Wikipedia:Recent additions/2008/August

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Did you know...

31 August 2008

19:27, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Chinese character referring to the mythological sea monster Shen (pictured) is used in Chinese, Korean and Japanese terms for "mirage"?
... that Drum Barracks were built in 1862 and 1863 at a cost of US$1 million to quell pro-Confederacy sentiments in Los Angeles?
... that Oman has a low crime rate compared to industrialized countries?
... that in 1951, Martha Wright took over the role of Nellie Forbush in South Pacific on Broadway, playing the role for 1,047 performances until it closed in 1954?
... that the 1995 Burkina Faso film Keïta! l'Héritage du griot is a retelling of the first third of Sundjata Keita's 13th-century epic, Sundjata?
... that the novel The Last Coyote by Michael Connelly won the 1996 Dilys Award given by the Independent Mystery Booksellers Association?
... that Yalo, a Palestinian Arab village depopulated during the 1967 war, was identified by Edward Robinson as the site of the Canaanite-era city of Aijalon?
... that McKenzie-Willamette Medical Center in Springfield, Oregon, was founded due to occasional flooding that cut off access to the only area hospital?
... that Walter G. Alexander was the first African American to serve in the New Jersey General Assembly?

14:03, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the disputed authenticity of the Getty kouros (pictured) has led the J. Paul Getty Museum to label the sculpture "6th century Greek or modern forgery"?
... that Taisto Mäki, one of the so-called Flying Finns, was the first man to run 10,000 metres in under half an hour?
... that the 13th Earl of Derby established a private menagerie in the 19th century in the grounds of Knowsley Hall in Merseyside, where the 18th Earl opened a public safari park in the 20th century?
... that Tiny Thompson was the first professional ice hockey goaltender to make a save by catching the puck?
... that the Israeli kibbutz Gvat was established in commemoration of the 35 Pinsk Jews shot by Polish soldiers during the Pinsk massacre?
... that, after succeeding Lai Tian, Tang Dynasty general Liang Chongyi built a temple dedicated to Lai and refrained from using Lai's old office and main hall, in order to show respect to Lai?
... that the Cobblestone Farmhouse at 1229 Birdsey Road, in Junius, New York was built with walls of field cobbles and limestone quoins in the Greek Revival style?
... that Caroline Reboux was known as the Queen of the Milliners?
... that the Pennsylvania Mutiny of 1783 was a primary reason for the creation of a separate federal district to serve as the capital of the United States?

08:04, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

... that film director and griot Dani Kouyaté (pictured) is the son of one of the first Burkinabé actors, Sotigui Kouyaté?
... that while in service as a troop transport after World War I, SS Ohioan carried two American recipients of the French Croix de Guerre, one of which was a homing pigeon?
... that eight-term member of the Norwegian Parliament Harald Ulrik Sverdrup was the grandfather of the oceanographer of the same name?
... that the 2008 Canadian listeriosis outbreak started a political debate regarding privatization of food inspection?
... that Misty Copeland is the first African-American ballerina to appear as a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre?
... that in 1865, the Sons of Vulcan won the first union contract in the iron and steelmaking industry and what may be the first union contract of any kind in the United States?
... that Johan Collett Falsen served as Norwegian Minister of Justice on four non-consecutive occasions between 1870 and 1879?
... that the Conflict of the Orders which supposedly occurred in the ancient Roman Republic may not have actually happened?
... that Darrin Winston still holds the baseball records for victories, innings pitched, and complete games at Rutgers University more than twenty years after he graduated?
... that Scottish and British Lions rugby captain David Bedell-Sivright is said to have rugby tackled a cart horse in Edinburgh's Princes Street?

02:58, 31 August 2008 (UTC)

... that in Hindu mythology, the demoness Putana (pictured, centre) tried to kill the infant-god Krishna by breastfeeding him poisoned milk?
... that in addition to composing orchestral and chamber music, Joseph R. Wood arranged the Chiquita Banana song for Xavier Cugat?
... that the sloop-of-war Victoria became the first Australian warship to be deployed overseas by fighting in the First Taranaki War?
... that Michel-Gaspard Coppenrath, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Papeete for 26 years, was succeeded in 1999 by his brother?
... that American cargo ship SS Panaman once delivered 40,000 pounds (18,000 kg) of canned hominy to Los Angeles?
... that Australian politician Rick Colless’s great-great-grandfather Richard Hargrave and great-great-uncle John Hargrave all served in the New South Wales Legislative Council?
... that an Estonian feature film set the absolute box office record in the history of the Soviet Union?
... that Mike Cather earned his first major-league win in an 11-inning Atlanta Braves’ win, the same night the Braves earned the National League Eastern Division title?
... that the Battle of Kokenhausen saw one of the most successful uses of the Polish hussars?
... that after suffering a heart attack, John G. McCullough moved to California and was elected as its Attorney General in 1863?

30 August 2008

20:00, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Shō Tai (pictured) was the last king of the Ryūkyū Kingdom who abdicated when the Ryukyu Islands were annexed by Japan in 1879?
... that the ferry Nobska of Nantucket Sound was America's last coastal steamer?
... that George Hammond Whalley, a British Member of Parliament, once claimed that the Pope had taken control of the Royal Artillery?
... that some cypress trees in Louisiana's Lake Bruin State Park predate Hernando de Soto's explorations of the area?
... that On the conditions and possibilities of Helen Clark taking me as her young lover, a satirical book on the Prime Minister of New Zealand, was described as a treatise of "sociology, psychoanalysis and cringe-making erotica"?
... that following show jumper Denis Lynch's Olympic ban for doping offences, the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland threatened to ban the equestrian team from participating in future Olympic Games?
... that the Mulberry Harbour built at Arromanches in 1944 by John Holmes Jellett landed two million men and four million tons of supplies for the Liberation of Europe?
... that the Hudson County Courthouse in Jersey City, New Jersey contains artwork by Francis David Millet, Kenyon Cox, Edwin Blashfield and Howard Pyle?

11:35, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the 1864 Banning House (pictured) reportedly hosted "the first yachting party on the West Coast" and has been called "one of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture in the west"?
... that former Olympic champion Ángel Matos received a lifetime ban from the World Taekwondo Federation after attacking a referee in a bronze medal match at the 2008 Olympics?
... that people with kidney ailments used to crawl on all fours three times round the sarcophagus of Saint Nonnosus in Freising Cathedral?
... that four Mk-82 500-pound bombs are missing in the American west after the mysterious crash of an A-10 Thunderbolt aircraft piloted by Craig D. Button in 1997?
... that more than 95 percent of the electricity generated in Paraguay is produced by two hydroelectric plants in Itaipu and Yacyretá, most of which is exported to Brazil and Argentina?
... that despite leaving the South West Africa People's Organization for the Congress of Democrats, Tsudao Gurirab was selected by his former party for the Pan-African Parliament?
... that Bailin Temple in Beijing was not pillaged by Anglo-French forces in 1860 or by the Eight-Nation Alliance in 1900 because of the superstitious fear that Tibetan Buddhism inspired in the invaders?
... that Chika Chukwumerije had financial backing unavailable to most Nigerian athletes because of his father Uche Chukwumerije?

05:29, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

... that in the Greek mythology tale of Iole, Deianira (pictured) inadvertently killed her husband Heracles with a love charm because of jealousy?
... that Washington State politician Vic Meyers once showed up for a candidates' forum dressed as Mahatma Gandhi and leading a goat?
... that 2008 Olympic handball champion Else-Marthe Sørlie Lybekk was also selected as the pivot on the tournament's All-star team?
... that Maoist rebels and Nepali government forces engaged in four attacks in Sandhikharka between 2002 and 2005?
... that Craig Gillespie almost turned down the chance to direct Lars and the Real Girl when he heard the film's pitch?
... that when the Lackawanna Steel Co. moved from Scranton, Pennsylvania, to New York in 1902, its relocation led to the founding of Lackawanna, New York?
... that Japanese anime director Rintaro has worked in animation for 50 years and co-founded the animation studio Madhouse?
... that the position of the President of the Republic is the only undisputed one in the Polish order of precedence?
... that the young Bing Crosby once tried out to sing at Seattle's elegant Butler Hotel, but was told he needed more experience?
... that Tang Dynasty generals Li Zhengji, Li Baochen and Tian Chengsi all ruled Chinese territories effectively independent of the imperial government?

00:27, 30 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Archdiocesan Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb, Croatia has an observatory (pictured) on school grounds?
... that labor lawyer Thomas Geoghegan called the 1978 U.S. Supreme Court Marquette Bank decision "the most important of our lifetimes" since it opened the door to increased use of credit cards?
... that Henny Moan acted in the Oscar-nominated Ni liv, later named the best film in the history of Norwegian cinema?
... that the American Musical Theatre of San Jose's debut at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts was delayed for three years when the ceiling collapsed?
... that the footage filmed for the documentary film The Boys from Baghdad High had to be smuggled out of Iraq by journalists of many different news agencies?
... that according to the New Mexico Legislature, the Sandia Hairstreak butterfly "symbolizes the ability of New Mexican residents to thrive year-round in a semiarid climate"?
... that Leon "Pee Wee" Whittaker, an African American trombonist from the Mississippi River delta country, played at least five instruments in a 74-year musical career?
... that jazz pianist Geoff Eales played the French horn with the National Youth Orchestra of Wales and piano with the BBC Big Band?
... that the Bell Ford Bridge was the last Post Truss covered bridge to still stand, collapsing in January 2006?

29 August 2008

18:11, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Bhutanatha temples (pictured) in India have a pillared hall extending into a lake?
... that four different men, including Frank W. Johnson and Sam Houston, claimed to be in charge of the Texian Army for several months during the Texas Revolution?
... that the Imperial Japanese Army's Type 89 I-Go medium tank (Otsu version) was the first diesel-powered tank to be mass-produced?
... that Tom Welling, who plays Clark Kent on Smallville, believes his lack of knowledge of the Superman mythology helps his performance?
... that the 3,500 items owned by Amsterdam's Museum of Bags and Purses make it the world's largest collection of handbags and accessories?
... that a vitamin B-fortified beer was developed for the Philippine beer market?
... that Bridgewater House, Runcorn, Cheshire, was built for the Duke of Bridgewater when he was supervising the building of the Bridgewater Canal in the 1760s, and is now used as offices?
... that in 1979, Chicago White Sox pitcher Ron Schueler retired mid-season to replace his own pitching coach who had died earlier that season?
... that the synagogue built in 1925 by Congregation Beth Israel of Milwaukee, Wisconsin is listed on the National Register of Historic Places?
... that Daba Modibo Keïta, 2008 Olympian for Mali, was the first Sub-Saharan African to be a Taekwondo World Champion?

11:39, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the widely consumed porcini mushroom is often confused with the fungus Boletus pinophilus (pictured)?
... that a shattered goblet of Communion wine reportedly helped Saint Donatus of Arezzo convert 79 pagans to Christianity?
... that most strong hurricanes that have struck South Florida since 1900 have passed through one of two Hebert boxes on their way to landfall?
... that Canadian Olympic bronze medalist Thomas Hall cites J. R. R. Tolkien as a key influence and re-reads The Lord of the Rings trilogy every year?
... that the Chinese government revoked the manufacturer's license for diet pill Slim 10 after it was linked to several liver failures and deaths?
... that despite being personal secretary to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Francis Charles Lawley's attempts at insider trading resulted in losses?
... that the cargo ship SS Minnesotan carried five racing yachts from the East Coast to national championship races in Los Angeles?
... that Jack DiLauro's 2.40 ERA is third best among New York Mets pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched?
... that the site of the first Tubby's sandwich shop was chosen after a flat tire forced its founder to stop in front of a building that was for rent?
... that the native copper products of the Northern Canadian aboriginal Copper Inuit were highly regarded in the Bering Strait trade network?
... that actor Roger Moore likened his starring role in the 1958 children's TV series Ivanhoe to that of "a medieval fireman"?

04:34, 29 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the 1871 Hampden County Courthouse (pictured) was built after a grand jury indicted county commissioners for not providing fireproof storage for county records and deeds in the previous courthouse?
... that Froduald Karamira, sentenced to death for his role in the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, was one of the last individuals executed before capital punishment was abolished in the country?
... that Metolius Springs in Oregon produces 50,000 gallons/s, enough to make the Metolius River one of the largest spring-fed rivers in the US?
... that the 19th-century fad of Pedestrianism started with gambling over the speed of footmen by the British aristocracy?
... that the neighborhood in Memphis, Tennessee surrounding the former site of the Baron Hirsch Synagogue, the largest Orthodox Jewish congregation in the United States, has become a historic district?
... that Voltaire's 1730 poem about Joan of Arc, The Maid of Orleans, was banned in most of Europe?
... that Iraqi American scientist Ihsan Ali Al-Shehbaz is the world authority on bladderpods?
... that the Albert Medal was one of the awards given to Mark Addy for rescuing more than 50 people from the highly polluted River Irwell, Manchester, in the 19th Century?
... that for the Tang Dynasty, whether to honor the general Zhang Xun for his deeds during the Anshi Rebellion was controversial due to his engaging in cannibalism?
... that the scandals involving the British fraud and impostor Lord Gordon-Gordon led to a major international incident between the US and Canada?

