Nitrous oxide (N2O) or laughing gas as it is commonly known was first synthesized by Joseph Priestley in 1772. At room temperature, it is a colorless non-flammable gas, with a slight metallic scent and taste. Nitrous oxide has significant medical uses, especially in surgery and dentistry, for its anesthetic and pain reducing effects. Its name "laughing gas", coined by Humphry Davy, is due to the euphoric effects upon inhaling it. Inhalation of nitrous oxide is used frequently to relieve pain associated with childbirth, trauma, and oral surgery.
There are two cities in the United States named Kansas City. Kansas City, Missouri was incorporated in 1852, and Kansas City, Kansas was incorporated 20 years later. Neither one of them is a state capital. Although Kansas City is the most populated city in the state of Missouri, it is not the state capital. Instead, Jefferson City is the capital of Missouri. Jefferson City is named for Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States. Carson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada, and Salt Lake City is the capital of Utah.
The Apollo Theater is a music hall located at 253 West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It is a noted venue for African-American performers, and is the home of Showtime at the Apollo, a nationally syndicated television variety show which showcased new talent, from 1987 to 2008. The theater, which has a capacity of 1,506, opened in 1914 as Hurtig & Seamon's New Burlesque Theater. It became the Apollo in 1934, when it was opened to black patrons – previously it had been a whites-only venue. The building was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1983.
One World Trade Center is the main building of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan, New York City. One WTC is the tallest building in the United States, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, and the sixth-tallest in the world. The supertall structure has the same name as the North Tower of the original World Trade Center, which was destroyed in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The new skyscraper stands at a total height of 1,776 feet. Its height in feet is a deliberate reference to the year when the United States Declaration of Independence was signed.
Thanks to Dogs Playing Poker, painter Cassius Marcellus Coolidge (a.k.a. C.M. Coolidge) has earned the distinction of being called "the most famous American artist you’ve never heard of." Dogs Playing Poker refers to not just one painting, but a series of 18! The series includes the artist’s original Poker Game (1894) painting, along with 16 other oil paintings commissioned in 1903 to advertise cigars, and an additional 1910 painting. All 18 paintings in the series feature anthropomorphized dogs, but the eleven in which dogs are seated around a card table have become well known as examples of kitsch art in home decoration.
The master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock's psychological horror-thriller
film Psycho terrified audiences in 1960. It opened in theatres amidst
great secrecy, and instructions that no patrons would be admitted once
the film started. It served as the "mother" of all modern horror
suspense films, shocking audiences with its infamous 45-second “shower
scene”. It was also the first American film ever to show a toilet
flushing on screen. No flushing toilet had appeared in film and
television in the United States at that time. Psycho is now considered
one of Hitchcock's best films and praised as a major work of cinematic
art.
The Chicago Golf Club is the oldest 18-hole course in the United States.
The course was originally only nine holes, but it was increased to 18
in 1893. All 18 holes, sadly, are no longer accessible. The Chicago
Golf Club is now known as Downers Grove Golf Club, and only 9 of the 18
holes are operated. Although some minor changes were made to the course
over the years, holes 2, 4, 7, 8, and 9 still maintain their original
design integrity. Chicago Golf Club is ranked the fifth-most exclusive
in the world. There are only 120 members and it will never exceed this
amount, the only way to get in is by invitation from a member.
"Read my lips: no new taxes" was a pledge spoken by presidential
candidate George H. W. Bush at the 1988 Republican National Convention
as he accepted his party's nomination. The impact of the election
promise was considerable, and many supporters of Bush believe it helped
him win the presidential election. As presidents sometimes must, Bush
raised taxes. His words were used against him by then-Arkansas Governor
Bill Clinton in a devastating attack ad during the 1992 presidential
campaign. Bush lost his bid for re-election to Clinton.
When George H.W. Bush got his wings in World War II, he was the youngest
pilot in the United States Navy. He enlisted on his 18th birthday and
eventually flew fifty-eight combat missions. On one mission over the
Pacific, he was shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft fire and rescued by a
U.S. submarine. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his
bravery. George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States, who
lived longer than any of his predecessors and possessed one of the most
impressive resumes in American political history, died yesterday at the
age of 94.
