Wikipedia:Recent additions.html

Main (T:DYK)
Rules (WP:DYK)
Suggestions (T:TDYK)
Next update (T:DYK/N)
Archive (WP:DYKA)
Discussion (WT:DYK)
List (WP:DYKLIST)
Stats (WP:DYKSTATS)

This is a selection of recently created new articles and greatly expanded former stub articles on Wikipedia that were featured on the Main Page as part of Did you know? You can submit new pages for consideration. (Archives are in sets of 50–100 items each.)

Tip: To find which archive contains the fact that appeared on Did You Know?, return to the article and click "What links here" to the left of the article. When you find "Wikipedia:Recent additions" and a number, click it and search for the article name.

Current archive | 240 | 239 | 238 | 237 | 236 | 235 | 234 | 233 | 232 | 231 | 230 | 229 | 228 | 227 | 226 | 225 | 224 | 223 | 222 | 221 | 220 | 219 | 218 | 217 | 216 | 215 | 214 | 213 | 212 | 211 | 210 | 209 | 208 | 207 | 206 | 205 | 204 | 203 | 202 | 201 | 200 | 199 | 198 | 197 | 196 | 195 | 194 | 193 | 192 | 191 | 190 | 189 | 188 | 187 | 186 | 185 | 184 | 183 | 182 | 181 | 180 | 179 | 178 | 177 | 176 | 175 | 174 | 173 | 172 | 171 | 170 | 169 | 168 | 167 | 166 | 165 | 164 | 163 | 162 | 161 | 160 | 159 | 158 | 157 | 156 | 155 | 154 | 153 | 152 | 151 | 150 | 149 | 148 | 147 | 146 | 145 | 144 | 143 | 142 | 141 | 140 | 139 | 138 | 137 | 136 | 135 | 134 | 133 | 132 | 131 | 130 | 129 | 128 | 127 | 126 | 125 | 124 | 123 | 122 | 121 | 120 | 119 | 118 | 117 | 116 | 115 | 114 | 113 | 112 | 111 | 110 | 109 | 108 | 107 | 106 | 105 | 104 | 103 | 102 | 101 | 100 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 | 90 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 | 80 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 71 | 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 | 60 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 52 | 51 | 50 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 41 | 40 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1

Edit the DYK archive navigation template

1 Did you know...

Did you know...

Please add the line ====='''{{subst:CURRENTMONTHNAME}} {{subst:CURRENTDAY}} {{subst:CURRENTYEAR}}'''===== and *'''''{{subst:CURRENTTIME}}''''' at the top for the newly posted set of archived hooks. This will ensure all times are based off of UTC time and accurate. This page should be archived once a week, anytime on a Friday. Leave any already archived Friday hooks here and archive from the final Thursday update. Thanks.

06:49, 9 January 2009 (UTC)

... that Pane ticinese (pictured), a white bread from the Swiss canton of Ticino, is made of small individual loaves intended to be broken off by hand?
... that after the murder of Robert Eric Wone, his widow was represented pro bono by prospective United States Attorney General Eric Holder?
... that the Jola, the majority ethnic group in Carabane, are distinct from other major ethnic groups in Senegal by their lack of social hierarchy and their languages?
... that the Sierra Highway was described in a promotional book to recruit teachers to California as "a highway with a hundred by-ways, each by-way with a hundred wonders"?
... that the popular Israeli singer Aya Korem works part-time as a bartender in Tel Aviv in between recording and performing?
... that Pocahontas Island, where evidence of prehistoric Native American artifacts were found, would later become the first free black settlement in the U.S. state of Virginia?
... that Roystonea regia, also known as the Cuban royal palm, was the first monocotyledon found to have root nodules capable of nitrogen fixation?
... that professional wrestler Stan Frazier was also known for selling fake Rolex watches?

