Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - LITTLE WOMEN

The March Sisters by Pablo Marcos

Did you know... that Little Women is a coming-of-age novel written by American novelist Louisa May Alcott. Originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869, Alcott wrote the book over several months at the request of her publisher. The story follows the lives of the four March sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy—and details their passage from childhood to womanhood. Loosely based on the lives of the author and her three sisters, it is classified as an autobiographical or semi-autobiographical novel. (Wikipedia)

 

Fascinating Facts About Louisa May Alcott's Little Women
BY JOY LANZENDORFER  |  SEPTEMBER 27, 2019 (UPDATED: APRIL 6, 2021)

 

Louisa May Alcott's Little Women is one of the world's most beloved novels, and even today—more than 150 years after its original publication—it's still capturing new generations of readers. Whether it's been days or years since you've last read it, here are 10 things you might not know about Alcott's classic tale of family and friendship.

 

1. LOUISA MAY ALCOTT DIDN'T WANT TO WRITE LITTLE WOMEN.
Louisa May Alcott was writing both literature and pulp fiction (sample title: Pauline's Passion and Punishment) when Thomas Niles, the editor at Roberts Brothers Publishing, approached her about writing a book for girls. Alcott said she would try, but she wasn’t all that interested, later calling such books “moral pap for the young.” When it became clear Alcott was stalling, Niles offered a publishing contract to her father, Bronson Alcott. Although Bronson was a well-known thinker who was friends with Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, his work never achieved much acclaim. When it became clear that Bronson would have an opportunity to publish a new book if Louisa started her girls' story, she caved into the pressure.

 

2. LITTLE WOMEN TOOK JUST 10 WEEKS TO WRITE.
Alcott began writing the book in May 1868. She worked on it day and night, becoming so consumed with it that she sometimes forgot to eat or sleep. On July 15, she sent all 402 pages to her editor. In September, a mere four months after starting the book, Little Women was published. It became an instant bestseller and turned Alcott into a rich and famous woman.

 

3. MEG, BETH, AND AMY MARCH WERE BASED ON ALCOTT'S SISTERS.

• Meg was based on Louisa’s sister Anna, who fell in love with her husband John Bridge Pratt while performing opposite him in a play. The description of Meg’s wedding in the novel is supposedly based on Anna’s actual wedding.
• Beth was based on Elizabeth (or Lizzie), who contracted scarlet fever in 1856. Though she recovered, the disease permanently weakened her; Lizzie passed away in her sleep from a “wasting condition” on March 14, 1858—just shy of her 23rd birthday. Like Beth, Lizzie caught the illness from a poor family her mother was helping.
• Amy was based on May (Amy is an anagram of May), an artist who lived in Europe and whose paintings were displayed in the Paris Salon.
• Jo, of course, is based on Alcott herself.

4. LITTLE WOMEN WAS ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN TWO PARTS.
The first half was published in 1868 as Little Women: Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. The Story Of Their Lives. A Girl’s Book. It ended with John Brooke proposing marriage to Meg. In 1869, Alcott published the second half of the book. It, too, only took a few months to write.

 

5. LOUISA MAY ALCOTT REFUSED TO HAVE JO MARRY LAURIE.
Alcott, who never married herself, wanted Jo to remain unmarried, too. But while she was working on the second half of Little Women, fans were clamoring for Jo to marry the boy next door, Laurie. “Girls write to ask who the little women marry, as if that was the only aim and end of a woman’s life," Alcott wrote in her journal. "I won’t marry Jo to Laurie to please anyone.” As a compromise—or to spite her fans—Alcott married Jo to the decidedly unromantic Professor Bhaer. Laurie ends up with Amy.

 

6. THERE ARE LOTS OF THEORIES ABOUT WHO LAURIE WAS BASED ON.
People have theorized Laurie was inspired by everyone from Henry David Thoreau to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s son Julian, but this doesn’t seem to be the case. In 1865, while in Europe, Alcott met a Polish musician named Ladislas Wisniewski, whom Alcott nicknamed Laddie. The flirtation between Laddie and Alcott culminated in them spending two weeks together in Paris, alone. According to biographer Harriet Reisen, Alcott later modeled Laurie after Laddie. How far did the Alcott/Laddie affair go? It’s hard to say, as Alcott later crossed out the section of her diary referring to the romance. In the margin, she wrote, “couldn’t be.”

 

7. YOU CAN STILL VISIT ORCHARD HOUSE, WHERE LOUISA MAY ALCOTT WROTE LITTLE WOMEN.

Orchard House in Concord, Massachusetts was the Alcott family home. In 1868, Louisa reluctantly left her Boston apartment to write Little Women there. Today, you can tour this house and see May’s drawings on the walls, as well as the small writing desk that Bronson built for Louisa to use.
 

8. LIKE THE MARCH FAMILY, THE ALCOTTS KNEW POVERTY.
Bronson Alcott’s philosophical ideals made it difficult for him to find employment—for example, as a socialist, he wouldn't work for wages—so the family survived on handouts from friends and neighbors. At times during Louisa’s childhood, there was nothing to eat but bread, water, and the occasional apple. When she got older, Alcott worked as a paid companion and governess, like Jo does in the novel, and sold “sensation” stories to help pay the bills. She also took on menial jobs, working as a seamstress, a laundress, and a servant. Even as a child, Alcott wanted to help her family escape poverty, something Little Women made possible.

9. LITTLE WOMEN HAS BEEN ADAPTED A NUMBER OF TIMES.

 

In addition to a 1958 TV series, Broadway plays, a musical, a ballet, and an opera, Little Women has been made into more than a half-dozen movies. The most famous are the 1933 version starring Katharine Hepburn, the 1949 version starring June Allyson (with Elizabeth Taylor as Amy), and the 1994 version starring Winona Ryder. It's also been adapted for the small screen a number of times, most recently in 2018 for PBS's Masterpiece, by Call the Midwife creator Heidi Thomas. Greta Gerwig’s Oscar-nominated version of the story, starring Saoirse Ronan as Jo and Timothée Chalamet as Laurie, arrived in theaters on Christmas Day 2019.

10. IN THE 1980S, A JAPANESE ANIME VERSION OF LITTLE WOMEN WAS RELEASED.
In 1987, Japan made an anime version of Little Women "Tales of Little Women" that ran for 48 half-hour episodes. A sequel series, Little Women II: Jo's Boys, premiered in 1993.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Little Women  |  Facts About Little Women
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - ANCIENT CITIES

Did you know... that “Cities aren’t like people; they live on and on, even though their reason for being where they are has gone downriver and out to sea”—John Updike People have congregated in cities for thousands of years. Of the world’s ancient cities, some continue to house thousands or even millions of people, while others have been forgotten and have fallen into ruin. (Factinate - Jamie Hayes)

 

ASTOUNDING FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT CITIES
by BINUPRIYA TOMY  |  September 2021

Archaeologists excavating sites of ancient civilizations and cities have come across many locations that used very advanced technologies and unbelievable architecture and lifestyles. Mohenjo-Daro of the Indian subcontinent is one such place where they found attached wells and baths. It came as a surprise and quite unbelievable that a civilization that lived in the 19th century BCE had proper sewage and sanitation methods. Here are 10 more astounding facts about ancient cities.

 

1. Rome has been facing major struggles with expanding of their subway system in the city because the authorities kept running into major archaeological finds. The work on the Metro C subway line has been underway for the past 40 years. So far this project has unearthed Hadrian’s Athenaeum, an amphitheater, and even a military complex.

Roman Colosseum with Construction Site of the Rome Underground Line C. 

The people of Rome impatiently waited for the metro project to finish as they are dealing with traffic regularly. Rome sits on several layers of archaeological finds to even things that date back to the Stone Age. This has been a nemesis of the modern public as construction of a single metro line took them 20 years. The Metro C line will have to run through ancient Rome, and archaeologists are trying hard to find where to place the stations, ducts, and exits. To build a station at the traffic-crazed Pierra Venezia, the archaeologists had to agree to the total elimination of any prehistoric and existing historical evidence for a 75-foot-diameter open-air pit for a subway station. During the digging through medieval, modern, and Renaissance Rome, an excavation led by Robert Egidi came across a grand staircase made of yellow marble and granite which turned out to be the seats of a rectangular amphitheater built by Emperor Hadrian around 135 CE. Such incidents delayed the construction by several years as the project had to be redesigned every time they found an archaeological site that had to be preserved. (Source)

 

2. King Ibrahim Wali of an ancient Indian Kingdom of Golconda in the 14th century designed and built a fortress city. The structure was so acoustically perfect that a handclap at the main entrance gate under a dome could be heard at the top of the mountain that was located almost one kilometer away.

Panoramic view of Historic Golkonda fort in Hyderabad.

Golconda is located in the region where the world’s most famous diamonds, including the Koh-I-Noor, are produced. The fort is listed as an archaeological treasure. It has four distinct forts with gateways, a drawbridge, and royal apartments.

 

Main Entrance of Golkonda or Golconda fort. 

The outermost enclosure is called the “Fateh Darwaza,” which translates to “Victory Gate.” It is stuffed with iron spikes to prevent elephants from battering down. An acoustic effect experienced at the Victory Gate makes it one of the most unique buildings. A handclap at a point near the dome located at the entrance can reverberate and can be heard at the highest point on a mountain almost a kilometer away. This served as a warning sign in case of an attack. The place also claims to have secret tunnels from one of the durbars to the bottom of the hills which worked as an escape route for the royals. These tunnels are yet to be found. Inside the fort, there is an African baobab tree which is 400 years old. The girth of the tree is 89 feet, and it has a cave formed between its branches. (Source)

 

3. More than 300,000 manuscripts from the pre-colonial era were found tucked away in various libraries and private collections owned by generations of families in Timbuktu, which is an ancient city in Mali. They were mostly in Arabic, but some were in their native languages. Topics like philosophy, herbal medicine, mathematics, poetry, law, politics, and astronomy were covered in these scripts.

The main entrance of Al-Imam Essayouti rear Islamic manuscripts library in Timbuktu, Timbuktu preferred method of transport, Mali. 

Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. Situated on the southern edge of the Sahara Desert it was a center of Islamic culture from 1400 to 1600 CE. A project is underway where thousands of manuscripts are being recovered. The Ahmed Baba Library alone has a collection of 20,000 manuscripts. The manuscripts include mathematics, herbal medicine, poetry, Islamic law, and music. Some are beautifully adorned with gilded letters, and some are written in the language of Tuareg tribes. The contents of these manuscripts remain a mystery. Most of the works were written in the late Middle Ages. It is believed to be a university with 20,000 students. The records written with gallnuts are beginning to fade. Roughly, a dozen institutions are involved in this recovery operation. A historian, Shamil Jeppie, published a book on the current status of the project. He referred to the site as the “African Oxford.” (Source)

 

4. An ancient city was discovered in Bulgaria underwater during the construction of a reservoir.  Named “Seuthopolis,” the city was founded in 323 BCE. The discovery was between 1948 and 1954. The dam construction was underway during the discovery, so there was no chance that the city could be preserved in its full form as the construction could not be halted. Right now, a project led by Zheko Tilev is underway to restore the city.

Seuthopolis is a city founded in the fourth century before Christ. Thracian King Seuthes III built the city during his reign. The city was the capital of the Odrysian Kingdom which vanished around 270 BCE. The place seems to be the center of economy and politics. During a reservoir building in 1948, it was impossible to stop the building of the reservoir by the time the city was unearthed. The construction was about to flood the whole place and drown one of the most well-preserved Thracian cities of modern Bulgaria. The city lies 20 meters below the water level of the reservoir. A project proposed by the Bulgarian architect Zheko Tilev proposed to preserve the ruins with a circular dam wall. The restoration plan was proposed in 2007, and they immediately started a campaign for funding the preservation by attracting foreign investors. Post preservation, the location will appear as a unique modern tourist complex. (Source)

 

5. Pyramids built around the same times as Great Egyptian Pyramids were found in the city of Caral in Peru. The city, as observed by archaeologists, shows no traces of warfare. It indicates that the city was built for pleasure and commercial usage.

Aerial drone view of Caral city. 

Caral city is attributed to the antiquity of 5,000 years and is considered the oldest city in the Americas. The Caral culture developed in 3000 and 1800 BCE. But unlike other civilizations, they grew in complete isolation. Ruth Shady explored the area which has an amphitheater, elaborate complexes, and ordinary houses. Studies suggest that society was a very gentle one. Everything was built for commerce and pleasure. There were no battle weapons, no mutilated bodies, and nothing related to warfare. The findings also involved the recognition that they followed gender equality. Men and women equally occupied leadership positions and high social status for thousands of years. (Source)

 

Click here to read about the next 5 Ancient Cities.

 

Source: Venerable Facts About The Oldest Cities On Earth  |  FACTS ABOUT ANCIENT CITIES

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - COLORING BOOKS

Did you know.... that a coloring book is a type of book containing line art to which people are intended to add color using crayons, colored pencils, marker pens, paint or other artistic media. Traditional coloring books and coloring pages are printed on paper or card. Some coloring books have perforated edges so their pages can be removed from the books and used as individual sheets. Others may include a story line and so are intended to be left intact. Today, many children's coloring books feature popular cartoon characters. They are often used as promotional materials for animated motion pictures. Coloring books may also incorporate other activities such as connect the dots, mazes and other puzzles. Some also incorporate the use of stickers. (Wikipedia)

 

Colorful Facts About Coloring Books
BY SUZANNE RAGA  |  AUGUST 2, 2018

 

Kids and adults alike are drawn to coloring books for the fun, creative outlet they provide. Although adult coloring books are currently a trendy, bestselling genre, coloring books have a vibrant history—they’ve been around since the 1880s! So grab your colored pencils (or crayons, if they're more your style) and check out these 10 facts about coloring books.