Elsie the Cow is a cartoon cow developed as a mascot for the Borden
Dairy Company in 1936 to symbolize the "perfect dairy product". Named
one of the Top 10 Advertising Icons of the 20th Century by Ad Age in
2000, Elsie the Cow has been among the most recognizable product logos
in the United States. During her heyday, Elsie led the Rose Bowl parade,
raised $1.6 million for World War II bonds, and collected keys to more
than 600 cities. Elsie has a fictional, cartoon mate, Elmer the Bull,
who was created in 1940 and lent to Borden's then chemical-division as
the mascot for Elmer's Glue.
Willie Howard Mays, nicknamed "The Say Hey Kid", is a former Major
League Baseball center fielder who spent almost all of his 22-season
career playing for the New York/San Francisco Giants, before finishing
with the New York Mets. Mays won two National League Most Valuable
Player awards, and ended his career with 660 home runs—currently fifth
all-time. During the 1954 World Series, Mays made an over-the-shoulder
catch that is considered one of the most memorable moments in baseball
history.
Thursday, December 27, 2018
Daily Trivia IV
On Sept. 21, 1984, CBS opened up the first American compact disc pressing plant in Terre Haute, Indiana. The first disc to come off the production line was Bruce Springsteen‘s Born in the U.S.A., which had been released three months earlier. Born in the U.S.A proved to be one of the best-selling albums of all time. It was promoted with a worldwide concert tour and seven singles that became top-10 hits: "Dancing in the Dark", "Cover Me", "Born in the U.S.A.", I'm on Fire", "Glory Days", "I'm Goin' Down", and "My Hometown".
Frank Sinatra Jr. was kidnapped at the age of 19 at Harrah’s Casino in Lake Tahoe. He was released on this day in 1963 after his father paid the $240,000 ransom demanded by the kidnappers. The kidnappers demanded that all communication be conducted by payphone. During these conversations, Frank Sr. became concerned he would not have enough coins, which prompted him to carry 10 dimes with him at all times for the rest of his life; he was even buried with 10 dimes in his pocket. A rumor at the time was that Frank Jr. orchestrated the abduction as a publicity stunt, however this was proven to be false.
On this day in 2007, NFL star Michael Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for bankrolling a dogfighting operation and killing dogs that underperformed. Michael Vick was the quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons football team when authorities raided a property owned by the football star. The raid unveiled an entrenched dog-fighting scene that included a number of injured animals. The case drew widespread publicity to the issues of animal abuse and dog fighting. Vick was sentenced to 23 months in prison for running a "cruel and inhumane" dog fighting ring.
Cheesehead is a nickname in the United States for a person from Wisconsin or for a fan of the Green Bay Packers NFL football franchise. The use of the term "cheesehead" as a derogatory word for Wisconsinites originated with Illinois football and baseball fans to refer to opposing Wisconsin sports fans. The term, however, was quickly embraced by Wisconsinites and is now a point of pride. The "Cheesehead" trademark is owned by Foamation, Inc. of St. Francis, Wisconsin, which began manufacture of the wearable, foam "Cheesehead" in 1987.
After John Lennon married Yoko Ono in 1969, he formally changed his middle name. Lennon updated his middle name by deed poll from Winston to “Ono”, during a brief ceremony on the roof of the Apple Corps building in London. Lennon had never liked his middle name, which had been given to him during a bout of wartime patriotism. Although he used the name John Ono Lennon thereafter, official documents referred to him as John Winston Ono Lennon, since UK law dictates that a person is unable to fully revoke a name given at birth.
Mark David Chapman shot John Lennon outside The Dakota apartment building in New York City on this day in 1980. Chapman fired five times at Lennon, hitting him four times in the back and later sat down on a nearby curb reading J. D. Salinger's novel The Catcher in the Rye until he was arrested by the police. He has repeatedly said that the novel was his statement. After being taken into custody, Chapman told officers, “I’m sure the large part of me is Holden Caulfield, who is the main person in the book. The small part of me must be the Devil.”
On this day in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was unanimously ratified in Delaware by all 30 delegates to the Delaware Constitutional Convention, making Delaware the first official state of the modern United States. The Constitution was sent to the states for ratification, and, by the terms of the document, the Constitution would become binding once nine of the former 13 colonies had ratified the document. Delaware led the process, and on June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the Constitution, making it the supreme law of the land. Source: NetState.com
The USS Arizona Memorial, at Pearl Harbor marks the resting place of 1,102 of the 1,177 sailors and Marines killed on USS Arizona during the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and commemorates the events of that day. Today, thousands flock to the oblong floating memorial in Oahu, situated directly above the hull of the sunken battleship, to honor and pay tribute to the fallen and remember the events of that fateful day. The memorial, built in 1962, is visited by more than two million people annually.
