Template talk:Did you know

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Mawali tribal sheikhs, 1880s

... that in the 18th century the Mawali tribe (pictured) was driven from the Syrian steppe to the regions of Hama and Idlib, where their descendants live today?
... that a reviewer described Ceechynaa, who entered the UK singles chart earlier this month with "Peggy", as "proudly waving the sexual liberation flag"?
... that vitamin E was named "tocopherol" as it was identified as essential for live births in rats?
... that in the 1950s Michel Klein opened one of the first veterinary practices in Paris?
... that the sexual onomatopoeia puff-puff was censored in English releases of Dragon Quest until Dragon Quest XI?
... that newspaper publisher Jacob Frolich built trapdoors and hiding places in his house in case it was raided by Radical Republicans?
... that nearly 300 construction workers showed up at 8 am to continue building Chernobyl Reactors 5 and 6, unaware of the Chernobyl disaster earlier that day?
... that war correspondent Bernard Gray was killed while travelling as an unofficial passenger aboard a Royal Navy submarine during the Second World War?
... that Good Gravy!, a Thanksgiving dinner–themed roller coaster, was first tested with a train full of plush turkeys?

This page is for nominations to appear in the "Did you know" section on the Main Page. Eligible articles may only be up to 5 days old, or significantly expanded beyond 1000 characters in the last 5 days.

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Suggestions

List new suggestions here, at the bottom of the date the article was created (not the date you submit it here), with the newest dates at the top. If there's a suitable image, place it after the suggestion.

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Proposed articles should be over 1000 characters, cite sources (these sources should be properly labelled, that is, not under an "External links" header), and be no more than 5 days old (unless it was under 1000 characters, marked a stub, and has been expanded by at least an additional 1000 characters), and should not be marked as stubs. Articles with good references and cites are preferred to those that are not
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- Interesting to draw in a variety of readers around the world.
- Short and pithy (under about 200 characters).
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- Suitably freely (PD, GFDL, CC etc) licensed (NOT fair use) as the main page by policy can only have freely licensed pictures.
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- In the article already
- Relevant to the article
Please check back for comments on your nomination. Your entry may miss out on the front page if you don't respond to reasonable objections.

September 12

...that William W. Patton wrote new lyrics to the battle song John Brown's Body, glorifying the attack by the "nineteen men so few", only to be outdone in the glorification of violence by Julia Ward Howe two months later. (self-nom) -- Petri Krohn 05:59, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that an explosion in 1854 sparked off a great fire killing 53 and levelling significant parts of Gateshead and Newcastle? --Tagishsimon (talk) 01:29, 12 September 2006 (UTC) self-nom[reply]

September 11

...that the only two streams named Conewago Creek in the United States are both tributaries of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, located east and west of the rapids in the river that gives them their name (as Conewago is Lenape for at the rapids)? self nomination of two articles, older made Sept 11, newer Sept 12, there is also a dab page Conewago Creek but dabs are not the stuff of DYK. Ruhrfisch 04:41, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that slag heaps in Asia Minor show evidence of silver mining being practised as early as the 4th millennium BCE. (article by Neutrality, nomination by GeeJo ^(t)⁄_(c) • 21:57, 11 September 2006 (UTC))[reply]
...that whilst The Goons may have joked about exploding trousers, in the 1930s farmers in New Zealand actually had trousers that exploded because of the herbicide that they were using? 17:15, 11 September 2006 (UTC)
...that Emperor Agrasen, from whom the largest trader clan of India traces its origin, originally belonged to the warrior caste?

