Fact of the Day

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HUMAN VISION

Did you know... Everything about human vision is a biological marvel. Eyes, which first evolved some 540 million years ago (in now-extinct animals called trilobites), provide the primary sense organ through which most humans construct reality — yet our incredibly complex visual system involves much more than just our eyes alone, and requires amazing coordination among many parts of the brain. These six facts explore the ways our eyes and brain make sense of the world, how certain optical illusions can short-circuit those processes, and how the limits of human vision actually stretch far beyond what scientists once thought possible.

 

1. Eyes Actually Perceive Things Upside Down

Much of the work of perceiving the world around us actually takes place in the brain. In a way, our eyes act as a camera, and our brains as a kind of “darkroom” that develops that information into what we call our vision. One of the most perplexing aspects of this dual relationship is that the images projected onto our retina are actually upside-down. Because the cornea — the transparent part of the eye covering the iris and pupil — is a convex lens, when light enters the cornea, it’s flipped upside down. It’s the brain’s job to translate this inverted information, as well as two 2D images, one from each eye, into one cohesive 3D image.

 

2. Human Vision Has a Major Blind Spot

When glancing around the world, human vision appears nearly flawless. Although our field of vision, at 180 degrees, is relatively narrow when compared to that of animals such as chameleons (who can see at nearly 360 degrees), the image appears complete, and even delivers fidelity equivalent to 576 megapixels. Despite these strengths, every human eyeball has a pretty sizable blindspot, an area in our vision that would appear invisible if not for some clever tricks developed by our brain. This blind spot occurs where the optic nerve, which carries messages from the retina to the brain, meets the retina. Because there are no photoreceptor cells in this part of the human eye, this small space disappears in human vision. Thankfully, humans are born with two eyes, and our brain fills in the gap with information derived from the opposing eye, so you never actually see this blind spot.

 

3. Optical Illusions Are Important for Understanding the Human Brain

The human brain is notoriously tricky to study due to its immense complexity, but optical illusions play a vital role in helping scientists discover how our brains create our reality. One aspect of this complexity is that an estimated 30 areas of the human brain are involved in human vision. Studies have shown that different illusions impact different areas of the brain differently — sometimes, some parts of the visual system correctly identify visual information, while other parts are tricked (for instance, the visual cortex at the back of the brain might not be fooled by an illusion, while the frontal lobe is). Figuring out how this happens can be valuable for scientists. Some illusions also take advantage of the fact that humans don’t perceive reality instantaneously, but rather in a 100-millisecond lag — or the time it takes for light to transform into electrical impulses to be interpreted by our brain. To make sure we’re not a complete, uncoordinated mess, the visual system in our brain predicts where an object is headed, but sometimes errors in this prediction can cause an optical illusion. This is only one kind of cause (among many) for optical illusions; the way optical illusions happen is nearly as complex as the human brain itself.

 

4. Blinking Provides a “Neurological Reset” for Our Brain

Blinking performs a vital role in the human visual system by cleaning the eye’s surface and lubricating it with tears, but there’s a catch — humans blink way more than simple lubrication requires. In fact, humans blink so much that it’s estimated that we spend 10% of our waking hours with our eyes closed. So why do humans tend to blink approximately 12 times a minute? Around 2010, scientists from the University of Osaka observed study participants as they watched snippets of the comedy series Mr. Bean. The subjects tended to blink during scene changes, or when the main actor left a scene. This blinking activated what the scientists call the brain’s “default mode network,” which resulted in a very brief stand-down of other areas of the brain related to attention. The theory is that these very brief pauses in brain function allow humans to refocus attention on something else.

 

5. Humans Perceive the Color Red First

After birth, a baby mostly sees in black and white — and that’s only the beginning of its problems. A newborn’s vision is also incredibly fuzzy, and limited to around 8 to 12 inches from its face during the first few weeks of life. Whereas average human sight is considered 20/20, it’s estimated that a newborn’s vision lies somewhere between 20/200 and 20/400. Because red has the longest wavelength (at 700 nanometers), the color doesn’t scatter easily, and it’s the first hue capable of being detected by a baby’s reduced visual range. Within a year, most babies have attained most of the normal human visual faculties, although the ability to accurately judge distances is one of the last skills to be acquired.

 

6. Some People, Known as “Tetrachromats,” Can See 100 Million Different Colors

The human eye is a trichromatic system, meaning that three different types of cones are sensitive to three specific colors: red, blue, or green. However, some people have an abnormal gene that creates a fourth cone that’s particularly sensitive to the yellow-green part of the visual spectrum. As a result, instead of the million colors a human can normally see, people with the condition, known as “tetrachromacy” (tetra is a Greek prefix meaning four), can see 100 times that amount. Strangely, scientists believe that only women can inherit this superhuman vision, because of their two X chromosomes. Because the gene that regulates red and green cones is located in the X chromosome, it’s possible that a woman could encode that gene in each X chromosome differently, thus resulting in four types of cones.

 

 

Source: Amazing Facts About Human Vision

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FINGERNAILS

Did you know... Fingernails are an amazing biological invention that play an important and active role in our day-to-day lives, and in the bigger picture of human history. Nails help us grasp and grip objects, which gave earlier Homo sapiens a distinct advantage in manipulating tools and building our modern society. But beyond their primarily utilitarian purpose, nails have also served as status symbols or miniature art canvases in a number of societies throughout history. These six facts explore the biology, history, and artistry of fingernails, and why they’re so intimately tied to the human experience.

 

1. The Only Mammals With Fingernails Are Primates

Among mammals, fingernails are unique to the order of primates; other mammals instead have claws to take down prey or climb trees. Fingernails are essentially flattened claws but are better suited to support broad fingertips, which help some primates swing among tree branches. Homo sapiens developed especially broad fingertips to help grip and manipulate tools some 2.5 million years ago, and nails provide strength and protection for those fingertips. Small blood vessels in the nails maintain blood flow to our fingers even when we’re gripping something very tightly, and the hard covering helps protect against injury. Fingernails also offer protection from viruses and bacteria, aid in fine motor movements (such as scratching or picking), and provide a level of sensation via an intricate network of nerves underneath the nail bed.

 

2. Hair and Nails Are Made of the Same Protein

Human hair and nails (along with the outer layer of our skin, aka the epidermis) are made of a fibrous protein called keratin, which offers structure and helps protect cells against damage. Your body produces it naturally, but foods such as broccoli, kale, salmon, and sweet potatoes may help boost production. Hair is formed from three cylindrical layers of keratin, while nail plates are made of multiple layers of transparent keratin. Alpha-keratin can also be found in animal fur and claws, and beta-keratin (which differs slightly on a molecular level) is present in reptiles and birds.

 

3. Human Nails Grow 1 Nanometer Per Second

Fingernails are always growing. In the second it took you to read the previous sentence, your nails grew 1 nanometer (or one-billionth of a meter). But even with 86,400 seconds in a 24-hour period, it’s virtually impossible to notice any day-to-day growth without a microscope. In a month, the average human’s fingernails grow roughly 3.47 millimeters (and toenails grow even more slowly, gaining an average of just 1.62 millimeters). However, there are a few factors that can affect the speed of nail growth. Some research suggests our nails grow faster when we’re younger, and then slow down as we age. There also appears to be a correlation between faster nail growth and a person’s dominant hand. And many people experience rapid nail growth during pregnancy, due to increases in the hormones estrogen and progesterone.

 

4. Manicures Are as Old as History Itself

Manicures can’t be traced to one specific culture, but there’s evidence that they’ve existed in some form for millennia. Archaeologists have discovered Egyptian mummies with gilded nails, and a gold manicure set from Babylonia dating to around 3200 BCE. Some cultures also used henna and kohl to color their fingertips. Around 3000 BCE, the Chinese formulated an early version of nail polish, using gelatin, beeswax, egg whites, and crushed rose petals and orchids to produce different shades of red. The practice eventually fell out of fashion during the Middle Ages, but it made a comeback among wealthy women in Europe during the Renaissance and Victorian eras. Today, the nail care industry is worth billions of dollars, and an estimated 120,000 manicurists and pedicurists work in the U.S. alone.

 

5. Fingernails Can Help Diagnose Certain Diseases

Fingernails can be a great indicator of your overall health. Although a majority of malformed nails can be explained by external injury or poor nutrition or digestion, some abnormalities may be caused by more serious medical conditions. Extreme rounding of the nails, known as clubbing, can be a symptom of oxygen deficiency, for example, possibly related to various lung disorders. Horizontal ridges, known as Beau’s lines, could be a sign of kidney problems or diabetes. The color of your nails can indicate that something is amiss, too. Yellow nails are commonly associated with fungal infections but may also be a sign of thyroid disease, while very white nails may point to liver problems such as hepatitis.

 

6. Fingernails Don’t Really Keep Growing After You Die

There’s a common myth that our fingernails continue to grow even after death, but it’s just that — a myth. When we’re alive, our nails grow at a rate of around 0.1 mm per day (a little more than 3 mm per month), thanks to something called the germinal matrix at the base of the nail. The germinal matrix uses glucose to create new cells that push the old cells up and out toward the fingertip. However, once the human body stops functioning, it also stops producing glucose, which means the matrix can’t create new cells. The origins of this myth may have something to do with a different biological function, though: While our nails don’t continue to grow after death, the dehydrated skin around them does shrink, which can make nails look like they’ve grown longer.
 

 

Source: Amazing Facts About Fingernails

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - JUNETEENTH

Did you know... On June 19, 1865, some 250,000 enslaved people in Texas gained their freedom, ending slavery in one of its last major outposts in the United States. Today, this momentous event is marked by a federal holiday known as Juneteenth, which is sometimes referred to as the U.S.’s second Independence Day. Although a new holiday for many Americans, Juneteenth has a long history. These six facts show why the day more than deserves a hallowed spot among the nation’s holidays.

 

1. Juneteenth Commemorates a Proclamation — But Not Lincoln’s

Most Americans are familiar with the Emancipation Proclamation — President Abraham Lincoln’s famous 1863 declaration that freed all enslaved people in the Confederacy — but the proclamation itself didn’t guarantee those freedoms. In fact, it would be a couple of years before Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his Army of Northern Virginia at Appomattox Court House to General U.S. Grant. Although the surrender was the last nail in the Confederacy’s coffin, many Texas enslavers still resisted emancipation. On June 19, 1865, Major General Gordon Granger issued General Orders, No. 3, stating that “the people of Texas are informed, that in accordance with the proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” Backing up that order with 2,000 federal troops in Galveston, Granger ensured the freedom of a major portion of the last remaining enslaved people within the borders of the U.S.

 

2. The First Juneteenth Was Celebrated One Year After the Civil War

It didn’t take long for Juneteenth (originally known as “Emancipation Day” or “Jubilee Day”) to become a beloved celebration. One year after Granger’s General Orders, No. 3, the newly freed people of Texas celebrated the very first Juneteenth with community gatherings throughout the state that included sports, cookouts, dancing, prayers, and even fireworks. Over the years, celebrations became ever more elaborate — and more resilient, as racist Jim Crow laws took hold of the South. To continue celebrating the holiday, some freedmen even bought land in 1872 in Houston as a place to celebrate Juneteenth every year (today, that land is known as Emancipation Park; Juneteenth is still celebrated there). One by one, freed Texans traveled to other parts of the United States, and brought their Juneteenth customs with them. By the 1920s, the holiday was unofficially celebrated around the country.

 

3. The Color Red Is Prominent in Juneteenth Celebrations

For more than a century, Juneteenth celebrations have been accompanied by red velvet cake and red-hued refreshments, whether strawberry soda or red lemonade. There are a few theories behind this color-specific culinary tradition. One is that the color red is a significant hue in West African cultures, often symbolizing strength and spirituality. Another theory is that red featured prominently in the enslavement narratives of Yoruba and Kongo people forcibly brought to Texas in the 19th century. Other historians argue that the color is tied to special occasions dating back to ancient African traditions. As for red drinks specifically, the tradition is likely linked to two West African plants — the kola nut and hibiscus — which can be used to make a variety of red-hued teas and refreshments. After the Civil War, newly freed Black folks also often infused lemonade with cherries or strawberries to make a cheap, refreshing drink. With the advent of food dyes and the arrival of the Texas-made Big Red soda in the 1930s, red foods and drinks were solidified as a staple of the Juneteenth menu.