Did you know that Montana is often called Big Sky Country? The nickname is a reference to the unobstructed skyline in the state that seems to overwhelm the landscape at times. The name came from a book by Alfred Bertram Guthrie Jr. titled “Big Sky”. Mr. Guthrie gave the Montana Highway Department permission to use the name and Montana has been "Big Sky Country" ever since. The nickname "Big Sky Country" appeared on Montana license plates from 1967 to 1975. This was shortened to "Big Sky" on license plates stamped from 1976 to 2000.
Tarzan is one of the best-known figures of popular fiction, and the hero of jungle adventures in nearly 30 novels and dozens of motion pictures. Tarzan was the creation of novelist Edgar Rice Burroughs, and first appeared in a magazine story in 1912. His popularity led to the publication of a novel, Tarzan of the Apes (1914), and to a series of successful sequels. Tarzan is abandoned in the jungles of Africa, where he is adopted and raised by a tribe of great apes. Tarzan is his ape name (meaning "White-Skin"); his English name is John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke.
Daily Trivia III
Located on the east coast of the USA, New Jersey is considered the most densely populated of the 50 U.S. states. New Jersey has been the birthplace of countless celebrities. It also has been the place where the rich and famous have settled down to raise a family or avoid the limelight. We all know Bruce Springsteen and Frank Sinatra were Jersey boys. However you may not know that Jon Bon Jovi, Shaquille O'Neal, Whitney Houston, Meryl Streep, John Travolta, Kelly Ripa, and Bruce Willis are also from the Garden State.
On this day in 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. Amundsen had planned to be the first man to the North Pole, however when he heard that Robert Peary already reached the North Pole, he decided to pursue the South Pole. Amundsen arrived at the South Pole five weeks ahead of a British party led by Robert Falcon Scott. While Amundsen and his team returned home to a hero's welcome, Scott and his team died on their way back from the pole, frozen in their sleeping bags.
Jaguar’s business was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing automobiles. Under the ownership of S. S. Cars Limited, the business extended to complete cars made in association with Standard Motor Co. many bearing Jaguar as a model name. Its first use of the name Jaguar was on a 1936 model called the S.S. Jaguar - the S.S. was for Swallow Sidecar. After the Second World War, due to the unfavorable connotations of the SS initials, the company was renamed Jaguar Cars Ltd in 1945.
After spending nine months on the run, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured on this day in 2003. U.S. soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a six foot deep hole, nine miles outside his hometown of Tikrit. Inside the small, six-foot bunker sat a dirty, scruffy Saddam Hussein, holding a Glock pistol. Along with the pistol, Hussein had two pairs of boxer shorts, a package of socks, some candy bars, and a briefcase containing $750,000 in one-hundred dollar bills. He did not resist and was uninjured during the arrest. Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging on December 30, 2006.
Barry Goldwater was an American politician best known as a senator from Arizona and the Republican candidate for president in 1964. Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign looked to the Periodic Table of elements for the now iconic campaign graphic (AU = gold and H2O = water). The campaign against Goldwater produced the "Daisy ad," one of the most famous political advertisements in American history, which presented nuclear war as a clear consequence of voting Republican in 1964. Goldwater lost the 1964 campaign for the presidency to Lyndon B. Johnson in unprecedented landslide.
Orville Redenbacher is most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name. The New York Times described him as "the agricultural visionary who all but single-handedly revolutionized the American popcorn industry." Redenbacher attended Purdue University, where he studied agronomy. Students at Purdue University are eligible to apply for Orville Redenbacher’s “Top of the Crop” Scholarship. The scholarship is open to juniors and seniors in the departments of agronomy, food science, agricultural/ biological engineering or agricultural economics.
Tommy Lee Jones was placed in a dorm known as Mower B-12 as a freshmen in college. As a matter of sheer coincidence future Vice President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore was housed right across the hall from Jones. The two young men struck up a friendship that would go on to last a lifetime. As upperclassmen at Harvard the two close friends chose to live together as roommates. Jones presented the nominating speech for Al Gore, the Democratic Party’s U.S. presidential nominee, at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
The ending of Casablanca might be the most quotable few minutes of all cinema. As Rick (Humphrey Bogart) prepares to say goodbye to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), we get to experience "You'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life"; "We'll always have Paris"; and, finally, "Here's looking at you, kid". Amazingly, this line was originally in the script as "Here's good luck to you, kid." Supposedly, Bogart changed the line during the filming of the movie. "Here's looking at you, kid" was voted the fifth most memorable line in cinema according to the American Film Institute.