 

1. WE HAVE A FAMOUS CHILDREN'S ILLUSTRATOR TO THANK FOR THE MODERN COLORING BOOK.

The coloring book has a surprisingly long history. Laura E. Wasowicz, curator of children’s literature at the American Antiquarian Society, told Mental Floss that "the earliest coloring books in our collection were produced in Germany and published in Philadelphia by John Weik & Co." around 1858. But the real ancestor of the modern coloring book is generally agreed to be British illustrator Kate Greenaway. Born in 1846, Greenaway became internationally recognized as a children’s book illustrator (and is now memorialized with the Kate Greenaway Medal for "distinguished illustration in a book for children"). Sometime in the late 1870s, she teamed up with publisher Cassell Petter & Galpin for The ‘Little Folks’ Painting Book, a reference to a children’s magazine that Cassell Petter & Galpin published. In some cross-promotion, any child who sent in their colored books to a competition the Little Folks magazine was holding could win money and medals, and the books themselves would go to the Children’s Hospitals to "[provide] for the amusement of little ones during their weary hours in the hospital." Several more of these books were published over the following years, some with similar contests. So why were these books so influential? Thank lax copyright laws. As Wasowicz explained to Vox, American publisher the McLoughlin Brothers took Greenaway’s illustrations and published them in books for the American audience, almost certainly without her permission. These were the books that became massive hits and helped create a new genre. And later this year the Antiquarian Society will be hosting an exhibition on the McLoughlins’ dominance of late 19th-century picture books—thanks in part to copying British works.

 

2. EARLY COLORING BOOKS WERE MEANT TO EDUCATE CHILDREN.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reform movements in children’s education helped to shift popular attitudes about the role of education in achieving social progress. Coloring books became an interactive tool that parents gave to their kids to educate and entertain them, in hopes of giving them an advantage in life. During this time, the cost of books (and paper) also decreased, which made coloring books accessible to more children and families than ever before. Some companies that sold consumer goods, such as shoes and paint, even gave free, promotional coloring books to parents with every purchase.

3. THE FIRST ADULT COLORING BOOK MOCKED CORPORATE CULTURE.

Published in 1961 by three advertising executives, The Executive Coloring Book was the first coloring book aimed at adults. Featuring drawings and captions depicting a businessman getting ready for work ("This is me. I am an executive. Executives are important. They go to important offices and do important things. Color my underwear important."), the book satirizes and mocks the monotony, conformity, and austerity inherent in corporate workplaces. For example, the book comments on the corporate dress code—like the proliferation of gray suits—as well as the pills that some employees took to combat the depression and ennui of early '60s workplaces. (The original book got a full reprint in March 2017, in case you or someone you know is suffering from cubicle syndrome.)

4. THE 1960S SAW A PROLIFERATION OF ADULT COLORING BOOKS.
After The Executive Coloring Book’s publication, adult coloring books became trendy. Many of these books satirized societal expectations, political extremism, social movements, the Soviet Union, communism, President John F. Kennedy, and mental illness. Rather than actually color in the drawings in these books, most adults reportedly bought and read the books for a laugh. By the early 1970s, the trend of subversive, satirical coloring books for adults was over.

 

5. BARBRA STREISAND CAPITALIZED ON THEIR POPULARITY.

 

"For those who fancy coloring books ..." In 1962 and 1963, singer Barbra Streisand released two versions of a song called "My Coloring Book." Capitalizing on the contemporaneous popularity of adult coloring books, Streisand sang about a breakup through the lens of a coloring book. "Crayons ready? ... Begin to color me / These are the eyes that watched him as he walked away / Color them gray / This is the heart that thought he would always be true / Color it blue." Though Streisand sang the song on the late-night circuit, the song never charted, but it was later covered by Aretha Franklin, Dusty Springfield, and Kristin Chenoweth.

6. THEY HAVE A LONG HISTORY OF PROMOTING POLITICAL VIEWS.
The 1960s weren't the only time period that cartoonists used adult coloring books to lampoon political figures and promote counterculture or fringe views. More recently, creators of coloring books have used the books to comment on events and figures in contemporary politics. You can find coloring books about the death of Osama bin Laden and the Tea Party (complete with drawings of Sarah Palin and text about the evils of political correctness), as well as coloring books devoted to former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and President Donald Trump.
 

7. RESEARCHERS CLAIM THE BOOKS CAN LOWER STRESS AND ANXIETY.

According to researchers and art therapists, adults who color in coloring books may experience a variety of therapeutic benefits. A 2005 study (and a 2012 replication study) concluded that people who colored in mandalas—complex geometric figures frequently seen in Hinduism and Buddhism—experienced lower levels of anxiety than people who simply colored on a blank piece of paper. By focusing on different shapes and patterns in a structured way, people who color can shut off negative thoughts, becoming calmer. The study concluded that like meditation, the act of coloring patterns can let the brain rest, decrease anxiety, and encourage mindfulness.

 

8. DIGITAL COLORING BOOKS ARE A THING.
If you assumed that all coloring books are tangible items, think again. Plenty of websites offer digital coloring books, allowing users to choose an image, pick a stylus tool, and decide how to color it. But digital coloring books can be more high tech than a glorified Microsoft Paint program. Disney offers Disney Color and Play, an augmented reality coloring book app that lets you use your smartphone or tablet to transform 2D images of Disney characters into a colorful, digital 3D experience.

 

9. TODAY, YOU CAN FIND JUST ABOUT ANY TYPE OF COLORING BOOK.

Whether you have a hankering to color in drawings based on pop culture, politics, literature, or sports, there’s probably a coloring book for you. Pop culture-themed options include everything from Star Wars to Harry Potter to Game of Thrones to Breaking Bad. And if you want a more involved coloring experience, interactive coloring books let you write your own story, solve puzzles, or scan pages that you’ve colored and animate them online.

10. YOU CAN EVEN CREATE YOUR OWN COLORING BOOK USING YOUR OWN PHOTOS.
The only thing better than taking a selfie is coloring in your selfie! Thanks to Color Me Book, you can order personalized coloring books that feature your own photos. After you upload your images, a team of designers hand-trace them and turn them into pages of a customized coloring book—one that's perfect for those impossible-to-shop-for family members.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Coloring Book  |  Facts About Coloring Books
 

Edited February 4, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

 

Fact of the Day - DICTIONARIES

Did you know.... that a dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically, which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc.. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data. (Wikipedia)

 

Surprising Facts About Dictionaries
BY SUZANNE RAGA  |  OCTOBER 16, 2018  |  (UPDATED: OCTOBER 16, 2020)

At first glance, the dictionary seems pretty straightforward. Words are listed alphabetically, and you simply locate the right page and scan until you find the word you’re looking for. But there’s a lot you might not know about the dictionary, such as how new words are added and why Noah Webster learned Sanskrit to write his dictionary. So without further ado, read on to discover a dozen things you might not know about various dictionaries.

 

1. IT TAKES A LOT OF WORK TO ADD A NEW WORD TO A DICTIONARY.

When people use a word or phrase frequently enough that it appears in widely read print and online publications, lexicographers take notice. First, they collect citations of the word, documenting the source it appeared in and recording its contextual meaning. Then, lexicographers conduct database research, searching for evidence that people from diverse backgrounds have used the word over a period of time. Finally, dictionary editors review the evidence and decide whether or not to include the new word in an upcoming edition of the dictionary. Thanks to this lengthy process, you can now find modern words such as manspread, presstitute, and athleisure in several dictionaries.

 

2. THE FIRST ENGLISH DICTIONARIES INCLUDED DIFFICULT WORDS.

We think of dictionaries as comprehensive tomes containing everything from antelope and apple to zeitgeist and zootrophy, but early English dictionaries didn't contain any simple, common words. In the 16th and 17th centuries, thanks in part to the Renaissance's classical influence, English doubled its vocabulary by incorporating words from other languages. People needed to consult word lists to look up these new, difficult words that they hadn't heard before. In 1604, a teacher named Robert Cawdrey compiled a list of words into A Table Alphabeticall, which defined difficult English words borrowed from Latin, Greek, French, and Hebrew. Throughout the 17th century, other English men published lists of hard words with easy to understand definitions, and people turned to the dictionary to learn these words.

 

3. NOAH WEBSTER LEARNED 26 LANGUAGES TO WRITE HIS DICTIONARY.
Although Noah Webster wasn't the first American to produce a dictionary, his name has become synonymous with the American dictionary. Hoping to help create a uniquely American lexicon, with Americanized spelling and pronunciation of words, Webster wrote An American Dictionary of the English Language. To thoroughly research word origins and sources, Webster got serious about becoming an etymology expert. He learned 26 languages, including Sanskrit and Old English, to write his dictionary. Published in 1828, it contained 70,000 entries and included the first definitions of "American" words such as chowder and skunk.

 

4. THE FIRST MERRIAM-WEBSTER DICTIONARY COST $6.

After Webster died in 1843, George and Charles Merriam bought the rights to revise Webster's An American Dictionary of the English Language, Corrected and Enlarged. The two brothers printed and sold books in Springfield, Massachusetts, and their intellectual property purchase paid off. In the fall of 1847, the Merriams issued the first revised Webster dictionary for six dollars. The book sold well, and the G. & C. Merriam Co. was eventually renamed Merriam-Webster, Inc. in 1982. Merriam-Webster continues to publish popular print and electronic dictionaries today.

 

5. IT TOOK ALMOST 50 YEARS TO CREATE THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY.

In 1857, the Philological Society of London first called for a comprehensive English language dictionary, including words from the 12th century to the present. In 1879, the Philological Society joined forces with Oxford University Press, and work commenced. In 1884, Oxford University Press published the first part of the dictionary (A to Ant), and the final volume was published in 1928. Called A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles, the dictionary listed more than 400,000 words and phrases. Today, the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is one of the most respected and widely used dictionaries.

 

6. J.R.R. TOLKIEN RESEARCHED WORD ETYMOLOGIES FOR THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY.

After serving in World War I, J.R.R. Tolkien worked as an editor's assistant on the OED. His job was to research the etymologies of certain words that started with the letter w. Tolkien also composed multiple drafts of definitions for words such as waggle, walnut, walrus, and waistcoat. After his time at the OED, Tolkien went on to work as an English professor and write The Lord of the Rings. Subsequently, the OED has added terms that Tolkien himself coined, such as hobbit, mithril, and mathom.

 

7. FAKE WORDS SOMETIMES MAKE THEIR WAY INTO A DICTIONARY.

Due to human error, a handful of fake words have appeared in dictionaries over the centuries. Some words, like phantomnation, which appeared in an 1864 edition of Webster's, are the result of missing hyphens. Others are typographical errors. A 1934 edition of Webster’s New International Dictionary defined dord as density, the result of confusion over spacing. Some dictionary editors have even intentionally included fake words, such as esquivalience in The New Oxford American Dictionary, to protect their copyright.

 

8. THE OXFORD ENGLISH DICTIONARY NEEDS YOUR HELP.

Although many scholars consider the OED to be the definitive authority on dictionaries, the OED needs your help. At any given time, the dictionary's editors are researching the history of certain words and phrases, and The OED Appeals allows the public to submit evidence (via the comments section) of the earliest record of certain words. Camouflage and Arnold Palmer are two entries that the OED has recently researched, so if you have old books or magazines that mention some weird word, let the OED know. You might just see your contribution in the dictionary's next edition.

 

9. SAMPLE SENTENCES FROM DICTIONARIES CAN MAKE INTERESTING SHORT STORIES.

You might think that all those sample sentences in the dictionary are random, but you'd only be partially right. The phrases are deliberately chosen to show the word in a clear context with other words that it's often associated with, and are ideally so boring that you don't even think twice about them. Illustrator Jez Burrows has connected these random sentences from the New Oxford American Dictionary into short stories. "Often I’ll find at least one [word] that makes a good jumping-off point and I’ll start to flesh out some sort of vague narrative, then work backwards to imagine what sort of words might give rise to the sentences I'm looking for," Burrows said of his process.

 

10. THERE ARE A LOT OF WEIRD DICTIONARIES IN EXISTENCE.

Although most people are familiar with Webster, the OED, and Dictionary.com, there are plenty of obscure or downright bizarre dictionaries. For example, you can find plenty of rhyming dictionaries and reverse dictionaries (that are organized by a theme rather than alphabetized). Scrolling through Wye's Dictionary Of Improbable Words: All-Vowel Words And All-Consonant Words might help you find some uncommon words to win your next Scrabble game. And Mrs. Byrne's Dictionary of Unusual, Obscure, and Preposterous Words contains weird English words that have appeared in at least one dictionary in the past. For example, you might learn that junkettaceous means worthless and cuggermugger means whispered gossiping.

 

11. URBAN DICTIONARY CAPITALIZES ON BEING A SLANG HAVEN.
Urban Dictionary, the online, crowdsourced listing of millions of slang words and phrases, is beloved by middle schoolers and anyone trying to understand the latest slang terms. But Urban Dictionary is more than a dictionary. It also has an online store that sells mugs, T-shirts, an official card game, and plush dolls inspired by dirty phrases that the dictionary has helped to popularize (like Golden Shower and Donkey Punch). If you're unfamiliar with the definitions of those disgusting phrases, we'll let you look them up, but don’t say we didn't warn you.

 

12. A CALIFORNIA SCHOOL DISTRICT CONSIDERED BANNING MERRIAM-WEBSTER'S COLLEGIATE DICTIONARY.

In 2010, a school district in Southern California temporarily removed all copies of the Merriam-Webster 10th Collegiate Edition from elementary school classrooms. Why remove the dictionary? After a parent told the principal of Oak Meadows Elementary School that the dictionary contained an explicit definition of a sex act, the school district decided to remove the books. A committee of teachers, administrators, and parents decided that the dictionary was age-appropriate, and the copies of Merriam-Webster were returned to the classroom. Here's hoping that parent never discovers Urban Dictionary!

