Trivia about geography For every 10 successful attempts to climb Mount

Everest there is one fatality.

A hamlet is a village without a church and a town is
not a city until it has a cathedral. Forty-six percent of the world's water is in the Pacific
Ocean; that's around 6 sextillion gallons of water. The
About one-tenth of the earth's surface is permanently Atlantic has 23.9 percent; the Indian, 20.3; the Arctic,
covered with ice. 3.7 percent.

According to National Geographic, Mt. Everest grows French was the official language of England for over
about 4 millimeters a year: the two tectonic plates of 600 years.
Asia and India, which collided millions of years ago
to form the Himalayas, continue to press against each Grand Rapids, Michigan was the first city in the US to
other, causing the Himalyan peaks to grow slightly put fluoride in their water.
each year
Hawaii is the only US state that grows coffee.
Alaska and California, with 8 each, are the US states
with the most national park sites. Hawaii officially became apart of the US on June 14,
1900.
All gondolas in Venice, Italy must be painted black,
unless they belong to a high official. If Monaco's ruling house of Grimaldi should ever be
without an heir (male or female), the country will
As of Dec. 31, 2000, the number of climbers cease to be a sovereign state.
summiting Mt. Everest reached 1314, and the number
of deaths on the mountain reached 167. In 1771 the kingdom of Poland was larger in are than
any other European country except Russia and had a
At 840,000 square miles, Greenland is the largest bigger population than any other European country
island in the world. It is three times the size of Texas. except France.
By comparison, Iceland is only 39,800 square miles.
In the Great Seal of the US the eagle grasps 13 arrows
Australia is the only country that is also a continent. and an olive branch.

Canada is an Indian word meaning 'Big Village'. It is forbidden for aircraft to fly over the Taj Mahal.

Damascus, Syria, was flourishing a couple of Japan is the world's leading importer of iron ore.
thousand years before Rome was founded in 753 BC,
making it the oldest continuously inhabited city in La Paz, Bolivia, at 11,900 feet above sea-level, is the
existence. highest large city in the world. (According to
Scholastic Book of World Records 2004, Wenchuan,
Devon is the only county in Great Britain to have two China is the highest city in the world, at 16,730 feet
coasts. about sea level. This city if part of Sichuan Province,
southwest China. )
Disney World in Orlando, Florida covers 30,500 acres
(46 square miles), making it twice the size of the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway at New Orleans,
island of Manhattan, New York. Louisiana, is the world's largest bridge. It is almost 24
miles (about 38 kilometers) long.
Dueling is legal in Paraguay as long as both parties
are registered blood donors. Maine is the only state in the United States whose
name has one syllable.
El Azizia in Libya recorded a temperature of 136
degrees Fahrenheit (57.8 Celsius) on Sept. 13, 1922 -- Mexico City is sinking at a rate of 6 to 8 inches a year
the hottest ever measured. because it's built on top of an underground reservoir.
Wells are drawing out more and more water for the
Europe has no deserts - it is the only continent without city's growing population of more than 15 million
one. people.
Mexico City is the oldest capital city in the Americas. legislators -- no longer Soviet Communists -- wanted
the city to reflect their change of government.
More water flows over Niagara Falls every year than
over any other falls on earth. The coldest temperature ever measured on Earth was
-129 Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok, Antarctica,
Most landfilled trash retains its original weight, on July 21, 1983.
volume, and form for 40 years.
The earth’s surface contains 196,950,711 square miles
New Jersey, with 96, is the US state with the greatest (510,100,000 square kilometers).
number of hazardous waste sites.
The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World's Fair.
Quito in Ecuador, South America, is said to have the
most pleasant climate in the world. It is called the The first city to reach a population of 1 million people
'Land of Eternal Spring.' The temperature rarely drops was Rome, Italy in 133 B.C. London, England
below 46 degrees Fahrenheit during the night, or reached the mark in 1810 and New York, USA made
exceed 72 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. it in 1875. Today, there are over 300 cities in the
world that boast a population in excess of 1 million.
St. Augustine, Florida is the oldest city in the US.
The flag of the Philippines is the only national flag
Talking on a cellular phone while driving is against that is flown differently during times of peace or war.
the law in Israel. A portion of the flag is blue, while the other is red.
The blue portion is flown on top in time of peace and
The 1st US zoo was built in Philadelphia, PA, in the red portion is flown in war time.
1876.
The Fresh Kills Landfill site on Staten Island, New
The abbreviation 'ORD' for Chicago's O'Hare airport York, opened in 1948, is the world's largest. It covers
comes from the old name 'Orchard Field.' 3,000 acres and receives up to 14,000 tons of garbage
a day. It is scheduled to reach capacity and close by
The Arctic ocean is the smallest and shallowest. The the year 2002.
Arctic Ocean is the world's smallest ocean. It is
mostly covered by solid ice, ice floes, and icebergs The Great Lakes are Lake Michigan, Lake Huron,
Lake Superior, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
The Atlantic Ocean is saltier than the Pacific Ocean.
The Great Lakes are the most important inland
The border between Canada and the U.S. is the waterway in North America. All the lakes, except
world's longest frontier. It stretches 3,987 miles Lake Michigan, which lies entirely in the United
(6,416 km). States, are shared by the United States and Canada
and form part of the border between these countries.
The city of Rome was built on seven hills. They were
Palatine, Capitoline, Quirinal, Viminal, Esquiline, The Great Lakes contain 6 quadrillion gallons of fresh
Caelian, and Aventine. water, one-fifth of the world's fresh surface water. The
Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes
The city of St. Petersburg, Russia, was founded in in the world.
1703 by Peter the Great, hence the name, St.
Petersburg. But it wasn't always that simple. In 1914, The Great Lakes have a combined area of 94,230
at the beginning of World War I, Russian leaders felt square miles - larger than the states of New York,
that Petersburg was too German-sounding. So they New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island,
changed the name of the city to Petrograd -- to make it Massachusetts, and Vermont combined.
more Russian-sounding. Then, in 1924, the country's
Soviet Communist leaders wanted to honor the The Hollywood sign was first erected in 1923.
founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir I. Lenin. The Conceived as a real estate ad, it originally read
city of Petrograd became Leningrad and was known Hollywoodland. The sign stands 50 feet tall, stretches
as Leningrad until 1991 when the new Russian 450 feet across, weighs 450,000 pounds.
The international telephone dialing code for The tallest monument built in the US, the Gateway
Antarctica is 672. Arch, in St. Louis, Missouri, is 630 feet tall.

