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Did you know...[change source]

Please add the line '''''~~~~~''''' at the top for the newly posted set of archived hooks.


19:07, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that the platypus (pictured) is a monotreme mammal which lays eggs?
  • ... that the city of Yangon was destroyed by a fire in 1841?
  • ... that even though Mullah Omar was the de facto leader of Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, there are very few photographs of him?
  • ... that the chemical symbol for Lead is Pb, which comes from plumbum, the Latin word for lead?
  • ... that Matrixism is a religion that is based on the movie The Matrix?

    12:40, 2 November 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that Alexander Hamilton (pictured), the first United States Secretary of the Treasury, was killed in a duel by Vice President Aaron Burr?
  • ... that Frenchwoman Sarah Bernhardt was called "the most famous actress in the history of the world"?
  • ... that Brazilian footballer Pelé's real name is Edison Arantes do Nascimento?
  • ... that J. K. Rowling is the richest author in the world?
  • ... that Manchester is known as the second city of the United Kingdom?

    23:56, 8 November 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that the ZX Spectrum computer (pictured) had a rubber keyboard?
  • ... that the A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft, serving in the United States Air Force, is known as the Warthog?
  • ... that German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel was known as the Desert Fox?
  • ... that Arsenal F.C. were originally named Dial Square F.C., after a sundial on the side of a factory?
  • ... that British naval officer Arthur Phillip was the first Governor of New South Wales in Australia?

    15:06, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that actress Angelina Jolie's (pictured) father is actor Jon Voight?
  • ... that the word Dinosaur is Greek for terrible lizard?
  • ... .that Callisto, a moon of Jupiter, was discovered by Galileo Galilei in 1610?
  • ... that thousands of people used Internet Relay Chat (or IRC) to discuss the September 11 attacks on the day it happened?
  • ... that American actor Keanu Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon?

    23:03, 18 November 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that the Crystal Cave in Bermuda (pictured) was found in 1905 by two boys looking for their lost cricket ball?
  • ... that Schindler's List was nominated for twelve Academy Awards and won seven?
  • ... that the members of the band Radiohead went to the same boys-only school near Oxford?
  • ... that the very rich Suffolk-born Anne de Mowbray died aged nine already a married woman?
  • ... that William Howard Taft is the only person to ever become both President and Chief Justice?

    10:40, 23 November 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that the Southampton 45 tram (pictured) was bought for £10 in 1949?
  • ... that about 65 million years ago, dinosaurs became extinct, or died out?
  • ... that the fallopian tubes are made up of three layers?
  • ... that black pepper has been used as a treatment for diarrhea, heart disease, insomnia, sunburn and toothaches?
  • ... that Pablo Picasso was the co-founder of cubism, a style in art?

    21:23, 29 November 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that common scolds in old England and Wales were sometimes sentenced to be dunked under water in a "cucking stool" (pictured)?
  • ... that the Chesapeake Bay is the biggest estuary in the United States?
  • ... that the social networking site Facebook has over 300 million users?
  • ... that Michelle McCool, Mickie James and Melina are the only WWE Divas to hold both the WWE Divas Championship and the WWE Women's Championship?
  • ... that Jean Balukas began her record-setting streak of seven consecutive U.S. Open straight pool championships when only 13 years old?

    15:49, 8 December 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that Goodfellow's Tree-kangaroos (pictured) can jump from trees to the ground from thirty feet up without hurting themselves?
  • ... that Tropical Storm Peter was a rare tropical cyclone, since it formed in the month of December after the end of hurricane season?
  • ... that Hello World is a beginner's program used to help people learn how to use programming languages?
  • ... that the king of Thailand is the only person allowed to go near the Emerald Buddha in Wat Phrasri Rattana Sasadaram?
  • ... that with about 15 million people in its urban area, Cairo is the biggest city in Africa and in the Arab World?

    09:53, 27 December 2009 (UTC)

  • ... that George Eliot (pictured) was a pseudonym for the female writer Mary Ann (Marian) Evans?
  • ... that Lake Eyre, Australia's biggest lake, is also the lowest and driest spot in Australia?
  • ... that Honduras was the first Banana republic?
  • ... that more that 400 churches in Great Britain and several thousand all over the world are consecrated to Nicholas of Myra, a 4th century Christian saint?
  • ... that the bushranger Frank Gardiner is the only person to have been exiled from Australia?

    23:59, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the male Emperor Penguin (pictured) can hold an egg on his feet for 70 days to keep it warm?
  • ... that Saint Nicholas is the patron saint of both Amsterdam, capital of Netherlands and Moscow, capital of Russia?
  • ... that there are about 240 islands in Torres Strait, but only 17 have people living on them?
  • ... that the Wright brothers built and repaired bicycles before their work on the airplane?
  • ... that American Vice-President Joe Biden played both baseball and football in high school?

    23:16, 8 January 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the current President of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek (pictured), was awarded with five honorary degrees?
  • ... that the Bhopal disaster, which many consider to be the worst chemical accident, happened 25 years ago?
  • ... that only four people, Marie Curie, Linus Pauling, John Bardeen and Frederick Sanger have won the Nobel Prize twice?
  • ... that in old times, Lucifer was a name given to the planet Venus?
  • ... that nearly all professional soccer players around the world wear boots made from Red Kangaroo leather?