 

4. Juneteenth Was Revived During the Civil Rights Movement

At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the early 20th century, Black people living in Texas — along with the rest of the American South — were victimized by Jim Crow laws and a surging white supremacist movement. Many Black families left Texas during the Great Migration, and the holiday seemed doomed to be stamped out by this new wave of virulent racism. During World War I, some even viewed Juneteenth as unpatriotic, as it focused on a “dark chapter” of U.S. history. But the holiday found new life — nearly a century after it was first celebrated — during the civil rights movement of the 1950s and ’60s. The Poor People’s March on Washington, occurring only months after Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, was specifically organized to coincide with Juneteenth in 1968. By the 1970s, major cities around the U.S. were holding large Juneteenth celebrations, and in 1980 Texas became the first state to officially make Juneteenth a holiday.

 

5. Juneteenth Has Its Own Flag

Created in 1997, the Juneteenth flag is full of symbols — some more obvious than others. Starting with the most basic, the date June 19, 1865, running along the flag’s outer edge, represents the date of Granger’s General Orders, No. 3. The single star in the flag’s center represents Texas (aka “the Lone Star State”) as well as symbolizing the freedom of all Black Americans in all 50 states. Around the star is a “nova” (a kind of starburst), representing the birth of a new beginning for African Americans throughout the country, while the arc across the flag’s center represents a new horizon. Finally, the red, white, and blue color scheme tells us that enslaved people were and forever shall be remembered as Americans.

 

6. It’s the U.S.’s Newest Federal Holiday

Although the celebration of slavery’s end stretches back more than 150 years, Juneteenth didn’t become a federal holiday until 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act. Prior to that, the last holiday to be recognized by the federal government was Martin Luther King Jr. Day, back in 1983. Before Juneteenth became a federal holiday, all but one state (South Dakota) recognized it as a holiday, though only six states — Texas, Massachusetts, New York, Virginia, Washington, and Oregon — made it an official paid day off (that number has since grown). In 2023, more than 25,000 people will attend Philadelphia’s Juneteenth Parade & Festival, museums across Alexandria will organize Juneteenth events in Virginia, and citizens living in a free nation will return to Galveston, Texas, to once again celebrate the end of this great injustice.

 

 

Source:  Amazing Facts About Juneteenth

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HOOVER DAM

Did you know.... The Hoover Dam can be called both a monument and a marvel, reaching a staggering 60 stories toward the sky and at one time reigning as the world's largest dam. This symbol of American engineering ingenuity — initially constructed to control the Colorado River’s floodwaters — attracts more than 7 million visitors each year to the Arizona-Nevada border to catch a glimpse of the dam’s massive curved wall and its waters below. Read on for six facts about the Hoover Dam, from its original name to its dramatic World War II history.

 

1. Flood Damage Was a Major Reason for the Hoover Dam’s Construction

The Colorado River helped carve out the American West and Southwest, flowing for 1,450 miles and providing water to seven states: Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, California, and Nevada. However, thanks to snowmelt from the Rocky Mountains, the river was also prone to flooding in the early 20th century, causing major damage to farmland in Southern California. A series of floods between 1905 and 1907 led to serious discussions about damming the river. Engineers quickly considered other big benefits of taming the river, too, including providing a steady stream of drinking and irrigation water to developing cities and farmlands, and using the river as a source of hydropower.

 

2. Building the Dam Meant First Building an Entire City

Constructing a large-scale dam meant hiring a massive workforce: By the end of the project, the employee roster swelled to 21,000 people. An average day had 3,500 workers reporting to the construction site, though that number rose during busy periods, like in June 1934, when as many as 5,218 men reported to the jobsite per day. Bringing in that many workers (and their families) meant the federal government had to have a plan — which is how the town of Boulder City, Nevada, came to exist. In December 1928, President Calvin Coolidge authorized the creation of Boulder City on federal land specifically to house workers. Construction of the town’s buildings began in 1931. Families were housed in cottages, while single men slept in dormitories, and meals were provided in a jumbo-sized mess hall that served 6,000 meals per day. Boulder City was also equipped with a state-of-the-art hospital to handle jobsite accidents, a fire department, a train station, and a movie theater.

 

3. Constructing the Hoover Dam Required Massive Amounts of Concrete

Building a structure as large as the Hoover Dam requires massive amounts of construction materials. The dam reaches 726 feet tall, a whopping 171 feet taller than the Washington Monument, and the dam’s base is as thick as two football fields are long. Reaching those dimensions required engineers and builders to use a substantial amount of concrete — so much that the sheer volume (4.5 million cubic yards) could be used to pave a cross-country road starting in San Francisco and ending in New York City. Ultimately, the dam had a $49 million price tag — about $882 million today — with an additional $71 million for its power plant and generators. However, the dam’s construction costs were fully repaid (with interest) by 1987, thanks to the sale of the electrical power it generated (and continues to generate).

 

4. The Hoover Dam Originally Had A Different Name

The Hoover Dam gets its name from President Herbert Hoover, though it nearly had a different one thanks to the influence of the Great Depression. Before becoming the 31st President in 1929, Hoover was a successful mining engineer and businessman who was familiar with the Colorado River; as secretary of commerce, he had proposed damming the river to prevent flooding and to provide water for Southern California. Once underway, the dam — which was overseen by Hoover during his presidency — was called the Boulder Canyon Project. However, in September 1930, Secretary of the Interior Ray Lyman Wilbur announced at a ceremony marking the start of construction that the dam’s name would be changed to honor Hoover’s role in its development. Construction continued through the Great Depression, but Hoover’s presidency did not. President Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the Oval Office, and in 1933 his pick for secretary of the interior decided to backtrack on the name due to personal animosity and public anger over Hoover’s handling of the Great Depression, once again calling it the Boulder Dam. Both names were used interchangeably until April 1947, when President Harry S. Truman approved the final name: Hoover Dam.

 

5. Hoover Dam Was Heavily Guarded During World War II

In the lead-up to World War II, the federal government became increasingly worried that the Hoover Dam would be a target of sabotage from Axis forces, knocking out its ability to provide electricity and water. In 1939, public officials discussed shielding the dam by closing its power plant to the public, while also heavily restricting (and scrutinizing) employees who entered. In November of that year, the State Department received word from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico that German agents had plotted to bomb the dam, hoping to knock out its high-voltage power lines and slow aviation manufacturing in nearby Los Angeles. A massive effort to protect the dam was soon underway — including the addition of floodlights, installation of nets that could snag approaching boats, and increased patrols on Lake Mead (which was closed to the public). However, the government’s move to protect the dam remained classified, with public officials claiming rumors of foreign sabotage were “ridiculous” and unfounded. The incident was kept under wraps until 2001, when historians uncovered unsealed documents at the National Archives.

 

6. Lake Mead Is the Country’s Largest Reservoir

Dams rely on on reservoirs, aka human-made lakes that store water. As Hoover Dam is one of the largest dams in the world, it makes sense that its reservoir would be massive, and it is; Lake Mead is the largest reservoir in the U.S. and one of the largest in the world. The expansive lake is multipurpose; it provides drinking water for nearly 25 million people, and its 550 miles of shoreline have been used by outdoor enthusiasts since it became the country’s first national recreation area, managed by the National Park Service, in 1964.

 

 

Source: Colossal Facts About the Hoover Dam

Edited June 24, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - COLOR BLUE

Did you know.... What’s not to love about blue? While not a common pigment in nature — our cave-painting ancestors rarely messed with the stuff — the color fills our days thanks to blue skies and deep blue oceans. Blue has been revered since Neolithic times, and today it remains one of humanity’s favorite shades. Here are six amazing facts about the color that prove why this little slice of the rainbow will always fascinate us.

 

1. Your Favorite Color Is Blue (Probably)

Since the first color surveys in the 1800s, blue has been our species’ favorite color overall — and the trend is truly global. One YouGov study from 2015 surveyed 10 countries across four continents, and found that blue reigned supreme in all of them, scoring 8 to 18 percentage points higher than the second-place color. In the U.S., 32% of respondents preferred blue, with men consistently favoring the color (40%) compared to women (24%). Green scored the silver medal, and purple nabbed the bronze. Scientists who study color theorize that this widespread love of blue is likely because it’s often tied to positive experiences, such as Earth’s bright blue skies and oceans. Oh, and humanity’s least favorite color? Dark yellowish brown.

 

2. The Sky Is Blue Because of the Color’s Wavelength

The sun sends its rays to Earth as white light, meaning they contain everything in the color spectrum (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). But blue is unlike the other colors, because its specific wavelength (between 450 and 495 nanometers) is more frequently scattered by particles in the atmosphere in a process known as Rayleigh scattering. At midday, the sky is pale blue as the sun’s light travels through less of the atmosphere, but as the sun heads toward the horizon, the sky becomes a richer blue because light travels through more of the atmosphere (thus scattering more blue light). However, this is only half of the answer, because indigo and violet have even shorter wavelengths than blue, which raises the question: Why isn’t the sky violet? Figuring out this conundrum means taking a closer look at the human eye. The cones inside the eye are coded to perceive red, green, and blue (what’s known as trichromatic vision) and it’s the combinations of these inputs that determine variations of color. Because of the eye’s sensitivity to the color blue, the sky takes on that particular hue instead of violet. Other animals likely perceive the sky (and the rest of the world) in a different hue because most mammals are actually dichromatic, meaning they only have two different types of cones.

 

3. Blue Eyes Aren’t Actually Blue

Between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago, all humans had brown eyes, until a single genetic mutation caused one human to be born without the usual brown-black melanin pigment that colors irises brown. Irises without this pigment experience what’s known as the Tyndall effect (yes, the same reason why the sky is blue). Because of blue’s short wavelength, that spectrum of light is reflected most by the fibers in the iris, causing eyes to take on a bluish color even though there is no blue pigment present at all. Today about 10% of the world’s population has blue eyes, though that number is skewed heavily by northern Europeans. In Finland and Estonia, for example, 89% of people have blue eyes — the highest percentage in the world. The U.S. comes in much lower at around 27%.

 

4. Lapis Lazuli Was a Blue Gem Prized by Many Ancient Civilizations

Many ancient civilizations in Mesopotamia, Egypt, China, Greece, Rome, and India prized a blue gem known as lapis lazuli. The gem appears in the myths of the Sumerians as far back as 4000 BCE, and in ancient Egypt, pharaohs wore the precious stones in pieces of ostentatious jewelry (likely bedecked with other blue gemstones such as sapphire and turquoise). Lapis lazuli was largely mined in present-day northeastern Afghanistan starting as early as the seventh millennium BCE. The stone appears in some of the world’s earliest civilizations, including the Indus Valley Civilization in India and Pakistan. Lapis lazuli continued playing a role in human culture for thousands of years, even up to the Renaissance, as painters often ground the gem to produce the highly sought-after pigment ultramarine. The pigment was so expensive, even legendary painters such as Michelangelo couldn’t afford it.

 

5. There’s a City in Morocco That’s Painted Blue

Chefchaouen is a city nestled in the Rif Mountains of northwestern Morocco. With one of the country’s most popular medinas outside of Marrakech, the city is already on the map for many tourists, but Chefchaouen is also known by another famous moniker — “The Blue Pearl.” That’s because a large portion of the city has been painted various shades of blue. There is no official story as to why the city is plastered with blue hues, though there are many local legends. Some say the blue color keeps buildings cool, others say it deters mosquitoes, while others still say the blue color honors the importance of the nearby Ras el-Maa Waterfall. However, the leading theory dates back to the 15th century, when Chefchaouen served as a refugee camp for Jews and Muslims fleeing persecution by the Spanish Inquisition. Per Jewish tradition, these refugees painted their homes blue (an important color in Judaism) as a reminder of God’s power. Although the Jewish population has since largely left the area, the Muslim-majority city continued the tradition, and the Blue Pearl continues to shine centuries later.

