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This is a record of material that was recently featured on the Main Page as part of Did you know (DYK). Recently created new articles, greatly expanded former stub articles and recently promoted good articles are eligible; you can submit them for consideration.

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Did you know...[edit]

30 September 2006

10:13, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Mexican scientist José Antonio de Alzate y Ramírez (pictured) published work showing that the hallucinogenic effects of the pipiltzintzintli plant are due to natural causes, not the work of the devil?
...that British graphic designer Alan Fletcher designed the logo of 84 dots used by Reuters from 1965 to 1992, the "V&A" logo for the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1989, and the "IoD" logo of the Institute of Directors?
...that the sole surviving portion of the work of 4th-century musical writer Alypius is the chief source of modern knowledge of Greek musical notation?
...that, as a schoolboy, former Prime Minister of Canada William Lyon Mackenzie King attended what is now Suddaby Public School?
...that "Comme È Ddoce 'O Mare" was performed in the Neapolitan language, the only time the host country of the Eurovision Song Contest performed in a minority language?
...that Astro Flight, Incorporated of Marina del Rey, California created the world's first practical electric-powered radio controlled model airplane and the world's first full-scale solar-powered airplane?

00:16, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Deutschhaus building (pictured) in Mainz served as the seat of the first democratic elected parliament in Germany during the Mainz Republic and is the seat of the Rhineland-Palatinate Landtag today?
...that Harry Brinkley Bass was awarded two U.S. Navy Crosses within a period of two months for combat actions in World War II and was killed in action two years later?
...that the Silver Fish, the highest award in the Girl Guides and scouting movement, can be traced back to November 1909?
...that Mikołaj Trąba, first primate of Poland, took part in the Battle of Grunwald and might have been a papal candidate during the Council of Constance?
...that the rules of Swedish football played in the late 19th century were a mix of association football rules and the rugby football rules because of a misunderstanding?
...that the famous ending to the M*A*S*H episode "Abyssinia, Henry" was kept a secret from the entire cast, with the exception of Alan Alda, until the moment of filming?

28 September 2006

22:52, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the large number of Baroque buildings (Castle Mainau pictured) on the Upper Swabian Baroque Route are the result of immigration to depopulated areas of Upper Swabia, Germany and the following building boom at the end of the Thirty Years' War?
...that the assassins of former Bangladeshi prime minister Mansur Ali were protected by the Indemnity Act and not arrested or tried for more than 20 years?
...that Sheffield Wednesday Ladies F.C. were formed at the Star Inn public house in Rotherham during 1971 following a charity match between men and women at the pub?
...that Chickies Rock contains the largest exposed anticline on the East Coast of North America?
...that PWS-10 designed in late 1920s was the first Polish fighter to enter serial production?
...that the Indian Opinion was founded by Mahatma Gandhi and served as the main vehicle for the Indian civil rights struggle in early-20th century South Africa?

12:04, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the water crisis is the ongoing worldwide shortfall of drinking water, sanitation and ecological support that finds 1.1 billion people without safe water?
...that some astrologers claim Earth has a second moon they call Lilith?
...that the small Toyota Publica was available in a range of 2-door body styles, including a pickup truck?
...that Arthur Brooke's narrative poem The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet was the chief source for William Shakespeare's famous play Romeo and Juliet?
...that only two prototypes of PWS-33 Wyżeł, a Polish trainer aircraft, were built before the production was interrupted by German invasion of Poland?
...that after France expelled the Vaudois Protestant group living in Piedmont in 1686, the latter fought their way back home during the War of the Grand Alliance?
...that the rhinoceros botfly Gyrostigma rhinocerontis is the largest fly known in Africa?

05:45, 28 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the legend of the Gold of Polubotok says that Cossack Pavlo Polubotok (pictured) deposited 200,000 gold coins at the Bank of England in 1723 and that the money owed to Ukraine is supposedly valued at twenty times the world's gold reserve?
...that "Miss Lucy Long" was possibly the most popular American song of the antebellum period?
...that the village of Naluvedapathy in Tamil Nadu, India remained unscathed by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami because of a record 80,244 casuarina saplings planted on the coast two years earlier?
...that Suriname's worst air disaster was Surinam Airways Flight 764, which crashed after the pilots ignored repeated warnings that they were flying too low?
...that the Social Democrats under leader Hjalmar Branting won the Swedish general election in 1921, the first fully democratic parliamentary election in Sweden?

27 September 2006

23:16, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Kandariya Mahadeva (pictured) is one of the best examples of Hindu temples preserved from the medieval period in India?
...that Henry of Masovia, 14th century bishop of Płock, might have been poisoned by his wife, sister of Grand Duke of Lithuania, Vytautas the Great?
...that the African-American dancer Lavinia Williams gave up ballet stardom in the United States to spend decades developing national schools of Caribbean traditional dance in Haiti, Guyana, and the Bahamas?
...that during World War II, more than 10,000 Soviet soldiers and civilians, cut off from the mainland, resisted for 170 days in the Adzhimushkay quarries in Crimea?
...that the first Prime Minister of Italy, Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour was also one of the first landowners in Italy to use chemical fertilizers?
...that between 1938 and 1943, C$13 million worth of gold bricks were shipped out of the small Vancouver Island community Zeballos?

