Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SANTA APPEARED ON CURRENCY?

Did you know.... The United States and its currency seem inseparably linked, but for much of the country’s history, an official, standardized U.S. dollar didn’t exist. In its place was a Wild West of currencies from competing banks located across several states. In their zeal to earn goodwill and customers, a few of these institutions even minted some rather creative banknotes. Instead of the chiseled visage of General Washington or other real-life American leaders, these notes featured the pudgy, bearded face of St. Nick, among other figures.

 

For the St. Nicholas Bank of New York City, featuring the bank’s namesake on its currency made some sort of sense. But other banks, seemingly unaffiliated with Father Christmas, also issued Santa money. For example, the Howard Banking Company issued its Sinter Klaas note in the 1850s, which depicted a St. Nick scene from Dutch legend. A total of 21 banks in eight states created notes featuring Santa Claus, with seven of them even printing an entire Santa Claus vignette on their currency. These fun funds came to an end in 1863, when the National Bank Act created a national currency in an effort to standardize banking throughout the U.S. While these Santa bills are now considered “obsolete,” the notes remain highly prized in certain collecting circles and are doing much more than just ho-ho-holding their value. 

 

Paper money isn’t made out of paper.
Most paper — think newspapers, cardboard, and notebooks — is primarily composed of wood pulp. But this kind of paper could never handle the rough life of a U.S. dollar. Instead of relying on trees, all U.S. currency uses the same blend of cotton (75%) and linen (25%) with red and blue synthetic fibers running throughout. This blend is what gives greenbacks their distinctive feel as well as their increased durability compared to normal paper. According to the U.S. Currency Education Program, USDs can survive 4,000 double folds (front and back) before tearing.

 

Source: Santa Claus has appeared on U.S. currency.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - REASONS MOVIES OPEN CHRISTMAS DAY

Did you know... Desperate to escape your family for a few hours? Head to the movie theater.

 

When Paramount decided to release the Bob Hope and Bing Crosby comedy Road to Rio in theaters on December 25, 1947, studio executives were slightly concerned. Would moviegoers consider the premiere of a film on Christmas Day to be in poor taste? Would it be offensive to some?

 

They shouldn’t have worried. The film was a hit, making an impressive $4.5 million, and Hollywood has made Christmas Day (or near-Christmas Day) releases a major part of their financial strategy ever since.

 

’Tis the Season for a Box Office Hit
While Christmas is a sacrosanct holiday for many, the closing of businesses creates a vacuum. Few stores are open and diversions are hard to come by, making a trip to the movies one of the only ways families can congregate somewhere other than home during a holiday break. Some theaters report business picks up after 3 p.m. or 4 p.m. in the afternoons, when presents have been unwrapped and people with free time are in search of something to do.

 

 

Because of time off from work and school, movies also have a chance to achieve “legs,” or the ability to stretch their success over a longer period. While big-budget films are often deemed a success or failure based largely on their opening weekend box office tallies, a smaller film, like 2007’s P.S. I Love You, can open small and still come out ahead. That particular film made just $6.5 million during its opening weekend, but wound up with $53.7 million through January.

 

If past box office trends hold, it could be a very profitable season for studios. Of the five biggest box office hits of all time—2009’s Avatar, 1997’s Titanic, 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens, 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War, and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame—all but the Avengers films were late-season holiday releases.

 

An Eye Toward Awards Season
While there’s lots of family fare, studios also look to the season to highlight movies that might be in awards contention. From 1986 to 2005, half of all the Best Picture winners at the Academy Awards were released on or after December 15. When the Oscars were moved up a month from March to February, studios moved award hopefuls back. Now, prestige pictures arrive in theaters in October and November, too.

 

 

Of course, whether a movie can enjoy a financial windfall during Christmas depends a lot on what part of the world you’re in. While a Christmas run works in America, China tends to fill theaters during the Chinese New Year in late January or February. The French line up over Labor Day weekend, whereas Russia prefers New Year’s Day. For the Japanese, the April and early May Golden Week holiday is a prime theater window. But in all territories, the motive is largely the same: People want something to do with—or a way to briefly get away from—family.

 

Source: The Reason So Many Movies Open on Christmas Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CHINESE TAKEOUT CONTAINERS

Did you know... In the U.S., plenty of Chinese restaurant fare features produce that doesn’t grow in China, such as broccoli. Thus it shouldn’t be terribly surprising that Americans also took liberties with how Chinese food is packaged. While plastic containers are utilized to hold delivery and takeout dishes in China, diners in the States prefer a folded, six-sided box with a slim wire handle. Chicago inventor Frederick Weeks Wilcox patented this “paper pail” on November 13, 1894. Borrowing from Japanese origami, Wilcox elected to make each pail from a single piece of paper. This decision eventually proved critical in the transportation of Chinese cuisine, lessening the likelihood of leaks and allowing steam from hot foods to escape through the top folds. Another probable source of inspiration was the oyster pail, a wooden bucket with a locked cover that people used to carry raw oysters in the 19th century. Shortly after 1900, the company Bloomer Brothers started mass-producing Wilcox’s design specifically for toting oysters. 

