Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - RATS

Did you know.... Rats bop their heads in time to music.
Most rats live their lives entirely unseen by humans. As kings of the background, they often scurry through human environments just out of sight or after dark, looking for leftover morsels. But researchers believe rats might not just be picking up our food crumbs — they could also be picking up on the beats in our music. A study published in 2022 suggests rats may have a humanlike sense of rhythm, which they express by bopping their heads to the beat. Scientists once believed that few animals were beat-sensitive (aside from some birds), but rats exposed to music made microscopic head movements that were picked up by tiny, wireless motion detectors. The researchers hypothesized that rats would prefer faster jams thanks in part to their rapid heartbeats, though surprisingly, lab rats synced up best with music in the 120 to 140 beats-per-minute range — just like humans. Humans have long wondered if animals respond to music the way we do. Charles Darwin’s studies examined the relationship between animals and music, believing rhythm could be found throughout nature and may have been the precursor to music. Today, some experts believe only certain species have the ability to really respond to changing beats — notably bats, birds, dolphins, and elephants, which all have the complex ability to learn and repeat new sounds. However, some studies show other animals interact with music, too; one experiment found that pigs exposed to certain music became playful and wagged their tails. Many farmers report their cows are calmer when the radio is on, with a supporting study reporting that dairy cows produce 3% more milk while listening to slow tunes (fast music had no effect). When it comes to our best pet companions, music is known to soothe anxious dogs in shelters and adoption centers, though felines — known for being a bit finicky — couldn’t care less about human music. However, they do respond positively to tailored tunes that use beats and frequencies similar to their own meows.

 

Rats are picky eaters.
If you’ve ever been hesitant about trying a new food, you have something in common with rats. That’s because rats are known for being picky eaters. These discerning rodents are cautious for good reason — they’re unable to vomit, so avoiding potential poisoning is top of mind with every new food they find, since they can’t purge toxins the way humans do. Wild rats are known to test out new foods in small amounts, taking a few nibbles and waiting hours to see if they have any unfortunate side effects before diving into their scavenged meals. And just like humans, rats appear to gain more sophisticated palates as they age; younger rats seem to prefer sugary treats, though they eventually learn to enjoy more bitter flavors as they get older.

 

They may have a reputation as disease-riddled pests, but rats are some of the most intelligent and adaptable creatures on the planet. While most people don’t want to find one in their home or crawling around a subway platform, rats offer tremendous value to society, and humans have made invaluable scientific advances thanks to these rodents. In addition to their place in research laboratories, rats have played a prominent role in history and culture — from Victorian-era urbanization to modern traditions at sporting events. Discover six fascinating facts about these remarkable rodents below.

 

1. New York City Rats Differ Genetically Based on Their Neighborhood

If you’ve ever seen a rat in New York City, chances are their ancestors have called that area home for decades. Thanks to DNA sequencing and rat tracking, researchers have learned that rats tend to remain quite close to where they were born, even over the course of several generations. These findings are the result of a 2017 study led by Matthew Combs, a former graduate student at Fordham University. Combs discovered two genetically distinct subpopulations of New York City rats — uptown and downtown — and even genetic differences among rats in adjacent neighborhoods such as the West and East Villages. Combs says that a mere 5% of rats stray from their home turf, meaning that the vast majority of rat families have remained close to where their ancestors settled upon first arriving in New York on transatlantic ships in the mid-18th century. In addition to geography-based genetic differences, rats in New York City have adapted their diets to living in the concrete jungle. Certain mutations found in the city’s rats demonstrate that they are able to consume larger amounts of processed sugars and fats than their rural counterparts, due to their penchant for scavenging off human food waste. (This also helps explain why New York is the only place you can find Pizza Rat.)

 

2. Rats Have Been Trained to Sniff Out Land Mines

Many of us are familiar with bomb-sniffing dogs, but what about land mine-sniffing rats? Such creatures are common in central Africa, where the Belgian nonprofit APOPO (the acronym stands for “Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development” in English) has trained African giant pouched rats to help clear fields of unexploded land mines from past conflicts. These rats weigh less than three pounds — light enough to avoid setting off the mines — and can clear swathes of land the size of a tennis court in just 30 minutes. For comparison, a human with a metal detector would take four days to accomplish the same job. These rodent heroes have helped clear over 13,200 mines from fields scattered across Tanzania, Mozambique, and Angola since the nonprofit was founded in 1997. More recently, the creatures were introduced in Cambodia, where a rat named Magawa became particularly famous. Magawa spent five years sniffing out land mines across the country, helping to secure over 2.4 million square feet of land and finding 71 explosives, before retiring in 2021. Though Magawa passed away six months after his retirement, his legacy lives on: In 2020, he received a gold medal — the highest civilian award an animal can receive — from the British veterinary charity People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals, becoming the first rat to earn such a distinction.

 

3. Alberta, Canada, Is the Largest Rat-Free Inhabited Area

Albertans have long sought to guard their borders against potential pests. The Agricultural Pests Act of Alberta of 1942 required every person and municipality to destroy any animal designated as a pest and likely to harm crops or livestock. In the 1920s, rats found their way to the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, and by 1950, they had migrated to the Alberta-Saskatchewan border. As a result, the provincial government established a 373-mile-long Rat Control Zone (RCZ) along the border to prevent the vermin from continuing farther into Alberta. Though there have been several scares since — including a group of rats that was released in Calgary in 2004 and subsequently extracted by a neighborhood posse — the 255,541 square miles of Alberta have remained almost entirely rat-free for decades, making it the world’s largest inhabited area without rats.

 

4. Rats Experience Peer Pressure

Scientists once believed that only humans and chimps succumbed to peer pressure. But thanks to a 2008 study of brown rats, researchers found that rats were heavily influenced by the behavior of the other members of their pack, which in turn had an impact on what each rat ate and how each rat acted. The study observed rats that had been trained to avoid cinnamon-flavored food pellets by injecting them with a nausea-inducing chemical, but researchers found that the creatures would still consume the pellets if they smelled a cinnamon odor emanating from the breath of other rats. They also observed that rats could experience the “bystander effect,” meaning they were less likely to help another member of their pack if they saw other rats also failing to act. Neurobiologists at the University of Chicago studied rats that had been helpful in one-on-one interactions, who then became less likely to lend a helpful hand in larger group settings.

 

5. Jack Black Was King of the Rat-Catchers in Victorian England

Not to be confused with the contemporary actor and musician of the same name, Jack Black was a Victorian-era showman with a different claim to fame: rat-catching. As Europe rapidly urbanized in the 19th century, rat populations in cities exploded, and governments began paying individuals to keep infestations under control. Black was one of the most famous of the so-called “rat-catchers,” reaching his peak popularity in the mid-19th century. His prowess in catching rodents was unmatched, and massive crowds would gather to see him in action. Black would set up a stage and let the many rats he captured run all over his body in an effort to add to the spectacle. He was also something of a fashion icon. His trademark rat-catching outfit consisted of white leather pants, a scarlet waistcoat, a rat belt buckle, and a sash emblazoned with rat-shaped medallions (made from melting down his wife’s saucepan in the kitchen). Though Black promoted himself as Queen Victoria’s official rat-catcher, it’s unlikely he ever held a royal decree — but that didn’t make his rat-catching any less successful.

 

6. Florida Panthers Hockey Fans Throw Plastic Rats Onto the Ice to Celebrate "Rat Tricks"

In hockey, a hat trick occurs when a single player scores three goals in one game, and it’s common for fans to celebrate by hurling their hats onto the ice. But fans of the NHL’s Florida Panthers are better known for celebrating something called a “rat trick.” The tradition dates back to October 8, 1995, when a rat scurried through the Panthers’ locker room before a game against the Calgary Flames (an amusing coincidence, given that Alberta is so proud of being rat-free). After removing the rat, Panthers captain Scott Mellanby went on to score two goals, which teammate John Vanbiesbrouck dubbed a “rat trick.” The night following Mellanby’s feat, a fan hurled a plastic rat onto the ice, an act that has since become a larger Florida hockey tradition. During the playoffs, Panthers fans hurl thousands of plastic rats onto the ice in celebration of goals or victories — which then leads to minor delays while groups of 25 rat cleaners clear the ice so play can continue.

 

 

Source: Under-rat-ed Facts About Rats

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WOMEN'S HISTORY

Did you know.... 

It's 2023, and while many strides have been made for women in the past few decades, there's still a long way to go. Inequality and sexism still exist in the United States (as well as the rest of the world). In a 2017 Pew Research Center survey, four-in-ten women (42%) said they experienced gender discrimination at work. These prevailing inequities (in addition to the strives made by our heroes) are why it’s so important to celebrate Women's History Month in March. It's a great time to read up on Women's History Month facts and historic women, as well as sharing inspiring quotes by and for women. Cheering on those still fighting for and representing women today is equally important, because there’s still plenty of work to be done. In addition to March being Women’s History Month, International Women's Day is celebrated globally on March 8. Many companies schedule events to celebrate the women at their organizations and their accomplishments. Others will take to social media platforms like LinkedIn, to share how grateful they are for the women who paved the way forward for their success. How will you honor the day? If you need some inspiration, begin with these facts about the evolution of women’s rights and how women's contributions throughout history are remembered and celebrated today.

 

1. The first Women's History Day was held in 1909.

February 28, 1909 marked the first Woman's History Day in New York City. It commemorated the one-year anniversary of the garment workers' strikes when 15,000 women marched through lower Manhattan. From 1909 to 1910, immigrant women who worked in garment factories held a strike to protest their working conditions. Most of them were teen girls who worked 12-hour days. In one factory, Triangle Shirtwaist Company, employees were paid only $15 a week. History.com describes it as a "true sweatshop." Young women worked in tight conditions at sewing machines, and the factories' owners didn't keep the factory up to safety standards. In 1911, the factory burned down and 145 workers were killed. It pushed lawmakers to finally pass legislation meant to protect factory workers.

 

 

2. The day became Women's History Week in 1978.

An education task force in Sonoma County, California kicked off Women's History Week in 1978 on March 8, International Women's Day, according to the National Women's History Alliance. They wanted to draw attention to the fact that women's history wasn't really included in K-12 school curriculums at the time.

 

 

3. In 1987, Women's History Month began.

Women's organizations, including the National Women's History Alliance, campaigned yearly to recognize Women's History Week. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter declared the week of March 8 Women's History Week across the country. By 1986, 14 states had declared the entire month of March Women's History Month, according to the Alliance. The following year, in March of 1987, activists were successful: They lobbied Congress to declare March Women's History Month.

 

 

4. The president declares every March Women's History Month.
Since 1995, every president has issued a proclamation declaring March Women's History Month, usually with a statement about its importance.

 

 

5. Every Women's History Month has a theme.
The 2023 Women's History Month theme is Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories. This year, the National Women's History Alliance "will encourage the recognition of women, past and present, who have been active in all forms of media and storytelling including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts, news, and social media." The 2020 theme was "Valiant Women of the Vote" and honored women from the original suffrage movement, as well as women who continued the struggle in the 20th and 21st centuries, in recognition of the centennial of the 19th Amendment. Due to the pandemic, this theme was extended into 2021 and renamed as: “Valiant Women of the Vote: Refusing to Be Silenced.” The 2022 theme was "Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope." This theme not only honored the tireless work of caregivers and frontline workers during the Covid-19 pandemic, but also women of all backgrounds who have provided compassionate healing and hope for the betterment of patients, friends, and family.

 

 

6. Wyoming Territory was the first place to grant women the right to vote.
Never take it for granted that you can vote, ladies. The Wyoming Territorial legislature gave every woman the right to vote in 1869, according to History.com. They elected the country's first female governor, Nellie Tayloe Ross, in 1924.

 

 

Click on the link below to learn more of Women's History.

 

 

Source: Women's History Month Facts to Read and Share This March

 

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - GROUNDHOG DAY

Did you know... Since it was first celebrated in the late 19th century, Groundhog Day has been a fun — albeit scientifically dubious — annual tradition. Every February 2, revelers gather to learn whether we’re in for a lengthy winter or early springtime, a verdict determined by several “prophetic” rodents around the country. Whether you place your trust in Punxsutawney Phil or Staten Island Chuck, here are six facts about Groundhog Day that bear repeating.

