Trivia

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PHKRAUSE

I did not  know that the play "THE TEMPEST"  was based on a  story about a shipwrecked sailor

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Trivia: Presidential Impeachment Proceedings

On December 19th, 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached. See how much you know about that and some other impeachments from US history with these trivia questions...

Fill in the Blank: Judge John Pickering Was Convicted for ________ and Unlawful Rulings.

Impeachments aren't just for presidents. Other officials have been impeached too. The first was Senator William Blount of Tennessee for trying to help the British seize key territories from Spain. But it was Judge John Pickering of New Hampshire who had the honor of being the first official to not only be impeached but then also convicted. He was charged with drunkenness and unlawful rulings. Which is fair, because who wants to have a drunk judge presiding over their trial?

Who is the Only President Other Than Bill Clinton to Be Impeached?

Only two US presidents have been impeached: Clinton and Andrew Johnson. Andrew Johnson was impeached by a Republican congress that most people now agree was acting out of partisan politics to get rid of a president they felt had gone too soft on the south during the reunification process. Side note: impeachment does not mean you are kicked out of office. It means you go on trial before the Senate and it then takes a two-thirds vote to be removed. And Andrew Johnson survived that vote by exactly one senator. Republican Edmund Ross crossed party lines to keep the president in office, a move that earned him a nod in John F. Kennedy's book Profiles in Courage and plenty of praise from people over the years who framed his actions as valiant and selfless.

On What Charges Was Bill Clinton Impeached?

If you think Bill Clinton was impeached for committing acts of infidelity, well that's not quite accurate. The problem was not so much that Clinton had an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky as that he lied about it afterwards. When he was impeached it was on charges of grand jury perjury and obstruction of justice. Again politicians broke party lines at the risk of keeping a political foe in office. 10 republicans voted against impeachment on the perjury charges (had they all voted in favor of the charges, Clinton would have narrowly dodged the two thirds vote by the skin of his teeth) and five against the obstruction of justice charge.

Why Was Richard Nixon Never Impeached?

And we'll finish with the guy who should have been impeached but never was. To be clear, Richard Nixon was going to be impeached. The House Judiciary Committee issued articles of impeachment and charged him with a laundry list of crimes, but he decided to resign before it could happen. From a legal perspective, Nixon was never punished for his crimes as he was granted a full pardon by President Gerald Ford.

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5 Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About Elvis Presley_2

On this day in 1957, while spending the Christmas holidays at Graceland, rock-and-roll star Elvis Presley received his draft notice for the United States Army. Here are five shocking facts about Presley and his time in the U.S. Army...

Elvis Was Drafted at the Height of His Career

While at the top of his career and shortly after buying his mansion, Graceland, Presley got his draft notice in the mail. Although fans wrote the army in the tens of thousands, asking that he be excused from service, Presley wanted to serve. He did receive one deferment while he was finishing up King Creole. However, he was sworn into the army as a private on March 24, 1958, in Memphis.

He Helped Increase the Number of Polio Vaccinations

The rock and roll singer turned out to be a great role model for young people in America. Although vaccination rates were high for younger children in the 1950s, they were low for teenagers, so Elvis supported the vaccination push by appearing on national television and getting his shot. The vaccination rates shot up to 85 percent from two percent by the time Elvis left the Army on March 2, 1960.

Presley Was a Regular G.I. Joe

Although Presley could have been assigned to a special service in the Army, he chose to enter as any other soldier would, both to serve his country and to improve his image with older Americans. Presley was on active duty for two years. He spent six months in training at Ft. Hood and went to Germany for the next 17 months. It was the only time he ever left North America.

He Met His Future Wife While in Germany

Priscilla Beaulieu was a young teen when Presley met her in 1959 at his home in Bad Nauheim, when she was brought to a party there by a mutual friend. Presley returned home to the United States and Beaulieu followed him there, where they were married in Las Vegas on May 1, 1967, eight years after they were first introduced. They divorced on October 9, 1973.

Presley Left the Army With the Rank of Sergeant

During his time in the Army, Presley learned how to load, shoot and drive the M-48 Patton battle tank, and while he was with the 3rd Armored, he was a reconnaissance scout and drove a jeep. After being promoted to the rank of Sergeant in Grafenwoehr, Germany, he was discharged from the Army at age 25 and continued with his career, wowing fans around the world.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Audiences got an early Christmas present on this day in 1937 when the animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at Los Angeles' Carthay Circle Theatre.  Here are five things you didn't know about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs...

The Film Was a Technological Marvel

It's no secret that Snow White was the first full-length animated film, and thus it must have made unique use of the technology available for animation at the time. But its technological background is way more interesting. Not only was it the first full-length film, but it was also the first animated feature to use Technicolor. Even better, Walt Disney had his animators create a new camera, the multiplane camera, to shoot the film. Multiplane cameras shot multiple scenes simultaneously, which is one of the reasons why the film appears to be more than just drawings on flat paper.

The Original Fairy Tale Didn't Name the Dwarfs

The cute names of the dwarfs in the Disney cartoon were made up specifically for the film. In the original fairy tale, none of the dwarfs had any names. It wasn't until the early 1900s when a version was released giving the dwarfs names like Flick and Snick. Disney renamed the dwarfs to showcase their personalities better and initially entertained names like Deefy, Flabby, and Gaspy. Luckily they settled on the now-familiar set of names including Grumpy and Happy.