 

As Americans began taking more advantage of suburban living and consumer conveniences after World War II, Chinese food delivery became an increasingly popular dinner option, with Wilcox’s containers of leftovers soon lining refrigerator shelves. During the 1970s, a graphic designer at Bloomer Brothers’ successor, the Riegel Paper Corporation, embellished the boxes to include a pagoda and the words “Thank You” and “Enjoy” — all in red, a color that represents luck in China. The Riegel Paper Corporation evolved into Fold-Pak, the world’s top producer of takeout containers, which assembles millions of cartons per year. Composed of solid-bleached-sulfate paperboard and boasting an interior polycoating, each food carrier expands into a handy plate if you remove the wire handle. 

 

It’s very likely that fortune cookies were invented in Japan.
Numerous descendants of Chinese and Japanese immigrants to the U.S. contend that their relatives created or sold fortune cookies in California between 1907 and 1914. However, Dr. Yasuko Nakamachi, a Japanese researcher who wrote her thesis on the origin of fortune cookies, has found evidence that the crispy treats were present in her home country many years prior. Fortune cookies in Japan go by several names, including tsujiura senbei (“fortune cracker”). They are mentioned in a story written in the early 1800s called “Haru no wakagusa,” known in English as “The Young Grass of Spring,” and in an illustrated storybook from 1878 called Moshiogusa Kinsei Kidan. In the book, a bakery apprentice is pictured working at a station labeled “tsujiura senbei,” grilling wafers in irons while surrounded by baskets of the finished product. This image is similar to what Nakamachi witnessed when she visited centuries-old family bakeries outside Kyoto: Cooks working over flames would dispense batter into grills containing round molds. Eventually, tiny paper fortunes were placed inside the warm cookies.

 

 

Source: Chinese takeout containers were invented in America.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day -ARACHNOPHOBIA

Did you know.... Arachnophobia is among the most common phobias, and not just among humans. Spiders can have it too, and with good reason — spiders of certain species regularly eat each other (for food, after mating, and for other reasons scientists don’t fully understand). A 2021 study found that fear of fellow arachnids is prevalent among common zebra jumping spiders (Salticus scenicus), who were observed leaping away from larger jumping spider species in recognition of the latter’s status as potential predators. Even when placed near deceased Marpissa muscosa and Phidippus audax, the spiders froze up or ran away. The same effects were found even when baby Salticus scenicus were presented with 3D models that somewhat resembled the predators. Like their adult counterparts, baby jumping spiders have extremely strong eyesight and use their keen vision to detect and avoid threats — even when those threats aren’t actually moving.

 

When it comes to humans, acrophobia (fear of heights), aerophobia (flying), trypanophobia (needles), and social phobias like public speaking also consistently rank among the most common fears. Approximately 19 million Americans have at least one phobia, most of which emerge when a person is between the ages of 15 and 20. Exposure therapy has been shown to help reduce these fears, at least when it comes to humans — jumping spiders may not be as lucky.

 

There’s a (mostly) vegetarian spider.
There are more than 45,000 species of spiders, and all but one of them are carnivores. The sole known exception is Bagheera kiplingi, which prefers a plant-based diet — for the most part, at least. Found across Latin America, the jumping spider is named in honor of both The Jungle Book’s black panther (Bagheera) and the book’s author (Rudyard Kipling). The arachnids reside in acacia trees and dine on nutrient-rich delicacies known as Beltian bodies (tips of the leaves of certain acacia species), which they steal from the ants who protect said trees. While these nutritious nodules make up 91% of their diet in Mexico and 60% in Costa Rica, B.kiplingi will occasionally drink nectar and, much more rarely, eat ant larvae, flies, or fellow spiders.

 

 

Source: Spiders can have arachnophobia.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HIS ADDRESS IS.....

Did you know... Children have been sending letters to Santa for longer than the United States Postal Service has existed to deliver them, but today, they’re far more likely to get a response. In early America, children’s holiday wish lists were often written out and left by the fireplace or burned in hearths, with the belief that the ashes would rise through the chimney and out to the holiday helper himself. Today, there’s no fireplace necessary — just a stamp — since the USPS gives Santa Claus his own address: 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888.

 

After the creation of the Postal Service in 1775, letters to Santa began flooding mailboxes; local postmasters would sometimes intercept the mail and respond to children themselves. (Though this is technically mail fraud, most postal workers considered the deed an act of kindness and looked the other way.) Eventually, the lack of a specific postal route for thousands of Santa letters became problematic for real-life delivery workers. By 1907, the sheer number of unanswered letters bogged down the Postal Service’s dead-letter office (the home for unclaimed or undeliverable mail), and many ended in incineration. So, the country’s postmaster allowed post offices to give Santa letters to generous individuals and charitable organizations, who then answered letters and delivered gifts. Dubbed Operation Santa in 1912, the program has continued for more than a century. It’s gotten a modern update, however: Wish lists from children and adults are anonymized and digitized, then uploaded to the USPS website, giving holiday do-gooders the chance to play Santa and reply with the kindness of a surprise gift.