 

1. Punxsutawney Phil Holds Several Official Titles — and a Royal Namesake

There’s no more celebrated creature on Groundhog Day than Punxsutawney Phil, the most popular resident of the small Pennsylvania town for which he’s named and where the first official Groundhog Day festivities occurred in 1887. While “Punxsutawney Phil” may be a mouthful to say all by itself, the rodent’s official name is actually “Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinary.” According to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the name has a regal connotation: Phil was named after a “King Phillip,” although it’s not clear which one. However, it’s entirely possible that Phil was actually named after Queen Elizabeth II’s husband, Prince Philip. In 1953, Punxsutawney buried a pair of groundhogs that had been named Elizabeth and Philip, after the royal couple, and it was eight years later that the name “Punxsutawney Phil” first appeared in local records. While it seems logical to assume that there have been many groundhogs named Punxsutawney Phil since then, local lore tells a different story. Tradition has it that each summer, at the town’s Groundhog Picnic, Phil is fed a magical elixir known as “Groundhog Punch” that’s said to extend his life for another seven years. And when he’s not making annual weather forecasts, Phil relaxes at home in the town library with his wife, Phyllis.

 

2. Groundhog Day Stems From a Holiday Called Candlemas

Though Groundhog Day was created on American soil, it was inspired in large part by an ancient Christian tradition known as Candlemas, which was brought to the Pennsylvania region by German settlers. Like Groundhog Day, Candlemas is annually celebrated on February 2; it commemorates the day the Virgin Mary went to Jerusalem’s holy temple to be purified 40 days after the birth of Jesus, and to present Jesus to God as her firstborn. Candlemas also features the blessing and distribution of candles, which burn to represent the length of the winter each year. Likewise, Candlemas was associated with the prognostication of spring’s arrival. One old English rhyme states, “If Candlemas be fair and bright / come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain / go, Winter, and come not again.” One major difference between Candlemas and Groundhog Day, however, is that the former was known for a creature called the Candlemas Bear, whose emergence from hibernation meant the coming of spring. Germans also originally used hedgehogs for the same purpose. The bears and hedgehogs were later changed to a groundhog during the establishment of the newer holiday in America.

 

3. Groundhog Day Celebrations Once Involved Eating Groundhogs

When the first Groundhog Day occurred on February 2, 1887, in Gobbler’s Knob, Pennsylvania, groundhogs were celebrated not only for their predictive abilities but also for their delicious flavor. In the 1880s, groundhog meat was the preferred cuisine at the local Punxsutawney Elks Lodge, the same lodge responsible for conceiving of the original Groundhog Day ceremony — and a summer hunt. Locals loved the taste of the small rodent, saying it was “like a cross between pork and chicken.” They would also indulge in celebratory potables like “Groundhog Punch,” an unusual concoction known to contain vodka, milk, eggs, and orange juice. Groundhog meat continued to be served as a regional delicacy into the 20th century, with a recipe for “Groundhog, Punxsutawney Style” published in a 1958 cookbook to raise money for a local hospital. However, the hunting portion of the holiday ultimately faded in popularity, as locals opted to enjoy the animal more for its cuteness than for its taste.

 

4. Groundhog Day Predictions Were Censored During WWII

According to Bill Cooper of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club, the only year Groundhog Day hasn’t been celebrated since its inception is 1942. During World War II, Americans were cautious to not potentially divulge favorable weather forecasts to their enemies. The rule was a nationwide edict that even prevented newspapers from printing sky conditions, instead forcing them to be vague about how certain days were nicer or gloomier than others. That mandate extended to the 1942 Groundhog Day celebration; that year, the prediction stated, “War clouds have blacked out parts of the shadow.”

 

5. Punxsutawney Phil’s Predictions Are Less Accurate Than a Coin Flip

He may be heralded as the most prophetic rodent in the world, but Punxsutawney Phil’s annual predictions are far from accurate. According to records, Phil has predicted 107 forecasts of a longer winter compared to just 20 early springs (nine additional years lack records on file). When taking into account the historic weather data that followed Phil’s predictions, he’s been correct only around 39% of the time — making him a less reliable barometer than a coin flip. Phil has a bit of competition when it comes to weather forecasting. Staten Island Chuck — a resident of New York’s Staten Island Zoo — has a prediction rate over 80%. Chuck went on a hot streak and made a correct weather prediction every Groundhog Day between 2010 and 2021, with the exception of 2017. So while Phil is undeniably more famous, Chuck may have the edge when it comes to actually foreseeing the future.

 

6. Tom Hanks Was Considered for the Lead Role in the Film “Groundhog Day”

The 1993 film Groundhog Day established the holiday as a nationwide phenomenon, and while it’s hard to imagine anyone but Bill Murray in the lead role, he was nearly beaten out by another famous actor. Director Harold Ramis wanted Tom Hanks to portray newsman Phil Connors, though it was ultimately concluded that Tom Hanks was “too nice” to play the curmudgeonly part. Other actors considered for the role included Chevy Chase, Kevin Kline, and Michael Keaton, the latter of whom was offered the part but turned it down because he didn’t “understand” the movie. Keaton later expressed regret for that decision in a 2014 interview, though given Murray’s memorable performance, it all worked out to the delight of audiences.

 

 

Source: Facts About Groundhog Day That Bear Repeating

Edited February 3, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - GINKGO TREES

Did you know... There were ginkgo trees on Earth before the dinosaurs.
There is no tree on Earth like the Ginkgo biloba. It’s the sole survivor of its genus, family (Ginkoaceae), order (Ginkgoales), class (Ginkgoopsida), and even its phylum (Ginkgophyta). In other words, it has no living relatives. Ancestors of the ginkgos now filling our parks and city streets lived on Earth 270 million years ago; for those keeping track, that means the ginkgo predates the Triassic period (aka the beginning of the dinosaurs) by a cool 18 million years. The gingko is the oldest living tree species in the world — it’s been nicknamed a “living fossil.”  However, the ginkgo tree’s historic run almost came to an end before it was saved by an unlikely ecological hero: humans. Ginkgos began declining from certain areas of the world, including North America and Europe, as the Earth started to cool 66 million years ago. By the time the last ice age ended and kicked off the Holocene epoch, the Ginkgo biloba only thrived in what is modern China, where people began planting and eating their seeds. Ginkgos then found their way to Japan and were eventually discovered in the late 17th century by German scientist Engelbert Kaempfer, who reintroduced the tree to the West. For decades, scientists believed Ginkgo biloba was effectively extinct in the wild, only surviving through human cultivation, but small colonies of wild ginkgo have since been spotted in southwestern China. Today, the ginkgo’s beauty and hardiness make it a natural candidate for city parks and streets, and the tree can be found scattered throughout the U.S. So when you next enjoy the shade of a looming ginkgo, remember that those beautiful leaves once provided refuge for dinosaurs.

 

Most ginkgo trees planted in the U.S. are male.
While some plants can be both male and female, ginkgo trees are dioecious, meaning they’re either male or female. Male ginkgos release pollen in the spring that fertilizes female trees in the surrounding area — then the trouble begins. Female seeds are infamous for smelling like vomit (or rancid butter if you’re being polite). Scientists think this smell once attracted some animals, possibly even dinosaurs, to eat the seeds and spread them through digestion, but whatever that animal was, it’s long extinct, and no known animals are attracted to the smell today. Yet the trees are still prized for their tolerance to urban soil and air pollution as well as their beauty, so city planners and tree wardens have avoided the foul smell altogether by often planting only males. That doesn’t mean city streets have avoided the odor entirely, however: Ginkgo trees have been known to spontaneously change sex. (Interesting Facts)

 

Ginkgo biloba is a graceful, long-lived tree. The last living species of of its kind, ginkgo is ancient and beautiful. With every other species being extinct, this is an utterly unique plant. Ginkgo is a popular, graceful addition to urban landscapes. Its reputation as a memory booster makes it popular in natural wellness stores as well. Of course, there’s so much more to the Ginkgo plan than its ability to improve memory and beautify cityscapes. Ready to learn all kinds of interesting ginkgo tree facts?

 

1. The Basics

Ginkgo biloba is popularly known as the Maidenhair tree. Its leaves look similar to the common maidenhair fern that abounds in England, which is one reason for the nickname. The other is the cascade of golden leaves that grace the tree in fall. Its leaves are well loved by urban planners because of their graceful shape and bright yellow, autumnal color. Ginkgo trees tend to turn gold all at once, creating an absolutely stunning display.

 

2. Emblems of Longevity

This tree is native to China, where these trees for their symbolic representation of yin and yang, as well as for their many uses in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). Since these trees can live for over a thousand years, the trees are considered symbols of longevity and good health.  Give a ginkgo bonsai to an older relative as a birthday present and wish them “100 years” of happiness!

 

3. Males Only, Please!

One of the most interesting ginkgo tree facts is that urban planners only use male ginkgo trees for ornamental growth and landscaping. This is because female trees produce a foul-smelling seed (or fruit). The fruit stinks like rancid butter, which is designed to attract carnivorous animals—possibly dinosaurs, long ago! Male trees merely produce pollen, so they’re far more appealing to have around. Choosing male-only trees can cause some biodiversity issues in cityscapes. Without female trees, ginkgos never have the chance to really settle into a new area.

 

4. Tougher than the Average Tree

Ginkgos are one of the most hardy trees in the modern world. In fact, some urban trees have been going strong for over 100 years. Here’s a tidbit for you: ginkgos were the first trees to begin growing again after the atomic attack on Hiroshima! Six ginkgo trees survived the blast and are still thriving today. These really are amazing plants. These trees are even resistant to many insects—they’re actually extremely unattractive to most insects. Bugs tend to avoid ginkgo trees, as the tree emits a toxin that repels them.

 

5. Bye-Bye Birdy

Since ginkgo trees repel insects, they tend not to attract many birds either. Birds like to alight in trees to rest and eat. But ginkgo seeds don’t appeal to birds, and the trees are bare of bugs. Therefore, many birds will only stop briefly in ginkgo trees before moving on to tastier pastures.

 

6. Pollution Resistors

Ginkgo trees are pollutant resistant as well. These trees can handle conditions that would cause a less-hardy tree to struggle. The average life expectancy of urban trees is about 10 years, because of the pollution and stresses of city life. Ginkgo trees, however, beat all the odds. (Top 10 ante-smog trees)

 

7. Either Tall or Tiny

Ginkgos can grow up to 150 feet tall. Left to their own devices, they’ll end up towering above the earth. Of course, when carefully pruned and trained, they can also grow beautifully in miniature form. They’re popular trees in the art of Bonsai, where trees are only allowed to grow about a foot tall in carefully curated pots.

 

8. Truly Ancient Trees

These trees are living fossils. They’ve existed as a species, unchanged, for over 200 million years. Ginkgo fossils dating back to the early Jurassic period have been discovered all over the world. Sometime between the Jurassic and the Pliocene period, ginkgos declined in variety and ended up only thriving in a few areas of China.

 

Click below  to learn more about Ginkgo Trees.

 

 

Source: Surprising Ginkgo Tree Facts

 

 

Edited February 4, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HUMAN BODY

Did you know.... You’re taller in the morning.
Gravity is an essential force on Earth: It keeps the planet in orbit at a safe and comfortable distance from the sun, and even holds our atmosphere in place. It does have a downside, however: It weighs down the human body, making us a tiny bit shorter by the end of the day. From the moment we climb out of bed in the morning, gravitational forces push down on us, applying downward pressure on our joints, compressing our spines, and causing our organs to settle. All that strain adds up, enough to shrink a body by 1 centimeter. Gravity is at work whether we’re sitting or standing, but at bedtime, our bodies get a slight reprieve as lying down redirects the force. Sleeping horizontally gives our spines and joints time to decompress and gain back the height lost during the day, making us once again slightly taller by morning. Even though this ebb and flow is a normal process our bodies endure, over time humans tend to shrink in stature. The human body constantly breaks down and replenishes its bones to keep them healthy, though by age 35, that process tends to slow, with bones breaking down faster than they rebuild. The aging process also causes the cushions between our bones to retain less water and deteriorate, which makes the bones settle together. These processes slowly chip away a few millimeters of height at a time, which can eventually add up — on average, men tend to lose an inch of height between 30 and 70 years old, while women can lose up to 2 inches.

 

Astronauts get taller in space.
Most people reach their maximum height by early adulthood — unless they’re astronauts. That’s because scientists who rocket into space for extended periods tend to grow about 3% taller during their time off Earth. In astronaut Scott Kelly’s case, a 340-day trip aboard the International Space Station gave him the souvenir of around 2 additional inches of height. NASA research on astronaut bodies shows that while in space, the spine’s vertebrae decompress and relax, giving space explorers the benefit of added height. However, that increase in statute is temporary; once back on Earth, the planet’s gravitational forces are back in play, causing those extra inches to disappear.

