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul."
_+_+_+_+_+_+ Did Ya' Know:
1. President Andrew Johnson offered a reward of $100,000 for the capture of Jefferson Davis on May 2, 1865. That was the equivalent of $1,075,269 in 2002 dollars.
2. Priests in ancient Egyptian temples plucked every hair from their bodies, including their eyebrows and eyelashes.
3. "Soldiers disease" is a term for morphine addiction. The Civil War produced over 400,000 morphine addicts.
">">">">">">"> Did Ya' Know:
1. A 41-gun salute is the traditional salute to announce a royal birth in Great Britain.
2. The Shell Oil Company originally began as a novelty shop in London that sold seashells.
3. A Decembrist was any of the conspirators against Czar Nicholas I of Russia, in December 1825.
4. The shortest war on record, between Britain and Zanzibar in 1896, lasted just 38 minutes.
5. Princess Juliana of the Netherlands gave Ottawa, Canada, 100,000 tulip bulbs in 1945. The bulbs were a thankful gift for the safe haven which Holland's exiled royal family received during World War II, and to recognize the Canadian troops who helped liberate the Netherlands.
6. 23% of all photocopier faults worldwide are caused by people sitting on them and photocopying their butts.
7. The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco was named one of the "Seven Wonders of the Modern World" by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994, along with the Hoover Dam, Interstate Highway System, Kennedy Space Center, Panama Canal, Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and World Trade Center.
ØØØØØØØØØØ In 1861, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated president.
March 4th was Inauguration Day up until 1937, when it was changed to January 20th.
Every President acknowledged a Supreme Being in their Inaugural Address. Thomas Jefferson referred to: 'That Infinite Power which rules the destinies of the universe..."
Andrew Jackson: "My fervent prayer to that Almighty Being..."
Abraham Lincoln: "The Almighty has His own purposes..."
FDR: "We humbly ask the blessing of God..."
Calvin Coolidge: "America... cherishes no purpose save to merit the favor of Almighty God."
John F. Kennedy: "The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God."
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Did Ya' Know:
1. Teddy Roosevelt was the Police Commissioner of New York in 1895, when he formed the "Bicycle Squad". Members of the squad chased down speeders who exceeded the speed limit of 8 miles per hour.
2. In 1869 the World's first official prepaid postcards were issued by the Austrian Post Office.
3. The Julliard School of Music was founded in New York City in 1905.
4. Waco, Texas, became the birthplace of Dr. Pepper soda in 1885. Dr. Pepper is the oldest major soft drink available in the United States today.
The drink was named for creator Charles Alderton's first employer Dr. Charles Pepper; owner of the drugstore where Alderton tested his carbonated soft drinks.
A lion was the symbol for Dr. Pepper's earliest ad campaign. It was used with the slogan "King of Beverages."
5. Benjamin Franklin devised the first wet suit for divers, as well as a primitive version of today's flippers.
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ bet ya' didn't know 1. In every episode of Seinfeld there was a Superman somewhere.
2. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), the founder of psychoanalysis, who stressed the sexual factor in neuroses, was in his private life easily shocked and puritanical.
3. "Mouthbrooders", such as catfish, protect their young by hiding them in their mouths. In sea catfish, the male is the caring parent. The babies swim in a cloud near the father's head. When danger threatens they seek shelter in his mouth.
4. Hans Berger created the electroencephalograph (EEG) in 1924. By attaching 2 pieces of silver to his son's head and connecting wires between them and a galvanometer, he recorded electrical signals emanating from the brain.
5. Some North American monarch butterflies fly to Mexico, to spend the winter in huge communal roosts. They can fly 1,180 miles (1,900 km) in just three weeks.
6. The world's smallest butterfly is the Pygmy Blue. Its wingspan ranges between three eighths to half an inch in length.
øøøøøøøøøøøø Some Gentle Thoughts For Today
If you can't be kind, at least have the decency to be vague.
Don't assume malice for what stupidity can explain.
A penny saved is a government oversight.
The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment.
The older you get, the tougher it is to lose weight, because by then your body and your fat have gotten to be really good friends.
The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
He who hesitates is probably right.
Did you ever notice: The Roman Numerals for forty (40) are "XL."
If you think there is good in everybody, you haven't met everybody yet.