12:40, 27 September 2006 (UTC)

... that the little-known fortieth signer of the United States Constitution was the Convention's secretary, William Jackson (pictured)?
...that the first Wearmouth Bridge in Sunderland was the longest single span cast iron bridge in the world when it opened in 1796?
...that Hamdard (Wakf) Laboratories, the world's largest manufacturer of Unani medicines, reinvests all its profits into charitable activities?
...that the “Deluxe” version of Outrage! is the most expensive board game in the world?
...that a series of scandals in the 1970s involving the Royal Canadian Mounted Police resulted in the permanent loss of their right to oversee Canadian intelligence operations?
...that Dream Theater held a song contest to see who could write a song as similar as possible to "Stream of Consciousness", based solely on its arrangement charts posted from the studio prior to its release?

26 September 2006

22:53, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Mancs the Hungarian rescue dog is commemorated by a statue (pictured) in his hometown Miskolc?
...that the Periyar National Park, Thekkady is located around the Periyar reservoir formed by the backwaters of the Mullaperiyar dam?
... that the Chinese of Calcutta have established the only Chinatown in India?
...that Charles Dadant emigrated from France to Hamilton, Illinois, where he became a founding father of modern beekeeping?
...that Justice G.T. Nanavati headed a one-man commission to investigate the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots?
...that the Swedish schlager singer Towa Carson competed in Melodifestivalen 2004 at the age of 68?
...that William Makepeace Thackeray may have based the novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon on exploits of the notorious soldier and duelist Tiger Roche?

10:59, 26 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Western Australian whaling industry (whalers pictured) operated for more than 140 years, until the last whaling station closed in 1978?
...that the Bruce Tunnel is the only tunnel on the Kennet and Avon Canal and the second longest navigable tunnel on Britain's canals?
...that the Tree of Hippocrates is a plane tree in Kos under which, according to legend, Hippocrates taught his pupils medicine?
...that the comic series Bahadur focused on rehabilitation of dacoits at a time when dacoity was prevalent in many parts of rural India?
...that excavations of the Roman castrum at Charax, Crimea revealed drains made of clay pipes and a reservoir with a mosaic portrayal of an octopus?
...that "Giovanni Henrico Albicastro", the Baroque composer of music in a Corellian manner, was actually Johann Heinrich von Weissenburg, a cavalry officer born in Bavaria?
...that Difficult Run is a tributary of the Potomac River in the United States?

25 September 2006

22:51, 25 September 2006 (UTC)

...that after three weeks of siege Kaunas Castle (pictured) was taken by the Teutonic Order in 1362?
...that the Athenian coup of 411 BC temporarily replaced the democratic government of Athens with a narrow oligarchy?
...that New York, Texas is near Athens while Texas, New York is near Rome?
...that at various times and in various cultures the first dance was the minuet, quadrille, waltz, or polonaise?
...that Florence Mary Taylor was the first female architect in Australia?
...that although the Pandora's Box album Original Sin was a commercial failure, some of the tracks have gone platinum with other artists?
... that Kashmiriyat defines the way of life and identity of the Kashmiri people since medieval times, helping them preserve harmony amidst invasions of Kashmir?

24 September 2006

23:14, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Catherine the Great (pictured) and other leaders of the Russian Enlightenment promoted further Europeanization of all aspects of Russian life?
...that jewellery in the Pacific changed drastically when missionaries began converting many Pacific nations to Christianity?
...that St. Nilus reportedly foretold to princess Aloara of Capua, for her part in the murder of her husband's nephew, that none of her offspring should reign in Capua—a prophecy that came true in 999?
...that between 1955 and 1998, under Article 19 of the Greek Citizenship Code which entitled the Greek government to strip non-ethnic Greeks who left the country of their citizenship, 46,638 members of the officially recognized Muslim minority of Greece lost their citizenship?
... that George J. Adler, one of the greatest linguists of the 19th century, went insane from the effort of publishing his Dictionary of German and English Languages?
...that the Queen Elizabeth Walk in Singapore was built on reclaimed land in 1922 and that it was renamed in 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom?

02:23, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

...that NASA engineer Harvey Allen's "Blunt Body Theory" made possible the design of heat shields that protected the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts?
...that young celebrity chef Sam Stern joined fellow chefs including Jamie Oliver and Anthony Worrall Thompson at the "BBC Good Food Show" in London when he was just 15?
...that Louis Kaufman, an accomplished American classical violinist, played more than 400 solo performances in movie soundtracks, making him one of the world's most frequently heard violinists?
...that on 2 January 1990, 26-year old Nivedita Bhasin of Indian Airlines became the youngest woman pilot in world civil aviation history to command a jet aircraft?
...that even though Michigan State football coach Muddy Waters got fired for his losing 10-23 record, his fans still carried him off the field after his final 24-18 loss to Iowa?
...that prominent Soviet Armenian finswimmer Shavarsh Karapetyan saved 20 people from a trolleybus that had fallen from a dam into the Erevan reservoir?

23 September 2006

17:25, 23 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Jeûne genevois, a public holiday in Geneva, Switzerland, has its origins in the persecution of Protestants that took place in Lyon, France, over 400 years ago?
...that the Konevsky Monastery at Lake Ladoga takes its name from a huge boulder which was revered by pagan Finns?
...that the Maya archaeological site of La Corona is the enigmatic and long-sought "Site Q"?
... that the Portuguese film Ala-Arriba! features real-life fishermen from Póvoa de Varzim in starring roles?
...that an attack on the USS Firebolt (PC-10) killed the first member of the United States Coast Guard to die in action since the Vietnam War?
...that Interstate 10 in Texas is the longest continuous untolled freeway under a single authority in North America?