 

Source: Wikipedia - Dictionary  |  Facts About Dictionaries
 

Edited February 5, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - MONARCHS

Did you know.... that a monarch is a head of state for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. Usually a monarch either personally inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights (often referred to as the throne or the crown) or is selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch. Alternatively, an individual may proclaim themself monarch, which may be backed and legitimated through acclamation, right of conquest or a combination of means. (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting Things You Probably Didn't Know About European Kings and Queens
by Vinciane Ngomsi  |  November 2, 2018

European monarchies have existed for centuries, and over the years, monarchs' rules have resulted in historic changes, shocking stories, and interesting bits of history. Here are 10 fascinating facts about European monarchs throughout history. 

 

King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II, competed in Wimbledon.

 

Wimbledon is the oldest tennis tournament currently on the ATP and WTA tours. Out of all of the four major Grand Slams, Wimbledon is also the only one to have had a member of the British royal family compete in it. In 1926, paired with Wing Commander Louis Grieg in the men's doubles tournament, the then-duke George VI became the first member of the prestigious family to compete at Wimbledon. The pair lost in straight sets:, 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.

 

Queen Margrethe II of Denmark illustrated artwork for the Danish edition of "The Lord of the Rings."

Perhaps one of the most iconic trilogies in modern literature, "The Lord of the Rings" boasts many notable fans, including The Beatles. One of author J.R.R. Tolkien's most admired fans, however, is a member of the Danish monarchy. According to Culture Trip, Queen Margrethe II sent Tolkien some sketches of scenes from the series in the early 1970s under the pseudonym Ingahild Grathmer. Although he was notoriously difficult to please, Tolkien loved Grathmer's sketches, especially because they resembled many of his own renditions. The images eventually appeared in a 1977 Danish release of "The Lord of the Rings." 

 

English monarchs are not allowed in the House of Commons.

For constitutional reasons, the queen is prohibited to enter the House of Commons, which is the supreme chamber of the British Parliament. This division, intended to distinctly separate the monarchy and the government, has historic roots. During the English civil war in 1642, King Charles I entered the House of Commons and attempted to arrest five members of British Parliament.  After the king was defeated, the British monarchy was forbidden from ever entering the House of Commons.

 

Queen Mary of Scots used to wash her face with wine.

According to History Scotland, Queen Mary of Scots washed her face with white wine because she believed it helped her to retain her alabaster complexion. According to BBC, she bathed in it, too. 

 

Queen Victoria is responsible for starting a popular wedding trend.

When Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, it was common for brides to walk down the aisle in colorful wedding dresses. Wishing to highlight the lace embroidery of her dress, the queen requested her gown in white. She also requested that her wedding guests did not wear white to her wedding so they wouldn't draw attention away from her.  Nearly 180 years after her famous change, many brides are still getting married in white gowns. But, it'll be tough for anyone who wants to replicate Queen Victoria's gown. According to Vogue, she had the lace pattern for her dress destroyed to prevent anyone from copying the design.

 

Queen Victoria also survived several assassination attempts.

During her reign, a reported eight assassination attempts were targeted at Queen Victoria. The first attempt came in 1840, when Edward Oxford fired two shots 100 feet away from the queen and her husband, Prince Albert, just as they were leaving Buckingham Palace for a carriage ride through London's Hyde Park. Because her security became a growing concern during her dynasty, she was eventually provided with a chain mail-lined parasol that she carried with her on official engagements.

 

King Henry VIII became the first English monarch to be called "Your Majesty."

Prior to his rule, English kings were addressed as "Your Grace" or the more common "Your Highness." Known for his arrogant demeanor, Henry VIII adopted "Your Majesty" after he caught word that the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V also referred to himself in that regard.

 

Queen Elizabeth I wore a thick coating of white makeup that contained lead.

In 1562, Queen Elizabeth contracted a minor case of small pox. Consequently, it left her with visible facial scars. To maintain her porcelain-skinned appearance, the queen wore thick, white makeup, which contained trace amounts of white lead and vinegar. Although the makeup probably helped maintain Queen Elizabeth's illusion of elegance, it was considered poisonous, according to Elizabethan Era UK.

 

King Louis XIV ruled without a chief minister and christened himself the "Sun King."

French King Louis XIV's close confidant Cardinal Jules Mazarin passed away during his regime in 1661, leaving him without a chief minister. The leader didn't replace him and he opted to forgo tradition by ruling without a prime minister. The king regarded himself as a direct representative of God, enshrined with a heavenly right to assume complete control of the French monarchy. To personify his prestige, he selected the sun as his emblem and cultivated the image of an omniscient and authoritative "Roi-Soleil" ("Sun King"), where everything revolved around him. 

 

King Louis XIV was also revered for his fashion, revolutionizing France as a leading producer of luxury textile.

When King Louis XIV ascended to the throne in 1643, Madrid reigned supreme as the fashion capital of the world. When it came to fabrics and furniture, France simply could not compete with Spanish or Belgian goods. Moreover, the country's political, economic and cultural deficiencies prevented France from being a definitive voice in fashion. Desperate to change that reputation, King Louis XIV implemented businesses in the clothing, jewelry, and furniture industries, providing jobs for his one-third of Parisian citizens in the process.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Monarch  |  What You Might Not Know About Kings and Queens
 

Edited February 6, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SAYING

Did you know... that a saying is any concisely written or spoken expression that is especially memorable because of its meaning or style. Sayings are categorized as follows: Aphorism: a general, observational truth; "a pithy expression of wisdom or truth". (Wikipedia)

 

Common Sayings With Historical Origins
Find out more about the unusual origin stories behind 10 everyday phrases.
by EVAN ANDREWS  |  ORIGINAL: APRIL 23, 2013  |  UPDATED: AUGUST 22, 2018

 

1. Turn a blind eye

The phrase “turn a blind eye”—often used to refer to a willful refusal to acknowledge a particular reality—dates back to a legendary chapter in the career of the British naval hero Horatio Nelson. During 1801’s Battle of Copenhagen, Nelson’s ships were pitted against a large Danish-Norwegian fleet. When his more conservative superior officer flagged for him to withdraw, the one-eyed Nelson supposedly brought his telescope to his bad eye and blithely proclaimed, “I really do not see the signal.” He went on to score a decisive victory. Some historians have since dismissed Nelson’s famous quip as merely a battlefield myth, but the phrase “turn a blind eye” persists to this day.

 

2. White elephant
White elephants were once considered highly sacred creatures in Thailand—the animal even graced the national flag until 1917—but they were also wielded as a subtle form of punishment. According to legend, if an underling or rival angered a Siamese king, the royal might present the unfortunate man with the gift of a white elephant. While ostensibly a reward, the creatures were tremendously expensive to feed and house, and caring for one often drove the recipient into financial ruin. Whether any specific rulers actually bestowed such a passive-aggressive gift is uncertain, but the term has since come to refer to any burdensome possession—pachyderm or otherwise.

3. Crocodile tears

Modern English speakers use the phrase “crocodile tears” to describe a display of superficial or false sorrow, but the saying actually derives from a medieval belief that crocodiles shed tears of sadness while they killed and consumed their prey. The myth dates back as far as the 14th century and comes from a book called “The Travels of Sir John Mandeville.” Wildly popular upon its release, the tome recounts a brave knight’s adventures during his supposed travels through Asia. Among its many fabrications, the book includes a description of crocodiles that notes, “These serpents sley men, and eate them weeping, and they have no tongue.” While factually inaccurate, Mandeville’s account of weeping reptiles later found its way into the works of Shakespeare, and “crocodile tears” became an idiom as early as the 16th century.

 

4. Diehard
While it typically refers to someone with a strong dedication to a particular set of beliefs, the term “diehard” originally had a series of much more literal meanings. In its earliest incarnation in the 1700s, the expression described condemned men who struggled the longest when they were executed by hanging. The phrase later became even more popular after 1811’s Battle of Albuera during the Napoleonic Wars. In the midst of the fight, a wounded British officer named William Inglis supposedly urged his unit forward by bellowing “Stand your ground and die hard … make the enemy pay dear for each of us!” Inglis’ 57th Regiment suffered 75 percent casualties during the battle, and went on to earn the nickname “the Die Hards.”

5. Resting on laurels

The idea of resting on your laurels dates back to leaders and athletic stars of ancient Greece. In Hellenic times, laurel leaves were closely tied to Apollo, the god of music, prophecy and poetry. Apollo was usually depicted with a crown of laurel leaves, and the plant eventually became a symbol of status and achievement. Victorious athletes at the ancient Pythian Games received wreaths made of laurel branches, and the Romans later adopted the practice and presented wreaths to generals who won important battles. Venerable Greeks and Romans, or “laureates,” were thus able to “rest on their laurels” by basking in the glory of past achievements. Only later did the phrase take on a negative connotation, and since the 1800s it has been used for those who are overly satisfied with past triumphs.
 

6. Read the riot act
These days, angry parents might threaten to “read the riot act” to their unruly children. But in 18th-century England, the Riot Act was a very real document, and it was often recited aloud to angry mobs. Instituted in 1715, the Riot Act gave the British government the authority to label any group of more than 12 people a threat to the peace. In these circumstances, a public official would read a small portion of the Riot Act and order the people to “disperse themselves, and peaceably depart to their habitations.” Anyone that remained after one hour was subject to arrest or removal by force. The law was later put to the test in 1819 during the infamous Peterloo Massacre, in which a cavalry unit attacked a large group of protestors after they appeared to ignore a reading of the Riot Act.

 

7. Paint the town red

The phrase “paint the town red” most likely owes its origin to one legendary night of drunkenness. In 1837, the Marquis of Waterford—a known lush and mischief maker—led a group of friends on a night of drinking through the English town of Melton Mowbray. The bender culminated in vandalism after Waterford and his fellow revelers knocked over flowerpots, pulled knockers off of doors and broke the windows of some of the town’s buildings. To top it all off, the mob literally painted a tollgate, the doors of several homes and a swan statue with red paint. The marquis and his pranksters later compensated Melton for the damages, but their drunken escapade is likely the reason that “paint the town red” became shorthand for a wild night out. Still yet another theory suggests the phrase was actually born out of the brothels of the American West, and referred to men behaving as though their whole town were a red-light district.

 

8. Running amok
“Running amok” is commonly used to describe wild or erratic behavior, but the phrase actually began its life as a medical term. The saying was popularized in the 18th and 19th centuries, when European visitors to Malaysia learned of a peculiar mental affliction that caused otherwise normal tribesmen to go on brutal and seemingly random killing sprees. Amok—derived from the “Amuco,” a band of Javanese and Malay warriors who were known for their penchant for indiscriminate violence—was initially a source of morbid fascination for Westerners. Writing in 1772, the famed explorer Captain James Cook noted that “to run amok is to … sally forth from the house, kill the person or persons supposed to have injured the Amock, and any other person that attempts to impede his passage.” Once thought to be the result of possession by evil spirits, the phenomenon later found its way into psychiatric manuals. It remains a diagnosable mental condition to this day.

9. By and large

Many everyday phrases are nautical in origin— “taken aback,” “loose cannon” and “high and dry” all originated at sea—but perhaps the most surprising example is the common saying “by and large.” As far back as the 16th century, the word “large” was used to mean that a ship was sailing with the wind at its back. Meanwhile, the much less desirable “by,” or “full and by,” meant the vessel was traveling into the wind. Thus, for mariners, “by and large” referred to trawling the seas in any and all directions relative to the wind. Today, sailors and landlubbers alike now use the phrase as a synonym for “all things considered” or “for the most part.”

 

10. The third degree
There are several tales about the origin of “the third degree,” a saying commonly used for long or arduous interrogations. One theory argues the phrase relates to the various degrees of murder in the criminal code; yet another credits it to Thomas F. Byrnes, a 19th-century New York City policeman who used the pun “Third Degree Byrnes” when describing his hardnosed questioning style. In truth, the saying is most likely derived from the Freemasons, a centuries-old fraternal organization whose members undergo rigorous questioning and examinations before becoming “third degree” members, or “master masons.”

Source: Wikipedia - Saying  |  Facts About Common Sayings 
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - OSCARS (ACADEMY AWARDS)

Did you know.... that the Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in the film industry. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious and significant awards in the entertainment industry worldwide. Given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), the awards are an international recognition of excellence in cinematic achievements, as assessed by the Academy's voting membership. The various category winners are awarded a copy of a golden statuette as a trophy, officially called the "Academy Award of Merit", although more commonly referred to by its nickname, the "Oscar". The statuette depicts a knight rendered in the Art Deco style. (Wikipedia)

 

Facts About the Oscars That Very Few People Know

by Bright Side

For over 90 years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has honored excellence in performances on the big screen. Over the decades, the Oscars have praised the work of both actors, directors, and composers, among other professionals. With so many years of existence, the Academy has grown and evolved, leaving several stories and details that are worth remembering. Bright Side loves the history of films, so we want to share with you a list of 15 curious facts about the most influential awards ceremony in Hollywood: The Oscars.

 

1. It was aired on TV for the first time in 1953.

Although the first Oscar ceremony was held in 1929, it wasn’t until March 19, 1953, that it was first seen on television in black and white. The awards were broadcast through the NBC television network. 13 years later, in 1966, viewers were able to enjoy the transmission of the event in color.

 

2. In 1940, a color motion picture won the award for Best Picture for the first time.

Gone with the Wind became the first color film to win the Oscar for Best Picture in 1940. Just 2 years earlier, the film A Star Is Born was the first to be nominated in the same category. It wasn’t until 1965 that all 5 films nominated for the prize were all color films.

 

3. There’s only been one person named Oscar who won the Oscar so far.

Throughout the history of the Oscars, only one person named Oscar has taken the statuette home, the lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II. The composer received 5 nominations throughout his career and won on 2 occasions, in 1941 and 1945.