If you can smile when things go wrong, you have someone in mind to blame.
The sole purpose of a child's middle name is so he can tell when he's really in trouble.
There's always a lot to be thankful for if you take time to look for it. For example I am sitting here thinking how nice it is that wrinkles don't hurt.
Did you ever notice: When you put the 2 words "The" and "IRS" together it spells "Theirs."
¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥ Did Ya' Know:
1. The average American, in a lifetime, spends six months waiting for red lights to change. (Is that all??)
2. Catholics make up the nation's single largest Christian denomination, but when the various Protestant sects are counted together, U.S. Protestants outnumber Catholics. Only Brazil and Mexico have more Catholics than the USA.
3. Top jobs for teen girls: Cashier, Waitress, Food-related occupations
Top jobs for teen boys: Cook, Cashier, Stock handler, Bagger
4. The belly-scales on a snake are called scutes.
5. McMusic in Naples is the first McDonald's restaurant in the world featuring music. It is outfitted with a Dolby Surround System, 380 seats on three floors (one entirely dedicated to children), a maxi-screen for musical video clips, and more. There are more than 230 McDonald's restaurants in Italy.
6. The eggs of the marsupial frog are laid in a brood pouch on the mother's back, and the young hatch out in a zipper-like fashion from the pouch.
7. Who are Leonard, Julius, Milton, and Herbert?
They are the Marx Brothers.
8. Which nation has maintained a zero birth rate for many years?
Vatican City
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Post by Rhonda on Apr 24, 2006 19:33:42 GMT -5
did ya knows
1. In 1742, Handel's "Messiah" was first performed publicly, in Dublin, Ireland.
2. In 1743, the 3rd U.S. President was born. He approved the Louisiana Purchase and commissioned Lewis and Clark to explore it. Best known for drafting the Declaration of Independence, he was also Governor of Virginia. His name, Thomas Jefferson. Inscribed on the Memorial in Washington, D.C., is Jefferson's statement: "Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction that these liberties are of the Gift of God?... not to be violated but with His wrath?... I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever."
3. In 1943, President Roosevelt dedicated the Jefferson Memorial.
4. In 1970, Apollo 13, four-fifths of the way to the moon, was crippled when a tank containing liquid oxygen burst. (The astronauts managed to return safely.)
1. MTV first showed up on television at 12:01 A.M., August 1, 1981.
2. The first zoo in the U.S. opened in 1876 in Philadelphia.
3. On average, Americans move to a new place eleven times in their lifetime.
4. Thinking of retiring but don't want to pay a fortune in taxes? Seven states have no personal income tax, five have no sales tax, and roughly 36 don't tax Social Security checks.
Scott Salmon of KPMG says New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Tennessee top the list of the most tax-friendly states. If you want the sun too, Florida and Texas come close.
5. In creating his paintings and sketches, John James Audubon refused to use stuffed models. Instead, he used real birds that had been freshly killed and wired into natural-looking poses. To keep his models fresh, he was known to shoot dozens of birds per painting.
6. Blood races through the human arteries at 3 feet (90cm) a second.
1. An ant's sense of smell is as good as a Dog's.
2. Two wrongs not make a right - Three lefts do."
3. "Man who eat many prunes get good run for money."
4. "War doesn't determine who's right. War determines who's left."
5. "Man who tell one too many light bulb jokes soon burn out!"
6. "Man who sit on tack get point!"
7. "Man who stand on toilet is high on pot!"
8. "Man who lives in glass house should change in basement."
9. "If you want pretty nurse, you got to be patient."
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Post by Rhonda on Apr 30, 2006 0:41:16 GMT -5
Factoids A full grown bear can run as fast as a horse.
* The world's oldest known recipe is for beer.
* The wingspan of a Boeing 747 jet is longer than the Wright Brother's first flight.
* It's physically impossible to get sick while you're laughing.
* Mickey Mouse's ears are always turned to the front, no matter which direction his head is pointing.
* Some people are genetically predisposed to hate the taste of cabbage.
* The phrase, "convicted felon" is redundant. No one is a felon until he's been convicted.
* Cucumbers are the only food that thingyroaches won't eat.
* Oak trees do not have acorns until they are 50 years old or older.
* There are 1,792 steps to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
* The most stolen books from public libraries, in order: 1. The Bible 2. The Koran 3. The Police Entrance Examination Guide * Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
* England is smaller geographically than New England.