OR ...that any immigrant to the city of Agroha, established by Emperor Agrasen in ancient India received a hundred thousand bricks to build a home, and a hundred thousand rupees to start a business of his own? self-nom Longhairandabeard 03:09, 11 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that the Obscure Berrypecker of New Guinea is a small forest bird known from two specimens and a handful of sightings? (self nom of the most obscure bird I could find Sabine's Sunbird talk 07:26, 11 September 2006 (UTC))[reply]
...that Coop NKL opened Norways first self serve food store on October 1 1947? self-nom Arsenikk 09:20, 11 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that nutcracker esophagus is a cause of difficulty swallowing that was named because the high amplitude contractions of the esophagus were likened to a mechanical nutcracker? -- Samir धर्म 12:36, 11 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that fried spiders are a popular food in the Cambodian village of Skuon? (created by BorgQueen) —Bunchofgrapes (talk) 02:08, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

September 10

...that the Cabinet des Médailles is the oldest museum of Paris, and houses the largest gold coin of Antiquity, a 20-stater of Eucratides I? PHG 12:56, 10 September 2006 (UTC) Self-nom[reply]
- Nice but quite short.--Peta 05:08, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the term Habesha is thought by some to be of Arabic descent because the English name Abyssinia comes from the Arabic form? Tarret 01:29, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- - Sorry, thought by whom? Please review WP:WEASEL. --Ghirla ^-трёп- 13:37, 11 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- This article is not new; its history is at [1]. Speaking of which, shouldn't there be a GFDL-aware history merge or something? Melchoir 03:21, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the USS Robert H. McCard, a United States Navy destroyer, was named after U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Robert H. McCard, a recipient of the Medal of Honor? --(Written by Wwoods, nominated by Daniel.Bryant 02:26, 10 September 2006 (UTC))[reply]
...that archeological excavations proved that the Visoko valley was the center of the medieval Bosnian state, and later kingdom? --(Written by HarisM , nominated by Daniel.Bryant 02:46, 10 September 2006 (UTC))[reply]
...that at 7'3", Swede Halbrook became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he joined the Oregon State Beavers in 1954? Self-nom. VegaDark 06:18, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Think internationally. I'd like a metric version of 7'3 for the non-Americans amongst us. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:50, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that in 1967 Mohawk Airlines Flight 40 crashed in one of the strangest accidents in aviation history after a fire was sparked by a non-return valve being installed backwards? Self-nom Blood red sandman 14:42, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that Dundas Aqueduct was named after the British politician Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury? self-nom — Rod ^talk 15:20, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Blood Parrot

...that the Blood Parrot, a cross-bred Cichlid, has neither a binomial nomenclature nor a distinctly known parentage? (self-nom) Sango 123 18:33, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that practitioners of ultralight backpacking can travel thousands of miles with as little as five pounds of equipment? -- Susan Davis 18:48, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that the 2003 aggressive skating video game Rolling featured a roster of professional skaters including Fabiola da Silva and Brian Shima? - Hahnch e n 21:02, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
... that the Bara Katra palace in Dhaka, now dilapidated and half-destroyed was built originally to be the residence of Mughal prince Shah Shuja? Rama's arrow 23:29, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

September 9

...that Anne Gregg, best known as former presenter of the BBC's travel programme Holiday through the 1980s, was one of the first people from Northern Ireland to become a national British television personality? (just expanded from a stub) -- ALoan (Talk) 23:38, 9 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that in order to get him to agree to write and perform the "Theme from Shaft", Isaac Hayes was promised an audition for the film's title role? (self-nom) Andrew Levine 18:36, 9 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that the original stained glass windows of the Saint George's Church in Singapore, built in 1910, were packed away for safekeeping before the Japanese Occupation of Singapore but were never found again since then? —self-nom by Sengkang 18:03, 9 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
...that during the complicated sex in space the moisture associated with sexual congress could pool as floating droplets? self-nom, --Brand спойт 17:01, 9 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I don't think this is a very interesting fact. People who know about zero gravity, so bodily fluids forming droplets in space won't come as much of a surprise. - Mgm|^(talk) 10:53, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that the fort at Arki, India was captured by Gurkhas in 1806 and used as their stronghold till 1815, when they ceded it during the Gurkha War? (self nom, expansion) -- Lost^(talk) 13:40, 9 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that the bandleader of Scottish pop group Middle of the Road said, of their number one single Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep, "we were as disgusted with the idea of recording it as most people were with the idea of buying it"? -- by User:Yorkshiresky, nom by DS 14:36, 9 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Seems kinda stubby. Andrew Levine 15:45, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that the Saqqara Bird, an Egyptian artifact dating to at least 200 B.C.E., has led some scholars to speculate whether the Ptolemaic Egyptians possessed rudimentary airplane technology?--by User:JayW; nom by Fuhghettaboutit 00:16, 10 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