 

4. The statuette is only worth $1.

Since 1950, the Academy has stipulated that all Oscar winners sign an agreement. It specifies that neither they nor their heirs can sell their statuette without first offering it to the Academy for the price of one dollar. However, there’s a black market where they can be bought for a much higher price. Experts speculate that approximately 150 Oscars have been sold since the first ceremony in 1929.

 

5. Once, a person had to announce themselves as the winner.

During the third Academy Awards, in 1931, Norma Shearer was the artist in charge of announcing the winner for Best Actress. Since that year, Shearer was nominated twice in that same category, she ended up announcing her own name as winner for her role in The Divorcee. That was the last time that a nominated actor presented the winner from their own category.

 

6. Walt Disney holds the record for winning the highest number of awards.

The mastermind behind animated characters like Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck won a total of 26 statuettes throughout his career, which made him an icon in the entertainment industry worldwide. Disney has also received 59 nominations, the majority in the category of Best Animated Short Film.

 

7. Only 2 actors have obtained the award posthumously.

Actor Heath Ledger died in January 2008, a few months before Batman: The Dark Knight was released in July of the same year. However, his performance in the film won him the award for Best Supporting Actor in 2009. Ledger’s family, including his mother, father, and sister, attended the ceremony and accepted the award on his behalf. Peter Finch was the first actor to win an Academy Award posthumously. He received the Oscar for Best Actor in 1977 for his work on the movie Network. Finch died of a heart attack on January 14, 1977, less than 3 months before the awards took place.

 

8. The first person of color won the prize in 1940.

The first African-American to win an Oscar was Hattie McDaniel, who took the award for Best Supporting Actress in 1940 for her role in the film Gone with the Wind. However, the ceremony took place at the Ambassador Hotel, which had a severe segregation policy that banned people of color from entering. For this reason, the producer of the film, David O. Selznick, asked for a special favor so McDaniel could enter. Although he got permission for the actress to attend the ceremony, she wasn’t allowed to sit at the same table as the rest of the cast. She ended up sitting at a small table away from the rest of the artists.

 

9. Katharine Hepburn is the most award-winning actress.

Katharine Hepburn had a film career that spread over 6 decades. During that period, she obtained 12 nominations from the Academy and won 4 Oscars for Best Actress. Hepburn won for the first time in 1933, when she was only 26 years old, for her contribution to the one-day film Morning Glory. Despite being the artist who owns the record for winning the most Oscars, Hepburn never attended the ceremony to accept her statuettes.

 

10. “Envelopegate,” the most remembered mistake in the history of the awards

One of the most recollected moments from the Oscars was the mistake known as Envelopegate. During the ceremony of 2017, the presenters of the Best Picture category, Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway were handed the wrong envelope, which contained the name of the award for Best Actress: Emma Stone. When Beatty opened the envelope, he got confused and showed Dunaway the card. She went on to announce the name of the movie for which Stone had won the statuette as the winner: La La Land. The cast and producers of the film went up on stage to receive the Oscar, but during their acceptance speech, the Academy production team realized the error and, horrified, had to report that the actual winner was the movie Moonlight. Nonetheless, this wasn’t the first time that a host had an incorrect envelope. In the Oscar ceremony from 1964, Sammy Davis Jr. was presenting the award for Best Adaptation, and read the name on the card: John Addison. However, Addison wasn’t even been nominated for that category. Which fact surprised you the most? Do you know any other interesting facts about the Oscars? Tell us in the comments!

 

Source: Wikipedia - Academy Awards  |  Facts About the Oscars

Edited February 8, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BROADCASTING

The photo shows a typical early scene, from 1906.

Did you know.... that it is generally recognized that the first radio transmission was made from a temporary station set up by Guglielmo Marconi in 1895 on the Isle of Wight. This followed on from pioneering work in the field by a number of people including Alessandro Volta, André-Marie Ampère, Georg Ohm and James Clerk Maxwell. (Wikipedia)

 

Fascinating Facts About the TV Industry
BY Madison Troyer  |  November 26, 2020

 

1. TV technology existed before commercial radio
While many of us think of radio as the precursor to television, TV technology actually existed years before commercial radio was developed. In 1897, Ferdinand Braun invented the cathode-ray tube, the primary piece of technology used in modern televisions to display the images we see. It wasn’t until 1920 that the first commercial radio station was established in Pittsburgh.

 

2. TV made its debut at the World’s Fair

In 1939 at the New York World’s Fair, television was introduced to the public for the first time. RCA broadcast the fair’s opening ceremonies which featured President Franklin D. Roosevelt on television sets around the fairgrounds and across the city. The following day, May 1, 1939, the company began selling their television sets.

 

3. There’s a forgotten network
Almost all of the first major television networks—NBC, ABC, and CBS—still exist today, but there was another early pioneer, the DuMont Television Network, that’s been lost to the annals of TV history. The second network to get off the ground, DuMont only existed from 1942 to 1956, but made some pretty major contributions to the industry, like airing the first two seasons of “The Honeymooners” and “Mary Kay and Johnny,” which is widely considered to be the first sitcom.

 

4. Gertrude Berg was TV’s first star

In 1949, “The Goldbergs,” a sitcom about a Jewish family living in the Bronx, hit the airwaves. Gertrude Berg, who wrote, produced, and starred in the show, was the daughter of Eastern European Jewish immigrants and based her radio-turned-TV show on her own childhood experiences in New York City’s Lower East Side. She won the first-ever Emmy for Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and quickly became the face of TV, receiving thousands of fan letters each week.

 

5. The 'M*A*S*H' finale is TV’s most-watched episode
While Gertrude Berg’s “The Goldbergs” drew in thousands of viewers during TV’s early years, it’s hardly the most-watched show of all time. That title is actually held by “M*A*S*H,” the ‘70s and ‘80s series about a team of field doctors stationed in South Korea during the Korean War. The series’ finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen” was watched by some 106 million Americans, or 60.2% of American households, making it the single most-watched TV episode of all time.

 

6. 'The Sopranos' is TV’s best-written show

While it may strike some as odd, there appears to be no correlation between the most-watched TV episode of all time and the best-written series of all time. The Writer’s Guild of America West gave the latter honor to “The Sopranos,” an early 2000s cable drama about an Italian American crime family. Meanwhile, the group voted “M*A*S*H” fifth, falling in line behind “Seinfeld,” “The Twilight Zone,” and “All in the Family.”

 

7. TV viewership grew exponentially during its Golden Age
None of these accolades would mean much if not for the Golden Age of Television, which took TV from a luxury for the ultra-rich to a staple for the everyman. Between 1949 and 1969, the number of TV sets in American households jumped from less than a million up to 44 million. This was largely spurred by a drastic drop in TV set prices, as well as an increase in available stations (and therefore an expansion in programming) from 69 to 566.

 

8. There was a quiz show scandal in the ‘50s

As more Americans began watching TV in the ‘50s, one of the first types of shows to take off was the quiz show. “The $64,000 Question” was the first of this sort to air, premiering on CBS in 1955, before being quickly followed by others like “Dotto” and “Twenty-One.” In 1958, it was revealed that the big winners weren’t quite as lucky as they appeared to be after several former contestants came forwards and revealed that they had been coached or fed the correct answers before taking the stage. The scandal saw “The $64,000 Question” canceled and ratings for similar shows sharply declined.

 

9. Morning talk shows made their debut in the ‘50s
Morning talk shows, of which modern viewers have dozens to choose from, also developed during this golden age of television. The “Today” show, created by Sylvester L. Weaver Jr. and hosted by Dave Garroway, was the first, debuting in 1952. An instant hit, the show has dominated the Nielsen ratings for most of its run, only occasionally dipping below rival shows like ABC’s “Good Morning America.”

 

10. The first live-television breaking news event was in 1958

On Oct. 23, 1958, one of the deepest coal mines in the world collapsed in Springhill, Nova Scotia. Ninety-three men were trapped below ground, desperately attempting to dig their way out just as rescuers attempted to dig their way in. For the next seven days, audiences around the world tuned in to the first live-television breaking news event, watching all of the bodies and survivors emerge topside in real-time.

 

Click on the link below to read more fascinating facts about the TV industry.

 

Source: Wikipedia - History of Broadcasting  |  Facts About the TV Industry
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FIRST LADIES

Current FLOTUS: Jill Biden

Did you know.... that The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never been codified or officially defined, she figures prominently in the political and social life of the United States. Since the early 20th century, the first lady has been assisted by official staff, now known as the Office of the First Lady and headquartered in the East Wing of the White House. (Wikipedia)

 

Little-Known Facts About 13 Influential First Ladies

by Gabriella Canal  |  February 2017

Around the world, world leaders’ wives are called “First Ladies.” This title also applies to the wives of U.S. presidents. However, there is more to the title than being a wife, and while many of us can name a few of the more memorable first ladies (Martha Washington, Dollie Madison, Eleanor Roosevelt, Jacqueline Kennedy, Barbara Bush, Hillary Clinton, and Michelle Obama to name a few), who else filled the role of first lady? (National Day Calendar)

 

1. Abigail Adams, 1744-1818

While second US President John Adams was writing the nation’s Declaration of Independence in 1776, his wife urged him to “remember the ladies.” Nearly 150 years before the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, her letter was the first private step in the fight for women’s rights. “Remember,” she wrote, “all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”

 

2. Dolley Madison, 1768-1849

James Madison’s wife Dolly was the first president’s wife to officially associate herself with a public charity project which sponsored a home for orphaned girls in Washington, DC. During the War of 1812, when her husband, the fourth president of the US, and his Cabinet fled DC from an encroaching British army, she stayed and supervised the evacuation of important documents and artifacts, including a large portrait of George Washington.

 

3. Abigail Fillmore, 1798-1853

The wife of Millard Fillmore, the 13th president, was the first first lady to work and earn a salary before marriage. After her three years as a part-time teacher, Abigail Fillmore was employed full-time as a teacher in 1817. Later, her reputation as a working professional earned her the invitation to open a private school in Broome County.

 

4. Eliza Johnson, 1810-1876

One of the few first ladies born into poverty, Andrew Johnson’s wife Eliza made a substantial contribution to his career in public service by refining his written and spoken communication skills. Immediately after their marriage, she successfully persuaded him to register as a member of the Greeneville College Debating Society. The experience honed him to become the leader of a working man’s party that led to his successful campaign and election as mayor of Greeneville and later, as the 17th president of the US. Found in a journal in 1881, their daughter, Martha Patterson wrote: “she was the stepping stone to all the honors and fame my father attained.”

 

5. Ida McKinley, 1847-1907

25th President William McKinley’s wife Ida was the only first lady to work as a bank teller and manager — a male-dominated job — before marriage. She encountered a considerable amount of disapproval and scorn for her “over-education.” She would continue to strongly defend her right to work without pursuing marriage as a necessity for financial stability. As an unwavering supporter of women’s rights to vote as well as have access to equal and higher education, she quickly became acquaintances with Susan B. Anthony. She openly shared her opinions with her husband and was persistent in convincing him to retain the Philippines as a US territory during the Spanish-American War.

 

6. Helen “Nellie” Taft, 1861-1943

Before his presidency, William Howard Taft’s wife Nellie started a nutritional program for infants in Manila called “Drop of Milk” when the 27th president of the US was offered the position of Governor-General of the recently acquired Philippine Islands. She made the unprecedented effort of learning the language and culture of the islands, and invited the people of the Philippines to social events, despite upsetting the American military establishment. She was the first first lady to own and drive a car, to ride in her husband’s inaugural parade, to publish her memoirs, publicly smoke cigarettes, play card games and vow to initiate reform in the federal workplace, providing safe and clean conditions.

 

7. Florence Harding, 1860-1924

Warren G. Harding’s wife Florence was the first first lady to vote. During his inaugural speech as the United States’ 29th president, she was seen mouthing the words of the passage, suggesting she had helped write parts of it. Upon their arrival at the White House, she was reported to say “Well, Warren Harding I got you the presidency. Now what are you going to do?” She ordered the windows and gates of the White House to be opened to the public on their first day. As a staunch suffragist, she used the visit of Marie Curie to the US to emphasize her belief of professional women as equal to men by presenting the scientist with a ceremonial vial of the rare element uranium on behalf of all American women. She was the first operate a movie camera and invite movie stars to the White House.

 

8. Eleanor Roosevelt, 1884-1962

During her husband’s presidency as 32nd president of the US, Eleanor Roosevelt was the first first lady to publicize issues by holding regular press conferences, writing a daily newspaper column and a monthly magazine column, and hosting a weekly radio show. Franklin D. Roosevelt’s wife played an active role in public policy, focusing on helping the country’s poor, standing against discrimination and, during World War II, traveling abroad to visit US troops.

 

9. Jackie Kennedy, 1929-1994

When she became the first lady in 1961, her mission was to transform the White House into a standing testament of American history and culture in the hopes of inspiring patriotism in those who visited. The wife of the 35th president of the US worked endlessly to procure furniture and art owned by past presidents. In 1962, she was the first first lady to give a tour of the restored White House on a television program, reaching a record of 56 million viewers and winning an honorary Emmy Award for her performance. She spoke Spanish, Italian and French fluently and was so well-received during a trip to France that President Kennedy introduced himself as “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.”

 

10. Pat Nixon, 1912-1993

Few first ladies worked as consistently before their marriage than Richard Nixon’s wife Pat. Throughout her lifetime, she would work as a farmer, psychology professor’s assistant, cafeteria waitress, librarian, assistant buyer and teacher. As first lady, she was the first to make the White House accessible for the hearing and physically impaired, creating a special tour that gave them full access to the rooms and gardens. Pat Nixon, wife of the 37th president of the US, was also the first to wear a pantsuit in public.