28 August 2008

23:43, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Frank Lloyd Wright said of the Millard House (pictured) that he "would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome"?
... that Albert White was the first person to lead the Missouri Tigers men's basketball team in rebounds, points, and assists in the same season?
... that patients practice preoperative fasting before an operation in order to prevent pulmonary aspiration of stomach contents?
... that the Old Warner Brothers Studio, where the first "talkie" was filmed in 1927, has recently been the location for Judge Judy and Hannah Montana?
... that the 2008 Irish flash floods submerged one of the busiest roads in Northern Ireland under six metres of water?
... that Hubert Shirley-Smith wrote the Encyclopaedia Britannica article on bridges?
... the widow of Henry Coffin Nevins left a million dollars for the construction of a Home for Aged and Incurables?
... that WrestleMania, an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view event, has involved 94 celebrities in a 24-year span?
... that 17th-century Italian composer Filippo Acciaiuoli was also an inventor of machines used for theatrical effects in operas and plays?
... that Rodney Pattisson became Great Britain's most successful Olympic yachtsman in the 1976 Montreal Olympics until Ben Ainslie bettered his two gold medals and one silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics?
... that Fireflight took six years to write their first album but only six months to write their second album Unbreakable?

15:50, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

... that HMS Sans Pareil (pictured), a former French ship captured at the Glorious First of June in 1794, was later used to hold French prisoners-of-war during the Napoleonic Wars?
... that US Olympic discus throw gold medalist Stephanie Brown Trafton said that the downside of the Beijing Games was that they conflicted with the opening of hunting season in California?
... that The GrooveGrass Boyz, a bluegrass/funk group, had chart success in 1997 with a country version of the "Macarena"?
... that Charles Mears was known as the "Christopher Columbus of the West Coast"?
... that the Brazilian sex worker organization Davida created the fashion label Daspu which prostitutes presented at fashion shows, culminating in a show at the 2006 São Paulo Art Biennial?
... that in the Bombay Presidency, the famine of 1899–1900 had the highest mortality—at 37.9 deaths per 1000—among all famines and scarcities between 1876 and 1919?
... that Henry S. Huidekoper received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Gettysburg, and later helped to suppress the Great Railroad Strike of 1877?
... that Adina World Beat Beverages was founded in order to keep traditional beverage recipes in third-world countries from being replaced by multinational cola distributors?
... that Bill Ricker, one of the founders of fisheries science, developed the Ricker model, which can be used to predict how many fish are in a fishery?

10:41, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

Great Mosque of Gaza

... that the Great Mosque of Gaza (pictured), completed by the Mamluks in 1344, is the largest and one of the oldest mosques in the Gaza Strip?
... that Project CHLOE, a proposed system to protect airplanes from surface-to-air missiles, was named for the character Chloe O'Brian on the American television show 24?
... that the tower of St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Moscow was used as a machine gun post by Bolsheviks in a battle against troops of the Russian Provisional Government?
... that German-born Jewish Egyptologist Käte Bosse-Griffiths published a novel in the Welsh language?
... that the U.S. Congress incorporated the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad in 1866 to connect Missouri and California, but the company only completed portions at each end?
... that in the storming of Bristol in 1643, Royalist invaders used "fire-pikes"—rudimentary flamethrowers—against the defending Parliamentarians?
... that Alfred Merle Norman, whose collection of 11,086 species was acquired by the Natural History Museum in London, was awarded the Linnean Medal in 1906?
... that the Neo-Baroque Yablanski House in Sofia, Bulgaria has been deemed one of the city's highest achievements in architecture of the 1900s?
... that the Alamogordo Museum of History owns a rare 47-star U.S. flag, thought to have been made in 1912 to celebrate the entry of New Mexico into the United States?

04:47, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Varanus albigularis (pictured), a species of monitor lizard found in southern Africa, may be able to count as high as six?
... that pro wrestler Gregg Groothuis's ring name "Jack Bull" was inspired by an interview with Dusty Rhodes, in which Rhodes described looking into a ring full of bulls?
... that the Orsini podestà of Viterbo was displaced by Charles of Anjou and replaced with a magistrate willing to expel the Orsini cardinals from the papal election, 1280–1281?
... that former Major League Baseball player Dan Norman was once traded with three other players for Hall of Famer-to-be Tom Seaver, as part of what New York Mets fans refer to as the Midnight Massacre?
... that tenth-century Icelandic chieftain Olaf the Peacock was known for his extravagant clothes?
... that Edmond Malone said Samuel Johnson's The Plays of William Shakespeare "threw more light on his author than all his predecessors"?
... that after being declared defeated, Henry Overstolz successfully contested the mayoral election and unseated James Britton to become the twenty-fourth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri?
... that 22-year-old ski jumper Anette Sagen played the mother of 70-year-old Bård Owe in the Norwegian movie O' Horten?
... that Kinoautomat, a 1967 film by Czechoslovakian director Radúz Činčera, was the first to allow the audience to change the course of a film with the press of a button?
... that at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Indian freestyle wrestler Sushil Kumar won his country's second medal in the sport since the 1952 Games?

00:14, 28 August 2008 (UTC)

... that nearly 10% of dog attacks in the United States were caused by canines trained to be attack dogs (pictured)?
... that in 2006 the Philadelphia City Council proclaimed "Edie Huggins Day" in honor of her 40th anniversary as a reporter and journalist for WCAU-TV?
... that Ross Jenkins played for Watford F.C. when they were both bottom and top of The Football League?
... that Manhattan's Rose Hill neighborhood was the original site of Madison Square Garden, where millionaire Harry K. Thaw killed architect Stanford White over Evelyn Nesbit?
... that California's Gold Country quartz-mining industry was precipitated by a quartz gold discovery on Gold Hill?
... that although Brendan Nash was born and grew up in Australia, he qualifies to play international cricket for the West Indies because his father, who represented Jamaica at the Olympics, is of Jamaican origin?
... that the Kirkfield Lift Lock is located at the highest section of the Trent-Severn Waterway?
... that an artificial island built in 2006 in Kamfers Dam, Kimberley, has become one of six breeding colonies of lesser flamingoes in the world, and the only one in South Africa?
... that U.S. Army Brigadier General James Dalton II was one of only 11 US general officers killed in action during World War II?

27 August 2008

17:09, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Jean Victor de Constant Rebecque (pictured), the tutor of the future William II of the Netherlands, obtained a doctorate honoris causa from Oxford in 1811 while accompanying the young prince there?
... that Leon Johnson, a West Indian cricketer, captained the West Indies team at the 2006 U/19 Cricket World Cup?
... that when the Japanese visual novel Memories Off was released for the PlayStation Portable, it shared its opening theme song with the visual novel Memories Off 2nd for the same system?
... that although Gretna F.C. 2008 represents the town of Gretna, Scotland in association football, it has never played there, instead playing its home games eight miles away in Annan?
... that the namesake of the Minnie Hill Palmer House was born there in 1886 and remained in the 1970s, still tending her garden, then located adjacent to a golf course, with an antique hand plow?
... that 1994's Hurricane Gilma is the most intense Pacific hurricane to occur in July?
... that the lyrics of Kong Kristian stod ved højen mast, the royal anthem of Denmark, first appeared in an 18th-century vaudeville play by Johannes Ewald?

11:06, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Winston Churchill (pictured) lost his first election, the Oldham by-election of 1899, after promising to vote first for, then against, the Clerical Tithes Bill?
... that the Amethyst Initiative, signed by over a hundred college presidents, seeks reconsideration of alcohol drinking age laws in the United States?
... that the underground Home Army courier, Irena Adamowicz, provided communication and moral support for the Jewish ghettos of several distant cities during the occupation of Poland?
... that Nollaig Ó Gadhra's biography of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley is regarded as one of the most comprehensive biographies ever written in the Irish language?
... that The Gift, the last novel written by Vladimir Nabokov in Russian, was initially poorly received and partially rejected?
... that Hermitage Bridge is the oldest stone bridge in Saint Petersburg, Russia?
... that sang piao xiao is praying mantis egg case used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat impotence and premature ejaculation?
... that a phrase from poet Rosemonde Gérard became well-known when a jeweler engraved it on a medallion?

05:03, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Bulgarian village of Petrevene (pictured) celebrates "Watermelon Day" every August?
... that the Mitsubishi Type 73 Light Trucks were made bulletproof for the Japanese military deployed in Iraq following the 2003 invasion of Iraq?
... that Redruth railway station was only moved to its present site when a viaduct was built 61 feet (19 m) above the streets of the town?
... that seeding trials are a marketing technique, conducted in the name of research, designed to create loyalty and advocacy towards a brand?
... that Bagheera kiplingi, named after the black panther Bagheera from Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book, is the only spider species known to subsist on a mostly vegetarian diet?
... that the King road drag, a road grader widely used across North America for grading dirt roads in the early 20th century, was invented by D. Ward King?
... that former Major League Baseball player Kid Durbin, who was a baker at a restaurant after his career, died only one day after his 57th birthday due to coronary thrombosis?
... that Mark Twain and General Custer visited P. T. Barnum in Iranistan?
... that Ruby Bundleflower, an abundant weed in parts of Mexico, produces beans used in salsa?

26 August 2008

23:04, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

... that NTR Gardens (pictured), which was built in the memory of actor-politician N. T. Rama Rao, was actually a water body until 1994?
... that the Mt. Blanco Fossil Museum had to auction off the world's largest mastodon skull to pay a defamation judgement after the curator made disparaging Internet comments about former partners?
... that Gabon's national park system takes up ten percent of its land area?
... that Joseph McGahn, an obstetrician elected to the New Jersey Senate, was eulogized by The New York Times as the "principal architect" of legislation bringing casino gambling to Atlantic City?
... that Augustasaurus' name comes from the mountain range of northwestern Nevada, where its fossilized bones were first discovered?
... that João Maria de Sousa is the current Attorney General of Angola?
... that although routine annual medical examinations are popular with the public, there is limited evidence of their effectiveness and they are considered inadvisable by some health organisations?
... that INSOR is the only non-government organization headed by president of Russia Dmitry Medvedev?
... that Kay Cannon, a writer for 30 Rock, appeared in an episode of the series "Episode 209", as a Human Table?

16:54, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

... that early in World War I, the cargo ship SS Montanan of the then-neutral United States, was fired upon and stopped by a Japanese warship?
... that while Sulla's reforms in 82BC attempted to constitutionally strengthen the Roman Senate, it was his rule by dictatorship that ultimately became the model for Imperial Rome?
... that after their success with the Detroit Copper Mining Company of Arizona, William E. Dodge, Jr. and his partners founded the El Paso and Southwestern Railroad?
... that the Supreme Court of Christmas Island once said the islanders live in a "legal twilight" because ancient Singaporean law applies to an Australian island?
... that steel guitarist John Hughey was known for the "crying sound" of his playing, which relied heavily on the instrument's upper range?
... that the Port of Runcorn in Cheshire, England, was an independent customs port for two separate periods before becoming part of the Port of Manchester in 1894?
... that Allen Bares, a former member of the Louisiana State Legislature, was awarded the Medal of Merit by France for promotion of the French language?

11:21, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

Harlan Kredit

... that Harlan Kredit (pictured) was the first teacher from the U.S. state of Washington to be inducted into the National Teachers Hall of Fame?
... that according to Hindu tradition, donation of a kamandalu in funeral rituals ensures the deceased has ample drinking water in his after-life journey?
... that Michael Redgrave owned White Roding Windmill during World War Two?
... that mathematician Harald Bohr, brother of Niels Bohr, won a silver medal in football at the 1908 Summer Olympics?
... that the 12-story Lincoln Tower is the tallest building in Washington County, Oregon?
... that the Oslo City Council bought the city's two private street tram companies in 1924, and merged them into what would become Oslo Sporveier?
... that the steam tugboat William C Daldy is credited with saving the partially constructed Auckland Harbour Bridge during a 1958 storm?
... that while Bruce Springsteen's song "One Step Up" is about a relationship breaking up, the backing vocal was sung by his future wife Patti Scialfa?

05:25, 26 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Phacelia sericea (pictured) is a native subalpine perennial plant listed by the Federal Highway Administration for roadside landscaping in Colorado?
... that Anglo-Irish baronet Sir Thomas Chapman lived part of his life under the name of Thomas Lawrence and was the father of Lawrence of Arabia?
... that the 2000-seater laser auditorium at Hyderabad's Lumbini Park is the first of its kind in India?
... that Steve Grilli is credited as the losing pitcher in the longest professional baseball game after he gave up a run in the thirty-third inning?
... that a type of cast net was used by gladiators in Ancient Rome in a parody of fishing?
... that Uncle Tupelo's 1990 album No Depression is so associated with alternative country that its title is sometimes used as a synonym for the genre?
... that Prince Carl of Denmark landed at Vippetangen when he arrived in Norway to assume the throne in 1905?
... that film producer Shauna Robertson became an assistant to filmmaker Mike Binder after meeting him at the summer camp memorialized in his 1993 film Indian Summer?