22 September 2006

18:21, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

...that in the medieval Greek monastery of Hosios Loukas (pictured) infirm pilgrims were encouraged to sleep by the side of the local saint's tomb in order to be healed by incubation?
...that Giles Pellerin, known as the Super Fan, attended 797 consecutive USC football games over a period of 73 years?
...that the first album of Taiwanese band 2moro includes a song which consists of excerpts from 23 songs by other singers?
...that Henry Shelton Sanford, the founder of Sanford, Florida, was hired as an envoy to the United States by King Leopold II of Belgium?
...that the Battle of Kelbajar was the first time Armenian military forces crossed and captured a region of Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh War?
...that the Boston Transportation Planning Review was declared by the U.S. Department of Transportation as the prototype urban transportation evaluation?

00:03, 22 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Caspian Gull (pictured) is regarded by some authorities as a subspecies of the Herring Gull or Yellow-legged Gull, and by others as a separate species?
...that the Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act 1919 made broad and sweeping changes to women's rights in the United Kingdom, allowing women to enter the professions or serve on juries?
...that stereotypes of animals are common in television and film and usually emphasise particular traits of the species?
...that Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, had a peerage conferred upon him at the 3rd World Scout Jamboree?
...that Scottish National Party politician Douglas Henderson was instrumental in passing the censure motion that led to the downfall of James Callaghan's Labour government in 1979, but narrowly lost his own seat in the ensuing general election?
...that as a consequence of poverty in Pakistan 51% of tenants are bonded to their landlords in a feudal fashion?

21 September 2006

01:53, 21 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Great Cockup (pictured) is a fell in the English Lake District that has a stout named after it?
...that over 58,000 Paleo-Indian artifacts were unearthed at Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota when lake waters were lowered on the lake in 1989 to reconstruct a dam?
...that Máel Sechnaill mac Maíl Ruanaid, a 9th-century "king of all Ireland", came to power after killing his brother?
...that Justice Rana Bhagwandas was the first Hindu to serve as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan?
...that Tom Campbell was a popular radio personality on KYA San Francisco who used to loan his personal phonograph, record collection and even his personal automobile to his listeners?
... that cricket was introduced to Slovenia in 1974 by a 13-year-old boy who had visited his pen pal in England and brought back a single bat and a copy of the Laws?

20 September 2006

18:15, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Elizabeth Gould (pictured) completed much of the preliminary illustration of her husband's seminal work The Birds of Australia, but died during its production and was not credited for most of her contributions?
...that racehorse Lil E. Tee, who was deemed so worthless that even an auction company rejected him as unsaleable, won the 1992 Kentucky Derby?
...that Eketorp is an Iron Age ringfort on the island of Öland, Sweden that was mysteriously abandoned for three centuries and rebuilt as a Medieval castle?
...that the Koichi Nakamura-designed computer puzzle game Door Door was the first game to be published by Enix?
...that the Haryana Tourism Corporation names its tourist complexes after local birds in the Indian state of Haryana?
...that the development of the Chrysler Sunbeam was funded by a British government grant?
...that NicVax causes an immune response that prevents nicotine from reaching the brain?

08:45, 20 September 2006 (UTC)

... that the French Military Mission to Japan (members pictured) of 1867 was the first Western military mission to that country, and that members of the mission participated on the rebel side to the ensuing conflict against the Meiji Restoration?
...that in their 1956 book Union Democracy, social scientist Seymour Martin Lipset and his colleagues describe how the International Typographical Union once defied Michels' iron law of oligarchy?
...that the cast for the Academy Award-nominated movie Little Terrorist had never acted in a movie before and that the crew worked for the movie free of charge, and even travelled to India at their own expense?
...that Garston Lock is the last remaining turf sided lock on the Kennet and Avon Canal and one of only two remaining in Britain?
...that Russian painter Nikolay Karazin produced many works inspired by the Moscow Metro project that was rejected by the government in 1902?

19 September 2006

22:47, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the most common food in Medieval cuisine for all social classes was bread and that almond milk and verjuice were among the most common ingredients?
...that every proposal made by the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 was defeated when placed before the voters?
...that Narayan Debnath made the comic-strip character Batul The Great a superhero when the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 flared up?
...that Sir Douglas Dodds-Parker, a junior Foreign Office minister during the Suez Crisis in 1956, was sacked by new Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in 1957 for his private opposition to the invasion of Egypt?
...that Italy's 1957 Eurovision entry, "Corde Della Mia Chitarra", was so long that it resulted in the introduction of length restrictions for competing songs?

18 September 2006

23:14, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Swallow's Nest (pictured), constructed in 1911-1912 and located on top of a 40 meter cliff in Crimea, Ukraine, is a medieval-type castle which has survived an earthquake measuring 6-7 on the Richter scale?
...that a Phase I Environmental Site Assessment is a tool largely developed in the USA for analysis of real estate toxic liability, but its use has spread to much of the developed world?
...that Wavefront Technologies developed some of the very first off-the-shelf computer animation software, for which it received Academy Awards?
...that hemosuccus pancreaticus, a rare cause of bleeding in the gastrointestinal tract, can cause silver-coloured stools if the bleeding source obstructs the common bile duct?
...that the Russian émigré writer Gaito Gazdanov earned a living by working as a tax collector and hosting a show at the Radio Liberty?