 

We all have them, yet our bodies are often a source of mystery. Some biological functions truly are perplexing — we still don’t know exactly why we dream or why we cry when we’re emotional, for example. But others have given rise to persistent myths, despite decades of debunking by scientists. Here are just a few common beliefs about the human body that you might be surprised aren’t true.

 

1. Myth: We Have Five Sense

 

In the fourth century BCE, Aristotle identified five — and only five — senses: sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch. Over the past 2,000 years, though, we’ve learned much more about our ability to perceive and process our surroundings. Some researchers have suggested we have 21 or more senses based on the types of receptors contained in our sensory organs. For example, we have mechanoreception, which includes the sense of balance; perception of hot and cold temperatures; receptors to taste bitter, sweet, salty, sour, and umami flavors; and even interoceptors for sensing blood pressure and lung inflation.

 

2. Myth: You Can’t Regrow Brain Cells

Humans are born with about 100 billion brain cells. Until the 1990s, most scientists believed 100 billion was all we’d ever have. Growing new neurons would interrupt communication among our existing brain cells and short-circuit the whole system — or so the theory went. Then, a 1998 study found evidence that humans could generate new cells in the brain’s hippocampus, an area associated with learning and memory. More recent studies have largely supported the idea, and suggest that we might be able to make up to 1,500 neurons a day. Though research continues, neurogenesis is good news: Growing fresh neurons may make our brains more resilient against Alzheimer’s, depression, anxiety, and other disorders.

 

3. Myth: Speaking of Brains, We Use Only 10% of Them at a Time

Maybe you’ve heard peppy TED Talk speakers say that our brains have limitless potential… if only we could employ them to their fullest extent. They might have been referring to the myth that we use just 10% of our brain power at a given time. This old chestnut probably grew from a 1907 article for the journal Science by William James, one of the founders of modern psychology. “Compared with what we ought to be, we are only half awake… we are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources,” he wrote. Dale Carnegie cited James in How to Win Friends and Influence People, his 1936 self-help bestseller. Eventually, someone — it isn’t clear who — claimed we were ignoring 90% of our mental powers. But there’s no scientific basis for the belief.

 

4. Myth: You Need to Drink Eight Glasses of Water a Day to Stay Hydrated

Mild dehydration can make you sluggish and dizzy, while a serious case can lead to organ damage. But there’s little evidence to suggest that eight 8-ounce glasses of water per day is the ideal amount to maintain health. This well-known myth likely arose from a 1945 government health bulletin, which claimed that “a suitable allowance of water for adults is usually 2.5 liters daily … Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.” Over time, people overlooked that second sentence and assumed the guidelines called for 2.5 liters per day in addition to water contained in foods. Today, dietitians say that the optimum amount of water intake per day varies from person to person, but that most of it should come from food sources like fresh fruits and vegetables.

 

5. Myth: You Shouldn’t Swim on a Full Stomach

You’ve probably heard adults admonish kids to wait a half-hour (or longer) after a meal before jumping back in the pool. Generations of people have believed that, soon after eating, blood is diverted from the limbs toward the gut to aid digestion. Swimming too soon would supposedly cause your stomach or extremities to cramp up, which could lead to drowning. In 2011, the Red Cross published a thorough investigation of the scientific literature and found no link between eating and drowning, concluding that “food intake restrictions prior to swimming are unnecessary.” On the other hand, you may want to wait for your lunch to settle before trying that backflip off the diving board.

 

6. Myth: You Can Catch a Cold From Cold Weather

Low temperatures alone can’t make you sick — you’re going to need a virus for that. The pervasive sense that cold weather causes colds stems from a few coinciding factors. One, viruses that cause the common cold are more active and resilient in winter in many parts of the world. Two, cold temperatures outside keep more people inside, where you might pick up someone else’s virus (and indoor heating can dry out your sinuses, making it easier for viruses to invade). Three, cold weather may also slow down your normal immune responses. All of these scenarios add up to a greater risk of being exposed to a virus that has a better chance of making you sick. And while we’re on the topic, the myth that you should feed a cold (and starve a fever) probably arose in the medieval era, when people “treated” colds by raising a patient’s body temperature with hot meals. People also believed that fevers could be “cooled down” by depriving the body of food. In fact, bodies fighting both kinds of illnesses need proper nourishment, as well as rest and fluids.

 

 

Source: Myths About the Human Body

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Did you know... The most beloved children’s books are also remembered fondly by grown-ups, but there’s always something new to learn about them. Which rhyming classic, now a standard part of any nursery, had dismal sales at first? What was Where the Wild Things Are originally about — and where did the titular Wild Things come from? Which author started her iconic tales by writing letters? From innovative illustrations to a bestseller written on a $50 bet, these six facts about favorite children’s books will send you straight to the library for a little rereading.

 

1. “Goodnight Moon” Wasn’t a Huge Success at First

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown is one of the most famous children’s books of all time — but it was never a big success during the author’s lifetime. It sold just 6,000 copies when it first came out in the fall of 1947, and reviews were middling to mixed. So what happened? One possible reason for its initial popularity problem could be Anne Carroll Moore, former head of New York Public Library’s children’s services and a wildly influential figure in the children’s literature world. If Moore hated a book, it made an impact that reverberated far beyond the Empire State, and she thought that Goodnight Moon was cloyingly sentimental. The book eventually became popular probably by word of mouth, but it took a long time: The title sold 4,000 copies in 1955, 8,000 copies in 1960, then nearly 20,000 in 1970, and only went up from there. It has never been out of print. Even the New York Public Library finally put it in circulation in 1972 — although the delay likely kept it off their Top Checkouts of All Time list.

At least Goodnight Moon was in good company. While Moore made many library innovations that we take for granted today, including the very idea of having a space for children at a library, she had some controversial opinions on the books themselves. She had an intense professional relationship with author E. B. White that eventually became adversarial, and hated Stuart Little with a passion — although her effort to ban it from libraries and schools got severe pushback from other parts of the literary community. She wasn’t a huge fan of Charlotte’s Web, either, but her influence had waned by the time it was published.

 

2. “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” Started as a Letter to a Sick Child

At age 27, author Beatrix Potter wrote an eight-page letter, hoping to cheer up the sick 5-year-old child of her former governess. In it, she told a story of Peter Rabbit and his siblings Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-Tail. Potter loved making watercolor images of animals, so she illustrated the tale before sending it off. Publishing was not part of the original plan, but after getting an overwhelmingly positive response to her letter, she decided to send it around to publishers. After getting rejected at least six times, Potter published The Tale of Peter Rabbit independently in 1901. The next year it was picked up by a major publisher, became a major hit, and the rest is history. The Tale of Peter Rabbit isn’t the only Potter story to start this way. Others, including The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and some other Peter Rabbit books, were also based on illustrated letters sent to children.

 

3. Nobody Knows Who Actually Wrote “The Little Engine That Could”

Today, there’s a standard edition of The Little Engine That Could, immortalized as a standalone children’s book in 1930. That version credits the story “as retold by” Watty Piper, a pseudonym for children’s book publisher Arnold Munk — because the tale actually dates back far enough that it’s practically considered a folktale.

One Little Engine enthusiast even found a version published in Sweden in 1903. In 1906, a minister used a version of the story, complete with “I think I can” and “I thought I could,” as a parable in a sermon published in a newspaper. By 1920, the story was already in wide circulation. The 1930 version’s closest relative is The Pony Engine, published in a children’s magazine by educator Mabel Bragg in 1916. There was a legal battle in the 1950s over whether another author published a similar version in a series of newsletters in the early 1910s. The original author’s identity remains unknown, and, with traces dating back about 120 years, anyone with direct knowledge of the story’s beginnings is almost certainly dead. At this point, maybe it’s a collaborative work, anyway.

 

4. Maurice Sendak’s “Wild Things” Were Originally Horses

It’s hard to imagine a world without Where the Wild Things Are, but if author and illustrator Maurice Sendak had just been a little better at drawing horses, things could have turned out much differently. “At first,” Sendak told the LA Times in 1993, “the book was to be called ‘Where the Wild Horses Are,’ but when it became apparent to my editor I could not draw horses, she kindly changed the title to ‘Wild Things,’ with the idea that I could at the very least draw ‘a thing’!” Now tasked with drawing “things,” Sendak turned to his extended family for inspiration. As a child, he dreaded when his “hideous, beastly relatives,” with what he described as bad breath, blood-stained eyes, and giant yellow teeth, would show up for dinner, ready to squeeze and pinch him.

“So I drew my relatives,” Sendak continued. “They’re all dead now, so I can tell people.”

 

5. The Illustrations in “A Snowy Day” Are Mixed-Media Collages

A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats was groundbreaking in many ways when it was first published in 1962: It was one of the first, if not the first, American full-color children’s books to feature a Black protagonist, for example, and one of just a handful of them to feature an urban landscape. The collaged illustrations, which earned Keats a Caldecott Medal, were fresh and innovative, using a combination of cloth, paper, and paint to create Peter and a snow-covered New York City. Keats had illustrated children’s books before, and typically only used paint, which was the original plan for A Snowy Day. Instead, he fell into collage, making paper cutouts for the buildings, adding fabric embellishments, and dressing Peter’s mother in oilcloth. He also used homemade snowflake stamps and applied India ink with a toothbrush to complete the look. He continued to use collage for all his future works.

 

6. “Green Eggs and Ham” Has a 50-Word Vocabulary

In his earlier career, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel was a little wordier; his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, is a little bit of a mouthful in the title alone. So how did we get from there to, say, Hop on Pop? For The Cat in the Hat, Geisel’s publisher challenged him to limit his vocabulary to just 225 words chosen from a 348-word early reader vocabulary list, making it both easy and exciting for very young children learning to read. He picked the first two rhyming words he saw, “cat” and “hat,” and built the entire plot from there. The finished product was 11 words over the limit, at 236.Soon afterward, Geisel’s publisher gave him a new, more difficult challenge — write a book using only 50 words — and bet him $50 he couldn’t do it. This time, the author stuck to the limit, and the result was “Green Eggs and Ham.”

 

 

Source: Interesting Facts About Beloved Children’s Books

 

 

[DarkRavie]

Tuesday's Fact of the Day!

 

Fact of the Day - CUMULUS CLOUDS

Did you know...  The average cumulus cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds.
When people draw clouds, the results are usually big, fluffy, white creations, known scientifically as cumulus clouds. Although there are dozens of different cloud types, this is the one we most often associate with the word “cloud.” Though they may not be as mesmerizing as lenticular clouds hovering over volcanoes or as puzzling as arcus clouds stretching for miles, there still are some facets of them that truly boggle the mind. Take, for instance, the weight of an average cumulus cloud. Although these collections of water vapor seem to float effortlessly, clouds are extremely heavy. In fact, according to the United States Geological Survey, the average cumulus cloud weighs 1.1 million pounds. If a cloud floats, how do you weigh it? Well, the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research estimates that the average cumulus cloud is about 1 kilometer (0.62 miles) long and 1 kilometer tall, or a billion cubic meters in volume. Meanwhile, the water density of a typical cumulus cloud is 0.5 grams (about a marble’s worth) per cubic meter. That means the average cumulus cloud holds 500,000,000 grams of water — or 1.1 million pounds. But while we have the equivalent of 100 elephants floating above our heads, the dryer, denser air beneath the cloud is even heavier, which is why those clouds can harmlessly float on by. (Interesting Facts)

 

Beyond their fluffy appearance, there is a lot more to know about cumulus clouds — the most popular clouds of the lot. Given below is a compilation of some fascinating facts about these clouds, intended to shed some light on them. 

 

In meteorology, a cloud is defined as a visible mass of water and/or ice particles suspended at a considerable altitude. Though technically sound, that definition is more likely to be dismissed as a jargon, and that shouldn’t be surprising … after all, we have been brought up calling these clouds ‘puffy balls of cotton’, or ‘white fluffy cotton wool’. There are different types of clouds, i.e., the high-level clouds, like cirrus, cirrostratus, and cirrocumulus, mid-level clouds, like altocumulus and altostratus, and low-level clouds, like stratus (marked by horizontal development) and cumulus (marked by vertical development). When we use phrases like ‘puffy balls of cotton’, or ‘cotton wool’ for that matter, we most often refer to these cumulus clouds — typically characterized by a flat base and a fluffy appearance.

 

Facts about Cumulus Clouds
✦ Cumulus clouds are by far the most popular among the various cloud types, not just because of their appearance, but also because they go on to form the cumulonimbus clouds, which are often associated with thunderstorms. These clouds appear as if they have been piled up one upon another and hence the name ‘cumulus’, which means a pile, or heap in Latin.