 

11. Betty Ford, 1918-2011

Before her marriage, Betty taught at Travis Dance Studio in Grand Rapids, offering weekly dance classes to African-American children and ballroom classes to children with hearing and sight disabilities. In 1974, after Nixon resigned from office, Betty’s husband became the 38th president of the US. She spoke out on women’s rights, abortions and divorce, raising disapproval from most of the Republican Party. After recovering from a drug addiction herself, she helped establish the Betty Ford Center, an addiction treatment center dedicated to helping all people. It was during this time that she began to understand the connection between drug addiction and those suffering from HIV/AIDS. This ultimately led her to voice her support for LGBT rights in the workplace, and vouch for same sex-marriage.  

 

12. Hillary Rodham Clinton, 1947-Present

Hillary Clinton, the first former first lady to be elected to the US Senate, to hold a federal cabinet-level position, to seek presidency and win the nomination for a major political party. She is the woman who vowed to re-run for office after her 2008 defeat, who brought to prominence the phrase “women’s rights are human rights,” and whose platform revolved around the idea of being “Stronger Together.” The wife of the 42nd president of the US, Bill Clinton is arguably the most influential first lady to date. Before her marriage, she worked on presidential campaigns and later, as an attorney for the Children’s Defense Fund. She was an Assistant Professor of Law the University of Arkansas School of Law and named a partner at the Rose Law Firm in Little Rock, Arkansas. In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed her to the board of directors of the Legal Services Corp. and when Bill Clinton was elected governor of Arkansas, she continued to work at the law firm, making her the first First Lady of Arkansas to continue working while her husband is governor. As First Lady, Hillary led the fight to provide all Americans with affordable health care. She worked with both Republicans and Democrats to help create the Children’s Health Insurance Program, the largest expansion of public health insurance coverage since the passage of Medicaid in 1965. The rest is history. Over the course of her lifetime, Hillary Clinton has been many “first’s”, a change maker who’s spent her career fighting for children and families.

 

13. Michelle Obama, 1964-Present

Barack Obama's wife is America’s first African American first lady. Graduating cum laude in 1985 from Princeton University, she went on to study law at Harvard Law School, where she was active in demonstrations that called for more enrollment and hiring of minorities. After law school, she worked as an associate in the Chicago branch of Sidley Austin. There she met her future husband — the future 44th president of the US — who was a summer intern that she was assigned to advise. As first lady, she focused her attention on poverty, healthy living and education. Her causes included Let's Move!, which targeted childhood obesity, and aid for military families.

 

Source: Wikipedia - First Lady of the United States  |  Facts About the First Lady
 

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Fact pf the Day - BOREAL FOREST

Typical upland taiga in Quebec

 

Did you know.... that Canada's boreal forest is a vast region comprising about one third of the circumpolar boreal forest that rings the Northern Hemisphere, mostly north of the 50th parallel. The Canadian boreal region spans the landscape from the most easterly part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to the border between the far northern Yukon and Alaska. The area is dominated by coniferous forests, particularly spruce, interspersed with vast wetlands, mostly bogs and fens. The boreal region of Canada includes eight ecozones. While the biodiversity of regions varies, each ecozone has a characteristic native flora and fauna. (Wikipedia)

 

Fascinating Facts About the Boreal Forest

by GREENTUMBLE  |  BIODIVERSITY  |  JULY 17, 2016

The boreal forest or snow forest, is a biome, or in other words a constellation of different habitats, characterized by coniferous forests such as pines, spruces and larches. It is found in high northern latitudes, between the tundra, and the temperate forest, but there is considerable regional variation. Russia, Mongolia, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Iceland, Finland, United States, Canada, and Scotland (UK) are the countries where the boreal forest can be found. Even though we don’t hear it mentioned as often as tropical rainforests in the media, it is the largest type of forest on Earth! And if this is not enough to convince you, here are 12 facts that will definitely have you thinking how fascinating boreal forests are:

 
1. The boreal forest...

...takes its name from the Greek god of north wind “Boreas”.
 

2. The boreal forest...

...is also known as Taiga. Taiga is a Russian word that comes from Turkish and means “coniferous forests”.

 

Coniferous forests (Taiga)
 

3. Canada’s boreal forest region...

...covers almost 60% of the country’s land area, essentially spanning from the Atlantic to the Pacific. It is over 5,740,000 square kilometres and it is one of the largest and most complex ecosystems on the planet.
 

4. The Taiga has the lowest...

...annual average temperatures after the tundra and permanent ice caps. Even though there is variation in the temperatures reached in boreal forests depending on where they are located, the lowest reliably recorded temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere were recorded in the Taiga of north-eastern Russia.

 

 

5. Given low temperatures,

...a lot of animals either migrate to warmer climates once the cold weather begins or hibernate. Some however, have gone even further and adapted to the extreme cold temperatures by producing a layer of insulating feathers or fur to protect them from the cold and predators. The ermine, a small mammal, is a good example of this adaptation. Its dark brown summer coat changes to white in the winter.
 

6. At approximately 12 million square kilometres,

... Russian boreal forests represent the largest forested region on Earth, larger than the Amazon. They contain more than 55% of the world’s conifers, and 11% of the world’s biomass.

 

Taiga
 

7. The Canadian boreal forest...

...is home to some of the cleanest and deepest freshwater lakes on the planet. The Great Bear Lake is considered the world’s largest unpolluted lake whereas the Great Slave Lake is North America’s deepest.
 

8. While wildfires can occur in boreal forests,

...the 2003 forest fires in Siberia released as much greenhouse gas into the atmosphere as the total EU reduction commitment under the Kyoto protocol.

 

 

9. Scotch pine dominates...

...boreal forests in northern Europe and south-central Siberia. It is the most widely distributed pine species in the world, growing from northern Scotland to the Russian Pacific shore.
 

10.  Nearly half of all bird species... 

...commonly occurring in Canada and the United State rely on the boreal forest for nesting or migratory stopover habitat.

 

 

11. The Canadian boreal forest...

...as we know it today took shape about 5,000 years ago – a very short time ago in geological time scale.
 

12. The boreal forest...

...is home to North America’s largest land mammal, the wood bison. A full-grown male bison can weigh as much as 1,000 kilograms, span a length of up to 3.8 meters, and stand almost 2 meters tall.

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Boreal Forest of Canada  |  Brief Boreal Forest Facts
 

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Fact of the Day - ALCHEMY

Kimiya-yi sa'ādat (The Alchemy of Happiness)

Did you know.... that alchemy is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practiced in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first attested in a number of pseudepigraphical texts written in Greco-Roman Egypt during the first few centuries CE. (Wikipedia)

 

Alchemy Facts

by Fact Page

• Alchemy, derived from the Arabic word al-kimia, is both a philosophy and an old practice focused on the attempt to metamorphose base metals into gold, investigating the preparation of the "elixir of longevity", and achieving wisdom, involving the improvement of the alchemist as well as the making of several substances described as possessing exceptional properties.
   
• The Arabic al-kimia itself is derived from the Ancient Greek chemeia (χημεία) with the addition of the Arabic definite article al-.
   
• Alchemy has been practiced in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, Persia, China, Korea, Japan, the classical Greco-Roman world, the medieval Islamic world, and then medieval Europe.
   
• The origins of Western alchemy are traceable back to ancient Egypt. The Leyden papyrus X and the Stockholm papyrus along with the Greek magical papyri comprise the first "book" on alchemy still existent.

 

Leyden papyrus X
 

• The best-known goals of the alchemists were the transmutation of common metals into gold (called chrysopoeia) or silver (less well known is plant alchemy, or "spagyric"); the creation of a "panacea", or the elixir of life, a remedy that, it was supposed, would cure all diseases and prolong life indefinitely; and the discovery of a universal solvent.
   
• Starting with the Middle Ages, Persian and European alchemists invested much effort in the search for the "philosopher's stone".
   
• Gold’s lasting quality led many persons to believe that they would find the secret of long life or even immortality if they could discover how to make gold from lesser substances.
   
• The philosopher's stone was an object that was thought to be able to amplify one's power in alchemy and, if possible, grant the user ageless immortality.

 

Philosopher's stone as pictured in Atalanta Fugiens Emblem 21
 

• The Chinese once believed that eating from golden dishes prolonged life.
   
• During the 17th century, practical Alchemy started to evolve into "Chemistry", as it was renamed by Robert Boyle, the "father of modern Chemistry".
   
• Some alchemists thought the Sun represented gold; the Moon, silver; Mars, iron; Venus, copper; Jupiter, tin; Saturn, lead; and Mercury, the metal mercury, also called quicksilver.
   
• In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, there are several references to Nicholas Flamel, and a stone that could turn metal into gold and create an elixir of immortality was sought after by both the villains and Harry and friends, for different reasons.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Alchemy  |  Facts About Alchemy
 

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Fact of the Day - THE SUPER BOWL

Did you know.... that the Super Bowl is the annual playoff championship game of the National Football League. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Beginning in 2022, the game will be played on the second Sunday in February. The game was created as part of a 1966 merger agreement between the NFL and the rival American Football League (AFL) to have their best teams compete for a championship. It was originally called the AFL–NFL World Championship Game until the "Super Bowl" moniker was adopted in 1969's Super Bowl III. The first four Super Bowls from 1967 to 1970 were played before the merger, with the NFL and AFL each winning two. After the merger in 1970, the 10 AFL teams and three NFL teams formed the American Football Conference (AFC), while the remaining 13 NFL teams formed the National Football Conference (NFC). All games since 1971's Super Bowl V have been played between the two best teams from each conference, with the NFC leading the AFC 26–25. (Wikipedia)

 

Super Facts About the Super Bowl
BY MARK MANCINI  |  FEBRUARY 1, 2019

BY STACY CONRADT  |  (UPDATED: FEBRUARY 6, 2021)

 

1. SUPER BOWL SUNDAY IS THE SECOND BIGGEST EATING DAY OF THE YEAR.

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Super Bowl Sunday is America's "second-largest food consumption day." (Only Thanksgiving Day beats it.)

 

2. THOSE RUMORS ABOUT SEWAGE SYSTEMS FAILING BECAUSE OF ALL THE FLUSHING TOILETS DURING HALFTIME ARE JUST THAT: RUMORS.

A persistent rumor says that sewage systems in major cities occasionally fail during Super Bowl halftimes, because a large volume of people supposedly all flush their toilets simultaneously. Don't worry! There's absolutely no evidence to support this claim.

 

3. PEYTON MANNING IS THE ONLY STARTING QUARTERBACK TO WIN A SUPER BOWL WITH TWO DIFFERENT TEAMS.

Peyton Manning is the only starting quarterback to win a Super Bowl with two different teams: the Indianapolis Colts in 2007 and the Denver Broncos in 2016. Depending on the outcome of Super Bowl LV, Tom Brady could join Manning.

 

4. PHIL SIMMS WAS PAID A LOT OF MONEY TO SAY HE WAS CELEBRATING HIS SUPER BOWL WIN BY "GOING TO DISNEY WORLD."
Phil Simms was paid $75,000 to shout "I'm going to Disney World” on the field moments after his Giants won Super Bowl XXI. Disney also paid Denver’s John Elway the same amount of money to yell the same thing—just in case his team won.

 

5. TWO TEAMS ARE TIED FOR MOST SUPER BOWL WINS.

The Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots are tied for the record for most Super Bowl wins, having captured six Vince Lombardi Trophies apiece. The San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys have each won five.

 

6. THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS HAVE BOTH WON AND LOST THE MOST SUPER BOWLS.

Which team has lost the most? That would be a tie between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots, who've each dropped five Super Bowl matchups.

 

7. SUPER BOWL FANS WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE "WEIRD" AL YANKOVIC TAKE THE STAGE AT HALFTIME.

 

A 2014 Change.org petition to "Have Weird Al Yankovic Headline the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show" received more than 100,000 signatures.

 

8. SUPER BOWL I WAS FAR FROM A SELL-OUT EVENT.

The priciest tickets to Super Bowl I, which was played on January 15, 1967, cost $12. Adjusted for inflation, that's the equivalent of about $89 today. And even at that bargain price, the event still didn't sell out.

 

9. THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS WERE THE FIRST SUPER BOWL-WINNING TEAM TO VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE.

In 1980, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the first Super Bowl-winning team to visit the White House. They visited with Jimmy Carter in a joint ceremony with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who had won the 1979 World Series.

 

10. WHEN IT COMES TO ACCOMMODATIONS, A SUPER BOWL HOST CITY IS SOMETIMES FORCED TO GET CREATIVE.

When Jacksonville, Florida, hosted Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005, the city didn't have enough hotel rooms to meet the NFL's requirements. So in their bid to serve as the Big Game's host, they had to recruit five docked cruise ships as "floating hotels" for the event.
 

Click the link below to read more facts about eh Super Bowl. 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Super Bowl  |  Facts About the Super Bowl

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Fact of the day - HISTORICAL FIGURES

Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, aged 42 in 1860

Did you know.... that Ignaz Semmelweis (1818-1865) was the physician who came up with the idea of washing your hands before assisting in a birth, because, you know, infections kill moms and babies. He was ridiculed and died in an insane asylum, beaten to death by the guards. Only after his death the existence of germs became generally accepted following the work of Louis Pasteur and others. Still. There's a big chance many of us are alive now because our great-great grandmothers did not die in childbirth thanks to Semmelweis. He's a true hero of the modern age, and he's basically forgotten. (GeorgesTakei.com)

 

Little-Known Historical Figures Who Made a Big Impact

by Interesting Facts

The history books are full of fascinating men and women who are household names: Rosa Parks, Genghis Khan, and Julius Caesar, to name a few. But for every famous name, there are dozens of deserving personalities who may have been forgotten. Here’s a handful of influential figures who have affected our lives in ways big and small, from the inventor of Duct tape to one of the world’s first pop music stars.