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1931, the building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of New York, which is of unknown origin. As of 2017 the building is the 5th-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and the 28th-tallest in the world. It is also the 6th-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.
On this day in 1911, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen became the first explorer to reach the South Pole, beating his British rival, Robert Falcon Scott. Amundsen had planned to be the first man to the North Pole, however when he heard that Robert Peary already reached the North Pole, he decided to pursue the South Pole. Amundsen arrived at the South Pole five weeks ahead of a British party led by Robert Falcon Scott. While Amundsen and his team returned home to a hero's welcome, Scott and his team died on their way back from the pole, frozen in their sleeping bags.
Jaguar’s business was founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, originally making motorcycle sidecars before developing automobiles. Under the ownership of S. S. Cars Limited, the business extended to complete cars made in association with Standard Motor Co. many bearing Jaguar as a model name. Its first use of the name Jaguar was on a 1936 model called the S.S. Jaguar - the S.S. was for Swallow Sidecar. After the Second World War, due to the unfavorable connotations of the SS initials, the company was renamed Jaguar Cars Ltd in 1945.
After spending nine months on the run, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured on this day in 2003. U.S. soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a six foot deep hole, nine miles outside his hometown of Tikrit. Inside the small, six-foot bunker sat a dirty, scruffy Saddam Hussein, holding a Glock pistol. Along with the pistol, Hussein had two pairs of boxer shorts, a package of socks, some candy bars, and a briefcase containing $750,000 in one-hundred dollar bills. He did not resist and was uninjured during the arrest. Saddam Hussein was executed by hanging on December 30, 2006.
Barry Goldwater was an American politician best known as a senator from Arizona and the Republican candidate for president in 1964. Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign looked to the Periodic Table of elements for the now iconic campaign graphic (AU = gold and H2O = water). The campaign against Goldwater produced the "Daisy ad," one of the most famous political advertisements in American history, which presented nuclear war as a clear consequence of voting Republican in 1964. Goldwater lost the 1964 campaign for the presidency to Lyndon B. Johnson in unprecedented landslide.
Orville Redenbacher is most often associated with the brand of popcorn that bears his name. The New York Times described him as "the agricultural visionary who all but single-handedly revolutionized the American popcorn industry." Redenbacher attended Purdue University, where he studied agronomy. Students at Purdue University are eligible to apply for Orville Redenbacher’s “Top of the Crop” Scholarship. The scholarship is open to juniors and seniors in the departments of agronomy, food science, agricultural/ biological engineering or agricultural economics.
Tommy Lee Jones was placed in a dorm known as Mower B-12 as a freshmen in college. As a matter of sheer coincidence future Vice President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize winner Al Gore was housed right across the hall from Jones. The two young men struck up a friendship that would go on to last a lifetime. As upperclassmen at Harvard the two close friends chose to live together as roommates. Jones presented the nominating speech for Al Gore, the Democratic Party’s U.S. presidential nominee, at the 2000 Democratic National Convention.
The ending of Casablanca might be the most quotable few minutes of all cinema. As Rick (Humphrey Bogart) prepares to say goodbye to Ilsa (Ingrid Bergman), we get to experience "You'll regret it. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, and for the rest of your life"; "We'll always have Paris"; and, finally, "Here's looking at you, kid". Amazingly, this line was originally in the script as "Here's good luck to you, kid." Supposedly, Bogart changed the line during the filming of the movie. "Here's looking at you, kid" was voted the fifth most memorable line in cinema according to the American Film Institute.
The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. Designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and completed in 1931, the building has a roof height of 1,250 feet (380 m) and stands a total of 1,454 feet (443.2 m) tall, including its antenna. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of New York, which is of unknown origin. As of 2017 the building is the 5th-tallest completed skyscraper in the United States and the 28th-tallest in the world. It is also the 6th-tallest freestanding structure in the Americas.
