Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - MUSIC PERFORMANCE UNTIL 2640

Did you know.... For one organ concert currently being played at a German church, every chord change makes international news. That’s because this performance of avant-garde composer John Cage’s “Organ²/ASLSP” is slated to last centuries. In 1985, when Cage (1912–1992) wrote a piano version of what later became “Organ²/ASLSP,” he directed musicians to play his notes “as slowly as possible.” They’ve complied. 

 

The performance began on what would have been Cage’s 89th birthday: September 5, 2001. A collection of music aficionados, scholars, and former collaborators planned a one-of-a-kind tribute to Cage in Halberstadt, Germany, where the first modern keyboard organ is thought to have originated. They dreamed up a performance that would last as long as the Halberstadt instrument, believed to have been built in the city’s cathedral in 1361. Since that was 639 years before the turn of the millennium in 2000, the group settled on a 639-year concert. A custom organ was constructed at the medieval church of St. Burchardi in Halberstadt. The performance opened with a 17-month pause, and one chord lasted nearly seven years. (Sandbags, moved by human hands, weigh down the pedals to engage the organ’s pipes.) As of press time, only 16 chord changes have occurred; the next is scheduled for August 2026. Private donors have raised money to fund the project, but more is needed for the concert to continue uninterrupted all the way through its scheduled end — in 2640.

 

“Organ²/ASLSP” isn’t the world’s longest performance.

While “Organ²/ASLSP” is slow, it is not the longest music composition or the longest recital. English banjoist Jem Finer — a founding member of the Celtic punk band the Pogues — holds those world records for his original work “Longplayer.” With help from a bank of London computers, Finer has sequenced six of his short pieces to play simultaneously on a set of Tibetan singing bowls located in the lighthouse at Trinity Buoy Wharf, overlooking the River Thames. The concert started in the first moment of January 1, 2000, and no sound combination will repeat until the final second of December 31, 2999.

 

 

Source: An ongoing music performance at a German church is scheduled to continue until 2640.
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BEN AND JERRY'S ICECREAM

Did you know..... The founders of one of the country’s leading ice cream brands spent only a pint-sized sum learning how to make their product. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield became friends in seventh grade, back in 1963. Originally, they set their sights on being a doctor (Greenfield) and an artist (Cohen). But once they reached their 20s — a rejected medical school applicant and a potter who dropped out of college — they decided to enter the food industry instead.

 

The duo came close to becoming bagel makers, but they realized that producing ice cream was cheaper (bagel-making equipment can be pretty pricey). Their dessert education arrived through a Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences correspondence course, which sent them a textbook in the mail and required only open-book tests. The course has since been replaced by a weeklong series of workshops, the Penn State Ice Cream Short Course, which bills itself as the country’s “oldest, best-known, and largest educational program dealing with the science and technology of ice cream.” Established in 1925, the program has attracted representatives from Baskin-Robbins, Haagen-Dazs, and Blue Bell Creamery who want to improve their knowledge of research and development, quality control, sales strategies, and more.

 

To prepare to run Ben & Jerry’s, Cohen and Greenfield also purchased various brochures from the Small Business Administration, sold for 20 cents each at the post office. Next, they decided to open a shop in bucolic Burlington, Vermont, home to the University of Vermont’s campus (and thousands of hungry students). Their doors opened in 1978 in a former gas station with unsightly holes in the roof that Cohen attempted to patch up with tin sheets and tar. Cohen and Greenfield secured the location by combining a $4,000 bank loan with their pooled $8,000 (including $2,000 supplied by Cohen’s dad). All of the ice cream was made in a 5-gallon machine, and the shop originally sold eight flavors: Oreo Mint, French Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge, Wild Blueberry, Mocha Walnut, Maple Walnut, Honey Coffee, and Honey Orange. However, as the flavors got wilder — think Chunky Monkey, Cherry Garcia, and Phish Food — many more outposts and a wholesale delivery business followed, as did an IPO. In 2000, Unilever — the parent company of Breyers and Klondike — paid $326 million to acquire Ben & Jerry’s.   

 

One of Ben & Jerry’s namesake co-founders can barely taste food.