During Its Initial Run, the Film Made Six Times What the Previous Biggest-Grossing Film Made

Snow White was so well received that, by the time its initial run was over, it made over 6 million dollars, becoming the biggest-grossing film so far in Hollywood history. This was six times what the previous film had made, which is impressive on its own. However, it becomes even more of an accomplishment when you realize that the U.S. was still suffering the effects of the Great Depression in 1937. The film was so good that it stayed in theaters for weeks instead of the usual few days. Tickets at the premiere went for $5, which sounds like a bargain now, but $5 in 1937 was equivalent to over 88 dollars in 2018 money. And people wanted to pay that for tickets despite the bad economy!

The Film Went on to Win Eight Oscars—in One Category

Snow White was nominated for an award for best score at the 1938 Oscars but didn't win. However, in 1939, the film was given eight Oscars—in one special honorary category created just for Snow White. No, there weren't eight different sub-nominations; the film received one full-size Oscar and seven mini Oscar statuettes. Fun fact: The Oscars didn't have a dedicated animated feature film category until 2001.

The Film Was Considered So Scary That Britain Imposed an Age Minimum for Viewers

You wouldn't think that Snow White would be considered a horror film, but in the late 1930s, the fairy tale was considered so scary—remember, this was a time when audiences weren't used to slasher franchises or open gore—that Britain required anyone under 16 who wanted to see the film to have a parent with them. Not 6—16. Imagine being old enough to leave school and work if you so wished but being required to have your parents with you just to see a Disney cartoon!

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know that  the country of BRITAIN band Snow White  and the Seven Dwarfs ==== 

I also did not know about the different names of the Dwarfs

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Vincent Van Gogh

On December 23, 1888, something drove Vincent Van Gogh to lose his ear. The official story is that he cut it off himself after a fight with another painter, but the real story might be quite different. Here are 5 things you didn't know about Van Gogh...

He Produced Some of His Most Famous Paintings While in a Mental Asylum

In 1889, van Gogh, who’d experienced episodes of poor mental health in the previous months, checked himself into a mental hospital in southern France. Although at the time the painter was diagnosed with epilepsy, researchers have since suggested a host of alternative diagnoses, including bipolar disorder, alcoholism and acute intermittent porphyria, a metabolic disorder. He stayed at the hospital for a year, during which time he painted scenes of its gardens as well as the surrounding countryside. The more than 100 paintings he produced during this period include some of his most celebrated works, such as “The Starry Night,” which was acquired by New York City’s Museum of Modern Art in 1941, and “Irises,” which was purchased by an Australian industrialist in 1987 for a then-record sum of $53.9 million. Since 1990, the painting has been owned by the J. Paul Getty Museum, which bought it for an undisclosed amount.

Why Van Gogh Cut off His Ear Is Still Not Totally Known

The story about Van Gogh's ear goes that he was in an argument with Paul Gauguin, and the argument became so heated that in a fit of rage, Van Gogh chopped off his ear and sent it to a prostitute at a brothel. However, in 2016, a new book claimed that Van Gogh's distress was due to learning that his brother would marry (and thus take financial support away from Van Gogh and put it toward his brother's eventual wife and children). It had been thought that Van Gogh learned about the marriage after cutting off his ear, but the book claimed that when his brother wrote to his mother to let her know that he was going to marry—a letter sent before Vincent Van Gogh's ear incident—he would have let Vincent know as well.

It's Not Even Known How Much He Really Cut Off

There are two schools of thought here; one says that Van Gogh cut off his whole ear, while others say he just cut off the lobe. The only picture people have of this is Van Gogh's own painting showing the side of his head fully bandaged, so the story is still open for interpretation.

Scholars Have Questioned Whether He Cut Off His Own Ear

Also, as the story goes, Van Gogh cut off his ear (or the lobe) with a razor. Yet another study, this one from 2009, presented the theory that it was actually Paul Gauguin who cut it off with a sword. Van Gogh, claimed the study's authors, invented the self-cut story to save Gauguin from the public embarrassment that would surely follow. The authors of the study also claimed that Van Gogh's suicide stemmed from the sword incident and not from mental illness.

Van Gogh Sold Only One Painting During His Lifetime

During his lifetime Van Gogh was never famous as a painter and struggled to make a living as an artist. Van Gogh only sold one painting during his lifetime The Red Vineyard. This painting sold in Brussels for 400 Francs only a few months before his death.Vincent van Gogh died at the age of 37 bringing his career as a painter to an end, but beginning his legacy as the great painter of the future who inspired the world.

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5 Things You Didn't Know about George Washington

On December 18, 1799, George Washington's funeral was held at his beloved home at Mount Vernon. Washington led an amazing life, but you probably didn’t know the following 5 things about this founding father...

Washington Freed All His Slaves

Washington was the only president who freed his slaves. He had fought in the American Revolution for freedom and his attitude toward slavery changed with time. When he made his will, he owned about 123 slaves and stipulated that they be freed upon his wife’s death. His estate paid for their care for many years after they obtained their freedom.