* In a deck of cards, the King of hearts is the only King without a mustache
* Giraffes are unable to cough or swim.
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Post by Rhonda on May 9, 2006 4:17:44 GMT -5
Did ya know
1. 35 million Americans today are direct descendants of the first Mayflower Pilgrims. That's 12% of the population.
2. Forty-one men signed the Mayflower Compact, establishing laws in the new land.
3. The brand of the timepiece seen on 60 MINUTES is Heuer.
4. "Man O' War," the great racehorse, was nicknamed Big Red.
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Post by Rhonda on May 9, 2006 4:19:31 GMT -5
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY !
Don't worry about tomorrow; today will probably do you in.
µµµµµµµµµµµµ Did Ya' Know:
1. To find the most fiber in a loaf of bread, look for whole-wheat flour. Whole-wheat flour contains bran and germ and is, therefore, rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
2. When you need a change of scenery, find some hiking trails and wander through those glorious fall trees. You'll be doing your health a favor: Hiking strengthens your heart, lowers your blood pressure, tones your legs and butt, and burns up to 400 calories an hour. 3. Your ears grow about .0087 of an inch each year!
In 1789, the first inaugural ball was held in New York in honor of President and Mrs. Washington.
In 1847, the American Medical Association was founded in Philadelphia.
In 1915, a German torpedo sank the British liner Lusitania off the Irish coast.
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Post by Rhonda on May 9, 2006 4:22:16 GMT -5
"Instructions For Life"
Learn to show cheerfulness, even when you don't feel it.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. Yuma, Arizona averages 339 days sunny days a year, more than any other city in the United States. It averages only three inches of rainfall annually.
2. Eagles can see eight times better than any human. A bald eagle can make out another flying eagle 12 miles away. 3. The five most populous countries in the world? China, India, USA, Indonesia, Brazil.
4. Lake Baikal, Siberia, the world's largest lake in terms of volume contains approximately one fifth of the world's fresh water.
‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹‹ Roosevelt's ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.
"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907
Every American Citizen needs to read this!
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Post by Rhonda on Jul 4, 2006 10:20:33 GMT -5
Did Ya' Know:
Dustin Hoffman?
Hoffman was considered for the role of Michael Corlene in the Godfather.
While at the Pasadena Playhouse, Hoffman and a classmate were voted "Least likely to succeed". The classmate was Gene Hackman.
In January of 1999, he was awarded $3 Million in damages and compensation in a case against a Los Angeles magazine that printed a computer generated image of Hoffman in a dress. (cf. Tootsie (1982))
His parents named him Dustin after actor Dustin Farnum.
÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷÷ Did Ya' Know:
1. Hours spent in the garden pay off with more than baskets of blooms. A recent study from the University of Arkansas found that yard work can ward off osteoporosis. In a survey of 3310 women ages 50 and over, gardening--pushing a mower, pulling weeds, lifting bags of fertilizer--was the most popular pastime and the activity most closely linked to healthy bones.
2. Sure IBM is Big Blue, but blue is the color for new brands, like Blue Martini, Bluefly, and JetBlue. Today 70% of Fortune 100 corporate logos are blue.
3. What was the first consumer product to be purchased on the installment plan? A Singer sewing machine, in 1856. It was purchased by margaret Hellmuth of New York for $50 down, with the remaining $100 paid in six monthly installments. Later customers were able to buy machines for $5 down and payments of $3 a month.
4. The first "dentists" in the world were the Etruscans. They carved false teeth from various mammal teeth in 700 BC. They also produced partial bridgework that was strong enough to eat with.
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Post by Rhonda on Jul 16, 2006 20:42:54 GMT -5
Did Ya' Know:
1. Red coral became a symbol of immortality to the ancient Greeks, presumably because of its branching shape and vibrant color. The Greeks believed it to be a panacea and protector against gout, poisons, and enchantments. Red and pink corals are still said to bring good luck to their owners.
2. Rich King Croesus of Lydians in Asia Minor issued the first money of gold "an oblong piece" in the sixth century. Soon the Greeks began minting money in the shape of discs, striking them with detailed high relief. Romans introduced the familiar serrated edges of today's coins as a way to discourage the practice of shaving off thin slices.