25 August 2008

20:35, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the battleship Illinois (pictured), exhibited at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition, was actually a full scale, detailed replica made of brick and cement?
... that Giovanni Battista Bugatti executed 516 people between 1796 and 1865 on behalf of the Papal States?
... that the Major Jacob Hasbrouck Jr. House in New Paltz, New York, is the last 18th-century stone house in the area still owned by the same family that built it?
... that Marie Heim-Vögtlin, Switzerland's first woman physician, was required by law to have her husband's consent in order to be allowed to work?
... that 66th Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan was once proposed by Donald Trump as the site of a 150-story building that would have been the world's tallest?
... that Lactarius blennius has been described by various mycologists as edible, inedible and even poisonous?
... that the North Baltimore Aquatic Club has produced seven Olympians, including Michael Phelps and Katie Hoff?
... that Sandra Stevens and Nicky Stevens have been with the British pop group Brotherhood of Man since 1973?
... that in the 30 Rock episode "Fireworks", series writers Kay Cannon and Dave Finkel briefly appeared as a married couple?

12:17, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Obelisk of Theodosius (pictured), installed in Istanbul since 390, was originally erected in Egypt by Pharaoh Thutmose III in the 15th century BC?
... that W. Otto Miessner founded the first public high school band in the United States in Connersville, Indiana?
... that Tsar Alexander I of Russia was so impressed with Willem Benjamin Craan’s map of the Battle of Waterloo he awarded the Dutch cartographer a precious ring?
... that in the papal election, 1198 the new pope was elected per scrutinium for the first time?
... that "Jack-Tor", an episode of 30 Rock, was the first episode of the series to air as part of NBC's "Comedy Night Done Right"?
... that after New York Mets second baseman Kelvin Chapman made his Major League Baseball debut in 1979, he had to spend more than four years in the minor leagues before returning to the majors?
... that Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei established Scandinavia's first electric tramway in 1894?
... that New Jersey State Senator Frank S. Farley was a key force behind the creation of the Garden State Parkway, derided by North Jersey legislators as "Farley's Folly"?

06:14, 25 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Meller's Chameleon (pictured) catches insects and birds 50 cm (20 inches) away with its tongue?
... that Charlie Gardiner is the only goaltender to captain his team to a Stanley Cup victory?
... that in 1935, Nicolaas Wilhelmus Posthumus founded the International Institute of Social History in the Netherlands to avoid destruction of socialist history documents by Nazi Germany?
... that during the unusually long 15-day track of Tropical Storm Allison, the storm attained tropical or subtropical storm status on three separate occasions?
... that the tides at Kachemak Bay, Alaska have an average vertical difference of fifteen feet, and recorded extremes of twenty eight feet?
... that Japanese scientists have found anticancer activity in some Brazilian traditional remedies?
... that pre-Columbian savanna once covered much of North America?
... that Kentucky Senator Archibald Dixon was primarily responsible for the repeal of the slavery restrictions of the Missouri Compromise in Nebraska Territory and Kansas Territory?

24 August 2008

19:19, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Clara Fisher (pictured) began her 72 year acting career at the age of six?
... that Guy de Bourgogne was violently disrobed by members of his militia upon his election as Pope Callixtus II by the papal election of 1119?
... that the soundtracks to FlatOut and FlatOut: Ultimate Carnage include five songs by English rock music group No Connection?
... that Celebrity Bainisteoir is an Irish reality programme about managing Gaelic football clubs?
... that one of the works of Maya Angelou, Georgia, Georgia (1972), was the first film to be written and produced by an African American woman?
... that to combat illegal entry by foreign nationals, India and China are currently building security barriers at their borders with Bangladesh and North Korea respectively?
... that shrines dedicated to the Hindu sun god Surya usually face east, but the one at the Kasivisvesvara Temple in Lakkundi, Karnataka faces west?

11:18, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

... that stencils known as Empègue (pictured) were placed by youths on houses in Beauvoisin, France in August 2000?
... that the rare fallopian tube cancer is more prevalent in carriers of the BRCA1 and 2 mutations?
... that the Russian Tax Code was hastened into legislation in 1998 due to a growing financial crisis?
... that not only did the village of Wattstown suffer two mining disasters at the same colliery, but both were explosions caused by the unauthorised use of blasting materials?
... that the silver won at the 2008 Summer Olympics by the Singapore women's table tennis team, comprising Feng Tianwei, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu, is the second Olympic medal in Singapore's history?
... that in 1965 Rankin M. Smith, Sr. paid a then unprecedented 8.5 million dollars for the ownership of the Atlanta Falcons, a team in the NFL?
... that Jerzy Sosnowski, a top Polish spy in Weimar Germany, caused two of his two lovers, each a German noble woman, to be executed by the axe?
... that the U.S. and Canadian ships escorting the British merchant ships of Convoy ON-67 in 1942 had one working radar between them, lacked sufficient binoculars and had never operated together before?

03:05, 24 August 2008 (UTC)

the Photuris pennsylvanica (pictured), a species of lightning bug, is Pennsylvania's state insect?
... that tax rates in Switzerland are set by voters through instruments of direct democracy?
... that newspaper writer Constance Drexel gained notoriety by falsely claiming that she was a member of Philadelphia's Drexel family?
... that the Anglo-Zanzibar War, considered the shortest war in history, lasted around forty minutes?
... that New York State Route 192 and its suffixed route, 192A, were two of only three decommissioned routes in Franklin County's section of Adirondack Park?
... that the Israeli mafia have extended their activities to foreign countries like the United States, South Africa, and the Netherlands?
... that Petticoat Hill, a nature reserve in Williamsburg, Massachusetts, is said to be named after laundry hung on a clothesline?
... that England's Tom Brittleton is the oldest footballer ever to play a competitive match for Sheffield Wednesday?

23 August 2008

19:06, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the 430-foot-tall (131 m) Kyoto Tower (pictured) is the tallest man-made structure in the city of Kyoto, Japan?
... that Temple Beth Israel of Niagara Falls, New York was subject to repeated attacks leading to a federal investigation?
... that mazzatello—a method of execution employed in the Papal States in the 18th and 19th centuries—involved smashing a mallet into the head of the condemned?
... that Pinoy is a demonym referring to Filipino people in the United States, the Philippines and around the world?
... that the wild mushroom Lactarius piperatus, which oozes peppery milk when cut, has been used in the treatment of viral warts?
... that the Archdiocese of New York fought unsuccessfully to have the National Museum of Catholic Art and History remove the word "Catholic" from its name?
... that some lava flows at the Wells Gray-Clearwater volcanic field in British Columbia, Canada include unique, small, green nodules that come from the mantle?

13:02, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Joseph H. Rainey House (pictured), was the Georgetown, South Carolina home of the first black United States Congressman, a former slave?
... that the New Voices Campaign of PICO National Network is attempting to repeat at the national level the success of its California Project in giving low-income communities influence on public policy?
... that a feather attributed to the ancestor of the Antillean Piculet has been found in 25 million year old amber?
... that a show horse belonging to Rielle Hunter was killed as part of an insurance fraud scheme, and that the event was adapted as part of the novel Story of My Life?
... that Robert Park acted simultaneously as a professor, a college football coach, and a minister?
... that the sinking of the year-old American cargo ship SS Washingtonian with her $1,000,000 cargo of raw sugar in January 1915 contributed to a 9% rise in the price of sugar in the United States?
... that Rebecca Adlington, British Olympic Gold swimmer, went to The Brunts School?
... that Seymour Reit, co-creator of Casper the Friendly Ghost, claimed that Da Vinci had painted two Mona Lisas, one of which was in a bank vault in New Jersey?

06:40, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Kristiania Sporveisselskab (pictured) established the first tramway in Oslo, Norway, in 1875?
... that the 6th century Mahakuta group of temples in Karnataka, India, exhibit pan-Indian architectural forms?
... that the discovery of 189 fossils of the mid-Cambrian Odontogriphus thrust it into the centre of a heated debate about the evolution of molluscs, annelids and brachiopods?
... that Operation Strikeback had the first use of single-sideband voice communications for tactical operations by the U.S. Navy?
... that there are Dinosaur Footprints in the Connecticut River Valley?
... that the 1298 collapse of the Gran Tavola papal depository bank devastated the economy of Siena for decades?
... that Travel + Leisure named Wasque ("way-squee") on Chappaquiddick the number one beach in New England?
... that Joseph II of the Holy Roman Empire was allowed to enter the papal conclave, 1769, in spite of restriction of the attendance to cardinals?
... that Dave and Kevin Huntley are the only father–son duo to win two NCAA Championships in their respective Division I Lacrosse careers?
... that Tiptree Windmill has walls that are 4 feet (1.22 m) thick?
... that a laboratory accident by S. Donald Stookey led to the invention of CorningWare?

22 August 2008

22:32, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

... that John Webb's Mill, Thaxted (pictured) has walls 4 feet (1.22 m) thick at the base, and that it was used for a time as a Scout hut?
... that photorejuvenation has been successfully used to improve the appearance of rosacea and reduce the redness associated with it?
... that Ratsimilaho established the Betsimisaraka who make up 15% of Madagascar's population?
... that Pierre Trudeau was "known to paddle" the Kazabazua River in Quebec?
... that the smallest Natural Area in Pennsylvania protects a stand of box huckleberry, but another stand nearby is the oldest plant in the United States?
... that the Venetian Theatre in Hillsboro, Oregon, was renamed as the Town Theater in 1956 only to be renamed again as the Venetian in 2008?
... that the Duty to God Award gets its name from passage Alma 7:22 in the Book of Mormon?
... that fashion designer Tory Burch, who has dated numerous celebrities and socialites, has a mother who dated Steve McQueen and a father who dated Grace Kelly?
... that the 1964 film Man in the 5th Dimension was shown in the 70mm Todd-AO widescreen process exclusively at the Billy Graham Pavilion during the 1964 New York World's Fair?

14:49, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

... that an HM V-type tram on the Helsinki tram network was converted into a pub, renumbered to 175 and renamed Spårakoff (pictured) in honour of the 175th anniversary of the Finnish brewery Sinebrychoff?
... that pseudodementia is a condition in older people where a treatable psychiatric illness such as depression may mimic dementia?
... that the winners of Oxford's Gaisford Prize for Greek Verse include the fictional Duke of Dorset in Max Beerbohm's 1911 novel Zuleika Dobson?
... that in 1937, Oscar Garcia Rivera, Sr. became the first Puerto Rican to hold public office in the United States?
... that a flower robot mimics the appearance of a common flower and contains simple sensing and home appliance functionalities, thus making it a service robot?
... that Harriet Burns designed the original prototype models of Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle, Pirates of the Caribbean and New Orleans Square?
... that urban survival syndrome can be seen as a version of the battered woman syndrome?
... that Sultan Mohammed IV drowned in the Agdal Gardens near Marrakesh in 1873 when his steam launch capsized in the Sahraj el-Hana (Tank of Health)?

07:30, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

... that SS Dakotan (pictured), a 1910 American cargo ship, was transferred to the Soviet Union under Lend-Lease during World War II and continued sailing into the 1960s?
... that adherents of the Biblical archaeology school believe there is physical evidence for Old Testament events?
... that James Russell Lowell's satirical poem A Fable for Critics (1848) made fun of many poets of the day, including himself?
... that the book Passionate Minds is a novel about Voltaire and his mistress Émilie du Châtelet?
... that American physician John Ziegler pioneered anabolic steroids but later said "... healthy athletes are putting themselves in the same category as drug addicts. It's a disgrace. Who plays sports for fun anymore?"
... that Dengeki Gakuen RPG: Cross of Venus is being released for the 15th anniversary of the original manga, Dengeki Bunko?
... that one member of the Dughlats, Mirza Abu Bakr Dughlat, conquered lands belonging to other members of the Dughlat clan?
... that Elizabeth Howe was one of nineteen people found guilty of practicing witchcraft and executed in the Salem witch trials?
... that Jimmy Jack returned to his hometown of Perth after an argument with his The Black Balloon co-writer?

21 August 2008

22:49, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

... that when scholar Spencer Barrett’s tax return was challenged, he showed that to understand a text of Pindar he had to know how Mount Etna (pictured) had appeared to a passing sailor?
... that in 2008, the German Federation of Internal Medicine awarded its highest honor to Hans Joachim Sewering‎, a former Nazi?
... that Willie Mitchell won the Michigan High School basketball championship in 1992 and 1993, but lost to his future Wolverines teammate Robert Traylor in 1994?
... that Irish television celebrity Bazil Ashmawy was born in Libya and is half Egyptian?
... that following Neil Dewar’s transfer from the club, a Manchester United director was forced to resign due to his daughter eloping with the player?
... that pomologist Ulysses Prentiss Hedrick devoted separate monographs to cherries, grapes, peaches, pears, and plums?