The Jordanian city Amman was once called The US city with the highest murder rate is Detroit,
Philadelphia. with 45.3 homicides per 100,000 people.

The largest body of fresh water in the world is Lake The Vatican's Swiss Guard still wears a uniform
Superior. designed by Michelangelo in the early 16th century.

The largest desert in the world, the Sahara, is The water in the Great Salt Lake of Utah is more than
3,500,000 square miles. four times as salty as any ocean.

The largest US city in area is Juneau, Alaska, which The wettest spot in the world is located on the island
covers 3,108 square miles. Los Angeles covers only of Kauai. Mt. Waialeale consistently records rainfall
458.2 square miles. at the rate of nearly 500 inches per year.

The longest railway in the world is the Trans-Siberian The world’s deadliest recorded earthquake occurred in
Railway or Trans-Siberian Railroad, built 1891-1916, 1557 in central China. It struck a region where most
a network of railways connecting European Russia people lived in caves carved from soft rock. The
with Russian Far East provinces. It is 9,288.2 dwellings collapsed, killing an estimated 830,000
kilometres (5,787 miles) long and spans 8 time zones. people.

The Mauna Loa volcano in Hawaii is the largest The world’s largest statue of a mosquito is a roadside
volcano on Earth. It rises more than 50,000 feet (9.5 attraction in Komarno, Manitoba, the Mosquito
miles or 15.2 kilometers) above its base, which sits Capital of Canada. Sculpted in 1984, it is made of
under the surface of the sea. steel and has a wingspan of 15 feet. It’s also a
weathervane, swiveling in the wind.
The Ohio river forms at the confluence of the
Allegheny and the Monongahela. The world's highest railway is in Peru. The Central
Railway climbs to 15,694 feet in the Galera tunnel,
The only continent without reptiles or snakes is 108 miles from Lima. Tourists take it to get to the
Antarctica. ruins of Machu Picchu.

The original name of Los Angeles was El Pueblo de The world's longest suspension bridge opened to
Nuestra Senora la Reina de los Angeles del rio traffic on April 5, 1998. The 3,911-meter (12,831-
Porciuncula, translating into:The Village of our Lady feet) Akashi Kaikyo Bridge is 580 meters (1,900 feet)
the Queen of the Angels of the Porciuncula River. longer than the Humber Bridge in England, the
previous record holder.
The Pantheon is the largest building from ancient
Rome that survives intact. The world's smallest independent state is the Vatican
City, with a population of about 1,000 - and a zero
The river Danube empties into the Black Sea. birthrate.

The San Diego Zoo in California has the largest The world's tallest mountains, the Himalayas, are also
collection of animals in the world. the fastest growing. Their growth - about half an inch
a year - is caused by the pressure exerted by two of
The seven hills of Rome are the Palatine (on which Earth's continental plates (the Eurasian plate and the
the original city was built), the Capitoline, Quirinal, Indo-Australian plate) pushing against one another.
Viminal, Esquiline, Caelian, and Aventine.
Trivia about the Bible and religion
The smallest island with country status is Pitcairn in
Polynesia, at just 1.75 square miles. "Allah Akbar, Allah Akbar, La Allah Il Allah, La
Allah Il Allah U Mohammed Rassul Allah" is heard
by more people than any other sound of the human
voice. This is the prayer recited by muezzins from The 1st US Mormon temple was dedicated in
each of the four corners of the prayer tower as Kirtland, Ohio in 1836.
Moslems all over the world face toward Mecca and
kneel at sunset. It means: "God is great. There is no The 3 Magi:(or Wise Men) and their gifts: Melchoir,
God but God, and Mohammed is the prophet of God." "king of light," offered Gold, Gaspar ,"or the white
one," offered frankincense, and Balthazar, "lord of
Almonds and pistachios are the only nuts mentioned treasures," offered myrrh.
in the Bible.
The Bible devotes some 500 verses on prayer, less
Although not named in the New Testament, tradition than 500verses on faith, but over 2000 verses on
names the two thieves crucified at the same time as money and posessions.
Jesus as Dismas and Gestas.
The Bible was written by about 40 men over a period
As specified by the Christian church, the canonical of about 1600 years dating from 1500 BC to about
hours are matins, lauds, prime, terce, sext, none, 100 years after Christ.
vespers, and compline.
The Church of Scientology was founded in 1953, at
Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the three angels Washington DC, by US science fiction writer L. Ron
mentioned by name in the Bible. Hubbard.

In Christian theology there are nine choirs of angels. The first translation of the English Bible was initiated
From highest to lowest, they are: seraphim, cherubim, by John Wycliffe and completed by John Purvey in
thrones, dominions, virtues, powers, principalities, 1388.
archangels, and angels.
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, named in the
One of the holiest Christian holidays is named after a Bible's Book of Revelation, are Conquest, Slaughter,
pagan goddess. The name "Easter" derives from the Famine, and Death.
Anglo-Saxon goddess Eostre, who governed the
vernal equinox. The Hindu holy day begins at sunrise, the Jewish holy
day begins at sunset, and the Christian holy day
Salt is mentioned more than 30 times in the Bible. begins at midnight.

Scholars estimate that the 66 books of the King James The longest name in the Bible Mahershalalhashbaz
version of the Bible were written by some 50 different (Isaiah 8:1).
authors.
The patron saint of dentists is St. Apollonia. She
Seven suicides are recorded in the Bible. reportedly had her teeth pulled out in 249 AD by an
anti-Christian mob.
Some biblical scholars believe that Aramaic (the
language of the ancient Bible) did not contain an easy The seven archangels are Michael, Gabriel, Raphael,
way to say 'many things' and used a term which has Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel, and Zadkiel.
come down to us as 40. This means that when the
bible -- in many places -- refers to '40 days,' they The Seven Deadly Sins are lust, pride, anger, envy,
meant many days. sloth, avarice and gluttony.