As a fan of ancient Egypt, I'd love to feature this, but it's a bit stubby. - Mgm|^(talk) 11:07, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

September 8

...that Karan Bilimoria invented Cobra Beer as a less-gassy lager to drink with food, and is now the first Parsi in the House of Lords? Stephen Turner (Talk) 12:32, 8 September 2006 (UTC), self-nom. Either half would be OK on its own too, if it's too long.[reply]

The article is kind of stubby. (didn't count image or sources when counting size)- Mgm|^(talk) 11:02, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

...that Jeannette Vermeersch, wife of longtime French Communist Party leader Maurice Thorez, had a son in Moscow during World War II? (self-nom) Biruitorul 23:42, 8 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- She had a kid, hardly notable. Is there anything else more interesting about her life?--Peta 02:14, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
  - Agree, this is pretty dull as facts go. Andrew Levine 02:30, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

September 7

File:Ralph-Phillips-FBI.jpg

...that Ralph Bucky Phillips is the latest addition to the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list for the suspected shooting of a New York State trooper? Shane ^{(talk/contrib)} 01:38, 8 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- Article not new enough, was created on September 2. (Also, the subject has been captured now). Stephen Turner (Talk) 09:22, 11 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]
- This was news, dones't meet any of the DYK criteria.--Peta 02:34, 12 September 2006 (UTC)[reply]

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Suggestions that have appeared on Template:Did you know

...that the defunct Portsmouth Naval Prison (pictured), considered the "Alcatraz of the East", housed German U-boat crews after WWII? (Portsmouth Naval Prison
...the Shuka Saptati, written originally in Sanskrit, is a collection of seventy erotic tales narrated by a parrot to prevent its mistress from committing adultery while her husband is away from home?
...that a Chicago urban legend states that 90,000 people died in Chicago of typhoid fever and cholera in 1885?
...that Polmos Łańcut, one of the oldest vodka distilleries in Poland, was established by Duchess Lubomirska and existed already in 1784?
...that Wyndham Robertson, a Virginia politician who was a member of the Committee of Nine that helped Virginia be re-admitted to the Union after the American Civil War, was a descendant of Pocahontas?
...that Brian Cappelletto won the World Scrabble Championship in 2001 but has not played in the event since?