22:42, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

... that Nubian queen Amanitore (relief pictured) ruled over so much building work that her reign is considered the most prosperous time in Meroitic history?
... that the MC-1 bomb was the first non-clustered U.S. chemical weapon?
... that first-class cricketer Bryan Lobb was such a poor judge of a run that he was once run out by a fielder who overtook him as he strolled down the wicket?
... that after the Mexican War of Independence, the influence of positivists led to a renaissance of scientific activity in Mexico?
... that Gillfield Baptist Church, Virginia, the second oldest black congregation in Petersburg, USA, resisted a consolidation with the white congregation at Market Street Church in 1829?
... that the Slavic Silesian Duke and monastic patron Bolko I encouraged German settlement in his region and patronised German poetry?
... that the 1916 Early Modern Dodge House in West Hollywood, California, called one of the fifteen most significant houses in the United States, was demolished in 1970 to make way for apartments?
... that Fritz Otto Bernert, World War I flying ace, scored five victories in a twenty-minute timespan, earning the one-armed pilot the Pour le Merite in 1917?

15:41, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

... that toxic gadolinium is often injected for contrast enhancement in MRI scans (scanner pictured), but is prevented from harming patients by being administered as a DTPA complex that has a high stability constant?
... that Darleen Ortega became the first Latina judge on the Oregon Court of Appeals in 2003?
... that the 1819 odes of English poet John Keats, including On Melancholy, To a Nightingale, To Psyche, and To Autumn, created "a new tone for the English lyric" according to critic W. Jackson Bate?
... that Petelo Vikena, one of the three reigning traditional monarchs within Wallis and Futuna, previously served in the French Army?
... that First Baptist Church in Petersburg, Virginia, the first African-American Baptist congregation in the United States, had only black pastors until 1832?
... that the Russian fishing industry operates on the fourth longest coastline in the world, which gives it access to twelve seas in three oceans?
... that Kelly Paris' three career home runs were all hit in 1988 in 44 at bats with the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball?
... that the Grade I listed Franks Hall, in Horton Kirby, Kent, England, was used as a barn in the 1850s?

08:34, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

... that the bottle label of California "cult wine" producer Harlan Estate (pictured) was ten years in the making?
... that theologian and preacher Carl Fredrik Wisløff's 1946 book I Know in Whom I Believe was recognized in 2008 as one of Norway's most influential books of prose?
... that after the American E86 cluster bomb was canceled, its E14 sub-munition was altered to deliver yellow fever mosquitoes and rat fleas?
... that Richard Martin, Lord Mayor of London in 1589 and 1594, is not the Richard Martin who was "thrashed" by the poet John Davies in the Hall of the Middle Temple in 1598?
... that the 1992 Atlantic hurricane season produced the first recorded subtropical storm in April since tracking began in 1968?
... that Tang Dynasty official Gao Ying, in his youth, offered to die in his father's stead when his father was captured by rebel Yan forces, causing Yan officers to release them both?
... that Lesser Whistling Ducks are the most prominent species among the migratory birds that visit the lake in the Santragachhi area of Howrah, India, during winter?
... that World Wrestling Federation referee Danny Davis also competed as "Mr. X" while wearing a mask?

22:31 January 7 2009

... that the airship Patrie (pictured) broke free from its moorings at Souhesmes, France, blew across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and was eventually lost in the Atlantic Ocean?
... that African American actor Lorenzo Tucker, the star of the 1932 race film Veiled Aristocrats, was dubbed the "black Valentino" because of his striking good looks?
... that Bugle Rock in Bangalore, India, is a peninsular gneiss formation from which warning bugle calls were made to alert citizens of intruders?
... that WLVV, the oldest radio station in Mobile, Alabama, was once known as WMML (for "M-M-Mel") as a play on then-owner Mel Tillis' famous stutter?
... that Ismo Alanko Säätiö's accordionist Kimmo Pohjonen has been dubbed the "Jimi Hendrix of the accordion" by the Finnish music press?
... that Operation Winter Storm was an attempt by German Army Group Don to relieve the trapped Sixth Army in Stalingrad, during World War II?
... that M. C. Rajah was the first member of the Dalit community to be elected to the Madras Legislative Council in India?
... that Dick's Last Resort, an American bar and restaurant chain, encourages the staff to act obnoxiously towards their customers?