He Was a Colonial Era Innovator

Washington was a keen believer in innovation and worked throughout the years to improve his crops and livestock breeding and is reported by some to have invented crop rotation. Among his accomplishments were the introduction of donkeys to the United States and his work toward breeding the American foxhound. He also patented new technology for an automated mill and designed a threshing barn that greatly improved the tedious work of separating the wheat from its chaff.

Washington Was a Whiskey Tycoon

One of the most profitable ventures that Washington undertook was the whiskey distillery located at his home at Mount Vernon. It was one of the largest distilleries in the country and produced almost 11,000 gallons in 1799. The distillery remained in operation until about 1808 and burned down a few years later; however, it was rebuilt and is still in operation, selling whiskey made from Washington’s original recipe.

The Painting of Washington Pictured on the One Dollar Bill Was Never Finished

Gilbert Stuart began the portrait of Washington in 1796 but never completed it. Stuart, along with his daughters, painted about 130 copies of the portrait, selling them for around $100 each, and retained the original. The original painting was purchased jointly by two art galleries in 1980 and is displayed at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

Washington Holds the Highest Military Rank

Washington was highly instrumental in leading the country to victory in the American Revolution and was also its first president, so it isn’t surprising that the country would want to honor him in a special way. Washington held the rank of lieutenant general when he died, but having three stars didn’t seem like it showed enough appreciation for his great sacrifice and service to his country. In 1976, he was posthumously awarded the rank of General of the Armies, and General John Pershing is the only other officer to have been awarded this honor.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know about he was only president that freed his  slaves====also I did not

know that  he had a distillery and that  it is  still operating today

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Radio City Music Hall

On December 27, 1932, Radio City Music Hall opened in New York City to large crowds and plenty of praise. You probably don’t know the following little-known facts about this famed entertainment venue.

Radio City Music Hall Is the Biggest Indoor Theater in the World

Built during the Depression, John D. Rockefeller joined with S.L. “Roxy” Rothafel to construct an enormous music hall as an entertainment palace to serve everyone. The building surpassed anything anyone could imagine with a block long marquis out front, an 84-foot ceiling, elegant Art Deco decor and a seating capacity for 6,000. No columns obstructed views anywhere in the theater, and every seat in the house offered a clear sight of the stage with its glittery gold curtain backdrop.

The Theater Contains the Largest Wurlitzer Pipe Organ in the World

The giant Wurlitzer organ at Radio City Music Hall was so large it took about one month to have it installed. It has two independent consoles; eight chambers hold the 4,178 pipes and 58 ranks, which are sets of pipes with the same color and level of pitch. For many years, the organ was played during four shows daily, as well as being included as an accompaniment to the orchestra.

There's a Hidden Tunnel Under The Venue

Radio City Music Hall is connected to Rockefeller Center by an underground tunnel, which was frequented by patrons until it was closed to the public in the 1960s. Now, it's used as a quick and discreet way to shuttle celebrities between places without fanfare. Everyone from Ringo Starr to Jewel has walked its path.

Costume Changes for the Rockettes Are at Lightning Speed

The Rockettes are not only beautiful and talented but extreme costume change artists. All the girls have to put on own makeup and hair to fit in with the appropriate dance routine and have made their complete costume changes in as little as 78 seconds. With eight separate costume changes in each show, it’s more than their feet and eye-high kicks that move at lightning speed.

The Venue Keeps a Uniform Appearance

While the Rockettes' costumes change many times in the course of just one show, every detail of the theater itself has remained the same since it opened in 1932. Given New York City historical landmark status in 1978 and national landmark status in 1987, Radio City Music Hall must keep everything in its original state -- down to the patterns of the wallpaper and carpets and the upholstery on the seats. When these are updated, Radio City actually deals with the same manufacturers it has used since it opened, some still run by the same families.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About the Pledge of Allegiance

On December 28, 1945, Congress formally recognized the Pledge of Allegiance in its almost-current form (everything but "under God").  Here are 5 things you didn't know about the Pledge of Allegiance....

Who Wrote the Pledge of Allegiance?

In 1892, as part of a national patriotic school program, a 37-year-old minister named Francis Bellamy composed the Pledge of Allegiance. It was originally written and published in, the magazine The Youth's Companion and it was to be an integral part of the Columbus Day festivities.  The original version was a bit different than what we know today. It read: "I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."  In 1923 the American Legion and Daughters of the American Revolution made a change to the pledge. They removed the word "my" and inserted the words "the Flag of the United States of America." This change was made so that immigrant children would know they were saluting the United States flag, and not one from their native country.  With the national fear of communism in 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower urged Congress to add the words "under God" to the pledge. Eisenhower stated this change would "reaffirm the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future" and "strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."

The Original Pledge Included a Very Different Salute

But that salute was eliminated for a very good reason. Nowadays people put their right hand over their heart, but before 1942, the salute used with the Pledge was a straight right arm raised at a diagonal angle, palm down, fingers extended together and out. Picture that for a moment and you'll likely get why it fell out of favor starting in the 1930s—it's now better known as the salute used by the Nazis. The straight-arm salute was known in the U.S. as the Bellamy salute, after Francis Bellamy, who believed the salute would be a good non-military gesture, even though some sources still call it a military salute. The current hand-over-heart salute is included in the U.S. Flag Code.