...that hundreds of love padlocks (pictured) have been attached to a fence in Pécs, Hungary by couples professing their commitment to one another? (Love padlocks)
...that the librettoes for Tchaikovsky's operas Vakula the Smith and Cherevichki were adapted from Gogol's stories by the poet Yakov Polonsky?
...that the Castilian Civil War resulted in the removal of many Jewish people from high offices of state?
...that Indian entrepreneur Jamsetji Tata conceptualized Tata Steel, Tata Power and the Indian Institute of Science, but that they were only established after his death in 1904?
...that twirling is a key component of many artforms, hobbies, and sports where an object, such as a pen, baton or stick is spun or rotated to achieve the desired effect?
...that since the genome sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was published in 1996, the complete genome sequences of over 50 other eukaryotes have been completed?
...that casually shaking either one of the minarets at the Sidi Bashir mosque (pictured) in Ahmedabad causes the other minaret to vibrate a few seconds later? (Sidi Bahir mosque)
...that the Civilian War Memorial in Singapore was built in 1967 in memory of the civilians massacred during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945?
...that Dmitry Chernov's discovery of the polymorphous transformations in steel has been thought to mark the transition of metallurgy from an art to a science?
...that Chillingham Cattle have lived as an isolated herd for 700 years, and are believed to be closely related to the aurochs, an extinct species domesticated in the Stone Age?
...that the English explorer and geologist Sir Vivian Fuchs led the first successful overland expedition across Antarctica in 1958—a journey of 2,158 miles (3,453 km)?
...that the fictional goat Koziołek Matołek has been a popular Polish children's literature character since first appearing in 1933?
...that the Northern Barred Frog of Australia (pictured) has a tadpole which reaches 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length? (Image:Mixophyes_schevilli.jpg)
...that virtuoso double bassist and composer Frantisek Kotzwara asked a prostitute to cut off his testicles and died from erotic asphyxiation?
...that Rocco Petrone was the first non-German administrator of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center?
...that in addition to their use on early sailing ships, early trains had "crow's nests" as well?
...that Ichikawa Danjūrō V, one of the most famous and successful Kabuki actors, was briefly forced out of the theater after being accused of misappropriating funds?
... that Islam Khan was the founder of the modern city of Dhaka and the first Mughal general to subjugate Bengal?
...that scholars of Japanese theatre have been able to identify the subjects of many yakusha-e (ukiyo-e actor prints, pictured) down to not only the kabuki actors, roles, and the play depicted, but even the theater and month in which it was performed? (Toshusai Sharaku)
...that studies in phage ecology indicate that viruses may be the most abundant organisms on Earth?
...that the first British fighter pilot to die in World War II was killed in a friendly fire incident known as the Battle of Barking Creek?
...that American engineer Elmer William Engstrom was involved in the development of television by RCA in the 1930s?
...that line source is a mathematical construct used to analyze roadway air and noise pollution, but was not developed as a meaningful tool until 1970 when major U.S. laws spurred extensive environmental modelling?
...that arson was suspected when the last original boô (pictured), a building where a farmer rested when grazing cattle far from a village, burned down in the Netherlands? (Image:Boô.jpg)
...that 6Q0B44E, a recently discovered satellite of Earth, is thought to be a large piece of space debris?
...that Iranshah Âtash Bahrâm in Udvada, a town in Gujarat, India, is the holiest fire temple for the Parsi community?
...that the stump speech of the blackface minstrel show was a precursor to modern stand-up comedy?
...that a feature story is an article in a newspaper, a magazine, or a news website that is not meant to report breaking news, but rather to take an in-depth look at the background events, persons or circumstances behind a news story?
...that the fictional Document 12-571-3570 was a hoax that purported to describe sex experiments done in space?
...that several years prior to the downfall and execution of the Romanov dynasty, the image of God's Mother disappeared from their patron Fyodorovskaya icon? (Fyodorovskaya icon)
...that Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy is the longest single-volume novel ever published in English?
...that, as a consequence of the Russo-Polish War from 1654 to 1667, the cities of Kiev, Chernigov, and Smolensk were ceded to Russia?
...that anti-gay protests following the selection of the song Samo Ljubezen by drag-group Sestre in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest led to criticism of Slovenia in the European Parliament?
...that Merv Wood, a single sculls gold medallist and the only person to twice be Australian flagbearer at the Summer Olympics, later became the Police Commisioner of New South Wales?
...that the Svinsky Monastery later changed its name to Svensky, in order to avoid connotation to the word "swine"?
... that the ruins of the Carmo Convent (pictured) are some of the most impressive remains of the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon? (Ruins of Convento do Carmo, Lisbon, Portugal)