17:03, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Rufous Songlark (pictured) is an Australian songbird that sometimes ends up as roadkill?
...that Sir William Gregory was appointed Speaker of the House of Commons in 1679 after only a year in parliament?
... that the sawmill in Aumond, Quebec, built in 1862, also provided electricity and remained in operation until 1989?
... that Tropical Storm Andrew, which caused 50 deaths, was the deadliest storm of the 1986 Atlantic hurricane season?
... that Francis Coleman worked as a conductor, magazine editor and musical director of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet before, at age 29, producing CBC's coverage of Elizabeth II's coronation?
... that Amherst College president Arthur Stanley Pease was an "indefatigable pedestrian" and mountaineer who studied plants in the White Mountains?
... that Kevin Smith, a fan of the Degrassi franchise, had to cancel an appearance in the Next Generation pilot, "Mother and Child Reunion"?

10:39, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

... that adventurer Martin Johnson died when a Western Air Express Boeing 247 (example pictured) crashed into Pinetos Peak, but his wife Osa continued their lecture tour in a wheelchair despite neck and back injuries?
... that ethnic Dayaks in Borneo resorted to the ancient practice of headhunting to chase away migrant Madurese during the Sampit conflict in 2001?
... that Sherman Maxwell, who is believed to be the first African American sportscaster, was rarely paid for his radio broadcasts?
... that during the 30 Rock episode "Cleveland", scenes set in Cleveland, Ohio were actually filmed in Battery Park City in Manhattan?
... that Charles T. Barney, president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, committed suicide after the collapse of his company sparked the Panic of 1907?
... that the People's Republic of China made its Olympic debut at the 1952 Summer Games, but the team arrived in Helsinki too late to compete except for one race by a single swimmer?

03:15, 21 August 2008 (UTC)

... that in addition to Boswell's famous Life (1791), major accounts of Samuel Johnson's life include Biographical Sketch (1784), Anecdotes (1786), the rival Life (1787), Essay (1792), and Thraliana?
... that the election of Pope Urban VI, the last non-cardinal to become pope, by the papal conclave, 1378 precipitated the Western Schism?
... that E.E. Cummings was inspired to write Santa Claus: A Morality after reuniting with his daughter, Nancy?
... that Stylianos Pattakos, a principal of the 21 April 1967 coup in Greece, after his conviction at the Greek junta trials, enjoyed amenities such as a pond with 21 goldfish while imprisoned?
... that Charles Sawyer Russell commanded the 28th Regiment United States Colored Troops in the American Civil War, which suffered nearly fifty percent casualties at the Battle of the Crater?
... that Bulgarians in Romania helped construct the Black Church in Braşov, Transylvania?
... that Queen Victoria had the ancient Stewart Sapphire set into the Imperial State Crown in 1838?
... that the cape of Inamuragasaki was so named for its similarity in shape to a stack of rice at harvest time?
... that in 1895, the North Star Mine Powerhouse's Pelton wheel was the largest in the world?

20 August 2008

18:34, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Will Dockery, by building Dockery Plantation (pictured), home of legendary bluesman Robert Johnson, was fundamental to the development of the blues?
...that Edwin Thumboo's 1979 poem Ulysses by the Merlion has influenced so many other Singaporean poets, it is joked that a true Singapore poet has to have written a "Merlion poem"?
... that, on opening night of Samuel Johnson's Irene, audiences cried "Murder!" after seeing the main character strangled on stage?
... that while in Venezuela for the Winter Leagues current Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Gary Glover was robbed at gunpoint?
... that SS Pennsylvanian, an American cargo ship, was one of the first two steamships to travel eastbound through the Panama Canal after it opened in August 1914?
... that Eastbourne Borough is the fifth football club for which Jean-Michel Sigere and Simon Wormull have played together?
... that the population of Conquista, Minas Gerais decreased due to falling global demand for coffee, and the need for workers to create Brasilia?
... that New Zealand politician John Key once promised Grey Power, a lobbyist group for people over 50, that he would resign if he ever lowered the superannuation?

12:11, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

... that seal (pictured) is the most important part of the Inuit diet?
... that Blair Fairchild, Arthur Nevin, Preston Ware Orem, Thurlow Lieurance, and Carl Busch were among the American composers associated with the Indianist movement?
... that although Paul Gondjout founded the Gabonese Democratic Bloc, Léon M'ba soon overthrew him?
... that the potoos of the Neotropics have slits in their eyelids so that they can watch for danger without opening their large conspicuous eyes?
... that German biologist Hubert Markl, who received the Bundesverdienstkreuz in 1992, was President of the Max Planck Society from 1996 to 2002?
... that the disappearance of Ann Gotlib in broad daylight in 1983 helped spur the creation of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children?
... that Alberto Bimboni and Charles Sanford Skilton received the Bispham Memorial Medal Award for American opera for their operas on American Indian subjects?
... that medieval art from Quedlinburg was discovered in a mineshaft, and stolen by a soldier who had taken art appreciation classes?

05:30, 20 August 2008 (UTC)

... that unlike other cuckoos, the Chestnut-breasted Malkoha (pictured) does not lay its eggs in other birds' nests?
... that champion shooter Abhinav Bindra is the first Indian to win an individual gold medal at any Olympic Games?
... that the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team has won 1,950 games in 98 seasons and holds the record for consecutive 20-win seasons, with 31 seasons from 1970 through 2001?
... that French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac once lived in the house on the Moika River Embankment which now hosts the Consulate-General of France in Saint Petersburg?
... that Orthodera novaezealandiae is a praying mantis native only to New Zealand?
... that the roller ship was a steamship, raised above the water like a hydrofoil and moving on several large wheels?
... that the Creation Evidence Museum sponsors hunts for living pterodactyls in Papua New Guinea?
... that rising 600 feet above the surrounding plains, Double Mountain in Stonewall County, Texas is the most prominent point for 159 miles?
... that when Andy Stern challenged Richard Cordtz for the presidency of the SEIU labor union, Cordtz fired him for insubordination?
... that Horatio Nelson's first command in the Royal Navy was the brig HMS Badger?
... that a Western Hartebeest can run at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph), making it one of the fastest antelopes?

19 August 2008

19:25, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Stansted Mountfitchet Windmill (pictured) is a Scheduled Ancient Monument?
... that the Russian frigate Oryol was completed in 1669 as the first Russian naval ship, and flew the earliest recorded white, blue, and red Russian flag?
... that the Swiss manufacturer Synthes is the largest producer of implants to mend bone fractures?
... that cricketer Roger Kimpton also won an Oxford University tennis tournament and a golf blue, and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross as a Second World War fighter pilot?
... that the 30 Rock episode "Secrets and Lies" was performed live at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre to show support for the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike?
... that when the Common Tunnel opened in 1928 it made the Holmenkoll Line the first underground railway in Scandinavia?
... that the 1998 film Goodbye, 20th Century! features a sequence where a man dressed like Santa Claus attends a wake that turns violent to the sound of Sid Vicious singing "My Way"?
... that in the 1972 census there were an estimated 580,000 Jamnapari goats in India?
... that Delta, Minas Gerais in Brazil, despite having a population of 6,600, had no banks as of 2007?
... that mountaineer Ger McDonnell, the first Irish person to summit K2, brought a hurley to the summit of Mount Everest in 2003?

12:08, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

... that due to disappointing previous tests, the third prototype of Avro 533 Manchester plane (example pictured) was never fitted with engines?
... that the 210-year old Gate of Mercy Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Mumbai?
... that Šalata is the first neighborhood in Croatia to use digital homes?
... that Edgar Stillman Kelley and his wife traveled around Europe lecturing on American classical music?
... that in 1787–1788, Barthélemy de Lesseps traveled overland the full length of Russia to deliver reports from the La Pérouse expedition to the French Ambassador in St. Petersburg and from there continued on to Paris?
... that Holyhead High School, located on the Welsh island of Anglesey, was the first British comprehensive school?
... that an image within photosensitive glass is the most durable form of photography and will last as long as glass itself?
... that Rogers Orchards in Southington, Connecticut has been owned and run by seven generations of the same family since 1807?
... that Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers received death threats from the IRA after performing "Jack in the Box" at the 1971 Eurovision Song Contest?

06:12, 19 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Spanish AMX-30E (pictured) underwent an extensive modernization program between 1989 and 1993, dramatically improving the tank's mobility, firepower and accuracy?
... that Roger Connor, whose brother Joe Connor was also a baseball player, was the first to hit an over-the-wall home run at Polo Grounds?
... that David Pendleton Oakerhater, a Cheyenne warrior who fought at the Second Battle of Adobe Walls, was declared a saint of the Episcopal Church in 1985?
... that, on the day he broke Mark Spitz' 10-year world record in the 100 meters butterfly, Joe Bottom overslept and missed his pre-race warmup swim?
... that in building Arthur De Wint Foote's Foote's Crossing Road, Italian stonemasons constructed high embankment walls above the Middle Yuba River?
... that the colonels' group dominated the Polish government for most of the history of the Second Polish Republic?
... that during his days as a community organizer in Chicago, Barack Obama worked as a consultant and trainer for the Gamaliel Foundation?
... that the Paul MacCready-designed Solar Challenger was the first solar-powered aircraft capable of sustained, high-altitude flight?

18 August 2008

23:15, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

... that William Hogarth was paid sixty guineas to paint Taste in High Life (engraving pictured), a 1742 oil-on-canvas that pokes fun at the fashion of the upper class?
... that Lola ya Bonobo near Kinshasa is the world's only sanctuary for orphaned bonobos?
... that Arts High School in Newark, New Jersey opened its doors to students in 1931 as the first U.S. public high school specializing in the visual and performing arts?
... that Sir Clyomon and Sir Clamydes, an early Elizabethan stage play whose authorship is unknown, is thought to have influenced several of William Shakespeare's plays?
... that Vasili Blokhin, chief executioner of the Stalinist NKVD, led a company of executioners that performed more than 828,000 official executions during Joseph Stalin's reign, including tens of thousands by his own hands?
... that the Jolimont Workshops, part of Jolimont Yard, were built for Melbourne's new fleet of suburban trains in 1917?
... that as a publicity stunt, Indy 500 driver Harry Hartz drove a car backwards across the United States?

16:09, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

... that André Raponda Walker (pictured) was the first Catholic priest from Gabon?
... that the namesake family of Fuller's London Pride ale, live in Neston Park, an English country house in Wiltshire?
... that proposals in the 2008 Australian Federal budget included a A$3 billion increase in tax on alcopops?
... that the Syrian poet Nizar Qabbany wanted a burial in Damascus because it was the place that gave him "the alphabet of Jasmine"?
... that British Columbia's Disaster Response Route network, while mostly consisting of roads, also includes marine routes?
... that in her début at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Tao Li broke the Asian record for the 100 m butterfly twice and became the first Singaporean swimmer to enter an Olympic final?
... that the first three residents of the John Kane House were a man nearly hanged for treason, a Patriot turned British Loyalist, and George Washington?

10:08, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Carl Rungius (pictured) was the most important big game painter and the first career wildlife artist in North America?
... that West Indies Power is a company developing geothermal power in Nevis, Saba and Dominica?
... after being headmaster of St. Bees School, George Mallaby joined the army, rose to Colonel, became High Commissioner to New Zealand, and was knighted?
... that international reaction to 2008 Tibetan unrest has included police protecting the Chinese embassy in Reykjavík, Iceland, from a peaceful demonstration?
... that in 2007, the John Edwards's headquarters in the online game Second Life was attacked by the griefing group the Patriotic Nigras?
... that the American football team the Cardinals has had 36 head coaches?
... that due to the American Civil War, the Bahamas saw imports increase by a factor of 23, and exports increase by a factor of 29.6?
... that parts of the veiled stinkhorn Phallus indusiatus have been consumed by lifeforms as diverse as bees, flies, Chinese diplomats and Henry Kissinger?
... that Amedei Porcelana chocolate is used in a $1000 ice cream sundae?

03:16, 18 August 2008 (UTC)

... that a lantern in the steeple of St. Philip's Church in Charleston, South Carolina, (pictured) was the rear lamp of the Fort Sumter Range Lights?
... that Pedro Pizarro, a Spanish chronicler and conquistador, took part in the Spanish conquest of Peru and wrote an account of it?
... that according to Pliny the Elder, Quintus Valerius Soranus was the first writer to include a table of contents in his works?
... that The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five, a science fiction novel by Doris Lessing, was adapted for the opera in 1997 by Philip Glass?
... that the Bardwell-Ferrant House in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was built in 1883 as a Queen Anne style house and then given onion-domed towers in an 1890 Moorish Revival makeover?
... that taxis in Brunei have license plates with white letters on a green background to distinguish them from private vehicles?
... that the FC Büsingen, a German football club formed in 1924, had a nut tree in its playing field penalty area until 1927, when it was cut down?