 

A typical cumulus cloud with flat base and fluffy appearance

✦ The flat base of these clouds can be attributed to the fact that water vapor doesn’t condense until it reaches a certain height. On the other hand, the upper portion of these clouds is fluffy — with well-defined edges — because of water vapor drifting upwards in the atmosphere.

 

✦ These clouds are further grouped into different types on the basis of vertical development they undergo: cumulus fractus (typically marked by their irregular formation), cumulus humilis (very little, or no vertical development), cumulus mediocris (moderate vertical development), and cumulus congestus (great vertical development with sharp outlines).

 

✦ The cumulus congestus

in particular is known for its towering vertical growth and cauliflower-like structure, and is often referred to as the ‘towering cumulus’. Cumulus humilis clouds usually form during fair weather conditions and therefore, the nickname ‘fair-weather cumulus’ or simply, ‘fair-weather clouds’.

 

✦ As in case of other cloud types, even cumulus clouds form when water vapor rises in the air and condenses above the surface of the Earth. Cumulus clouds either form during fair weather conditions, or just before a storm. These clouds are often considered the precursors of various other types of clouds, including the heavy clouds, like cumulonimbus.

 

 

✦ Cumulus clouds form close to the surface of the Earth, and their tendency of developing vertically can make them huge. 

These clouds require a continuous supply of rising air to sustain. If they don’t get it, they start eroding and eventually disappear. On an average, these clouds survive for less than an hour before they begin eroding away, or become cumulonimbus clouds; the latter, if they get fueled by rising air continuously.

 

✦ Cumulus clouds usually form at an altitude of anywhere between 8,000 ft. to 20,000 ft., depending on the amount of moisture content in the rising air. In favorable conditions, these clouds can form at low altitudes; at times, as low as 330 ft. Basically, humidity and the altitude at which these clouds form are inversely related, i.e., higher the humidity, lower the cloud base. Cloud Heights

 

✦ Cumulus clouds are known for their mammoth size, extending for thousands of meters vertically and horizontally.

A typical cumulus cloud has a base height of 1000 meters. Then there are the cloud streets — a formation resembling a long line of clouds, either continuous, or broken, which is formed as a result of cumulus clouds falling in line.

 

So the next time you see these fluffy clouds over the horizon, you can boast of knowing a lot more about them. Cloud watching is, in fact, an interesting activity, which you should definitely give a try if you haven’t as yet. You simply have to find out if there is any cloud watching club in your area and join it; the clouds will take care of the rest.

 

 

Source: Facts About the Cumulus Clouds

Edited February 8, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - THE ALPHABET

Did you know... "Q" is the only letter that doesn't appear in a U.S. state name.

Canada has Québec, and Mexico has Querétaro and Quintana Roo, but the U.S. lacks a state name that showcases our 17th letter. “Q” is generally said to be the rarest letter in the English alphabet, appearing in only 0.196% of the main entries of the Concise Oxford Dictionary’s 2004 edition, for example. Like “j,” it is absent from the periodic table, and it too is one of the letters that Benjamin Franklin wanted to nix from the alphabet (along with “c,” “w,” “x,” and “y”). Among the 50 states, “j” and “z” are also underutilized, appearing just once apiece, in New Jersey and Arizona. The letter “a” is the one that arises most often when reciting the list of states — it’s featured 61 times in 36 names. Meanwhile, eight states apiece begin with “m” or “n.” One of them, Massachusetts, has the longest state name, at least in its official form, "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts.” Despite its lack of representation when it comes to state toponyms, “q” has fared better in American pop culture exports, which include the likes of Quentin Tarantino, the 1994 film Quiz Show, the musical Avenue Q, and the hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest. Famed musician and producer Quincy Jones’ resume includes 28 Grammy Awards, tying a record for the most received by any living person.  

 

The name “Idaho” comes from a lie.
George M. Willing wanted his name to go down in history, and in a roundabout way, he succeeded. When the Pike’s Peak gold rush began, the Philadelphia-born doctor was one of the many who tried his luck digging for gold in the territory eventually named Colorado. The details are hazy, but around 1860, Willing suggested that the territory should be called “Idaho,” declaring (falsely) that it was an Indigenous word from the Shoshone tribe meaning “gem of the mountains.” The name was nearly ratified, until Congress learned that its origin story was fake, and an earlier suggestion, “Colorado” (from the Spanish for “colored red,” originally because of the area’s red sandstone soil), was used instead. Nevertheless, in 1863, the name “Idaho” was assigned to another territory, and eventual state, with officials apparently not knowing — or caring — that the name was only recently made up. However, Idaho Springs, Colorado, endures. (Interesting facts) 

 

"Writers spend years rearranging 26 letters of the alphabet," novelist Richard Price once observed. "It's enough to make you lose your mind day by day." It's also a good enough reason to gather a few facts about one of the most significant inventions in human history.

 

The Origin of the Word Alphabet
The English word alphabet comes to us, by way of Latin, from the names of the first two letters of the Greek alphabet, alpha and beta. These Greek words were in turn derived from the original Semitic names for the symbols: Aleph ("ox") and beth ("house").

 

Where the English Alphabet Came From

• The original set of 30 signs, known as the Semitic alphabet, was used in ancient Phoenicia beginning around 1600 BCE. Most scholars believe that this alphabet, which consisted of signs for consonants only, is the ultimate ancestor of virtually all later alphabets. (The one significant exception appears to be Korea's han-gul script, created in the 15th century.)
• Around 1,000 BCE, the Greeks adopted a shorter version of the Semitic alphabet, reassigning certain symbols to represent vowel sounds, and eventually, the Romans developed their own version of the Greek (or Ionic) alphabet. It's generally accepted that the Roman alphabet reached England by way of the Irish sometime during the early period of Old English (5 c.- 12 c.).
• Over the past millennium, the English alphabet has lost a few special letters and drawn fresh distinctions between others. But otherwise, our modern English alphabet remains quite similar to the version of the Roman alphabet that we inherited from the Irish.

 

The Number of Languages That Use the Roman Alphabet
About 100 languages rely on the Roman alphabet. Used by roughly two billion people, it's the world's most popular script. As David Sacks notes in Letter Perfect (2004), "There are variations of the Roman alphabet: For example, English employs 26 letters; Finnish, 21; Croatian, 30. But at the core are the 23 letters of ancient Rome. (The Romans lacked J, V, and W.)"

 

 

How Many Sounds There Are in English
There are more than 40 distinct sounds (or phonemes) in English. Because we have just 26 letters to represent those sounds, most letters stand for more than one sound. The consonant c, for example, is pronounced differently in the three words cook, city, and (combined with h) chop.

 

What Are Majuscules and Minuscules?
Majuscules (from Latin majusculus, rather large) are capital letters. Minuscules (from Latin minusculus, rather small) are lower-case letters. The combination of majuscules and minuscules in a single system (the so-called dual alphabet) first appeared in a form of writing named after Emperor Charlemagne (742-814), Carolingian minuscule.

 

Pangrams
Pangrams are a sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet. The best-known example is "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog." A more efficient pangram is "Pack my box with five dozen liquor jugs."

 

 

Lipograms
Lipograms are text that deliberately excludes a particular letter of the alphabet. The best-known example in English is Ernest Vincent Wright's novel Gadsby: Champion of Youth (1939) — a story of more than 50,000 words in which the letter e never appears.

 

"Zee" Versus "Zed"
The older pronunciation of "zed" was inherited from Old French. The American "zee," a dialect form heard in England during the 17th century (perhaps by analogy with bee, dee, etc.), was approved by Noah Webster in his American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). The letter z, by the way, has not always been relegated to the end of the alphabet. In the Greek alphabet, it came in at a quite respectable number seven. According to Tom McArthur in The Oxford Companion to the English Language (1992), "The Romans adopted Z later than the rest of the alphabet, since /z/ was not a native Latin sound, adding it at the end of their list of letters and using it rarely." The Irish and English simply imitated the Roman convention of placing z last.

 

 

Source: Interesting Facts About the English Alphabet

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - VOLCANOES

Did you know... About 75% of the Earth's volcanoes are located on the Pacific Ocean's “Ring of Fire.”
About 1,350 potentially active volcanoes dot the Earth today, and the lion’s share of them can be found along a 25,000-mile-long horseshoe-shaped ribbon that borders the Pacific Ocean. This Circum-Pacific Belt, more commonly known as the “Ring of Fire,” is home to some of the most volcanically active areas in the world, including Southeast Asia, New Zealand, Japan, Chile, Alaska, and parts of the contiguous United States. These volcanoes are largely formed at subduction zones, when denser tectonic plates slip underneath lighter plates. This subduction turns the Earth’s dense mantle into magma, which eventually bubbles up as volcanoes. The “Ring of Fire” is home to about 90% of all earthquakes, and in the past 150 years, deadly volcanic explosions — from Indonesia’s Krakatoa in 1883 to Mount St. Helens nearly a century later — have happened along this dangerous stretch. But although the “Ring of Fire” is known for its destructive nature, it’s also a force of creation. Alaska’s Aleutian Islands are the result of Ring of Fire subduction zones, and many continental mountain ranges, such as the Cascades in the Pacific Northwest and the Andes in South America, also owe their existence to the subterranean drama unfurling just beneath the surface.

 

Volcanoes caused the largest mass extinction in Earth’s history.
Around 252 million years ago, life was going great — until it wasn’t. The Permian Extinction, known even more ominously as “The Great Dying,” is the largest extinction event in Earth’s history. It was even more devastating than the asteroid-induced extinction that ended the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. In fact, the Permian Extinction wiped out 95% of all marine and 70% of all terrestrial species. What could be more deadly than a 6-mile-wide asteroid? Siberian volcanoes. Known as the Siberian Traps in modern-day Russia, these volcanoes spewed ash and gases for hundreds of thousands of years at a rate that hasn’t been seen since. This toxic mixture slowly warmed the planet, raised ocean acidity, and possibly damaged the Earth’s protective ozone layer, allowing deadly UV-B radiation to ravage plant life. The Permian Extinction definitively closed one major chapter in Earth history, but it also cleaned the slate for another to begin. After all, the next geologic period — the Triassic — saw the rise of the first dinosaurs. (Interesting Facts)

 

Want some volcano facts? Here are facts about volcanoes. Some of these facts you’ll know, and others may surprise you. Whatever the case, volcanoes are amazing features of nature that demand our respect.

 

1. There are Three Major Kinds of Volcanoes:
Although volcanoes are all made from hot magma reaching the surface of the Earth and erupting, there are different kinds.

• Shield volcanoes have lava flows with low viscosity that flow dozens of kilometers; this makes them very wide with smoothly sloping flanks.
• Stratovolcanoes are made up of different kinds of lava, and eruptions of ash and rock and grow to enormous heights.
• Cinder cone volcanoes are usually smaller, and come from short-lived eruptions that only make a cone about 400 meters high.

 

2. Volcanoes Erupt Because of Escaping Magma:

About 30 km beneath your feet is the Earth’s mantle. It’s a region of superhot rock that extends down to the Earth’s core. This region is so hot that molten rock can squeeze out and form giant bubbles of liquid rock called magma chambers. This magma is lighter than the surrounding rock, so it rises up, finding cracks and weakness in the Earth’s crust. When it finally reaches the surface, it erupts out of the ground as lava, ash, volcanic gasses and rock. It’s called magma when it’s under the ground, and lava when it erupts onto the surface.

 

 

3. Volcanoes can be Active, Dormant or Extinct:
An active volcano is one that has had an eruption in historical times (in the last few thousand years). A dormant volcano is one that has erupted in historical times and has the potential to erupt again, it just hasn’t erupted recently. An extinct volcano is one that scientists think probably won’t erupt again. Here’s more information on the active volcanoes in the world.

 

4. Volcanoes can Grow Quickly:
Although some volcanoes can take thousands of years to form, others can grow overnight. For example, the cinder cone volcano Paricutin appeared in a Mexican cornfield on February 20, 1943. Within a week it was 5 stories tall, and by the end of a year it had grown to more than 336 meters tall. It ended its grown in 1952, at a height of 424 meters. By geology standards, that’s pretty quick.