 

A 19th-century cartoonist gave Santa his hometown.
Why is Santa’s mailing address so far north? Turns out, the benevolent gift-giver’s association with the North Pole is all thanks to Thomas Nast, a Civil War-era political cartoonist. Nast’s version of Santa, depicted giving out gifts to Union soldiers and in other scenes in 1863, became so popular that the artist created his own backstory for the Christmastime figure. In 1866, Nast inked a drawing for Harper’s Weekly that captioned Santa’s hometown as “Santa Claussville, N.P.,” aka the North Pole. Nast may have picked the globe’s northernmost point as Santa’s home in part because so little was known about the Arctic Circle at the time, and high-profile exploration attempts of the 1840s and 1850s had brought the region into the public consciousness. No one would reach the North Pole until the early 20th century, and until then the area remained shrouded in mystery — the perfect place for reindeer and elves to work their holiday magic. The idea stuck, inspiring generations of children to address their deepest holiday wishes to the far-north imaginary workshop.

 

 

Source: Santa has an official address.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CHRISTMAS BOWLING

Did you know.... In late medieval and Tudor England, rulers believed that lower-class men had two main responsibilities: working and preparing for possible combat. Thus sports and games — a distraction from said duties — were often subject to legislation, especially if people bet on their outcomes. King Edward III banned bowling in 1361, although Henry VI allowed it again 94 years later. During Henry VIII’s 16th-century reign, he banned bowling anew, as well as tennis, bocce ball, cards, and dice. However, those with more resources could apply for special bowling licenses to play on their own greens, and although the laws prohibited bowling alleys, Henry VIII had lanes installed at Whitehall Palace for himself. There was just one time of year when common people were allowed to enjoy bowling: the 12 days of Christmas. Although citizens were rarely cited for challenging this bowling ban, the law endured for more than three centuries.  

 

British, German, and Dutch settlers brought the pastime to America, where lawmakers launched their own strikes against bowling. Stateside bowling alleys in the 1800s were mostly owned by bars, so elected officials linked the activity to gambling and crime. In 1841, Connecticut banned nine-pin bowling lanes, and other areas of the country followed suit. To bypass the statutes, bowlers added a 10th pin, creating today’s game. As of 2018, the U.S. had just 19 nine-pin bowling alleys, all in Texas, a state that began taxing operators prior to Connecticut’s ban. 

 

President Theodore Roosevelt tried to ban Christmas trees from the White House.
A father of six, President Teddy Roosevelt was no Scrooge — he was just environmentally conscious. During his administration, Roosevelt designated 150 national forests and five national parks. To raise awareness of deforestation, he wanted the first family to forgo a Christmas tree for their 1902 Yuletide celebration. However, his two youngest sons had other plans. Quentin and Archibald Roosevelt, then ages 5 and 8, enlisted White House staffers for help chopping down a small nearby fir tree. The boys covered their contraband with lights and concealed it in a closet until December 25. Within a few years, Christmas trees were back in the White House for good.

 

 

Source: Bowling used to be banned in England, except on Christmas.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - JAPANESE POPULATION IN BRAZIL

Did you know.... You may think two countries as far apart and culturally different as Japan and Brazil would have little in common. And yet these nations have enjoyed a surprisingly close relationship since June 18, 1908, when around 800 settlers from southern Japan first arrived in Brazil from their home country nearly 10,000 miles away. 

 

Now celebrated in Brazil each year as Japanese Immigration Day, the occasion marked the arrival of what eventually grew into the largest population of Japanese people outside of Japan: nearly 2 million. That’s more than the Nikkei population in the United States (1.6 million) and far more than in other countries near Japan, such as China (97,538) and Thailand (72,308).

 

So what brought so many Japanese citizens to Brazil in the first place? As is the case with many migrants, it was the promise of a better life. The two countries established an immigration treaty in 1907 due to Brazil requiring an influx of workers on its coffee plantations, leading many farmers to start anew in the state of São Paulo — whose capital city of the same name is the Brazilian city with the largest Japanese population — where they employed their own agricultural techniques.

 

The Japanese immigrants faced harsh living and working conditions, and most were therefore unable to attain their initial dream of returning to Japan after saving enough money. This led to many instead settling in the country permanently. There were more than 130,000 Japanese immigrants living in Brazil by 1932, a number that has only continued to grow in the decades since.

 

Brazil was briefly the seat of Portugal’s government.
Lisbon has been the capital of Portugal for nearly 800 years, though its tenure hasn’t been uninterrupted. Napoleon invaded the country as part of the Peninsular War in the early 19th century, causing Portugal’s royal family to flee to Rio de Janeiro in 1807. The city was then declared the Portuguese Empire’s capital from 1808 to 1821, marking the only time a colony has served as a country’s seat of government.

 

The move ultimately helped Brazil’s own independence movement. The printing press the Portuguese government brought to Rio was left behind when the government returned to Lisbon, and Brazilians used it to print literature about independence — which Brazil achieved shortly afterward in 1822.

