Trivia

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5 Facts You Didn't Know About Teddy Bears

On February 15, 1903, the first "Teddy's bears" were put on display in a Brooklyn shop by owner Morris Michtom. Michtom named them after Theodore Roosevelt, who had recently refused to kill a bear during a hunt. Roosevelt gave his permission to Michtom, who started manufacturing the bears. Here are 5 things you didn't know about Teddy bears..

The Initial Bear Cub Story Was Embellished

For many people, the story of the teddy bear involves President Theodore Roosevelt refusing to kill a bear. That's the gist of what happened, but it's an embellished and sanitized version of the real event. During a hunting trip in which Roosevelt had not spotted one bear, one of Roosevelt's assistants captured an older bear and tied it to a tree, offering it to Roosevelt to shoot. Roosevelt did refuse to shoot it, but because the bear was already injured, he asked his assistants to kill it anyway. And in retellings, the bear got smaller, and that "tied-up" bit wasn't always mentioned. 

The World's Largest Teddy Bear Measures 65 Feet

A 65-foot-long teddy bear that took more than three months to be stitched together in Mexico was dubbed the world's largest by Guinness World Records.  A Guinness adjudicator spent more than five hours measuring the 4.4-ton stuffed toy at a soccer stadium in the town of Xonacatlan. The residents who spent more than three months stitching the bear together dubbed it Xonita after the town. The bear was measured and certified as part of an event organized to promote children's day in Mexico.

Winnie the Pooh Was Based on a Real Bear

A Canadian soldier bought a black bear cub from a hunter during World War I, and the animal became a pet and mascot for his troop. The bear, named Winnipeg, later was given to the London Zoological Gardens, where Christopher Robin Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne’s son, took such a liking to her that he named his teddy bear after her. 

Teddy Bears Mourned The Titanic

After the Titanic sank in 1912, German toy company Steiff created 500 teddy bears to honor the victims. The “mourning bears” were black with red-rimmed eyes to show their sympathy. They now sell for $20,000 or more in auctions.

A Teddy Bear Has Gone Into Space

In 1995, students at a Colorado elementary school took on an educational project that involved getting a teddy bear ready for spaceflight. The bear, named Magellan T. Bear, was "tested" and given a flight suit. It was taken on plane flights to places like the South Pole and eventually went into space on the Space Shuttle Discovery as part of mission STS-63. The bear now resides at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. 

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I did  not  know  that  a  GERMAN COMPANY  made  500  Teddy  Bears  to  honor  the  victims  of the  TITANIC====

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5 Surprising Facts You Didn't Know About Deep Blue

On February 17, 1996, World chess champion Garry Kasparov beat the IBM supercomputer "Deep Blue," winning the six-game match in Philadelphia. Here are 5 surprising facts that you probably didn't know about IBM's supercomputer...

Garry Kasparov Defeated IBM’s Deep Blue

The six-game match between Kasparov and Deep Blue began on February 10, 1996, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia. Although Deep Blue was capable of evaluating 100 million different chess positions per second, the IBM team wasn’t sure how the computer would perform in competition and Kasparov was favored to win. Instead, much to his frustration, the world chess champ lost the first game to Deep Blue. However, Kasparov quickly staged a comeback and won the second game. The third and fourth games ended in a draw, while Kasparov won the fifth game. On February 17, the human chess master triumphed over Deep Blue in the sixth game and took the match, with a final score of 4-2.

The Name Deep Blue Came from IBM’s Nickname

The Deep Blue chess program was originally called Chiptest and was created by Thomas Anantharaman and Feng-Hsiung Hsu, who were students at Carnegie Mellon University. They joined the IBM corporation later, and the name was changed to Deep Thought and then to Deep Blue, which was a variation of the nickname for the IBM corporation Big Blue.

Kasparov Had Beaten a Previous Version of the Computer at Chess

Deep Thought, the precursor to Deep Blue, was created in 1988 and named after the fictional computer in “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.” Kasparov beat the machine in two games they played together in 1989. This was when developers of the software realized that the program needed more work.

The Chess Champion Wasn’t so Lucky in The Rematch

A heavily publicized 6-game rematch between man and machine began on May 3, 1997. The IBM team had been working to upgrade Deep Blue since its 1996 defeat to Kasparov and the improved version of the computer was able to examine 200 million different chess positions per second. Kasparov took the first game while Deep Blue won the second. The third, fourth and fifth games ended in a draw. On May 11, Deep Blue won the sixth as well as the match, 3.5 to 2.5. A disgruntled Kasparov suggested Deep Blue had been aided by some sort of human assistance during the games, charges that IBM denied. Kasparov demanded a rematch, but instead, IBM retired Deep Blue.

The Fredkin Prize Was Finally Awarded After 17 Years

The Fredkin Prize was created in 1980 by Edward Fredkin, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, who was a pioneer in artificial intelligence. The prize was to be awarded to whoever could create a computer capable of beating the top chess player in the world. When Deep Blue accomplished this in 1997, the big prize was awarded to the IBM team that upgraded the machine that defeated Kasparov.

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5 Crazy Facts You Didn't Know About The Oscars

On February 18, 1929, the First Academy Awards were announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Here are 5 crazy facts you never knew about the history of this prestigious award...