As a kid, Ben Cohen was diagnosed with anosmia, a rare sinus condition that renders him unable to smell. In addition, he has a very limited sense of taste. When eating, Cohen has long derived pleasure from textures. Before helming a business, it was second nature for him to add pieces of cookies or candy to his bowls of ice cream. In recent decades, the signature Ben & Jerry’s item has become a scoop of ice cream brimming with ingredients like chunky fudge, airy marshmallows, and swirly caramel. The company even pioneered cookie dough ice cream, knowing that pearls of batter would result in a satisfying mouthfeel for everyone.

 

 

Source: Ben and Jerry learned how to make ice cream by taking a $5 correspondence course.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SHRIMP FISHING

Did you know.... On the western tip of Belgium’s coast, the town of Oostduinkerke keeps alive a tradition more than twice as old as Belgium itself. Since the late 15th century, seaside communities that line the North Sea have practiced a form of shrimp fishing in which horse-riding fishermen, or paardenvisser, trawl the coast’s shallow waters to capture tasty crustaceans. About 500 years after it began, the tradition was recognized by UNESCO as part of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage.

 

But what was once a common sight in the sea’s shallow waters is now a rarity, as only a handful of known paardenvissers still exist. Although the method at its most basic is simply dragging a net behind a Brabant draft horse, the process actually employs some clever physics and mechanics. Attached to each net are two metal-and-wood boards that, thanks to water pressure, keep the net continuously open. A metal chain attached to the front of the net sends shockwaves through the sand, causing shrimp to jump into the trap. As the horse drags the net through the surf, water pressure pushes the catch to the back of the net, which makes room for yet more shrimp. Adorned in their typical bright-yellow oilskin jackets, paardenvissers are often seen along Oostduinkerke’s coast during shrimp fishing seasons (from March to May and from September to November), as well as in June when the entire town gathers for the Shrimp Festival. This two-day event is filled with elaborate floats, costumes, and a parade celebrating the town’s crustaceous cultural heritage.

 

In 2020, Belgium broke its own world record for the longest time without a government.

On September 30, 2020, Belgium formed a coalition government 652 days after the last one had collapsed — setting the record for the longest time any country has been without a government during peacetime. This doesn’t mean lawlessness reigned during the long political crisis, however. Instead, an interim caretaker government ran things until an official government took the helm. This not-exactly-laudable world record surpassed the previous record by only 63 days — and that previous record was also held by Belgium, which experienced a similar crisis in 2010 and 2011. Although somewhat small, Belgium is notoriously difficult to govern, in part because wealthier, Dutch-speaking northerners and poorer, French-speaking southerners each have their own political parties and views.

 

 

Source: Belgium has a 500-year-old tradition of shrimp fishing on horseback.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - KILLER WHALES

Did you know.... When they aren’t busy attacking yachts or starring in beloved children’s movies, killer whales have an even more impressive hobby: making their own tools. 

 

Scientists were initially unfazed by footage of the imposing creatures rubbing against one another for up to 15 minutes at a time because “whales do weird things,” as behavioral ecologist Michael Weiss told CNN. But a closer look revealed the animals were actually rubbing strands of kelp between their bodies.

 

Researchers observed at least 30 instances of a behavior they dubbed “allokelping,” in which orcas detach bull kelp from the seafloor and manipulate it with their teeth before rubbing it between themselves, which scientists expect is a form of grooming, social bonding, or both. Cetaceans (a group of mammals that includes dolphins, whales, and porpoises) keep their bodies smooth and aerodynamic by frequently shedding dead skin, and allokelping could aid in that process.

 

The discovery marks the first time any cetacean has been observed using tools, but it isn’t altogether surprising — in addition to being, well, a little unusual, orcas in particular are known for their high intelligence and close social bonds.

 

Killer whales are found in every ocean.

Though best known for residing in the cold waters of locales such as Antarctica, orcas are found in every ocean: the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Antarctic (also known as Southern), and Arctic. This makes them the most widespread cetacean.

 

Of the approximately 50,000 killer whales in the wild, roughly half of them live in the waters near Antarctica. Other large population centers include such far-flung locations as Alaska, Argentina, Norway, and New Zealand.

