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... that after the medieval lawyer John of Tynemouth was kidnapped for ransom, he informed his kidnappers that the writer Gerald of Wales would be traveling nearby, causing Gerald to also be kidnapped?
... that after the medieval lawyer John of Tynemouth was kidnapped for ransom, he informed his kidnappers that the writer Gerald of Wales would be traveling nearby, causing Gerald to also be kidnapped?
... that after the medieval lawyer John of Tynemouth was kidnapped for ransom, he informed his kidnappers that the writer Gerald of Wales would be traveling nearby, causing Gerald to also be kidnapped?
3 March 2010
00:00, 3 March 2010 (UTC)
... that German extreme in-line skater Dirk Auer roller skated down a large wooden roller coaster (pictured) at Erlebnispark Tripsdrill, reaching speeds of 90 kilometres per hour (56mph)?
... that Google Images caused controversy in 2009 after it was discovered that the number-one result for the search term "Michelle Obama" was a derogatory doctored photo of the US first lady?
2 March 2010
18:00, 2 March 2010 (UTC)
... that the self-decapitated HindugoddessChinnamasta(pictured) standing on a copulating couple signifies that life, death and sex are interdependent?
... that in the 1920s, Cudahy Packing Company shifted from exporting cured pork because of British tariffs and focused instead on domestic sales of canned hams, sliced dried beef, Italian-style sausage, and sliced bacon?
... that Arthur Crispien, who was dismissed as editor of a Social Democratic Party newspaper for his opposition to war credits in 1914, later became the Party's Chairman?
... that Danish Bacon is sliced, packed, and sold in the UK?
... that King Philip V ordered that any lepers found guilty of poisoning wells in medieval France were to be burnt and their possessions forfeited to the Crown?
... that during the Ice Hockey European Championships in 1924, two of Spain's seven players were injured but instead of having to forfeit the match, their opponents agreed to play with five players as well?
... that a flitch of bacon was offered at Wychnor Hall to married couples if they could swear that they did not regret their union, but it was so rarely claimed it was replaced with a wooden one?
1 March 2010
18:00, 1 March 2010 (UTC)
... that the figures in Ilya Repin's Barge Haulers on the Volga(pictured) are based on real characters, including a former priest, a former soldier and a painter?
... that the Quadro Tracker detection device, which was advertised as being able to detect drugs, weapons, explosives, alcohol, missing people, precious metals, dead pets, and lost golf balls, was denounced by the FBI as a fraud?
... that at just over 18 millimetres (0.71in), Fibla carpenteri is the largest species of snakefly known from amber?
... that in the four largest cities within the Greater Austin metropolitan area (US) the percentage of college-educated individuals in each is over 39% (compared to the national average of 24.4%)?
... that the Rosenmontag parade (pictured) of the Mainz carnival was presented in cinema 100 years ago?
... that former Scotland international rugby union player Andrew Balfour led a health initiative that reduced malaria deaths in Khartoum, Sudan, by 90%?
... that 1967's Hurricane Doria was described as "one of the most erratic storms ever observed"?
... that KV35YL, a mummy that was discovered in the ancient Egyptian tomb KV35 in 1898 and thought to be male at the time, was recently determined by DNA testing to be King Tut's mother?
... that a humongous fungus(example pictured) caused a media stir after it was reported to cover an area of 37acres (15ha), weigh at least 21,000pounds (10,000kg), and be 1,500years old?
... that Electrinocellia peculiaris is named for the Latin "electrum" meaning amber, "Inocellia", the type genus for Inocelliidae, and "peculiaris" for the enigmatic nature of the species?
... that the late Louisiana State Rep.Shady Wall once pulled a pistol on colleague Carl Gunter, Jr., when Gunter inadvertently disconnected Wall's telephone?
... that the principles of insanity in English law have been described as based on a "now obsolete" belief and "not therefore a satisfactory test of criminal responsibility"?
... that comedian and actor Dane Cook is referenced in the Archer episode "Training Day" when main character Archer negatively compares karate to him?
... that R&B singer Barrence Whitfield changed his name from Barry White, to avoid confusion with the other Barry White, who had changed his name from Barrence?
... that Alphastates vocalist Catherine Dowling has been compared to both Beth Gibbons and Shirley Manson and called "a lady with the most evocative vocals in Irish music"?
... that Stephen Crane(pictured) based the 1898 short story "The Open Boat" upon his personal experience of having survived a shipwreck off the coast of Florida?
... that the Arlington Club, a private club organized by business and banking leaders in Portland, Oregon, excluded women from membership for 123 years before admitting them in 1990?
... that when police raided the Cambridge College of Learning, a London based bogus college for overseas students, they discovered just three classrooms and eleven desks?