It Was Not the First Pledge to the U.S. and U.S. Flag

Bellamy's Pledge was first used in 1892, but in 1885, a colonel named George Balch penned a very short oath to the flag that was actually used in some schools before Bellamy's version was created. Balch's version promoted the idea of one language along with one country, and it also included mention of God, which Bellamy's version did not (until "under God" was added in 1954).

The Pledge Was in Use Long Before Congress Recognized It

The Pledge was originally written for the anniversary of Columbus landing in North America but gradually worked its way into everyday life, including recitation in schools. Congress' recognition in 1945 merely made the words of the Pledge official and added them to a flag code law from 1942. Interestingly, the addition notes that civilians should place their hands over their hearts when reciting the Pledge, but that just standing at attention (with men removing their hats) would be enough to show respect.

It Used to Be Legal to Expel Students for Not Saying the Pledge

And it's not now, though that hasn't stopped some schools. Basically, until 1943, schools could kick you out for not saying the Pledge. The law was changed in 1943 after a Supreme Court decision that said not speaking during the Pledge was considered free speech. Unfortunately, some schools still prefer to kick students out, such as happened to a high school senior in Houston, Texas, in 2017, who merely refused to stand during the Pledge. As of September 2018, a District Court judge in Texas has refused to dismiss the case, but the Texas Attorney General has intervened and told the student she must stand. Her attorney has said he'd be willing to go before the Supreme Court.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know  about the straight arm salute  ====

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5 Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About Texas

On this day in 1845, six months after the Congress of the Republic of Texas voted for annexation by the United States, Texas was admitted into the Union as the 28th state.  Here are five shocking facts you didn't know about the state of Texas...

Texas' History of Occupation, Independence, and Annexation Influenced the Name of an Amusement Park

Texas has been under the Spanish, French and Mexican flags; its own flag; the flag of the Confederate States; and the U.S. flag. Those six flags were the basis for the name of Six Flags, the amusement park company. The original location, Six Flags Over Texas, in Arlington, was a history-based theme park that was meant to be turned into an industrial zone eventually. But the park became so popular that the owner scrapped the industrial plans instead.

Texas Was a Pawn in Great Britain's Political Ambitions

You'd think the only countries concerned about sparsely populated Texas would be the U.S., Mexico, and the Republic of Texas itself. Not so. Britain took an interest because it did not want the U.S. to expand any further. It's easy to dismiss this as sour grapes over the loss of the colonies in the 1780s, but it wasn't that simple. Britain didn't want the U.S. to become a continent-wide phenomenon that might threaten the British Empire's grip on the world; it could see that if Texas joined the U.S., additional territory would soon follow. It also wanted to set up a profitable trade agreement with Texas, and annexation by the U.S. would have prevented that from happening. And third, while Britain helped negotiate a treaty between Texas and Mexico, it was technically a Mexican ally, and supporting annexation by the U.S. would have offended Mexico. In fact, Britain's interest in Texas was one of the reasons the U.S. finally started moving forward with annexation.

Texas Has the Right to Split Into Five States if It Wants

One right given to Texas when it joined the U.S. is the ability to split up. It can't leave the U.S. without federal approval, but if the state government and population ever decide to stop worrying about state size and break up into smaller states, they can do so. Other than two attempts in the 20th century to spin the panhandle off into its own state and create a region where parimutuel betting was legal, the state itself has not shown any interest in changing its borders within the U.S.

Texas Was Interested in Annexation Early On

Despite the constant reminders that Texas used to be its own country, the population at the time actually wasn't that opposed to simply joining another country. Texas seceded from Mexico in 1836 and elected a president, but even at that early stage, people in the state had a positive view of chucking independence for life as a part of the U.S. (Some did not, of course, such as Mirabeau Lamar, who was president from 1838 to 1841; he wanted to develop Texas into a major country.) However, the slavery issue prevented any action toward statehood until 1844, when annexation negotiations began. 

The Annexation of Texas Was a Key Part of California's History

It's no surprise that annexing one territory might lead to annexing another. But in this case, without the annexation of Texas, the western part of the continent could have had a very different fate. Back when Texas joined the U.S., President James Polk decided to send troops to occupy a border zone that technically was still part of Mexico. This was too much for Mexico, which had lost control of Texas a few years before and was threatening war if Texas gave up its independence to join the U.S. When Texas went ahead and joined anyway, Mexico began promoting border raids and attacks in the occupied zone, one of which set off the Mexican-American War. This war ended with the Treaty of Hidalgo, which ceded vast swathes of territory, including California, to the U.S. Here's the key part: Gold was discovered in California territory only a few days before the land transfers in the treaty took effect—the Mexican government didn't know about the gold at that point. This meant that as a result of Texas joining the U.S., the U.S. got its hands on prolific sources of gold, people streamed into California, and the region became a state more quickly than any other state.

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PHKRAUSE

I  DID  not  know  that  Britain did  not want TEXAS  to  join the U.S.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About the War of 1812_2

On December 30, 1813, British forces and their native American allies torched several towns along the U.S. - Canadian border, including Buffalo, New York. Here are five things you didn't know about the Burning of Buffalo and the War of 1812.

The Burning Was Part of an Act of Revenge

The Burning of Buffalo didn't come out of nowhere. It was an act of revenge exacted after American troops had burned several Canadian towns as bad winter weather closed in, with the idea of leaving everyone in those towns homeless and at risk from the cold and snow. The burnings so enraged British and Canadian leaders, especially Lieutenant-General Gordon Drummond, that they devised a plan to attack and burn several American border towns as revenge.