 

Vesta Stoudt, Inventor of Duct Tape

The mother of two Navy sailors during World War II, Vesta Stoudt worried about her boys overseas. At home in Illinois, Stoudt worked at a factory packing and inspecting ammunition boxes. Back then, packages were sealed with paper tape that had a tab, which often broke, and then the entire box was dipped in wax to make it waterproof. Seeing that the packages were cumbersome to open — and possibly putting soldiers in harm’s way when trying to open packages while under siege — she attempted to invent a new type of packing tape that was both waterproof and easy to open. When her employer rejected the design, Stoudt didn’t take no for an answer. Instead, she went to the top and wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt. Surprisingly, she received a reply explaining that her idea was being implemented. Soldiers found the tape so quick and easy to use, they called it “100 Mile an Hour Tape.” Today, we just call it Duct tape.  

 

Ching Shih, Legendary Female Pirate

Ching Shih was a fearless female pirate from China. Following the 1807 death of her husband Cheng I, who was head of the powerful Red Flag Fleet, she unofficially commanded a fleet of 1,800 pirate ships and approximately 80,000 men. She also took control of the Guangdong Pirate Confederation and spent the following years waging battle — and winning — against the Portuguese Empire, the Chinese Navy, and Britain’s East India Company. She’s widely considered one of the most successful pirates of all time.

 

Thespis, First Actor

From junior high musicals to Hollywood blockbusters, actors across the globe owe a debt to Thespis. According to Ancient Greek sources, the poet was history’s first actor. (After all, he’s the origin of the word “thespian.”) Before Thespis, stage performers generally told stories from their perspectives. But Thespis changed the game when he began telling stories by playing a character, not just himself. His work in 6th-century BCE also led to the groundbreaking development of the Greek tragedy, a format that has influenced storytelling and theater ever since.  

 

Tom Wiggins, World’s First Pop Star

Born into slavery in Georgia 1849, Tom Wiggins was blind and autistic. But he had a special gift: Whenever the slavemaster’s daughter played the piano, Wiggins could recreate the song by ear. He also had an uncanny ability to memorize tunes after playing them just once. By the age of 8, he had a humongous repertoire and began touring, selling out shows to packed audiences. By 10, he became the first Black musician to perform at the White House. By his teenage years, he was touring the globe and was composing sophisticated works of classical music. By the turn of the 20th century, Wiggins was a household name — making him one of the world’s first popular musicians.

 

Abbas Ibn Firnas, Early Aviator

Forget the Wright Brothers, Howard Hughes, and Charles Lindbergh. If there’s one name in aviation you need to know, it’s Abbas Ibn Firnas, the father of human flight. In 875, the Andalusian polymath began tinkering with the world’s first successful glider. Not content to simply build a flying contraption, Firnas took his cues from birds and covered his body in feathers. (“I should ascend like the birds,” he purportedly told onlookers.) Shortly after, Firnas reportedly jumped off a cliff, caught a stiff breeze, and gently glided across the valley for several yards. Today, there’s a statue of him outside of Baghdad International Airport.

 

Febb Burn, Women’s Suffrage Heroine

By mid-1920, the 19th amendment, which would grant all women the right to vote, was on the verge of being enshrined in the Constitution. A total of 35 states had voted to ratify the amendment, and activists needed just one more for the amendment to pass. The problem? There was only one state left to vote: Tennessee. When lobbyists from both sides descended onto Nashville to make their case, it became clear that the vote could end up deadlocked. At the center of the controversy was Harry T. Burn, a 24-year-old politician from an anti-suffrage district. But when it came time to vote, Burn stunned the assembly with a vote of “aye.” Burn flipped because he had received a letter from his mother, Febb, imploring him to vote for the amendment, asking him, “Don’t forget to be a good boy.” Burn later admitted, “I knew that a mother’s advice is always safest for a boy to follow and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.”

 

Rabban Bar Saum, Silk Road Pioneer

Many are familiar with Marco Polo, the Venetian merchant whose account of traveling the Silk Road in the 13th century provided a new perspective on the Far East. However, few know about Rabban Bar Sauma, who did the same, but in reverse. A monk from eastern China, Sauma embarked on his journey years before Polo. His pilgrimage westward took him to Baghdad, Constantinople, Rome, Genoa, Paris, and the Bordeaux region of France. Sauma would eventually write a book about his travels, which, like Polo’s, gave the world an outsider’s view of an unfamiliar and distant land.

 

Source: Unknown Facts About Historical Figures  |  Unappreciated Historical Figures

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Fact of the Day - ACRONYMS

Means: Oh My God!

Did you know... that an acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase. Acronyms are usually formed from the initial letters of words, as in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and EU (European Union), but sometimes use syllables, as in Benelux (short for Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg). They can also be a mixture, as in radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging). (Wikipedia)

 

Words You Probably Didn't Know Were Acronyms

by BBC

What is scuba and acronym for?  Keep reading to find out what Scuba and other words you didn't know were acronyms.

 

1. LASER

Everyone loves a good laser, particularly in the context of a James Bond film - after all, who could ever forget the famous 'laser crotch' nail biting moment in Goldfinger? What's more, they make festivals look AMAZING, and they're also pretty important when it comes to such life-changing scientific advances as laser eye surgery. But while the word is familiar to us, not many people realise that "laser" is actually an acronym for "Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation." Just wow!

 

2. SCUBA

Many of those who have been lucky enough to explore the colourful and wonderful world of scuba diving don't actually realise that what they're using to breath underwater is actually named for an acronym. "Scuba" stands for "Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus" - which does exactly what it says on the tin!

 

3. RADAR

Radar, an object-detection system that uses radio waves to locate and analyse objects, was invented by a Scottish scientist called Robert Watson-Watt in 1935, and developed by various countries in the lead-up to the Second World War. The term "Radar" itself was coined in 1940 by the United States Navy, as an acronym for "RAdio Detection And Ranging." Radar is pretty special - an MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a form of radar to look inside the human body, while NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) used it to calculate the distance between the earth and other planets. Turns out it has a special name, too!

 

4. GIF

Oh where oh where would we be in modern life without gifs? How else could we set up THE BEST Twitter jokes, or wordlessly convey our feelings in an email? But while the boom in the popularity of gifs feels like quite a recent thing, they are actually 30 years old - and their name is also an acronym. American computer scientist Steve Wilhite created the “graphics interchange format,” or gif, in 1987. He famously announced back in 2013 that he thinks we should all be pronouncing it “jiff,” (as in "jam"), not “giff," (as in "garden".) We're not so sure about that...are you?

 

5. TASER

While the word "taser" sounds a bit like someone made it up because it sounded rather sci fi, there's actually an interesting acronym-related story behind the electric shock weapon's name. The word actually stands for "Thomas A Swift Electric Rifle", after the inventor, Jack Cover, decided in 1974 to name it after his favorite children’s book character - Tom Swift.

 

6. CARE PACKAGE

When your friend is poorly and you send them some chocolate and mags, you might call that a "care package" - after all, you're showing someone how much you care. But the origins of the phrase are less simplistic than they first appear. Care packages were originally known as "CARE packages," and they were sent from the US to loved ones via the Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe following the Second World War. The group eventually changed its name to Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, as they began to broaden out their charitable reach. The term "care package" slipped into common parlance, and it's been there ever since.

 

7. SPAM

In the heady all-mod-cons days of 2017, we tend to use "spam" to refer to all the junk mail that weasels its way into our email inboxes. But let's not forget that "Spam" was, of course, originally more widely known as the name of a tinned meat product (others are, of course, available.) While the origins of the name are, curiously enough, shrouded in secrecy, it is thought to be an acronym of either "Special Processed American Meat" or even just, "SPiced HAM." The answer is only known by a small circle of 1930s food executives. Either way, the product was originally produced in 1937 and became very popular during World War Two and in the years of rationing afterwards. The seven BILLIONTH can of the stuff was reportedly sold back in 2007. A classic 1970 Monty Python sketch, set in a café where tinned meat is pretty much the only thing on the menu and relentlessly promoted, is acknowledged to have inspired the modern understanding of the word "spam" as the term for unsolicited electronic communication.

Source: Wikipedia - Acronym  |  Facts About Acronyms

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Fact of the Day - TRAIBLAZING BLACK WOMAN

Did you know.... that everyone knows that Harriet Tubman freed the bodies and minds of enslaved people. School curriculums love to throw in a quick paragraph about Rosa Parks’ intentional stand against injustice. And we recently witnessed Kamala Harris make modern history as the Vice President of the United States of America.  But there are countless Black women whose names and stories aren’t as widely known but deserve honor, respect, and reverence. (Tai Gooden)

 

Trailblazing Black Women You Should Learn About This Black History Month
By Arnesia Young  |  February 13, 2021

Many aspects of the lives we enjoy today, we owe to the sacrifice and hard work of our forbearers. During Black History Month—and throughout the year—it is especially important to remember, learn from, and honor those women and men who paved the way and fought for justice and equality for African Americans and other people of color. On the list of those you may already know are the names of amazing leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, and many other household names. However, there is an exceedingly long list of trailblazing figures in Black History that don’t receive nearly as much attention, especially Black women. Though there are too many to count, we’ve compiled a compact list (to start with) of five pioneering women—record breakers and risk-takers—that changed the game in their respective fields. Read on to learn more about these inspiring women this Black History Month.

 

MARY ELIZA MAHONEY (1845–1926)

Mary Eliza Mahoney was born in 1845 in Boston, Massachusetts to freed slaves who had migrated there from North Carolina. It was in her late teens that the intelligent young girl began to show an interest in nursing. Despite the difficulty of being admitted to nursing school as a Black woman during that time, she persevered and became the first African American to study and become professionally licensed as a nurse. As a result of her birth and upbringing, she was a champion of racial equality and women’s rights throughout her life, which led her to fight against racial discrimination in the nursing community. Later in her career—after learning that the Nurses Associated Alumnae of the United States and Canada (NAAUSC) wouldn’t accept Black nurses—she co-founded the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses (NACGN) to congratulate and support the work of all accomplished nurses. Mahoney was posthumously inducted into the American Nurses Association Hall of Fame in 1976.

 

JANE BOLIN (1908–2007)

Jane Bolin forged ahead on her chosen path despite the doubt and discouragement of those around her who should have been her mentors and supporters. Growing up as the daughter of a Black lawyer in Poughkeepsie, New York, she took an early interest in the profession. “It is easy to imagine how a young, protected child who sees portrayals of brutality is forever scarred and becomes determined to contribute in her own small way to social justice,” Bolin recalled later in her life. Though many tried to deter her, after finishing her studies at Wellesley College—where she was one of two Black freshmen—she applied to Yale Law School and became the first African American woman to graduate from that program in 1931. Among many other firsts, she became the first Black female judge in America in 1939—remaining the only one in the country for the next 20 years.

 

GWENDOLYN BROOKS (1917–2000)

A prolific reader and writer from an early age, Gwendolyn Brooks published her first poem when she was only 13 years old. That was only the very beginning of what would become an extremely illustrious writing career. She was a very well-respected and celebrated poet and author, even during her lifetime—becoming the first African American to receive a Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry, entitled Annie Allen, in 1950. Growing up in Chicago, she was heavily influenced by her own everyday experiences and drew from those as inspiration in her writing. “I am interested in telling my particular truth as I have seen it,” Brooks once remarked on this subject. In 1968, she was appointed as the Poet Laureate of Illinois—an honor (among many others) that she held until her death—and later became the first Black woman to be made Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 1985. She is generally regarded as one of the most influential and widely read American poets of the 20th Century.

 

ALICE COACHMAN (1923–2014)

Alice Coachman faced many barriers during her lifetime that would endeavor to keep her from achieving her dreams. However, she surmounted them with quite the same determination and skill she demonstrated when she became the first Black woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1948 Olympic Games in London. Though she was confronted with discrimination in athletics on account of both her gender and the color of her skin, she still persevered. Growing up in Albany, Georgia, Coachman was barred from participating in organized athletics and from accessing quality training facilities because of segregation. Yet, rather than let that deter her, the plucky young athlete developed her stamina by running barefoot on hard dirt roads and created makeshift crossbars out of rope and sticks to practice her high jump. After her career ended, she went on to become a teacher and created the Alice Coachman Track and Field Foundation to support upcoming athletes in financial need. Her own hard-earned success also paved the way for many other Black female athletes to pursue their dreams.

 

SHIRLEY CHISHOLM (1924–2005)

Shirley Chisholm was a fearless fighter for equality and change. Born in Brooklyn, New York, she studied early childhood education at Brooklyn College and worked as an educator for a time after her graduation. However, she became involved in local politics in the 1950s, and after many years of activity and advocacy in that arena, she became the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress in 1968. After several years as a district representative, she decided that it was time to take it a step further. In the presidential election of 1972, she made a historic bid for office—becoming the first African American and the first woman to seek nomination as the Democratic Party’s candidate for president. Though she did not win, she paved the way for many other minority candidates who've come since, including America’s current Vice President Kamala Harris—who has paid tribute to Chisholm on more than one occasion. Not long before her death, the pioneering woman spoke of the legacy she would leave behind. “I want history to remember me. . . not as the first Black woman to have made a bid for the presidency of The United States,” Chisholm remarked, “but as a Black woman who lived in the 20th century and who dared to be herself. I want to be remembered as a catalyst for change in America.”

 

Source: Trailblazing Black Women  |  Facts About Black History Month Women

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Fact of the Day - CHESS

Did you know.... that chess is a board game played between two players. It is sometimes called Western chess or International chess to distinguish it from related games such as xiangqi and shogi. Chess is an abstract strategy game and involves no hidden information. It is played on a square chessboard with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. At the start, each player (one controlling the white pieces, the other controlling the black pieces) controls sixteen pieces: one king, one queen, two rooks, two bishops, two knights, and eight pawns. The object of the game is to checkmate the opponent's king, whereby the king is under immediate attack (in "check") and there is no way for it to escape. There are also several ways a game can end in a draw. (Wikipedia)

 

Chess Facts You Might Not Know
by Pete  |  Updated: Jul 21, 2014

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably well-informed on chess in general. So you already know that Chess.com offers an extensive library of chess news, articles, videos, openings information, training tools, and lessons — enough knowledge for players of all levels who are looking to improve their games. But do you know *everything* about the game and its history? Surely there are some facts -- however obscure and "not relevant" to your chess growth -- that might surprise and bring a smile to the face of even the most astute chess fan. No need to scour Wikipedia for random chess facts to impress your friends at the next tournament. We gathered 10 of our favorites here for you! If you like this article (let us know in the comments and on Facebook), we'll bring you some more chess trivia down the road. Take a look at the top 10 chess facts you might not know. (Research courtesy of FM Mike Klein.) Enjoy!