The site of the Empire State Building, located on the west side of Fifth Avenue between West 33rd and 34th Streets, was originally part of an early 18th century farm. In the late 1820s, it came into the possession of the prominent Astor family, with John Jacob Astor's descendants building the Waldorf–Astoria Hotel on the site in the 1890s. The hotel remained in operation until the late 1920s, when it was sold to the Bethlehem Engineering Corporation in 1928 for an estimated $20m. Following this sale, the property changed hands once more, coming under the ownership of Empire State Inc., a business venture that included famous businessman and former General Motors executive, John J. Raskob, members of the du Pont family, and former New York governor Al Smith, who was tasked with heading the corporation.[15] The original design of the Empire State Building was for a 50-story office building. However, after fifteen revisions, the final design was for an 86-story 1,250-foot building, with an airship mast on top. This ensured it would be the world's tallest building, beating the Chrysler Building and 40 Wall Street, two other Manhattan skyscrapers under construction at the time that were also vying for that distinction.
Daily Trivia II
Clifford the Big Red Dog was an educational animated children's television series, based upon Norman Bridwell's children's book series of the same name. So who was the voice of the adorable Big Red Dog? You probably know him best from his starring role on Three's Company. John Ritter was the voice of Clifford in all 65 episodes of the television series. The late actor brought the iconic children's book character to life in this PBS Kids adaptation right up until his untimely passing in 2003. Ritter received several Emmy nominations for his voice work on the show.
Stuart Sutcliffe was a Scottish-born painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist for the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a painter, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art. Sutcliffe and John Lennon are credited with inventing the name "Beetles", as they both liked Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. The band used this name for a while until Lennon decided to change the name to "The Beatles". As a member of the group when it was a five-piece band, Sutcliffe is one of several people sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Beatle."
Everyone has to start somewhere and many famous and successful women got their start by working at Hooters. The Hooters restaurant chain is known for its wings, beer, and curvaceous waitresses. Who is the most famous person that worked at Hooters? That would probably be five time Academy Award nominated actress Amy Adams. In an interview, Amy Adams said "it was a great job out of high school and I was a hostess at first, and then I waited tables for a while, and it was great. It was a great way for me to earn money for college."
Angelina Jolie is a famous actress with a serious love for tattoos. Among her estimated 20 tattoos is a 12-inch long Bengal Tiger tattoo on her lower back. It was done in Bangkok in 2004, during a 2 hour session by tattoo artist Sompong Kanhphai who also blessed it by chanting an ancient hymn. This tattoo was chosen to celebrate her Cambodian citizenship and was made in traditional Thai style using a manual needle. The tattoo was designed to match the existing Cambodian tattoo Jolie had on her left shoulder blade, which she got when she adopted her son Maddox in Cambodia.
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. Amstel beer is named after the river. The Amstel brewery was founded in 1870 on the banks of the river, and the clean river water was used to produce the beer. The brewery diverted water into its factory complex to chill its stock and in winter scavenged ice from the river for refrigeration. The ice was then crushed and stuffed into insulated cellars that contained Amstel’s beer. The river's name is derived from Aeme-stelle, old Dutch for "water-area”, namely, an area abounding with water.
The Africanized bee is a hybrid species of the Western honey bee. These so-called “killer” bees were accidentally introduced into the wild by Brazilian scientists in 1956. The scientists were attempting to create a new hybrid bee in the hopes of improving honey production, when 26 swarms escaped quarantine and began to dominate the native honey bee. Africanized honey bees have been known to chase people for more than a quarter of a mile once they get excited and aggressive. They have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving ten times more stings than the average honey bee.
The Baltimore oriole is the state bird of Maryland. It is also the inspiration for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. Maryland designated the Baltimore oriole as the official state bird in 1947. Baltimore Orioles are medium-sized, sturdy-bodied songbirds with thick necks and long legs. It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. The female Baltimore oriole's feathers are brownish-olive and dull orange, but the male's plumage is black and a brilliant golden-orange, similar to colors in the Calvert shield, which is seen on Maryland's state seal and state flag.
During the 1970s, Barry Manilow wrote and sang some of the catchiest jingles in history. While many of his jingles were written in the 1970s, some of the tunes have become so identifiable with the product that they’re still being used today. The State Farm jingle ("Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there") was written by songwriter Barry Manilow in 1971. “They paid me $500 for that jingle,” Manilow said joking that “the girl who sang it is on her third Rolls-Royce for now.” “You don’t get residuals if you write it, so they just buy you out,” he added. “At that point, $500 meant a lot of money — I was grateful to have it.”