 

6. Your Blue Veins Are Actually an Illusion

Look at your arm, and you’ll see blue veins crisscrossing just beneath the skin. That’s an optical illusion. Human veins are not blue, and are actually transparent. While deoxygenated blood is a darker hue of red (which you’ve likely seen if you’ve ever donated blood or had blood drawn), the blue color comes from your skin scattering light, so that we perceive the veins beneath the skin as blue. The color perception of veins can also change depending on skin tone, as darker skin will turn veins more of a greenish color. While blue blood doesn’t occur naturally in humans, it is found in animals such as the horseshoe crab (whose blue blood has actually saved countless human lives). This family of crab sports blue blood because it contains copper pigments instead of iron.

 

 

Source: Amazing Facts About the Color Blue

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - THE GREAT LAKES

Did you know.... The Great Lakes — Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, and Superior — hold one-fifth of all the fresh water on the Earth’s surface. Their combined coastline extends for over 10,000 miles. Each year, they attract several million tourists from the U.S. and around the world. But those facts are pretty basic. Whether it’s pirates, shipwrecks, or Babe Ruth’s first official home run, these fascinating tidbits are a bit less straightforward.

 

1. Lake Michigan Once Had a Pirate Problem

Forget the Pirates of the Caribbean: The Great Lakes had their own share of buccaneers who patrolled the dangerous waters and terrorized the lake traffic, mainly in the mid-1800s into the early 1900s. But instead of gold, lumber and alcohol were the main prizes to be won. One of the more famous characters was “King” James Jesse Strang, a self-proclaimed religious leader (and looter). “Roaring” Dan Seavey was another — the only one to actually face charges of piracy on the Great Lakes. The former Navy sailor set false lights along the coastline, lured ships to their doom, and plundered the wreckage. Fortunately for locals, as the population along the Great Lakes grew in the 20th century, the pirate problems on the Great Lakes eventually faded away.

 

2. Lake Superior Has a Shipwreck Museum
The waters of the Great Lakes can be treacherous, and as busy fishing and shipping areas, they've seen hundreds of shipwrecks over the centuries. Gordon Lightfoot may have brought to light the tragedy that befell the Edmund Fitzgerald in his hit 1976 song, but that is just one of the many ships that lie on the lake beds or along the shoreline. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society and Museum in Paradise, Michigan, documents these sunken vessels and organizes recovery dives. Visitors to the museum can see recovered artifacts and follow guided treks to some coastal shipwreck sites.

 

3. The Great Lakes Are Home to the Largest Freshwater Coastal Dune System in the World

One of the reasons so many tourists flock to the Great Lakes each year is to enjoy an alternative to East and West Coast beaches — but the lakes' sandy shores are also home to a unique geological feature found on neither coast. The lakes boast the largest freshwater coastal dune system in the world. Lake Michigan alone is surrounded by more than 275,000 square acres of sand dunes. National and state parks — such as Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore and Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — offer access to these magnificent dunes, which are perfect for hiking, sandcastle building, or simply laying back and enjoying the view.

 

4. The Great Lakes Basin Is Home to More Than 30 Million People
The Great Lakes hold about 84% of North America’s surface fresh water and thus play a vital role in the agricultural, power, and transportation industries. Some 34 million people live within the Great Lakes Basin, representing almost a third of the Canadian population and nearly 10% of the U.S. population. Together, the five lakes form a key part not just of North America’s cultural and geographic heritage, but also its technological and economic future.

 

5. Lake Superior Might Not Actually Be the Second-Largest Lake in the Worl

The largest of the Great Lakes, Lake Superior covers nearly 32,000 square miles and contains more water than the other four lakes combined. It’s often considered the largest freshwater lake in the world (the saltwater Caspian Sea is the largest overall). But since Lakes Michigan and Huron are connected by the four-mile-wide, 30-mile-long Straits of Mackinac, some scientists argue that they are in fact not two separate lakes but one larger body. If counted as one, Michigan-Huron would be larger than Lake Superior, pushing the latter into second place among the world’s largest freshwater lakes, and third place overall.

 

6. Only Lake Michigan Is Completely Within the U.S.
The Great Lakes border six Midwestern states — Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin — and two Canadian provinces, Ontario and Quebec. Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that does not touch any Canadian territory.. The lake’s name derives from the Ojibwa word mishigami, which means “large lake.” The state of Michigan was named after the lake, and it’s often nicknamed the “Great Lakes State” since it is the only state to touch four of the five lakes.

 

Click the link below  to read more on the Great Lakes.

 

 

Source: Facts You Might Not Know About the Great Lakes

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day -  HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG

Did you know...  Its power is in its simplicity. With only six notes, six words, and four lines — three of them the same — “Happy Birthday” is one of the most universal songs on the planet. Yet for something so straightforward, the celebratory tune has a surprisingly complicated history. The song has been passed down for generations, with many people learning the tune just by listening to family and friends sing it at parties. But the way that it spreads so organically is what made the tune’s copyright a subject of debate that was only legally settled in 2015.

 

1. A Pair of Innovative Sisters Wrote the Song

Born in Kentucky in 1868, Patty Smith Hill was known for breaking the mold when it came to early childhood education. Instead of structured learning, she championed a more natural method of kindergarten focused on children’s instincts and creativity. Meanwhile, her sister Mildred J. Hill, born in 1859, was just as forward-thinking in the world of musicology. While she was also a composer and performer, the elder Hill focused her musical studies on Black spirituals, often writing about the subject using the pen name “Johnan Tonsor.” Together, the Hill sisters wrote the song “Good Morning to All.” Three of the four lines were just that, while the third line was “Good morning, dear children.” “She was the musician and I was, if it is not using too pretentious a word, the poetess," Patty said of their process in 1934, adding that Mildred, who also taught, would perfect the melody by trying it out on her young students. They included it in a songbook, Song Stories for Kindergarten, which they published in 1893.

 

2. The Song Began to Morph

Over time, the lyrics changed and the tune began to be used as a celebratory birthday song — the version that we know today. How exactly that happened is unknown, but by 1924, it appeared in another songbook edited by Robert Coleman with the Hill sisters’ original lyrics as the first verse and “Happy birthday to you” as the second. The tune soon grew in popularity and started to appear more in print. But the Hills never copyrighted the “Happy birthday” version of the lyrics. Patty later said, “I was never a money-grubber.” When it appeared in Irving Berlin’s 1933 Broadway musical As Thousands Cheer, however, Mildred and Patty’s youngest sister, Jessica, stepped in and filed a court case saying her family was owed royalties. The lawsuit was settled and the Hills were eligible for payment whenever the song was used. Then, in 1935, the Hills registered their work through the Clayton F. Summy Company with the now-famous birthday lyrics.

 

3. More Questions Emerge

That was far from the end of the saga, though. The company they registered with was sold off — twice — and in 1988, the song eventually fell into the library of Warner Music Group’s publishing arm Warner-Chappell, which was estimated to receive about $2 million a year from the song's usage, well into the 2010s. But it wasn't long before questions were raised as to whether the song still qualified for copyright. Some believed the rights expired in 1949 since it was written in the 1890s, while others doubted that the Hills even wrote the birthday lyrics. Others believed it wouldn’t go into the public domain until 2030. Even so, to avoid having copyright fees slapped on them, TV shows and films would often come up with alternative ways to capture the song. Restaurants even started to make up their own birthday tunes so there wasn’t any possibility of having to pay up. After all, when it was used, the fee could vary, costing as much as $10,000. And even with the questions over the song's authorship, Warner-Chappell still owned the rights. “The truth is it kind of doesn’t matter,” WNYC’s On the Media reported. “Copyright law isn't an ironclad dictate, like the border of a country. It’s a lot more like land claims in the Wild West. You own what you can defend. Warner Music Group is a behemoth. No one’s ever seriously challenged it over ‘Happy Birthday.’”

 

 

4. A Final Ruling

In 2013, a filmmaker named Jennifer Nelson filed another lawsuit after paying $1,500 to use the song in her documentary. Two years later, her lawyers found a piece of evidence that changed everything: A version of the song in an old songbook from 1922 published without a copyright notice. The long saga ended in 2016, as Warner Music Group agreed to pay back $14 million in settlement claims to those who had been charged to use the song since 1949. The song also had to be acknowledged as part of the public domain. More than a century after the Hill sisters wrote the song that would inspire a cultural phenomenon, it finally became fair use.

 

 

Source: The Real Story Behind the “Happy Birthday” Song

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - FIRE

Did you know..... In Greek mythology, the Titan Prometheus stole fire from the Olympian gods and gave it to mortals. Zeus punished this theft by nailing Prometheus to a mountainside and making an eagle eat his liver for all eternity. This rather grim outcome is a sign of fire’s value to humanity: While often destructive, it can also renew, and anthropologists consider our species’ control of fire one of the primary things that helped humans evolve. Read on for five more fiery facts.

 

1. Fire Doesn’t Fit Into the Usual Categories of Matter

First, some basic science: Fire is the visible result of a chemical reaction called combustion, which occurs when a fuel substance, heat, and oxygen interact. Surprisingly, fire doesn’t fit neatly into the definitions of the four states of matter. Despite the gases involved, fire is not a gas, nor is it a liquid or solid. It comes pretty close to being a plasma, a state in which a substance’s molecules are greatly ionized and their nuclei break free of their electrons, but only extremely hot fires achieve that property. Fire’s true nature has yet to be defined.

 

2. Different Fuels Burn at Different Temperatures

The temperature of a fire usually depends on the type of fuel being consumed. When combined with air, burning wood usually maxes out at around 3600°F, a gasoline fire can reach about 3900°F, and anthracite coal fires can burn at 4000°F. On the cooler end of the spectrum, a cigarette burns at about 750°F to 1300°F, and a candle flame can hit 1800°F. The hottest fire ever created — according to Guinness World Records — is one produced by a compound called carbon subnitride (also known as dicyanoacetylene). It results a white-blue flame that can reach 9010°F.

 

3. Determining When Humans Mastered Fire Is a Hot Topic

Exactly when our ancestors mastered fire is an ongoing question. Some anthropologists have proposed that the first use of fire by a member of our genus (Homo) took place between 1.4 million and 1.7 million years ago, based on controversial evidence in Kenya and China. Another team found traces of wood ash in a South African cave that showed use of fire by Homo erectus about 1 million years ago. In 2022, researchers in Israel found the oldest known evidence of using fire specifically for cooking, dating some burned fish bones back 780,000 years. An even trickier question is when humans made fire, rather than just using it opportunistically (for example, by gathering it from forest fires). Researchers examining Stone Age hearths in two French caves came to the conclusion that Neanderthals in that region lacked the ability to make fire, and that the knowledge probably came about after Homo sapiens arrived there, perhaps 45,000 years ago. The debate continues.

 

 

4. Indigenous Practices Are Helping to Prevent Out-of-Control Wildfires

For millennia, Indigenous peoples in North America used carefully controlled fires to shape the landscape for their needs, including agriculture, cultural practices, and even preventing larger wildfires. A 2021 study of tree ring evidence from the Pueblo of Jeméz in New Mexico suggests that the residents’ fire management “created a landscape that burned often but only rarely burned extensively.” In the early 20th century, however, the U.S. government began designating national forests and suppressing all fires as soon as they started there. Wildfires subsequently got worse by feeding on the overgrowth of dry vegetation. The Forest Service and other agencies are now collaborating with Tribal managers to adapt traditional fire practices into management policies, aiming to reduce the impact of wildfires.