12:09, 18 September 2006 (UTC)

...that, before his departure from Saint Petersburg, Giacomo Casanova gave a party for thirty guests at the imperial estate Catherinehof (pictured)?
...that Ansett Airlines Flight 232 from Adelaide to Alice Springs in 1972 was the first aircraft hijacking to take place in Australia?
...that Dutch polymath Theodoor Jansson compiled a list of authors who plagiarized expressions from other writers?
...that Nathaniel Currier, of Currier and Ives, first achieved prominence creating newspaper illustrations of current events and political cartoons?
...that Joseph Maca played on the United States men's national soccer team in the 1950 FIFA World Cup even though he wasn't a U.S. citizen?
...that Mehrauli, a neighbourhood of Delhi housing the famous Qutb complex, was the capital of the Slave dynasty from 1206 to 1290?

17 September 2006

23:19, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

...that halomon (chemical structure pictured), a natural halogenated organic compound isolated from red algae, shows early preclinical promise as a potential antitumor agent?
...that Matir Moina, a Bangladeshi film by Tareque Masud, was temporarily banned by censors in Bangladesh before becoming the country's first film to compete for the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category?
...that Peter and Jane are the main characters in a series of 36 children's early readers for the English language published by Ladybird Books that have been in print for over 40 years, and have sold over 80 million copies?
...that Portugal's leading satirical poet of the 18th century, Nicolau Tolentino de Almeida, made the first literary reference to the "Brazilian modinha"?
...that the Sidrapong Hydel Power Station is the oldest hydroelectric power station in India?
...that roll call is the only legal means to establish a quorum in the United States Senate and until the next roll call the quorum is assumed to be present, so that less important business may be performed even without physical presence of the whole quorum of 51 Senators?

18:46, 17 September 2006 (UTC)
...that "Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo" is a grammatically valid sentence?

01:16, 17 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Vasyl Karazin (pictured), the founder of Kharkiv University, was not allowed to attend the opening ceremony?
...that the first two books by Argentine author Ricardo Güiraldes were such a commercial and critical failure that he gathered up the unsold copies and threw them in a well?
...that Lieutenant-Colonel Sir John Johnston, Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's Office from 1981 to 1987, co-ordinated the wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales and Lady Diana Spencer and of Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson, and the funeral of the Duchess of Windsor?
...that the Wild Ass Wildlife Sanctuary in Gujarat, home to the endangered Asian Wild Ass, is the largest wildlife sanctuary of India?
...that during the Gallic War Julius Caesar built the first bridge over the Rhine river in only 10 days and cut it down 18 days later?
...that the nearly completed Sivand Dam project in Fars Province, Iran will flood 130 archaeological sites and hasten the destruction of the ancient Persian city of Pasargadae?

16 September 2006

11:34, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

...that an explosion in 1854 sparked off a great fire (pictured) killing 53 and levelling significant parts of Gateshead and Newcastle?
...that Mordvin sculptor Stepan Erzya developed a project of transforming entire mountains in the Andes into monuments to the heroes of the war for independence?
...that Proverb, a piece by Steve Reich, was influenced both by minimalist techniques and medieval polyphony?
...that Joint Forest Management between villagers and the government of India was started to prevent theft of forest resources at Arabari, but now accounts for the management of at least 14 million hectares in 27 states?
...that Walerian Łukasiński, a 19th century Polish Army officer, was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment by the Russian Empire, and died in prison after 44 years, becoming one of the martyrs of the Polish struggle for independence under the partitions?
...that in 1961, retired bus driver Kempton Bunton stole Francisco Goya's painting Portrait of the Duke of Wellington as a protest, and demanded £140,000 to be donated to charity to allow the poor to pay for television licenses?

00:24, 16 September 2006 (UTC)

... that chef Austin Leslie (pictured), known as the Godfather of Fried Chicken, died in Atlanta after being evacuated from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?
...that the Islamic Emirate of Waziristan is a rebel organization that gained de facto recognition from the Government of Pakistan on September 5, 2006 as a result of negotiations between Islamabad and local tribesmen to end the Waziristan War?
...that in addition to 8,000 Scouts, the 1st World Scout Jamboree of 1920 also hosted, amongst other animals, an alligator, a crocodile, an elephant, and a lioness cub?
...that the Blood In The Water match was one of the most famous matches in water polo history, and was won by Hungary after the match was stopped in the final minutes following crowd trouble?
...that Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov referred to his opera Kashchey the Immortal as a "short autumnal fairy tale", as opposed to Snegurochka, a "spring fairy tale"?
... that the Explorer 32 satellite was able to determine the density of the upper atmosphere through ground-based observations of the effect of drag on the satellite?

15 September 2006

16:38, 15 September 2006 (UTC)

...that only two months after abolitionist William W. Patton wrote new lyrics to the battle song "John Brown's Body" to glorify the attack by the "nineteen men so few", Julia Ward Howe wrote another set of lyrics—the iconic "Battle Hymn of the Republic"?
...that the Battle of Shusha in May 1992 was the first significant Armenian military victory during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, and marked a turning point during the conflict?
...that many plants avoid seed predation through a process called mass seeding, whereby so many seeds are produced at once that it is impossible for predators to eat all of them?
...that in 1935, David Townsend was the last England Test cricketer not to have played for one of the English first-class cricket counties?
...that the Venus de' Medici's elegant arms are by Ercole Ferrata?
...that due to the rarity of the recently-discovered Old World babbler Bugun Liocichla, no type specimen was collected; instead, feathers from the mist net and notes were used as the holotype?