 

1. Best Initials

Anatoly Karpov (1967)

 

The best initials to have if you want to become a GM are “A.K.”

Some 30 grandmasters share these initials, including three former world champions: Anatoly Karpov, Alexander Khalifman, and Alexandra Kosteniuk. Karpov stands out as the strongest “A.K.” chess player ever, with a peak rating of 2780 in July 1994. The current highest-rated player with the initials “A.K.” is Grandmaster Anton Korobov of Ukraine, who ranks as the 61st-best player in the world, with a rating of 2680 in the July 2014 FIDE list.

 

2. Female Grandmasters

Judit Polgár at the Mainz Chess Classic 2008

 

There are 30 women to achieve the full grandmaster (not WGM) title.

No woman who has ever earned the GM title has died. The strongest woman in the history of chess is undoubtedly Judit Polgar, who at age 37 is still atop the women's ratings list. Polgar checks in at 2676 for the July 2014 FIDE ratings. Hou Yifan, the 20-year old Chinese chess prodigy and current women’s world champion, is close behind at 2629. 

 

3. According to Webster 

Webster University's chess team is stronger than most national federations.

The average FIDE rating of Webster University's top four boards (Wesley So, Le Quang Liem, Georg Meier and Ray Robson) is currently 2679. As of the last Olympiad, that would make them the 10th strongest federation, just ahead of teams like England. The population of England is 53 million. The total enrollment at Webster University (in East Missouri) is 22,000.

 

4. Younger than Magnus

Carlsen (2008)

 

Since the reigning world chess champion Magnus Carlsen was born, 31 new sovereign nation states were created.

Carlsen, now 23, was born on November 30, 1990. According to the list at About.com, 31 current and former nation states were formed since that date, many of them sprouting from lands held by the former Soviet Union. The newest nation state to achieve sovereignty is South Sudan, which became independent on July 9, 2011. In July 2011, Carlsen was the top chess player in the world, with a rating of 2821.

 

5. Not in the U.N. 

There are 16 FIDE member federations that are not members of the United Nations. 

Some of them are countries that are part of larger nation states, like Scotland, Wales, and England in the United Kingdom. All three countries are separately part of FIDE, but are represented together in the United Nations. Others, like Puerto Rico, are unincorporated territory of a larger nation state, but with a distinct culture, heritage, history, and chess federation.

 

6. Searching for Bobby Fischer

A secondary ending to “Searching for Bobby Fischer” was planned, but scrapped because it didn't rely on Josh Waitzkin's inclination to bring out his queen early.

GM Pal Benko choreographed the final position to look like this, with Black (Waitzkin) to move: 

See picture of chess board 

Can you spot the win for Waitzkin?

Benko composed this position for Black to play 1…Ne2!, after which White is in zugzwang and must either lose his bishop or be checkmated.

 

7. The Movie Game

In the game that was created for the movie, Josh's opponent had a way to hold the draw even after he declined Josh's offer.

Try to save the game for White in the puzzle above, or click the question mark on the bottom of the board to see the answer. See website for picture.

 

8. The Real Game

In real life, the game ended in a draw when both players were reduced to only a king.

Jeff Sarwer, Waitzkin's real-life opponent, went on to earn over half a million dollars in poker tournaments after retiring from serious chess. Waitzin has found success as an author and martial arts expert. See website for the play by play by clicking on the play button next to the picture.

 

9. Youngest GMs

At least 23 players have become grandmasters before they turned 15 years old. 

Bobby Fischer held the record for youngest grandmaster for 33 years after he became a GM at 15-and-half years old in 1958. Judit Polgar beat Fischer's record in 1991 by earning her GM title at 15 years and almost 5 months. Since then, plenty of chess players have become grandmasters at astonishingly young ages.  The current record-holder for youngest grandmaster is Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin, who became a GM at the age of 12 years and 7 months. The youngest woman to ever become a full grandmaster is China’s Hou Yifan, who earned the GM title at age 14 years and 6 months.

 

10. Iceland vs. Brazil

The average rating of Iceland's and Brazil's top 10 players is equal -- 2513 for both countries.

Iceland has 324,000 people, while Brazil has 203,000,000 -- more than 600 times the population of Iceland. In the chess world, Iceland is surely best known for hosting the 1972 world chess championship match between Bobby Fischer and Boris Spassky. The match was held in Reykjavík, Iceland, and Fischer won the world championship after 21 games with a score of 12.5 to 8.5 for Spassky.  Brazil has been a star on the international sports stage lately, hosting the just-completed 2014 FIFA World Cup, along with the upcoming 2016 summer Olympics.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Chess  |   What You Might Not Know About Chess
 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - MATCHA

Did you know..... that matcha is finely ground powder of specially grown and processed green tea leaves, traditionally consumed in East Asia. The green tea plants used for matcha are shade-grown for three to four weeks before harvest; the stems and veins are removed during processing. During shaded growth, the plant Camellia sinensis produces more theanine and caffeine. The powdered form of matcha is consumed differently from tea leaves or tea bags, as it is suspended in a liquid, typically water or milk. (Wikipedia)

 

Shocking but True Facts About Matcha

by Eileen Wang  | Year: Unknown

What is matcha? Matcha is a type of green tea that is the central focus of Japanese tea ceremonies. It is traditionally prepared using a chasen, or a bamboo whisk, to knead matcha powder into hot water. It takes a lot of practice, precision and dedication to obtain the perfect frothy and creamy mixture. Just in case the intriguing traditional tea ceremony wasn’t persuasive enough, here are nine health reasons why you should be incorporating matcha into your life.

 

1. Matcha is 137 times more powerful than regular brewed tea.

Matcha is made from finely ground whole green tea leaves, making it more potent than other brewed teas. When you drink matcha, you get 100% of the nutrients, including vitamins, fiber and 137 times the antioxidants of a cup of regularly brewed green tea.

 

2. Matcha has more caffeine than coffee does.

One teaspoon of matcha has 70 mg of caffeine, while a shot of espresso contains just 64 mg of caffeine. This means that one cup of matcha tea will give you a greater energy boost than your average cup of Joe.

 

3. Improve mental clarity without the coffee jitters.

Matcha contains the amino acid L-theanine, which calms the mind and relaxes the body without inducing drowsiness. By consuming matcha, you’ll get 6-8 hours of steady energy, and you won’t have to worry about feeling wired or suddenly crashing.

 

4. Boost metabolism and burn calories.

Studies have shown that regular matcha drinkers have 35-40% higher metabolic rates than those who don’t drink matcha. A higher metabolism means that at resting state, your body uses more calories than a person with slower metabolism. Drinking tea to lose weight? We’ll take that!

 

5. Get rid of bad breath.

Matcha contains a LOT of chlorophyll, which detoxifies your blood, liver and digestive tracts. Having a clean gut also eliminates bad breath and body odor. (Mom was right about greens, after all.)

 

6. Stabilize blood sugar levels.

Dietary fiber found in matcha green tea can help prevent insulin spikes. Matcha can also slow down the development of type 1 diabetes and regulate glucose levels of diabetics.

 

7. Slow down aging.

Green tea leaves have high levels of antioxidants, specifically catechin, which prevent free radicals from destroying body cells. Studies show that catechin can prevent skin-aging, cardiovascular diseases and possibly even cancers.

 

8. Lower blood pressure.

Specific catechins inhibit angiotensin, which allows for less contraction of blood vessels and lower blood pressure. The lower your blood pressure, the lower your chances of stroke, heart disease, kidney failures and other health problems.

 

9. Skip the milk.

While green tea lattes are the craze, adding dairy might not be a good idea. German researchers discovered that milk neutralizes the effect of catechin. The protein in milk, casein, binds to catechin, inhibiting it from providing the benefits mentioned in #7 and #8.

All in all, moderation is the key to everything. But with all its healthy benefits, matcha might just be the new coffee. What are you waiting for? Get your matcha groove on!

 

For more matcha-related articles:

• Is Tea The New Coffee? MatchaBar Thinks So
• Make Matcha Your New Flavor
• Coconut Matcha Latte

 

Source: Wikipedia - Matcha  |  Facts About Matcha
 

Edited February 19, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CAFFEINE

Color code: Carbon, C: black  |  Hydrogen, H: white  |  Nitrogen, N: blue    

Did you know.... that caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant of the methylxanthine class. It is the world's most widely consumed psychoactive drug. Unlike many other psychoactive substances, it is legal and unregulated in nearly all parts of the world. There are several known mechanisms of action to explain the effects of caffeine. The most prominent is that it reversibly blocks the action of adenosine on its receptors and consequently prevents the onset of drowsiness induced by adenosine. Caffeine also stimulates certain portions of the autonomic nervous system. (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting Facts About Caffeine
By Cari Nierenberg  |  October 27, 2016

People may not think of caffeine as the most popular mood-altering drug in the world, even those who use it daily, by drinking coffee, tea, sodas or energy drinks as part of their routine. Yet many of us depend on regular doses of 1,3,7 trimethylxanthine, the chemical name for a bitter white powder known as caffeine, to help wake us up, keep us alert and get us through the daily grind. Whether it's brewed from a K-Cup, sipped in sweet tea, savored in chocolate or downed in cola, caffeine is a mild stimulant to the central nervous system that has become a regular fixture in everyday life.  In moderate amounts, caffeine has been shown to have positive effects on people's bodies and minds. There's some evidence that caffeine may help improve memory, enhance workouts and boost concentration. The Food and Drug Administration considers 400 milligrams a safe amount of caffeine for healthy adults to consume daily. However, pregnant women should limit their caffeine intake to 200 mg a day, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. (One cup of coffee usually has about 100 to 200 mg, a cup of tea usually has no more than 70 mg and most sodas have less than 50 mg, according to the Mayo Clinic.) The Mayo Clinic suggests that teens limit their caffeine intake to 100 mg a day and recommends that younger children avoid caffeine.  [5 Experts Answer: Is Caffeine Bad for Kids?] Some people are highly sensitive to caffeine's effects. Caffeine can lead to headaches or an upset stomach, and may cause people to have trouble sleeping, feel jittery or get heart palpitations, when their intake is high (about four cups of coffee a day), studies (and anecdotal observations) suggest. Here are 10 interesting facts about caffeine to mull over while nursing that first cup of joe. 

 

Caffeine stays in the body for hours

Caffeine is absorbed into the blood and tissues within about 45 minutes of being consumed. But it takes much longer than that for the body to break it down and clear it from a person's system. The half-life of caffeine, or the time it takes to eliminate one-half of the caffeine people have in their bodies, is about 4 hours, said James Lane, an emeritus professor of psychiatry at Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. But that doesn't mean that all of the caffeine is gone after 8 hours, in fact, it may take 12 hours to completely eliminate the caffeine in a morning cup of coffee, said Lane, who has studied the health effects of the drug. Caffeine's half-life may be shortened to about 3 hours in people who smoke, Lane said. In contrast, women who take birth control pills may keep caffeine in their systems for up to 4 hours longer than women who are not on the pill, according to one study. [7 Surprising Facts About the Pill] Pregnancy can extend caffeine's half-life even more, lengthening it to 10.5 hours during the final four weeks of pregnancy, according to one study. Because it can take up to 12 hours to clear caffeine from the body, the drug often wears off when a person is almost ready to go to bed. This makes it easier for people to develop a dependency on caffeine because it makes people want to continue to drink it the next day, Lane said. The reason people who regularly drink caffeine wake up feeling groggy, confused or with a headache is that they are experiencing withdrawal symptoms from yesterday's coffee, Lane said. These withdrawal symptoms are relieved when they get their morning fix of caffeine.

 

Death from too much caffeine is rare, but possible

In rare instances, when caffeine is consumed at high enough doses (typically in excess of 5 grams in adults — the amount in about 30 to 50 cups of coffee), it can kill. Deaths have been reported from overdosing on powdered caffeine and caffeine pills, such as weight-loss aids. [7 Foods You Can Overdose On] In 2014, two young men — an 18-year-old in Ohio and a 24-year-old in Georgia — overdosed on pure powdered caffeine, according to the FDA. Their deaths illustrate the dangers and potency of this concentrated product. One teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine contains about the same amount of caffeine as 28 cups of regular coffee, according to the FDA. The FDA warns that young people, in particular, might use powdered caffeine — which is sold legally online — to boost their energy level, study longer, improve their athletic performance or lose weight. But the powder is 100 percent caffeine, making it a powerful stimulant that, in even very small amounts, may trigger an accidental and potentially fatal overdose. Further complicating matters is that safe quantities of powdered caffeine can be nearly impossible to measure accurately with kitchen teaspoons, the FDA said. Signs of caffeine toxicity might include a racing heart, sweating, seizures, vomiting, muscle tremors and, eventually, respiratory collapse, Lane said.