20:31 January 7 2009

... that CP1600 microprocessors saw little use in their intended role, but millions were produced for use in the Intellivision video game console (pictured)?
... that the Silesian Duke Henry V the Fat spent some of his youth at the court of Ottokar II of Bohemia in Prague?
... that students from Tualatin Valley Junior Academy's Ring of Fire handbell choir performed at both inaugurations of U.S. President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2005?
... that Polish resistance member Zofia Baniecka and her mother hid over fifty Jews in their Warsaw apartment during the Holocaust between 1941 and 1944?
... that the Thimpu principles were put forward by Sri Lankan Tamil delegates at Thimpu, Bhutan?
... that architect Bennie Gonzales designed most of the major municipal buildings in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA, including Scottsdale City Hall, which features a kiva for meetings?
... that as well as the Nativity of Jesus, Olivier Messiaen's organ composition La Nativité du Seigneur was inspired by birdsong, the French Alps, and medieval stained glass?
... that the American E23 munition failed in 1954 field trials causing the crew of an aircraft to be bitten by rat fleas?

16:21, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

... that Nobel Laureates James D. Watson and Eric Kandel lectured at Cullen Performance Hall (pictured) in 2008?
... that the FN-6, a third generation Chinese MANPAD, was specifically designed to be used against targets flying at low and very low altitudes?
... that Paul Robeson's contract for the 1925 race film Body and Soul included a US$100 per week salary plus three percent of the gross after the first US$40,000 in receipts?
... that Willie McCartney was listed by the Sunday Herald newspaper as the 22nd greatest Scottish football manager of all time, even though he never won a major trophy?
... that some members of the fungal family Orbiliaceae can lasso nematodes using outgrowths of their hyphae?
... that the crime television series Heist detailed the 1974 Irish Republican Army's seizure of nineteen well-known paintings estimated to be worth £8 million at Russborough House?
... that, during the Anshi Rebellion, the future Tang Dynasty chancellor Qi Kang took his mother and fled to Shaoxing?
... that in the middle of the 1995–96 National Hockey League season, the head coach of the Dallas Stars, Bob Gainey, fired himself?

07:22, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

... that according to legend, a tunnel leads from the Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle (pictured) to the Khotyn Fortress which is 20 kilometres (12 mi) away?
... that World War I flying ace Friedrich Ritter von Röth was posthumously granted a lifetime pension by the Kingdom of Bavaria?
... that IR-40, an Iranian heavy water reactor, could produce 10 kilograms (22 lb) to 12 kilograms (26 lb) of plutonium, enough to build two nuclear weapons, each year?
... that Jean-Baptiste Hachème supervised the government of Maurice Kouandete, being the de facto head of state of Benin?
... that according to Just Detention International, 67 percent of all LGBT people in prison report being assaulted?
... that actress Yanna McIntosh has been nominated for six Dora Awards, winning twice?
... that the last Silk motorcycle ever built was a 500cc model based on a prototype that was never produced and was used as a competition prize?
... that Juan Davis Bradburn, commander of the Mexican fort at Anahuac, was described as "incompetent to such a command and ... half crazy part of his time"?

21:20, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

... that in 1846, the Austrian Empire encouraged a peasant revolt (pictured) to weaken local nobility in Galicia who were planning a rebellion of their own?
... that the U.S. E61 anthrax bomblet was perceived as superior to another, earlier anthrax weapon, the M114 bomb?
... that one of the few criticisms against Tang Dynasty chancellor Du You was that, after the death of his wife, he married a concubine?
... that despite producing 123 mph (198 km/h) winds, rainfall from the 1941 Florida hurricane reached only 0.35 in (8.9 mm) in Miami, Florida, USA?
... that music critic Claude Rostand described Olivier Messiaen's Trois petites Liturgies de la Présence Divine as a "work of tinsel, false magnificence and pseudo-mysticism"?
... that the Tampa Bay Rays, a Major League Baseball team located in St. Petersburg, Florida, has had a losing record under each of its four managers?
... that no member of the Indian National Congress political party has been elected as Chief Minister of Madras state since M. Bhaktavatsalam served from 1963 to 1967?
... that Hal Fryar received a number of complaints from English teachers because he appeared in a film with the grammatically incorrect title The Outlaws Is Coming?