 

 

5. There are 20 Volcanoes Erupting Right Now:
Somewhere, around the world, there are likely about 20 active volcanoes erupting as you’re reading this. Some are experiencing new activity, others are ongoing. Between 50-70 volcanoes erupted last year, and 160 were active in the last decade. Geologists estimate that 1,300 erupted in the last 10,000 years. Three quarters of all eruptions happen underneath the ocean, and most are actively erupting and no geologist knows about it at all. One of the reasons is that volcanoes occur at the mid ocean ridges, where the ocean’s plates are spreading apart. If you add the underwater volcanoes, you get an estimate that there are a total of about 6,000 volcanoes that have erupted in the last 10,000 years.

 

6. Volcanoes are Dangerous:
But then you knew that. Some of the most deadly volcanoes include Krakatoa, which erupted in 1883, releasing a tsunami that killed 36,000 people. When Vesuvius exploded in AD 79, it buried the towns of Pompeii and Herculaneum, killing 16,000 people. Mount Pelée, on the island of Martinique destroyed a town with 30,000 people in 1902. The most dangerous aspect of volcanoes are the deadly pyroclastic flows that blast down the side of a volcano during an eruption. These contain ash, rock and water moving hundreds of kilometers an hour, and hotter than 1,000 degrees C.

 

 

Click the link below  to read more about Volcanoes.

 

Source: Interesting Facts About Volcanoes

Edited February 9, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TUMBLEWEED

Did you know... The iconic tumbleweed of the West is not native to North America.
Watching an old Western might leave you with the perception that tumbleweeds have always been a part of America’s Western landscape. However, many of the spiky bushes are actually an invasive species from Russia. Salsola tragus goes by a variety of names — including “Russian thistle” and “wind witch” — but its best-known title comes from the way the plant breaks free from the ground at the end of its growing season, blowing around and spreading hundreds of thousands of seeds. While some native tumbleweeds do exist — like Amaranthus albus, aka common tumbleweed — Russian thistle is highly invasive, a term scientists use to describe species that choke out native plants and cause ecological harm by altering habitats. Today, Russian thistle is the most common type of tumbleweed in California.

 

Botanists believe Russian thistle first put down roots in South Dakota around 1873, accidentally mixed into containers of flaxseed brought with European immigrants and growing unchecked in arid, desolate regions because it requires minimal water. Russian thistle gained such a stronghold in Western states that it alarmed government botanists, who reported in the 1890s that the plant had claimed as much as 35,000 square miles of land in just two decades of growth. While wind helped disperse the seeds, the early days of the railroad system also spread seeds inside batches of contaminated agricultural material, both throughout the U.S. and as far north as Canada.

 

Tumbleweeds may seem relatively benign to humans, but they are known to gather en masse during windstorms, causing highways to shut down and even trapping people in their homes and cars. Newer species are capable of reaching 6 feet tall, prompting naturalists to remove them wherever they crop up with the help of shovels and herbicides.

 

 

American farmers grew tumbleweed plants during the Dust Bowl.

In their mature state, tumbleweeds don’t necessarily look nourishing, but the green leaves of young Russian thistle plants are actually quality feed for livestock — a fact utilized by Dust Bowl ranchers. Drought during the 1930s, combined with farming practices that failed to conserve soil health, had dried and cracked earth that was then battered by high winds, stripping off the topsoil and creating dust storms. Altogether, these conditions made it impossible for farmers to plant their fields. They faced a livestock feed shortage, while cattle ranchers faced the very real possibility of losing their herds to starvation. In some regions, farm workers turned to planting Russian thistle, which was known for withstanding unforgiving environments. One county in Oklahoma reportedly held a “Russian Thistle Week” to encourage residents to collect the green (some reports suggest people even brined and ate the plant themselves). Russian thistle was such a useful stand-in for traditional livestock feed that Kansas farms produced more than 350,000 tons of hay from the plant in just 1934, crediting it as a lifesaver for cattle farmers.

 

Source: About Tumbleweeds

[DarkRavie]

Saturday's Fact of the Day

 

Fact of the Day - MICKY MOUSE

Did you know... Disney will lose the copyright to the original Mickey Mouse in 2024.
In 1928, Walt Disney’s Hollywood studio was on the brink of bankruptcy, plagued with debts and failed contracts. Miraculously, it took just one mouse to turn things around. Disney’s first iteration of its most recognizable animated character is often referred to as Steamboat Willie thanks to his role in a short movie of the same name; today, of course, everyone knows his name is Mickey Mouse. In 2024, the copyright protection over his first adventure will expire, sailing the character into the waters of the public domain. (Later versions of Mickey will remain protected until their own copyrights expire.)

 

Steamboat Willie hit screens on November 18, 1928, making entertainment history as the first cartoon to use fully synchronized sound (most films at that time, animated and otherwise, were silent). Walt Disney, burned from previous fights over intellectual property, copyrighted the character at a time when U.S. copyright law guaranteed protection for a total of 56 years. But around the time of the animation’s original expiration date, the Walt Disney Company lobbied for extended coverage, retaining control for decades longer thanks to the Copyright Act of 1976 and 1998’s Copyright Term Extension Act (often referred to as the Mickey Mouse Protection Act).  Dissolving Disney’s copyright over the Steamboat Willie star could lead to choppy waters for artists, brands, and others who want to use the character. That’s because Disney may retain some rights to its earliest mouse thanks to trademarks (which, unlike copyrights, can last in perpetuity), potentially sparking conflicts over fair use. However, it could also spark a wave of creative remixes that rejuvenate the 95-year-old character — a move public domain advocates say helps restore forgotten works and build upon cultural heritage.

 

One of Disney’s earliest animation sensations was a rabbit.

Mickey Mouse may be Walt Disney’s most popular character, but the inspiration for his creation came from another animation: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. In 1923, Walt Disney and his brother Roy set up a small animation studio in Hollywood and landed themselves a deal with Universal Pictures to create short cartoon films. The pair (along with a team of fellow animators) debuted Oswald in 1927, setting him apart from rival animators’ popular cat characters by giving him long rabbit ears and a distinctive personality. Disney’s studio produced 26 short films with Oswald, the last of which was released in 1928 — the same year Disney lost control of the cartoon thanks to brewing tensions, contract disputes, and ownership disagreements with Universal Pictures. Oswald was featured in nearly 200 cartoon shorts through the 1930s, and eventually made his way back to Disney in 2006, thanks to a deal with NBC Universal. In 2022, Disney animators created a new Oswald film for the first time in nearly 100 years. (Interesting Facts)

 

There’s no one like Mickey. No one! Throughout the years, Mickey has remained as iconic and inspirational as ever to his countless fans all over the world. (Did you know Mickey even has his own Instagram account? 2.6 million followers and counting!) In honour of his birthday, we’ve put together a list of facts that we think you may not know about Mickey. How many of these do you already know?

 

Fact #1:

Mickey has starred in over 121 theatrical releases, including shorts and featurettes.

 

Fact #2:

Mickey was the first cartoon character to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame! His star was added on November 18, 1978.

 

Fact #3:

Mickey has different names around the world. For example, he is known as Musse Pigg in Sweden, Mi Lao Shu in China and Topolino in Italy.

 

Fact #4:

Walt Disney’s original name for Mickey was Mortimer! However, his wife Lillian Disney felt that it didn’t work for the character Walt had created and hence, she suggested Mickey!

 

Fact #5:

Mickey’s first phrase was his now-famous “Hot dog! Hot dog!”

 

Fact #6:

Mickey’s first appearance was in Steamboat Willie in 1928. The tune that he whistles is from the song “Steamboat Bill” by Arthur Collins.

 

Fact #7:

The first person to give Mickey his voice was none other than Walt Disney himself!

 

Fact #8:

While Steamboat Willie was Mickey’s very first appearance, he made his feature film debut in Fantasia in 1940.

 

Fact #9:

Mickey has made two special appearances at the Academy Awards over the years: once in 1988 and another in 2003. He presented the Oscar for Best Animated Short film on both occasions.

 

 

Source: Facts About Mickey Mouse That You Probably Didn’t Know

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - WHALE SHARKS

Did you know...  Whale sharks have tiny teeth on their eyeballs.
The animal kingdom is chock-full of strange eyeballs, from the free-roaming peepers of a chameleon (which can move each of its eyes independently) to the w-shaped pupils of a cuttlefish. But one of the strangest attributes of any eyeball on Earth belongs to the whale shark (Rhincodon typus). Because these gentle giants of the sea don’t have eyelids to protect their organs of sight, they’ve developed thousands of tiny teeth known as “dermal denticles” to fend off any potentially vision-damaging elements the ocean might throw at them, whether it’s items drifting in the sea or biochemical hazards. In 2020, scientists in Japan discovered the denticles when analyzing both dead and living sharks, and estimated that each eye could have as many as nearly 3,000 of these tiny teeth. When viewed under a microscope, the denticles resemble the shape of an oak leaf, but much smaller. Dermal denticles are commonly found on many shark species’ skin, acting like scales that cut down on turbulence and drag when gliding through the water. However, the whale shark is the only species in whom these denticles congregate around the iris. This scale-like armor, combined with the whale shark’s unique ability to retract its eyes into its sockets, has scientists reexamining the importance of a whale shark’s vision. For years, scientists believed that whale sharks largely navigated the world through their sense of smell, but these two distinct evolutionary defenses could mean that vision is much more important to the species than previously thought. It’s often said that humans know more about the surface of Mars than what’s going on in the world’s oceans, and the surprisingly recent discovery of this fascinating ocular biology hints at how many more mysteries might await us in the deep.

 

No one has seen a whale shark give birth.
Despite its massive size, surprisingly little is known about the reproductive process of the whale shark. Although they travel the entire world (their migration being one of the most epic journeys in the animal kingdom), males and females gather in equal numbers at “hot spots” around the globe. Video captured in 2019 in western Australia appears to show a mating ritual at such a hot spot, though no one has ever seen a whale shark delivering a calf. Scientists know that female whale sharks can store sperm until it’s needed to fertilize eggs; the eggs hatch inside the mother, who can then give birth to up to 300 pups. Although marine biologists are slowly filling in the gaps, this lasting lack of knowledge is troubling, as the whale shark was put on the IUCN Endangered List in 2016. One scientist told The Guardian in 2020 that it’s difficult to have a conservation plan “if you don’t know how, when, or where [the shark] breeds.” (Interesting Facts)

 

Whale sharks are literally one of the great fishes of the world’s oceans. They may have a lot in common with whales – their massive size and docile nature have earned them the nickname “gentle giants” – but they are in fact sharks. With their distinctive markings, whale sharks are fun to watch if you’re lucky enough to spot one as it trolls through warm Gulf Coast waters. There have been quite a few sightings here along 30A. Here are a few facts to help you understand more about these fascinating creatures:

 

1. They are HUGE.

In fact, they are the biggest fish in the ocean. While they were previously thought to grow up to about 40 feet long, researchers now conclude whale sharks can get much bigger than anyone knew – up to 60 feet long.

 

2. Their polka-dotted appearance make whale sharks easy to identify.
The white spots appear in horizontal and vertical stripes across the whale’s body, which is typically brown or gray with a white belly. In addition, they have a flattened head with a blunt snout.

 

3. Whale sharks have a similar life span as humans.
They live an average of 70 years in the wild but can reach 130 or more. They reach sexual maturity at 25 or 30 years old.

 

4. Whale sharks love tropical and warm, temperate seas and coastal areas.

 

They can be seen across the globe, in more than 100 countries from North America to South Africa to Asia to Australia. They’ve been known to migrate long distances to feed.

 

5. Unlike most other sharks, whale sharks feed mainly on plankton.
They also eat shrimp, tuna and small fish. Like whales, whale sharks have a filtration system that allows them to capture plankton from the huge amount of water that passes through their mouths. Their mouths are also huge, measuring up to five feet wide with up to 350 rows of teeth!

 

6. Female whale sharks can give birth to 300 young, called pups, at once.

(Most won’t make it to maturity.) The process is a bit unusual: Baby sharks develop inside eggs which hatch inside the mother, who then gives birth to live pups. Pups from one mating can be born over a period of time.

 

7. Humans are the whale shark’s only known predator.
They are listed as endangered – in part because of habitat loss and hunting.

 

8. Whale sharks are generally considered harmless.
However, for your safety and theirs, enjoy watching them from a distance. While some whale sharks have let swimmers catch a ride on their backs, it’s best to avoid touching them or making loud noises that could agitate them. If whale sharks approach your boat, use caution and keep a safe distance so your prop doesn’t injure them. Are Whale Sharks Dangerous?