 

Source: Brazil has the largest Japanese population outside of Japan.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BOXING DAY

Did you know... Relax, Hallmark conspiracy theorists: Boxing Day isn’t some prank to confuse America. It’s a real holiday in the United Kingdom and other countries that dates back to the days of Queen Victoria. Here are some facts to get you up to speed.

 

Boxing Day occurs on December 26.

Boxing Day is observed annually on December 26. If it falls on a weekend, the public holiday itself will be celebrated on Monday. It became an official holiday during the reign of Queen Victoria, though some historians trace its origins back much further—to medieval times. Today, it’s largely an extension of the Christmas holiday and a big day for sporting events and shopping.

 

No one really knows where the name Boxing Day originated.

Many historians think Boxing Day’s name is derived from the church practice of opening alms boxes the day after Christmas and distributing money to the poor. Historically, British employers followed the church’s lead by sliding workers and servants gifts or cash on December 26.

 

Others believe the “box” refers to the boxes of gifts employers gave to their servants on the day after Christmas. (In wealthy households, servants were often required to work on Christmas Day but given December 26 off to celebrate the holiday on their own.)

 

Boxing Day is a big day for shopping.

Historically, Boxing Day’s post-Christmas sales have long made it one of the UK’s busiest shopping days of the year. And while it still falls within that category, the popularity of online shopping has reduced the overall spending people do on December 26.

 

“Fifteen years ago it was pretty much guaranteed that you would only get big sales a few times a year—Boxing Day and the big summer clearance,” Bryan Roberts, an analyst at Kantar Retail, told The Telegraph in 2015. “That is no longer the case.”

 

“The Boxing Day sales are pretty much dead,” Roberts added. “Black Friday and Cyber Monday illustrate Christmas sales are starting earlier and earlier. There is a possibility prices will just keep on dropping in the run-up to Christmas. This makes the Boxing Day sales incredibly diluted.”

 

There is no boxing involved in Boxing Day.

Despite the name, British observances of Boxing Day involve no fisticuffs. For patricians, however, another sport rules the day: fox hunting. Though it’s a long-held tradition, many animal rights activists and groups would like to see the practice done away with altogether—especially because it’s technically illegal. In the days leading up to Boxing Day, the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) is often very vocal in reminding citizens that “The chasing or killing of foxes and other British mammals with a pack of dogs was banned because the overwhelming majority of the UK public rejected this so-called ‘sport’ as cruel and abhorrent.”

 

Some other countries do take the name more literally.

In other countries, Boxing Day celebrations are more literal. Some nations in Africa and the Caribbean that used to be British colonies celebrate the holiday with prizefighting events.

 

In Ireland, December 26 is sometimes known as Wren Day.

Ireland sometimes refers to December 26 as Wren Day, a nod to an old tradition in which poor children would kill a wren, then sell the feathers to neighbors for good luck. In today’s celebrations, the wren is fake.

 

Source: Surprising Facts About Boxing Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - NOT THE EXACT SAME COLOR

Did you know.... Not unlike snowflakes and fingerprints, human eyes are never exactly alike from person to person — in terms of color, that is. While brown may be the most common eye color, there are so many shades of it — not to mention blue, green, and other hues — that no two irises are identical, even among identical twins. 

 

Eyes get their color from the two-layered iris, with the back layer (officially known as the pigment epithelium) almost always containing brown pigment. The amount of pigment in the front layer (stroma) usually determines a person’s eye color — a lot of brown pigment results in brown eyes, whereas people with blue eyes have no pigment at all in their stroma. Those with just a bit of pigment end up with green or hazel eyes. And there’s always just the tiniest amount of variation in the results: If you’ve ever tinkered with a color slider, you’ll have a better understanding of how rare it is for any two colors to actually be the same, even if the difference between them is so minute as to be barely detectable by, well, the naked eye. 

 

Then there’s heterochromia — when one person has eyes of two different colors. Complete heterochromia is when both eyes are different (one brown and one blue, for example), while sectoral heterochromia is when one section of the iris is different from the rest. Central heterochromia is when the iris has a ring around it that’s different. Though it can sometimes be a sign of an injury or other condition, heterochromia is most often a harmless — and cool-looking — genetic anomaly.

 

More than 50% of the worldwide population has brown eyes.
Brown is the most common eye color, and by a lot — more than 50% of all people worldwide have brown eyes, including 45% of people in America. In the U.S., blue eyes are in second place at 27%, followed by hazel at 18%, and green at 9%. All other eye colors account for just 1% of the domestic population. The numbers are quite different elsewhere, with blue being the most common eye color in countries such as Iceland (75%) and the Netherlands (61%), and brown eyes even more dominant in Uzbekistan (91%) and Armenia (80%).

 

 

Source: No two people’s eyes are exactly the same color.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BEES

Did you know.... Humans have known about bees for a long time: 8,000-year-old cave paintings in Bicorp, Spain, show early humans scaling trees to collect honey. But modern scientists wanted to know if bees recognize us, which is why researchers have put the insects’ microscopic brains to the test. In a 2005 study, honey bees were trained to memorize pictures of human faces by scientists who rewarded them for correct matches with droplets of sugar water. While a bee’s-eye view isn’t as clear as our own gaze, the buzzing insects were able to correctly differentiate between faces up to 90% of the time — even two days after first seeing them, and when the sweet incentives were removed.