15:15, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

... that as part of a team led by Oliver Lincoln Lundquist, Donal McLaughlin designed a logo ([[:|pictured]]) for the 1945 UN Conference on International Organization that became the model for the Flag of the United Nations?
... that the Marble Mountain Wilderness has one of only two stands of subalpine fir tree in California, and both are more than 50 miles (80 km) from the next closest stand in southern Oregon?
... that English primary school Watercliffe Meadow's decision to call itself "a place of learning" rather than a "school" was attacked as being too politically correct?
... that the 20-storey Gillender Building, built in 1897, was demolished only thirteen years later to make way for 14 Wall Street?
... that in a May 1983 attack on communist partisans, forces of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan killed 150 communist cadres in northern Iraq?
... that abolitionist Charles Bennett Ray was the first black student enrolled at Wesleyan University in 1832, only to have his enrollment subsequently revoked after complaints from white students?
... that the Swedish culture magazine Artes often featured future Nobel Prize in Literature laureates when edited by Östen Sjöstrand, a member of the Swedish Academy?
... that the talent of Norwegian ski jumper Jon Aaraas was first discovered in kindergarten?

January 6 2009

09:08

... that bird's nest fungi from the genus Crucibulum (Crucibulum laeve pictured) rely on falling rain to help disperse their spores?
... that John II, Bishop of Jerusalem, consecrated the Church of the Holy Zion on the day of Yom Kippur 394 CE?
... that the American M47 bomb had a steel cover just 1/32 of an inch thick, causing it to leak when it carried sulfur mustard?
... that 12-year-old actress Caitlin Sanchez, selected to perform the voice of the title character in Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, grew up as a fan of the show with a Dora-themed bedroom and backpack?
... that the Canadian Parliamentary deadlock due to the "In and Out" political scandal was one of reasons for the snap election of 2008?
... that the characteristics of iminoglycinuria include the presence of glycine and imino acids in the urine, and aside from that it is considered to be a relatively benign disorder?
... that Dorothy Sarnoff taught presentation skills to U.S. President Jimmy Carter that included having him tone down his smile?
... that the power station that powered the Terminal Arcade's interurbans from 1907 to 1940 had a 999-year lease?

01:42

... that bird's nest fungi from the genus Crucibulum (Crucibulum laeve pictured) rely on falling rain to help disperse their spores?
... that John II, Bishop of Jerusalem, consecrated the Church of the Holy Zion on the day of Yom Kippur 394 CE?
... that the American M47 bomb had a steel cover just 1/32 of an inch thick, causing it to leak when it carried sulfur mustard?
... that 12-year-old actress Caitlin Sanchez, selected to perform the voice of the title character in Nickelodeon's Dora the Explorer, grew up as a fan of the show with a Dora-themed bedroom and backpack?
... that the Canadian Parliamentary deadlock due to the "In and Out" political scandal was one of reasons for the snap election of 2008?
... that the characteristics of iminoglycinuria include the presence of glycine and imino acids in the urine, and aside from that it is considered to be a relatively benign disorder?
... that Dorothy Sarnoff taught presentation skills to U.S. President Jimmy Carter that included having him tone down his smile?
... that the power station that powered the Terminal Arcade's interurbans from 1907 to 1940 had a 999-year lease?

January 5 2009

19:13

... that the White-faced Heron's ([[:|pictured]]) techniques to find food include standing still and waiting for prey, walking slowly in water, wing flicking, foot raking or chasing prey with open wings?
... that Vice-Admiral Edward Stirling Dickson joined the Royal Navy in 1772, at the age of seven?
... that the original screenplay for A Life of Her Own was deemed "shocking and highly offensive" for its portrayal of "adultery and commercialized prostitution" and rejected by the Breen Office?
... that in the Battle of Sio, Papuan Corporal Bengari and his five companions ambushed 29 Japanese soldiers and killed them all before they could fire a shot?
... that ABC's Howard K. Smith: News and Comment was cancelled after Smith aired a controversial and, as it proved, premature program in 1962 titled "The Political Obituary of Richard M. Nixon"?
... that François Charles Archile Jeanneret was a student, chairman, and principal at the University of Toronto before becoming its 22nd Chancellor in 1959?
... that Operations Parthenon, Boris, Finery, Shed and Plan Giralda were all British plans for military intervention in Zanzibar following the 1964 revolution?
... that the educational Nintendo DS video game futureU helps students prepare for the SATs?