3. The toe of the metal statue of St. Peter in St. Peter's Cathedral, Rome, is worn down almost to a nub by the great number of pilgrims who have kissed it through the centuries.
4. Fish and reptiles continue to grow as long as they live.
. In 1779, Clement C. Moore, American Episcopal educator was born. His fame endures today, not as a theologian, but as the author of the poem: 'Twas the Night Before Christmas' (1823).
2. In 1802, Robert Aitken, the publisher of The Pennsylvania Magazine, died. During the Colonial Era, the Bible most used in America was the King's authorized version, printed on the King's official presses in Britain. But since the Revolutionary War interrupted trade with England, and since the Bible was commonly used in education, the Continental Congress, in 1782, responded to the shortage by approving and recommending that Robert Aitken of Philadelphia print the first Bibles in America. They were to be "A neat edition of the Holy Scriptures for the use of schools."
3. In 1916, Boeing Co., originally known as Pacific Aero Products, was founded in Seattle.
4. In 1965, U.S. scientists displayed close-up photographs of the planet Mars taken by Mariner 4.
5. In 1975, three American astronauts blasted off aboard an Apollo spaceship hours after two Soviet cosmonauts were launched aboard a Soyuz spacecraft for a mission that included a linkup of the two ships in orbit.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. It was once unthinkable for a bald man to make it in Hollywood. (Yul Brynner was an exception.) Humphrey Bogart, John Wayne, and Frank Sinatra all wore "rugs." Today baldies like Bruce Willis and Ed Harris get star billing.
2. The first people known to celebrate birthdays were the ancient Egyptians, but only the Queen and male members of the royal family were honored. No one bothered recording people's birth dates.
3. For years people from Indiana have been known as Hoosiers. The curious thing is that no one really knows why. Even the Indiana State Library doesn't know the origin of the word "Hoosier."
4. Paul Lynde was born the son of a sheriff-turned-butcher in Mount Vernon, Ohio. He attended Northwestern University with classmate Cloris Leachman. He played "Harry McAfee" in BYE BYE BIRDIE both on Broadway and on film, but he is probably best known as the practical-joking "Uncle Arthur" on BEWITCHED and for his appearances on HOLLYWOOD SQUARES.
5. After seeing STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, Whoopi Goldberg contacted the producers and asked to be a part of the show. She had been a fan of the original series and felt passionately about its hopeful philosophy of the future. This led to her recurring role as "Guinan."
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Did ya know
1. Some restaurants now include on the bill a "gratuity guideline," showing how much 15% and 20% of your tab would be. It's an attempt to put the kibosh on undertipping. Dining experts say it does cut down on sloppy math, but it also risks offending and discourages overtipping.
2. Before he died, the last song Hank Williams, Sr., released was (ironically) I'LL NEVER GET OUT OF THIS WORLD ALIVE, which immediately shot to #1.
Hank was not inducted into Nashville's Country Music Hall of Fame until 1961 because it didn't exist until then. Williams was in the first class of inductees, along with Jimmie Rodgers and Fred Rose.
3. Once an aspiring folk singer, Sissy Spacek cut a single in 1968 under the name Rainbo.
4. Lionel Richie went to college on a tennis scholarship.
5. More than 3000 years ago children played with circular hoops made with grape vines. This toy was swung around the waist. Years later this toy was made by company called Wham-O and the Hula-Hoop was invented in 1958.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. At an estimated population of 40 million, there are more than twice as many kangaroos as people in Australia.
2. Espresso is becoming one of the most popular beverages in the world. In Italy alone, more than one billion pounds of the coffee are consumed each year.
3. The Japanese newt, "Cynops pyrrhogaster," is frequently kept as a pet, and can survive for several years in captivity.
4. Because of a football's resemblance to an olive, albeit a very large one, the Chinese often call the American game of football "olive ball."
5. Before he penned his famous James Bond novels, Ian Fleming studied languages at Munich and Geneva universities, worked with Reuters in Moscow, and then became a banker and stockbroker. He also wrote the book "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" as well. This is the book that the Walt Disney movie was made from.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. The 200-year-old Myrtles Plantation in St. Francisville, LA, built on a Tunica Indian graveyard, claims to be one of America's spookiest houses--inhabited by no fewer than seven apparitions. If a grim caretaker at the gate tries to turn you away, you might consider leaving. He was murdered in 1927.