 

5. Some Fires Have Been Burning for Decades — and Even Longer

Underground fossil fuel deposits occasionally catch fire, and they are almost impossible to put out. One of the most famous such fires is in Centralia, Pennsylvania; it started in May 1962 when part of an abandoned strip mine being used as a garbage dump ignited. The flames spread through extensive coal seams, and even today, wisps of smoke emanate from the ground. Another long-running underground fire, nicknamed “the Gates of Hell,” erupted in 1971 when geologists in Turkmenistan accidentally drilled into a pocket of natural gas and then set it on fire. The world’s longest-burning fire, a coal seam blaze within Mount Wingen in New South Wales, Australia, has them all beat — it’s been burning for at least 5,000 years.

 

 

Source: Fascinating Facts About Fire

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - BEHIND THE SURNAME

Did you know.... What are the world’s most popular surnames? It’s a big question, to be honest. Naming conventions vary across the globe. Folks in some countries, such as Mongolia, don’t have surnames at all. In other places, like Hungary, the so-called “last name” comes first. Meanwhile, in Russia and elsewhere, the spelling and pronunciation of a name may depend on your gender. And sometimes a surname can change with each passing generation, as in Iceland.  All of this complicates tracking the world’s most common surnames. The task is made even more challenging by the fact that if we were to simply stick to raw totals, this list would contain only names from China or the Indian subcontinent. (After all, those regions are home to one-third of the world’s population.) Instead, we looked at the most popular surnames from different geographic regions: Asia, the Middle East, South America, and so on. (An approximation of the number of name-holders is provided by Forebears, a genealogy portal.) In no particular order, here’s the history behind some of the world’s most storied surnames.

 

1. Wang (107 million)

The surname Wang used to be a handy way to show off your family’s political connections. It’s represented by the Chinese character for “King” or “Monarch.” The name’s popularity in China grew over millennia as various ruling clans and dynasties used it to highlight their pedigree and inheritance. Today, it doesn’t carry much political clout: Approximately 107 million people share the name Wang, making it the most common surname in the world.

 

2. Nguyen (24.6 million)

About 2,100 years ago, China conquered present-day Vietnam. At the time, the Vietnamese didn’t have surnames, which was a problem for the Chinese, who wanted to keep track of their new vassals. So they started handing out surnames. One of those names was Ruan, which would evolve into Nguyen. “It seems likely that some mid-level Chinese bureaucrat, in seeking to figure out who actually lived in his newly conquered Vietnamese territory, simply decided that everyone living there would also be named Ruan—which became Nguyen,” writes Dan Nosowitz at Atlas Obscura. Today, up to 40 percent of Vietnam’s population bears the name.

 

3. Kim (18.8 million)

From 57 B.C.E. up until the year 935, most of the Korean peninsula was called the kingdom of Silla. In the fourth century, The 17th ruler of Silla, Naemul, established a hereditary monarchy that would maintain control of the throne for an impressive five centuries. These people called themselves Kim. The name was fit for a King: The word means “gold.” (Today, approximately one in every five South Koreans are called Kim.)

 

4. Smith (4.5 million)

Anglo-Saxon in origin, Smith harks back to the word smite, which means to “strike with a hammer. In medieval Europe, professional smiths (blacksmiths, goldsmiths, coppersmiths, and more) were among the most skilled and respected citizens in a community. Eventually, occupational names like “Tim the Smith” were shortened. Today, Smith is the most common surname in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, and Australia.

 

5. Singh (35.7 million)

Derived from the Sanskrit word “lion,” Singh is common among North Indian Hindus. And like Kaur, it’s also the name-of-choice for male Sikhs. In fact, the surnames Kaur and Singh are so widespread that immigration officials have complained that it’s too difficult to process paperwork from Sikhs. For 10 years, Canada addressed the problem by telling Sikhs to change their last names before applying to immigrate. According to the policy, “the names ‘Kaur’ and ‘Singh’ is not sufficient for the purpose of immigration to Canada.”  

 

6. Johnson (3.1 million)

This surname owes its popularity to the New Testament. The given name John is one of the most popular in Christian world, and for good reason—The Bible is chock full of beloved Johns: John the Apostle, John the Baptist, and John the Evangelist to name a few. The spread of Christianity helped make John one of the most popular first names in the western world. When patronymic surnames became popular in the middle ages, Johnson would become an obvious frontrunner. (And it hasn’t hasn’t looked back. It’s now the second most common surname in the United States.)

 

7. Ahmed (25.7million)

As common a first name as it is a last name, Ahmed and its variants is easily one of the most well-known names on the planet. Extremely popular in Pakistan and east Africa—especially the small island nation of Comoros—the word means “To thanks or praise” or, more specifically, “thanks to God.” The name appears in the Koran, in which Jesus foretells that “an apostle … shall come after me, and whose name shall be Ahmed.”

 

8. Gonzalez (9.8million)

In the 5th century, the Visigoths settled in modern Spain and imported a distinct Germanic language, called Gothic. The name Gonzalez, meaning “son of Gonzalo,” roots back to the Gothic tongue. It’s believed the name Gonzalo may trace back to the old Gothic word for “battle” or “battlefield.” Others suggest it refers to the Gothic words for “war hall” or “castle.” (The Gonzalez family crest is an imposing castle tower.)  

 

9. Rodriguez (9.2 million)

For Spanish surnames, the suffix -ez is patronymic. That is, anytime you see a Spanish name ending in -ez, the name means “son of.” The surname Rodriguez, for example, merely means “Son of Rodrigo.” It derives from the old Germanic name Hrodric, which loosely means “powerful ruler.” Back in the day, anybody in the Rodriguez clan could claim that he or she was related to a political bigwig.

 

 

Source: The Story Behind 9 of the Most Common Surnames in the World

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - U.S. HISTORIC BEACHES

Did you know.... There’s nothing like experiencing the sun, sand, and surf of a really good beach vacation — and if there’s some history to explore along the way, even better. Some of the most iconic beaches in the United States have weird origins, forgotten wonders, quirky curiosities, and stories that changed the shape of the country. Which seaside locale once had an elephant-shaped red-light district? What formerly domesticated animals run wild in Key West, Florida? How did Atlantic City get its famous boardwalk? These facts might make your next beach trip just a little more fascinating.

 

1. Coney Island Once Had a 12-Story Elephant-Shaped Building

Today, Coney Island’s most recognizable features include the Wonder Wheel and the defunct Parachute Jump, but for several years, its most unmistakable structure was a 12-story wooden elephant dubbed Elephantine Colossus. The structure reached its full height (between 122 and 175 feet tall, depending on the source) in 1884, a couple of years before the Statue of Liberty went up, making it one of the first things to greet visitors approaching the New York shoreline. An outsized howdah — a kind of saddle with a canopy, frequently seen on elephants — served as its observation deck, and visitors could peer out of its glass eyes. The building had other functions, too. Its front legs, each 18 feet in diameter, housed a tobacco shop and a diorama, while its back legs held spiral staircases to the upper floors. The Elephantine Colossus had originally been built as a hotel, with 31 rooms filling up its body, including a grand hall, a museum, and a gallery, although it was more useful as a concert hall and general amusement destination. Eventually, the elephant developed a seedy reputation, with rent-by-the-hour rooms in what one historian called a “tin, elephant-shaped red-light district.” Sadly, the elephant’s reign over Coney Island was short-lived, and it burned down spectacularly in September 1896, although with little damage to the surrounding businesses. According to a Brooklyn Daily Eagle article at the time, witnesses first noticed the blaze through the Colossus’ eyes. “[In] twenty minutes, the huge beast of wood and tin collapsed,” read the report, “first falling to its knees with what sounded almost like a groan of agony, and then rolling over into a shapeless mass, where it smouldered and burned until it was finally drowned into submission by the fire department.”

 

2. Key West Is Full of Feral Chickens

A number of famous folks have lived on the distant Florida island of Key West, including the writers Ernest Hemingway, Shel Silverstein, and Tennesee Williams, musician Jimmy Buffett, and President Harry S. Truman. But locally, its most famous residents might be the feral chickens, which make up a significant part of everyday life on the key. Key West, which is close to Cuba, saw a huge influx of residents from Cuba and the Caribbean in the 1800s. They brought along their Cubalaya chickens, which are equally useful for meat, eggs, and fighting. Even more chickens came with displaced families during the Cuban Revolution in the 1950s. Key West banned cockfighting in 1970, around the same time meat and eggs were becoming more widely available in grocery stores. Cubalaya chickens are excellent foragers, and as keeping them in coops became less of a necessity, a feral population grew around the island. The chickens are now a beloved staple of local life. The local government has tried to address the chicken population a couple of times; once, they hired a chicken wrangler to capture the animals and transport them to free-range farms. After suspicions grew that the chickens were actually being killed at the farms, that plan was scrapped, and residents threw a four-day ChickenFest to celebrate their neighbors. Now, the island’s wildlife center sees to the welfare of the chickens.

 

3. The First American Boardwalk Was in Atlantic City

The boardwalk is an American beach staple, inspiring popular songs and gracing iconic beaches on the Pacific and Atlantic alike. But the beach boardwalk as we know it started in Atlantic City, New Jersey, which erected its first boardwalk in 1870. The town got an influx of tourists thanks to its beautiful beaches and a railway line, and a hotelier and a railroad conductor had the idea to build a wooden walkway to keep sand out of both the hotels and railcars. The first boardwalk was about a mile long, 8 feet wide, and just a foot off the ground; it was designed to be packed up at the end of the season and put back out once the tourists came back. As Atlantic City grew to be more than a summer destination, the boardwalk grew bigger and more permanent. A second boardwalk, built 10 years later, was 14 feet wide. By 1890, the boardwalk was a full 24 feet wide with railings to keep pedestrians from falling to the beach below, and by 1900, Boardwalk was considered an official city street. Today, the Atlantic City Boardwalk is more than 4 miles long and is part of 32 miles of boardwalk in New Jersey alone.

 

4. Cannon Beach Was Named for a Disappearing Cannon

Cannon Beach, Oregon, is one of the Pacific Northwest’s most recognizable beaches thanks to its starring role in several films, most notably The Goonies (1985). It’s also located near one of the most dangerous stretches of water: the Columbia River Bar, where the massive river meets the Pacific Ocean. Large ships need to hire a bar pilot to guide them through safely. In the 1840s, the captain of a ship sent by President James K. Polk got impatient and decided to try it on his own. The ship wrecked, and people started picking up the goodies that washed up to shore. A local mail carrier found one of the ship’s cannons, pulled it up, and left it on the beach so he could come back to it — only to find the tide had changed by the time he came back, taking the cannon with it. A few years later, someone else found the cannon, but before they could pull it up from the beach (it weighed about a ton), the cannon disappeared again. This happened several times over the next 50 years or so. At the time, Cannon Beach was called Ecola, which is “whale” in Chinook, but it kept getting confused for another town in Oregon called Eola. In 1922, the beach was rechristened with its current name.

 

5. Venice Beach Was Developed With Miles of Canal 

Venice Beach has its own rich history and identity today, but at the turn of the 20th century, it was a resort modeled off Venice, Italy — hence the name. “Venice of America,” developed by tobacco millionaire Abbot Kinney, originally had seven canals dredged from the marshlands, wrapped around four islands and meeting in a saltwater lagoon at one end. (Six more canals popped up to the south, in a development unrelated to the resort.) Like its namesake, this Venice had gondola rides, and, since the development was not designed for automobiles, homeowners along the canals navigated with their own watercraft. Eventually, visitors expected to be able to reach Venice by car, and after a lengthy legal battle, the city of Los Angeles filled in all the original canals and turned the former lagoon into a traffic circle. Six southern canals, which encircle three rectangular islands, were eventually preserved as a historic district in 1982, and still survive today. They’re not always easy to spot from the surface, but they’re easy to see on Google Maps.

 

 

Source: Cool Facts About America’s Historic Beaches

Edited June 30, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - UNUSUAL OPPOSITES

Did you know... For virtually every word in the English language, there’s a way of expressing the opposite idea. For example, “right” has “wrong” (and “left”), and “up” has “down.” Some words in English use suffixes and prefixes to create natural pairs with their opposites — such as “hopeful” and “hopeless,” and “effective” and “ineffective.” Other words that include common prefixes and suffixes don’t actually have a pairing antonym (one can be reckless, but one cannot be reckful), while some opposites have been created by adding a prefix to a standalone word (“eustress” from “stress,” as we will learn below). Let’s expand our vocabularies with some unusual antonyms for common words.