Strict Puritan laws had their origins from practical The seven virtues are prudence, courage, temperance,
reasons. Smoking was banned - farmers would raise justice, faith, hope and charity.
badly needed food crops instead of tobacco. Cooking
was banned on Sundays - to prevent house fires The shortest verse in the Bible consists of two words:
during the long hours the family was at church. "Jesus wept" (John 11:35).
Young men were banned from hunting - to prevent
weapons from falling into Indian hands. The Three Wise Men of the East brought gold,
frankincense and myrrh to the infant Jesus.
Frankincense is a gum resin used as a base for
incense. Myrrh, also a gum resin, was valued as a Captain Cook lost 41 of his 98 crew to scurvy (a lack
perfume and unguent used in embalming. of vitamin C) on his first voyage to the South Pacific
in 1768. By 1795 the importance of eating citrus was
The two robbers crucified next to Jesus were named realized, and lemon juice was issued on all British
Dismas and Gestas. Navy ships.

There are 1189 chapters in the Bible: 929 chapters in Chicago's Lincoln Park was created in 1864. The
the Old Testament and 260 chapters in the New original 120 acre cemetery had most of its graves
Testament. removed and was expanded to more than 1000 acres
for recreational use.
There are 49 different foods mentioned in the Bible.
Christmas became a national holiday in the US in
Zipporah was the wife of Moses. 1890.

During the US Civil war, 200,000 blacks served in the

Union Army; 38,000 gave their lives; 22 won the
Trivia about history and historical events  Medal of Honor.

According to tradition, the first engineer to build a Emperor Nero's lust for excess was most evident in
bridge across the Tiber in Ancient Rome was given his elaborate parties. According to the ancient writer
the name Pontifex, meaning "bridge builder." The Seutonius, Emperor Nero's Domus Aurea had a
Pontifex was seen as someone who "connects" people, circular main dining room with a roof that revolved
and that symbolism was so powerful that Roman high day and night, in time with the sky. In what remains
priests--including Julius Caesar--later adopted the title of the palace today, there is a large octagonal room
Pontifex Maximus. During the Roman Imperial age, with a domed ceiling that some believe is this dining
the emperor was always the Pontifex Maximus. The room. The octagonal room has a large dome with an
title eventually passed from Roman emperors to the oculus in the middle. It predates the Pantheon--and
leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Today, the was probably the inspiration for it. The architects of
Pope still carries the title Pontifex Maximus. the Domus Aurea developed an innovative mechanism
cranked by slaves, that made the ceiling underneath
this dome revolve like the heavens. While the ceiling
Acupuncture was first used as a medical treatment in
revolved, perfume was sprayed from the ceiling and
2700 BC by Chinese emperor Shen-Nung.
rose petals were dropped on the diners. Legend has it
there were so many rose petals falling at one dinner
Armored knights raised their visors to identify that one of the guests was asphyxiated.
themselves when they rode past their king. This
custom has become the modern military salute.
Emperor Trajan, who ruled from 98--117 A.D., was
celebrated as the greatest of Roman emperors. In fact,
At the height of its power, in 400 BC, the Greek city for the rest of Roman history, new emperors were
of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves. honored by the Roman senate with the prayer felicior
Augusto, melior Traiano, meaning "may he be more
Bock's Car was the name of the B-29 Bomber that fortunate than Augustus and better than Trajan." In
dropped the Atom Bomb on Nagasaki. Dante's Divine Comedy, Trajan is the only emperor
allowed into heaven.
Britain's present royal family was originally named
Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. The name was changed in Everyone in the Middle Ages believed -- as Aristotle
1917, during WW1 because of German connotations. had -- that the heart was the seat of intelligence.
The name Windsor was suggested by one of the staff.
At the same time the Battenberg family name of the For decades after Emperor Nero's death, people all
cousins to the Windsors was changed into over the Roman empire claimed to have spotted him.
Mountbatten. Several men even claimed to be him, and started
popular movements to be reinstated as emperor.
Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as Because of his notoriety and the questionable
of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women. circumstances under which he died (he purportedly
stabbed himself to death in hiding outside of Rome), elected in 1996, will be the last president to receive
Nero was the Elvis Presley of ancient Rome. lifelong protection from the Secret Service.