... that the tiger in the Coat of arms of Singapore (pictured) represents Malaysia?
... that one of Russia's most famous writers, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, was a proponent of the Russian autocracy?
... that the Cape Grim massacre, in which four shepherds killed up to thirty Tasmanian aborigines, was an escalation of a previous fight over women?
... that the Southworth House has been a retirement home, a fraternity house, and an office building in Cleveland, Ohio?
... that players in the video game I Love Katamari control a highly adhesive ball which is used to run over and collect objects of increasing size to make the ball bigger?
... that the Irish Independent noted the "scattergun screech" of Dirty Epics vocalist Sarah Jane Wai O'Flynn?
... that baseball player Esix Snead stole 507 bases in the minor-leagues but had just four stolen bases in the major leagues?
... that Simon Cowell signed the Teletubbies to his record label for their hit Teletubbies say Eh-oh!?

11:35

... that Alexander John Scott (pictured), Nelson's chaplain at Trafalgar, was once struck by lightning while asleep in his cabin?
... that the Virginia Board of Censors found the 1927 race film The House Behind the Cedars "so objectionable, in fact, as to necessitate its total rejection"?
... that the East Ghor Main Canal diverts nearly all the annual flow of the Yarmouk River for irrigation in Jordan?
... that Joseph Dennie was one of the foremost men of letters in the United States during the Federalist Era?
... that the prelude to Operation Pleshet saw Israel use its first ever fighter plane, the Avia S-199?
... that Alvah Chapman, Jr. helped orchestrate the 1974 merger of Knight Newspapers and Ridder Publications to form Knight Ridder, the largest such transaction as of that time?
... that the Scottish Six Days Trial has been running since 1909 making it the oldest motorcycle trials event in the world?
... that a member of the Montana National Guard ended a riot at the Montana State Prison by firing a WWII bazooka at the southwest tower of Cellblock 1?

05:44

... that by winning the 2008 Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, 30-metre maxi yacht Wild Oats XI (pictured) set a new record of four wins in a row?
... that Paul Boucherot and his partner Georges Claude built an ocean thermal energy conversion plant in Cuba as long ago as 1926?
... that Kelly Point, where the Willamette River meets the Columbia River in Oregon, was part of the former Pearcy Island?
... that Jerzy Putrament, a Polish communist writer and politician, in his youth flirted with the right-wing endecja movement?
... that HarperCollins published the Green Bible with passages mentioning the environment printed in green ink?
... that "The Flying Parson" Gil Dodds, record holder in the mile run in the 1940s, suffered a hernia in high school and ran with a truss to protect himself?
... that quantitative precipitation forecasts are issued up to five days into the future within the United States by the Hydrometeorological Prediction Center?
... that a messenger pigeon named Commando received the Dickin Medal in 1945 for carrying crucial intelligence from agents in occupied France to Britain during World War II?

January 4 2009

22:29

... that, while serving as chancellor, Tang Dynasty official Cui Sun was responsible for rebuilding or repairing the funereal palaces at eight imperial tombs, one of which was Qianling (pictured)?
... that Rabbi Joshua L. Liebman’s self-help book Peace of Mind spent more than a year at #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list?
... that the Djibouti Francolin, a critically endangered species of bird, is only known from two isolated locations in Djibouti?
... that Zaprešić is the most densely populated city in Zagreb County, Croatia?
... that June Buchanan, co-founder of Alice Lloyd College, was mayor of Pippa Passes, Kentucky?
... that the crash of Turkish Airlines Flight 634 on 8 January 2003 was the worst crash involving a BAe 146?
... that longtime Albert Speer associate Rudolf Wolters briefly worked with future West German president Heinrich Lübke in 1945 in an architectural office in Höxter?
... that the 2008 New York Giants became the fifth National Football League team to have two players rush for at least 1,000 yards, Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward?