 

 

Source: Killer whales make their own tools.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TINY DOORS

Did you know.... While they’re quite minuscule and often painted to blend in with their surroundings, you may notice several strange, tiny doors with decorative trim should you ever wander the halls of the U.S. Capitol. Those doors appear to be more appropriately sized for small creatures than for any congressperson, as they measure roughly 30 inches tall. However, they were never meant to be used as entryways or exits; rather, they concealed hidden water sources that once aided in fire prevention and cleaning.

 

Behind each mini door is a pipe and spout that used to carry fresh water directly from the Washington Aqueduct into the Capitol. The system was implemented in the wake of a devastating fire on Christmas Eve in 1851, which destroyed 35,000 volumes preserved by the Library of Congress. An investigation showed the fire could’ve been extinguished with ease had there been an available water supply nearby, and engineer Montgomery C. Meigs was subsequently tasked with developing a solution.

 

Meigs installed these on-demand water sources throughout the Capitol, concealing them behind miniature doors that could be easily opened in the event of future fires. Not only did the water aid in fire prevention, but janitorial crews also used those hidden faucets to fill their pails for cleaning purposes. Today, the doors and water sources no longer serve an essential purpose, as the Capitol is outfitted with modern fire suppression systems. But those doors remain an eye-catching relic of yesteryear and are a popular talking point among visitors.

 

The U.S. Capitol used to have a smaller green dome.

Although the U.S. Capitol opened for business in 1800, its original dome wasn’t finished until 1824. That dome was smaller than the current one, rising to 140 feet above the rotunda, compared to 180 feet today. It was also built from wood and covered with copper, giving the dome a green color far different from its now-familiar white hue.

 

The wood material, however, posed a fire hazard and necessitated frequent repairs. There were aesthetic issues as well, as large-scale expansions to the rest of the Capitol made its dome appear disproportionately small. A bigger and more durable replacement was approved in March 1855, with construction beginning the following year and lasting until January 1866.

 

 

Source: The U.S. Capitol has strange tiny doors.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - GLOW IN THE DARK BEACH

Did you know.... If you were wowed by those glow-in-the-dark stars on your bedroom ceiling as a kid, you may need to book a trip to the Maldives. The small nation of more than 1,000 islands in the Indian Ocean is home to at least one beach, on Mudhdhoo Island, that often glows in the dark — and it’s a completely natural phenomenon. We have ostracod crustaceans (aka seed shrimp) to thank for the effect, as the millimeter-long creatures have the ability to emit a blue light for as long as a minute or more. Though scientists are unsure why they do so, some believe it happens when a “mass mortality” event occurs. 

 

That gorgeous seed shrimp glow is an example of bioluminescence — light produced by a chemical reaction within a living being. Seed shrimp are far from the only creatures who shine this way: The chemical reactions that create bioluminescence occur in other organisms whose bodies contain luciferin (light-emitting organic compounds; the name comes from the Latin “lucifer,” meaning “light-bearing”). That list also includes fellow ocean-dwellers such as firefly squid and sea sparkles, as well as fireflies, glow-worms, and certain bacteria and fungi on land. Some animals do it to lure their next meal, others as a kind of mating ritual, and still others use it to frighten, distract, or hide from predators. Good thing sharks and bats don’t find the sight as wonderful as we do.

 

The Maldivian government held an underwater cabinet meeting.

As a result of its low elevation, the Maldives is more threatened by climate change than perhaps any other country in the world. To draw attention to this, then-President Mohamed Nasheed and 13 other government officials held an underwater cabinet meeting in 2009. With the assistance of waterproof pencils and a plastic slate, they signed an “SOS” message — an extreme measure, to be sure, but also an understandable one when considering that most of the country is projected to be fully submerged by 2100. Led by its minister of environment, the Maldivian government has taken proactive steps (including potentially moving the whole country) to ensure that the country’s natural beauty — and its way of life — doesn’t disappear entirely.

 

Source: There’s a beach in the Maldives that glows in the dark.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - UTENSILS AND FLAVOR

Did you know.... Taste is about so much more than what you eat: Your brain combines smell, temperature, and even expectations to decide how something tastes. Your utensils play a role too, with their weight, shape, and material affecting the eating experience in surprising ways. A 2013 study published in the scientific journal Flavour found that yogurt served on lighter plastic spoons was perceived as denser and more expensive than the same yogurt served on heavier plastic spoons. 