2. Since the brutal murder of her father and stepmother on August 4, 1892, Lizzie Borden has been immortalized in song and story. At their house, now the LIZZIE BORDEN BED & BREAKFAST, you can eat the same meal of bananas, johnnycakes, and coffee that the Bordens did on the morning of their unfortunate "40 Whacks."
3. Forty four years ago, the United States and the Soviet Union came frightenly close to all-out nuclear war. A dispute over Soviet missiles based in Cuba, only 90 miles from American soil, led to a standoff that had President Kennedy and other U.S. leaders envisioning the worst. It also inspired the movie THIRTEEN DAYS, which in typical Hollywood fashion takes a few liberties with the facts.
The crisis began when spy photos showed the construction of Soviet nuclear missile installations on the island of Cuba.
To prevent the missiles from being deployed, Kennedy ordered a naval blockade, or quarantine, of Cuba. The blockade was of all military equipment being shipped to Cuba. Soviet ships turned back before any confrontation.
The missiles in Cuba were a Soviet response to American missiles based in Turkey. In 1959, U.S. missiles had been deployed near the Soviet border and were considered a threat by the Soviets, who feared an American "first strike." These missiles were removed as part of the negotiations between Kennedy and Soviet leader Nikita Khruschev.
The disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion, a CIA-led invasion to overthrow Fidel Castro, took place more than a year earlier, in April 1961.
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The Liberty Bell got its name from being rung this day, July 8, 1776, to call the citizens of Philadelphia together to hear the Declaration of Independence read out loud for the first time, by Colonel John Nixon.
Made in England, this massive bell, weighing over 2000 pounds, was rung on each successive anniversary, until 1835, when it cracked on July 8th while tolling at the funeral of the famous Supreme Court Justice John Marshall.
Inscribed on the Liberty Bell is a verse from Old Testament Book of Leviticus, Chapter 25: "Proclaim Liberty throughout the land unto all the inhabitants thereof."
Did Ya' Know:
1. As a group, a school of krill shrimp will molt instantly when frightened. Swiftly, they leave behind their discarded exoskeletons as decoys for their attacker. It takes about nine minutes for a snowflake to fall to Earth from a height of 1,000 feet.
2. A "frog" is a device at the intersection of two railroad tracks to permit the wheels and flanges on one track to cross or branch for the other.
3. It takes about 630 silkworm cocoons to make one silk blouse.
4. An area of 49,000 square miles in the northwest section of the providence of Ontario, Canada, is served by a single telephone directory of 60 pages.
5. Women who eat fish once a week are 29% less likely to develop heart disease.
6. Do you think the secret of a happy marriage is passionate sex or a weekly date? Nope. It's self-confidence.
In a study at the State University of New York and Canada's University of Waterloo, 225 couples filled out questionnaires asking about their feelings of self-confidence, love, commitment, and satisfaction, as well as how much they thought their spouses loved them.
Results? People who were bothered by self-doubt were less satisfied with their relationships than more confident people were. This led them to find greater fault with their partners and back off from them emotionally.
<:<:<:<:<:<:<:<: 1. Prior to the Civil War there were two major political parties: the Democrats, who believed Americans should have the freedom of choice to own a slave; and the Whigs, who wanted to be the big tent party embracing free and slave states. But on this day, July 6, 1854, a group of anti-slavery men met in Jackson, Michigan, to start a new party, demanding the Fugitive Slave Law be repealed. Their chief plank was "to prohibit those twin relics of barbarism: polygamy and slavery." They called themselves "The Republican Party."
2. Former first lady Nancy Reagan is 85.
3. President Bush is 60.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. Where does luggage go when the airline loses it? Try the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro, AL. The Center buys bags lost more than 90 days from airlines and sells the contents (and bags) to bargain hunters. The inflow is steady, even though airlines lose our luggage at half the rate they did in 1990. Only one in 25,000 bags is lost forever.
2. Single women make up 15% of home buyers, second largest group after couples. Their faucets leak too, which is one of the reasons that women make half of all purchases at Home Depot and Lowe's.