11:16

... that at age 17 years and 331 days, Polish hammer thrower Kamila Skolimowska (pictured) was the youngest Olympic champion in the 2000 Summer Olympics?
... that the Nintendo DS video game, Cradle of Rome, requires that players match jewels of the same type to build the Roman Empire?
... that the former Youngstown and Southern Railway, Ohio's last interurban, was out of service for five years after being illegally sold to a scrap dealer?
... that Choa Chu Kang Community Library was the first library in Singapore to install self-check machines for borrowing and returning of books?
... that Terrence Oglesby, a United States citizen, was the leading scorer for Norway's basketball team in the FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship?
... that the final screen role of BAFTA Award winning actor Sir Norman Wisdom was that of a vicar in the 2007 British short film Expresso?
... that Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf supported Barack Obama's 1996 Illinois Senate bid, telling him "someday you will be Vice President of the United States", to which Obama replied "Why vice president?"
... that Leaving Springfield is a non-fiction anthology of essays analyzing the impact of the television program The Simpsons on society?

05:20

... that according to tradition, al-Khadra Mosque (pictured) in present-day Nablus is situated at the site where Jacob, a biblical patriarch, was presented with a blood-soaked tunic belonging to his lost son Joseph?
... that "Barack the Magic Negro" is a controversial satirical song by Paul Shanklin which refers to Barack Obama as a magical Negro?
... that East German Olympic bronze medalist Wilfried Hartung was once married to two-time Olympic silver medalist Gabriele Wetzko?
... that the fishing industry in the United States operates the largest exclusive economic zone in the world?
... that authentic Picón Bejes-Tresviso cheese must be matured in traditional limestone caves until covered in Brevibacterium linens, the bacterium responsible for human foot odour?
... that Cisero Murphy was the first African American professional pocket billiards player to ever win a World or U.S. National billiard title?
... that the City of Clarence, Tasmania, was established in the traditional hunting grounds of the Moomairemener, eventually leading to the Black War?
... that Arthur Ransome's fictional pirate Nancy Blackett, captain of the Amazon, does not use her real name Ruth because "Amazons are ruthless"?

January 3 2009

23:08

... that Hwanbyeokdang (pictured), a pavilion in South Korea, is associated with a tale regarding a dragon and 16th century poet Jeong Cheol?
... that Invincibles members Colin McCool, Doug Ring and Ron Hamence referred to themselves as "ground staff" because they were rarely given an opportunity to play cricket?
... that Independence Dam State Park in Defiance County, Ohio, is named for a dam built for the Miami and Erie Canal and features some of the canal's ruins?
... that Alec Bennett, riding the CS1 on its first race, won the Isle of Man Senior TT in 1927?
... that news of Rufus T. Bush's victory in a transatlantic yacht race took up the whole front page of the New York Times on March 28, 1887?
... that although done in spurts, it took until the mid-20th century to finish paving Pennsylvania Route 664?
... that the piriform shape of the uterus is given as the reason for the predominance of cephalic presentations at term?
... that the chorus melody of "Be Alright", a track from DecembeRadio's 2008 album Satisfied, was written by bassist/vocalist Josh Reedy while showering?

13:26

... that John L. Stevens (pictured), a former Universalist pastor, helped stage a coup in the Kingdom of Hawai'i to overthrow Queen Lili'uokalani in 1893?
... that in Scotland, anybody who tries to prevent a mother from breastfeeding in a legally permitted public place can be fined up to £2,500?
... that in 1965, East German politician Albert Norden accused 1,900 politicians and other prominent personalities in West Germany of having worked for the Nazi regime?
... that the 1774 Schiehallion experiment to calculate the density of the Earth also made the first use of contour lines to represent height?
... that Time magazine predicted "Big Bill" Watson, the first African-American to win the U.S. decathlon championship, would be America's No. 1 hero at the 1940 Olympics, later cancelled due to World War II?
... that the specific epithet of the mushroom species Crepidotus versutus is derived from the Latin word meaning "clever"?
... that the song "The Red Poppies on Monte Cassino", one of the best-known Polish war songs, was written during the Battle of Monte Cassino in May 1944?
... that in 1926, Albert Einstein solved the tea leaf paradox, which states that if the tea in a teacup is stirred, the tea leaves will collect in the middle rather than at the edges?