... that the Israeli band Ping pong were disendorsed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority as the representative in the 2000 Eurovision after waving the Flag of Syria in their song "Sameyakh"?
... that Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor will become the first Malaysian in space when he launches on board Soyuz TMA-11 towards the International Space Station in September 2007?
...that Chiques Creek in Pennsylvania, named for the Lenape word Chiquesalunga (meaning place of crayfish), has 13 variant names according to the USGS?
...that the 1672 treatise Loimologia is a rare first-hand account of the Great Plague of London, written by one of the few physicians to remain in the city during the plague?
...that Willi Ninja's distinctive dance style was an inspiration for Madonna's 1990 song "Vogue"?
...that a table bridge is a moveable bridge (pictured) that looks like an ordinary road when closed but appears monstrous when open, while a similarly appearing submersible bridge vanishes when open? (Pont levant Notre Dame)
...that aluminium alloys developed by Russian metallurgist Igor Gorynin are claimed to have the highest specific strength of all known weldable metallic materials?
...that Mauryan Emperor Ashoka had to stop the execution of his future spiritual adviser Moggaliputta-Tissa for touching his right hand?
...that Virginia Congressman, John Floyd argued for settlement of the Oregon Territory twenty-eight years before it became an official United States territory?
...that Estonian Margus Hunt won two gold medals at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, setting a world junior record in discus throw and a national junior record in shot put?
... that Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh was also known as Jahangir Nagar?
...that Sanborn Park (pictured) provided one of the first segments of the San Francisco Bay Area Ridge Trail, which is planned to encircle the Bay Area with a 500 mile long hiking trail? (Image:Sanbornsanadreasriftvalley.jpg)
...that the Allied Bombing of Bucharest in World War II damaged the University of Bucharest and uprooted trees at the Botanical Garden of Bucharest?
...that nearly 20,000 people visited a shrine in Bangalore in 2002 to see the Miracle Chapati, a flat unleaved piece of bread with the likeness of Jesus on it?
...that Bobby Pearce won the single sculls at the 1928 Summer Olympics despite stopping mid-race for a passing flock of ducks?
...that the Peace of Rueil, signed 11 March 1649 between the court party and the party of the Parlement of Paris, brought to an end the first phase of France's first revolution, the Fronde?
...that Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was riding in a Gräf & Stift automobile at the time of his assasination?
...that the Old Ministry of Labour Building (pictured) in Singapore housed the Chinese Protectorate before World War II, and has since been gazetted as a national monument? (Image:Subordinate Courts, Family and Juvenile Court 3, Mar 06.JPG)
...that when the Menier company built the first mass production plant for chocolate in 1830, it was the largest chocolate manufacturing company in the world?
...that Semaphore, South Australia, the home of Australia's largest carousel, is also the birthplace of renowned aviator Sir Ross Smith?
...that, when translating Shakespeare into Russian, Mikhail Lozinsky attempted to convey the antiquated English language used by Shakespeare?
...that "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", Israel's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, was performed partly in the Hebrew equivalent of Pig Latin?
...that the De La Salle University-Manila College of Engineering was established in 1947 with the aim of providing young men with knowledge of science and technology to help rehabilitate the Philippines, which had been devastated during World War II?
...that inventor Thomas Highs was never credited for his invention of both the spinning jenny (pictured) and the water frame, mostly due to his lack of funding to patent the devices? (Image:Thomashighsjenny.JPG)
...that Easter Posey was the first American woman to be killed in the line of duty in World War II?
...that the small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome is a rare complication of bariatric surgery for obesity?
...that the Northeast Flag Replacement in 1928 ended the Chinese Warlord Era, in which Zhang Xueliang announced the replacement of all flags in Manchuria with the Nationalist Government's flag, thus nominally reuniting China?
...that Brian Boitano narrowly won the Battle of the Brians, a 1988 Winter Olympics figure skating rivalry between two elite skaters named Brian?
...that former Queensland House of Assembly member Tom Veivers was an Australian test cricketer?
...that a protagonist of Albert Camus's play The Just Assassins was named after the Russian terrorist Ivan Kalyayev (pictured)?(Image:Ivan Kalyayev.jpg)
...that Pope Pius XII's cousin, Ernesto Pacelli, was a financial adviser to Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius X, and Pope Benedict XV?
...that the world's record auction price for a single piece of silver was achieved by a silver tureen made by the Parisian silversmith Thomas Germain in 1733, sold in November 1996 for US$ 10,287,500, triple the former record?
...that the MacRobertson International Croquet Shield is the premier croquet teams event in the world and the 2006 series will be held in Australia in November?
...that Sir Macpherson Robertson was an Australian philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of confectionery company MacRobertson's which invented the Freddo Frog chocolate bar?