3. Wandering through the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose', CA, is a journey through an obsessive mind. The maze of some 160 rooms was built by the widow and heir of the rifle fortune. Sarah Winchester felt haunted by the spirits of those killed with her husband's weapons. Warned by a medium that she would die if she stopped building, she kept laborers working day and night for 38 years, constructing windows with 13 panes, chimneys (which she considered doors for ghosts) that didn't rise through the roof, stairs to nowhere, and a secret seance room. Sarah died peacefully in her sleep at age 82.
4. The last U.S TV ad for cigarettes was seen December 31, 1970.
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Did ya know
Having a good attitude about getting older could help you live longer--by a whopping 7¹/² years, according to a study from Yale University. Positive people 50 and older tended to outlast their more negative peers even when researchers accounted for age, sex, income, loneliness, and physical ability
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Did ya know
The sports world is full of superstitions. Nick Newton and Bill Minutaglio call the little universe of sports superstition "mojo."
They say, "Mojo is all about the innocence of sports before everything got all murky, monied, and endlessly analyzed." Newton and Minutaglio have compiled their findings into a list of sports superstitions over the years.
Here is some true locker-room mojo:
Race-car driver Rick Mears refused to allow peanuts anywhere near his car.
Jack Nicklaus carries three pennies with him every time he plays golf.
Babe Ruth liked to touch first base with his foot on the way from the outfield to the dugout.
Tommy Lasorda, when managing the Los Angeles Dodgers, always ate linguine before a game--with red clam sauce if the Dodgers were facing a right-handed pitcher, with white if they were facing a left-hander.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. "What would a superhero do?" is the driving principle behind Haul of Justice, a band of 70 costumed crusaders who bicycle around the country, volunteering.
They've helped nuns harvest beans for the homeless in Chicago and built a handicapped- accessible ramp for a shelter in Pittsburgh, Kan. Founder Ethan Hughes, a teacher in Eugene, Ore., derives his superpower from his hero, Mahatma Gandhi: "You must BE the change you wish to see in the world."
2. On February 18, 1979, snow fell in the Sahara Desert. There are no records to indicate if it had snowed there before or since. Not surprisingly, the 1979 snowfall quickly melted.
3. The cheetah is one of the fastest animals alive, reaching speeds up to 70 m.p.h. A house cat can run up to 30 m.p.h.; the fastest human goes about 27.89 m.p.h.
4. Roaring and purring are the two best-known noises cats make. Only four species can roar, and they don't purr: lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars.
5. The Manhattan thingytail began at the Manhattan Club in New York City in 1874. Mixed specially for a party in honor of new governor Samuel J. Tilden, the drink was named for the club.
6. In M&M candies, the letters stand for Mars and Merrie.
7. The Rocky Mountains form the Continental Divide. The divide separates rivers that flow west, eventually to the Pacific, from those flowing east to the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
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1. In 1752, the first Bible in America printed in English was published in Boston.
2. In 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution saying that "these United Colonies are, and of right, ought to be, Free and Independent States."
3. In 1881, one bullet grazed his elbow, but a second lodged in the back of President James Garfield, who was shot this day, as he waited in the Washington train station. He had been in office four months. Though not wounded seriously, unsterile medical practices caused him to die two months later. A distinguished Civil War major, James Garfield was also a college president and was a preacher for the Disciples of Christ. He said: "If the next century does not find us a great nation it will be because those who represent the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces."
4. In 1926, the United States Army Air Corps was created.
5. In 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight at the equator.
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Did Ya' Know:
1. The Yankees bought Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, and Boston has regretted it ever since. The Yankees bought his contract in 1920 for more than $100,000. Boston hadn't won a World Series until this year.
2. The big chill: The South Pole is colder than the North Pole.
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I bet ya' didn't know
1. Where on a train would you find the "crumb box," the "bazoo wagon" or the "loose cage"?
At the end of the train..........those are all terms for the caboose.
2. The common name for the constellation Ursa Major? The Big Dipper
3. In 1963, the Vostok 6 space mission made history by carrying Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman to go to space.
4. A hundred years may seem like a long time, but more of us are living to that ripe old age, a milestone marked by National Centenarians Day. In 1983, when Willard Scott first began announcing centenarians' birthdays on NBC's TODAY show, he received a trickle of letters; now he's alerted to hundreds of 100+ birthdays every week. The Census Bureau says 76,000 Americans are 100 or older; in 2010, the number is projected to be 129,000.