 

The emerging research into bee brains shows that not all living creatures need the complex brain systems humans have in order to recognize and recall environmental differences, but some researchers say that’s not entirely shocking. The Apis mellifera (aka the European honey bee) can visit up to 5,000 flowers in one day, distinguishing between buds that give off beaucoup nectar and those that don’t. So, it makes sense that bees have some form of working memory. And unlocking how bee brains work has practical applications for both us and them: Tech developers may be able to fine-tune artificial intelligence systems (in part by understanding how such tiny brains work so efficiently), and entomologists can better focus on supporting these crucial insects — which are responsible for an estimated 80% of food crop pollination.

 

Arctic bees hibernate for nine months.
Most researchers agree that bees are weather-sensitive; species living in four-season environments generally appear with warming spring temperatures and disappear into their hives to wait out winter. But that doesn’t mean all bees are delicate — some pollinator species are able to withstand the colder temps of the Arctic Circle. In the short summers between rugged winters, arctic bumblebees do the heavy lifting of pollinating wildflowers and berries that other animals rely on. Bombus polaris have adapted to the unforgiving climates of northern Alaska, Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and elsewhere with thicker fur and the ability to shiver their muscles to raise internal temperatures, but they also have shorter lifespans than bees in warmer regions. Queen arctic bumblebees emerge from a nine-month solitary hibernation in May with one task in mind: quickly laying eggs to jump-start a colony that will live only a few months, save for one new queen — who will replace her in August to start the process all over again.

 

 

Source: Bees can recognize human faces.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FLYING CORKS

Did you know.... It’s impossible to pinpoint just how much that tension-bursting “pop!” adds to the enjoyment of a bottle of Champagne, but human ingenuity has found ways to measure the speed at which a cork shoots from its mooring. In 2008, a German scientist calculated that the average speed of a Champagne cork is just under 25 mph, though they also noted that 62 mph could be reached under the right conditions. Other sources, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology, have noted that champagne corks can easily go flying at around 50 mph.

 

This high-speed bedazzlement is the result of the way Champagne (and all sparkling wine) is created. Since that magical late 17th-century day when Dom Perignon discovered the recipe — and likely even before that — the beverage has been made by adding yeast and sugar to an existing base of wine. Sealed tight in a bottle, this mixture undergoes a second fermentation that produces its signature carbon dioxide bubbles. That second fermentation swells internal pressure to 90 pounds per square inch — approximately three times the level of an inflated car tire. Upon finally achieving release when the bottle’s wire is unwrapped and its stopper nudged, the pent-up carbon dioxide not only ejects the cork at parkway-level speeds, but also generates supersonic shock waves that resemble those unleashed by rockets and jets.

 

Of course, such a violently ejected projectile needs to be handled carefully; while it's used to comic effect in movies, a poorly aimed cork can shatter glass and result in ghastly injuries like a split eyeball or a detached retina. Drinkers will want to follow safe-opening guidelines that include chilling the sparkling wine to reduce pressure, aiming away from the body, and gripping the cork while twisting the bottle. 

 

The traditional Formula 1 celebratory Champagne spray began by accident in the 1960s.
It’s unclear when overflowing bottles of Champagne became a regular sight in the locker rooms of pro athletes celebrating a championship, but for motorsports at least, the tradition of the winner spraying the crowd with a bottle of bubbly has a clear origin. At the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race, Swiss Formula 1 driver Jo Siffert was handed a bottle that allegedly had been sitting out in the sun for too long, resulting in a surprise pop and unexpected shower for those in proximity. The following year, American driver Dan Gurney decided to up the ante by shaking his winning bottle of Champagne and directing the outburst onto the crowd by the podium. Although the spray may have landed a little too much on team boss Henry Ford II and his new bride, even the sport’s bigwigs soon realized that there was no getting that particular mode of celebration back in the bottle.

 

 

Source: Champagne corks can fly at 50 mph.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CONFETTI

Did you know.... Confetti usually brings to mind joyful scenes of fluttering paper strips, but that wasn’t always the case. In 19th-century Italy, confetti actually referred to sugar-coated almonds and other candied foods, tossed during street festivals such as pre-Lent Carnival celebrations.

 

“Confetti” is originally an Italian word meaning “sweetmeats,” a general term for dessert foods. Carnival celebrations in cities including Rome and Naples encouraged excess before the austerity of Lent. Revelers pelted each other from the streets and balconies, armed with slings and tubes to launch their edible ammunition.

 

By the mid-1800s, small plaster balls and chalk pellets were used as a cheaper and more accessible alternative to the candied almonds. Charles Dickens describes such a scene vividly in 1846’s Pictures From Italy, noting that protective wire masks had become required Carnival gear. By 1875, Milan businessman Enrico Mangili was selling paper scraps from his silk manufacturing company for use in Carnival celebrations, and paper confetti quickly replaced its candied predecessors.