The British Issued a Statement of Regret Later.

Believe it or not, the British leaders in North America actually recognized how bad the burning was, though that was of little comfort to people who'd lost homes and neighbors. One British leader, Lieutenant General Sir George Prevost, offered regret over the burnings a few weeks after troops were no longer attacking border towns and incinerating them. But before you assume that this regret was part of an act of repentance, realize that Prevost said the burnings were in response to the actions of the Americans on the Canadian side of the border, and he placed the blame squarely on the Americans' shoulders—not on the British or Canadian troops who had burned American towns.

Even Americans Didn't Like the Events That Led to the Burning of Buffalo

The burnings on the Canadian side, which had driven the British and Canadians to burn Buffalo, were the acts of military leaders and troops—and American civilians were not happy. Those along the border not only knew that making entire towns homeless before a winter storm was unconscionable, but they also knew that now they were exposed to a heightened risk of attack. In the days before the burning, more American troops poured into the area and made residents feel a bit safer, but that did not stop attacks from occurring. It didn't help that the numbers of troops didn't match their fighting abilities, which were subpar and left the Americans unprepared.

A Lot of American Troops Deserted During the Attacks That Led to the Burning

Part of the problem during the Burning of Buffalo was that many American troops deserted. Many were frightened by cries from Native Americans who had allied with the British. When the troops could see flashes from muskets firing in addition to hearing the cries, a lot of American troops fled en masse. Several more slipped away in smaller groups. This didn't happen at all the battles occurring that night—just at Buffalo, with terrible consequences. Many men from the town went to fight as their homes burned, but their numbers and fighting skills were not adequate to stop the disaster.

The British Later Returned to Burn More of Buffalo

Bad enough your town gets burned to the ground once, but twice? On December 30, during the main Burning of Buffalo, one resident named Sarah Lovejoy did not flee and instead put up a fight as Native Americans ransacked her house during the attack. Some sources call her foolish or reduce her fight to an attempt to save her dresses—and according to neighbors, she said she'd stay behind to protect her property—but she put up more of a fight than some American troops who fled the scene. Lovejoy was killed and her house set on fire; her neighbors later returned, put out the fire in her house, and placed her corpse inside. Unfortunately, the British returned soon after (depending on the source, either December 31 or January 1) and torched her house again, leaving only her bones for burial.

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6 Things You Didn't Know About The Panama Canal

On December 31, 1999, the Panama Canal was turned over to Panama after tensions and rioting by Panamanians about the Canal Zone. Here are 6 things you didn’t know about this artificial waterway that sped up travel between the two major oceans...

Interest in Building a Canal Was Sparked in the 16th Century

Vasco Nunez de Balboa, the Spanish explorer, discovered the small land bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans in 1513. In 1520, following a search for a waterway that might link the two oceans and failing to do so, Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, ordered that a survey be performed to see if one could be built in Panama. However, the surveyors decided that it wasn’t possible.

France Attempted to Build a Canal

In the late 1800s, France decided to hire Ferdinand de Lesseps, who had built the Suez Canal in Egypt, to build the canal. Gustave Eiffel, who had designed the Eiffel Tower, was brought in to construct the locks; however, because of a multitude of problems, the company led by De Lesseps declared bankruptcy in 1889. Because of mismanagement and charges of fraud, De Lesseps, his son, Charles, Eiffel and others were found guilty and fined but never served any time in prison.

America Wanted to Build the Canal Through Nicaragua

The Americans saw the practicality of building a canal to connect the Atlantic and Pacific oceans but thought building it through Nicaragua was a better idea. After being convinced that this was a bad idea, in part, by Philippe-Jean Bunau-Varilla, an engineer who was experienced in canal construction, and because of Panama’s independence from Colombia, America gained an area of around 500 square miles to build the canal. It was estimated to cost about $375 million.

More Than 25,000 Workers Died During The Canal’s Construction

Workers on the construction of the canal had to deal with the difficult tropical weather, tropical diseases and terrain that was challenging. The French, in their earlier attempt, had lost around 20,000 workers, while America lost about 5,600 between 1904 and 1913 because of accidents and devastating diseases such as malaria and yellow fever.

An Adventurer Who Swam the Length of the Canal Had to Pay to Do So

Vessels that travel through the canal have to pay a toll that is based on cargo volume and size, and for big ships, it can cost up to $450,000. Richard Halliburton, who swam the canal in 1928, had to pay also. The toll he paid for his historic swim was 36 cents.

The United States Transferred Control of The Canal to Panama in 1999

The United States transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999. In the years after the canal opened, tensions increased between America and Panama over control of the canal and the surrounding Canal Zone. In 1964, Panamanians rioted after being prevented from flying their nation’s flag next to a U.S. flag in the Canal Zone. In 1977, President Jimmy Carter and General Omar Torrijos of Panama signed treaties that transferred control of the canal to Panama in 1999 but gave the United States the right to use military force to defend the waterway against any threat to its neutrality.  Control of the canal was transferred peacefully to Panama in December 1999, and the Panamanians have been responsible for it ever since.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know that a man swan the length of the  canal ====

and had to pay to go though

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The New Year's Eve Ball Drop

Welcome to 2019, folks. It's a brand new year, so join us as we celebrate New Year's Day, Trivia Today style!  Here are five things you didn't know about the New Year's Eve Ball Drop.