 

 

Source: Cool Facts About Whale Sharks

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SPAGHETTI WESTERNS

Did you know... The Western is one of the oldest genres in the history of cinema. 1903’s The Great Train Robbery served as one of the earliest examples of the possibilities within the cinematic medium as a whole, and ever since, American filmmakers have been fascinated by the mythology of the Old West. We still see Westerns today because the genre is not monolithic, and there are many ways for it to be diversified by new generations. Due to the flexibility within the Western genre, such subgenres as Sci-fi Westerns, Punk Westerns, Comedic Westerns, Neo-noir Westerns, Revisionist Westerns, Acid Westerns, and even Martial Arts Westerns have emerged. However, none have been more popular or influential in the industry than Spaghetti Westerns.

 

Westerns Grew More Self-Reflective as Hollywood Matured

Western filmmaking in the United States was in its golden age from the early 1930s to the late 1950s. During this period, many great American auteurs such as William Wyler, John Ford, John Huston, George Stevens, Nicholas Ray, and Anthony Mann emerged to create stunning spectacle adventures, launching the careers of such icons as John Wayne, James Stewart, Alan Ladd, Gary Cooper, and Walter Brennan. However, Westerns grew more self-reflective as Hollywood matured, as films like The Searchers and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance questioned the notion of legacy and the morality of the genre. Coupled with Hollywood’s interest in epic films and musicals, this allowed the Western genre to be reimagined in a completely different context.

 

What Is a Spaghetti Western?
The term “Spaghetti Western” refers to the Western films that were shot in Italy, but generally featured American movie stars and adhered to the genre templates established in the golden age. While the popularity of Italy as a production center is where the genre derived its name, many well-known “Spaghetti Westerns” were actually international coproductions, and thus the term can apply to a broader subsection of international cinema. However, it’s not just the location of the production that exemplifies what “Spaghetti Westerns” are; it was also an important stylistic movement that brought to light cutting edge filmmaking techniques. We still see the influence of Spaghetti Westerns today through direct and indirect homages by filmmakers who love the era.

 

Sergio Leone Shaped the Spaghetti Western Genre

Unquestionably, the most important figure within the Spaghetti Western movement was the brilliant Italian filmmaker Sergio Leone. Leone had tried his hands at “epic filmmaking” with The Colossus of Rhodes, but he announced himself as a filmmaker to watch with his 1964 Western A Fistful of Dollars. The film featured a young Clint Eastwood in his breakout role as “The Man With No Name.” Despite its relatively low budget and association with pulpier material, A Fistful of Dollars actually drew inspiration from Akira Kurosawa’s classic yakuza film Yojimbo, and featured a similar story placed in a Western context. The influence of Eastern morality within a stylized Western fable made for an interesting diversion from the earlier Westerns of the golden age.

 

Movies You Probably Didn't Realize Were Westerns

 

A Fistful of Dollars can be described as “economic,” but not just because of its budget. The film expertly uses a combination of stark wide shots and intimate close ups to create suspense, with dialogue that is spare and often memorably stern. While some of the later films within the golden age were a tad darker than the earliest Western heroes, Eastwood’s unnamed gunslinger (referred to in the film as “Joe”) offers little information about his story, morality, or interests. Similar to Kurosawa’s heroic yakuzas, he simply wanders into the story like a character out of mythology, and leaves with legends being told about him. Music was also an integral component to the film, with Ennio Moricone’s propulsive score adding even more energy.

 

 

A Fistful of Dollars was followed by two sequels, For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly, both of which are considered classics as well. While the films can be viewed individually without the context of the trilogy, they collectively map the journey of “The Man With No Name” through an anthology narrative. The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly in particular had a huge impact on pop culture, made Eastwood a household name, and delved into anti-war themes. Eastwood would go on to become a popular Western star back in America, and Leone crafted another Spaghetti Western masterpiece with 1968’s Once Upon A Time in The West, which recently cracked the Sight and Sound list of the 100 greatest films ever made. Although it shared stylistic similarities with “The Man With No Name” trilogy, Once Upon A Time In The West was essentially the Spaghetti Western version of an epic, as it chronicled the history of the American rail system and its impact on the end of the cowboy era. The film also notably cast against type, with the typically gruff Charles Bronson as the heroic hero “Harmonica” and the Hollywood favorite Henry Fonda as a cold-hearted gunslinger.

 

The Spaghetti Western's Modern Influence

While Leone is certainly the most pivotal figure in the history of Spaghetti Westerns, the success of A Fistful of Dollars inspired other European filmmakers to create similar films. Other stars like Franco Nero, Terrence Hill, and John Garco attained popularity during the time by emulating Eastwood’s demeanor, and Eastwood’s For A Few Dollars More and The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly co-star Lee Van Cleef rose in prominence, and starred in many Spaghetti Westerns of his own. Similar to Leone’s focus on Kurosawa, many Spaghetti Westerns drew inspiration from classic works of literature; Ballad of the Bounty Hunter was based on Greek mythology, Johnny Hamlet took inspiration from the Shakesperean play, and The Return of Ringo follows similar story beats to Homer’s The Odyssey.

 

The other significant auteur to emerge from this era was Sergio Corbucci, whose 1966 film Django leaned closer to the pulpy side of Spaghetti Westerns than any of Leone’s films did. While it also paid tribute to Yojimbo, Django was much more violent, featured much bolder musical cues, and was unafraid to get sexually explicit. The “Django” character has appeared in over 30 sequels, but only a few are official. Corbucci went on to make many other Spaghetti Westerns, including The Great Silence, The Mercenary, Navajo Joe, and Minnesota Clay.

 

 

The influence of Spaghetti Westerns can still be seen today, as the genre’s hallmarks of tense shootouts, minimalistic framing, and striking music have influenced many other genres. Quentin Tarantino has made it no secret that he’s a massive fan of the genre, and frequently includes both tributes and homages to the genre’s classics in both his Western and non-Western films. Vince Gilligan has often drawn inspiration from Spaghetti Westerns as well; El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie features a shootout in the style of Leone, and the Better Call Saul episode “Bagman” is essentially an extended tribute to the genre. Spaghetti Westerns continue to engage younger viewers, and it's worth exploring their history to see how prominent they remain.

 

 

Source: Spaghetti Westerns and How Have They Shaped Modern Movies?

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HUMAN HEART

Did you know... Your heart is the hardest-working muscle in your body. It pumps blood 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for as many as nine or 10 decades without a break. For thousands of years, people have thought of the heart as intertwined with the soul, due to the organ’s faithful beating and power to keep us alive. Here are a few facts about the human heart to help you celebrate Valentine’s Day.

 

1. The Human Heart Pumps About 5 Liters of Blood per Minute

The average resting heart rate for an adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute. With each beat, 55 to 80 milliliters of blood are pushed from the right and left atria (the heart’s upper chambers) through valves to the right and left ventricles (the lower chambers), and then out to the lungs and other parts of the body. A person’s total cardiac output is determined by multiplying the number of beats per minute and the volume of blood pumped per beat. While the heart of an adult sitting on the couch moves between 5 and 6 liters (1.3 to 1.5 gallons) of blood every minute, an elite athlete in a 100-meter dash might pump up to 35 liters (over 9 gallons) in that time.

 

2. The Heart and the Soul Have Been Connected for Millennia

Ancient philosophers in Egypt, Greece, the Islamic world, and elsewhere believed the heart was the “seat” of the human body and the home of the soul. When preparing a corpse for mummification, Egyptian embalmers removed every organ except the heart. The influential Greek physician Galen wrote that the heart was “the hearthstone and source of the innate heat by which the animal is governed,” a (false) concept that lingered well into the 17th century. In contrast, Norse people believed the physical characteristics of the heart revealed a person’s courage or cowardice, and the smaller and colder it was, the braver its owner. Though English physician William Harvey discovered the heart’s true physiological role in the circulatory system in 1628, the metaphysical links between the heart and soul remain strong in the minds of many.

 

3. The World’s First Successful Human Heart Transplant Was a Worldwide Sensation

Surgeons in the U.S. and Europe began to conduct heart transplants in animals in the early 20th century, but the first procedure on a human subject didn’t take place until 1964. In that operation, a chimpanzee’s heart was transplanted into a critically ill man who did not survive for long. Three years later, the first successful human-to-human heart transplant was performed at a South African hospital by Dr. Christaan Barnard and his team. Within hours, international media had picked up the story. Barnard appeared on the covers of TIME, LIFE, and Newsweek, while millions around the world followed the recovery of the patient, Louis Washkansk. Sadly, he passed away after 18 days. The procedure has been called “one of the most famous events of the 20th century” and “the most publicized event in world medical history.”

 

4. The Human Heart Runs on Electricity

The heart’s cardiac conduction system — specialized cells that work like an electrical generator — tells the heart when and how fast to beat. First, pacemaker cells in the sinoatrial (SA) node send out an electrical signal that cascades down the left and right atria, causing the chambers to contract. That squeezes blood through the mitral and tricuspid valves into the left and right ventricles. Another group of pacemaker cells in the atrioventricular (AV) node sends out another signal telling the ventricles to start contracting, which pushes the blood through two more valves and out to the body. Then the SA node shoots out a fresh signal, and the process repeats.

 

5. It’s a Myth That Heart Rate Can Reveal the Sex of an Unborn Baby

The heart is the first organ to develop in a human embryo. The earliest rudimentary form of the muscle, called the tubular heart, starts beating about three weeks after conception (though a 2016 study suggested it could be even earlier — about 16 days after conception). By the fifth week of gestation, a healthy fetus’s heart rate averages 110 beats per minute, increasing to 170 beats by the ninth week. It slows to 150 beats on average by the 13th week. It was once thought that an unborn baby’s sex could be determined based on its heart rate as detected by an ultrasound, but studies have shown there is no significant difference between boys’ and girls’ fetal heart rates.

 

6. Scientists Have Grown a Beating “Mini-Heart” in a Lab

In a slightly Frankensteinian breakthrough, Austrian researchers built a fully beating “mini-heart” in a laboratory in 2015 to learn more about how the human heart develops in utero. The sesame seed-sized organoid, designed to mimic the activity of a 25-day-old human embryo’s heart, was meant to give researchers a better model for studying how congenital heart defects occur. Previously, experiments had relied on animals.

 

7. Mary Shelley Kept Her Husband’s Heart After His Death

Speaking of Frankenstein: The novel’s author, Mary Shelley, had her own brush with a disembodied heart. Following the drowning death of her husband, poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, his body was cremated — but his heart allegedly did not burn. It was retrieved from the fire and given to Mary Shelley, who kept it in her writing desk. It was finally buried with the body of their son, Percy Florence Shelley, in 1889.

 

 

Source: Fascinating Facts About the Human Heart

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - PAUL NEWMAN

Did you know... Paul Newman is an icon of the silver screen, a 10-time Oscar nominee who brought to life such memorable characters as Hud Bannon, “Cool Hand” Luke Johnson, Butch Cassidy, and Doc Hudson over a half century of box-office hits. But Newman was far more than an actor who wielded piercing blue eyes and a cutting wit to maximum effect, and he left a sizable impact on many areas of life beyond Hollywood. Grab a bowl of popcorn — preferably Newman’s Own — and settle in to learn six facts about the pride of Shaker Heights, Ohio.

 

1. Paul Newman Narrowly Avoided Death in World War II

Newman spent the bulk of his World War II service time as a radioman and aircraft gunner, and while his duties kept him away from major combat action, he narrowly avoided a truly disastrous outcome. As described in Shawn Levy's Paul Newman: A Life, the future actor was assigned to flight exercises off the USS Bunker Hill aircraft carrier in the Pacific, but his plane was grounded when the pilot developed an ear infection. That meant Newman missed the action that happened a few days later: On May 11, 1945, nearly 400 servicemen were killed by a pair of Japanese kamikaze attacks on the Bunker Hill, including every present member of Newman's squadron.

 

2. Newman Publicly Apologized for His First Film Role

While many actors dream of landing their first featured film role, the experience was a nightmare for Newman. Tapped to star in The Silver Chalice (1954) as a Greek silversmith who fashions a cup to commemorate Jesus Christ at the Last Supper, the Hollywood newcomer butted heads with director Victor Saville and never found a comfort zone in matters ranging from delivering dialogue to riding a camel. He later called it “the worst film to be made in the entirety of the 1950s.” While Newman eventually overcame this early career hurdle, the rising star was aghast to learn that a Los Angeles television station was airing The Silver Chalice in 1963. As a result, according to A Life, Newman took out ads in two local papers begging people not to watch the movie. (The ads backfired, as curious viewers tuned in to see what all the fuss was about.)