...that developmental biologist PZ Myers, who writes about evolution, cephalopods, politics, and atheism, is the top-ranked science blogger according to the journal Nature?
...that Corporal Ernest Albert Corey (pictured) is the only soldier to have been awarded the Military Medal on four occasions? (Ernest Albert Corey)
...that the Council of Lithuania declared the independence of Lithuania by signing an Act of Independence on February 16, 1918?
mp...that cyclist Gerald Ciolek became the youngest ever German National Cycling Champion, aged just 18 in 2005?
...that in 1996 Andy Campbell, a ranger serving as Tunnel Mill Scout Reservation's caretaker, was shot to death by a wandering drunk who trespassed onto the property, the first such incident in the history of Scouting?
...that the first television set made entirely in Poland, the Belweder, cost 7000 złoty at the time when the average monthly salary ranged from 1 to 2 thousand?
...that Ey Sham was the first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest from a country outside of geographical Europe?
mp...that French neoclassical architect Jean Chalgrin died before the completion of his most recognizable work, the Arc de Triomphe (pictured)? (Arc de Triomphe)
...that Muhammad had engaged as a diplomat for a time during his call to Islam?
...that the town of Rawalsar in Himachal Pradesh, India is sacred to three major religions -- Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism?
...that the Old Fashioned, possibly the first drink to be called a cocktail, was invented at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1880s?
mp...that Barbadian cricketer Sir Clyde Walcott became the first non-English and non-white chairman of the International Cricket Council in 1993?
...that the history of communication was dependent on the acquisition of the FOXP2 gene in humans, which facilitated the development of speech 200,000 years ago?
...that Rembrandt's portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III (pictured) has been stolen four times to date, the most recorded for any painting in the world? (Portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III)
...that on Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, the Louisville Slugger Company produced more than 400 pink baseball bats for game use by more than 50 professional baseball players?
...that Hector Monro, Conservative and Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Dumfries for 33 years, was described by a Labour Party opponent as "the last of the decent Tories"?
...that the Stoneman serial murders of thirteen homeless people in the summer of 1989 in Kolkata remain unsolved?
...that the 2006 Zakouma elephant slaughter is the latest of a four decade long series of massacres that has eliminated 97 percent of the Chadian elephant population of 300,000?
...that many people enjoy singing in the shower because the bathroom acts as an echo chamber to enrich the sound of the singer's voice?
...that the TP S.A. Tower (pictured) in Warsaw features an external elevator shaft that is sloped 14° from the vertical? (TP S.A. Tower in Warsaw)
...that public displeasure with "The Voice", Ireland's fourth Eurovision victory in five years, led to the introduction of televoting?
...that the 13th century romance Perlesvaus features a strikingly different portrayal of the Arthurian legend than most texts, including a scene in which Sir Kay murders King Arthur and Guinevere's son?
...that the father and two brothers of Pakistani cricketer Wasim Raja also played first-class cricket?
...that five months before his death, William Edington was offered the post of Archbishop of Canterbury, but turned it down?
...that Mahinda, a 3rd century monk who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka, was the son of the Mauryan Emperor Asoka?
...that bin bugs are being attached to wheelie bins in England to monitor the amount of domestic waste produced by each household?
...that the world's first airline was DELAG, which operated with zeppelin airships? (DELAG zeppelin)
...that the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer is used by the European Space Agency to determine the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere?
...that the building housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh was originally built as a home for Lord Dufferin, Viceroy of India?
...that former major league baseball pitcher Terry Forster recorded a novelty song called "Fat Is In" after he was referred to as a "fat tub of goo" on Late Night With David Letterman?
... that the largest Lithuanian encyclopedia was published in the United States by the immigrant community when Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union?
...that the Lone Pine that marked the battlefield for which the Battle of Lone Pine is named, and whose pine cones have been planted at memorials for ANZAC soldiers killed during the whole of the Gallipoli Campaign, did not itself survive the battle? (Lone Pine at Lone Pine Cemetery, Gallipoli)
...that Homer Mensch, the double bassist who played the theme for Jaws, originally wanted to be a tennis player?
...that the Arch of the Centuries of the University of Santo Tomas at Manila was disassembled from the University's original campus at Intramuros, carried piece-by-piece, and was re-erected at the current campus at Sampaloc?
...that the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands in India had a forked structure and derived its name from the fact that it comprised only of isolated cells?