 

The confetti at Times Square on New Year’s Eve is dispersed by hand.
Each New Year’s Eve, roughly 3,000 pounds of confetti rain down on the dedicated revelers in New York City’s Times Square as the ball drops at midnight. Given the magnitude of the celebration, you may assume this to be the work of confetti cannons, but the tradition is fully manual.

 

By 8:30 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, 100 volunteers make their way to the tops of seven different buildings to assume their positions. Just before midnight, they quickly start throwing armful after armful of the recycled, 100% biodegradable paper pieces to the crowds below.

 

It’s been this way since 1992, when former Disneyland balloon artist Treb Heining was hired to organize the event’s first confetti drop. To this day, Heining remains committed to conducting the operation by hand, preferring the timing and effect it gives the falling paper shreds.

 

 

Source: The original confetti was made of sugar-coated almonds.

Edited December 31, 2025 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WHY JANUARY 1ST

Did you know.... Julius Caesar thought January worked as the “doorway” to a new year, but it wasn’t all thanks to him.

 

The month of January is about more than just cold weather and post-holiday shopping burnout. It also marks the start of a new year, and with it, the opportunity to make fresh starts and new year resolutions that’ll help you further some long-simmering goals.

 

But have you ever stopped and asked yourself why January even corresponds with the new year in the first place? The answer is complicated—and it involves some pretty significant historical figures.

 

January Enters the Scene
Way back when, the Romans had a god named Janus. He was the god of doors and gates and had two faces—one looking forward and one looking back. Julius Caesar thought it would be appropriate for January, Janus’s namesake month, to be the doorway to a new year, and when he created the Julian calendar, he made January 1 the first day of the year (this also put the calendar year in line with the consular year, as new consuls also took office that day).

 

 

For Caesar, the Julian calendar was a political tool and weapon. As the Roman armies conquered new lands, the Empire often gave its new subjects some freedom in retaining certain religious and social customs. After the calendar was created, though, it was used in every corner of the Empire, not just for consistency, but to remind all citizens of Roman authority and Caesar’s power.

 

After Rome fell and Christianity spread through Europe, the celebration of the new year was seen as pagan (the Romans, after all, had observed the new year’s first day by engaging in drunken orgies), so the first day of the year was moved to a more agreeable date to Christianize it. Some countries started their year on March 25, the day Christians commemorate the announcement to Mary that she miraculously was pregnant. Other countries used Christmas Day, December 25, and others used Easter Sunday, no matter what date it fell on. In common usage, January 1 was still the first day of the year, as regular non-clergy, non-royal folks didn’t see a need to change it.

 

Change of Date
This calendrical chaos worked for a while, but a frustrated pope put an end to all the confusion during the Middle Ages. An error in Caesar’s calendar had caused the Julian year to become misaligned with the solar year. By 1582, the difference had grown to 10 days. Over the years, the Spring Equinox (and, with it, Easter) kept getting moved up, and Pope Gregory XIII was tired of having to reset the holiday. So Gregory devised a new calendar that used a single leap day every four years to keep it aligned. He also restored January 1 as the first day of the year.

 

 

Most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar quickly, but the Protestant and Eastern Rite countries were a little more hesitant. The Protestants complained that the “Roman Antichrist” was trying to trick them into worshiping on the wrong days. The Eastern Rite churches wanted to maintain tradition, so some Eastern European countries kept the Julian calendar for centuries more. Russia didn’t switch to the Gregorian calendar until after the 1917 revolution, and even today the Eastern Orthodox Church still follows either the traditional or revised Julian calendar to set its liturgical year.

 

Eventually the Protestant nations came around and switched to the Gregorian calendar. Most, though, changed the start of the year well before they adopted the whole thing. England, Ireland and the British colonies made January 1 the start of the year in early 1752 (Scotland had already switched about 150 years earlier) but waited until September to fully embrace the new calendar. The staggered move was perhaps symbolic, bringing the government calendar in line with the people's before bringing the nation’s calendar in line the with Pope’s.

 

 

Source: Why Does the New Year Start on January 1?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - THE FASTED MUSCLE

Did you know... The human eye is a biological wonder. Able to perceive the subtle hues of 1 million colors and filled with tens of millions of photosensitive rods and cones, our eyes help interpret reality for us — but they’d be useless without a muscle called the orbicularis oculi. A sphincter muscle arranged in concentric bands around both eyelids, the orbicularis oculi controls blinking and drains tears from the eye to the nasolacrimal duct system (which eventually drains into the nasal cavity). These functions are essential to happy and healthy eyes, as they clear particles from the surface, lubricate the eyes, and supply oxygen to the corneas. Without this crucial muscle, our corneas would swell, our eyes would dry out, and eventually we’d go blind. 

 

However, the orbicularis oculi boasts another impressive biological accolade — out of all 650 or so muscles in the human body, it’s the fastest one. This muscle can contract, or blink, in as little as 0.1 second. Although blinking is incredibly quick, the average person will blink up to 19,200 times per day — which takes up about 10% of a person’s waking hours.