 

3. Newman Was Named to the “Enemies List” of President Richard Nixon

By the late 1960s, Newman was secure enough in his life and career to speak up about his political beliefs. This placed him at odds with the agenda of Richard Nixon, and in both 1968 and 1972, the actor campaigned for Nixon's Democratic opponents in the presidential elections. Newman's public advocacy was such that he was included on White House special counsel Charles Colson’s list of 20 "enemies" who presented a threat to Nixon's reelection hopes in ’72. While Newman often downplayed his acting accolades, he reportedly was thrilled to be considered among the chief antagonists of the Nixon administration.

 

4. Newman Was a Successful Race Car Driver and Team Owner

While Newman's turn as an auto racer in 1969's Winning generally isn't counted among his top screen efforts, it is significant for fueling his longtime love affair with the track. After launching a part-time racing career in 1972, Newman claimed the first of four national amateur titles in 1976, and finished second in the famed 24 Hours of Le Mans race in 1979. Meanwhile, he began funneling his considerable resources into auto racing ownership, building a team that scored more than 100 wins from 1983 to 2008. Retaining the need for speed even in his advanced years, the 70-year-old Newman became the oldest driver to be part of a winning team in a sanctioned race with his victory in the 1995 24 Hours of Daytona. He continued racing professionally into his 80s.

 

5. He Earned Two Oscar Nominations for One Character

Newman is one of just six actors to receive Academy Award nominations for playing the same character in two separate films. He first earned a nod for the role of ambitious pool shark "Fast" Eddie Felson in The Hustler (1961), and later won his first and only competitive Oscar after returning as an aging Nelson in The Color of Money (1986). The other five actors with this distinction are: Bing Crosby, as Father Chuck O'Malley in Going My Way (1944) and The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945); Peter O'Toole, as King Henry II in Becket (1964) and The Lion in Winter (1968); Al Pacino, as Michael Corleone in The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather: Part II (1974); Cate Blanchett, as Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth (1998) and Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007); and Sylvester Stallone, as Rocky Balboa in Rocky (1976) and Creed (2015).

 

6. He Gave Away a Fortune to Charities

For all his success as an actor, Newman's most enduring accomplishments may well have come as a philanthropist. In 1982, he teamed with writer A. E. Hotchner to market Newman's Own salad dressing, with a pledge to donate all profits to charity. When that proved a hit, the brand grew with the additions of pasta sauce, popcorn, lemonade, and more goodies. In 1988, Newman opened his Hole in the Wall Gang Camp to provide a fun respite for sick children; that enterprise, too, quickly became successful enough for expansion. By the time of Newman’s death in September 2008, Newman's Own Foundation was operating 11 such camps around the world, and had awarded some $250 million to charities since the first bottle of salad dressing was plucked from a store shelf.

 

 

Source: Facts About Paul Newman

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - MAYA ANGELOU

Did you know.... Born Marguerite Annie Johnson, Dr. Maya Angelou was never named an official United States Poet Laureate, but few have reached her level of cultural significance. Her verses are at the very heart of the American experience. Yet she didn’t start out as a poet. She began her artistic career as a dancer, performing in San Francisco and training in New York City. But that was just the tip of the iceberg for a woman who lived an incredible, adventurous life that defied a humble childhood.

 

1. Maya Angelou was the first Black woman to conduct a cable car in San Francisco.

As a teenager, Angelou earned a scholarship to study dance and drama at the California Labor School, but she briefly dropped out when she was 16 to become a cable car conductor in San Francisco. “I saw women on the street cars with their little changer belts,” she told Oprah Winfrey in 2013, explaining why she wanted the job. “They had caps with bibs on them and form-fitting jackets. I loved their uniforms. I said that is the job I want.” She got it, and became the first Black woman to hold the position.

 

2. Porgy and Bess took Maya Angelou to Europe in the 1950s.

 

After actors spotted her singing in a nightclub and asked if she could dance, Angelou got her foot in the door to join a touring company for Porgy and Bess. She turned down a lead role in a Broadway production of House of Flowers to join the company because it gave her the opportunity to travel throughout Europe. “The producers of House of Flowers asked me, ‘Are you crazy? You’re going to take a minimal role in a play going on the road when we’re offering you a principal role for a Broadway play?,’” Angelou recalled to NPR in 2010. “I said, I’m going to Europe. I’m going to get a chance to see places I ordinarily would never see, I only dreamed of in the little village in Arkansas in which I grew up. Oh, no, I’m going with Porgy and Bess.” She said it was the one of the best decisions she ever made.

 

3. Maya Angelou spoke six languages.

Angelou’s time in Europe also gave her the chance to hear other languages, and she paid very close attention. Ultimately, she learned to speak French, Spanish, Hebrew, Italian, and Fante (a dialect of Akan native to Ghana).

 

4. Maya Angelou didn’t speak for five years in her youth.

 

When she was just a child, Angelou was sexually assaulted by her mother’s boyfriend. She told her brother about the incident, and was later called to testify against the man in court, which led to his conviction. Ultimately, he served just one day in jail. Four days after his release, he was murdered—presumably by one of Angelou’s family members—and Angelou blamed herself for his death. “I thought, my voice killed him,” she later wrote of her attacker. “I killed that man, because I told his name. And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone.” For the next five years, Angelou refused to speak. Literature helped her find her voice again.

 

5. Maya Angelou edited the Arab Observer.

The Arab Observer was one of very few English-language news outlets in the Middle East during its publication from 1960–1966. While traveling in Egypt, Angelou met and married civil rights activist Vusumzi Make, and, after moving to Cairo, she scored a job as an editor for the Observer after W.E.B. Du Bois’s stepson David fudged her credentials. She’d never worked as a journalist before, but her job at the Observer tossed her into the deep end of reporting while working in an office full of men who’d never worked with a woman before.

 

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“Du Bois said I was an experienced journalist, wife of a freedom fighter, and an expert administrator,” Angelou said. “Would I be interested in the job of associate editor? If so I should realize that since I was neither Egyptian, Arabic, nor Moslem and since I would be the only woman working in the office, things would not be easy. He mentioned a salary that sounded like pots of gold to my ears.”

 

Want to know more about Maya? Click the link below 

 

 

Source: Facts About Maya Angelou

Edited February 16, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - GOOGLE MAPS

Did you know... Google Maps used a camel to create a “street view” of the desert.
When Google Maps launched in 2005, it changed the way people get from Point A to Point B. But Google wasn’t content with merely revolutionizing everyday travel — the company wanted to recreate a 360-degree view of our world, and so launched Street View two years later. The idea was simple: Send out a fleet of vehicles equipped with cameras to document every inch of Earth. In fact, your abode is probably on Street View right now. But how to document places where vehicles can’t tread, whether that’s the sun-soaked deserts of the Arabian peninsula or the snowy peaks of Nepal?

 

Well, you improvise. In 2014, Google hired an Arabian camel (as well as a handler) to explore the Liwa Oasis in the United Arab Emirates. The camel helped limit any disruption of the natural environment (compared to, say, a Jeep); the camera, called a Trekker, rested on the animal’s hump. The oasis has some of the world’s tallest sand dunes, as well as a lush grove of date palms. For centuries, locals have enjoyed fruit from the palms, and used their trunks to weave tents and baskets. 

 

However, the oasis is far from the only unusual place Google has sent cameras. For nearly a decade, the company’s Trekker program has given cameras to both local organizations and daring adventurers to capture amazing places for the Street View program. And yes, that includes Everest.

 

In the 19th century, the U.S. Army used camels to explore Arizona.

In 1855, then-Secretary of War Jefferson Davis set aside $30,000 for the importation of camels for military use. Two years later, 75 camels were imported into the U.S. and pressed into military service, serving as beasts of burden bringing supplies among military outposts in the American Southwest. Although the camels performed their work admirably, the machinations of the mule lobby (who weren’t too happy about these imported, heat-resistant animals) and the onset of the Civil War spelled the end of the Army’s short-lived Camel Corps. The herds were sold off, with some joining circuses, working in mining operations, or simply going feral in the American West. Sightings of wild camels continued into the early 20th century, but the population was ultimately too small to survive.

 

 

Source: Interesting Fact About Google Maps

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SYMBOLS

Did you know... From the peace sign to the recycling logo, certain symbols are so recognizable that additional words aren’t necessary. But while most people understand the gist of the message these icons are meant to convey, many don’t know the history behind their creation. Here are six stories behind the meanings of some everyday symbols.

 

1. Peace Sign

The peace sign is now universally understood to express harmony and goodwill, but its origins stem back to a very specific movement. British artist Gerald Holtom — working with the Direct Action Committee Against Nuclear War — designed the symbol in 1958 to promote the idea of nuclear disarmament. The peace icon made its debut that same year during an Easter weekend march in England to protest the use of nuclear weaponry. The symbol’s design is based on how one would express the letters “N” and “D” (for nuclear disarmament) using semaphore, a method of visual communication that traditionally uses flags or lights. The straight downward line at the symbol’s center represents “D” in semaphore, whereas the angled lines coming off the center line reflect the shape of “N.” Though the peace sign has since been used more generally by anti-war groups, the logo remains staunchly anti-nuke at its core.

 

2. Recycling Symbol

We can thank Gary Anderson for the modern recycling symbol. As a senior at the University of Southern California in 1970, Anderson submitted his design to a contest promoting environmental awareness. The symbol Anderson used in his design is a Möbius loop (named for August Ferdinand Mobius, one of two German mathematicians who independently discovered the properties of the strip in 1858), with each one of the three twisting arrows possessing a deeper meaning. The first arrow represents the collection of recyclable materials, while the next is meant to convey repurposing those materials into a newly manufactured product, and the last arrow symbolizes the purchase of those brand-new items. Modern updates to the recycling logo feature a number at its center; each of those numbers (from one to seven) represents a code regarding what materials can be recycled. A “1” refers to single-use plastics, whereas a “7” is used for everything from bulletproof materials to sunglasses.

 

3. Gender Icons

For centuries, ♂ and ♀ have represented the concepts of male and female in the world of science. Long before these icons had anything to do with biology, however, they were used throughout ancient cultures such as Greece and Rome. ♂ corresponded to the Greek god Ares (Mars, in Roman mythology), whereas ♀ was tied to the Greek goddess Aphrodite (Venus, in Rome). The association between the gods and those symbols came about because of metals used to forge weaponry, with Ares representing iron (thouros) and Aphrodite representing copper (phosphoros). Over time, the Greek words for the metals were written in shorthand using the symbols that we now use to convey gender. The symbols first played a role in biological research in 1751, when the father of modern taxonomy, Carl Linnaeus, adopted and used the icons to refer to the gender of flowers in his dissertation Plantae hybridae. Many scientists thereafter followed in Linnaeus’ footsteps, with those symbols later extending to human genetics. In recent decades, new symbols have been created based on those centuries-old designs in order to be more inclusive of those who don’t identify as male or female.

 

4. Bluetooth

Anyone who owns a smart device is likely well aware of its Bluetooth capabilities, but both the word “Bluetooth” and its logo have meanings that predate modern technology by centuries. “Bluetooth” was first used in 10th-century Denmark, a kingdom ruled by King Harald Gormsson, who was nicknamed Harald Bluetooth. Though there’s still debate as to the origins of this moniker, many scholars believe it reflects the fact that one of Harald’s teeth was rotten and blueish. In 1996, employees from Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia met to discuss the implementation of the technology that would become Bluetooth. Intel’s Jim Kardach initially suggested the name “Bluetooth” as a placeholder, as the companies hoped to unite the PC and cellular industries in a method similar to the way that the king had united the tribes of Denmark. The name stuck, and the Bluetooth symbol was designed to represent Harald’s initials in the Younger Futhark runic alphabet: Hagall (ᚼ) with Bjarkan (ᛒ).

 

5. Rod of Asclepius

The Rod of Asclepius, depicting a single snake wrapped around a staff, serves as a symbol of modern medicine. The image dates back to the legend of Asclepius, who was considered a renowned doctor in ancient Greek myth. Snakes were revered as divine creatures in Greek culture, and according to the mythology, Asclepius is said to have been taught the secrets of medicine by a snake that he healed. Asclepius’ legacy remains strong, as the image now adorns the logos of major global medicinal groups such as the World Health Organization. Another similar symbol used by various medical organizations is the Caduceus, which is associated with the messenger god Hermes. Slightly more ornate and symmetrical than the rod of Asclepius, the caduceus features two snakes wrapped around a staff, with a pair of wings emanating from the orb at the top of the staff. The caduceus has been used as the logo of the U.S. Army Medical Corps since 1902.