Former President Cleveland defeated incumbent In England and the American colonies they year 1752
Benjamin Harrison in 1892, becoming the first (and, only had 354 days. In that year, the type of calendar
to date, only) chief executive to win non-consecutive was changed, and 11 days were lost.
terms to the White House.
In the Holocaust between 5.1 and 6 million of
Fourteenth century physicians didn't know what Europe's 10 million Jews were killed. An additional 6
caused the plague, but they knew it was contagious. million 'unwanted' people were also executed,
As a result they wore an early kind of bioprotective including more than half of Poland's educated
suit which included a large beaked head piece. The populace.
beak of the head piece, which made them look like
large birds, was filled with vinegar, sweet oils and Many of Rome's most ambitious emperors idolized
other strong smelling compounds to counteract the Alexander the Great. When Julius Caesar was a 33
stench of the dead and dying plague victims. year-old general in Spain, he wept when he saw a
statue of Alexander, lamenting that he had
From its completion in 125 A.D. until 1958, the accomplished nothing, while Alexander had
Pantheon's domed ceiling was the largest unsupported conquered the whole world by his age. The
concrete span in the world. It was surpassed only with schizophrenic emperor Caligula built a bridge of
the construction of the CNIT building in Paris. wooden boats across the Bay of Naples and rode back
and forth across it on a horse, wearing armor he stole
From the Middle Ages up until the end of the 19th from Alexander's tomb. Emperor Caracalla set out to
century, barbers performed a number of medical conquer the same eastern lands Alexander had
duties including bloodletting, wound treatment, conquered, and made a great show of visiting his
dentistry, minor operations and bone-setting. The grave in Alexandria, Egypt.
barber's striped red pole originated in the Middle
Ages, when it was a staff the patient would grip while Martha Washington in the only woman whose portrait
the barber bled the patient. has ever appeared on a US currency note. Her portrait
was on the face of the $1 silver certificate issues of
Grand Rapids, Michigan was the 1st US city to 1886 and 1891, and on the back of the $1 silver
fluoridate its water in 1945. certificate of 1896. Sacagewea and Susan B. Anthony
are the only women pictured on a US coin. Both were
In 1810 US population was 7,239,881. Black honored on a dollar coin.
population at 1,377,808 was 19%. In 1969 US
population reached 200 million. Members of the Nazi SS had their blood type tattooed
on their armpits.
In 1865, several veterans of the Confederate Army
formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tennessee, More than 20,000 men were killed, wounded, or
called the Ku Klux Klan. missing in action in the battle of Antietam, September
17, 1862. This was the bloodiest one-day fight during
In 1892, Italy raised the minimum age for marriage the Civil War.
for girls - to 12.
Napoleon took 14,000 French decrees and simplified
In 1947, Toys for Tots started making the holidays a them into a unified set of 7 laws. This was the first
little happier for children by organizing its first time in modern history that a nation's laws applied
Christmas toy drive for needy youngsters. equally to all citizens. Napoleon's 7 laws are so
impressive that by 1960 more than 70 governments
In 1965, Congress authorized the Secret Service to had patterned their own laws after them or used them
protect former presidents and their spouses for their verbatim.
lifetime, unless they decline the protection. Recently,
Congress limited the protection of former presidents Nevada was the first state to sanction the use of the
and their spouses (elected after January 1, 1997) to 10 gas chamber, and the first execution by lethal gas took
years after leaving office. President Clinton, who was place in February, 1924.
New Orleans' first Mardi Gras celebration was held in Heavener, Okla., a bronze tetradrachm bearing the
February, 1826. profile of Emperor Nero was found in 1976. The coin
was originally struck in Antioch, Syria, in 63 A.D.
New York's first St. Patrick's day parade was held on
March 17, 1762. Seven of the eight US Presidents who have died in
office - either through illness or assassination - were
Of the 262 men who have held the title of pope, 33 elected at precisely 20-year intervals.
have died by violence.
The "Spruce Goose" flew on November 2, 1947, for
On April 12, 1938, the state of New York passed a one mile, at a maximum altitude of 70 feet. Built by
law requiring medical tests for marriage license Howard Hughes, it is the largest aircraft ever built, the
applicants, the first state to do so. 140-ton eight-engine seaplane, made of birch, has a
wingspan of 320 feet. It was built as a prototype troop
On August sixth, 1945, during World War Two, the transport. Rejected by the Pentagon, Hughes put the
United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, plane into storage, never to be flown again.
Japan, killing an estimated 140,000 people in the first
use of a nuclear weapon in warfare. The 1st 20 African slaves were brought to the US, to
the colony of Virginia in 1619, by a Dutch ship.
On Dec. 10th 1901 the 1st Nobel prizes were
awarded. Literature - Rene Sully-Prudhomme; The 1st nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus,
Physiology - Emil von Behring; Chemistly - Jacobus commissioned by the United States Navy in 1954,
van't Hoff; Physics - Wilhelm Roentgen; Peace - Jean made her maiden voyage on Jan. 17, 1955.
Henri Dunant Frederic Passy.
The 1st US federal holiday honoring Martin Luther
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina was the first King, Jr. was in 1986.
state to secede from the Union.
The 1st US federal legislation prohibiting narcotics
On June 26th, 1945, the charter of the United Nations (opium) was enacted in 1909.
was signed by 50 countries in San Francisco. (The
text of the charter was in five languages: Chinese, The 1st US federal penitentiary building was
English, French, Russian and Spanish.) completed at Leavenworth, Kansas in 1906.

Only two people signed the Declaration of The 1st US Minimum Wage Law was instituted in
Independence on July 4th, John Hancock and Charles 1938. The minimum wage was 25 cents per hour.
Thomson. Most of the rest signed on August 2, but the
last signature wasn't added until 5 years later. The ancient Egyptians slept on pillows made of stone.

President George Washington created the Order of the The Black Death reduced the population of Europe by
Purple Heart in 1782. It's a decoration to recognize one third in the period from 1347 to 1351.
merit in enlisted men and non-commissioned officers.
The Colosseum has long been known as a site of
President Lincoln proclaimed the first national Christian martyrdom. It was converted into a shrine as
Thanksgiving Day in 1863. early as the sixth century and still serves as the venue
for the Vatican's Good Friday services. However,
Richard Nixon was the 1st US president to visit China there is no evidence that Christian persecutions ever
in February, 1972. took place in the Colosseum.

Roman coins have been dug up in America, The dollar was established as the official currency of
suggesting that perhaps the Vikings or Columbus the US in 1785.
weren't the first Europeans to visit the New World.
The coins were found in locations as far afield as The Emperor Caracalla--a tyrant remembered for
Texas, Venezuela and Maine. One stash was found slaying his brother and building the extravagant Baths
buried in a mound in Round Rock, Texas. The mound of Caracalla--was murdered by his own guards while
is dated to approximately 800 A.D. In the town of
he was relieving himself. That may be where the England. The symbol is a composite of the semaphore
phrase "caught with your pants down" comes from. signals N and D, representing nuclear disarmament.

The first coin minted in the United States was a silver The quarries where the Romans extracted travertine
dollar. It was issued on October 15, 1794. for the Colosseum and other great structures are still
being mined today.
The first country to abolish capital punishment was
Austria in 1787. The Republic of Israel was established April 23, 1948.