17 August 2008

15:52, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Passer Angelfish (pictured) undergoes large changes in coloration during its transition from juvenile to sexually mature, going from bright orange, yellow, and blue to a drab brownish-black color?
... that law professor and anti-tobacco activist John F. Banzhaf III started his career as an electrical engineer?
... that the Ryazan miracle in 1959 was an apparent tripling of agricultural production in the Soviet Union?
... that the Barcol hardness test was developed during World War II for the U.S. Army Air Corps to check that airplane rivets had not been sabotaged?
... that the Manila Grand Opera House also served as a theater, residence, cinema and nightclub before its original building was demolished and re-constructed as a hotel?
... that Union Army officials offered US$5,000 for the scalp of Confederate Cherokee William Holland Thomas?
... that delay certificates issued by railway companies in Japan and Germany to passengers for tardy trains are considered valid reasons by superiors for reporting late to school or work?
... that when the namesake of Yardley, Pennsylvania, William Yardley, moved from England to Pennsylvania in 1682, he took with him 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of shoes?

07:30, 17 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the yellow flesh of the edible mushroom Russula aurea (pictured) distinguishes it from the peppery-tasting and inedible sickener?
... that Marilyn Roman was the first female Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey?
... that the Melaka Zoo is the second-largest zoo in Malaysia?
... that the sudden collapse of the Pemberton Mill was one of the worst industrial accidents in American history?
... that young people are more literate in Hakha Chin than their elder counterparts?
... that in 1922, the Chicago Police Department attempted to frame local labor leader Fred Mader for murder?
... that the Least Killifish is the smallest fish found in North America?
... that Steve Brye, in his first and only season as a starting outfielder in Major League Baseball, led the Minnesota Twins in doubles?

16 August 2008

23:57, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Vittorio Sella’s images of mountains (example, Siniolchu, pictured) were described by fellow photographer Ansel Adams as inspiring "a definitely religious awe"?
... that Abraham Lincoln called the Beefsteak Raid "the slickest piece of cattle-stealing" he ever heard of?
... that Puerto Rican journalist Héctor Feliciano has shed light on an estimated 20,000 works of art stolen by the Nazis during World War II?
... that after two previous buildings burned down, the Town of Southeast, New York, built its 1896 town hall of less flammable material?
... that female Redtail Splitfin nourish their unborn young through organs known as trophotaeniae that function similar to umbilical cords in mammals?
... that Georgia Cayvan was the first person to wear a glass dress?
... that Ireland's reality show Fáilte Towers takes its name from the BBC sitcom, Fawlty Towers?
... that there are over 2500 miles of interstate and U.S. highways in Washington?
... that Mal Cochrane is the hooker in the New South Wales Rugby League's "Indigenous Team of the Century"?

17:49, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

... that according to local tradition, on Midsummer's Eve the capstone of the Neolithic St Lythans burial chamber (pictured) in Wales spins round three times, then all the stones bathe in a nearby river?
... that during the Great Depression, the New Order of Cincinnatus, accused by its opponents of fascist tendencies, successfully placed three candidates on the Seattle City Council?
... that the Saffron Parasol is actually a small orange mushroom found throughout temperate regions of Europe and North America?
... that the New Orleans-based family of master plasterer Earl Barthé has specialized in historical and decorative plasterwork since 1850?
... that The Sunday Times art critic, Frank Rutter, sheltered suffragettes released from prison under the Cat and Mouse Act, sometimes helping them to flee abroad?
... that the last Confederate general to surrender, Stand Watie, did so in Oklahoma?
... that the scientific name of Longnose trevally (Carangoides chrysophrys) means "golden eyebrow"?
... that an episode of 30 Rock, "Jack the Writer", contained a reference to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which both revolve around the off-camera happenings on a sketch comedy series?

11:48, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Andy Tillman (pictured, with llama) was the first North American llama breeder to win top honors at a major South American llama and alpaca show?
... that the boiler was the only part of the British steam locomotive 60163 Tornado that could not be made in Britain, and was instead built by the Meiningen Steam Locomotive Works in Germany?
... that Brookesia minima may be the smallest species of chameleon?
... that Kay Chorao's Cathedral Mouse was considered one of 1988's best picture books by the New York Times?
... that unlike Jesus, the Avignon popes did not object to the close proximity of religious centers and the Avignon Exchange?
... that the "Howell Code", the legal code enacted by the 1st Arizona Territorial Legislature, was named after Judge William T. Howell?
... that the cartoon depiction of British model Christabel Leighton-Porter was said to have inspired the British 36th (Ulster) Division to advance six miles into Normandy in 1944?
... that the Silver Marten rabbit likes playthings to toss around its cage?

03:24, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Macleay's Spectre (pictured) is a stick insect that grows up to 20 cm (8 inches) long?
... that National Cleavage Day was started in South Africa in 2002?
... that the British ship of the line HMS Colchester, launched in August 1744, was wrecked just two months later after running aground on her first commissioned voyage?
... that Jan de Baen was a popular portrait painter during the Dutch Golden Age?
... that eighteen years ago, medical schools in the US "covered" sleep medicine in an average total teaching time of just two hours?
... that although the Chapel Royal, Brighton was built to encourage the Prince Regent to attend church while in Brighton, he stopped worshipping there after being offended by a controversial sermon?
... that the last living veteran of the Civil War in Idaho died in 1952?
... that the Pomeranian Goose was developed by Northern German farmers centuries ago, but only officially recognized as a breed in 1912?
... that on May 29, 1913, Johnny Beall was traded to the minor-league Milwaukee Brewers, only to return to his original major league team a month later?
... that the Ingolstadt-Kralupy-Litvínov pipeline does not start in Ingolstadt and does not run to Kralupy and Litvínov?

15 August 2008

17:39, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

... that white kimchi, Shiitake mushrooms, and rice cakes made with mung beans are elements of Korean temple cuisine (pictured)?
... that the 1910 American cargo ship SS El Oriente was chartered by the Red Cross and was one of fourteen ships that sailed under the Swiss flag during World War II?
... that the natural habitats of the Short-tailed Emerald are moist lowland forests and montanes and heavily degraded former forests in Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela?
... that the Walter Brewster House is the only Greek Revival home with a two-story colonnade in Putnam County, New York?
... that enemies of Viking chieftain Tryggve the Pretender claimed he was the bastard son of a priest?
... that the 10th Festival of Pacific Arts, concluded 2 August 2008 in American Samoa, brought together about 2,000 artists from 27 countries across Oceania?
... that Pisanosaurus, from 228 to 216.5 million years ago, is the oldest known ornithischian dinosaur?
... that after the First National Bank of Brewster, New York, closed in 1964 the Town of Southeast made the building its new town hall?
... that only one of the cardinal electors in the papal conclave, 1304–1305, which elected Pope Clement V, who began the Avignon Papacy, was French?
... that chemosynthesis, the process enabling deep sea invertebrates to survive without sunlight, was discovered by Colleen Cavanaugh?

10:55, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

... that all four remaining species of island raccoons (examples pictured), found only on small Central American and Caribbean islands, are considered endangered?
... that Walter Scott and T. S. Eliot declared The Vanity of Human Wishes as Samuel Johnson's greatest poem?
... that in 1899, Bill Lange, a popular Major League Baseball player, retired during the prime of his career to marry a woman whose father forbid her to marry a baseball player?
... that the protracted papal conclave, 1314–1316, the first of the Avignon Papacy, was mediated by three incumbent and future French monarchs in succession?
... that Union general John A. Logan seized a Confederate general's house as his headquarters in Columbia, South Carolina in 1865?
... that the name of Kazabazua in Quebec comes from the Algonquin word kachibadjiwan, meaning "underground river", and refers to the Kazabazua River which disappears underground?
... that ancient herds of White Park, a rare breed of horned cattle, have been preserved in Great Britain from the Middle Ages?
... that blues musician Henry Gray is credited as helping to create the distinctive sound of the Chicago blues piano?

04:36, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

... that though the mushroom Lactarius subdulcis (pictured) is considered edible, it has a taste similar to ivy?
... that pink tide is a term for the growing influence of left-wing politics in Latin America?
... that hula master George Na'ope was designated a "Living Golden Treasure" by the state of Hawaii?
... that Central African general Jean-Bédel Bokassa claimed that he seized his country's power to prevent Jean Izamo from doing the same?
... that Akersbanerne was founded in 1917 to build suburban tramways between Kristiania and Aker, Norway?
... that Dharmachari Aryadaka was the first paid Buddhist prison chaplain in Washington state?
... that Dutton-Waller Raised Tybee Cottage is one of few surviving historic raised cottages on Tybee Island, Georgia?
... that on July 11, 2008, the Kayelekera mine in Karonga, Malawi celebrated 1.5 million hours of accident-free uranium mining?
... that John S. Preston was sent by South Carolina to convince Virginia to secede from the United States?

14 August 2008

22:30, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

... that St. Andrew's Episcopal Church (pictured) in Brewster, New York, had to be rebuilt months after it was finished due to a fire?
... that John Dorewood was Speaker of the House of Commons for the first parliaments of both Henry IV and Henry V of England?
... that Odd Lot Theory held that you could make money by finding small, and hence uninformed, stock market investors and simply making the opposite investment?
... that the historic Oak Grove-Freedman's Cemetery in Salisbury, North Carolina was periodically violated causing destruction to all of the headstones and some of the bodies?
... that Johanna Brandt detailed spying for the Boers with her mother in her book Petticoat Commando?
... that Peruvian artist Jorge Eielson is considered a precursor of conceptual art for his quipus, reinterpretations of an ancient Andean device?
... that over 96% voted in a referendum in Latvia for a constitutional amendment that would allow voters to initiate a referendum to dissolve parliament?
... that Larry Gowell′s baseball in the Baseball Hall of Fame was his first and only major league hit?

15:51, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

... that WRNY began television broadcasting in August 1928 to thousands of New York City viewers with home made television sets (pictured)?
... that the developers of the video game Chocolatier took the guided tour of Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker's factory to see how chocolate is made?
... that The Johnson Gang are believed to have committed the largest ever domestic burglary in the United Kingdom worth tens of millions of pounds?
... that Little Miss Sunshine producer David T. Friendly is the son of former CBS president Fred W. Friendly?
... that Armant is a breed of dog which originated in Egypt?
... that Clyde Barnhart was second on his team with 114 runs batted in for the 1925 World Series winner Pittsburgh Pirates?
... that Andronikos Kontostephanos was the leading general of Byzantine emperor Manuel I Komnenos, and that his career took him from Hungary to Egypt?
... that SS El Sol was the first of four sister ships launched by Newport News Shipbuilding for the steamship line of the Southern Pacific Company?
... that Côte d'Ivoire once quasi-monopolised the world market on fresh pineapples?

09:45, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Peter Edmund Jones (pictured) is believed to be the first Status Indian to receive a Medical Doctorate in Canada?
... that the Minnesota Twins franchise has had four managers elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame?
... that Émile Boga Doudou was killed on September 19, 2002 in Abidjan in the worst outbreak of violence in Cote d'Ivoire since a military coup d'etat in 1999?
... that the Berlin Circle in New Jersey was eliminated at a cost of $73 million after it was described as one of "South Jersey's worst traffic nightmares"?
... that Northern Irish housewife Sarah Conlon's campaign to clear the names of her wrongfully-convicted husband and son led to an apology from then British Prime Minister Tony Blair?
... that the New York City Fire Department lost 12 firefighters in the 23rd Street Fire in 1966, the department's largest loss of life in a single incident until 343 officers were killed on September 11, 2001?
... that Charles Dickens once wrote that in Civil War-era Montana, a town was to be named after Varina Davis, the first lady of the Confederate States of America?
... that Bad Blood (2003), a professional wrestling pay-per-view event, was offered free of charge to members of the U.S. military returning from the Iraq war?
... that "Fight Fiercely, Harvard" is a satirical college fight song written by a mathematician?

03:21, 14 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Turin-Milan Hours (pictured) is thought to have involved at least 11 artists, and became physically separated into at least five sections?
... that Reed Memorial Library is the oldest library building in Putnam County, New York?
... that the Kaliningrad Nuclear Power Plant will be the first Russian nuclear power plant with foreign shareholding?
... that 36 tropical and subtropical cyclones have formed outside the normal boundaries of an Atlantic hurricane season?
... that Archie McCardell, the business executive who led both Xerox and International Harvester, later owned and subdivided the farm which gave Pepperidge Farm its name?
... that it took over 50 years to complete the foundation of Jesus College, Oxford, as one Principal lost the draft statutes and the next one kept the replacement copy in his study for several years?
... that the C.E. Toberman Estate was used as the "trophy" house of Vincent Chase on the first two seasons of HBO's Entourage?
... that the Brühl, a single street in Leipzig, accounted for one-third of the world trade of furs in the 1920s?
... that the Fire Station No. 1 in Roanoke, Virginia was modeled after Philadelphia's Independence Hall?