 

1. Diurnal / Nocturnal
Nocturnal animals are those that are active during the night and sleep in the daytime hours, such as owls, bats, and opossums. Diurnal animals are the opposite — they sleep during the night and are active during the day. Humans are naturally diurnal but can operate on a different schedule if required.

 

2. Dysphemism / Euphemism

When you substitute an agreeable expression for an offensive one, you’re using a euphemism. The opposite is a dysphemism, which can be a derogatory word or a phrase intended to offend or antagonize. Slurs and insults are examples of dysphemisms.

 

3. Eucatastrophe / Catastrophe
While a catastrophe is an event that causes great suffering and damage, J.R.R. Tolkien coined the word “eucatastrophe” to mean a “good and sudden turn.” Essentially, the term describes a massive change in fortune for the better. In a eucatastrophe, instead of everything falling apart (as in a catastrophe), everything becomes good very quickly.

 

4. Eustress / Distress

As in the pattern of “eucatastrophe” and “catastrophe,” the prefix “eu-” comes from the Greek for “well.” To be in distress means you’re experiencing extreme anxiety or pain; the opposite is eustress, which literally means “good stress.” The term was coined by an endocrinologist to describe the positive feelings that can come from rising to challenges.

 

5. Heteromation / Automation
When machines or electronic devices, rather than humans, perform an operation, it’s done by automation (from the Latin automaticus, meaning “acting of itself”). But what about the work done by humans? This is heteromation. It’s not an exact antonym to “automation,” as it doesn’t describe any work not done by a computer, such as folding laundry, but it refers to tasks done in a computerized world that are difficult for a computer to do correctly. Think: crafting social media posts, organizational tasks, and creative labor. The term “heteromation” was coined in a 2017 book written by computer science professors Hamid Ekbia and Bonnie A. Nardi.

 

6. Jamais Vu / Déjà vu

Déjà vu is the feeling that you’ve seen or experienced something before, though it’s likely impossible. The opposite is called “jamais vu,” which translates from French as “never seen”; it loosely means the feeling upon encountering a word or situation and not recognizing it momentarily. It’s common in patients with brain injury, but anyone can induce the feeling by repeating a word over and over again. For example, in one study, subjects were asked to write “door” repeatedly. After 60 seconds, some reported that it “sounded like a made-up word.”

 

7. Maculate / Immaculate
If something is immaculate, it is perfectly clean, neat, and tidy. However, did you know an item can be maculate? This antonym means it’s soiled or stained. Adding the prefix “im-” (meaning “not”) makes all the difference between the two words.

 

8. Onymous / Anonymous

People who haven’t been identified by name are anonymous. The opposite of that term is “onymous.” This half-finished-looking word means “bearing a name.” The word is rarely used, but it is indeed an antonym for the much more recognizable “anonymous.”

 

9. Prepone / Postpone
You can postpone an event by arranging for it to take place at a later date. But you could also prepone by moving it up earlier on the calendar. This may seem like a made-up word (all words are), but it might be a very useful term in jam-packed busy schedules that require some juggling.

 

 

Source: Words You Didn’t Know Had Unusual Opposites  *  Unpaired Words

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - JULY

Did you Know.... In the Northern Hemisphere, July’s arrival signals the full swing of summer. With school out and vacation on the mind, the days of our seventh month become jam-packed with barbecues, adventure, and holiday celebrations — all enjoyed while enduring some of the hottest weather of the year. But there’s more to the month than just its scorching temps, so read on for six interesting facts about the dog days of July.

 

1. July Once Had a Different Name

The Gregorian calendar divides our year into 12 months, with July sitting in the seventh spot. But it wasn’t always this way; at one time, July had an entirely different name. Under the Roman calendar, July was called Quintilis — the Roman word for “fifth,” marking its place as the fifth month of the 10-month year. Statesman and leader Julius Caesar influenced the name change: Quintilis was renamed to honor Caesar following his assassination in 44 BCE, in an ode to his birth month. By then, July had slid out of fifth place and into its current seventh spot.

 

2. July Is One of the Most Common Birthday Months

If you’ve RSVP’d to a seemingly endless stream of birthday parties in July, it’s no surprise. That’s because July’s arrival marks the start of one of the most popular birth months in the year. While August reigns as the most common birth month, July comes in second, with the 12-week popularity wave ending in September (the third-most popular month). When it comes down to the specific date, July 7 is circled as the sixth-most popular birthday, with an average of 12,108 babies born on that day each year. However, not every day in the summer month is popular for new arrivals; July 4 is the fifth-least common birthday among Americans, with an average of just 8,796 babies born. The summer holiday is beaten out only by three other unpopular days, all of which occur in winter: Christmas, New Year’s Day, and New Year’s Eve.

 

3. July Is Packed With Food-Related Holidays

In the U.S., July’s grandest holiday is Independence Day, marked with a day of fireworks, fanfare, and food. But the culinary celebrations don’t have to end after the Fourth of July is through. The summer month hosts a handful of unofficial food-related holidays that are perfectly timed to summer cravings. Dessert lovers can celebrate the season with National Apple Turnover Day on July 5, along with National Sugar Cookie Day on July 9 and National Hot Fudge Sundae Day on July 25. National Piña Colada Day arrives on July 10, followed by Mojito Day on July 11, and both chicken wings and lasagna are honored on July 29. However, one star of the seasonal backyard barbecue gets more than just a day; sausages are honored for a full four weeks thanks to July’s designation as National Hot Dog Month. But if hot dogs aren’t your thing, we have good news: It’s also National Ice Cream Month.

 

4. The First Bikini Debuted in July

Pools, beaches, and aquatic parks are practically midway through their operating season come the dog days of July, the same month that commemorates a popular piece of attire often worn in water: the bikini. French designer Louis Réard unveiled his tiny two-piece swimsuit on July 5, 1946, at a Paris swimming pool. Réard’s goal was to create the smallest two-piece swimsuit possible, and it’s likely he was inspired by postwar fabric shortages; his original design used just 30 inches of material. The first bikini was scandalous, with Réard initially unable to find a model willing to debut his creation in public. But the small two-piece suits soon became popular in Europe, commonly seen on beaches throughout the 1950s. Within a decade, the bikini trend gained momentum and jumped across the pond to American swimmers. As for the unusual name, Réard named his swimsuit for Bikini Atoll, a coral island in the Marshall Islands used by the U.S. as a nuclear test site — a moniker meant to suggest how monumental his clothing invention would be.

 

5. July Is the Best Month to Encounter a UFO

Most people look to the summer night sky in anticipation of fireworks or an astronomical spectacle (like a glimpse of the planet Venus, which appears to glow its brightest in early July). However, July also offers the best odds of catching sight of an unidentified flying object. The phenomenon dates as far back as July 1947, when New Mexico rancher W.W. Brazel sparked generations of skywatchers thanks to his report of a downed spacecraft — an event we now call the Roswell Incident. Despite a flurry of conspiracy theories, Brazel’s account of finding debris from a skyfallen UFO was disproven and explained by U.S. military officials as a crashed weather balloon. But in the decades to follow, reports of UFO sightings only grew; according to the National UFO Reporting Center, which has collected data on UFO sightings since 1974, more reports are made in July than any other month. While it’s unclear just why summer lends itself to more UFO sightings, one theory nods at the best parts of summer: Spending more time outside gives us chances to see the unusual, paired with spooky summer blockbusters that prime our brain to see the supernatural.

 

6. July Marks Earth’s Farthest Spot From the Sun

As Earth travels its constant path around the sun, there comes a time when our planet is at its farthest point from our home star — which happens in July. On an average day, Earth sits a snug 93 million miles from the sun, but because the planet's orbit is an ellipse — in which the sun isn’t perfectly centered — our distance from the star waxes and wanes throughout the year. In early July, Earth experiences its aphelion, aka a planet’s farthest distance from the sun, winding up a mind-bending 94.5 million miles away. (Come January, Earth will reach its perihelion, aka the closest position to the sun, measuring 91.4 million miles away.) Aphelion is predictable, normally occurring around two weeks after the summer solstice. In 2023, Earth’s aphelion occurs on July 6 at 4:07 p.m. EST.

 

 

Source: Sizzling Facts About July

Edited July 2, 2023 by DarkRavie

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SUNNIEST CITIES

Did you know... Warm sun on your face not only feels good, but it is also scientifically proven to make us happier and healthier. Human bodies generate Vitamin D after just minutes of sun exposure, which promotes bone health, oral health, and even improves mental health. Looking to maximize your glow? According to data available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, which measured the average percent of possible sunshine from sunrise to sunset under clear sky conditions, these are the eight sunniest cities in America.

 

1. Reno, Nevada (79% Sunshine)

Reno is known just as much for its 300-plus sunny days each year as it is for its booming casino and tourism industry. There are plenty of options if you come to gamble, but since the desert city is set 4,500 feet high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it also boasts amazing natural recreation opportunities. Visitors can trek short loops just outside of town, hit the slopes at Mount Rose in the winter, or make the most of the sunny weather and drive 37 miles south to Lake Tahoe for a variety of water activities like kayaking, paddleboarding, and waterskiing.

 

2. Fresno, California (79% Sunshine)

The sunny climate of the central California city of Fresno average has made it the top agricultural producer in the state, responsible for more than $7.7 billion worth of crops in 2019 alone. Increasingly, Fresno is also considered one of California’s up-and-coming wine-producing regions. See it for yourself and drive the Blossom Trail to gaze upon the bounty of fruit and nut orchards surrounding the city. Visitors should also check out the Underground Gardens, a California Historical Landmark and open-air museum. Bonus: The subterranean tunnels are roughly 10 to 20 degrees cooler than above-ground temperatures!

 

3. El Paso, Texas (84% Sunshine)

The sun shines in El Paso just under 300 days each year on average, good enough to top the list of sunniest cities in Texas. Aptly nicknamed the “Sun City,” El Paso also boasts warm temperatures and low precipitation, which make outdoor activities a breeze. Camp, hike, bike, or rock climb Franklin Mountains State Park — at 46 square miles, it’s one of the largest urban parks in the U.S. Or, combine outdoor recreation with a history lesson at Hueco Tanks State Historic Site, which features some of the area’s most significant ancient history embedded right into its rock walls.

 

4. Tucson, Arizona (85% Sunshine)

Claiming more than 350 days of sunshine each year, Tucson also boasts mild year-round temperatures and low humidity. The Sonoran Desert surrounding the city provides a spectacular playground for all that sunny weather, beckoning visitors into an otherworldly landscape of cacti, red rocks, and unique desert wildlife. Saguaro National Park and Tucson Mountain Park are excellent ways to experience the best of Tucson’s hiking, mountain biking, and scenic drives. Tucson also has a thriving arts and culture scene with plenty of galleries and museums to check out if all the sun becomes a little too much.

 

5. Phoenix, Arizona (85% Sunshine)

Phoenix sees sun 85% of the time, but all that sunshine comes at a price — the Arizona capital also snags the top spot for hottest city in the U.S. with 107 days of the year seeing temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Phoenix may be hot, but for those willing to brave the heat, it has plenty to offer outdoor enthusiasts (and many great options for those who’d rather spend more time inside). Experience the first rays of the day and epic desert views with a sunrise hot air balloon ride or enjoy a sunny afternoon trek up Camelback Mountain, one of the city’s most popular hiking spots. Beat the heat indoors and cool down at a Phoenix Suns NBA game or hit up the Uptown Farmers Market.