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts that took place on the night of December 16, 1773. The demonstrators, some disguised as Mohawk Indians, in defiance of the Tea Act of 1773, destroyed an entire shipment of tea owned by the East India Company. They boarded three British tea ships and threw 342 chests of their tea into Boston Harbor. The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution. The Tea Party became an iconic event of American history.
Stuart Sutcliffe was a Scottish-born painter and musician best known as the original bass guitarist for the Beatles. Sutcliffe left the band to pursue his career as a painter, having previously attended the Liverpool College of Art. Sutcliffe and John Lennon are credited with inventing the name "Beetles", as they both liked Buddy Holly's band, the Crickets. The band used this name for a while until Lennon decided to change the name to "The Beatles". As a member of the group when it was a five-piece band, Sutcliffe is one of several people sometimes referred to as the "Fifth Beatle."
Everyone has to start somewhere and many famous and successful women got their start by working at Hooters. The Hooters restaurant chain is known for its wings, beer, and curvaceous waitresses. Who is the most famous person that worked at Hooters? That would probably be five time Academy Award nominated actress Amy Adams. In an interview, Amy Adams said "it was a great job out of high school and I was a hostess at first, and then I waited tables for a while, and it was great. It was a great way for me to earn money for college."
Angelina Jolie is a famous actress with a serious love for tattoos. Among her estimated 20 tattoos is a 12-inch long Bengal Tiger tattoo on her lower back. It was done in Bangkok in 2004, during a 2 hour session by tattoo artist Sompong Kanhphai who also blessed it by chanting an ancient hymn. This tattoo was chosen to celebrate her Cambodian citizenship and was made in traditional Thai style using a manual needle. The tattoo was designed to match the existing Cambodian tattoo Jolie had on her left shoulder blade, which she got when she adopted her son Maddox in Cambodia.
The Amstel is a river in the Netherlands which runs through the city of Amsterdam. Amstel beer is named after the river. The Amstel brewery was founded in 1870 on the banks of the river, and the clean river water was used to produce the beer. The brewery diverted water into its factory complex to chill its stock and in winter scavenged ice from the river for refrigeration. The ice was then crushed and stuffed into insulated cellars that contained Amstel’s beer. The river's name is derived from Aeme-stelle, old Dutch for "water-area”, namely, an area abounding with water.
The Africanized bee is a hybrid species of the Western honey bee. These so-called “killer” bees were accidentally introduced into the wild by Brazilian scientists in 1956. The scientists were attempting to create a new hybrid bee in the hopes of improving honey production, when 26 swarms escaped quarantine and began to dominate the native honey bee. Africanized honey bees have been known to chase people for more than a quarter of a mile once they get excited and aggressive. They have killed some 1,000 humans, with victims receiving ten times more stings than the average honey bee.
The Baltimore oriole is the state bird of Maryland. It is also the inspiration for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team. Maryland designated the Baltimore oriole as the official state bird in 1947. Baltimore Orioles are medium-sized, sturdy-bodied songbirds with thick necks and long legs. It received its name from the resemblance of the male's colors to those on the coat-of-arms of Lord Baltimore. The female Baltimore oriole's feathers are brownish-olive and dull orange, but the male's plumage is black and a brilliant golden-orange, similar to colors in the Calvert shield, which is seen on Maryland's state seal and state flag.
During the 1970s, Barry Manilow wrote and sang some of the catchiest jingles in history. While many of his jingles were written in the 1970s, some of the tunes have become so identifiable with the product that they’re still being used today. The State Farm jingle ("Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there") was written by songwriter Barry Manilow in 1971. “They paid me $500 for that jingle,” Manilow said joking that “the girl who sang it is on her third Rolls-Royce for now.” “You don’t get residuals if you write it, so they just buy you out,” he added. “At that point, $500 meant a lot of money — I was grateful to have it.”
The Boston Tea Party was a political protest by the Sons of Liberty in Boston, Massachusetts that took place on the night of December 16, 1773. The demonstrators, some disguised as Mohawk Indians, in defiance of the Tea Act of 1773, destroyed an entire shipment of tea owned by the East India Company. They boarded three British tea ships and threw 342 chests of their tea into Boston Harbor. The British government responded harshly and the episode escalated into the American Revolution. The Tea Party became an iconic event of American history.