...that Banksia epica is named after two epic journeys the first by Edward John Eyre in 1841 to cross the Nullarbor and the second by John Falconer in 1986 to collect specimens from the same area? (Banksia epica flower spike)
...that the little-known Dominickers of Holmes County, Florida, were said to be descendants of a pre-Civil War plantation owner's widow and one of her black slaves?
...that the National Protection War led to the death of Yuan Shikai, which led to the beginning of the Warlord Era in China?
...that Punjabi film-star Yograj Singh was a former Test cricketer and father of current Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh?
...that biological therapy for inflammatory bowel disease has changed the manner in which doctors treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis?
...that the P'urhépecha language isolate of Mexico is one of only two Mesoamerican languages not to have a phonemic glottal stop and that it has more than 160 affixes, 13 tenses and 6 modes?
...that the non-profit Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association (pictured) is the largest association for textile research and allied industries in India? (Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association)
...that the 2000 Black Coaches Association Classic was postponed by an electrical storm during which lightning struck ESPN broadcaster Lee Corso's rental car?
...that during Operation Cedar Falls in the Vietnam War, American and South Vietnamese troops captured 3,700 tons of rice, enough to feed 13,000 troops for a full year?
...that Indian-American teenager Gaurav Raja memorized 10,980 digits of pi in 2006 to break the North American pi memorization record?
...that the Australian Federal Division of Macarthur is considered to be a bellwether as it has been held by the ruling political party in every election since 1949?
...that at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the Tarascan state was the second only to the Aztec empire in size and population?
...that the European and Japanese collaborative BepiColombo mission is planned to be the first extensive mission to Mercury since Mariner 10? (Computer rendition of the BepiColombo orbiters)
...that Polish politician and Sejm member, Joanna Senyszyn, gained media attention due to her distinctive, high-pitched voice?
...that Ian Craig, the youngest ever Australian test cricketer and captain, later became the managing director of Boots pharmaceutical company?
...that the original tunnel built to connect the Kalka-Shimla Railway at Barog, Himachal Pradesh was abandoned as the two constructed ends did not meet?
...that in 1995, André Dallaire attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien after breaking into his residence at 24 Sussex Drive?
...that at the height of the Cold War, U.S. President Ronald Reagan committed a microphone gaffe when he joked that he had signed legislation to bomb Russia?
...that the building that became Presidential Palace in Vilnius served as residence for the French Emperor Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I of Russia? (Lithuania's Presidential Palace)
...that despite not being backed by the FDA, full-body scans are performed in the United States to screen for disease in healthy people?
...that the manufacturer of the Trojan car claimed that driving it was cheaper than walking?
...that Australian cricket captain Brian Booth also represented Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics in hockey?
...that the Dhammapada describes an ascetic named Jambuka who had the practice of standing on one leg and eating his own excrement?
...that portions of Chicago's Devon Avenue have been renamed in honor of Golda Meir, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Sheik Mujib?
...that the Lviv Opera and Ballet Theater, in Lviv, Ukraine combines details of the Renaissance and Baroque architecture? (Image:Opera-we-Lwowie.jpg)
...that the isolated population of Citrine Forktails on the Azores is the only population of dragonflies anywhere in the world known to reproduce by parthenogenesis?
...that the Israeli entry for the 1987 Eurovision Shir Habatlanim, meaning The Bums' song led to a resignation threat by the Israeli culture minister?
...that the Talbot Samba supermini car was the last Talbot passenger car ever made?
...that the Gay Football Supporters Network recently voted Steven Gerrard top of their annual "Lust List" for the second year running?
...that Biodiversity Action Plans are a primary tool of 189 nations to conserve threatened species, but the one nation who has signed, but not ratified, the underlying treaty has produced the most elaborate set of plans?
...that for over 200 years the Ribeira Palace (pictured) in Lisbon was the residence of the Kings of Portugal until its destruction in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake? (Ribeira Palace in the 18th century)
...that Mixmath is a Canadian board game similar to Scrabble, in which numbered tiles are played to form equations instead of letters forming words?
...that according to Externism, a pseudophilosophy proposed by the famous fictitious Czech genius Jára Cimrman, in the end of every learning process we know nothing, but we know it precisely?
...that In Dreams, the debut album by British child star Joseph McManners, was recorded in Prague and features music by the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra?
...that most of the Muslims in Fiji are descended from those brought to the islands from India as indentured labourers between 1879 and 1916?
...that on August 26, 2006 the Philippines won the inaugural World Cup of Pool held at Newport, Wales?