During hid younger days as an officer who just so happened to be cousins with the queen, the future king Karl X of Sweden lost one of his horses when Austrian artillery fired two cannonballs connected by a chain at the Swedish forces, cutting the horse in two with Karl sitting on it.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
On this date in 1983, compact discs and players are released for the first time in the United States and other markets. They had previously been available only in Japan.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
People used crepuscular: they is they'd go to bed a bit after sun down, wake up in the middle of the night, and then go back to sleep.
Zeplins and derigibles used to be THE huge thing. The spire on the empire state building was a hook for derigibles.
:D
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Continuing with near-death scrapes of Swedish kings: After the Battle of Narva, when king Karl XII went to change into something presumably less blood and gunpowder smelling, it was discovered that a bullet had hit him during the battle, but had been stopped by his cravatte.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Continuing with near-death scrapes of Swedish kings: After the Battle of Narva, when king Karl XII went to change into something presumably less blood and gunpowder smelling, it was discovered that a bullet had hit him during the battle, but had been stopped by his cravatte.
So that's why Fred from the Scooby Doo cartoons wears one...
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Continuing with near-death scrapes of Swedish kings: After the Battle of Narva, when king Karl XII went to change into something presumably less blood and gunpowder smelling, it was discovered that a bullet had hit him during the battle, but had been stopped by his cravatte.
Why are there no stats for armoured cravats?!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
EDIT: Wrong link, sorry: here we go.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
On this date in 1915 – NACA (The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics), the predecessor of NASA, is founded. On October 1, 1958, the agency was dissolved, and its assets and personnel transferred to the newly created National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
James Doohan provided the voices of 53 different characters across the 22 episodes of Star Trek: The Animated Series.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
Peter Vaughan who plays Maester Aemon (Sam's mentor) in Game of Thrones was part of the invasion of Normandy during World War II.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Catherine O'Hara has a congenital condition called "Situs Inversus" in which the organs of the chest and abdomen are arranged in a perfect mirror image reversal of the normal positioning. Most people with situs inversus have no medical symptoms or complications resulting from the condition and it only occurs in less than 1 in 10,000.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
On the same day that ABBA became the first Swedish artists to win the Eurovision Song Contest with their song Waterloo, Björn Skifs and his backing group Blåblus (Blue Swde abroad) became the first Swedish artists to have a #1hit on the Billboard list with Hooked On A Feeling.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
Neil Gaiman describes Terry Pratchett asking him if he wanted to collaborate on the story that would become Good Omens "like Michelangelo asking if you'd like to do a ceiling with him."
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
In the immortal words of Bugs Bunny, "One man's meat is another man's poison." Opinions of this sort don't really matter much, to the extent that each person will have a different appreciation of an actor, movie, book, etc. The who/what is/was better arguments serve no useful purpose. In the end, you like what you like.
The Abbey Brewing Company, founded in 2005 in Abiquiu, New Mexico, is the first American monastic brewery founded since before Prohibition?
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Karl Guthe Jansky was an American physicist and radio engineer who in August 1931 first discovered radio waves emanating from the Milky Way while working at Bell Telephone Laboratories. He is considered one of the founding figures of radio astronomy.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ridiculous. He's adequate at best, lagging behind Connery, Brosnan and even Dalton, outpointing only Moore and Lazenby.nonsense. Craig is wonderful as bond, it's the storyline that needs help.Alexis Denisof was considered for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale.He'd have been a better choice than Danny Craig.
behind Connery I'll buy(although I maintain Connery was essentially playing himself), but Brosnan and Dalton? Thems fightin words. According to the original novels, bond was supposed to be scary, not suave - and Craig fits that bill perfectly.
behind Connery I'll buy(although I maintain Connery was essentially playing himself), but Brosnan and Dalton? Thems fightin words. According to the original novels, bond was supposed to be scary, not suave - and Craig fits that bill perfectly.Ridiculous. He's adequate at best, lagging behind Connery, Brosnan and even Dalton, outpointing only Moore and Lazenby.nonsense. Craig is wonderful as bond, it's the storyline that needs help.Alexis Denisof was considered for the role of James Bond in Casino Royale.He'd have been a better choice than Danny Craig.