Daily Trivia
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 science fiction film produced and directed by Steven Spielberg. It tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends an extraterrestrial, dubbed "E.T.", who is stranded on Earth. The concept was based on an imaginary friend Spielberg created after his parents' divorce in 1960. Spielberg’s masterpiece was the highest grossing film of the 1980s bring in a whopping $435 million. E.T. even surpassed Star Wars to become the highest-grossing film of all time—a record it held for eleven years until Jurassic Park, another Spielberg-directed film, surpassed it in 1993.
Everyone has the image of Santa Claus flying through the night on a sleigh driven by nine reindeer, but the picture of what Santa rides on in Finland is quite different. He does begin in his sleigh; however, at some point during the night, he stops his travels, parks his sleigh, and hops on another form of transportation. In Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh and climbs aboard a goat named Ukko! This tidbit of information might seen quite surprising to you, but if you lived in Finland, it would just be the norm. Finnish folklore has it that Ukko is made of straw, but is strong enough to carry Santa Claus anyway.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of the Christmas holiday. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” carried a beautiful message close to people in all walks of life. It became a popular Christmas carol, “a song high above the tree, with a voice as big as the sea.” It s sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artists.
In one of the most famous and decisive moments of the American Revolution, General George Washington led his army across the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey in a logistically challenging and dangerous operation. On the evening of December 25, 1776, they captured 1,000 Hessian soldiers in a surprise attack that raised morale in Washington's troops and turned the tide of the war. The unconventional attack came after several months of substantial defeats for Washington’s army that had resulted in the loss of New York City and other strategic points in the region.
There is no Candy Cane, Alaska. But there should be! There are actually several places in the U.S. named after St. Nick, but only one of them is famous for the Santa Claus postmark. That’s Santa Claus, Indiana, a city of just under 2500 people located in the southwest portion of the state. And that’s not the only municipality with a December 25-inspired name. Christmas, Michigan is home to just 400 residents, and was named for the holiday gift factory once located there. There are 4 cities in the United States named North Pole. They are located in Alaska, Idaho, New York, and Oklahoma.
The song “Frosty the Snowman” was written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950 specifically as a means of capitalizing on the success of Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” which was released the previous year. The song recounts the fictional tale of Frosty, a snowman who is brought to life by a magical silk hat that a group of children find and place on his head. "Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul / With a corncob pipe and a button nose / And two eyes made out of coal." Like "Rudolph", "Frosty" was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special.
The Christmas tune "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was banned by radio stations across the country -- and even in Canada -- for its lyrics that some said were inappropriate in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Written by Frank Loesser in 1944, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was featured in the film Neptune's Daughter, winning the Oscar for best original song. The call and response duet has a female voice trying to tear herself away from her date in myriad ways: "I've got to go away ... Hey, what's in this drink?" And finally, "The answer is no." Following the controversy, the song has risen to the top 10 of Billboard's digital sales with a 70% increase in downloads.
The objective of each Where's Waldo? book is simple: search through the crowds of people to find Waldo, who's always decked out in his trademark red and white striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses. The book is the brainchild of English illustrator Martin Handford. His books have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 25 languages, and as a character, Waldo has become an icon, appearing on TV shows such as The Simpsons, Friends and Frasier. Waldo even made it onto the cover of Rolling Stone.
On this day in 1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cut off the lower part of his left ear with a razor. He later documented the event in a painting titled Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. The precise chain of events that led to the incident of slicing off his ear is not known reliably in detail. He allegedly wrapped up the ear and gave it to a prostitute at a nearby brothel before returning home and collapsing. He was found unconscious the next day by the police and taken to hospital. Vincent van Gogh died aged 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On this day in 1968, Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower, both progeny of United States presidents, tied the knot in New York City. Julie Nixon was the daughter of Richard M. Nixon, who was running for president at the time of the wedding. Her groom was the grandson of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as America’s 34th president. Julie and David met at the Republican National Convention in 1956 while his grandfather was campaigning for re-election. They were both eight at the time. They are still married, have three children and live in Pennsylvania.
On December 22, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, General Anthony McAuliffe received an ultimatum demanding surrender from the German commander. His official reply was brief and succinct: “NUTS!” The men of the 101st Airborne successfully defended their position for four days until reinforcements arrived. For his gallantry, General McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Patton. His one word reply also earned him a new moniker: General McAuliffe was known as “Nuts” for the rest of his career.