... that an electronic gear-shifting system for bicycles can shift faster than a traditional mechanical system and calibrate itself to minimize maintenance?
... that in 1968 American archaeologist A. Ledyard Smith received the Order of the Quetzal from the Guatemalan government for his services to the cultural heritage of the country?
... that, despite being named for Antelope, Antelope Island State Park(map pictured) is noted for being the home of one of the largest herds of Bison in the United States?
... that BDTH2, an industrial chelation agent that separates heavy metals from polluted soil, is also marketed as a dietary supplement for children with autism?
... that the Honda CB900F(pictured), known as the Hornet 900 in Europe and the 919 in North America, was out of production for 19 years before returning in 2002?
... that during the January 1961 nor'easter on the eve of John F. Kennedy's presidential inauguration, thousands of abandoned cars led to massive traffic jams, including on the inauguration parade route?
... that the evacuation of its base at Žatec, Czechoslovakia, in August 1948 allowed the Israeli Air Force to bring over 2,000 tons of supplies to the besieged Negev in Operation Avak?
... that the first copyright act, the Statute of Anne or "An Act for the Encouragement of Learning" (pictured), became law almost 300 years ago?
... that Maryland politician Karen S. Montgomery has an adult son with autism whom she has referenced in her advocacy for better developmental disability services in the state?
... that Pope John Paul II placed rosary devotions(example pictured) at the very center of Christian spirituality and called them "among the finest and most praiseworthy traditions of Christian contemplation"?
... that in 1939 it was ruled that a child born in the United States to alien parents retains U.S. citizenship, even if the parents take the child back to their home country?
... that the sawmill of Mitford, Alberta, failed partly because most of the good quality lumber to be found in the area was used in the construction of the railway designed to haul said lumber to market?
... that prominent sociologist Nathan Glazer has, at different points in his career, been referred to as a Marxist, a neoconservative, and an espouser of "armchair intellectual liberalism"?
... that former Welsh international footballerWayne Jones was forced to retire at the age of 24 when it was discovered that he had a previously undiagnosed arthritic condition?
... that in 1782, the rector of the University of Osuna reminded the students to "abstain from throwing rocks, both inside and outside the university?"
17 February 2010
18:00, 17 February 2010 (UTC)
... that a crowd of 20,000 rioted in an attempt to secure the release of the mutinous crew of the battleshipSMSHelgoland(pictured) in November 1918?
... that social bookmarking service AddThis, combined with its parent company Clearspring, reach an online audience of more than 200 million monthly viewers?
... that in the 19th century, Ganoga Lake(pictured) in Pennsylvania had a hotel, its own ice cutting company, and a branch railroad line to serve both?
... that UMOPAR, the anti-narcotics forces in Bolivia, funded and trained by the U.S. government as part of the War on Drugs, staged an unsuccessful coup d'état against the Bolivian government in 1984?
... that in traditional Plains hide painting, Native American women painted abstract, geometric designs while men painted representational, narrative images?
... that John Scagliotti's 2003 film Dangerous Living was the first documentary about the experiences of gay and lesbian people in the non-Western world?
... that the former District 10 School outside Margaretville, New York, was demolished in the mid-19th century only to be rebuilt from the same stones three years later?
... that because a Hang Trong painting was once indispensable for each Hanoi family during the Tết holiday, it was also called Tết painting?
... that archaeologist Vance Haynes challenged the right of Native Americans to rebury Kennewick Man—skeletal bone fragments about 9,000 years old—which Haynes said should be studied further?
... that among the items exhibited at the Bsous Silk Museum in Lebanon are silkworms and the traditional dresses and trousers worn by princesses in the 19th century?
... that hundreds of words still in use today, including accident, cinnamon, desk, scissors, vacation, and Valentine, first appear in manuscripts written by Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1300s?
12:00, 14 February 2010 (UTC)
... that the white colour of Dong Ho painting(example pictured), a genre of traditional Tết painting in Vietnam, is obtained from powder of egg shells?
... that when the Super Ball was first introduced in 1965, US Presidential adviser McGeorge Bundy had five dozen shipped to the White House for the amusement of the staff?
... that Howard Burnham, an American mining engineer, worked for France as a spy operating behind enemy lines, and used his wooden leg to secretly transport equipment?
13 February 2010
18:00, 13 February 2010 (UTC)
... that the 1,200–1,500 Chinkara(pictured), the key species in the Narayan Sarovar Sanctuary, Kutch, India, are also its most frequently observed animal?
... that the first successful sugar beet factory opening in Utah, built by the Mormon-owned Utah-Idaho Sugar Company, was celebrated by looting, bonfires, and free barrels of beer?