The first losing candidate in a US presidential election The seven wonders of the ancient world were: ... 1.
was Thomas Jefferson. He lost to John Adams. Egyptian Pyramids at Giza ... 2. Hanging Gardens of
George Washington had been unopposed. Babylon ... 3. Statue of Zeus at Olympia ... 4.
Colossus of Rhodes - or huge bronze statue near the
The first modern Olympiad was held in Athens in Harbor of Rhodes that honored the sun god Helios ...
1896. 484 contestants from 13 nations participated. 5. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus ... 6. Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus ... 7. Lighthouse at Alexandria.
The first US Marines wore high leather collars to
protect their necks from sabres, hence the name The shortest war on record was fought between
"leathernecks." Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered
after 38 minutes.
The first-known contraceptive was crocodile dung,
used by Egyptians in 2000 BC. The shortest war on record, between Britain and
Zanzibar in 1896, lasted just 38 minutes.
The House of Lancaster, symbolized by the red rose,
won England's 'War of the Roses.' The standard U.S. railroad width (4 feet, 8.5 inches) is
directly derived from the width of Roman war
The Hundred Year War actually lasted 116 years chariots. This is because the English expatriates who
(1337 to 1453). designed the U.S. railroad system based their
measurements on the pre-railroad tramways built in
The influence of ancient Rome on architecture is all England. Those tramways were built using the same
around us. The Jefferson Memorial in Washington, tools used to build wagons, which were also that
D.C., is almost a dead-ringer for the Pantheon. And width. The reason wagons were built to that width is
the original Penn Station in New York was modeled because otherwise, they would break during long treks
on the Baths of Caracalla. across the old English roads. Those roads--built by the
Romans--were full of ruts carved out by Roman war
The longest reigning monarch in history was Pepi II, chariots. All Roman chariots were built to a standard
who ruled Egypt for 90 years; 2566 to 2476 BC. The width of 4 feet, 8.5 inches, and so English wagons
second longest was France's Louis XIV, who ruled for were built so that their wheels would fit into those
72 years, 1643 to 1715. ruts.

The Miss America Contest was created in Atlantic The supersonic Concorde jet made its first trial flight
City in 1921 with the purpose of extending the tourist on January 1, 1969.
season beyond Labor Day.
The Titanic was the first ship to use the SOS signal. It
The name of the first airplane flown at Kitty Hawk by was adopted as the international signal for distress in
the Wright Brothers, on December 17, 1903, was Bird 1912, and the Titanic struck the iceberg in April of
of Prey. that year.

The only repealed amendment to the US Constitution In reality, another ship, a Cunard liner named
deals with the prohibition of alcohol. Slavonia, first broadcast the SOS signal on June
10, 1909, a full 3 years before the Titanic. Also, the
SOS became the official distress signal in 1906,
The peace symbol was created in 1958 as a nuclear
replacing the old CQD code.
disarmament symbol by the Direct Action Committee,
and was first shown that year at peace marches in
The total number of Americans killed in the Civil War Vermont, admitted as the 14th state in 1791, was the
is greater than the combined total of Americans killed 1st addition to the original 13 colonies.
in all other wars.
Wyoming was the first state to allow women to vote.
The Union ironclad, Monitor, was the first U.S. ship
to have a flush toilet. Yellowstone is the world's 1st national park. It was
dedicated in 1872.
The US federal income tax was first enacted in 1862
to support the Union's Civil War effort. It was Trivia about the English language and word
eliminated in 1872, revived in 1894 then declared origins
unconstitutional by the Supreme Court the following
year. In 1913, the 16th Amendment to the A "Blue Moon" is the second full moon in a calendar
Constitution made the income tax a permanent fixture month (it is rarely blue).
in the US tax system.
A bibliophile is a collector of rare books. A bibliopole
The USSR set off the largest nuclear explosion in is a seller of rare books.
history, detonating a 50 megaton bomb (2600 times
the Hiroshima bomb) in an atmospheric test over the A ghost writer pens an anonymous book.
Novaya Zemla Islands, October 30 1961.
A magic potion or charm thought to arouse sexual
The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin love, especially toward a specific person, is known as
during World War II killed the only elephant in the a "philter."
Berlin Zoo.
A poem written to celebrate a wedding is called an
The White House, in Washington DC, was originally epithalamium.
gray, the color of the sandstone it was built out of.
After the War of 1812, during which it had been A speleologist studies caves.
burned by Canadian troops, the outside walls were
painted white to hide the smoke stains.
Anagrams amused the ancient Greeks, Romans and
Hebrews, and were popular during the Middle Ages.
The worldwide "Spanish Flu" epidemic which broke
out in 1918 killed more than 30 million people in less
"Aromatherapy" is a term coined by French chemist
than a year's time.
René Maurice Gattefossé in the 1920's to describe the
practice of using essential oils taken from plants,
There are more statues of Sacajewa, Lewis & Clark's flowers, roots, seeds, etc., in healing.
female Indian guide, in the United States than any
other person.
Ballistics is the science that deals with the motion of
projectiles.
To raise public revenue, Emperor Vespasian--who
built the Colosseum--was the first to introduce pay
Cannibalism, eating human flesh, is also called
toilets in the city of Rome. When his son and
anthropophagy.
successor Titus protested that the toilets were raising a
stink with the poor, Vespasian held a coin up to his
nose and said, "money doesn't stink." Today, Romans DNA stands for Deoxyribonucleicacid.
still refer to public toilets as vespasiano.
In 1945 a computer at Harvard malfunctioned and
Until Sunday, September 3rd, 1967, driving was done Grace Hopper, who was working on the computer,
on the left-hand side on roads in Sweden. The investigated, found a moth in one of the circuits and
conversion to right-hand was done on a weekend at 5 removed it. Ever since, when something goes wrong
p.m. All traffic stopped as people switched sides. This with a computer, it is said to have a bug in it.
time and day were chosen to prevent accidents where
drivers would have gotten up in the morning and been In the 19th century, craftsmen who made hats were
too sleepy to realize 'this' was the day of the known to be excitable and irrational, as well as to
changeover. tremble with palsy and mix up their words. Such
behavior gave rise to the familiar expression "mad as
a hatter". The disorder, called hatter's shakes, was The "O" when used as a prefix in Irish surnames
caused by chronic mercury poisoning from the means "descendant of."
solution used to treat the felt. Attacking the central
nervous system, the toxin led to behavioral symptoms. The "y" in signs reading "ye olde.." is properly
pronounced with a "th" sound, not "y". The "th" sound
In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew does not exist in Latin, so ancient Roman occupied
names from a bowl to see who their valentines would (present day) England used the rune "thorn" to
be. They would wear these names on their sleeves for represent "th" sounds. With the advent of the printing
one week. To wear your heart on your sleeve now press the character from the Roman alphabet which
means that it is easy for other people to know how closest resembled thorn was the lower case "y".
you are feeling.
The ancient Romans built such an excellent system of
"Kemo Sabe" means "soggy shrub" in Navajo. roads that the saying arose "all roads lead to Rome,"
that is, no matter which road one starts a journey on,
"Long in the tooth," meaning "old," was originally he will finally reach Rome if he keeps on traveling.
used to describe horses. As horses age, their gums The popular saying came to mean that all ways or
recede, giving the impression that their teeth are methods of doing something end in the same result,
growing. The longer the teeth look, the older the no method being better than another.
horse.
The correct response to the Irish greeting, "Top of the
No word in the English language rhymes with month, morning to you," is "and the rest of the day to
orange, silver, and purple. yourself."