Everyone has the image of Santa Claus flying through the night on a sleigh driven by nine reindeer, but the picture of what Santa rides on in Finland is quite different. He does begin in his sleigh; however, at some point during the night, he stops his travels, parks his sleigh, and hops on another form of transportation. In Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh and climbs aboard a goat named Ukko! This tidbit of information might seen quite surprising to you, but if you lived in Finland, it would just be the norm. Finnish folklore has it that Ukko is made of straw, but is strong enough to carry Santa Claus anyway.
"Do You Hear What I Hear?" is a song written in October 1962, with lyrics by Noël Regney and music by Gloria Shayne Baker. The pair, married at the time, wrote it as a plea for peace during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Regney had been invited by a record producer to write a Christmas song, but he was hesitant due to the commercialism of the Christmas holiday. “Do You Hear What I Hear?” carried a beautiful message close to people in all walks of life. It became a popular Christmas carol, “a song high above the tree, with a voice as big as the sea.” It s sold tens of millions of copies and has been covered by hundreds of artists.
In one of the most famous and decisive moments of the American Revolution, General George Washington led his army across the Delaware River to Trenton, New Jersey in a logistically challenging and dangerous operation. On the evening of December 25, 1776, they captured 1,000 Hessian soldiers in a surprise attack that raised morale in Washington's troops and turned the tide of the war. The unconventional attack came after several months of substantial defeats for Washington’s army that had resulted in the loss of New York City and other strategic points in the region.
There is no Candy Cane, Alaska. But there should be! There are actually several places in the U.S. named after St. Nick, but only one of them is famous for the Santa Claus postmark. That’s Santa Claus, Indiana, a city of just under 2500 people located in the southwest portion of the state. And that’s not the only municipality with a December 25-inspired name. Christmas, Michigan is home to just 400 residents, and was named for the holiday gift factory once located there. There are 4 cities in the United States named North Pole. They are located in Alaska, Idaho, New York, and Oklahoma.
The song “Frosty the Snowman” was written by Jack Rollins and Steve Nelson in 1950 specifically as a means of capitalizing on the success of Gene Autry’s “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” which was released the previous year. The song recounts the fictional tale of Frosty, a snowman who is brought to life by a magical silk hat that a group of children find and place on his head. "Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul / With a corncob pipe and a button nose / And two eyes made out of coal." Like "Rudolph", "Frosty" was subsequently adapted to other media including a popular television special.
The Christmas tune "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was banned by radio stations across the country -- and even in Canada -- for its lyrics that some said were inappropriate in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Written by Frank Loesser in 1944, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was featured in the film Neptune's Daughter, winning the Oscar for best original song. The call and response duet has a female voice trying to tear herself away from her date in myriad ways: "I've got to go away ... Hey, what's in this drink?" And finally, "The answer is no." Following the controversy, the song has risen to the top 10 of Billboard's digital sales with a 70% increase in downloads.
The objective of each Where's Waldo? book is simple: search through the crowds of people to find Waldo, who's always decked out in his trademark red and white striped shirt, bobble hat, and glasses. The book is the brainchild of English illustrator Martin Handford. His books have sold more than 50 million copies worldwide and have been translated into over 25 languages, and as a character, Waldo has become an icon, appearing on TV shows such as The Simpsons, Friends and Frasier. Waldo even made it onto the cover of Rolling Stone.
On this day in 1888, Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, suffering from severe depression, cut off the lower part of his left ear with a razor. He later documented the event in a painting titled Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear. The precise chain of events that led to the incident of slicing off his ear is not known reliably in detail. He allegedly wrapped up the ear and gave it to a prostitute at a nearby brothel before returning home and collapsing. He was found unconscious the next day by the police and taken to hospital. Vincent van Gogh died aged 37 from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
On this day in 1968, Julie Nixon and David Eisenhower, both progeny of United States presidents, tied the knot in New York City. Julie Nixon was the daughter of Richard M. Nixon, who was running for president at the time of the wedding. Her groom was the grandson of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who served as America’s 34th president. Julie and David met at the Republican National Convention in 1956 while his grandfather was campaigning for re-election. They were both eight at the time. They are still married, have three children and live in Pennsylvania.
On December 22, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge, General Anthony McAuliffe received an ultimatum demanding surrender from the German commander. His official reply was brief and succinct: “NUTS!” The men of the 101st Airborne successfully defended their position for four days until reinforcements arrived. For his gallantry, General McAuliffe was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross by General Patton. His one word reply also earned him a new moniker: General McAuliffe was known as “Nuts” for the rest of his career.
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