13 August 2008

20:55, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Jean-Baptiste Belley (pictured), a former slave from Saint-Domingue, became a member of the National Convention of France, where in 1794 he took part in the decision to abolish slavery?
... that the Endicott Pear Tree, located in Danvers, Massachusetts, is thought to be the oldest living cultivated fruit tree in North America?
... that the funerary art on the gravestones at Gilead Cemetery in Carmel, New York, illustrates changes in Protestant views of the role of death in the later 18th century?
... that the Choctaw Hog is a "critically rare" breed of pig found in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma?
... that Max von Stephanitz, creator of the German Shepherd dog breed, also founded the Verein für Deutsche Schäferhunde?
... that the Norfolk Biffin apple appears in the works of Charles Dickens and was sent from Norfolk to London for Sir Robert Walpole?
... that in 1967 the Ku Klux Klan bombed both Beth Israel synagogue of Jackson, Mississippi and the house of its rabbi?

14:24, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

... that "Methuen Duck Cloth", manufactured by David C. Nevins, Jr. (pictured), was used to make sails and tents in the tropics?
... that the SC Jülich 1910, record winner of the now defunct German amateur football championship, was the feature of a German television documentary?
... that the Convento Building is the largest adobe building in California and the largest original building at any of the Spanish missions in California?
... that Jean Ralaimongo came to prominence in 1929 after 3,000 demonstrated following speeches in a cinema in Madagascar?
... that D. W. Griffith bought a house for his mother that had been used as a funeral home?
... that the Heights of Buildings Act of 1910 restricts the height of buildings in Washington D.C. to 20 ft (6 m) taller than the width of the street they face?
... that the Sultan Bayezid II Mosque is the oldest surviving Ottoman imperial mosque complex in Istanbul, Turkey?

04:16, 13 August 2008 (UTC)

... that legend says a quart of Bourbon whiskey rests under each of the six columns on the front of Giddings Hall (pictured) at Georgetown College, the first Baptist college west of the Allegheny Mountains?
... that although it twice elected Abraham Lincoln, New York in the American Civil War had his prominent Democrat critic, Horatio Seymour, as its governor?
... that Huta Stepanska, one of the largest Polish defense centers during the Massacres of Poles in Volhynia, was abandoned due to lack of ammunition?
... that Rob Morris's first home in La Grange, Kentucky was burned to the ground, and his books had to be saved by the Union army?
... that in 1923, University of Nebraska running back Dave Noble scored the first touchdown in Memorial Stadium?
... that the "Red Tower" of the Hackensack Water Company Complex completed in 1883 in Weehawken, New Jersey, combined offices and a 165,000-gallon water tank in a single 175-foot-high structure?
... that the Roanoke City Market in Downtown Roanoke is the oldest continuously operating farmers' market in the Commonwealth of Virginia?
... that Kenny Chesney's 2008 single "Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven" was initially recorded by George Strait, who had planned to include it on his 2008 album Troubadour?

12 August 2008

22:02, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Shirakumo class destroyers (example pictured) were amongst the last destroyers purchased by the Imperial Japanese Navy from overseas shipyards?
... that after previously competing at the 2004 games in Athens, Brooklyn-bred Erinn Smart and her brother Keeth are again part of the U. S. Olympic fencing team at Beijing?
... that in spite of not participating in the planning of the 1964 Gabon coup d'état, Jean-Hilaire Aubame was sentenced to ten years of hard labor and ten years in exile?
... that the widow-owner of the Durfee Mansion died in 1976 at age 99, leaving an untouched wine cellar stocked with vintage wines and whisky dating to the 1890s?
... that video sculpture is a medium that offers performing artists a chance to have a more permanent artistic forum?
... that Lydia Becker, founder of the Women's Suffrage Journal, was also an amateur botanist and friend of Charles Darwin?
... that after Harvard was defeated in the 1921 Centre vs. Harvard football game—one of the greatest upsets in college football history—MIT students celebrated the win by tearing down Harvard's goalposts?

15:20, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the 1869 anarchist manifesto Catechism of a Revolutionary, which established the importance of Russian anarchist Sergey Nechayev (pictured), portrays the revolutionary as an amoral avenger?
... that Art Stewart, who was recently inducted into the Kansas City Royals Baseball Hall of Fame, was responsible for the drafting of 70 people who eventually became Major League Baseball players?
... that the bright red mushroom Hygrocybe miniata is found in rainforest and eucalypt forest in Australia and meadows in Europe and North America?
... that Michigan's Ludington Public Library was claimed as the library that will last a thousand years?
... that Zambian laws concerning homosexuality have largely remained unchanged since the country gained independence from the British Empire in 1964?
... that Das Königsprojekt was the first of three science fiction novels written by the German author Carl Amery?
... that Tim Morehouse, a member of the U.S. fencing team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, originally took up fencing in order to be excused from his high school gym class?

08:16, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

... that flushwork (example pictured) is the decoration of flat external walls in contrasting colours of flint and stone, most often found in medieval churches in East Anglia?
... that the latest opera by composer Andy Vores is a 2008 chamber opera adaptation of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit?
... that the Dundas Valley Conservation Area contains a trailhead of Canada's first interurban multi-use trail system?
... that the Haas Lola Formula One team's cars were not built or designed by Lola Cars International, but were entered as Lolas because Carl Haas was their official importer to the United States?
... that the Unlearned Parliament was so called because lawyers were forbidden to attend as Henry IV felt they were "troublesome"?
... that Pope Pius VI was not elected till the 265th ballot at the papal conclave of 1774–1775?
... that two Romanian cathedrals inspired by foreign models include Sibiu's, based on Hagia Sophia, and Iaşi's, which resembles Trinità dei Monti?
... that the Virginids meteor shower can sometimes last between January and May each year?

02:06, 12 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Mount Garmo in the Pamir Mountains (pictured) has been confused with the higher peak, which for some years was called Pik Kommunizma, "Mount Communism"?
... that philanthropist Harriet Nevins left an animal shelter, a fountain, and a John LaFarge stained glass window to the people of Massachusetts?
... that the sales of the "miracle drug" Energon, consisting of calf brain, sugar and milk, were able to establish Pharmacia as a major pharmaceutical company in Sweden in the early 1900s?
... that cargo ship El Occidente fought off two German submarines in World War I, only to be sunk by one in World War II?
... that the niece of the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Sirarpie Der-Nersessian, became the first woman to be awarded the Order of St. Gregory the Illuminator by the Catholicos of Armenia?
... that the Terminal Annex Post Office was LA's central mail processing facility for 50 years and became a filming location when it closed?

11 August 2008

18:39, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Randy Orton (pictured) defeated Rob Van Dam at Armageddon (2003) pay-per-view to begin the longest WWE Intercontinental Championship reign in over seven years at the time?
... that the television adaptation of Ellis Peters' novel The Rose Rent, set in 12th-century England, was actually filmed in Hungary?
... that since hard suction hose is designed for fire engines drafting water, it is the only type of fire hose tested under suction instead of pressure?
... that in 1929, BSEIU President Jerry Horan offered US$125,000 to bootlegger Roger Touhy in exchange for protection from Al Capone and the Chicago Outfit?
... that Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry was founded as Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Psychiatrie by King Ludwig III of Bavaria in 1917?
... that pixel artists are featured in an annual juried art show, "Into the Pixel", at the E3 trade show for computer and video game industries?

12:27, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Poitou Ass (pictured) is a rare breed of donkey with a shaggy coat?
... that the CAFE Foundation holds races in which general aviation aircraft compete for performance efficiency?
... that a yett is a latticed iron gate used in place of a portcullis in many Scottish castles and tower houses?
... that Michigan's Mason County District Library is an umbrella entity that administers two libraries?
... that Anna Borkowska, the mother superior of a Polish convent of Dominican Sisters in World War II, was the first to smuggle in grenades for the Vilnius Jewish ghetto insurgents?
... that many types of car bomb use a tilt fuse, a tube-like device not dissimilar to a medical pill bottle, to trigger the explosion?
... that "Brilliant Disguise" and "Tunnel of Love" gave Bruce Springsteen two consecutive #1 singles on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart from the Tunnel of Love album?

06:09, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

... that for over a century the sheriff of Putnam County, New York lived in the county courthouse (pictured), where his wife cooked for inmates at the county jail?
... that according to Le Monde, Central African Republic Lieutenant Colonel and politician Alexandre Banza was killed in circumstances "so revolting that it still makes one's flesh creep"?
... that the title roles in the 1974 blaxploitation film The Black Six were played by six then-current National Football League stars?
... that when Lepreum was attacked during the period of the Olympic truce, the Spartan attackers were given a fine equal to 200,000 times that of a skilled worker's daily wage rate?
... that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Jones v. United States that a person found not guilty by reason of insanity of a misdemeanor crime can still be committed indefinitely to a mental institution?
... that Filipino indie rock band Taken by Cars had two singles that reached the top of Manila's local radio charts before getting signed in a major record label?

00:00, 11 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the novels of Jane Austen (pictured) became popular with the public only after the publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen in 1869?
... that Kentucky judge John Milton Elliott was murdered by a fellow judge after adjudicating in a case involving the latter's sister?
... that Sabu to Ichi Torimono Hikae, a manga about a blind samurai, won the 1968 Shogakukan Manga Award?
... that U.S. Navy transport ship USS Henry R. Mallory (ID-1280) successfully avoided a torpedo attack in World War I, only to be sunk by the same method during World War II?
... that a wheelhouse in archaeology is a prehistoric structure from the Iron Age found in Scotland that was neither a wheel, nor perhaps a house?
... that upcoming film Calvin Marshall's producers hired a casting director before they had raised enough funding to hire a well-known actor to attract further financiers?
... that Open Access movement, a social movement in academia dedicated to the principle of open access—information sharing for the common good—traces its history to 1960s or earlier?
... that child actress Jillian Clare has been nominated for five Young Artist Awards, winning twice?

10 August 2008

18:00, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the orangespotted trevally (pictured) is believed to be able to switch between silvery grey and orange-yellow colorations?
... that the Carey Mission was a headquarters for settlers and a point from which the American frontier was extended?
... that confraternities, a type of Nigerian university student organization started by Nobel Prize laureate Wole Soyinka, are now linked with organized crime?
... that feminist Jo Freeman was moved from Mississippi by the SCLC in 1966 after the Jackson Daily News published her photo and denounced her as a professional agitator?
... that the Phylax Society, the first German Shepherd Dog club, disbanded because members could not agree whether the dogs should be bred for working or appearance?
... that the Patrick Tavern, built in 1793, is the oldest building in New York's Aurora Village-Wells College Historic District?
... that Thyrocopa is a genus of flightless moth endemic to Hawaii?
... that plans to build the Belarusian Nuclear Power Plant in the vicinity of Minsk were halted after the Chernobyl accident?
... that Michigan Wolverines men's basketball has a 16–0 record at Crisler Arena, its home stadium, during the National Invitation Tournament?

11:59, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Bateleur (pictured) is the official symbol of Kiang West National Park in The Gambia?
... that the potato disease Zebra chip has cost the Texas economy over US$125 million and threatens similar economic harm across the U.S. and Guatemala?
... that the National Youth Orchestra of Wales has the distinction of being the first national youth orchestra in the world and is Europe's longest-standing national youth orchestra?
... that the Woodard Bay Natural Resource Conservation Area is the location of a new type of habitat conservation program focused on restoring the native Olympia oyster?
... that although Harold McCarter Taylor was a theoretical physicist and mathematician who worked with Ernest Rutherford, he is best known for a three-volume work on Anglo-Saxon architecture?
... that for many years, Municipal Warehouse No. 1 at the Port of Los Angeles stored the railcar that carried Winston Churchill's body to burial?
... that L'Année philologique (The Year in Philology) annually gathers scholarly work related to ancient Greece and Rome from approximately 2,000 sources?
... that after being kept indoors at an Illinois zoo for about three decades, a citizens' campaign secured Ziggy the elephant a new home?

05:55, 10 August 2008 (UTC)

... that due to an error, the Pagsanjan Falls stamp (pictured), one of a series supposedly showcasing places of interest in the Philippines, actually shows a waterfall in California?
... that the Polish Club Class glider SZD-59 "Acro" is competitive in both unlimited aerobatics and cross-country flying?
... that Edward Harrison was the first person to perform a concerto for maraca soloist with symphony orchestra?
... that iOffer, an online trading community launched in May 2002, had nearly one million users by February 2008?
... that there are over 3,500 miles of state highways in Utah, with the shortest one being only 0.086 mi (138 m) long?
... that Scottish botanist Robert Kaye Greville has a mountain named after him in Queensland, Australia?
... that Roger de Busli deliberately built Tickhill Castle directly on the Nottingham-Yorkshire border as he had authority in both?
... that, in Norse mythology, Urðarbrunnr is an important well located beneath the world tree Yggdrasil?