 

It was involved in soda snafu

Although it contains less caffeine than a small cup of coffee, a 12-ounce can of Sunkist Orange soda has 41 milligrams of caffeine in it, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Other brands of orange soda are usually noncaffeinated, but Sunkist Orange has more caffeine in it than a similar amount of Coca-Cola or Pepsi. In September 2010, the makers of Sunkist Orange recalled nearly 4,000 cases of the 12-ounce bottled version of the beverage after receiving customer complaints that the soft drink had a medicinal taste to it and was causing stomachaches, vomiting and even hospitalization, according to the book "Caffeinated: How Our Daily Habit Helps, Hurts, and Hooks Us" (Hudson Street Press, 2014) by Murray Carpenter. After looking into it, the manufacturer determined that human error was to blame for the incident: The reason for the off-taste and sickness was that a batch of the orange soda had been accidentally blended with six times as much caffeine as it should have, they said, according to the book. Each bottle contained about 238 milligrams of caffeine, an amount equivalent to what's found in three Red Bulls, about seven cans of regular cola or 16 ounces of strong coffee, according to the book. Because orange soda is popular with kids, this high dose of caffeine possibly made a few children uncomfortable because they may not have realized why they felt that way. Consumers were never informed of the supercaffeinated snafu because the FDA considered it a Class III recall, meaning "a situation in which exposure to the product is not likely to cause adverse health consequences," according to the book.

 

Caffeine withdrawal is a real condition

In the latest version of the psychology handbook "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" (DSM-5), caffeine withdrawal is listed as a mental health condition. The text describes the effects seen in some people who abruptly stop or dramatically cut back on their daily use of caffeine. For example, withdrawal side effects, which may start 12 to 24 hours after stopping or drastically curbing caffeine, include a throbbing headache, fatigue, irritability, depressed mood and difficulty concentrating, according to the book. In people diagnosed with the condition, these symptoms are typically severe enough to interfere with a person's ability to function properly at work or in social situations, the mental health manual suggests. People who regularly consume caffeine wake up every morning in caffeine withdrawal, Lane said. But they might not think of it that way, he added. Instead, people typically consider morning grumpiness, fuzzy thinking and sleepiness as signs of not yet having their coffee. "The truth is, these are signs of caffeine withdrawal," Lane told Live Science. Cutting back gradually on caffeine over the course of a week may help to avoid a withdrawal headache.

 

People aren't truly "addicted" to caffeine.

People who consume caffeine every day are most likely dependent on the drug, and it does produce symptoms of dependence, Lane said. But addiction is not the best way to describe it, he said. Caffeine use is socially acceptable, and because people who consume it in large amounts aren't thought of as acting like addicts, society doesn't put its overuse in the same category as that of other drugs, Lane said. [5 'Hidden' Sources of Caffeine] Caffeine is not highly addictive, said Dr. Peter Martin, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, and the director of the Institute for Coffee Studies at Vanderbilt University in Nashville. Generally, people's need for caffeine is a different order of magnitude compared with an addiction to opioid drugs or cocaine, Martin said. "Caffeine has minor-league side effects compared with real addictive drugs," he said. A person might say, "I'm addicted to coffee," to describe their habitual need for caffeine, but Martin, who is a specialist in addiction psychiatry, said he would ask that individual, "When was the last time you robbed a bank to get money to buy coffee?"

 

Caffeine resembles a brain chemical

Caffeine has a similar molecular structure to adenosine, a neurotransmitter (a substance that transmits nerve impulses in the brain). Because of its chemical resemblance to adenosine, caffeine can bind to adenosine receptors in brain cells. Caffeine's stimulant effects come mainly from the way it acts on the brain's adenosine receptors. Normally, the binding of adenosine to its receptors produces drowsiness and depresses the central nervous system, which slows down nerve cell activity and promotes relaxation, Martin said. But when caffeine molecules take the place of adenosine and bind to these same receptors, it blocks the sleep-inducing actions of adenosine and speeds up nerve cell activity. This causes a person to feel temporarily more awake and energetic, Martin told Live Science.

 

Caffeine can be found in unusual places

These days, consumers might notice caffeine in some unexpected places. People can purchase caffeine-infused bottled water, jelly beans, breath mints, peanut butter and chewing gum. There are even caffeinated bath soaps that supposedly help wake people up in the morning. Although caffeine can be absorbed through the skin, it's doubtful this soap will improve alertness during the day, Lane said. Caffeine has also been added to shampoos to purportedly thicken hair and stop hair loss, but there's no good evidence that these pricey products can truly deliver results. The beauty industry has jumped aboard the caffeine bandwagon, by adding it to everything from eye cream and lotions to body scrubs and shaving cream. Whether products containing the ingredient work better than their noncaffeinated counterparts is questionable. In addition, drug makers have added caffeine to headache medications, such as Excedrin and Anacin, because it may enhance the effectiveness of pain medications and bring faster relief, according to headache specialists. It's even in the menstrual pain reliever Midol Complete. College students who pull all-nighters may be familiar with caffeine pills, also called "alertness aids," such as NoDoz and Vivarin, each of which contain 200 milligrams per pill.  In addition, caffeine is in some weight-loss products and dietary supplements. It may be listed on the label as guarana, kola nut, yerba mate, green tea extract or green coffee bean extract, according to the National Institutes of Health.

 

Coffee beans come from a red fruit

The fragrant brown beans that people might toss into a grinder every morning actually come from a bright-red fruit. Coffee comes from shrubs, known as coffee cherries, that produce a red berry when ripe, Lane told Live Science. The actual coffee beans, which are green, are found inside the coffee cherries.  Coffee often has to be picked by hand because the red fruit doesn't all mature at the same time, Lane noted. Before the beans were used to make coffee, the pulp from the red fruit was first fermented and used to make a wine, he said. Some time around 1000 A.D., people in Arabia began to roast coffee beans to make a beverage from them. But according to the National Coffee Association, an industry trade group, an Ethiopian goat herder named Kaldi first discovered the stimulant powers of coffee around 800 A.D., when he found his goats dancing and frolicking in the fields after grazing on the red berries from a coffee shrub. After seeing its effects on his goats, Kaldi also tried the coffee cherries. He had a similar reaction to them. [Coffee's Perks: Studies Find 5 Health Benefits] Then, a monk who supposedly observed Kaldi and his goat's odd behavior plucked some berries and took them back to his monastery for his brothers to try that night. After consuming the fruit, they became more alert and attentive during long hours of evening prayer. According to legend, the monks came up with the idea of drying the fruits and boiling them into a beverage. It's as if coffee cherries were the answer to the monks' prayers — or at least their ability to stay awake during them. 

 

Caffeine can exaggerate the effects of stress

Lane's research has found that caffeine can amplify stress in people who consume it every day. In a small study of habitual coffee drinkers, he found that caffeine amplifies the stress response in the body, resulting in increases in blood pressure and heart rate, as well as increases in the production of stress hormones. Caffeine directly affects not only the way a person's body responds to stress but also the mind by magnifying an individual's perception of stress. An exaggerated stress response can make a difference to people with conditions such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, Lane said. In fact, he encourages people with these conditions, as well as people with prediabetes or borderline hypertension who are not yet on medication, to try eliminating coffee and other caffeinated beverages to see if it lowers their blood pressure or blood sugar levels. Lane said lower blood pressure readings may occur within a few days of quitting caffeine, but it may take several months for people to see reductions in blood glucose. 

 

Caffeine in plants acts as a natural pesticide and herbicide

Caffeine is found in the leaves, fruits and seeds of some caffeine-producing plants, including coffee and tea shrubs, kola and cacao trees, guarana and yerba mate from South America. Caffeine in plants function as a natural pesticide to help ward off insects that may attack the plants, and it may be useful in pest control, suggested a study from researchers at Harvard Medical School that was published in 1984 in the journal Science. At high doses, caffeine can even be toxic to insects. Caffeine is also a natural herbicide that gets released into the soil so that weeds can't grow near coffee and tea shrubs, Lane said. Weeds might compete with the shrubs for nutrients, he noted. Lane also said that on coffee farms, caffeine can build up so much in the soil that the coffee plants themselves might suffer.

 

Also check out Caffeine is a Natural Pesticide.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Caffeine  |  Facts About Caffeine

Edited February 19, 2022 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - COPPER

Did you know.... that copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement. Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable metallic form (native metals). (Wikipedia)

 

Interesting Facts About Copper
by Anne Helmenstine  |  December 2, 2018 (updated on May 10, 2021)

 

1. Copper is one of only a few metals that exists in relatively pure form in nature or in a native state. This is how it came to be worked by ancient man. Otzi the Iceman, who lived approximately 3300 BCE, was found with an axe that had a head consisting of nearly pure copper. His hair contained high levels of arsenic, a toxic element used in copper smelting.

 

 

2. The color of copper is unique among the elements. Most metals have are silver or gray in color. Gold and a few other metals are yellow. Only copper has a reddish-metallic luster. When copper is added to other metals, it can add a red color. This is how rose gold is made.
 

 

3. Copper has many uses. The pure metal is used in wiring. Brass (copper and zinc) and bronze (copper and tin) are two important copper alloys. Copper is used for plumbing, coins, and cookware. When added to pool water, copper salts (not chlorine) can discolor hair so it has a green tinge.
 

4. Copper is essential for human nutrition, particularly to form blood cells. The element occurs naturally in most water supplies and in foods, such as potatoes, beans, leafy greens, and grains. Excess copper cause jaundice and anemia and may turn urine blue.

 

 

5. While copper is essential for humans and other vertebrates, most invertebrates have a low tolerance for its salts. Copper is also naturally antibacterial. This is why metal door knobs made of brass or bronze reduce disease transmission. Copper is also toxic to algae.

 

 

6. Copper is easily recycled. About 80% of the copper mined to date remains in circulation. The metal is abundant in the Earth’s crust, found on average at a concentration of 50 parts per million. Copper ranks third, after iron and aluminum, in terms of metal used in the United States.
 

7. While the most common oxidation state for copper is +2, the +1 state occurs in many compounds. One easy way to tell the ionization state of the element is via the flame test. Copper(II) turns a flame green, while copper(I) turns it blue.

 

 

8. Like many transition metals near it on the periodic table, copper is ductile, malleable, an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, and corrosion resistant. It is relatively soft and does eventually oxidize to form green verdigris. Oxidation is the reason many brass and bronze statues turn green with age and while wearing inexpensive jewelry often causes a green skin discoloration.

 

 

9. Most copper that is mined is extracted from copper sulfide ores. Large producers include Chile, the United States, Indonesia, and Peru.
 

10. The price of copper is notoriously unstable. It’s 60 year low was $0.60/lb. ($1.32/kg) in 1999 and $4.63/lb. in 2011.

 

 

 

Source: Wikipedia - Copper  |  Copper Facts

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - 1950s HAIRSTYLES

Typical hairstyles of the early 50s shown here on Fernando Lamas and Danielle Darrieux

Did you know.... that the 1950s were a decade known for experimentation with new styles and culture. Following World War II and the austerity years of the post-war period, the 1950s were a time of comparative prosperity, which influenced fashion and the concept of glamour. Hairstylists invented new hairstyles for wealthy patrons. Influential hairstylists of the period include Sydney Guilaroff, Alexandre of Paris and Raymond Bessone, who took French hair fashion to Hollywood, New York and London, popularising the pickle cut, the pixie cut and bouffant hairstyles. (Wikipedia)

 

Hair Through History: Memorable Hairstyles of the 1950s
by Beauty Launchpad  |  Oct 24th, 2019

Eartha Kitt

It's clear that hair plays an important role in popular culture. Hair trends help to define each new generation and separate it from the one that came before. The 1950s saw drastic changes in hair styles as teenagers and young adults strove to break free of the previous, more conservative World War II era. Everything from rebelliousness to full-on glamour was embraced by movie stars and singers, and was reflected in new fashion and hair trends seen across the country. Scroll down to see our list of 9 of the most iconic hairstyles of the 1950s!

 

1. The Poodle Cut

Made popular by actresses like Peggy Garner, Faye Emerson and Lucille Ball, the poodle cut was given its name due to the fact that the permed, tight curls closely resembled the curly hair of a French poodle.

 

2. The Bouffant

Perhaps one of the most prevalent styles of the 1950s, the bouffant, which would later give way to the amped-up, towering "beehive" style, involved dramatic volume, backcombing and ample use of hairspray. Stars like Connie Francis and Sophia Loren, who brought the "European bouffant" to the United States, were fans of the look.

 

3. The Pompadour

Rebelliousness was celebrated by the younger generation of the 1950s, and nowhere was this so greatly reflected than in the widely-popular pompadour hairstyle. Stars like Elvis Presley, James Dean and Sal Mineo adopted the look - longer hair that was greased up on top and slicked down on the sides, earning wearers of the trend the fitting nickname, "Greasers."

 

4. The Pixie

Though the pixie gained even greater momentum during the 1960s, Audrey Hepburn's closely-cropped hair in the popular film Roman Holiday began a trend of super short hair coupled with soft, wispy bangs that remains popular today.

 

5. Thick Fringe

Short, full fringe began to grow in popularity during the 1950s, especially when paired with long, curly locks made to look natural. Pin-up model Bettie Page popularized the sultry look in her signature dark shade.

 

6. The Duck Tail

Also known as the "DA," this popular 1950s men's hairstyle was named for its resemblance to the rear view of a duck, and is often considered a variation of the pompadour. Though the look was developed in 1940 by Joe Cerello, actor Tony Curtis is widely credited for reviving the style, which involved slicking the hair back, and then parting down the center from the crown to the nape of the neck. The top was then purposefully disarrayed, with long, untidy strands hanging down over the forehead.

 

7. Short & Curly

Many actresses and female singers of the 1950s, including Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe and Eartha Kitt, favored this shorter, slightly less voluminous version of the classic bouffant. Perfectly curled and coiffed hair was the signature of this look, though great care was taken to make hair appear to be naturally curly.

 

8. Ponytails

Though the look was often seen on young girls and teenagers and commonly paired with poodle skirts, the ponytail began to become popular for women of all ages during the 1950s, as evidenced by singer Billie Holiday.

 

9. Sideburns

Another men's hair trend that went hand in hand with the pompadour and a sense of rebelliousness was the sideburn. The look was seen on actor Marlon Brando in the film The Wild One, as well as on actor James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause, and soon made its way into mainstream culture.

 

Source: Wikipedia - Hairstyles in the 1950s  |  Hair Though History