Connery & Brosnan - the suave Bonds
Craig & Dalton - the scary BondsMoore & Lazenby - the campy Bonds
Nelson, Niven, & Sellers - the non-canon Bonds
Erno Goldfinger was a post-war British architect, more famous for having his name borrowed by Ian Fleming, who greatly disliked his buildings, for one of his villains. When Erno threatened to sue, Fleming said that if he did, he'd change the villian's name to 'Goldprick'. No legal action.
Also, the Mayor of the 'Jewel of Surrey' (GB) was recently forced to remove a sign he'd had erected in the town centre that read, 'You're In Staines'*
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
After ascending to the British throne, royals may pick their regnal name from any of their given or middle names. This means that if/when Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth, the name of the next British monarch might very well be King Arthur.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
If Henry VIII's older brother hadn't died before their father, Henry VII, England would have had a King Arthur once already (and he'd probably have considered himself Arthur II).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
After ascending to the British throne, royals may pick their regnal name from any of their given or middle names. This means that if/when Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth, the name of the next British monarch might very well be King Arthur.From what I understand, isn't Elizabeth at this point inclined to pass over Charles for William directly? The whole Camilla thing still peeves her, unless I'm mistaken.
According to royal.gov.uk, Charles is still first in line. William is second in line, while his son George is third in line.
| 3 people marked this as a favorite. |
According to royal.gov.uk, Charles is still first in line. William is second in line, while his son George is third in line.After ascending to the British throne, royals may pick their regnal name from any of their given or middle names. This means that if/when Charles Philip Arthur George, Prince of Wales, succeeds his mother, Queen Elizabeth, the name of the next British monarch might very well be King Arthur.From what I understand, isn't Elizabeth at this point inclined to pass over Charles for William directly? The whole Camilla thing still peeves her, unless I'm mistaken.
Does it mention whereabouts John Goodman is?
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Thedas, the name of the world in the Dragon Age series of games, comes from an acronym used on the official forums during development: Thedas = The D.A.S. = The Dragon Age Setting.
During the liberation of Paris from the German occupation, a group of German P.O.Ws were saved by none less than Édith Piaf who stopped a young resistance fighter from tossing a hand grenade into the lorry they sat in.
When asked about it after the war, she replied, "Non, je ne regrette rien."
Okay, the second paragraph isnt't true, as far as I know - but it should be!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Science has identified some 2 million species of plants, animals and microbes on Earth, but it is estimated that there are millions more left to discover, and new species are constantly discovered and described. The most commonly discovered new species are typically insects, a type of animal with a high degree of biodiversity. Newly discovered mammal species are rare, but they do occur, typically in remote places that haven't been well studied previously. Some animals are found to be new species only when scientists peer at their genetic code, because they look outwardly similar to another species. Some newfound species come from museum collections that haven't been previously combed through and from fossils.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
The eye takes approximately 20–30 minutes to fully adapt from bright sunlight to complete darkness and become ten thousand to one million times more sensitive than at full daylight. In this process, the eye's perception of color changes as well (this is called the Purkinje effect). However, it takes approximately five minutes for the eye to adapt to bright sunlight from darkness. This is due to cones obtaining more sensitivity when first entering the dark for the first five minutes but the rods take over after five or more minutes.
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Anton Yelchin's parents were both well-known figure skaters in the Soviet Union, considered national celebrities as stars of the Leningrad Ice Ballet for 15 years. The two qualified for the 1972 Winter Olympics, but because they were Jewish, were not permitted to attend by the Soviet authorities.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
In a live performance of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture, the logistics of safety and precision in placement of the cannon shots require either well-drilled military crews using modern cannon, or the use of sixteen pieces of muzzle-loading artillery, since any reloading schemes to attain the sixteen shots or even a semblance of them in the two-minute time span involved makes safety and precision impossible with 1800s artillery. Time lag alone precludes implementation of cues for the shots for fewer than sixteen 1812-era field pieces.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
The world's largest noise suppressor is currently the prototype built for the German army's M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzer. While it reduced the noise by approximately 30DBa, it never went into mass production; as the suppressor is physically larger than the entire M109G vehicle, it was physically too large to practically move.
| 4 people marked this as a favorite. |
To this day, it is said that if you go up to George Clooney and tell him you saw Batman and Robin in theatres, he will pull out his wallet and refund you your ticket price.