    15:11, 21 January 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Disturbed (pictured) have released three albums that have been number one on the Billboard 200 during their first week?
  • ... that when Mozart played in London, the Royal Society studied him to see if he was a child prodigy or just a very short man?
  • ... that in 1855, during an election in Beechworth, Victoria, one candidate rode a horse with solid gold shoes through the streets?
  • ... that even though most people use them as illegal drugs, psychedelic mushrooms can be used to treat diseases such as Obsessive-compulsive disorder?
  • ... that in 1772, Baron d'Holbach wrote that all children were atheists, because they had no idea of God?

    06:51, 26 January 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Pablo Picasso's (pictured) full name is Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Clito Ruiz y Picasso?
  • ... that between 541 and 770, about 100 million people, half of the population of Europe at the time, died in the Plague of Justinian?
  • ... that Robert J. Lang invented an expandable space telescope based on ideas of origami?
  • ... that Barack Obama is the third U.S. President to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while in office, after Theodore Roosevelt (1906) and Woodrow Wilson (1919)?
  • ... that Green Day's 2004 rock opera American Idiot sold five million copies in the United States?

    11:14, 31 January 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia (pictured) was canonised by the Russian Orthodox Church in 2000?
  • ... that the body of Arthur Phillip, the man who started the British colony in Australia, has been lost in England?
  • ... that Death Valley is the hottest, driest, and lowest place in the USA?
  • ... that Vatican City is the smallest country in the world?
  • ... that Elizabeth II was the first, and so far only, female member of the royal family to actually serve in the armed forces?

    06:48, 6 February 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Norwegian trumpeter Tine Thing Helseth (pictured), who played at the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, is the leader of an all-female brass band called tenThing?
  • ... that despite the difficult climate, there are about 200 different kinds of lichen in Antarctica?
  • ... that Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to be elected President of the United States?
  • ... that because many cereals are fortified with iron, many people are eating it for breakfast?
  • ... that a sea snake can still bite and poison you, even after its head is cut off?

    19:56, 12 February 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the Garden dormouse (pictured) is not usually found in gardens, even though that is its name, but that it is mainly found in forests?
  • ... that the Japanese folded origami models as a symbol of good luck?
  • ... that Gilbert Thomas Carter attacked a tribe of the Yoruba people in 1892 saying that he wanted to end slavery and improve civilization?
  • ... that potato chips were started because a customer wanted his French fries to be thin?
  • ... that an engagement ring with a diamond in it is thought to be lucky, but one with a pearl in it is thought to be unlucky?

    13:07, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Gerald Ford (the 38th president of the United States of America, pictured) is the only holder of that office not to have been elected to be either President or Vice President?
  • ... that George Washington had ivory teeth?
  • ... that eating a small amount of dark chocolate has been found to lower the risk of heart disease?
  • ... that John Tyler (the tenth president of the United States of America) was the first Vice President of the United States to become a president when the ninth president (William Henry Harrison) died in 1841?
  • ... that at least three people named Saint Valentine have died on February 14th?

    08:06, 23 February 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that a candle's (pictured) flame can reach a temperature of 1,400 °C (2,550 °F)?
  • ... that the dugong is more closely related to the elephant than to other sea creatures?
  • ... that Abraham Lincoln (the 16th president of the United States of America) became president even though he received almost no votes from the Southern States?
  • ... that Martin Van Buren (the eighth president of the United States of America) was the first president to be born as a U.S. citizen, rather than as a British citizen?
  • ... that the rose flower is linked to three Roman gods: Venus, Cupid and Bacchus?

    08:26, 28 February 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that John F. Kennedy (the 35th President of the United States of America; pictured) is the only president to win the Pulitzer Prize?
  • ... that some octopuses can become red when they are angry?
  • ... that Richard Nixon is the only President of the United States of America to have resigned from the office?
  • ... that the 27th president of the United States of America), William Howard Taft started the tradition of the president pitching the first ball of a new baseball season in America?
  • ... that Protea, the national flower of South Africa, can grow only after a fire?

    07:49, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the Lyside Sulphur, Kricogonia lyside, (pictured) can grow from egg to adult in as little as 13 days?
  • ... that Woodrow Wilson (the 28th president of the United States of America) helped to form the League of Nations in 1920 (which was a similar organization to the United Nations)?
  • ... that sand dollars are animals related to the sea urchin?
  • ... that there are ten different designs of eyes known to exist in nature?
  • ... that the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation was started in 1985 to protest what they believed were unfair newspaper reports after the start of the AIDS epidemic?

    23:55, 10 March 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that 50 to 100 lightning bolts ((pictured) strike the Earth every second?
  • ... that the Matthew Shepard Act is the first act passed by Congress to give protection under the law to people that are transgender?
  • ... that Thomas Jefferson (the third president of the United States of America) started the University of Virginia?
  • ... that the singer Daniel Johnston gave away free copies of his music to people he met when he first started making music?
  • ... that when French student Ophélie Bretnacher disappeared in 2008, President Nicholas Sarkozy of France wrote about her in his blog?