Each Crystal Triangle Has a Specific Pattern That Represents a Theme

The current ball in Times Square is decorated with Waterford crystal, so you'd expect the ball to have lovely patterns etched into each crystal triangle. However, the patterns aren't random. Each triangle has a pattern that represents a specific theme or idea. Some of these occur year after year, while new ones are also introduced. For example, in 2017, the patterns represented themes like "The Gift of Kindness" (this was a rosette with extended fronds) and "The Gift of Wonder." For 2019, the patterns will once again include "The Gift of Wonder" and "The Gift of Kindness" (among others), as well as bring in the new "Gift of Serenity," which will feature crystal butterflies flying over a meadow.

The Ball Drop Started When a Popular Fireworks Show Was Canceled for Raining Ash on Spectators

The ball drop wasn't the first New Year's Eve celebration in Times Square, but it has been the least alarming. Previous to the ball drop, the New York Times sponsored a popular fireworks show in the same location. (At the time, the paper was located in the narrow building now home to the ball drop.) The fireworks show happened three years in a row with enthusiastic crowds filling the streets below. However, the fireworks back then would rain hot ash down on people, and city officials didn't like that. They finally decided to halt the show, but Adolph Ochs, the paper's publisher, still wanted to sponsor a celebration. He came up with the ball-drop idea just in time for the party ushering in 1908.

The Ball Drop Was Inspired by a Daily Timekeeping Ball

Ochs had to come up with an idea quickly, but in a crowded, lively city such as New York, finding inspiration wasn't a problem. Ochs thought the time-ball drop at the Western Union building could be the key. A time ball was a ball that would drop at noon daily, and people would literally stop and stare at it as the drop marked the time. Time balls were common features in cities that allowed residents to synchronize watches, appointments, and more, before times across each time zone were standardized (for example, noon in New York City was equal to about 11:48 a.m. in Washington, D.C., when time balls were in use). Ochs realized that if people would stare at this small time ball, they would love a spectacularly lit ball that would mark midnight.

The Ball Has Seen Some Massive Weight Changes

The ball in Times Square has seen not only stylistic and material changes, but some massive weight changes as well. The first wood-and-iron ball weighed about 700 pounds, and it became progressively lighter as new versions were introduced—at first. In 1920, the new ball was 400 pounds, and in 1955, it weighed 150 pounds (the owners switched to an all-aluminum ball). For the 1999-2000 drop, a ball with Waterford crystal and a diameter of 6 feet was introduced, with a weight of about a half ton, or a bit over 1,000 pounds. However, the latest Waterford-crystal version—12 feet in diameter and weatherproofed—upped the weight to an astounding 11,875 pounds.

Lots of Other Cities Drop Food in Their Own Version of the Ball Drop

It's not a secret that other cities have fireworks and ball drops to mimic what New York does. Many cities, though, drop a food—in some cases, real—instead of a ball. Fake food replicas that are dropped include the giant potato in Boise, Idaho; a giant cluster of grapes in Temecula, California; and a giant Moon Pie in Mobile, Indiana; real food that gets dropped includes 200 pounds of real bologna in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The bologna is then donated to charity for meals. Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin used to drop a dead carp—yes, a real one—but in 2018, the committee that runs the town's multiday Carp Fest decided to stop the drop for logistics reasons. No word on whether future celebrations will include a carp drop.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know that some cities dropped food ===both real and fake==instead of a ball

dgrimm60

[phkrause]

5 Things You Didn't Know About The State of Georgia

On January 2, 1788, Georgia ratified the Constitution and joined the United States. Named after King George II, Georgia was first settled by Europeans in 1733, when a group of British debtors led by English philanthropist James E. Oglethorpe established Georgia’s first permanent settlement–the town of Savannah.  Here are five more things you didn't know about the state of Georgia...

Georgia Was Already Technically a State

Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the U.S. Constitution, with Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey ratifying in December 1787, and Georgia in January 1788, and thus Georgia "entered the union." However, Georgia was already technically a state—this ratification and entry marked Georgia's new identity as a state in the United States under the new constitution that centralized power a little more and that corrected a lot of the problems created by the Articles of Confederation. Georgia, along with every other former British colony in the United States, technically became their own states after breaking away from Britain and winning the Revolutionary War. All the ratification did was show Georgia's support for the paperwork that replaced the Articles.

Georgians Initially Didn't Feel as Enthusiastic About Breaking Away From Britain

Georgia wasn't as badly affected by all the factors that led other states to initially rebel against the British. The state was prosperous, so revolution wasn't on everyone's minds (economic comfort tends to be a big factor in revolutions and uprisings). However, as the war continued, much of Georgia became a base for British troops—in effect, an occupation. This made a lot of Georgians turn against the British.

Georgia Is the 24th Biggest State, but It's Got the Second Highest Number of Counties

Georgia's 159 tiny counties have their origins in the desire for rural residents to feel more connected, and for rural counties to have major influence in the state's government. When Georgia was formed, much of the state was rural, and people benefited from having a county government that was close by, rather than located miles and miles away. There's an urban legend (rural legend?) that the size of the counties was based on whether a farmer driving a mule-drawn wagon could get to the courthouse and back in one day, but that has never been proven true. Anyway, having small counties—and thus close-by government structures—allowed residents to remain better involved in the state's business.