 

Eagles can see up to five times farther than humans.
When someone spots something others can’t see, they’re often called “eagle-eyed.” Turns out, that’s a biologically appropriate compliment. Raptors, including bald eagles and golden eagles, have some of the best vision in the animal kingdom. These birds of prey can see four to five times farther than humans. This 20/4 vision (meaning eagles see 20 feet away what humans see 4 feet away) is like being able to spot an ant on the ground from a 10-story building, according to LiveScience. Some experts believe an eagle’s incredibly deep fovea, located in the back of their eyes, essentially allows these birds to use their eyes like a telephoto lens. This comes in handy when eagles glide on the wind looking for unsuspecting prey hundreds of feet below.

 

 

Source: Your eyes contain the fastest muscle in your body.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CENTER OF THE 48 CONTIGUOUS STATES

Did you know... Many states consider themselves the heartland of America, but where exactly is the geographic center of the U.S.? If you’re including only the lower 48 states, look no further than a nondescript field north of Lebanon, Kansas, located at 39° 50' 00" N 98° 35' 00" W. Not much marks this otherwise typical stretch of Midwestern farmland, except for a nearby historical marker noting that the location was determined by the U.S. Geological Survey, and that the point is “where a plane map of the 48 states would balance if it were of uniform thickness.” In earlier times, this accolade garnered enough tourists for a motel to be built nearby, selling souvenirs and a night’s rest at the center of the country. While the souvenirs remain (in downtown Lebanon), the motel has since closed up shop. 

 

Of course, this isn’t the center of the entire U.S., which drastically stretched its borders when it welcomed Alaska and Hawaii into the union at the end of the 1950s. In 1959, a U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey concluded that the new center of the U.S. (excluding territories) had lurched northwest toward the small town of Belle Fourche, South Dakota, which today posts a similar plaque regarding its centralized status. How long Belle Fourche keeps its title remains to be seen, as many contenders to be the 51st state — whether Puerto Rico, Guam, or some other territory — could once again relocate the bullseye of the U.S.

 

Helium gas was discovered on Earth in a Kansas field in 1903.
One of the biggest discoveries in chemistry began with a party foul. In May 1903, residents of Dexter, Kansas, planned a major celebration in honor of a “howling gasser” that had recently been drilled nearby, and which was unleashing 9 million cubic feet of gas a day. Excited for what they believed were vast natural gas reserves, the residents dreamed of the forthcoming economic opportunities, and held a big bash complete with a parade, speeches, and games, all leading to the final event of the night — lighting the gas in celebration of the town’s good luck. The town mayor set a bale of hay on fire that slowly moved toward contact with the gas, and then … the fire went out. The mayor tried to light the gas again. No luck. While dreams of economic prosperity quickly dimmed, scientific curiosity took over. Intrigued by this strange gaseous event, the state’s geologist, Erasmus Haworth, sent a sample of the gas to the University of Kansas. It was there that chemist David F. McFarland discovered an “inert residue” that essentially made the gas nonflammable — and part of that “inert residue” was helium. Although helium had been discovered decades earlier, scientists initially believed the gas was found only in high concentrations in the heavens. This happy (or, for the residents of Dexter, somewhat unhappy) accident in a small town in Kansas proved them wrong.

 

 

Source: The geographic center of the 48 contiguous states is a field in Kansas.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - MORE SICK IN WINTER

Did you know... It’s not just because you’re spending more time indoors. While it’s possible to catch a viral illness any time of the year, winter seems to bring an influx of sickness. Flu shots are normally given in anticipation of seasonal spread; anecdotally, you may find people who have “come down with something” or “caught a bug.” We often think of cold weather bringing people indoors as a big reason why colds and the flu seem to spread, but is that the only reason? Or is it something else?

 

The Science Behind a Winter Uptick in Illnesses
While it’s certainly true that spending more time indoors can put you in closer proximity to others and thereby raise the risk of transmission, there are other factors at play. According to the National Institutes of Health, the lipid (or fatty) coating of influenza cells tends to turn into liquid at higher temperatures, making it less stable and transmissible. In colder weather, however, the lipid membrane remains intact, allowing for a sturdier and more persistent virus. When it comes in contact with the respiratory tract, the coating dissolves and begins to infect its host.

 

 

That’s not the only way viruses can benefit from cooler temperatures. Winter also means less humidity in the air, both indoors and outside. Less moisture means viruses can travel farther and remain in the air longer without binding to water molecules. Less indoor ventilation can also lead to stale air and persistent, lingering germs.

 

Does Cold Weather Weaken the Immune System?
What about physiological reasons? It’s possible that cold weather may impact our immune systems. A 2023 study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology looked at the possibility of immune defense in the nose growing less effective as temperatures drop, though only four subjects were studied and no firm conclusions were drawn. There’s also no general consensus over whether simply being cold affects our immune systems. Although it’s possible that fluctuating body temperatures can affect our ability to fight off illness, heading outside with wet hair or grabbing the mail in a T-shirt are unlikely to be major factors in getting sick.

 

 

While winter may increase your risk of catching something unpleasant, the same general principles to stay healthy still apply. Frequent handwashing can help reduce the spread of germs, as can regularly disinfecting surfaces; try to avoid sharing utensils or drinking glasses with others, too. Vaccinations can also lower your risk of infection.