Oddly, no term existed for "homosexuality" in ancient The expletive, "Holy Toledo," refers to Toledo, Spain,
Greece - there were only a variety of expressions which became an outstanding Christian cultural center
referring to specific homosexual roles. Experts find in 1085.
this baffling, as the old Greek culture regarded
male/male love in the highest regard. According to The idiom "pillar of salt" means to have a stroke, or to
several linguists, the word "homosexual" was not become paralyzed and dead.
coined until 1869 by the Hungarian physician Karoly
Maria Benkert. The last thing to happen is the ultimate. The next-to-
last is the penultimate, and the second-to-last is the
Of all the words in the English language, the word antepenultimate.
"set" has the most definitions.
The phrase "raining cats and dogs" originated in 17th
"Ough" can be pronounced in eight different ways. Century England. During heavy downpours of rain,
The following sentence contains them all: "A rough- many of these poor animals unfortunately drowned
coated, dough-faced ploughman strode through the and their bodies would be seen floating in the rain
streets of Scarborough, coughing and hiccoughing torrents that raced through the streets. The situation
thoughtfully. gave the appearance that it had literally rained "cats
and dogs" and led to the current expression.
Poor whites in Florida and Georgia are called
"crackers." They got the name from their principal The phrase "sleep tight" originated when mattresses
staple food, cracked corn. Another theory states that were set upon ropes woven through the bed frame. To
the name comes from the days when they would drive remedy sagging ropes, one would use a bed key to
cattle southward using the "crack" of their bullwhips tighten the rope.
to keep the animals in line and moving.
The phrase "rule of thumb" is derived from an old
"Rhythms" is the longest English word without the English law which stated that you couldn't beat your
normal vowels, a, e, i, o, or u. wife with anything wider than your thumb. Actually,
that's a piece of folk etymology. The phrase refers to
"Second string," meaning "replacement or backup," the use of rough and ready practical experience
comes from the middle ages. An archer always carried rather than formal procedures in getting something
a second string in case the one on his bow broke. done. It's most likely that the saying comes from
carpenters using the length of the first joint of the
thumb, which is about an inch long, to measure The term "the whole 9 yards" came from W.W.II
things. So "rule" refers to a ruler in the sense of fighter pilots in the South Pacific. When arming their
measurement, not of despotism or male chauvinism. airplanes on the ground, the .50 caliber machine gun
Other parts of the body were used as a ruler, too. A ammo belts measured exactly 27 feet, before being
foot was determined by a pace, the distance from the loaded into the fuselage. If the pilots fired all their
tip of the nose to the outstretched fingers is roughly a ammo at a target, it got "the whole 9 yards."
yard, and horse heights are still measured by hands—
the width of the palm and closed thumb is about four The term, "It's all fun and games until someone loses
inches. an eye" is from Ancient Rome. The only rule during
wrestling matches was, "No eye gouging." Everything
The plastic things on the end of shoelaces are called else was allowed, but the only way to be disqualified
aglets. is to poke someone's eye out.

The ridges on the sides of coins are called reeding or The two lines that connect your top lip to the bottom
milling. of your nose are known as the philtrum.