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Post by Rhonda on Oct 3, 2006 19:02:26 GMT -5
Did Ya' Know:
1. Swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 150-yard freestyle with a time of 1 minute, 25 and 2/5 seconds - in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1925. Johnny went on to fame swinging from vines as King of the Jungle, Tarzan, in movies.
2. In 1926 the household refrigerator, operating on gas, was patented by The Electrolux Servel Corporation.
3. In 1963 instant replay was used for the first time during the Army-Navy game. CBS-TV was first to use the new video technique.
4. In the average film, male actors utter 10 times as many profanities as female actors.
5. At the age of 10, her parents put her on a train with other Jewish children to save her from Nazi Germany. By the time World War II was over, all her family was dead and her home was gone, so she moved to Palestine and trained as a sniper. She later moved to the United States and obtained her doctorate. She became a radio personality giving out advice on relationships and sex. Dr. Ruth Westheimer
6. The first photograph of a U.S. President was taken by Matthew Brady in New York City in 1849. President James Polk was the subject of the famous picture.
7. In 1899 voting machines for use in federal elections were approved by the U.S. Congress. (Florida abstained from the vote.)
\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/ I bet ya' didn't know
1. The Amazon rain forest (jungle) is about 2 million square miles, mainly in Brazil, and has a wider variety of plant and animal life than any other spot on Earth.
2. The first movie shown in a drive-in theater was "Wife Beware" in 1933.
3. Recently patented "Next Big Things":
Earrings that flash in sync with the wearer's heartbeat. You'll be able to tell if she's happy to see you.
A dining table with a built-in dishwasher.. All we need now is a microwave.
Burgers? Sure, but buffalo-hair yarn? They say it's as soft as cashmere.
A watch that runs fast at random, so you'll be fooled into being on time..at least occasionally.
Hey! Imelda! Reversible shoes! Same closet space, double the choices!
4. Interesting Canadian Town Names....
Cereal, Alberta Manyberries, Alberta Fanny Bay, British Columbia Likely, British Columbia Skookumchuck, British Columbia Ta Ta Creek, British Columbia Seven Sisters, Manitoba Reversing Falls, New Brunswick Come-By-Chance, Newfoundland Dingwall, Nova Scotia
zzzzzzzzzzz 1. In 1519, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan set out from Spain on a voyage to find a western passage to the Spice Islands in Indonesia. (Magellan was killed en route, but one of his ships eventually circled the world.)
2. In 1973, singer-songwriter Jim Croce died in a plane crash near Natchitoches, LA; he was 30.
çççççççççç Did ya know
1. One year, Elvis Presley once paid 91% of his annual income to the IRS.
2. The longest word used by Shakespeare in any of his works is "honorificabilitudinitatibus," found in "Love's Labours Lost."
3. The original title of the musical "Hello Dolly!" was "Dolly: A d**ned Exasperating Woman."
4. When Pedro I became King of Portugal in the 14th century, he had his dead mistress dug up so she could be crowned queen alongside him. Many of the nobles at the coronation even kissed her hand (ugh!). After the ceremonies they put her back in the box and returned her to her tomb.
5. Construction of Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, was begun in the 1950's. Rio de Janeiro was the capital until 1960.
6. Two infants, strapped inside a cradle, were found on the beach of Wyck, Germany, in 1825, having survived a great flood which killed hundreds and leveled scores of villages.
çççççççççç Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year (5767), begins at sunset.
"I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country." These were the last words of American patriot Nathan Hale, who was hanged by the British, without a trial, this day, September 22, 1776.
A Yale graduate and school teacher, he fought in the siege of Boston. He captured a boat full of provisions from under the gun of a British man-of-war. On Long Island, he penetrated the British line to spy for information, but was captured as he returned.
His nephew,Edward Everett Hale, a well-known author, wrote: "We are God's children you and I, and we have our duties. Thank God I come from men who are not afraid in battle."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Did Ya' Know:
1. In the late 1700s, aristocratic women secretly hid small portions of tissue to be used as toilet paper in a fan. This fan was referred to as "Madame's Double Utility Fan," and its handle contained a compartment which held about 150 sheets of bath tissue, cut to conform to the fan's shape.