 

 

Source: Why Do More People Get Sick in the Winter?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ATLAS MOTHS

Did you know.... In the subtropical forests of the Malay Archipelago, a moth of seemingly impossible proportions flutters among the trees. Named the atlas moth (Attacus atlas), this saturniid — meaning a member of the Saturniidae family — is the largest moth in the world in terms of overall size, with a staggering maximum wingspan of nearly 12 inches and a surface area up to 62 inches. The moth is so huge that it’s often mistaken for a bird at first glance. Being a big moth means it’s also a big caterpillar, stretching up to nearly 5 inches long, and its silk cocoon is so durable that people in Taiwan sometimes use them as purses. Sadly, the moths are also short-lived, surviving only one to two weeks after emerging from their cocoons.

 

Although the atlas moth is considered the biggest in overall size compared to other lepidopterans (a taxonomic order that includes butterflies, moths, and skippers), it isn’t necessarily an outlier. The hercules moth (Coscinocera hercules), endemic to Papua New Guinea and Australia, comes in a close second with a wingspan of 11 inches, and the males have a graceful swallowtail that actually makes them the longest moth. Meanwhile, the white witch moth (Thysania agrippina), found mostly in Central and South America, has a maximum wingspan even slightly longer than that of the atlas moth, at 12.6 inches, although it’s smaller overall. So while your average U.S. moth might be only a tiny nocturnal annoyance, remember that its big and beautiful brethren are fluttering elsewhere.

 

There’s probably a reason atlas moth wings look like snakeheads.
The atlas moth isn’t just the largest moth in the world — it’s also visually stunning. Hidden in its multihued exterior are strange patterns on the upper tips of its wings (known as the apex of the forewing) that resemble two snake heads. This evolutionary trait warns off birds or other predators who are tricked by the impressive mimicry. Admiration for the atlas moth’s pattern extends to humans, as the Cantonese name for the creature translates to “snake’s head moth.” Atlas moths aren’t the only lepidopterans that have a natural tendency to blend in, though. The Indian leafwing butterfly (Kallima paralekta) has evolved to look like a dead leaf (at least when it raises its wings), while other moths resemble hawk eyes, lichen, hornets, or tree bark.

 

 

Source: Atlas moths, the largest in the world, have wingspans close to 12 inches.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FLOUR CURRENCY

Did you know..... In January 1865, four months before the Civil War’s end, Harper’s Weekly published the story of a peculiar flour sack credited with raising thousands of dollars for injured soldiers. The tale — entirely true — began in Austin, Nevada, the previous year. On the eve of city elections, two wagering men, area merchant Reuel Colt Gridley and Dr. Henry Herrick, placed a bet on the vote’s outcome. The loser would pay up with a 50-pound sack of flour, but not before a dose of public humiliation: Whoever lost had to ceremoniously march down the town’s main strip with the bag, all to the tune of “John Brown’s Body” (a patriotic melody that would later inspire “The Battle Hymn of the Republic”). 

 

Within a day, the losing bettor, Gridley, was being cheered on by his fellow townsfolk — who turned out in numbers to watch the spectacle — as he followed a brass band down the city’s center, flour sack over his shoulder. At the end of his march, he handed the sack to the bet’s winner, Herrick, but not without first recommending it be donated to the Sanitary Commission, a relief agency that provided care for sick and injured Union soldiers. Herrick agreed, and soon after the hefty sack of flour was auctioned for $350. But in an act of gallantry, the winner asked that the sack be sold again, raising another $250. Surrounding towns joined in, and before long Gridley and the “Sanitary Sack of Flour” had gone as far as San Francisco and raised $63,000. Newspapers spread the story, leading the flour sack across the country, raising upwards of $275,000 (more than $4 million today), and ending up as far as New York City. Gridley, who had started the journey as a Confederate sympathizer, returned to Nevada an ardent supporter of the Union; the famed Sanitary Sack returned with him and remains on display in Reno at the state’s Historical Society Museum.

 

President Hoover’s presidential library has a flour sack collection.
Before he sat in the Oval Office, Herbert Hoover was a wealthy entrepreneur and philanthropist living in London at the outbreak of World War I. Using his political connections and social standing, Hoover founded the Commission for Relief in Belgium (CRB) in 1914, a volunteer organization that raised food and funds for more than 9 million starving Belgian and French citizens trapped in a blockade between German and British troops. Through negotiations with both militaries, the CRB was able to distribute more than 5.7 million tons of food across 2,500 towns, while keeping a watchful eye on the sacks of flour involved. By distributing the empty cotton bags to sewing workshops, convents, and artists, the sacks were kept from the Germans, who used cotton in the manufacture of ammunition. Many of the bags were turned into clothing and pillows, but others were embroidered or painted with the purpose of being sold for relief funds that supported prisoners of war. In a show of gratitude, hundreds of the decorated flour sacks were sent to Hoover with hand-stitched sentiments from Belgian and French citizens — and today, 366 remain at his presidential library in West Branch, Iowa.

 

 

Source: During the Civil War, a sack of flour was repeatedly auctioned off to raise money for wounded soldiers.