14 September 2006

22:37, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Ivan the Terrible commemorated his conquest of Kazan with the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral (pictured) on Red Square?
... that the Bara Katra palace in Dhaka, now dilapidated and half-destroyed, was built originally to be the residence of Mughal prince Shah Shuja?
...that Coop NKL opened Norway's first self serve food store on October 1 1947?
...that according to legend, any immigrant to the city of Agroha, established by Emperor Agrasen in ancient India, would receive a hundred thousand bricks to build a home, and a hundred thousand rupees to start a business of his own?
...that although the name of Pennsylvania's western Conewago Creek means at the rapids in the Lenape language, there are no rapids in the creek itself?
...that the popular Lithuanian fairy tale hero Eglė the Queen of Serpents transformed herself and her children into trees as a punishment?

07:53, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

...that archeological excavations proved that the Visoko valley (pictured) was the center of the medieval Bosnian state and later kingdom?
...that while The Goons may have joked about exploding trousers, farmers in New Zealand in the 1930s actually experienced the phenomenon when herbicide that they were using caught fire?
...that the Obscure Berrypecker of New Guinea is a small forest bird known from two specimens and a handful of sightings?
...that nutcracker esophagus, a cause of difficult swallowing, takes its name from high amplitude contractions of the esophagus being likened to a mechanical nutcracker?
...that Charlie Williams, one of the first black football players in Britain after the Second World War and later Britain's first well-known black comedian, responded to heckling by saying: "If you don't shut up, I'll come and move in next door to you"?
...that Royal Castle in Poznań was once the largest castle in the Polish Kingdom?

00:04, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Cabinet des Médailles is the oldest museum of Paris, and houses the largest gold coin of Antiquity, a 20-stater of Eucratides I (pictured)?
...that the 2003 aggressive skating video game Rolling featured a roster of professional skaters including Fabiola da Silva and Brian Shima?
...that the USS Robert H. McCard, a United States Navy destroyer, was named after U.S. Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant Robert H. McCard, a recipient of the Medal of Honor?
...that fried spiders are a popular food in the Cambodian village of Skuon?
...that Anne Gregg, best known as former presenter of the BBC's travel programme Holiday through the 1980s, was one of the first people from Northern Ireland to become a national British television personality?
...that in order to get him to agree to write and perform the "Theme from Shaft", Isaac Hayes was promised an audition for the film's title role?
...that the Saqqara Bird, an Egyptian artifact dating to at least 200 B.C.E., has led some scholars to speculate whether the Ptolemaic Egyptians possessed rudimentary airplane technology?

13 September 2006

12:06, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Dundas Aqueduct (pictured) was named after the British politician Charles Dundas, 1st Baron Amesbury?
...that at 7'3" (2.21 m), Swede Halbrook became the tallest person to ever play college basketball when he joined the Oregon State Beavers in 1954?
...that the fort at Arki, India was captured by Gurkhas in 1806 and used as their stronghold till 1815, when they ceded it during the Gurkha War?
...that French Communist Party politician Jeannette Vermeersch was elected to to every sitting of the National Assembly from 1946 to 1958?
...that "Stormtrooper in Drag", the debut single by Paul Gardiner, was co-composed by friend and former Tubeway Army bandmate Gary Numan, and marked the first time in four years of working together that they had collaborated on the writing of a published song?
...that Karan Bilimoria invented Cobra Beer and was the first Parsi in the House of Lords?
...that in 1967 Mohawk Airlines Flight 40 crashed after a fire was sparked by a non-return valve being installed backwards?

04:14, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the original stained glass windows of the Saint George's Church (pictured) in Singapore were packed away for safekeeping before the Japanese Occupation of Singapore but have never been found since?
...that the Blood Parrot, a cross-bred fish, has neither a binomial nomenclature nor a distinctly known parentage?
...that Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation can be used instead of chlorine in wastewater treatment, eliminating toxic by-products of chlorine?
...that three years after being arrested for dealing in cocaine, former quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners Charles Thompson managed to win a national championship with Central State University?
...that Major-General F.F. Worthington, father of the Royal Canadian Armoured Corps, was buried with his wife in his own memorial park at Canadian Forces Base Borden, which also serves as home to the tank collection of the Base Borden Military Museum?

12 September 2006

11:22, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

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

02:14, 12 September 2006 (UTC)

...that hundreds of love padlocks (pictured) have been attached to a fence in Pécs, Hungary by couples professing their commitment to one another?
...that the librettoes for Tchaikovsky's operas Vakula the Smith and Cherevichki were adapted from Gogol's stories by the poet Yakov Polonsky?
...that the Castilian Civil War resulted in the removal of many Jewish people from high offices of state?
...that Indian entrepreneur Jamsetji Tata conceptualized Tata Steel, Tata Power and the Indian Institute of Science, but that they were only established after his death in 1904?
...that twirling is a key component of many artforms, hobbies, and sports where an object, such as a pen, baton or stick is spun or rotated to achieve the desired effect?
...that since the genome sequence of Saccharomyces cerevisiae was published in 1996, the complete genome sequences of over 50 other eukaryotes have been completed?