 

6. Las Vegas, Nevada (85% Sunshine)

Daytime temperatures in Sin City peak from May to September, with averages climbing into the triple digits. Combine this with roughly 3,800 hours of sunshine each year, and it’s clear why rooftop pools and all-day pool parties are a year-round draw. Soak up the sun with a stroll around on the Strip, and duck into one of many heavily air-conditioned casinos when you need to beat the heat. But don’t be shy about venturing Off-Strip: Attractions like the Red Rock National Conservation Area and Sloan Canyon offer fantastic, less-touristed ways to enjoy all the sunny weather Vegas has to offer.

 

7. Redding, California (88% Sunshine)

If you’re one who thinks there’s no such thing as too much sun, the northern California city of Redding might be an ideal place to check out in July and August. This northeast California city sees sun 97% of the time in the prime summer months. For the full year, you can depend on sunshine 88% of the time, on average. Although temperatures soar into the high 90s in spring and summer, clear skies and dry weather are ideal for exploring all of Redding’s outdoor attractions — from the 42 waterfalls within a 90-minute drive of the city center to the fascinating subterranean wonders at the Caves of Lake Shasta Caverns National Natural Landmark.

 

8. Yuma, Arizona (90% Sunshine)

The honor for the sunniest place in the U.S. goes to Yuma, a southwestern Arizona city on the Mexican border. In fact, with 330 days of sun and 4,015 annual hours of sun, Yuma is not only the sunniest place in the U.S. — but also the world. On average, the sun shines here for 90% of the time, and even the darkest month of December sees sun for 82% of daylight hours — making it an optimal place for snowbirds to beat winter blues in many other parts of the United States. Pair the abundant sunshine with outdoor exploration; the 300-foot Imperial Sand Dunes and the ghost town and museum of Castle Dome City are great places to start.

 

 

Source: The Sunniest Cities in the U.S.

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - U.S. CONSTITUTION

Did you know.... The United States Constitution is one of the most famous documents in history. The landmark papers are the culmination of four months of vigorous debate at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The adoption of the finalized constitution established the laws of the land for the start of President George Washington’s administration on March 4, 1789. While some of its passages and amendments are familiar from history class, here are a few lesser-known facts behind the processes that shaped the backbone of the American republic.

 

1. The U.S. Constitution Is Among the World’s Shortest and Oldest Governing Documents

The original Constitution checks in at 4,543 words, including signatures, and expands to 7,762 words when adding in the 27 amendments. Sometimes cited as the shortest and oldest governing document in use by any major nation, it is outdone in brevity only by the Constitution of Monaco, which measures a trim 3,814 words, and in age by the Constitution of San Marino, which dates back to 1600.

 

2. An Assistant Clerk Engrossed the Original for $30

The job of officially putting the framers' legalese to paper fell to Jacob Shallus, assistant clerk of the Pennsylvania State Assembly, who had limited time to scrawl the words across four pieces of parchment before the signing date of September 17, 1787. Despite making several mistakes in his haste, prompting the clerk to insert words in some areas and scribble out others with a penknife, the founding fathers were satisfied with the effort and paid Shallus $30.

 

3. The State of Pennsylvania Is Misspelled ... Or Is It?

One of the Constitution's apparent glaring errors was not the fault of the harried engrosser but that of Alexander Hamilton, who took it upon himself to categorize each group of signees by state and designated the host group as "Penslyvania." Then again, the state's name also appears that way on the Liberty Bell, evidence that the esteemed statesman was not so much careless as simply following an accepted spelling at the time.

 

4. Benjamin Franklin Was the Convention’s Oldest Delegate

Plagued by gout and kidney stones, Benjamin Franklin reportedly was carried to the Pennsylvania State House on a chair held by four prisoners from the Walnut Street Jail. Despite his weakened condition, the 81-year-old statesman made his mark on the convention by brokering compromises between the warring factions. He also penned a powerful speech, delivered by Pennsylvania's James Wilson, that urged his colleagues to set aside their doubts and formally approve the fruits of their labor.

 

5. Only 39 of 55 Delegates Signed the Constitution

Despite Franklin's impassioned push for unity, less than three-quarters of the delegates applied their signatures to the Constitution. Several left before the conclusion of the convention, while three who stuck around to the end — George Mason and Edmund Randolph of Virginia and Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts — refused to accept the many compromises and endorse the document. Delaware's John Dickinson also departed early, due to illness, but had fellow state delegate George Read "sign" his name in absentia.

 

6. Rhode Island Was the Final Original State to Approve the Constitution

Concerned about handing too much power to the central government, Rhode Island boycotted the Constitutional Convention altogether and earned a measure of infamy as the only one of the 13 original states not to be a signatory. Local support lagged even after New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, thereby rendering it binding, in June 1788. It took an explicit threat from the Senate, which passed a bill prohibiting interstate commerce with Rhode Island in May 1790, for the holdouts to vote for ratification.

 

7. The Bill of Rights Initially Consisted of 12 Amendments

Addressing the Constitution's lack of individual protections, Congress approved 12 of the 19 amendments proposed by James Madison, before the states excised two more and ratified the 10 that became the Bill of Rights on December 15, 1791. One of the rejected articles, which establishes parameters for ever-increasing membership in the House of Representatives, technically remains pending before Congress. The other, which prohibits lawmakers from awarding themselves a raise until the following session of Congress, later resurfaced in 1992 as the 27th Amendment.

 

8. A Record 61 Years Elapsed Between the Passage of 12th and 13th Amendments

After the Bill of Rights went into effect, it took approximately three years until the 11th Amendment, which limited lawsuits against the states, was added in February 1795, and another nine-plus years for the 12th Amendment, which separated voting for Presidents and Vice Presidents, to become official in June 1804. It then took a whopping 61.5 years to formally eliminate slavery with the December 1865 ratification of the 13th Amendment, the longest period to date between constitutional amendments in U.S. history.

 

 

Source: Lesser-Known Facts About the U.S. Constitution

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - HOUSEPLANTS

Did you know.... Houseplants adorn our homes with beautiful foliage, but they’re not just for decoration. They enrich our lives by giving us something to care for and can be a rewarding hobby, especially for those who focus on complex plants like orchids. It’s possible that houseplants even reduce indoor air pollution (though this is controversial) and can dampen noise from the street. While plants may seem pretty straightforward from a distance, we’re learning more every day about their inner workings — like if and how they respond to music. Hone in on specific species and there are all kinds of things to learn, such as how some trick pollinators into coming their way, while others can survive for years without water. These six facts about houseplants might have you running to the nursery for some new additions, or at least thinking differently about your leafy roomies.

 

1. Lucky Bamboo Is Not Real Bamboo

Lucky bamboo has great cultural significance, especially when given as a gift or placed to improve feng shui. It’s often sold in stunning sculptural arrangements, like braids and twirls, and adorned with colorful ribbon, although it grows just fine as straight stalks in soil or plain water. Lucky bamboo thrives in all kinds of settings, and even does fine in low light, so it’s a mainstay of bookshelves and cubicles all over the world. While it looks a little like true bamboo, it’s not related to the panda food. Its scientific name is Dracaena sanderiana, and it’s more closely related to dragon trees, ti plants, and snake plants. Like real bamboo, it’s super easy to grow, but unlike real bamboo, it’s not going to invade your entire garden.

 

2. Poaching a Venus Flytrap Is a Felony

Venus flytraps are incredibly popular houseplants for both pest control and sheer curiosity appeal, but in the wild, their habitat is itty-bitty. They grow only in a 75-mile radius in damp savannas, mostly located in North Carolina, and they’re in danger of losing their very specific habitat, which needs fire to thrive. Venus flytraps are considered a “species of special concern” in North Carolina, and people digging them up for use as houseplants is a major threat to their population. As of 2015, only about 35,000 of them were left growing in the wild. In 2014, the state made poaching them a felony, punishable by up to 29 months in prison and steep fines. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends checking flytraps before you buy them; plants grown in a nursery will likely be consistent in size and have uniform soil free from weeds.

 

3. Citrus Plants Can Grow Indoors

Those of us who don’t live in perpetually sunny climates may not be able to grow lime trees in our backyards, but that doesn’t mean giving up on a citrus tree dream. In colder climates, many varieties make great houseplants, as long as they’re a variety that takes to it; you’re not going to grow a giant orange tree in your living room, but dwarf trees can be a great option near sunny windows. Acidic fruits, like lemons and limes, need less heat to ripen, making them slightly better candidates for indoor growing, but some varieties of satsuma, citron, and kumquat are also great choices. Speaking of fruit…

 

4. Monstera Plants Produce Tasty Tropical Fruit

As a houseplant, Monstera deliciosa (also known as split-leaf philodendron or Swiss cheese plant) is better known for its giant, heart-shaped leaves marked by beautiful patterns of notches and holes. Indoors, they typically stop there, but in their native Central American tropical forests, these already larger-than-life plants eventually climb nearby trees and reach heights of up to 70 feet, with large blossoms that resemble peace lilies. Eventually, those flowers become scaly fruit that tastes like a cross between a banana, pineapple, and mango — hence, deliciosa.

 

5. Resurrection Plants Can Go Seven Years Without Water

Even for those who have never been able to keep a houseplant alive, Selaginella lepidophylla — also known as a resurrection plant, the Rose of Jericho, or, confusingly, the False Rose of Jericho — is a pretty low lift. They’re native to the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico and parts of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, and have an incredible survival strategy for the dry heat. They allow themselves to dry out, and then bounce around as tumbleweeds until they find somewhere damp to settle down. Once hydrated, they spread out their fern-like fronds and turn green. If that area dries out, they just curl back up into a ball and repeat the cycle. Once dormant and dead-looking again, the plant can survive for up to seven years. Selaginella lepidophylla does not need to be rooted to come back to life, and it only takes a couple of hours to go from dormant to vibrant. As houseplants, they are nearly impossible to kill. Just make sure nobody mistakes them for actually being dead — their biggest household hazard is becoming accidental trash.

 

6. Some Orchids Use Trickery to Reproduce

Orchids are bizarre plants, and there are a lot of them. With more than 25,000 varieties, they make up around 10% of the world’s plant species, and many of them have their own set of tricks. When it’s time to spread pollen, a number turn to mimicry to lure in beneficial insects. Some release pheromones that smell like female insects, while others go so far as to visually imitate their pollinators — that is, specialized petals lure in male bees or wasps, who “mate” with the flower before moving onto another, picking up pollen in the process.

 

 

Source: Interesting Facts About Houseplants

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - SUMMER SOLSTICE

Did you know... The solstice in June marks the longest day of the year and the official beginning of summer for the Northern Hemisphere. This celestial event has been marked by humanity for at least 7,000 years (it likely helped our Neolithic ancestors chart the growing season), and in fact it could be one of humanity’s earliest astronomical discoveries. Today, scientists understand much more about the complicated celestial mechanics that create the solstice every year around June 20 to 21, but these six facts explore some of the lesser-known aspects of this amazing astronomical event.

 

1. The Summer Solstice Isn't an Entire Day, But a Precise Moment

Although we often think about the summer solstice as an entire day, the solstices (meaning “sun standing still” in Latin) are actually precise moments. The solstice in the Northern Hemisphere marks the exact minute when the sun reaches its max northerly ascent, stopping (or seeming to stand still) directly above the Tropic of Cancer. This specific latitude is located roughly 23.5 degrees above the equator. The winter solstice similarly marks the end of the sun’s southern journey above the Tropic of Capricorn (also 23.5 degrees away from the equator). In 2023, the summer solstice will occur on Wednesday, June 21, at precisely 10:57 a.m. ET.

 

2. The Latest Sunset Actually Occurs the Week After the Solstice

People know that the June solstice is the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere (and the shortest day down south), but because of differences between solar time and clock time, the latest sunset actually occurs throughout the following week. During the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, the solar day is actually shorter than 24 hours, and during the solstices, the 24-hour day is slightly longer. Due to this small difference, as well as the planet’s tilt and elliptical orbit, the latest sunsets occur on different days after the summer solstice, depending on latitude. At 40 degrees north (around Philadelphia), the latest sunset occurs on June 27, while farther north near Seattle, the latest sunset is around June 25. The same is true with the winter solstice, as the earliest sunset occurs weeks before that date.