The right side of a boat was called the starboard side The white part of your fingernail is called the lunula.
due to the fact that the astronavigators used to stand
out on the plank (which was on the right side) to get The word "homosexual" was not coined until 1869 by
an unobstructed view of the stars. The left side was the Hungarian physician Karoly Maria Benkert.
called the port side because that was the side that you
put in on at the port. The word "honcho" comes from a Japanese word
meaning "squad leader" and first came into usage in
The side of a hammer is a cheek. the English language during the American occupation
of Japan following World War II.
The study of insects is called entomology.
The word "set" has the highest number of separate
The study of word origins is called etymology. definitions in the English Language (192 definitions
according to the Oxford English Dictionary.)
The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an
octothorpe. The word "assassination" was invented by
Shakespeare.
The term "devil's advocate" comes from the Roman
Catholic Church. When deciding if someone should The word "coach" is derived from the village of Kocs,
be sainted, a devil's advocate is always appointed to Hungary, where coaches were invented and first used.
give an alternative view.
The word "karate" means "empty hand."
The term "dog days" has nothing to do with dogs. It
dates back to Roman times, when it was believed that The word "samba" means "to rub navels together."
Sirius, the Dog Star, added its heat to that of the sun
from July3 to August 11, creating exceptionally high The word gargoyle comes down from the Old French:
temperatures. The Romans called the period dies gargouille, meaning throat or gullet. This is also the
caniculares, or "days of the dog." origin of the word gargle. The word describes the
sound produced as water passes the throat and mixes
The term "honeymoon" is derived from the with air. In early architecture, gargoyles were
Babylonians who declared mead, a honey-flavored decorative creatures on the drains of cathedrals.
wine, the official wedding drink, stipulating that the
bride's parents be required to keep the groom supplied The word 'news' did not come about because it was
with the drink for the month following the wedding. the plural of 'new.' It came from the first letters of the
words North, East, West and South. This was because
The term "throw one's hat in the ring" comes from information was being gathered from all different
boxing, where throwing a hat into the ring once directions.
signified a challenge. Today it nearly always signifies
political candidacy.
The word quisling comes from the name of Major Dwight D. Eisenhower tied for second place, using "I"
Vidkun Quisling, a Norwegian who collaborated with only once in their inaugural addresses.
the Germans during their occupation of Norway. The
word now means "traitor." There are roughly 6,500 spoken languages in the
world today. However, about 2,000 of those languages
The world's largest alphabet is Cambodian, with 74 have fewer than 1,000 speakers. The most widely
letters. spoken language in the world is Mandarin Chinese.
There are 885,000,000 people in China that speak that
The ZIP in Zip-code stands for "Zoning Improvement language.
Plan."
Victor Hugo's Les Miserables contains one of the
Theodore Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to longest sentences in the French language - 823 words
deliver an inaugural address without using the word without a period
"I". Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and
SCANDAL ROCKS ARMED FORCES Senga, Hermogenes Esperon and Alexander
MANILA (PinoyNews) – A big scandal has Yano. Gens. Angelo Reyes, Diomedio
rocked the Armed Forces of the Philippines Villanueva, Benjamin Defensor, Roy Cimatu
following an expose by former officers and Efren Abu did not attend the hearing.
themselves that some Chiefs of Staff had “Wala akong tinanggap na pasalubong, wala
diverted and pocketed millions of pesos of akong tinanggap na monthly, wala akong
military funds, including foreign military tinanggap na pabaon (I did not receive welcome
assistance funds. [money]. I did not receive monthly [extra
The alleged widespread corruption and fund money]. I did not receive send-off [money]),”
mess allegations in which former President said Narciso Abaya, who was AFP chief of staff
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was even linked but from April 2003 to October 2004, during the
later cleared by the whistleblower himself were hearing of the committee on justice of the
supported by HHh    a former auditor, Heidi House of Representatives.
Mendoza, of the Commision on Audit (COA) Likewise, Generoso Senga, chief of staff from
who surfaced at a House of Representatives August 2005 to July 2006, said he only heard
hearing to detail alleged anomalous transactions about the alleged corruption in the military
in the AFP. when the plunder case against former AFP
The expose prompted lawmakers to call for a comptroller Carlos Garcia came up.
thorough investigation of the entired armed He, however, stressed he had no personal
forces. knowledge about the so-called send-off money
Mendoza, among others, said that some P270 for retiring generals.
million of  AFP funds representing Dionisio Santiago, chief of staff from
reimbursements from the United Nations are November 2002 to April 2003, said his family
missing. has a garments business and that they travel
Mendoza, who headed a team that conducted a frequently as a family because one of his
financial audit of the AFP in 2004, said she was children is connected with an international
informed that in February 2001, a military airline.
officer “personally picked up” a $5-million Reyes earlier was accused by Rabusa of getting
check (P220 million based on the current a send-off gift from AFP of P50 million which
exchange rate) from the UN headquarters in the former AFP chief of staff who went on to
New York City but the same never entered the become Defense Secretary denied. Reyes also
books of accounts of the AFP. filed charges before the Ombudsman against his
Former military budget officer and retired Lt. accuser, Rabusa, and Sen. Jose “Jinggoy”
Col. George Rabusa said former AFP chief Gen. Estrada who supported Rabusa in his
Diomedio Villanueva and other generals got allegations.
kickbacks from the $2-million equipment deal Rabusa, a former budget officer of AFP himself,
with an Israeli supplier of unmanned aircraft, apologized to the public and to his fellow
apart from the P160-million pabaon he soldiers for being “part of that rotten system.”.
allegedly received. Rabusa denied claims that Senator Estrada had
Rabusa blew the whistle on military corruption paid him to testify before the Senate, and said it
and admitted that he himself also amassed up to was his conscience and former Brig. Gen.
P50 million from public funds when he was Danilo Lim that convinced him to go public.
budget officer between 2000 and 2002, the The whistle-blower said he had been hit by “bad
same amount he had accused former Defense karma” for what he did: his wife had been
Secretary and  AFP chief of staff Angelo Reyes diagnosed with breast cancer, and he suffered a
of receiving when he retired. stroke in 2009.
Rabusa’s motive was questioned since it took “I ran for public office in 2007 and lost,”
him many years before he could talk about Rabusa said. “Then I tried to put up a restaurant,
allegations of corruption in the military and he and that went bankrupt because I didn’t know
himself had admitted that he was a main how to run it.”
beneficiary of the said corruption. He spent his wealth on his wife’s medical bills
At least five retired AFP chiefs of staff frontally and his own legal fees for a 2004 plunder
denied the allegations before the House of complaint filed against him after his former
Representatives. The five were Generals boss, retired Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia, was
Narciso Abaya, Dionisio Santiago, Generoso accused of amassing P303 million in ill-gotten
funds.
The plunder case against Rabusa did not has a garments business and that they travel