 

6. Barber’s Pole

Few symbols are more recognizable than a barber’s pole. This spinning red-and-white cylinder is hard to miss, and serves as a shining beacon for a place to get a haircut. Historically, however, it also signified a spot where people could have medical procedures done. The barber’s pole reflects a time when barbers not only cut hair, but performed medical operations such as bloodletting. Prior to the barber pole, barbers would place bowls of blood in their window to advertise their bloodletting capabilities, though that act was prohibited by a 1307 law in London. Hence, the barber’s pole was born, and it has remained a popular symbol ever since. The color red represents the blood, whereas the white reflects the bandages used to stop the bleeding. In America, you’ll notice that barber poles also have the color blue in addition to the traditional red and white found throughout Europe. One theory is that the blue represents the veins that were cut during bloodletting; another idea is that the addition of blue was simply a patriotic statement.

 

 

Source: Stories Behind Everyday Symbols

 

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FUNGI

Did you know.... Fungi are genetically closer to humans than plants.
At first glance, nature seems easily divisible between plants and animals. Fungi, however, are a pretty big plot twist in this otherwise simple narrative. After all, fungi appear to be mostly plant-like and were classified as such for centuries. Mushrooms grow out of the ground like plants, and even microscopic fungi such as yeast don’t have any recognizable animalian qualities. But once you start analyzing fungi genetics, the story gets a lot more complicated. For one, fungi don’t have chloroplasts, the part of a plant cell necessary for photosynthesis. Fungi obtain nutrients by secreting a digestive enzyme into their surroundings and then absorbing nutrients, unlike the process of photosynthesis that plants use to obtain their food. And last (but not least), evidence suggests that fungi are more genetically related to animals than plants. Using a process called computational phylogenetics, scientists analyzed eukaryotes — any cell with a clearly defined nucleus — and found that fungi and humans form a biological clade, meaning the two organisms share a common ancestor. This clade is called “opisthokonta,” named for the posterior flagellum that propels both animal sperm and fungal spores. Some 1.5 billion years ago, animals and fungi separated from plants, and fungi then separated from animals an estimated 10 million years later. Today, humans share roughly 50% of our DNA with your average fungus.

 

A mushroom in New Zealand is brilliantly blue — and scientists don’t know why.
Travel the beautiful forests of New Zealand, especially during the spring, and you’ll likely come across a fungal oddity — an intensely bright blue mushroom known as werewere-kokako (Entoloma hochstetteri). This strange mushroom, which can also be found on the country’s $50 bill, glows a brilliant blue between April and June. Despite its trippy appearance, the mushroom does not contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin. Although scientists have attempted to grow the mushroom in laboratories for further study (with less-than-stellar results), no one knows why the mushroom is so blue, and researchers have yet to isolate the pigment that makes it so. Theories behind the coloring suggest that it may be a way to attract birds or deter insects, but for now, the blue mushrooms of New Zealand remain an eye-catching mystery. (Interesting Facts)

 

What do you think of when you think of fungi? Do you think of the mold growing in your shower or mushrooms? Both are types of fungi as fungi can range from unicellular (yeasts and molds) to multicellular organisms (mushrooms) that contain spore-producing fruit bodies for reproduction. Fungi are eukaryotic organisms that are classified in their own Kingdom, called Fungi. The cell walls of fungi contain chitin, a polymer that is similar in structure to glucose from which it is derived. Unlike plants, fungi don't have chlorophyll so are not able to make their own food. Fungi typically acquire their nutrients/food by absorption. They release digestive enzymes into the environment that assist in this process. Fungi are very diverse and have even contributed to improvements in medicine. Let's explore seven interesting facts about fungi.

 

1. Fungi Can Cure Disease

Many may be familiar with the antibiotic known as penicillin. Did you know that it was produced from a mold that is a fungus? Around 1929, a doctor in London, England wrote a paper on what he called 'penicillin' which he had derived from the Penicillium notatum mold (now known as Penicillium chrysogenum). It had the ability to kill bacteria. His discovery and research started a chain of events that would lead to the development of many antibiotics that would save countless lives. Similarly, the antibiotic cyclosporine is a key immunosuppressant and is used in organ transplants.

 

2. Fungi Can Also Cause Disease
Many diseases can also be caused by fungi. For example, while many associate ringworm with being caused by a worm, it is caused by a fungus. It gets its name from the circular shape of the rash produced. Athlete's foot is another example of a disease caused by fungi. Many other diseases such as eye infections, valley fever, and Histoplasmosis are caused by Fungi.

 

3. Fungi Are Vital to the Environment

Fungi play a key role in the cycle of nutrients in the environment. They are one of the main decomposers of dead organic matter. Without them, the leaves, dead trees, and other organic matter that build up in the forests wouldn't have their nutrients available for other plants to use. For example, nitrogen is a key component that is released when fungi decompose organic matter.

 

4. Fungi Can Last for a Long Time
Depending on the conditions, many fungi, like mushrooms, can be dormant for extended periods of time. Some can sit dormant for years and even decades and still have the ability to grow under the right conditions.

 

5. Fungi Can Be Deadly

Some fungi are toxic. Some are so toxic that they can cause instant death in animals and humans. Deadly fungi often contain a substance known as amatoxins. Amatoxins typically are very good at inhibiting RNA polymerase II. RNA polymerase II is a necessary enzyme involved in the production of a type of RNA called messenger RNA (mRNA). Messenger RNA plays an important role in DNA transcription and protein synthesis. Without RNA polymerase II, cell metabolism will stop and cell lysis occurs.

 

6. Fungi Can Be Used to Control Pests
Some species of fungi are able to suppress the growth of insects and nematodes that may cause harm to agricultural crops. Typically the fungi that can have such impacts are part of the group called hyphomycetes.

 

7. A Fungus Is the Largest Living Organism on the Planet

A fungus known as the honey mushroom is the largest living organism on the planet. It is believed to be about 2400 years old and covers over 2000 acres. Interestingly enough, it kills trees as it spreads. There you have it, seven interesting facts about fungi. There are many additional interesting facts about fungi that range from fungi being used to produce the citric acid used in many beverages to fungi being the cause for 'zombie ants'. Some fungi are bioluminescent and can even glow in the dark. While scientists have classified many of the fungi in nature, it is estimated that there are vast numbers that remain unclassified so their potential uses are likely numerous.

 

 

Source: Fascinating Facts About Fungi

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - LANDMARK NICKNAMES

Did you know.... It’s only natural that the world's most memorable landmarks should inspire some affectionate nicknames. Some of these monikers can teach us about the history, politics, and culture of the region the landmarks are found in, while other names are inspired purely by wild imaginations or public reaction to a bold new piece of architecture. Here are seven nicknames of famous landmarks you may not have heard before.

 

1. The Iron Lady: The Eiffel Tower (Paris, France)

Originally known as “The 300-Meter Iron Tower,” Paris’ (and possibly the world’s) best-known landmark was the masterpiece of civil engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the wrought iron tower for the 1889 World’s Fair. Although the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889, its characterization as a woman came in the century to follow. By the 1930s, the media had begun coining nicknames for the Eiffel Tower, including the “Tall Lady,” the “Tall Beautiful Lady,” the “Tall Iron Lady,” and even the “Old Iron Lady.” Today, Parisiennes affectionately know the tower as La Dame de Fer, which translates to “The Iron Lady.” It’s not hard to imagine that the tower’s base, where the four pillars begin, is covered with an intricate mesh skirt, and it certainly helps that tour, meaning “tower,” is a feminine word in the French language.

 

2. The Mother Road: Route 66, Illinois to California

When it opened in 1926, U.S. Route 66 stretched from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, passing through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri (and a tiny corner of Kansas) along the way. This made it an ideal travel route for those escaping the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and migrating west in search of agricultural work in the fields of California. It makes sense, then, that, in his 1939 book The Grapes of Wrath, American author John Steinbeck called Route 66 the “Mother Road,” describing it as the main path the migrants followed out of the Midwest. The name stuck, and it’s the highway’s most prevailing nickname today. But there have been other attempts at nicknaming this historic highway. Soon after Route 66 was commissioned, it was christened the “Great Diagonal Way” thanks to the northeast-to-southwest stretch between Illinois and Oklahoma. In 1952, U.S. Route 66 was unofficially named the “Will Rogers Highway" by the U.S. Highway 66 Association, perhaps because of the route’s significant stretch through the actor’s home state of Oklahoma. Some also know it as the “Main Street of America.”

 

3. The Niagara of the West: Shoshone Falls (Idaho)

Before it was the backdrop for Evel Knievel’s 1974 stunt to cross the Snake River by rocket-powered Skycycle, southern Idaho’s Shoshone Falls already had its own claim to fame. At a height of 212 feet, it’s 45 feet taller than the show-stealing Niagara Falls. (However, it’s only about 1,000 feet wide and can’t hold a candle to Niagara’s 3,950-foot span.) As such, folks started calling Shoshone Falls the “Niagara of the West” in the mid-19th century, when travelers along the Oregon Trail often stopped to see it, and the nickname stuck. In an 1866 article for a Salt Lake City newspaper, the author described Shoshone Falls as being in league with Victoria Falls in Zambia and Zimbabwe and Staubbach Falls in the Swiss Alps — truly deserving of its nickname.

 

4. Nuns in a Scrum: Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia)

Another of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, the Sydney Opera House is considered a masterwork of modern architecture. Designed by Danish architect Jørn Utzon and opened in 1973 to great fanfare, the project took 15 years to complete, thanks to many delays relating to cost, significant changes from Utzon’s original design, and Utzon’s eventual withdrawal as chief architect. Today, it’s a symbol of Sydney and, as such, has received an affectionate nickname from the rugby-loving Sydneysiders. Although the architect’s design was meant to evoke the sails of a boat, the Sydney Opera House is often called “Nuns in a Scrum” by locals. This nickname refers to the huddle that rugby players assume, also called a scrummage — and the white coiffes (or perhaps cornettes) that Catholic nuns wear, which some see in the building’s distinctive “sails.”

 

5. The Quarry: Casa Milà (Barcelona, Spain)
Today, it’s revered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but when architect Antoni Gaudí finished building Casa Milà, it was ridiculed. Gaudi already had a reputation around Barcelona for his unusual building designs, most notably his grand basilica, La Sagrada Familia, which was controversial from day one for its eye-catching architectural style and criticized by clerics and civic leaders alike., Casa Milà, an apartment building commissioned by Roser Segimón and her husband Pere Milà, flaunted Gaudí’s same earthy, unconventional flair. When the building was completed in 1906, adversaries called it La Pedrera (“The Quarry”), a name that initially was meant to describe the building’s alleged ugliness. It is now used lovingly to describe what’s regarded as a Gaudí masterpiece.

 

6. The Chaps: Delicate Arch (Utah)

You may not know the official name of this natural sandstone formation in Utah’s Arches National Park, but you’ve probably seen it before. Named by Frank Beckwith, the leader of the Arches National Monument Scientific Expedition, which explored the area in the winter of 1933 to 1934, Delicate Arch is considered the de facto symbol of the park and possibly the whole state. It’s even featured on Utah’s license plates. But before 1934, when Beckwith deemed it "the most delicately chiseled arch in the entire area," some Utahns had a rougher name for it. Due to its shape, the arch was known as the “Chaps,” as some thought it looked like the leather coverings that cowboys wear over their pants to protect their legs. Another similar but less-popular nickname that the locals used prior to Beckwith’s expedition was the “Schoolmarm’s Bloomers.”

 

7. The Cheesegrater: Leadenhall Building (London, England)

Opened in July 2014, the 50-story skyscraper at 122 Leadenhall Street in London’s financial district was built to replace the old P&O (Peninsular & Oriental) Steam Navigation building from 1969, which had been extensively damaged from an IRA bomb in the ‘90s and had fallen into disrepair. The demolition of the old building took over two years to complete. Construction started in 2007 on the new building, designed by famed architect Richard Rogers, whose other work includes the Lloyd’s of London building just across the street, as well as the Centre Pompidou in Paris. It didn’t take long after its unveiling for the Leadenhall Building to pick up a quirky nickname. Londoners started calling it the “Cheesegrater,” thanks to the wedge shape of the building when viewed along Fleet Street. Angled at 10 degrees on one side, the building appears to lean away from the dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral from this viewpoint, allowing the old church more room to breathe in the busy London skyline. Happily, the building staff has embraced the nickname name in its official Instagram username.

 

 

Source: Nicknames for Famous Landmarks You May Not Know

Edited February 20, 2023 by DarkRavie