The State Has Live, Wild Shrimp Living at the Top of a Mountain

"Wild" is the keyword. It's not unusual to find shrimp farms in various places, but in Georgia, at the top of Stone Mountain northeast of Atlanta, sit several pools fed by rainwater. These pools are home to fairy shrimp and clam shrimp.

The Name of the State of Georgia Has a Different Origin Than the Name of the Country of Georgia

Both the state and the country are named after British Georges, but that's where the similarities end. The state of Georgia was named in honor of King George II, who granted the land to its British settlers. The country of Georgia was given its English name after St. George, as in St. George and the Dragon. This actually isn't close at all to what Georgians call their country (that's Sakartvelo), but funnily enough, St. George and the Georgian people have apparently been associated with one another for centuries.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know about the shrimp  farms on stone mountain GEORGIA

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Peanuts

The last daily "Peanuts" comic strip by Charles Schulz ran on January 3, 2000.  Many of the 2,600 newspapers that carried Peanuts ran the farewell strip on their front page.  Here are five things you didn't know about one of the most popular and influential comic strips of all time... 

The Character of Franklin Got His Last Name From a Cartoonist Who Had Grown up Admiring Franklin

Yes, that's correct. Franklin, the African-American boy who Schulz introduced in the 1960s, did not have a last name until the 1990s. Robb Armstrong (the cartoonist who created JumpStart) had grown up reading Peanuts and was heavily influenced by Schulz's inclusion of Franklin. When Armstrong signed up with United Feature Syndicate, he sent a drawing to Schulz of a JumpStart character referencing Snoopy and later found that Schulz had framed the strip and displayed it on his wall. The two became friends, and when Peanuts was going to have a video special released, Schulz asked Armstrong if Franklin could use "Armstrong" as his last name.

Peanuts Was Originally Called L'il Folks

Schulz's first version of Peanuts was called L'il Folks, and it debuted as a weekly panel in the Saturday Evening Post in 1947. The strip was kid-centered but did not contain many of Peanuts' most famous characters, including Snoopy and Linus. When Schulz signed a contract and expanded the strip, he had to change the name because L'il Folks sounded too close to L'il Abner, another comic strip. Schulz said he actually wasn't a fan of the new name but kept drawing because the work was worth it.

The Interior of Snoopy's Doghouse Has Been Seen Only Once

And it's like the Peanuts kids' version of a TARDIS—bigger on the inside and containing exactly everything needed for the episode (because every doghouse just happens to have chemistry equipment stored away). In the animated special It's Magic, Charlie Brown, Snoopy heads into his doghouse, which turns out to merely be an entrance. In the few minutes you see him inside, he walks down a staircase into a giant basement locker room and workspace in which he attempts alchemy.

Schulz Really Did Die the Night Before His Last Sunday Strip Ran

This is a morbid fact, but the timing is so stunning that it should be mentioned. The last original daily strip ran on January 3, 2000, but Schulz still had some Sunday comics ready to go. Those continued to run until February 13, 2000. However, Schulz died in his sleep in the evening of February 12, 2000, so on Sunday morning, readers were faced with a double whammy of a sweet goodbye from the strip and news of Schulz's death.

The Most Controversial Character of the Strip Is... Snoopy?

When the Peanuts strip first started, Snoopy was emotional and easily influenced by the other characters. He provided the visible reaction to what the others were saying, which, in the early days, was usually rather depressing. Toward the end of the 1960s, however, Snoopy's character gained confidence and tended to take on more of an independent role that was not as influenced by the other characters. You might call this a natural progression, but the switch from reactive Snoopy to independent Snoopy made many readers uncomfortable. His confidence has been called narcissistic, shallow, and alienating. Still, Snoopy remains one of the most popular Peanuts characters.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know about the Character Franklin  getting last name by a fan===

also I did not know about Snoopy change of character

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Burj Khalifa

On January 4, 2010, Dubai opened Burj Khalifa, a stunning 2,716.5-foot skyscraper that immediately smashed pretty much every record for tallest building and tallest this or that. This sparkling glass-and-metal building is home to a hotel, residences, and many other amenities. Here are five things you didn't know about Burj Khalifa...

The Building Originally Was Not Supposed to Be as Tall as It Is

Would you believe the original plans for Burj Khalifa had it topping out at only 1,700 feet, and not the 2,716.5 feet that it spans now? The previous record holder for tallest building was the Taipei 101 building at 1,667 feet, and Burj Khalifa's original plans exceeded that by only 33 feet.

It Had a Different Name at First

Throughout most of the building's construction and planning, it was simply called Burj Dubai. It underwent a last-minute name change to Burj Khalifa in honor of the leader of Abu Dhabi, Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who bailed out Dubai after it sustained massive debt during the financial crisis of the late 2000s. Think of it as a version of getting building naming rights after making a donation to an organization here in the U.S., although in Burj Khalifa's case, it was meant as a tribute to show Dubai's gratitude.