9 August 2008

23:50, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the recently discovered smallest snake in the world, Leptotyphlops carlae (pictured), is thought to be near the evolutionary limit of how small any snake could be?
... that entrepreneur Joe Dudley's multi-million dollar hair and skin care business began with a mere US$10 investment in a sales kit in 1957?
... that the 125th Napier's Rifles of the Indian Army were named after General Napier, who had commanded them at the Battle of Miani in 1843?
... that the Heinsbergen Decorating Company Building was built in 1928 with bricks salvaged from the old Los Angeles city hall?
... that Cortinarius semisanguineus, whose common name is "Surprise Webcap", is a mushroom that smells of radishes?
... that the citizens of Carmel, New York, felt that "Shaw's Pond" was too modest a name for a local body of water, so they appointed a committee that renamed it Lake Gleneida?

16:53, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

... that in 1814, Mary Shelley (pictured) eloped with Percy Bysshe Shelley, later publishing her first work History of a Six Weeks' Tour, about their walking tour of Europe?
... that Paul Thomson, co-founder of the California Rare Fruit Growers Association, grew the first successful mammee apple crop in the state's history?
... that the Sakuradamon Incident of 1932 was an unsuccessful assassination attempt against Emperor Hirohito of Japan by a Korean nationalist?
... that scapular fracture can be caused by forceful muscle contractions due to a seizure or electrical shock?
... that The Corporate Center in Danbury, Connecticut is an innovative structure built on 5,000 pillars, some up to 40-feet (12 m) tall, to accommodate the hilly terrain?
... that So Amazin', the third studio album by singer Christina Milian, was produced mainly by hip hop producers Cool & Dre?

10:52, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the 773rd Tank Destroyer Battalion (tank pictured) was the first American unit to enter Czechoslovakia in 1945?
... that the pink mushroom Gomphidius roseus appears to be parasitic on the related Suillus bovinus?
... that six of the seven candidates in the 1999 Algerian presidential election withdrew less than 24 hours before the election?
... that the town of Kent, New York, dealt with an excess Canada goose population around Lake Carmel by rounding them up while they were molting and distributing the meat to the poor?
... that Swedish musician Hans Wärmling, co-writer of "Strange Little Girl", left The Stranglers while en route to a gig in North London?
... that despite the company's claims, SummerSlam 1992 has the largest verified attendance of any World Wrestling Entertainment event?
... that although male Kashmir Gray Langurs are usually protective of infants, they sometimes engage in infanticide?

04:52, 9 August 2008 (UTC)

... that in addition to insects, the diet of the Common Brown Lemur (pictured) includes soil and red clay?
... that magazines like the Southern Bivouac and the Southern Historical Society Papers helped to spread the belief of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy?
... that in 1938, the Raja of Aundh voluntarily handed over rule of his Indian state to the people in what became known as the Aundh Experiment?
... that American Olympian John Lysak was banned from the gymnasium of the ship that took him to the 1936 Summer Olympics after he destroyed much of its equipment?
... that the Australian vine Hoya australis, a popular garden plant, attracts butterfly species such as the Common Crow?
... that Paul T. Jordan became the youngest mayor in the history of Jersey City only three years after graduating from medical school?

8 August 2008

20:39, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Dutch palace Huis ter Nieuwburg (pictured) in Rijswijk was demolished in 1790 after years of neglect?
... that in 1979, the Tobacco Institute disputed claims by the Surgeon General of the United States about the dangers of smoking?
... that British fencer Mary Glen-Haig was the first female member of the International Olympic Committee?
... that the U.S. Third Fleet sank all of Japan's remaining undamaged battleships and heavy cruisers during the bombing of Kure in July 1945?
... that Q-Flex is the world's largest LNG carrier type currently in service?
... that the Plaza Historic District was the historic center of Los Angeles in the days of Spanish and Mexican rule?
... that satirist Stephen Colbert has a species of spider called Aptostichus stephencolberti named after him?

14:22, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Confederate spy Thomas Hines (pictured, left) had to escape Detroit by ferryboat due to being confused with assassin John Wilkes Booth (pictured, right)?
... that Skaga stave church was built in the 1130s to Christianise the area, but was demolished in 1826 as a stronghold of remaining Norse paganism?
... that after winning a bronze medal at the 1997 World Championships in Athletics, German shot putter Stephanie Storp began playing basketball?
... that Fulton County Route 112, the continuation of New York State Route 309, was once the site of an old Indian trail in the Adirondacks?
... that the world's largest LNG carrier Q-Max Mozah was named by and after Mozah Nasser al-Misnad, Sheikha of Qatar?
... that alternative rock musician Maynard James Keenan owns and operates his own winery, Caduceus Cellars, in rural Arizona?

08:20, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the pored mushroom Gyrodon lividus (pictured) has been found associated with alder trees in such diverse places as California, Latvia, and Japan?
... that William C. Grimes, who served as Acting Governor of Oklahoma Territory for ten days, helped to establish Kingfisher College?
... that the Shiseibyō Confucian temple in Naha, Okinawa contains the first educational institution in Okinawa, which later became the first public school in the prefecture?
... that John Koethe was the first poet laureate for the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin?
... that the 2008 Tanana Valley flood brought the Tanana River in central Alaska to its highest level since August 1967?
... that John Quincy Adams II, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and William Gordon Weld helped form the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals?
... that the "most generous man in Liverpool" was John Cropper?

02:06, 8 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Ralphs Grocery Store (location pictured), part of a plan to build the "model college town" in 1929, was photographed by Ansel Adams?
... that the Long-legged Bunting, an extinct species of Bunting, was one of the few flightless species in the Passerines order?
... that during the American Civil War, Pittsburgh made the world's first 21-inch caliber gun?
... that after accusing Mauritian judges of involvement in slavery, Sir John Jeremie was honoured in 1836 by the Anti-Slavery Society?
... that LA's Exposition Park Rose Garden has more than 20,000 rose bushes and 200 varieties of roses?
... that Horand von Grafrath is credited with being the first German Shepherd Dog?
... that according to his memoir My Grandfather's Son, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas had his credit card cut up by a car rental clerk?

7 August 2008

20:04, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Silver Appleyard is one of the best egglayers amongst large breeds of duck?
... that after switching sides multiple times during the American Civil War, Benjamin Anderson committed suicide, saying he "would prefer being dead than disgraced"?
... that the cultivation of biofortfied food crops has occasionally faced resistance because they sometimes have different characteristics, such as unusual colours?
... that the neighborhood of Elm Park in Winnipeg, Canada, was originally a park created by the Winnipeg Street Railway Company to increase trolley use?
... that although the first type of wind turbine, the panemone, is one of the least efficient designs it is also one of the most commonly reinvented and patented?
... that country singer Philip Claypool's greatest chart success was a cover version of Bad Company's "Feel Like Makin' Love"?

13:56, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the African Agricultural Union, led by Félix Houphouët-Boigny (pictured), received the support of nearly 20,000 plantation workers shortly after it was established?
... that the arcade game Heiankyo Alien was originally designed as a personal computer game by the University of Tokyo's Theoretical Science Group?
... that as of May 2008, the International Harvester strike of 1979–1980 is the fourth-longest national strike in the history of the UAW and the longest in the history of International Harvester?
... that the Marshall Islands, Montenegro, and Tuvalu will all be making their first Olympic appearance at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing?
... that the episode of 30 Rock entitled "Sandwich Day" was actress Johnnie May's second appearance in the series, after playing a blood donations nurse in the episode "Tracy Does Conan"?
... that Ivorian politician Jean Konan Banny invented a non-alcoholic drink he described as "a wine [made] from pineapples"?

07:49, 7 August 2008 (UTC)

... that one Prior of Ecclesfield (priory pictured), near Sheffield in England, was accused by Benedictine authorities of "embezzlement of the priory's goods" and of living an "evil life"?
... that author Michael Connelly got the idea for his novel The Concrete Blonde from an actual case in a professional forensic book?
... that James Carlile introduced an educational system in 1830s Ireland whereby children of different denominations could attend the same school?
... that residential lots in the Drake Park Neighborhood Historic District of Bend, Oregon—with views of the Deschutes River and the Cascades Mountains—originally sold for US$100 to US$250?
... that the final twenty minutes of the 1941 documentary film Kukan shows an air attack by Japanese bombers against Chongqing, the World War II capital of China?
... that in the 2008 baseball season, Randy Ruiz got a hit in 24 consecutive games, the longest hitting streak by a Rochester Red Wing player since 1979?

6 August 2008

23:28, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Robert Nanteuil's engraving of Pompone de Bellièvre (pictured) was described as "the most beautiful engraved portrait that exists"?
... that Science, Evolution, and Creationism was published by the National Academy of Sciences to address the creation-evolution controversy?
... that the Battle of Annaberg in 1921 was the largest battle of the Silesian Uprisings?
... that Jamie Howarth's music restoration company, Plangent Process, received a Grammy award for restoration of a 1949 performance by Woody Guthrie?
... that unions sometimes permit local or regional variations in master contracts in order to meet special economic, competitive, or other needs of employers?
... that the 79th Street Boat Basin, featured in the 1998 film You've Got Mail, is the only marina that allows year-round residency by Manhattan boat owners?
... that Cinimod Studio in London, United Kingdom, designed a virtual sky ceiling for a Snog frozen yogurt outlet with clouds whose speeds and colors depend upon the time of day?

14:04, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Princes Pier (pictured) in Port Melbourne, Australia, suffered fourteen fires from 2001 to 2004?
... that novelist Lucy Jane Bledsoe, a Stonewall Book Award winner and four-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, primarily writes LGBT literature?
... that the Corfu Channel Incident, involving the United Kingdom and Albania, is considered one of the early episodes of the Cold War?
... that Spednic Lake, which forms part of the Canada – United States border, is renowned for its smallmouth bass fishing?
... that William Chaffey, a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for 33 years, was also a U.S. Bronze Star recipient?
... the pranksters behind the Martian Monkey hoax were fined US$40?
... that the turnout in the 2002 Algerian legislative election was Algeria's lowest yet since independence in 1962?
... that jockey Ralph Neves, pronounced dead after a fall in 1936, arrived at the racetrack later the same day demanding to ride?

07:25, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Tower Hill Water Tower (pictured) in Ormskirk, Lancashire, is reputed to be the oldest remaining water tower in England?
... that Majdi Halabi, an Israeli Druze soldier from the village of Daliyat el-Karmel, disappeared on duty near Haifa and was formally declared to be missing in action in June 2005?
... that the 2008 Chino Hills Earthquake shook Southern California with a magnitude of 5.4, and was felt as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada?
... that in 1993, police officer Bob Geary launched a successful ballot initiative in San Francisco, California to allow him to carry a ventriloquist's dummy on patrol?
... that after a collision with the Scottish clipper Loch Earn, the French steamship Ville du Havre sank in only 12 minutes, with the loss of 226 lives?
... that the album title Even Heroes Need a Parachute was chosen to emphasize "the common ground that all humans share"?
... that Robert Byington Mitchell, who was Brigadier General in the Union Army during the American Civil War, served as Governor of New Mexico Territory from 1866 to 1869?

01:14, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

Sardonyx Cameo of Claudius

... that the earliest written record of Scotland during the Roman Empire is the submission of the King of Orkney to the Emperor Claudius (pictured) at Colchester in the year 43?
... that Haruji Matsue was the first person to manufacture the sugar cube in Japan?
... that the tugboat Tuff-E-Nuff, built in 1895 by Neafie & Levy, was still working commercially in 2007 after 112 years of service?
... that Swazi police told Gabriel Mkhumane's mother that he would come home "wrapped in a black bag" hours before his death was reported?
... that the mushroom fire-milk Lactarius is so named because of its acrid taste?
... that John Harfield Tredgold who helped slaves in the Cape Colony in the 19th century, was also a chemist?
... that a German Shepherd named Rajah was the first police dog in New Zealand?
... that baseball pitcher Marc Wilkins balked on Rob Ryan's first at bat, on the day of Ryan's major league debut, making the Arizona Diamondbacks score one run?

5 August 2008

19:07, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

... that "eggs" of the foul-smelling, insect-attracting dog stinkhorn (pictured) have been eaten in West Virginia?
... that British athlete Stan Cox was nearly killed after being struck with a javelin while working as a judge for the British Amateur Athletic Association?
... that the Plan Dog memo, one of the best known documents of World War II, laid the basis for America's Europe First policy?
... that Richard Tapper Cadbury helped his son John start a tea and coffee business that would become Cadbury plc?
... that Washington Block was one of the first buildings to use the isolated pier foundation technique whereby load-bearing points have separate foundations?
... that the North German baroque organ in Örgryte Nya Kyrka‎ is the largest meantone organ in the world?
... that Joe Allison is a former American football placekicker who won the inaugural Lou Groza Award, presented to the nation's top kicker?
... that the Norwegian National Rail Administration owns all 4,114 km (2,556 mi) of railways in Norway, but does not operate any trains?