    00:11, 16 March 2010 (UTC)

  • .. .that the sea star's (pictured) stomach comes out of its mouth when it eats its prey?
  • ... that Clara Barton, founder of the Red Cross, knew how to read before she was three years old?
  • ... that purple is a royal color because it first came from very costly shellfish?
  • ... that first season American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson wanted to be a marine biologist until she saw the film Jaws?
  • ... that the plant Gypsophila paniculata can cause minor skin irritation that only lasts for a few minutes?

    07:49, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the adult Luna Moth, Actias luna, (pictured) does not have a mouth and cannot eat?
  • ... that a photograph of Che Guevara has been called the most famous in the world?
  • ... that the temperature inside the nest of a saltwater crocodile determines whether the baby crocodiles will be male or female?
  • ... that the kilogram is now the only metric unit which is defined by referring to an object?
  • ... that Sudan has more land than any other country in Africa?

    12:56, 26 March 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that it is thought that writer Frances Burney (pictured) had a form of dyslexia?
  • ... that chess is an important national pastime in Russia?
  • ... that the hagfish has four hearts and two brains, vomits slime, and can tie itself into a knot?
  • ... that the 1910 Cuba hurricane was first thought to be two hurricanes?
  • ... that Bobby Dodd is one of only three people to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach?

    17:06, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that when Davy Crockett (pictured) was a child, he ran away from home so his father would not punish him for skipping school?
  • ... that the oldest known description of a surgical treatment of cancer is dated to about 1600 BC?
  • ... that Magnus Carlsen, at 19, is the youngest chess player to be ranked first in the world?
  • ... that the New York Yankees have won 27 World Series championships, the most of any team in Major League Baseball?
  • ... that phosgene, which was the cause of many deaths by poison gas in the First World War, is still used in chemistry today?

    08:09, 6 April 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that after he burnt Joan of Arc (pictured), executioner Geoffroy Therage said that he "...greatly feared to be damned"?
  • ... that when you have a nosebleed, it is better to tilt your head forward than backwards?
  • ... that Rise Against was first formed with the name "Transistor Revolt"?
  • ... that every year, about 25,000 people look for medical help because of painful bites from fire ants?
  • ... that butterflies do not see as many colors as humans?

    16:06, 13 April 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Alexander Alekhine (pictured) was the only World Chess Champion to die holding the title?
  • ... that castoreum was thought by the Romans to cause an abortion?
  • ... that the word pornography is a combination of the Greek words for prostitute and writing?
  • ... that since 1815, Switzerland, a neutral country, has not taken sides in wars?
  • ... that at the time it was built, MesseTurm was the tallest building in Europe?

    09:53, 18 April 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the traffic sign of Fucking, Austria (pictured) is often stolen by people?
  • ... that John Brown believed in using violence to end slavery, and was hanged for it?
  • ... that in the Japanese American internment during World War II, over 100,000 Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes?
  • ... that Tim McIlrath is known to support animal rights and often helps PETA with his band, Rise Against?
  • ... that South Africa has three capital cities for different purposes?

    15:59, 23 April 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the American Robin (pictured) used to be killed for its meat?
  • ... that when Barnes discovered the Irukandji jellyfish, he tested its sting on himself, his son, and a lifeguard, and they all had to be taken to the hospital?
  • ... that the scent of the rose comes from tiny perfume glands on the petals?
  • ... that Charles Dickens' first published book, Sketches by Boz, was published in 1936?
  • ... that the members of the band Muse won a Battle of the Bands in 1994 although they broke their instruments?

    15:38, 29 April 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Antarctica (picture)) is considered a desert?
  • ... that Ludwig van Beethoven claimed that he did not commit suicide because he had so much music in his head that he wanted to write down?
  • ... a Portuguese Man o' War is a colony of four kinds of individual animals?
  • ... that Anne of Austria gave birth to Louis XIV while the court watched?
  • ... that the birth certificate of Martin Luther King, Jr. had the name "Michael" instead of "Martin"?

    16:52, 5 May 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that Catherine Howard (pictured) practised putting her head on the executioner's block the night before her head was cut off?
  • ... that Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize?
  • ... that in his sophomore year of high school, Michael Jordan was not chosen for his school's main basketball team?
  • ... that baking became so popular during the Roman Empire that someone who could think of a new kind of pastry was given an award?
  • ... that Stephens City, Virginia was ordered to be burned by Union forces during the Civil War, but was saved because a Union Major disobeyed that order?

    08:15, 13 May 2010 (UTC)

  • ... that the albatross (pictured) can walk on land, unlike most sea birds?
  • ... that even though it is an illegal drug in many countries, small amounts of GHB are present in the human central nervous system all the time?
  • ... that according to recent research, doenjang contains several ingredients that stop mutagens in mutations from happening?
  • ... that the Irish became so dependent on the potato that when the crop failed in 1845 it resulted in a famine?
  • ... that the warmer milk becomes, the faster it becomes sour?