Until recently, one key for Nintendo's profitability has been being able to sell systems at profit. Even when lagging behind the other systems in sales, their skill in manufacturing consoles meant they always made a profit with every unit sold, while the other big names sold at loss (sometimes significant) and hoped to make money back with game sales. Nintendo's recent offerings of the Wii U and 3DS no longer follow this philosophy, being sold for less than they cost to manufacture.
Archeological evidence has revealed that there were women vikings as well as men.
50 Shades Of Gray began as a Twilight fanfic.
Romans used sponges to clean themselves after defecation.
You cannot see the Great Wall of China from space. You can see most major cities, though, especially when it's night on that side of the planet.
Grammar lesson: Sentience is the ability to react to your environment. Pretty much every animal is sentient. When referring to human capability for reasoning and reflection, you want Sapience.
Among mammals, humans are average dreamers. Dolphins and other cetaceans dream very rarely. Possums and armadillos dream the most of all known dreaming species.
Hitler modeled his Nazi marches and the music on American College cheer squads.
George W. Bush was a cheerleader in college.
George W. loved fart jokes. He often 'accidentally' passed gas when meeting new aides to reduce the stress of meeting the president.
Termite farts are the second largest producers of methane emissions in the world.
(Might notice my stream of consciousness facts near the end there.)
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Cystic fibrosis (CF), also known as mucoviscidosis, is a genetic disorder that affects mostly the lungs but also the pancreas, liver, kidneys and intestine.[1][2] Long-term issues include difficulty breathing and coughing up sputum as a result of frequent lung infections. Other symptoms include sinus infections, poor growth, fatty stool, clubbing of the finger and toes, and infertility in males among others. Different people may have different degrees of symptoms.[1]
CF is an autosomal recessive disorder. It is caused by the presence of mutations in both copies of the gene for the protein cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR).[1] Those with a single working copy are carriers and otherwise mostly normal.[3] CFTR is involved in production of sweat, digestive fluids, and mucus.[4] When not functional usually thin secretions become thick.[5] The condition is diagnosed by a sweat test and genetic testing.[1] Screening of infants at birth take place in some areas of the world.[1]
There is no cure for cystic fibrosis.[3] Lung infections are treated with antibiotics which may be given intravenously, inhaled, or by mouth. Sometimes the antibiotic azithromycin is used long term. Inhaled hypertonic saline and salbutamol may also be useful. Lung transplantation may be an option if lung function continues to worsen. Pancreatic enzyme replacement and fat soluble vitamin supplementation are important, especially in the young. While not well supported by evidence, many people use airway clearance techniques such as chest physiotherapy.[1] The average life expectancy is between 37 and 50 years in the developed world.[6] Lung problems are responsible for death in 80% of people.[1]
CF is most common among people of Northern European ancestry and affects about one out of every three thousand newborns.[1] About one in twenty five are carriers.[3] It is least common in Africans and Asians.[1] It was first recognized as a specific disease by Dorothy Andersen in 1938, with descriptions that fit the condition occurring at least as far back as 1595.[2] The name cystic fibrosis refers to the characteristic fibrosis and cysts that form within the pancreas.[7][2]
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Pine Creek Gorge, sometimes called The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, is a 47-mile (76 km) gorge carved by Pine Creek in Pennsylvania. It sits in about 160,000 acres of the Tioga State Forest. The canyon begins south of Ansonia, near Wellsboro, along U.S. Route 6 and continues south. Its deepest point is 1,450 feet (440 m) at Waterville, near the southern end. At Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks, it is more than 800 feet (240 m) deep and the distance rim-to-rim is about 4,000 feet.
...and its quite picturesque (my opinion, not necessarily a fact).
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Lois Lane's character was created from many influences. Her physical appearance was originally based on Joanne Carter, a model hired by Superman co-creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Joanne Carter would later marry Siegel). The character's personality was based on "Torchy Blane" (a gutsy, beautiful, headline-hunting reporter, portrayed by Glenda Farrell in a series of 1930s films). Jerry Siegel took the character's name from actress Lola Lane, who played "Torchy Blane" on one occasion.