11 September 2006

17:47, 11 September 2006 (UTC)

...that casually shaking either one of the minarets at the Sidi Bashir mosque (pictured) in Ahmedabad causes the other minaret to vibrate a few seconds later?
...that the Civilian War Memorial in Singapore was built in 1967 in memory of the civilians massacred during the Japanese Occupation of Singapore from 1942 to 1945?
...that Dmitry Chernov's discovery of the polymorphous transformations in steel has been thought to mark the transition of metallurgy from an art to a science?
...that Chillingham Cattle have lived as an isolated herd for 700 years, and are believed to be closely related to the aurochs, an extinct species domesticated in the Stone Age?
...that the English explorer and geologist Sir Vivian Fuchs led the first successful overland expedition across Antarctica in 1958—a journey of 2,158 miles (3,453 km)?
...that the fictional goat Koziołek Matołek has been a popular Polish children's literature character since first appearing in 1933?

10 September 2006

20:21, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Northern Barred Frog of Australia (pictured) has a tadpole which reaches 12.5 centimetres (4.9 in) in length?
...that virtuoso double bassist and composer Frantisek Kotzwara asked a prostitute to cut off his testicles and died from erotic asphyxiation?
...that Rocco Petrone was the first non-German administrator of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center?
...that in addition to their use on early sailing ships, early trains had "crow's nests" as well?
...that Ichikawa Danjūrō V, one of the most famous and successful Kabuki actors, was briefly forced out of the theater after being accused of misappropriating funds?
... that Islam Khan was the founder of the modern city of Dhaka and the first Mughal general to subjugate Bengal?

01:42, 10 September 2006 (UTC)

...that scholars of Japanese theatre have been able to identify the subjects of many yakusha-e (ukiyo-e actor prints, pictured) down to not only the kabuki actors, roles, and the play depicted, but even the theater and month in which it was performed?
...that studies in phage ecology indicate that viruses may be the most abundant organisms on Earth?
...that the first British fighter pilot to die in World War II was killed in a friendly fire incident known as the Battle of Barking Creek?
...that American engineer Elmer William Engstrom was involved in the development of television by RCA in the 1930s?
...that line source is a mathematical construct used to analyze roadway air and noise pollution, but was not developed as a meaningful tool until 1970 when major U.S. laws spurred extensive environmental modelling?

9 September 2006

15:42, 9 September 2006 (UTC)

...that arson was suspected when the last original boô (pictured), a building where a farmer rested when grazing cattle far from a village, burned down in the Netherlands?
...that 6Q0B44E, a recently discovered satellite of Earth, is thought to be a large piece of space debris?
...that Iranshah Âtash Bahrâm in Udvada, a town in Gujarat, India, is the holiest fire temple for the Parsi community?
...that the stump speech of the blackface minstrel show was a precursor to modern stand-up comedy?
...that a feature story is an article in a newspaper, a magazine, or a news website that is not meant to report breaking news, but rather to take an in-depth look at the background events, persons or circumstances behind a news story?
...that the fictional Document 12-571-3570 was a hoax that purported to describe sex experiments done in space?

8 September 2006

18:12, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

...that several years prior to the downfall and execution of the Romanov dynasty, the image of God's Mother disappeared from their patron Fyodorovskaya icon (pictured)?
...that Vikram Seth's A Suitable Boy is the longest single-volume novel ever published in English?
...that, as a consequence of the Russo-Polish War from 1654 to 1667, the cities of Kiev, Chernigov, and Smolensk were ceded to Russia?
...that anti-gay protests following the selection of the song Samo Ljubezen by drag-group Sestre in the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest led to criticism of Slovenia in the European Parliament?
...that Merv Wood, a single sculls gold medallist and the only person to twice be Australian flagbearer at the Summer Olympics, later became the Police Commissioner of New South Wales?
...that the Svinsky Monastery later changed its name to Svensky, in order to avoid connotation to the word "swine"?

05:18, 8 September 2006 (UTC)

... that the ruins of the Carmo Convent (pictured) are some of the most impressive remains of the 1755 earthquake in Lisbon?
... that the Israeli band Ping pong were disendorsed by the Israeli Broadcasting Authority as the representative in the 2000 Eurovision after waving the Flag of Syria in their song "Sameyakh"?
... that Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor will become the first Malaysian in space when he launches on board Soyuz TMA-11 towards the International Space Station in September 2007?
...that Chiques Creek in Pennsylvania, named for the Lenape word Chiquesalunga (meaning place of crayfish), has 13 variant names according to the USGS?
...that the 1672 treatise Loimologia is a rare first-hand account of the Great Plague of London, written by one of the few physicians to remain in the city during the plague?
...that Willi Ninja's distinctive dance style was an inspiration for Madonna's 1990 song "Vogue"?

7 September 2006

18:39, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

...that a table bridge is a moveable bridge (pictured) that looks like an ordinary road when closed but appears monstrous when open, while a similarly appearing submersible bridge vanishes when open?
...that aluminium alloys developed by Russian metallurgist Igor Gorynin are claimed to have the highest specific strength of all known weldable metallic materials?
...that Mauryan Emperor Ashoka had to stop the execution of his future spiritual adviser Moggaliputta-Tissa for touching his right hand?
...that Virginia Congressman, John Floyd argued for settlement of the Oregon Territory twenty-eight years before it became an official United States territory?
...that Estonian Margus Hunt won two gold medals at the 2006 World Junior Championships in Athletics, setting a world junior record in discus throw and a national junior record in shot put?
... that Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh was also known as Jahangir Nagar?