 

3. The Egyptians Were the First to Have Some Knowledge of the Solstice

Located about 550 miles south of Egypt’s Pyramid of Giza is the world’s oldest astronomical site: the Nabta Playa. Built around 7,000 years ago — around two millennia before Stonehenge — it’s the first known evidence that Neolithic humans had some understanding of the summer solstice. Believed to be constructed by a cattle-worshipping cult that predates even the pharaohs, this incredible megalith monument appears to track both monsoon season and the arrival of the summer solstice. The stones were only discovered in 1973, when a Bedouin named Eide Mariff found them and showed the discovery to American archaeologist Fred Wendorf. Wendorf first thought the stones were natural, but then realized that their location on an ancient lakebed should have worn them away, meaning they were placed there purposefully. Archaeoastronomers eventually discovered the stones would’ve aligned with certain constellations around 4800 BCE. At that time, the arrival of the solstice marked the beginning of the monsoon season, which brought rains that were vital to the survival of the Nabta Playa people.

 

4. The Earth Is Farthest From the Sun Around the Summer Solstice

It may seem counterintuitive, but the summer solstice is around the same time the Earth is farthest from the sun. Contrary to grade school illustrations of the solar system, the Earth is actually in an elliptical orbit around the sun, and throughout the year its distance from our host star can vary by some 3 million miles. Seeing as the Earth is 93 million miles away from the sun on average, this may not seem like much, but scientists estimate that the Earth experiences a 4-degree Fahrenheit total temperature change between the two astronomical extremes. On July 6 (at least in 2023), the Earth experiences its aphelion, or its farthest distance from the sun, and on January 3 (in 2024), the planet reaches its perihelion, its closest approach.

 

5. The Hottest Days May Arrive Weeks After the Solstice

Longer days mean more sunlight, and more sunlight means higher temperatures, right? Well, not exactly. Even though the days get shorter and shorter following the solstice, the temperatures only climb in the Northern Hemisphere due to what scientists call “seasonal lag.” The hottest temperature for any given area is largely due to differences in heat capacity (how much heat it takes to warm something up) of land and water. Water takes longer to heat than land, so San Francisco, which is surrounded by water on three sides, doesn’t experience its hottest days until September, whereas cities like El Paso actually do sweat through their hottest days near the solstice. This is also why islands in the Pacific and cities along the coast feel less temperature change between seasons, while deserts experience the opposite. The hottest day in a particular region or city can also be influenced by humidity, summer storms, and even human irrigation.

 

6. People Still Celebrate the Summer Solstice at Stonehenge

There are some 35,000 megaliths spread throughout Europe. Some are as small as a single stone, while others are massive structures of mind-boggling complexity. But none of these impressive, ancient monuments is as well known and beloved as Stonehenge, the famous solstice calendar of antiquity nestled in the hills near Salisbury, England. For thousands of years, druids, pagans, and other peoples who used the site gathered to celebrate the solstice, and it’s a tradition that continues to this day. Every year, thousands gather at Stonehenge to watch the sun rise on the summer solstice. On the morning of June 21, the sun will rise behind the Heel Stone and illuminate Stonehenge in a dazzling display (unless it’s a cloudy day). Although the monument closed its doors to visitors during the pandemic, locals, pagans, and many others were welcomed back in 2022 to walk among the ancient stones once again. After watching the sun rise on the Earth’s longest day, one visitor told the BBC, “It’s good to be back.”

 

 

Source: Amazing Facts About the Summer Solstice

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - REDHEADS

Did you know.... Whether bright orange, auburn, or more of a strawberry blond, red hair is a real eye-catcher. Celtic countries, like Scotland and Ireland, are most commonly associated with red hair, but fiery locks can pop up in people of multiple ethnicities around the world. Still, natural redheads are relatively rare — only one or two out of every 100 people can claim this distinction. What makes red hair red? In what other ways are redheads unique? Which famous people are secret gingers… and which famous redheads are secret brunettes? Read on for six interesting facts about redheads.

 

1. A Genetic Mutation Causes Red Hair

Our genes make up a lot of who we are, including our looks. When people have red hair, it’s typically the MC1R gene that’s responsible. The color of your hair comes from two possible pigments. Eumelanin makes your hair light or dark; people with black hair have a lot of it, while blonds don’t. The second pigment is pheomelanin, which is a redder pigment. Usually people don’t have a lot of the latter, because the MC1R gene converts pheomelanin into eumelanin. Redheads have a mutation in their MC1R gene that allows the pheomelanin — and the bright red color that comes with it — to flow free. In order for someone to inherit red hair, both their parents need a mutated MC1R gene — and even then there’s about a 1-4 chance of redheadedness. Non-redheads can be redheaded gene carriers and not know it, although there are some ways to guess.

 

2. Those With Freckles May Be Redheaded Gene Carriers

Carrying two MC1R gene mutations can cause redheadedness, but even people with only one mutation are three times as likely to develop ephelides, the medical term for what most of us think of as freckles, compared to those without any MC1R mutations. If you’re carrying two mutated MC1R genes, you’re 11 times more likely to get them. So if you have a light dusting of freckles across your nose (and they’re not just tattoos), your future child might be redheaded — even if your hair is blond or black. (Unfortunately, you also have a higher risk of developing skin cancer.)

 

3. Mark Twain Was a Redhead

The most familiar photos of Samuel Clemens, better known under his pen name Mark Twain, are not just in black and white, but also taken when he’s older. So it’s easy to miss that as a young man, Twain had vibrant red hair, which went gray in his 50s.

Before color photography, hair looked either light or dark — so many historical redheads are hiding in plain sight. Other redheads we’re not used to seeing in color include former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge and Dracula author Bram Stoker.

 

4. Lucille Ball Wasn’t a Natural Redhead

Lucille Ball was one of Hollywood’s most iconic redheads, but she was actually a natural brunette. She went blond early in her career, when she was only appearing in black and white movies — but when she was cast as the lead in her first technicolor role, 1943’s DuBarry Was a Lady, she made the switch. Still, that red wasn’t really the same red that she became known for. Hairstylist Sydney Guilaroff developed her famous shade a few years later to go better with her apricot-colored costume in Ziegfeld Follies (1946), using a few different dyes and a henna rinse. While it’s easy to remember Ball in color, her best-known role as Lucy Ricardo on I Love Lucy was, of course, shot in black and white — although colorized versions exist.

 

5. Redheads May Produce More Vitamin D Than Other People

Our bodies generate vitamin D when the sun’s ultraviolet rays interact with our skin. This essential vitamin helps us absorb calcium and ward off a host of other health problems. Unfortunately, redheaded people tend to have fair, sensitive skin that doesn’t pair well with too much sunlight; it burns easily and is susceptible to skin cancer. Fortunately, redheads may produce more vitamin D with less sun than other people, according to a 2020 study from the Czech Republic, making up for at least some of that lost sunlight. No wonder the dark and rainy climes of Scotland and Ireland are full of them.

 

6. Redheads May Experience Pain Differently

While results vary, multiple studies have found that people with redhead genes have a different response to pain than other people. In one 2005 study, they were able to withstand greater levels of electrical current and were more sensitive to opioid medications. A separate 2005 study found they were more sensitive to pain from heat or cold, and also tested sensitivity to the anesthetic lidocaine. That one found that when applied under the skin, lidocaine was less effective on redheads than other participants, which may mean redheads sometimes need more anesthesia. The evidence is far from conclusive, however. A more recent study, this one from 2020, concluded that MC1R genes do affect pain, but not the same variants that affect hair color. All in all, it’s a fascinating look at what one gene can do.

 

 

Source: Interesting Facts About Redheads

 

 

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - TRANSYLVANIA

Did you know....  You might be forgiven for not realizing Transylvania is a real place — or for not knowing much about it beyond its status as the supposed birthplace of Dracula. Vlad “the Impaler” Dracul is indeed linked to this region of Romania, and though the vampire legend he gave rise to may be more fiction than fact, Transylvania itself is very much real. That legend began with Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula and grew from there, including the 1931 film adaptation starring Bela Lugosi (who was himself born in Romania) and the equally influential silent movie Nosferatu. As is often the case, the truth about this area of the world is even more interesting than the stories surrounding it. Here are six things you might not know about Transylvania.

 

1. The Name “Transylvania” Has an Evocative Backstory

Depending on how you translate it, Transylvania means “beyond the forest” or “on the other side of the woods.” A document dating back to 1075 and written in medieval Latin refers to the region as ultra silvam, which is where we get the former translation. It's also been called Ultrasylvania, a medieval Latin translation of the Hungarian name Erdő-elve. As its name implies, Transylvania is heavily forested and quite beautiful — were it not for the spooky connotations, it would likely be just as popular to visit as Europe’s other idyllic locales.

 

2. There Are No Vampires, But There Are Bears

Six thousand brown bears call Transylvania home, or nearly 60% of the species’ entire population in Europe. The Apuseni Mountains are even home to the appropriately named Bears’ Cave, which received its name after the skeletons of 140 cave bears were discovered there in 1983. The brown bears here are often quite large as well, with one specimen tipping the scales at nearly 1,100 pounds. And while there have been a handful of tragic encounters with humans, the majority of these imposingly beautiful creatures live far from civilization in the Carpathian Mountains, which are also home to wolves, lynxes, and other interesting wildlife.

 

3. Dracula’s Castle Isn’t the Only Famous Fortress

Bran Castle is the most well-known of Transylvania’s castles due to its connection to the Dracula mythos, but it’s far from the only notable castle in Transylvania. There’s also Corvin Castle, which is one of the largest in Europe and is counted among the Seven Wonders of Romania, not to mention the likes of Peles and Bánffy castles. The former looks like it came straight out of a storybook and was the first castle in Europe with electricity, while Bánffy's history can be traced to the 14th century; it was nearly burned down by Germans retreating from Allied troops near the end of World War II. Still, there’s no denying how fascinating the legend of Bran Castle — known outside of Romania as Dracula’s Castle, of course — has become. There’s no evidence that the castle inspired Bram Stoker when he wrote Dracula or that Vlad himself ever visited the medieval structure. However, that didn’t stop the Communist Party of Romania from deciding in the 1970s to present Bran Castle as the true home of the world’s most famous vampire. That decision wasn’t arbitrary, as the castle certainly looks the part — if you were to conjure an image of Dracula’s not-so-humble abode, there’s a good chance it would look exactly like the place.

 

4. You Can Visit the Best-Preserved Medieval Citadel in Europe There

Sighișoara, the supposed birthplace of Vlad Dracul himself, is a town of 28,000 people dating back to the 12th century. Its fortified historic center is so well-preserved that UNESCO designated it a World Heritage Site in 1999, particularly for how important it is to the history of Transylvanian Saxons. The German-speaking group has been in the area so long that the region was technically part of Hungary when they first arrived there; the Saxons also played a major role in Transylvania’s feudal system for hundreds of years. Sighișoara remains the best-preserved inhabited medieval citadel in Europe, not to mention a surprisingly charming spot to visit.

 

5. The Coat of Arms Is Seriously Awesome

Vexillologists will get a kick out of this 18th-century symbol, which was granted by Maria Theresa of the Hapsburg dominions. As symbolically rich as it is visually arresting, the coat of arms features an eagle representing Transylvania itself, a sun and crescent moon for the Székely Land region of Romania, and seven towers representing cities populated by Saxons. Transylvania had other heraldic symbols in the centuries prior, but none were granted with as much fanfare or lasted as long — it’s still in use today.

 

6. Transylvania Hosts Romania’s Biggest Film Festival

Cannes, Venice, and Berlin may attract more headlines, but the Transylvania International Film Festival has emerged as one of the most adventurous events of its kind in Europe. Founded in 2002 and taking place in Cluj-Napoca, Transylvania's cultural center and unofficial capital, it draws more than 100,000 attendees each year and has highlighted adventurous films like Babyteeth, Monos, and Oslo, August 31st. (Their vampire-themed poster game is on point, too.)