... that the Byzantine general Constantine Diogenes, who was implicated in a conspiracy against Emperor Romanos III, committed suicide rather than revealing the names of his co-conspirators?
... that Ernest F. Coe was the primary force behind the creation of Everglades National Park, but at the dedication of it (pictured) he considered his efforts a failure?
... that we know the exact birth time of the 5th-century poet Pamprepius thanks to a horoscope calculated by the Egyptian astrologer Rhetorius?
... that the 101 Dalmatians Musical has several performers working on 15" stilts to simulate a canine perspective, and uses 15 real Dalmatian dogs for several scenes?
... that the early 13th century romanceGuillaume de Dole is the first extant French literary work combining narrative and lyric, a form which by the end of the century had become canonical?
... that the depictions of fish on the medieval statue of StChristopher in Norton Priory, Cheshire, England, are so realistic that five different species can be identified?
... that when R. Shamasastry discovered the Arthashastra, it altered the perception of ancient India and the view that Indians learned administration from the Greeks?
... that in "The Baby Sitter" of ABC's The Rifleman, Phyllis Avery plays a dance hall girl who asks Lucas McCain to hide her daughter from a bigoted grandfather?
... that French protests caused the Russians to award the contract for the Gangut-classbattleship to a Russian firm rather than the German winner of the 1908 international design contest?
... that when the giant flightless birds called moa(pictured) were overexploited to the point of extinction, the giant Haast's Eagle that preyed on them also became extinct?
... that the sports hall of Europe's largest prison complex in Istanbul was converted into a courtroom because the existing one was not big enough to accommodate the hearings of the Ergenekon trial?
... that a Seattle Times journalist described Michael Jackson's "Tabloid Junkie" as "a disingenuous attack on sensational news stories about him", most of which the singer "planted"?
... that Old French literary genre of the chanson de toile consisted of songs supposedly sung by women weaving, songs about women in love who often sew as they relate their stories?
... that R&B singer Margie Day, who had a hit record with "Little Red Rooster" in 1951 and also recorded "Take Out Your False Teeth Daddy", established a children's art project in Norfolk, Virginia?
... that Thai government and army officials have insisted on the effectiveness of the GT200 "remote substance detector", despite the BBC having found it to consist of an empty plastic case?
... that a major flood in the Tigris in 1936 caused the building site of the Kut Barrage in Iraq to be flooded entirely so that construction had to be temporarily halted?
... that Anne Jordan-Reynolds and her daughter Stephanie, founders of the non-profit HIP Haiti, escaped disaster at the Hotel Montana during the 2010 earthquake because of a glitch in their plans?
... that Alasdair Crotach MacLeod is said to have prayed for six hours prior to ordering the massacre of almost the entire population of the Hebridean island of Eigg?
... that in 1686, at the Tōshiya archery contest in Kyoto, Japan, Wasa Daihachiro successfully fired a record 13,053 arrows in 24 hours, averaging nine arrows a minute and hitting the target 8,133 times?
... that the Rubin test was once considered by many specialists "the twentieth century's most important contribution to the clinical study of female infertility"?
... that even though the Bradford Durfee Textile School was chartered in 1895 and incorporated in 1899, it opened in 1904?
... that during World War II the Kalamazoo Manufacturing Company made the "Galloping Gertie", a railroad motor car with a large target above it used for gunnery practice?
... that the "Love Chu Chu!" part of the name of the visual novelChaos;Head Love Chu Chu! was narrowed down from about one hundred different candidates?
... that anyone who sees the Dancing Hare is said to have good fortune for the rest of their days?
... that the town of Lille, Alberta, was named as such because its coal mine's financial backers resided in Lille, France?
... that Warrington Colescott created the etching Christmas with Ziggy (1964), a social satire of businessmen entertaining their mistresses at a posh London restaurant?
... that GameDaily named Uncharted character Elena Fisher the 49th hottest video game babe of all time?
06:00, 9 February 2010 (UTC)
... that the eastern harvest mouse(pictured) usually lives for less than a year in the wild?
... that Arthur Sweatman was elected bishop of the Diocese of Toronto in 1879 as a compromise candidate after five days of balloting?
... that the Gbedu drum is traditionally used on state occasions or during ceremones of Ogboni, the ancient Yoruba secret society?
... that upon hearing Robert Ambrose's work One Sweetly Solemn Thought, a gambler reportedly laid down his cards and immediately became a reformed Christian?
... that the wounding in the Siege of Sarajevo of five-year-old Irma Hadzimuratovic, whose suffering garnered worldwide attention, prompted the Operation Irma medical evacuation?
... that according to legend, the MacLeods were on the verge of being defeated at the Battle of Glendale by the MacDonalds, but their magical Fairy Flag was then unfurled, inspiring them to a hard-fought victory?