09:19, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Sanborn Park (pictured) provided one of the first segments of the San Francisco Bay Area Ridge Trail, which is planned to encircle the Bay Area with a 500 mile long hiking trail?
...that the Allied Bombing of Bucharest in World War II damaged the University of Bucharest and uprooted trees at the Botanical Garden of Bucharest?
...that nearly 20,000 people visited a shrine in Bangalore in 2002 to see the Miracle Chapati, a flat unleaved piece of bread with the likeness of Jesus on it?
...that Bobby Pearce won the single sculls at the 1928 Summer Olympics despite stopping mid-race for a passing flock of ducks?
...that the Peace of Rueil, signed 11 March 1649 between the court party and the party of the Parlement of Paris, brought to an end the first phase of France's first revolution, the Fronde?
...that Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was riding in a Gräf & Stift automobile at the time of his assasination?

02:33, 7 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Old Ministry of Labour Building (pictured) in Singapore housed the Chinese Protectorate before World War II, and has since been gazetted as a national monument?
...that when the Menier company built the first mass production plant for chocolate in 1830, it was the largest chocolate manufacturing company in the world?
...that Semaphore, South Australia, the home of Australia's largest carousel, is also the birthplace of renowned aviator Sir Ross Smith?
...that, when translating Shakespeare into Russian, Mikhail Lozinsky attempted to convey the antiquated English language used by Shakespeare?
...that "A-Ba-Ni-Bi", Israel's entry in the Eurovision Song Contest 1978, was performed partly in the Hebrew equivalent of Pig Latin?
...that the De La Salle University-Manila College of Engineering was established in 1947 with the aim of providing young men with knowledge of science and technology to help rehabilitate the Philippines, which had been devastated during World War II?

6 September 2006

14:00, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

...that inventor Thomas Highs was never credited for his invention of both the spinning jenny (pictured) and the water frame, mostly due to his lack of funding to patent the devices?
...that Easter Posey was the first American woman to be killed in the line of duty in World War II?
...that the small bowel bacterial overgrowth syndrome is a rare complication of bariatric surgery for obesity?
...that the Northeast Flag Replacement in 1928 ended the Chinese Warlord Era, in which Zhang Xueliang announced the replacement of all flags in Manchuria with the Nationalist Government's flag, thus nominally reuniting China?
...that Brian Boitano narrowly won the Battle of the Brians, a 1988 Winter Olympics figure skating rivalry between two elite skaters named Brian?
...that former Queensland House of Assembly member Tom Veivers was an Australian test cricketer?

01:51, 6 September 2006 (UTC)

...that a protagonist of Albert Camus's play The Just Assassins was named after the Russian terrorist Ivan Kalyayev (pictured)?
...that Pope Pius XII's cousin, Ernesto Pacelli, was a financial adviser to Pope Leo XIII, Pope Pius X, and Pope Benedict XV?
...that the world's record auction price for a single piece of silver was achieved by a silver tureen made by the Parisian silversmith Thomas Germain in 1733, sold in November 1996 for US$ 10,287,500, triple the former record?
...that the MacRobertson International Croquet Shield is the premier croquet teams event in the world and the 2006 series will be held in Australia in November?
...that Sir Macpherson Robertson was an Australian philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of confectionery company MacRobertson's which invented the Freddo Frog chocolate bar?
...that developmental biologist PZ Myers, who writes about evolution, cephalopods, politics, and atheism, is the top-ranked science blogger according to the journal Nature?

5 September 2006

08:14, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Corporal Ernest Albert Corey (pictured) is only soldier to have been awarded the Military Medal on four occasions?
...that the Council of Lithuania declared the independence of Lithuania by signing an Act of Independence on February 16, 1918?
...that cyclist Gerald Ciolek became the youngest ever German National Cycling Champion, aged just 18 in 2005?
...that in 1996 Andy Campbell, a ranger serving as Tunnel Mill Scout Reservation's caretaker, was shot to death by a wandering drunk who trespassed onto the property, the first such incident in the history of Scouting?
...that the first television set made entirely in Poland, the Belweder, cost 7000 złoty at the time when the average monthly salary ranged from 1 to 2 thousand?
...that Ey Sham was the first entry in the Eurovision Song Contest from a country outside of geographical Europe?

01:14, 5 September 2006 (UTC)

...that French neoclassical architect Jean Chalgrin died before the completion of his most recognizable work, the Arc de Triomphe (pictured)?
...that Muhammad had engaged as a diplomat for a time during his call to Islam?
...that the town of Rawalsar in Himachal Pradesh, India is sacred to three major religions -- Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism?
...that the Old Fashioned, possibly the first drink to be called a cocktail, was invented at the Pendennis Club in Louisville, Kentucky in the 1880s?
...that Barbadian cricketer Sir Clyde Walcott became the first non-English and non-white chairman of the International Cricket Council in 1993?
...that the history of communication was dependent on the acquisition of the FOXP2 gene in humans, which facilitated the development of speech 200,000 years ago?

4 September 2006

18:11, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Rembrandt's portrait of Jacob de Gheyn III (pictured) has been stolen four times to date, the most recorded for any painting in the world?
...that on Mother's Day, May 14, 2006, the Louisville Slugger Company produced more than 400 pink baseball bats for game use by more than 50 professional baseball players?
...that Hector Monro, Conservative and Unionist Party Member of Parliament for Dumfries for 33 years, was described by a Labour Party opponent as "the last of the decent Tories"?
...that the Stoneman serial murders of thirteen homeless people in the summer of 1989 in Kolkata remain unsolved?
...that the 2006 Zakouma elephant slaughter is the latest of a four decade long series of massacres that has eliminated 97 percent of the Chadian elephant population of 300,000?
...that many people enjoy singing in the shower because the bathroom acts as an echo chamber to enrich the sound of the singer's voice?