The Building Is So Tall That It Has to Have Multiple "Refuge Floors" and Elevators That Reach 40 Miles per Hour

A common feature in tall buildings, often required by law in Asia, is a refuge floor or refuge space. This is a fortified space where people can shelter should a fire break out. These spaces are part of a strategy for extinguishing fires in buildings too tall for firefighters to cover easily. Burj Khalifa is so tall that it has to have refuge floors every 25 to 30 stories, and those floors have their own air supplies. The building is also so tall that the elevators have to go at high speeds, often up to 40 miles per hour. And don't forget the change in weather; the temperature can drop as much as 15 degrees toward the top of the occupied section of the building.

The Building Is Specially Constructed to Sway in Wind in a Way That Occupants Won't Actually Feel

Tall buildings suffer the effects of strong winds, so they have to be built to sway a little. Otherwise, stronger winds could damage the buildings easily. With a building as tall as Burj Khalifa, that sway at the top could be dizzying if not handled carefully. Architects for the building claim they "tuned" the building so that it would sway, but not in a way that matches the harmonics of the swaying from the wind. When a building sways due to wind, it moves back and forth, creating what would look like a sine wave on a graph. If the building were to sway back and forth with the same frequency (as in periodicity or cycle) as the waves of wind hitting it—or with the same frequency as a harmonic, which is a multiple of that basic frequency—that could intensify the swaying. By tuning the building so that the sway is on a different cycle than the wind, the swaying could be lessened, and the architects could try to control whether people on the upper floors actually feel any movement.

One of the Records Broken Includes Beating the Height of a TV Antenna Mast

We hear so much about tall buildings being built in Taiwan, Dubai, and even major cities in the United States, like Chicago. But the record for the tallest structure before Burj Khalifa was built was held in North Dakota. A TV antenna mast for KVLY-TV in Blanchard, North Dakota, held the record of tallest structure in the world—briefly usurped by a radio mast in Poland, which later collapsed—and still holds the title of tallest humanmade structure in the Western Hemisphere. The mast isn't self-supporting, and it isn't an occupied building, so not a lot of people realize that this giant mast extends 2,063 feet above the ground, taller than many skyscrapers.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not  know about the T.V.  antenna   that was built in NORTH DAKOTA

dgrimm60

[phkrause]

5 Things You Didn't Know About The Golden Gate Bridge

On January 5, 1933, construction crews broke ground on what would become an icon of San Francisco and the United States at large: the Golden Gate Bridge.  Here are five things you didn't know about the Golden Gate Bridge...

The Great Depression Nearly Stopped Construction

Plans for a bridge from San Francisco to Marin County had been batted around since the late 1800s, but they didn't really get going until the 1910s. As plans were being finalized and designs drawn up, the Great Depression slammed businesses across the nation in 1929. While not a good thing at the time, there was one very good aftereffect: The plans and designs for the bridge had to be scaled back, resulting in the current bridge design we know and love today. The budget was chopped severely, giving developers only a third of what they originally wanted, but luckily, engineers came up with the right design.

The "Golden Gate" Is Actually a Strait

Many people mistakenly attribute the name to the bridge's color or believe the name spawns from the California gold rush of the mid-nineteenth century when in fact, the bridge is named after the passage of water it stretches over: the Golden Gate Strait. That strait is the gateway between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean and was named by an explorer, John C. Frémont, who wrote in his memoirs that the passageway reminded him of the "Golden Horn" Harbor in modern-day Istanbul. The name stuck and some 87 years later became the moniker for one of the most famous bridges in the world.

Even Before Construction Started, Over 2,000 Lawsuits Were Filed to Stop the Bridge

The construction of a huge bridge had more than a few foes. The Southern Pacific Railroad held a majority stake in the ferry company that took people across the strait, so the railroad company sued because it didn't want to lose business; the Sierra Club was also opposed because it didn't want the bridge to change the look of the bay and strait. By 1930, about 2,300 lawsuits were pending against the bridge and its developers. However, the public decided the bridge would be a good addition—especially after locals were promised a first look at jobs—and they boycotted the ferry service. After several court rulings and federal approvals, the construction began.

The Bridge is Painted "International Orange"

The color is actually not "golden" at all. Rather, it's known as "international orange" and is the same color used by NASA for astronaut spacesuits. That wasn't necessarily the plan all along: other proposed colors included gray, black, aluminum, and even a black-and-yellow striped bridge that would increase visibility for passing ships. Ultimately, however, the architects landed on the reddish-orange color you see today after being inspired by the basic red primer coated on the steel beams when they arrived in San Francisco. International orange not only blends well with the surrounding natural environment, but it also stands out well in fog—a big win for San Francisco. 

Construction Work on the Bridge Included Pioneering Safety Measures

Construction work in the 1930s was much more dangerous than it is today, with people regularly dying in the process; the general odds at the time were one death per million dollars of budget. Joseph Strauss, the lead engineer, did not want his workers dying. He required safety measures that sound reasonable but that, at the time, weren't typical of worksites. There was no joking around, workers had to wear customized hard hats and goggles that reduced glare, they had to eat diets that reduced the risk of becoming dizzy (or so Strauss claimed; no word on how effective these diets actually were), and they had to use hand and face cream to avoid skin problems from the strong winds that funneled through the strait. Strauss even installed a net below the bridge that saved 19 lives. These workers earned the nickname of the "Halfway to Hell" club.