07:01

... that all species of the New Zealand parrot family Nestoridae (pictured) are either endangered or have gone extinct due to human activity?
... that Lieutenant General Stanley A. McChrystal commanded the Joint Special Operations Command forces responsible for the death of Al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi?
... that the Cretaceous terrestrial crocodilian Araripesuchus is known from five distinct species, two from Africa and the other three from South America?
... that, in 1935, Jimmie Guthrie set five world speed records on a Norton International at the concrete bowl track in Montlhéry, France?
... that the early Chola naval ships from the 1st century had a rudimentary flame thrower and a catapult-type weapon?
... that Winlock W. Steiwer founded the first bank in Wheeler County, Oregon, after he had pled guilty during the Oregon land fraud scandal?
... that Emil Løvlien was the last member of the Norwegian Parliament to be elected from the Communist Party ticket?
... that Larry Dierker is the only Houston Astros manager to have had his uniform number retired by the Houston Astros franchise of Major League Baseball?
... that Super Mario Kart sold eight million copies, making it the third highest-selling Super Nintendo Entertainment System game of all time?

January 2 2009

18:04 (UTC)

... that there are six monarchies in Oceania and five of them share Queen Elizabeth II (pictured) as their respective head of state?
... that William Phelps was foreman of the first grand jury in colonial America and played a key role in establishing the first written democratic town government at Windsor, Connecticut, in 1657?
... that Chris Robinson invited Buffalo Killers to open for The Black Crowes on a 2007 tour after hearing their 2006 album Buffalo Killers?
... that, after returning to his native England, New York composer Manuel Klein suffered a trauma during the Zeppelin attacks in London during WWI that reportedly contributed to his early death?
... that the al-Muallaq Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Dhaher al-Omar in Acre, Israel, is located on the site of the town's ancient synagogue?
... that the Tang Dynasty official Zheng Yuqing restored the use of drums in palace music, after drums had been abolished in light of rebellions to avoid alarming the populace?
... that the German-language socialist newspaper Volkswille in Katowice, Poland, went from daily to weekly publication after the 1933 Nazi takeover stopped the newspaper's financial subsidies from Germany?
... that footballer Abe Hartley used to place a rolled-up cigarette behind his ear prior to kick-off and then smoke it in the changing room at half-time?

13:00 (UTC)

... that the pillars of the cancelled Bangkok Elevated Road and Train System project (pictured) have been described as "a Bangkok version of Stonehenge"?
... that Turkish female aviator Nezihe Viranyalı was educated in civil aviation at the University of Tennessee following an invitation by the renowned American pilot Jacqueline Cochran?
... that the boga, an improvised plastic cannon used in New Year's celebrations in the Philippines, has been banned by the government since 2006?
... that Mario Menéndez, who was the governor of the Falkland Islands, surrendered Argentine forces to the United Kingdom during the 1982 Falklands War?
... that the history of Switzerland in the Roman era includes about 300 years of peace and prosperity?
... that Roderigue Hortalez and Company was a fictitious front organization set up by France to help American revolutionaries fight England?
... that kibbutz Re'im has started a project to become the first community in Israel with its domestic power consumption provided entirely by solar energy?
... that Dave Fanning described 2TV as "not rocket science, it's moron television"?

05:35 (UTC)

... that for most of its history, Champagne (pictured) was pinkish and non-sparkling?
... that DeShawn Sims is the first Michigan Wolverines men's basketball player to have at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a single game since Phil Hubbard did so in the 1977 NCAA Tournament?
... that the engine block of the Scott Flying Squirrel motorcycle was painted either green or red for racing or road, respectively?
... that the owner of Fairhope Plantation near Uniontown, Alabama, organized his own artillery unit during the American Civil War?
... that Australian cricketer Ernie Toshack, tired of signing autographs, had a friend sign for him, who incorrectly signed Toshak?
... that the Cobb and Frost-designed Chicago Opera House, built 1884–85, was one of the first buildings constructed using general contracting?
... that the monastery of Champmol was founded in 1383 as the dynastic burial-place of the Valois Dukes of Burgundy, but only ever contained two monumental tombs?
... that Peter Benchley wanted to write about pirates, but editor Thomas Congdon preferred his idea for a novel about sharks that became the bestseller Jaws?

January 1 2009

23:24 (UTC)

... that Don Tallon (pictured) was preferred as Australia's first-choice wicket-keeper over Ron Saggers during the Invincibles tour, despite conceding a higher rate of byes in the warm-up matches?
... that Iolani Luahine, considered the high priestess of the ancient hula, was said to be able to "call up the wind and the rain" and to "make animals do her bidding"?
... that Grower Champagnes have been described as "