2. The "Mayflower" was a tiny ship. The vessel was not much larger than a modern tennis court, but it held 102 people.
3. "Q" is the only letter in the alphabet that does not appear in the name of any state of the United States.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Bizarre Facts About Nursery Rhymes
1. Humpty Dumpty: According to Katherine Thomas in The Real Personages of Mother Goose, Humpty Dumpty is 500 years old and refers to King Richard III of England. In 1483 his reign ended when he fell from his mount during battle; he was slain as he stood shouting "My kingdom for a horse!" Humpty Dumpty: King Richard's fall made him Humpty Dumpty. Originally the last line was "Could not set Humpty up again" - which can be interpreted as either putting him back on his horse, or back on the throne.
2. Old King Cole: There was actually a King Cole in Britain during the third century. No one knows much about him, but historians agree that he's the subject of the poem.
3. Jack be nimble: For centuries, jumping over a candlestick was a method of fortune-telling in England. According to The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes: "A candlestick with a lighted candle was placed on the floor and if, when jumping over it, the light was not extinguished, good luck was supposed to follow during the coming year."
4. Ring around the roses: According to James Leasor in The Plague and the Fire, this "had its origins in the London Plague of 1664. Rosy refers to the rosy rash of plague...The posies were herbs and spices carried to ward off the disease; sneezing was a common symptom of those close to death. In the Annotated Mother Goose, the authors note that the third line is often given as a sneezing noise ("At-choo, at-choo") and that "'We all fall down' was, in a way, exactly what happened."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Did Ya' Know:
1. Who wrote "I'm a Pepper, You're a Pepper, Wouldn't you Like to be a Pepper Too"? Barry Manilow
Born Barry Alan Pincus on June 17, 1946 in New York, New York.
Early in his career, Barry Manilow wrote commercial jingles for State Farm, Dr Pepper, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pepsi, McDonald's, and Band-Aid Brand band-aids.
2. He even recorded a medley of his commercial jingles titled: "A Very Strange Medley (V.S.M.)".
3. Thomas Crapper was a real person who ran a plumbing business in 19th-century London, but he did not invent the flush toilet. This is credited to Sir John Harington, who is believed to have installed his invention for Queen Elizabeth I at her palace during the 1590's.
4. Kindness not only makes life sweeter, it may make it longer, according to researchers at the University of Michigan. 423 older couples were asked if they'd helped a friend or neighbor in the previous year. Five years later, those who had were 50% more likely to outlive those who hadn't.
5. If we had the same mortality rate now as in 1900, more than half the people in the world today would today not be alive.
Did Ya' Know:
1. The peanut: Is it a pea or a nut? The peanut is a legume. It bears fruit in the form of pods that contain one or more seeds. The peanut is more closely related to peas than to nuts.
2. Georgia produces more peanuts than any other U.S. state- -about 40% of the nation's annual crop. However, Asia and Africa produce about 90% of the world's peanuts. Top growers include China, India, Indonesia, and Nigeria.
3. Peanut butter is nutritious, although quite high in calories. Nuts and peanuts are packed with fiber, vitamins, and minerals. Their monounsaturated fat fights heart disease.
4. Industry sources say 60% of consumers prefer creamy over crunchy. Women and kids opt for creamy; men go for the crunchy stuff.
5. Born a slave, George Washington Carver is considered the father of the peanut industry. A scientist known for his agricultural research, especially his work with peanuts Carver made more than 300 products from peanuts, including a milk substitute, face powder, and printer's ink. He urged Southern farmers to plant less cotton and more peanuts.
">">">">">">" Did Ya' Know:
The Everglades were created thousands of years ago, after the last major ice sheet melted, flooding the outlets of streams and turning the area into a swamp.
The Everglades National Park's 1.5 million acres are about one-fifth of the original Glade's area, which has shrunk because of development.
The Everglades are home to both alligators and crocodiles, the only place in the world where they co-exist. Various peoples have lived in the Glades over the centuries.
ªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªªª 6. Eating just 35 sour cherries may reduce pain better than aspirin because the anthocyanins found in cherries inhibits inflammation-causing enzymes.
7. THE AMERICAN FLAG FIRST FLEW OVER A FOREIGN FORT IN WHAT COUNTRY? Libya -- over Fort Derne, on the shores of Tripoli.
8. A vexillologist is one who is an expert in the history of flags.
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