 

Other research found that spoons made of metal, such as silver, can make foods taste better than they do with plastic spoons. And in 2023, one study found that people enjoyed ramen more when using their own bowls and forks, largely made from ceramic and metal, respectively, rather than the uniform plastic utensils and bowls provided. The researchers suggest this is due to familiarity and comfort: Even before you take a bite, your brain takes cues from what you see and touch, forming expectations and helping shape flavor.

 

The material of the utensils can also influence the flavor of the food itself. Metal utensils add their own twist:  Copper and zinc cutlery, for instance, is more chemically reactive, and the mild metallic taste can boost a food’s dominant flavor, with sweet substances tasting sweeter, bitter ones tasting more bitter, etc.

 

Utensils made of more chemically inert metals, such as gold and stainless steel, leave flavors largely unchanged. Even blindfolded, participants in the aforementioned study about plastic versus metal spoons could taste the differences, proving that the material itself, not just its look or perceived value, can shape how you experience the flavors of your food.

 

Chewing gum can help you focus and relax.

In the early 20th century, chewing gum wasn’t just for fresh breath. Wrigley’s marketed its Juicy Fruit and Spearmint gums as a fix for heartburn, a digestive aid, and even a way to calm the nerves. And they may have been onto something: Modern studies have found the act of chewing gum can indeed improve alertness and sustained attention in addition to lowering stress levels in certain situations, such as taking a test or giving a presentation.

 

Scientists aren’t exactly sure why that is, however. Leading theories credit increased blood flow, muscle activation in the jaw and face, or the simple calming effect of repetitive motions. A 2025 brain imaging study found the act of chewing activates regions involved in mental focus and emotional regulation. The effects are limited — chewing gum isn’t going to improve your memory or make you smarter — but it could just give you that little extra boost when you need to stay alert or calm under pressure.

 

 

Source: Utensils can change the way you perceive flavor.

Edited Wednesday at 04:27 PM by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WOOD FROGS

Did you know... Frogs are found all across the world, but only one species lives as far north as the Arctic Circle: the wood frog. That might surprise anyone who’s seen the small, brownish amphibians in Alabama or Georgia, but these tiny creatures are as widespread as they are resilient. They’ve adapted to cold climates (including Alaska and the Northeast) by literally freezing during the winter, with their hearts no longer beating and their lungs no longer breathing air as they enter a kind of suspended animation. How, then, do they not die? By producing a sugary sort of antifreeze that keeps their actual cells from freezing — which would be lethal — even as the space between their cells does. They thaw out when temperatures rise in the spring, ready to live their best frog lives (read: mate) once again.

 

Most other animals in the Arctic are a little less surprising: polar bears, walruses, musk oxen, and other hardy creatures are well suited to harsh conditions. None of them need to freeze in order to survive the winter, which only makes wood frogs more impressive. Their ability to make it through the season unscathed — which has been described as a biological miracle — also has to do with location. Wood frogs nestle on the leafy litter of the forest floor, hiding from potential predators and partially insulating themselves from the cold to come.

 

The South Pole is much colder than the North Pole.

Though it may sound counterintuitive (since we often think of southern climes as warmer), the South Pole is actually much colder than the North Pole. While the North Pole has an average summer temperature of a comparatively balmy 32 degrees Fahrenheit, at the South Pole it’s -18 degrees Fahrenheit. The difference is largely because much of the South Pole is 9,000 feet — about a mile and a half — above sea level, making Antarctica the world’s highest continent by a considerable margin and resulting in much colder temperatures due to the thinner atmosphere. The North Pole is smack dab in the middle of the Arctic Ocean (the world’s smallest), with its surface ice a mere foot or so above sea level.

 

 

Source: Wood frogs are the only frogs that live north of the Arctic Circle.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TUG-OF-WAR

Did you know.... Tug-of-war pulled through for five editions of the Olympic Games, from the Paris 1900 festivities until Antwerp 1920. (The 1916 ceremony was canceled due to World War I.) Only men were permitted to partake, and individual countries were allowed to enter multiple teams. Contests lasted five minutes apiece, with teams attempting to drag their opponents 6 feet from their starting point. If neither team reached the threshold, whichever one came closer emerged victorious. 

