Page 281 – Today I Found Out

The Statue of William Shakespeare in Central Park was Paid for from Funds Donated from a John Wilkes Booth Performance of Julius Caesar

May 11, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## The three brothers John Wilkes, Junius Brutus (Jr.), and Edwin Booth, all critically acclaimed actors of their day, only once all three appeared in the same play together. That was in a portrayal of Julius Caesar in 1864, with John Wilkes playing Marc Antony; Junius taking the roll of Cassius; and Edwin playing Brutus. The funds from the above […]

Quick Facts

The Name “Ewok” was Never Actually Spoken in Return of the Jedi

May 11, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## The word “ewok” was never spoken in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. It did, however, appear in the credits. The name “Ewok” itself was inspired by Miwok Native American tribe. The Miwok tribe is native to the Redwood forest where most of the Endor scenes were filmed. Source

Quick Facts

There is a Protozoa that has Seven Sexes

May 10, 2011 Julia

Today I found out that there is a protozoa that has seven sexes. This organism is known as Tetrahymena thermophila. They are species of ciliate protozoa, common in fresh-water. They are also known for being widely used in genetic and cytological research as model organisms. The seven sexes of Tetrahymena thermophila are somewhat uninventively named I, II, III, IV, V, […]

10 Facts About Worms

May 7, 2011 Noreen

Embed This Infographic Source: Today I Found Out

The “Luckiest” Building in Silicon Valley

May 5, 2011 Julia

Today I found out that 165 University Avenue, Palo Alto, California is generally considered the “luckiest” building in Silicon Valley to rent as a startup company. Located near Stanford University, 165 University Avenue has seen a surprising number of highly successful startups come through its doors in very recent history. The first famous tenant was Logitech, a now world famous […]

Babies Remember Music Heard In the Womb for Up to a Year

May 5, 2011 Julia

Today I found out that babies are able to remember melodies they hear while inside the womb for up to a year. Recent research at the University of Leicester demonstrated that babies showed a significant preference for melodies played for them frequently during the last few months they were in the womb. Preferences for a familiar melody were shown by […]

The World’s Largest Item On A Menu Is Camel Stuffed with Lamb which has Been Stuffed with Chickens which has Been Stuffed with Fish or Eggs

May 4, 2011 Julia

Today I found out that the largest item on a menu in the world is whole camel which is often stuffed with a lamb which has been stuffed with chickens which has been stuffed with fish or eggs; the whole lot also tends to have rice and other fixings mixed in at each stuffing stage. As you might expect, cooking […]

Why Bathing Was Uncommon in Medieval Europe

May 3, 2011 Julia

Mark R. asks: Why didn’t people in the middle ages ever bathe? To begin with, it is something of a common misconception to say people never bathed in the Middle Ages (or centuries around it). In fact, in some regions, bathing regularly (in some form or other) wasn’t really all that different than today. And even in regions where it […]

Newborn Babies Will Cry Without Tears Until They are Several Weeks Old

May 3, 2011 Julia

Today I found out newborn babies cry without tears until they are several weeks old. Newborn babies are incapable of producing actual tears because their tear ducts haven’t fully formed yet. In many cases, their underdeveloped tear ducts can also be clogged with amniotic fluid for a time after birth. Every baby is born with basal tearing, which means that […]

Where the Word “Echo” Comes From

April 30, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Echo Related Facts The word “echo”, as we use it, comes from Greek mythology. Echo was a Nymph whose job it was to talk to Hera constantly while Zeus was having affairs, thus distracting Hera. When Hera found out, she cursed Echo to only be able to repeat what someone […]

Quick Facts

The Pyramids of Giza Were Originally White

April 29, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out the pyramids of Giza were originally white. When the pyramids were originally finished, they were plated in and outer layer of white “casing stones”. These casing stones were cut with astounding precision to give a smooth slope to the pyramids, unlike how they appear today with the outer stones more or less forming very large “steps”. […]

The Energy Required to Stop the Earth Orbiting the Sun

April 29, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Earth and Sun Facts The energy required to stop the Earth orbiting the sun is about 2.6478 × 10^33 joules or 7.3551 × 10^29 watt hours or 6.3285*10^17 megatons of TNT. For reference, the largest nuclear explosion ever detonated (the Tsar Bomba by the Soviet Union) “only” produced 50 megatons […]

Quick Facts

In 1899 Ninety Percent of New York City’s Taxi Cabs Were Electric Vehicles

April 28, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out in 1899 ninety percent of New York City’s taxi cabs were electric vehicles. This fleet of electric cars was built by the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of Philadelphia. Not only that, but in 1899 and 1900, electric cars outsold all other types of cars, such as gas and steam powered vehicles. In 1902 an electric […]

Ben Franklin Developed a List of 13 Virtues That He Lived His Life By

April 28, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out that Benjamin Franklin, through extensive study of the world’s major religions and various moral codes, came up with a list of thirteen main virtues that he felt every person should strive to live their life by. As such, he himself attempted to always live by this code and developed charts with which he charted his progress […]

How Einstein Got His Wife to Agree to Divorce Him

April 28, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Einstein Facts Einstein got his wife to agree to divorce him by offering her the money he would hopefully some day receive if he ever won a Nobel Prize for one or more of his papers he wrote in 1905 (no lack of confidence there) 🙂 . Apparently, she must […]

Quick Facts

Hunting Bison Without Guns or Horses

April 27, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Bison Facts Before horses and guns were introduced to Native Americans, hunting bison was a dangerous affair, the bison being quite aggressive and hard to kill. One of the methods of hunting them that the Native Americans would then use was to attempt to herd a large group of bison […]

Quick Facts

Why Cockroaches and Insects are Resistant to Radiation

April 27, 2011 Daven Hiskey

##EMBED## Click Here for Sources and to Learn More Interesting Cockroach Facts The primary reason cockroaches and many types of insects are so resistant to ionizing radiation is that their cells don’t divide that much between molting cycles. Cells are most susceptible to damage by ionizing radiation when they are dividing. Given that a typical cockroach only molts about once […]

Quick Facts

Killer Whales Are Actually Dolphins

April 26, 2011 Daven Hiskey

Today I found out “Killer Whales”, or Orcas, are actually dolphins. In fact, they are the largest member of the dolphin family, Delphinidae. Now strictly speaking, whales are marine animals of the order of Cetacea and occasionally Cetacea is used to refer to not just whales, but also porpoises and dolphins. However, it generally excludes these latter mariner animals, which […]

« 1 … 279 280 281 282 283 … 308 »

	Daily Knowledge
	Weekly Wrap