... that the Alchi Monastery in Ladakh was built, according to local tradition, by the translator Rinchen Zangpo (c. 1000AD), although inscriptions ascribe it to an 11th century Tibetan noble?
... that the word pyxidata in the mushroom name Clavaria pyxidata comes from the Greek word pyxis meaning "small box"?
... that the clause of the Magna Carta prohibiting sentences of exile, except as the result of a lawful trial, refers particularly to the case of Robert Fitzwalter?
... that Oscar Wilde praised the location of a resort hotel at the foot, rather than the summit, of the Catskills' Mount Tremper(pictured) because it provided better views?
... that indigenous rights activist Stephen Corry thought that British civilization and development was the best, until he made a trip to Nepal at age 18 and met the local people?
... that the journalist and theatre historian abbéAntoine de Léris collaborated with abbé Laugier in the first French review of music, Sentiment d'un harmonophile, 1756?
... that Misshitsu no Sacrifice lets players investigate scenes and use items, unlike other visual novels that are primarily driven by text and graphics?
... that the plant Campanula isophylla is able to tolerate frost on the mountains of northern Italy, but not when grown in a pot?
... that the parish church of Up Hatherley, England, was built because an elderly widow found it difficult to travel to a neighbouring village to worship?
06:00, 7 February 2010 (UTC)
... that Graham Court(pictured), called a signal achievement in NY apartment design and Harlem's equivalent to the Dakota, was the setting for a crack factory in the movie New Jack City?
... that former Burnley chairman Bob Lord described coach Billy Dougall, who worked for the football club for 23 years, as the finest servant a club could have?
... that the kitchen wing of the Lace House in Canaan, New York, deteriorated so badly during a probate fight over the house that it had to be demolished and rebuilt?
... that the renovation of the The Devonshire Dome in 1881 by Robert Rippon Duke created the world's largest unsupported dome, with a diameter of 44.2 metres (145ft), and is still the largest in the UK today?
... that the illuminated Minuscule 569 was bought in Bulgaria in 1757, became a part of the Załuski Library, and was dispatched to Saint Petersburg in 1794?
... that the Remington 887, which has many of the inner workings of the famous Remington 870, uses a unique polymer-based finish which makes it virtually impervious to corrosion and inclement weather?
... that Dwight Baldwin, a 19th-century missionary to Hawaii, is credited with saving hundreds of lives as a physician despite having only an honorary degree in medicine?
... that Pitzer equations are important for the understanding of the behaviour of ions dissolved in natural waters such as rivers, lakes and sea-water?
... that Eiríkr Magnússon fell out with scholar Guðbrandur Vigfússon over the need for famine relief in their native Iceland and how to translate the Bible?
... that Chloe Frazer of the Uncharted franchise has been cited as an example of a video game character who accurately portrays the desires and frustrations of human sexuality?
... that the phrase "doing a Leeds" has become synonymous in English football with the pitfalls of financial mismanagement of football clubs, after the demise of Premier League team Leeds United?
... that Lemony Snicket, author of the bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events, is releasing a new series in 2012 that will involve elements of his previous series, including the Great Unknown?
... that actress Aubrey Plaza conceived the idea of April Ludgate, her character on the NBC comedy series Parks and Recreation, having a "gay boyfriend" who also simultaneously dates another boy?
... that the 2010 Newbery WinnerRebecca Stead only started writing children's books after her young son broke her laptop, destroying all of her 'serious writing'?
... that the city of Hobart in Australia had the first fully electrified tram network in the Southern Hemisphere, and the entire fleet was double-decker?
... that Indian singer Master Saleem released his first album when he was 10 years old?
... that baseball player Ben Paschalhit .360 as Babe Ruth's replacement while Ruth missed the first 40 games of the 1925 season with a stomach ailment?
... that Felipe Neri, a deafZapatista general, constructed explosives out of salmon cans and earned the nickname mochaorejas (clipper of ears) by cutting off ears of his prisoners and deserters?
... that in the 1930s the Indian girl Shanti Devi related details of an alleged former life, and a commission set up by Gandhi deemed her claims to be accurate?
... that Ngo Dinh Nhu(pictured right), a Hitler admirer, younger brother and chief adviser to President Diem of South Vietnam, tried to assassinate Sihanouk of Cambodia and publicly vowed to kill his father-in-law?
... that in 1130 the Emperor Lý Thần Tông ordered that all daughters of court mandarins of the Lý Dynasty must not wed so that he could select them as concubines?
... that according to a stele found in the late 1930s, Đỗ Anh Vũ was a devoted Lý Dynasty official of noble character, in contrast to the traditional account in the Đại Việt sử ký toàn thư?