 

The first tug-of-war gold medal went to a coalition of athletes from Sweden and Denmark. But Great Britain enjoyed the best tally overall, winning five medals in tug-of-war, including two golds — edging out the United States and its three pieces of hardware. Ultimately, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) eliminated tug-of-war after the 1920 Olympics when they decided to be more selective with their sports. Today, while campaigning for matches to be reclassified as Olympic-worthy, the Tug of War International Federation admits men, women, and juniors at various weight classes from more than 70 nations. Tug-of-war is also part of the World Games, a quadrennial showcase for sports that are not featured in the Olympics, such as bowling, kickboxing, and trampoline gymnastics.  

 

Olympic medals were once awarded for art.

Not all Olympic medals have gone to athletes. Between 1912 and 1948, juries also declared winners in five artistic categories: painting, sculpture, architecture, literature, and music. Igor Stravinsky even served as a judge at the Paris 1924 Games (in music, naturally). In total, 151 medals were bestowed on artists, architects, or writers. Participants did have to abide by one major rule, however — their work had to be inspired by sports somehow. The art competitions were ultimately retired because it was too difficult for the IOC to distinguish between amateurs and professionals.

 

 

Source: Tug-of-war used to be an Olympic sport.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SLEEPWALK

Did you know.... If you’ve ever woken up to find the kitchen lights inexplicably on or been told you held a full conversation in the middle of the night with no memory of it, you’re not alone. Sleepwalking — also known as somnambulism — has fascinated and frightened people for generations. 

 

To anyone watching, this phenomenon can seem unsettling or even supernatural. But sleepwalking is simply a glitch in the brain’s normal sleep controls. Even at rest, the brain manages multiple systems at once. Every so often those systems fall slightly out of sync, and the body takes a nighttime stroll while the mind remains deeply asleep.

 

Although it’s most common in children, sleepwalking can happen at any age. Researchers have spent decades trying to understand why the sleeping brain sometimes allows the body to move around without conscious awareness. The answer lies in how sleep works, how the brain transitions between stages, and what can interrupt those transitions in subtle ways.

 

It Happens During Deep Sleep
Many people assume sleepwalking is caused by acting out dreams, but sleepwalking occurs during non-REM sleep, the deepest and most restorative phase of the sleep cycle, usually within the first couple of hours after falling asleep. Most of your dreaming, especially your vivid, narrative-driven dreams, take place during REM sleep.

 

In non-REM sleep, brain waves slow dramatically. The body is meant to be still, breathing is steady, and awareness of the outside world is almost completely shut down. The brain uses that time to repair tissues, consolidate memory, and restore energy.

 

Sleepwalking happens when the brain partially wakes from this deep state but doesn’t fully transition into alertness. The motor centers switch “on” before the thinking and reasoning parts of the brain catch up. As a result, a person can move, walk, or perform routine actions without conscious control.

 

The Brain Is Stuck Between Sleep and Wakefulness
Scientists describe sleepwalking as a disorder of arousal; the brain attempts to wake but gets trapped halfway. The parts responsible for movement become active while the areas governing judgment, awareness, and memory remain asleep. That explains both the wandering behavior and why sleepwalkers almost never remember what happened during their sleepwalking episodes — the brain never fully “records” the event.

 

Brain imaging shows that during episodes, the frontal lobe (the areas that manage decision-making and self-control) remain largely inactive. Meanwhile, deeper brain regions tied to habit and motion are active enough to get the body moving. It’s like a computer booting only halfway: The system is running, but critical controls haven’t loaded.

 

Because the conscious brain is still offline, trying to wake a sleepwalker suddenly can be confusing or even startling for them. They may look disoriented or frightened because their frontal lobe is being abruptly activated, forcing the brain into wakefulness before its decision-making and self-control systems have fully come online.

 

Genetics Plays a Role
Sleepwalking often runs (or walks?) in families. If one parent has a history of sleepwalking, their child is far more likely to do so. If both parents have a history, the odds increase even more dramatically. 

Researchers believe certain inherited traits affect how easily the brain shifts between sleep stages. Some people, for example, simply have a higher threshold for waking: their brains resist full arousal, which makes partial awakenings more likely. Instead of fully waking or staying asleep, they drift into that curious middle ground.