11:00, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

TP S.A. Tower in Warsaw

...that the TP S.A. Tower (pictured) in Warsaw features an external elevator shaft that is sloped 14° from the vertical?
...that public displeasure with "The Voice", Ireland's fourth Eurovision victory in five years, led to the introduction of televoting?
...that the 13th century romance Perlesvaus features a strikingly different portrayal of the Arthurian legend than most texts, including a scene in which Sir Kay murders King Arthur and Guinevere's son?
...that the father and two brothers of Pakistani cricketer Wasim Raja also played first-class cricket?
...that five months before his death, William Edington was offered the post of Archbishop of Canterbury, but turned it down?
...that Mahinda, a 3rd century monk who brought Buddhism to Sri Lanka, was the son of the Mauryan Emperor Asoka?
...that bin bugs are being attached to wheelie bins in England to monitor the amount of domestic waste produced by each household?

04:15, 4 September 2006 (UTC)

A DELAG zeppelin

...that the world's first airline was DELAG, which operated with zeppelin airships?
...that the Planetary Fourier Spectrometer is used by the European Space Agency to determine the chemical composition of a planet's atmosphere?
...that the building housing the Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla, Himachal Pradesh was originally built as a home for Lord Dufferin, Viceroy of India?
...that former major league baseball pitcher Terry Forster recorded a novelty song called "Fat Is In" after he was referred to as a "fat tub of goo" on Late Night With David Letterman?
... that the largest Lithuanian encyclopedia was published in the United States by the immigrant community when Lithuania was part of the Soviet Union?

3 September 2006

20:11, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the Lone Pine that marked the battlefield for which the Battle of Lone Pine is named, and whose pine cones have been planted at memorials for ANZAC soldiers killed during the whole of the Gallipoli Campaign, did not itself survive the battle?
...that Homer Mensch, the double bassist who played the theme for Jaws, originally wanted to be a tennis player?
...that the Arch of the Centuries of the University of Santo Tomas at Manila was disassembled from the University's original campus at Intramuros, carried piece-by-piece, and was re-erected at the current campus at Sampaloc?
...that the Cellular Jail in the Andaman Islands in India had a forked structure and derived its name from the fact that it comprised only of isolated cells?

10:32, 3 September 2006 (UTC)
...that "Ricky's Hand", the second single by British New Wave musician Fad Gadget, featured a Black & Decker electric drill as one of its 'instruments'?

2 September 2006

21:09, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

...that Banksia epica is named after two epic journeys the first by Edward John Eyre in 1841 to cross the Nullarbor and the second by John Falconer in 1986 to collect specimens from the same area?
...that the little-known Dominickers of Holmes County, Florida, were said to be descendants of a pre-Civil War plantation owner's widow and one of her black slaves?
...that the National Protection War led to the death of Yuan Shikai, which led to the beginning of the Warlord Era in China?
...that Punjabi film-star Yograj Singh was a former Test cricketer and father of current Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh?
...that biological therapy for inflammatory bowel disease has changed the manner in which doctors treat Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis?
...that the P'urhépecha language isolate of Mexico is one of only two Mesoamerican languages not to have a phonemic glottal stop and that it has more than 160 affixes, 13 tenses and 6 modes?

1 September 2006

18:10, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the non-profit Ahmedabad Textile Industry's Research Association is the largest association for textile research and allied industries in India?
...that the 2000 Black Coaches Association Classic was postponed by an electrical storm during which lightning struck ESPN broadcaster Lee Corso's rental car?
...that during Operation Cedar Falls in the Vietnam War, American and South Vietnamese troops captured 3,700 tons of rice, enough to feed 13,000 troops for a full year?
...that Indian-American teenager Gaurav Raja memorized 10,980 digits of pi in 2006 to break the North American pi memorization record?
...that the Australian Federal Division of Macarthur is considered to be a bellwether as it has been held by the ruling political party in every election since 1949?
...that at the time of the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the Tarascan state was the second only to the Aztec empire in size and population?

07:57, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

Computer rendition of the BepiColombo orbiters

...that the European and Japanese collaborative BepiColombo mission (pictured) is planned to be the first extensive mission to Mercury since Mariner 10?
...that Polish politician and Sejm member, Joanna Senyszyn, gained media attention due to her distinctive, high-pitched voice?
...that Ian Craig, the youngest ever Australian test cricketer and captain, later became the managing director of Boots pharmaceutical company?
...that the original tunnel built to connect the Kalka-Shimla Railway at Barog, Himachal Pradesh was abandoned as the two constructed ends did not meet?
...that in 1995, André Dallaire attempted to assassinate the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien after breaking into his residence at 24 Sussex Drive?
...that at the height of the Cold War, U.S. President Ronald Reagan committed a microphone gaffe when he joked that he had signed legislation to bomb Russia?

00:45, 1 September 2006 (UTC)

...that the building that became Presidential Palace in Vilnius served as residence for the French Emperor Napoleon and Tsar Alexander I of Russia?
...that despite not being backed by the FDA, full-body scans are performed in the United States to screen for disease in healthy people?
...that the manufacturer of the Trojan car claimed that driving it was cheaper than walking?
...that Australian cricket captain Brian Booth also represented Australia at the 1956 Summer Olympics in hockey?
...that the Dhammapada describes an ascetic named Jambuka who had the practice of standing on one leg and eating his own excrement?
...that portions of Chicago's Devon Avenue have been renamed in honor of Golda Meir, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and Sheik Mujib?