 

 

Source: Things You Might Not Know About Transylvania

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - U.S PENNY

Did you know.... What pennies lack in purchasing power, they make up for in history. Long before the U.S. was even founded, variations of the word “penny” were commonly used for European currency of various denominations, including pfennig in German and penning in Swedish. (The American use of the word “penny” came from the British term for one-twelfth of a shilling.) It was in 1793 that the U.S. Mint finally struck its first penny — though its official name is the “one-cent piece” — which means that pennies have been jangling around in the pockets of Americans since the Washington administration. From design alterations to record-shattering values, here are some remarkable facts about the history (and more) of the smallest current monetary denomination in the U.S.

 

1. Benjamin Franklin Designed the First Penny

Long before Abraham Lincoln’s portrait graced the face of the one-cent piece, founding father Benjamin Franklin reportedly conceived of an early coin design now known as the “Fugio” penny. Franklin’s concept was first approved and manufactured under the watchful eye of the Congress of the Confederation in 1787, predating the U.S. Mint’s production by several years. The Fugio penny’s obverse depicts a sun and sundial accompanied by the Latin word “fugio” (translating to “I fly”), as well as the phrase “Mind Your Business.” On its other side, the reverse, the cent features the words “We Are One,” surrounded by 13 chain links to represent the original 13 colonies. All told, U.S. pennies have featured 11 different designs throughout history.

 

2. Abraham Lincoln Was the First Real Person to Appear on a U.S. Coin

Speaking of redesigns, it was in 1909 that the penny underwent a visual change that remains constant to this day. From 1859 to 1909, the U.S. penny depicted the silhouette of a fictitious Native American person. In 1909, President Theodore Roosevelt decided to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s 100th birthday by changing the coin’s design to feature Lincoln’s face — making Lincoln the first real person to appear on U.S. coinage. To create the design, Roosevelt enlisted the acclaimed medalist Victor David Brenner, who designed the portrait of Lincoln that now appears on all pennies. George Washington would later appear on the quarter, beginning in 1932; Thomas Jefferson was added to the face of the nickel in 1938; and FDR showed up on dimes beginning in 1946.

 

3. Pennies Cost More to Make Than They’re Worth

Despite their storied history, pennies may not be around for much longer, due to the fact that they’re so expensive to make. The manufacturing cost for a penny is more than double its value — in 2021, each penny cost 2.1 cents to strike. That same year, the government produced 7.6 billion pennies, equating to a financial loss of $145.8 million. Part of the reason for this financial conundrum is that pennies are composed of 97.5% zinc and 2.5% copper, two metals that have recently dramatically risen in price. Several movements have begun in support of eliminating the coin from circulation, which is something America’s neighbors to the north chose to do with their own penny all the way back in 2012.

 

4. The Most Valuable Penny Sold for $1.7 Million

Not all pennies are massive money drains. In fact, one penny sold at auction in 2010 for a whopping $1.7 million. The one-of-a-kind coin was accidentally struck in 1943, using a leftover bronze coin disc from 1942 at a time when the government was experimenting with other materials so they could preserve copper for wartime efforts in World War II. The auctioned coin is the only one known to have been mistakenly cast in bronze at the Denver Mint, making it exceedingly rare, though an additional 20 Lincoln pennies were believed to have been struck in bronze at the Philadelphia and San Francisco Mints. Throughout World War II, zinc-coated steel was ultimately used for pennies as part of the aforementioned conservation efforts.

 

5. The Penny Isn’t the Lowest-Value U.S. Coin Ever Produced

From 1793 to 1857, the penny held the distinction of being the second least-valuable American coin, since the U.S. Mint produced a half-cent coin during that time period. The first half-cent depicted Lady Liberty on its face, though subsequent redesigns would alter her appearance as well as the way she was facing. The half-cent was ultimately discontinued due to its perceived worthlessness at the time — though it would be worth 14 cents today when adjusted for inflation, making it more valuable than several modern coins still in circulation. From a collector’s standpoint, the half-cent is even more valuable, with lower-quality examples selling for $40, whereas some uncirculated half-cents are valued at up to $100,000.

 

6. Pressed Penny Collectors Are Known as Exonumists

Exonumia are tokens and other items that resemble money but aren’t meant to be used in circulation. One of the more popular hobbies related to exonumia is the collection of elongated or pressed pennies, the concept of which made its stateside debut at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893. Though the inventor of the machine remains a mystery, more than two dozen designs were presented at the fair. Pressed pennies can now be found at festivals and amusement parks around the country, including at Disneyland, where you can press over 150 collectible designs onto your penny. While pressing pennies is perfectly legal in the United States, the act is actually forbidden in Canada, because the Canadian Currency Act forbids using coins for any purpose other than currency. (Although penny-pressing machines do exist in Canada, at least some use a zinc American penny instead of a Canadian coin.)

 

 

Source: Valuable Facts About the U.S. Penny

[DarkRavie]

Fact of the Day - LEONARDO DA VINCI

Did you know... Whether in mathematics, anatomy, engineering, botany, cartography, or architecture, the 15th-century Florentine polymath Leonardo da Vinci had no equal. Oh, and he also found time to be one of the greatest artists who ever lived. Because his genius stretched into so many disciplines — and thousands of pages of his notes and sketches have survived the centuries — Leonardo remains one of history’s most well-known, yet still enigmatic, figures. Scientists and physicians still wonder how his brilliant mind worked, while engineers and designers marvel at (and in some cases construct) his many contraptions and inventions. These six facts explore the incredible life of the original Renaissance man.

 

1. “Da Vinci” Isn’t Leonardo’s Last Name

“Leonardo da Vinci” (pronounced starting with a “LAY”) is one of the most famous names in history — but it isn’t really the polymath’s name. Born in 1452 in Vinci, near the Italian city of Florence, Leonardo was the illegitimate son of wealthy notary Ser Piero da Vinci and a peasant woman named Catalina. Ser Piero acknowledged Leonardo as his son, and the nascent genius became known as Leonardo di ser Piero, meaning “son of Piero” (surnames were a relatively new phenomenon in Italy at the time and mostly reserved for the upper class). Because he had been born out of wedlock, Leonardo was — thankfully for us — given freedom to explore his intellectual pursuits, rather than be trained as a notary like his father, as was family custom at the time. When Leonardo became an apprentice in his teenage years, he tacked on the moniker “da Vinci,” or “from Vinci,” to distinguish himself from the plethora of Leonardos in Florence and throughout Tuscany. That’s why, when referring to the famous figure, it’s more accurate to call him simply “Leonardo” rather than “da Vinci.” Who wants to tell Dan Brown the bad news?

 

2. Leonardo Designed the First Helicopter (and the First Tank)

Leonardo’s artistic legacy adorns the walls of museums (and one convent) around the world, and his works are visited by millions every year, but the famous Florentine’s scientific genius is also found in some 7,000 surviving pages of notes — each one detailing his thoughts on far-reaching ideas and concepts. One idea, known as the aerial screw, is considered to be the very first design of a vertical take-off and landing aircraft, also known as a helicopter. Another famous invention, Leonardo’s fighting vehicle, is essentially a 15th-century armored tank; it’d be nearly a half millennia before anything like these metal machines marched across European battlefields. Leonardo’s surviving notebooks also contain various flying machines called ornithopters, history’s first conception of a parachute, and advanced ideas in zoology, mathematics, hydrology, anatomy, and geology. For example, almost four centuries before Charles Darwin, Leonardo theorized through the study of rocks and fossils that the Earth must be much older than the Bible had described. Without these notebooks, Leonardo might be remembered as a very good, even great (but not terribly prolific) Renaissance painter, but these yellowing pages reveal an astonishing mind working out mysteries that wouldn’t be solved for centuries.

 

3. He Created a Satellite Map… in 1502

Leonardo was a man ahead of his time, and nowhere is that more clear than in his “satellite” map of the Italian city of Imola. In August 1502, at the age of 50, Leonardo became general architect and engineer to Cesare Borgia, the son of Pope Alexander VI and a very wealthy individual. One of Leonardo’s chief missions was to survey Imola, a city near Bologna, in an effort to improve its fortifications. Unlike other maps of the time that were drawn from angled perspectives, filled with mythological or religious references, and/or more concerned with a town’s architectural beauty than cartographic accuracy, Leonardo’s map of Imola looks more at home on Google Maps than in a 16th-century atlas. That’s because Leonardo created an ichnographic map, an idea first explored by the Roman architect Vitruvius (yes, that Vitruvius) in the first century BCE. It’s what we’d call a satellite map today, because the perspective of the map hovers directly above the city. Of course, Leonardo da Vinci didn’t have a satellite, so instead he likely paced the town by foot (perhaps using proto-odometer), using other tools such as a bussola (a tool that measures degrees inside a circle) to measure the degree of angles at every turn, and took bearings from the tower of the Palazzo Comunale. The result is an astonishingly accurate map, one that a 21st-century tourist could still use to navigate parts of Imola today.

 

4. He Was a Notorious Procrastinator

Leonardo da Vinci is the original “Renaissance man,” but his interest in, well, nearly everything also came with one big downside — he was a bit of a procrastinator. Compared to his artistic contemporaries, Leonardo didn’t produce nearly as many paintings, with only 20 or so — many of them still uncompleted — still around today. Instead, Leonardo was often distracted, and frequently caught doodling in his now-famous notebooks. Although Leonardo’s life is filled with remarkable accomplishments, it’s also littered with half-realized projects and unfinished masterpieces. One famous example is “The Virgin of the Rocks,” a painting that originally had a seven-month deadline, but took Leonardo 25 years to complete. Other works, such as the Sforza Horse — intended to be one of the world’s largest cast bronze statues — never saw the light of day despite years of work and planning. His chronic perfectionism didn’t help, and Leonardo himself even lamented his lifelong inattention. According to his biographer and art historian Giorgio Vasari, Leonardo allegedly mentioned around the time of his death in 1519 “that he had offended God and mankind in not having worked at his art as he should have done.” Today, modern diagnoses of Leonardo’s behavior suggest he might have lived with attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD. Modern biographer Walter Isaacson argues that such a diagnosis could partly explain the creative engine behind Leonardo’s eclectic genius.

 

5. The “Mona Lisa” Remains Unfinished

The most well-known painting in the world is Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa.” Around 10 million people glimpse the beguiling smile of Madam Lisa del Giocondo every year, but few of them likely know that the painting is actually unfinished. Although Leonardo began working on the painting in 1503, evidence suggests he was still refining the portrait around the year 1516. However, an illness in 1517 (possibly a stroke) caused semi-paralysis on the right side of his body, including his hand. Although he wrote with his left hand, Leonardo painted with his right, and this affliction likely caused the “Mona Lisa” to be left unfinished — at least in the artist’s eyes. Keen-eyed art enthusiasts might point to the subject’s lack of eyebrows as evidence of the masterwork’s incomplete status, but some experts now believe the painting originally featured eyebrows and eyelashes that have been lost over time due to poor restoration.

 

6. Leonardo da Vinci Had an Intense Rivalry With Michelangelo

When it comes to Renaissance art, no two names are bigger than Leonardo and Michelangelo. Although considered two different generations of artists, Leonardo being Michelangelo’s senior by about 23 years, the duo had an intense rivalry reflected in both their art styles and general philosophy. Michelangelo’s hard lines, as seen in the Sistine Chapel, speak to his sculptural mindset, whereas Leonardo’s softer lines (also known as sfumato) and symmetrical composition attempted to capture nature in its mathematical beauty. However, their feud was also personal: One famous story recounts how Michelangelo gave Leonardo a dressing down in public by shaming him for the incomplete Sforza Horse. Returning the favor, Leonardo was the only artist to object to the full-frontal nudity of Michelangelo’s David. Considering Leonardo had an entire section in his notebook dedicated to the male member, it’s unlikely he was actually offended, but his argument won out, and David’s privates were covered with a garland of leaves serving as a loincloth.

 

 

Source: Amazing Facts About Leonardo da Vinci