 

Genetics also affects how deeply a person sleeps. Those prone to sleepwalking tend to spend more time in slow-wave sleep — the stage where episodes originate. For many sleepwalkers, this tendency is built right into their neurological wiring.

 

Certain Triggers Can Spark Episodes
Even in people who are genetically predisposed, sleepwalking usually needs a trigger. Anything that disrupts deep sleep or causes sudden arousal can increase the chances of an episode. Common triggers include sleep deprivation, stress, anxiety, fever or illness, irregular sleep schedules, certain medications, alcohol before bed, or sleep disturbances.

 

When the brain is pushed into deeper-than-normal sleep — often after exhaustion — it can struggle to wake cleanly. Instead, it can misfire and activate the body while awareness lags behind. 

 

Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea can also increase episodes of sleepwalking. Repeated interruptions in breathing jolt the brain out of deep sleep again and again, creating more opportunities for incomplete awakenings.

 

Sleepwalking Is Common — And Usually Benign
About one in three children will sleepwalk at least once, and most outgrow it as the brain matures and sleep patterns become more stable. It’s less common in adults, though it still affects millions worldwide. Many episodes are mild — sitting up, mumbling, or briefly wandering — though some people are able to carry out surprisingly complex behaviors.

 

Sleepwalking is part of a larger group of sleep-related behaviors called parasomnias, conditions in which elements of sleep and wakefulness overlap. Non-REM parasomnias include talking in your sleep, night terrors, and confusional arousals (brief partial awakenings from deep sleep in which a person appears awake but feels confused or disoriented before falling back to sleep).

 

Nightmares are also classified as parasomnias, though they occur during REM sleep and involve vivid dreaming rather than physical movement. Together, those disorders show how the brain can become active in unusual ways while the body is still technically asleep.

 

Occasional sleepwalking is usually harmless and demonstrates how complex sleep really is. So if you’ve ever found signs of a nighttime adventure you can’t recall, it typically isn’t something to fear. It’s simply the brain at work, juggling rest, repair, and awareness — and sometimes those systems can fall slightly out of sync.

 

 

Source: Why Do People Sleepwalk?

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - KISS AND CRY

Did you know.... Breaking down the history of the popular term.

 

Figure skating has been part of the Olympic Games for over 100 years, having been first added to the official roster of sports way back in 1908. 

 

Later, when the first Winter Olympics were held in Chamonix, France, in 1924, the sport shifted from the regular Summer Olympics to the new Winter competition and has remained a Winter Olympic discipline ever since. (In fact, alongside cross-country skiing, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating, figure skating is one of just six sports to have been contested at every Winter Olympic Games in history.)

 

The Meaning and Origins of the “Kiss and Cry”
If you’re a fan of the figure skating competition, though, chances are you’ll be familiar with the expression “kiss and cry”—which, despite the sport’s long and storied history, has apparently only been a part of figure skating vocabulary since the early 1980s. 

 

According to legend, the term “kiss and cry” was first coined in 1983 by the Finnish figure skating judge Jane Erkko, who used it to refer to the seated corner of the ice skating rink where competitors who have just finished their performance wait, often with their coaches or coaching team, to find out the judges’ scores.

 

 

 

The name “kiss and cry” ultimately refers to the competitors’ post-performance show of emotion, kissing and crying with relief, or else to their typical reactions to their feedback—kisses all round and tears of happiness for successful performances (or tears of sadness for the less well-received displays). 

 

Jane Erkko was subsequently involved in the committee that oversaw the World Figure Skating Championships in Helsinki, Finland, in 1983, and it seems this was the catalyst that saw her jokey term for the “kiss and cry corner” of the ice fall into wider use among the figure skating community.

 

The television production team involved in broadcasting the competition that year began using it in their planning of camera placements around the ice, and this quiet, nerve-shredding corner of the ice rink has been known by this name ever since—and is even referred to as such in the official literature of the International Skating Union’s rules and constitution. 

 

The 2026 Winter Olympics, hosted by two cities for the first time, Milan and Cortina, Italy, are now taking place, running throughout the month until February 22. Brush up on common figure skating terms with our guide here, and learn more about the locations here.

 

Source: What Is the “Kiss and Cry” in Olympic Figure Skating?