13:00, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

... that a subspecies of Black Lemur (pictured) is the only primate other than humans to have blue eyes?
... that U.S. diplomat Pamela E. Bridgewater was the first African-American woman appointed Consul General in Durban, South Africa?
... that in Australia many unions and employers are working around the WorkChoices law by using side letters to reach agreement on non-workplace-related matters?
... that scuba divers concerned about the deterioration of the Samuel P. Ely shipwreck worked underwater to install reinforcing tie rods that would hold the hull together?
... that the upright bugle often interbreeds with its more widespread cousin, the common bugle, producing hybrid offspring?
... that at the Convention of 1836, delegates approved the Texas Declaration of Independence with no debate?
... that Polish writer Adam Wawrosz fought in the Polish Army in the Battle of Kock during World War II?
... that Henry Fairfield Osborn almost doubled the size of Castle Rock, his father's Garrison, New York, mansion, to accommodate his family?

06:57, 5 August 2008 (UTC)

... that although on private property, the Unknown Confederate Dead Monument (pictured) outside Perryville, Kentucky was built by the federal government sixty-six years after the battle?
... that liver biopsy (obtaining a tissue sample from the liver) is sometimes needed in unexplained forms of hepatitis?
... that the geologic features located within the Eramosa Karst are considered to be the best example of karst topography found in the Canadian province of Ontario?
... that before earning a B.A. at New School for Social Research, science writer Mary Batten worked as a library clerk at the New York Public Library?
... that the Japanese visual novel Eternal Fantasy consists of an overworld map and a combat system, typical of console role-playing games, other than its traditional visual novel gameplay?
... that Well No. 4 in the Pico Canyon Oilfield was the first commercially successful oil well in the Western United States and the longest producing oil well in the world at 114 years?
... that Vietnam Veterans Memorial State Park is the only state park dedicated solely to veterans of the Vietnam War?
... that former Virginia Tech running back Lee Suggs set the NCAA Division I-A record for consecutive American college football games with a rushing touchdown (27) in the 2002 San Francisco Bowl?

4 August 2008

21:57, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

... that 52 ships of the German High Seas Fleet were successfully scuttled in Scapa Flow (example pictured) in 1919, but many were later salvaged?
... that New York abstract painter Dennis Ashbaugh is one of the first artists to employ DNA marking patterns in paintings?
... that according to Franz Oppenheimer's book The State, the purpose of the political state is to establish and enforce class divisions between conquerors and the dominated?
... that James Ludington never lived in Ludington, Michigan – the town that bears his name?
... that although the longfin trevally is a prized table fish in Thailand and Cambodia, it is overall too rare to sustain commercial fisheries?
... that Ronald Ribman's play The Journey of the Fifth Horse, based on a short story by Ivan Turgenev, won an Obie Award and starred a young Dustin Hoffman?
... that many slogans and several mottoes currently used in heraldry originated as war cries or battle cries?
... that the only trio of brothers to appear in a Major League Lacrosse game as members of the same team are Michael, Gregory, and Stephen Peyser of the New Jersey Pride?

15:15, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Highland Park Police Station, where the radical Symbionese Liberation Army (emblem pictured) once planted a bomb that proved to be a dud, is now the Los Angeles Police Museum?
... that Wilfrid Noyce forced a route up to the South Col on the first ascent of Mount Everest by the 1953 British Expedition?
... that the Confederate Monument in Perryville was built by the government of Kentucky to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Battle of Perryville, and 5,000–10,000 people attended its dedication?
... that the 1946 Mexican film Boom in the Moon starring Buster Keaton was not commercially released in the United States until 1983?
... that what is now the southwestern United States was at one time connected to East Antarctica according to the SWEAT model?
... that a group of Irish publishers tried to print pirated copies of Samuel Richardson′s final novel, The History of Sir Charles Grandison, before the actual first edition was released?
... that the Muleshoe Heritage Center in Muleshoe, Texas, greets visitors with a 22-foot-high muleshoe which weighs 15,000 pounds and was an Eagle Scout project?
... that the Payne-Desha House in Georgetown, Kentucky was built by a war hero from the Battle of the Thames and also was the last residence of the ninth governor of Kentucky?

08:41, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the golf course (pictured) around the buildings of the Garrison Grist Mill Historic District in Garrison, New York helps preserve their historic rural character?
... that future admirals Samuel Barrington, George Darby, Hugh Palliser, Thomas Pasley, Thomas Troubridge and Horatio Nelson all served aboard HMS Seahorse?
... that the town of Kendenup in Western Australia was featured in a classified advertisement in the New York Times in 1922?
... that Mount Saint Mary's Convent and Academy is the only extant original orphanage in California?
... that John Milton (1562–1647) was so successful as a composer and scrivener that his son John Milton—author of Paradise Lost—never had to work for a living?
... that the Okinawa Prefectural Museum was originally established under the U.S. Occupation in 1946?
... that Italian composer Francesco Portinaro survived an outbreak of bubonic plague that killed 12,000 to become maestro di capella at Padua Cathedral?
... that the Neutra Office Building, once the office of Modernist architect Richard Neutra, is said to be the only commercial structure that is still intact with Neutra's original design?

00:06, 4 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Orphan Girl at the Cemetery (pictured), a painting by Eugène Delacroix, is believed to be a preparatory work for his portrayal of the 1822 Chios Massacre?
... that the first conversion of a New Caledonian to the Bahá'í Faith took place in 1961?
... that the British Columbia mountain search and rescue organization North Shore Rescue was originally formed for responding to an urban nuclear attack?
... that although £5 tickets were available for the Doctor Who Prom, tickets were touted on eBay for £250?
... that Burr Caswell built his farmhouse in 1849 out of old driftwood and it is now a museum centerpiece?
... that Tropical Storm Kiko, a tropical cyclone of the 2007 Pacific hurricane season, caused at least 15 deaths at sea?
... that Diverse Harmony is the first gay-straight alliance chorus in the United States?
... that 19 crewmen of the Russian oceanliner SS Czar received the Silver Sea Gallantry Medal from King George V of the United Kingdom for rescuing 102 survivors from a burning ship in October 1913?

3 August 2008

14:22, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the original viewports of the pioneering submarine Ictineo II (replica pictured) ended up as bathroom windows?
... that Lloyd Seay, described by NASCAR founder Bill France, Sr. as the "best pure race driver I ever saw", was killed by his cousin during a dispute in the family's moonshine business?
... that there are 64 varieties of mammal in Tam Dao National Park in Vietnam and some are on the menu?
... that the Floating Battery of Charleston Harbor was the first floating battery to engage in hostilities during the American Civil War?
... that Felix Mendelssohn walked out in disgust in the middle of the 1827 premiere of his opera Die Hochzeit des Camacho, and cancelled the remaining performances?
... that Robert Berning first introduced Trader Joe's private wine label as a way to get around California's fair trade laws that made it illegal to sell wines at a cheaper price than branded competitors?
... that the Rockies Express Pipeline, currently under construction, will be one of the largest natural gas pipelines ever built in North America?
... that Argentine adventurer Emilio Scotto had only US$306 when he left Buenos Aires in 1985 on his record-breaking 10-year motorcycle journey?

06:50, 3 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the type of degree offered by a veterinary school (pictured) can vary widely, ranging from the Bachelor of Science to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine?
... that organisations such as Unilever PLC, Tate Gallery, Penguin Books, and Prudential all have collections of Laura Ford's sculptures?
... that through Khitan, the Islamic rite of male circumcision, Muslims are the largest single religious group to circumcise males?
... that Achille-Louis Foville was made a professor at Charenton in 1840, filling the vacancy created by the death of his old teacher Jean-Étienne Dominique Esquirol?
... that the defection of Saddam and Hussein Kamel helped prompt the 1995 Iraqi presidential election?
... that "Pink Fairhead" is a common name for Calocybe carnea, a small pink mushroom of grassy areas in Europe and North America?
... that the Union Monument in Perryville is one of only seven monuments in Kentucky dedicated to Union soldiers, and it took an act of Congress to build it?
... that Henry Conway, nicknamed "Queen Sloane," once showed up to a London nightclub in a horse drawn carriage?

2 August 2008

23:37, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

... that The Birches (pictured) in Garrison, New York, was known as the Honeymoon House because both of William Osborn's sons lived there after their weddings?
... that Salem Hospital has the busiest emergency room in the state of Oregon?
... that Mount Bate, on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, is probably named after William Thornton Bate, a Royal Navy officer killed during the Second Opium War?
... that T-shirts which featured Jane Krakowski as Jenna Maroney, which were seen in a 30 Rock episode entitled "Jack Gets in the Game", were made commercially available by NBC?

13:57, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Jane Meutas (pictured) was drawn by Holbein and engraved by Bartolozzi?
... that during production of the film The Natural, Robert Redford was coached by Major League Baseball pitcher Spec Shea on how to pitch in an old-time style?
... that one of the chief motivations for anarcho-capitalist revolution is the impossibility of implementing anarchy through peaceful means?
... that Henrik I. Christensen, a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at the Georgia Institute of Technology, was the founder of the European Robotics Research Network (EURON)?
... that the site of the aboriginal village of Nocoroco, near Ormond Beach, Florida, is marked by a large fountain sculpture, called the "Tomokie Fountain"?
... that the Regimental Pipes and Drums of The Calgary Highlanders mistakenly wore the Royal Stewart tartan until they arrived in England during World War II and were told to stop?

03:55, 2 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the Giant Dead Leaf Mantis (pictured) falls to the ground and lies motionless when threatened?
... that the Virginia Capital Trail connects three historic capitals of Virginia (Williamsburg, Jamestown and Richmond) with a 54-mile (87 km) long paved bicycle and pedestrian trail?
... that the Swansea and Welsh rugby duo Dick Jones and Dicky Owen were known affectionately as the Dancing Dicks?
... that the forthcoming Canadian film Smash Cut will feature a cameo appearance by filmmaker Herschell Gordon Lewis who invented the splatter film genre?
... that the highlight of Aliwan Fiesta is a four-kilometer dance parade of different cultural festivals of the Philippines?
... that the faculty of the College of Engineering, University of California, Santa Barbara boast of two Nobel Prize winners and one Millennium Technology Prize winner?

1 August 2008

21:26, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

... that Eliza Ridgely of Baltimore and Hampton is Thomas Sully's Lady with a Harp (pictured)?
... that the Cheonhado is a type of circular world map developed in Korea during the 17th century that displays both real and fictional places?
... that archedictyon is a hypothetical scheme of wing venation proposed for the common ancestor of all winged insects?
... that "Blooddrunk", a track by Finnish band Children of Bodom about self-destructive behaviour, debuted at number one in Finland?
... that after a gift of candles they sent was mentioned on the Rush Limbaugh Show, sales at Wicks n' More increased fivefold?
... that Donald Colman invented the football dugout in the 1930s while working as coach of Aberdeen?
... that the Smith Estate was the home of a writer on occultism, the head of a railroad, and a deputy mayor, and the shooting location for the cult film Spider Baby?

14:40, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

... that the old Lodge Room at the Highland Park Masonic Temple (pictured) has been preserved with original anaglyphs and cherry wood paneling?
... that the Loire Valley estate Château de Goulaine is believed to be the oldest winery in existence and the third oldest commercial enterprise in the world?
... that Christopher Smart's two oratorios, Hannah and Abimelech, are based on the story of biblical women who became fertile because of their devotion to God?
... that the 335th and 336th squadrons are the oldest in Greece's Hellenic Air Force, having been formed as units of the British RAF in the Second World War?
... that the opposition Democratic Party refused to accept the results of the 2001 Albanian parliamentary election and boycotted Parliament for six months after?
... that New Year's Revolution (2005) was the first pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment to be held in Puerto Rico?

08:38, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

... that John Buckler created 13,000 drawings and paintings of historic British buildings, such as Ely Cathedral (pictured)?
...that the Seventy-fourth Oregon Legislative Assembly, convening from 2007 to 2008, was the first since 1989 in which the Democratic party controlled both houses of the state's legislature?
... that Welsh sportsman Billy Bancroft not only played rugby for Swansea and cricket for Glamorgan at St Helens Ground but also lived there as a child and became its groundsman when he retired?
... that the "Madame Marie" mentioned in the 1973 song 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy) by Bruce Springsteen was a real-life fortune teller on the Asbury Park boardwalk?
... that while setting a Guinness World Record for distance travelled by a solar vehicle, the University of Waterloo's Midnight Sun VII was twice mistaken for a UFO?
... that Sidney Weighell, General Secretary of the National Union of Railwaymen, played professional football with Sunderland for two seasons as an inside left?
... that David Nichtern, who wrote "Midnight at the Oasis", is the son of the first female to win a Tony Award?

01:34, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

... that ice hockey goaltender Paddy Moran (pictured) aggressively defended the area in front of his net by using his stick to slash opposing players near his net and exhaling at them while chewing tobacco?
... that the stages-of-growth model describes the changing role of information technology in organizations?
... that military sociology, one of the branches of sociology, looks at issues such as gender, minorities and power in the military?
... that the Grand Lodge of Indiana was started at the Schofield House of Madison, Indiana's historic district on January 13, 1818?
... that while serving aboard HMS Carcass as a midshipman on an Arctic expedition, a young Horatio Nelson is reported to have chased a polar bear?
... that the Laurel Valley Store in Laurel, Oregon, opened in 1893 and is still in use?