prosper, but the prosecutors from the Office of frequently as a family because one of his
the Ombudsman agreed to a plea bargain with children is connected with an international
Garcia that allowed the former military airline.
comptroller to plead to the lesser charge of Hermogenes Esperon, who was chief of staff
direct bribery in exchange for turning over P130 from July 2006 to January 2008, said he was too
million in assets to the government. preoccupied fighting the Abu Sayyaf bandits in
That agreement drew a firestorm of criticism Mindanao and instituting reforms in the AFP.
and was the subject of a Senate inquiry when Alexander Yano, who headed the AFP from
Rabusa offered his surprise testimony. May 2008 to May 2009, said he traveled abroad
Rabusa alleged that even military wives, four times during his tenure, all on official
including Reyes’ spouse Teresita, benefited mission.
from the corrupt system by receiving travel He also said that his wife, a retired military
funds for local and foreign trips. nurse, traveled with him but that their expenses
He alleged he usually gave Mrs. Reyes P20,000 were shouldered by the host countries.
for local trips and up to $10,000 for foreign Yano said he had heard about the payola issue
trips. He said he usually handed the money but “did not give so much attention to it.”
personally to Mrs. Reyes.
Rabusa said he had enough evidence to prove
his charges against his former bosses Jacinto Leadership of the ruling party of
Ligot and Carlos Garcia and the three former
Armed Forces chiefs. He added was ready to Egypt resigns
face the counter charges that Reyes had filed
against him and Estrada. The leadership of the ruling party of Egypt
“I’m a dead man walking, so I will face those resigned on Saturday after the protests that
charges,” he said. shook the government, but the demonstrators
Reyes on Monday filed graft and corruption considered the measure a ruse that will not stop
charges against Rabusa and Estrada, accusing them from their goal of overthrowing the
them of conspiring to malign his person and president.
integrity. State television reported that Al Arabia
Reyes’ lawyer, Bonifacio Alentajan, said the President Hosni Mubarak – who reformed his
Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act referred government, but said he would stay in office
not only to bribes but also to public officials until elections in September – would have
who cause undue injury to any person through resigned the post of president of the ruling, but
partiality, bad faith or gross negligence. later backtracked.
Reyes said Estrada and Rabusa had offered false
testimony during the Senate investigation. The TV said only that the party leadership,
“Wala akong tinanggap na pasalubong, wala including Mubarak’s son Gamal, had resigned
akong tinanggap na monthly, wala akong and appointed a new secretary general, Hossam
tinanggap na pabaon (I did not receive welcome Badrawi, which is seen as a member of the
[money]. I did not receive monthly [extra reformist wing liberal.
money]. I did not receive send-off [money]),” But the protesters were unimpressed. “These
said Narciso Abaya, who was AFP chief of staff gestures are not considered victories by the
from April 2003 to October 2004, during the protesters, this is a trick of the regime. This is
hearing of the committee on justice of the not meeting our requirements. These are just
House of Representatives. tricks to divert our attention,” said Bilal Fathi,
Likewise, Generoso Senga, chief of staff from 22.
August 2005 to July 2006, said he only heard Earlier, Mubarak met with some of the new
about the alleged corruption in the military ministers, told the government newsagency, in a
when the plunder case against former AFP clear affront to hundreds of thousands of
comptroller Carlos Garcia came up. antigovernment protesters, who gathered for the
He, however, stressed he had no personal twelfth day in downtown Cairo in Tahrir
knowledge about the so-called send-off money Square.
for retiring generals.
Dionisio Santiago, chief of staff from “The current situation is simply unsustainable,”
November 2002 to April 2003, said his family said Secretary of State U.S., Hillary Clinton, a
security conference in Munich, referring to the He stood as a bulwark against Islamic militancy
situation in Egypt and also the entire Middle as the main actor and the maintenance of the
East. peace treaty signed between Israel and Egypt in
Saboteurs blew up a pipeline in northern Egypt 1979.
during the night, interrupting the flow of The state television called the attack a terrorist
product to Israel and to Jordan, where operation pipeline. The localresidents reported a
demonstrators angered by the economic massive explosion and huge flames said an area
difficulties have been demanding a more near the pipeline, in El-Arish, northern Sinai.
democratic political system. The site Intelligence Group which monitors al
Vice President Omar Suleiman began meeting Qaeda and other Islamist websites, said during
with prominent persons of the opposition, the week that some groups were calling on
state television said, to try to determine a way to Muslims to attack the pipeline to Israel.
ensure a future free and fair presidential Saboteurs took advantage of the situation and
election, while following what the constitution blew up the pipeline, “said a correspondent for
stipulates. state TV.
But with some of the protesters insisted that In the past the government used a possible
they wanted not only Mubarak but also its allies threat from Islamic militancy to justify the use
leave immediately, it was unclear whether this of emergency laws, which helped keep Mubarak
was enough to end the crisis. in power.
A commander of the Egyptian army was booed Al Qaeda, which has its ideological roots in
at the Tahrir square where thousands of Egypt, has been largely excluded from the
protesters tried to persuade to stop the protests protests against Mubarak.
that stopped the economic life of the capital.
The UN estimates that 300 people died in
“Everyone has the right to speak, but please, demonstrations and the health minister said that
save what is left of Egypt. Look around you,” about 5,000 people have been wounded since
said Hassan al-Roweny the speaker. Jan. 25, while a report from Credit Agricole
The crowd responded with shouts, demanding said the crisis was costing around 310 million
the resignation of Mubarak, which led Roweny dollars a day.
to withdraw, saying: “I will not talk amid the With the turmoil crippling the economy’s most
screams as well.” populous country in the Arab world, some
Western governments have expressed their Egyptians want a return to normalcy.
support for the demonstrators but were wary of But an official stock exchange said on Saturday
waiting too much, too fast. that the stock market will not open on Monday,
“President Mubarak said he will not run for as scheduled, and could not give a new date for
reelection and that his son also will not run … its reopening. The banks are scheduled to
He sent a clear message to his government that reopen on Sunday.
he leads and supports the transition process,” In Tahrir Square, the protesters occupying the
Clinton said at the security conference in normally busy intersection in the heart of the
Munich , where world leaders are meeting to city, said they will not give up, despite the
discuss how to proceed. continuing tensions with the party of Mubarak,
“This is what the government said it was trying who attacked them during the week.
to do, that’s what we are supporting, and we The unprecedented challenge against Mubarak
expect to occur in an orderly and brief as brought different strands of society –
possible, given the circumstances,” she said. professionals, poor Muslim, secular and
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, said the religious, Muslim and Christian youth on the
change should be “peaceful and orderly,” while Internet and related members of the Islamist
British Prime Minister, David Cameron, called movement the Muslim Brotherhood.
for acting quickly transition to new leadership ..
Mubarak said on Thursday that he believed that
Egypt could reach the chaos, give in to
protesters’ demands to resign immediately.