It’s Unclear Why the Statue Is Named “Oscar”

Officially named the Academy Award of Merit, the statuette is better known by its nickname, Oscar. Where the “Oscar” got its name seems to be shrouded in mystery. However, pop culture seems to credit Academy librarian (and eventual executive director) Margaret Herrick. Apparently when Herrick first saw the little statuette, she remarked that it resembled her Uncle Oscar – and the name stuck! The Academy officially adopted the nickname in 1939.

The First Academy Award Ceremony Lasted Only About 15 Minutes

The first award recipients’ names were printed on the back page of the academy’s newsletter. A few days later, Variety published the information–on page seven. The ceremony was then held in May, and it was a far cry from the glamour surrounding the Oscars today: Earlier this month, the Academy Awards ceremony lasted around three hours and thirty-five minutes, which is much longer than the 15 minutes it took to hold the first one on May 16, 1929. Of course, back in 1929, there were only 12 award categories, and there are 25 categories now. The Academy Award for Best Picture in 1929 went to Wings, a $2 million dollar silent movie about pilots during World War I.

Walt Disney Has Been Awarded More Oscars Than Anyone Else

Over the years, Walt Disney won 22 Oscars at the Academy Awards in addition to four awards that were honorary. Furthermore, Disney holds the record for the person who has received the most nominations, with an astounding 59 of them. Disney’s first win was in 1932 for his technicolor cartoon, “Flowers and Trees,” and an honorary award was also given to him that year for his cartoon character Mickey Mouse.

Only One Oscar Winner Had Parents Who Both Won the Award

Actress and singer Liza Minelli, who won an Academy Award in 1972 for Best Actress for her role in Cabaret, is the only winner of an Academy Award whose parents were also winners of the prestigious statuette. Her mother, Judy Garland, was given an honorary award in 1939. Her father, Vincente Minelli, won an Oscar in 1958 as Best Director for Gigi.

A Limit Was Eventually Placed on the Time Allowed for Acceptance Speeches

Actress Greer Garson, who won a Best Actress Oscar in 1942 for her role in Mrs. Miniver as an unassuming English housewife during World War II, talked on and on for almost six minutes in her acceptance speech. Apparently the Academy decided this was far too long and created a speech guideline limiting remarks by an Oscar winner to 45 seconds. Winners of the Oscar still disregard this guideline frequently.

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6 Things You Didn't Know About The Battle of Iwo Jima_2

On February 19, 1945, U.S. Marines invaded Iwo Jima and engaged in one of the most important battles of World War II. Find out what you didn’t know about Operation Detachment, the success of which brought American forces within 660 miles of Japan...

The Military Campaign Lasted 36 Days

Operation Detachment was the code-name given to the operation to take control of Iwo Jima. Intelligence sources were convinced it would take no more than a week but did not know that Japan was planning a strong defense at the island. The 36-day battle resulted in heavy casualties and fierce fighting, which one soldier described as similar to fighting on top of a pool table since the combat area was so small.

The Battle of Iwo Jima Was The Costliest Battle in U.S. Marine Corps

On the first day of the battle, Lt. General Holland Smith predicted that capturing Iwo Jima would cost up to 15,000 casualties among American troops. In fact, he was way off; the battle made casualties of one in four U.S. troops, a staggering ratio when you consider that their forces numbered close to 100,000. Over 23,000 of them were U.S. Marines, with close to 6,000 dead, making it the costliest battle in the history of the Marine Corps. On the other side, Japanese forces are believed to have numbered over 21,000 at the start of the battle. Only about 1,000 were taken prisoner. The other 20,000 were killed or committed suicide.

The Medal of Honor Was Awarded to 27 Men For Valor at Iwo Jima

The Battle of Iwo Jima accounted for 1/3 of all Medal of Honor awards for U.S. Marines in WWII.  27 U.S. Marine Corps and Navy personnel were awarded Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in America, for their heroics in the Battle of Iwo Jima. On February 19, 1985, an event was held to mark the 40th anniversary of the landing on Iwo Jima. Called “Reunion of Honor”, it was attended by veterans from both sides that fought the battle.

A Photo Taken on the Island Won a Pulitzer Prize for the Photographer

The photo of the U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, represented the first time a foreign flag had been raised on Japanese soil. Joe Rosenthal, an American photographer, took the photo, which won him the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. The photo became one of the iconic pictures taken during World War II.

Navajo Code Talkers Were Credited With Winning The Battle of Iwo Jima

In The Code Book, author Simon Singh writes that the Navajo code talkers (members of the Navajo tribe who relayed messages using a code based on their tribal dialect) at Iwo Jima performed flawlessly and he quotes Major General Howard Connor as saying: "Without the Navajos, the Marines never would have taken Iwo Jima." Lt General Seizo Arisue, the Japanese chief of intelligence, admitted after the war that while they broke the Air Force code, they failed to break the Navajo code, making it one of a select few codes in history to remain unbroken.

Two Soldiers Didn’t Surrender Until 1949

Japanese forces were heavily outnumbered by American troops but had time to prepare and build an extensive labyrinth of caves and tunnels before their arrival. These tunnels were so complicated and so well-prepared that at least two Japanese soldiers who fought in the battle of Iwo Jima in 1945 were able to live in the caves and tunnels and avoid detection by occupying U.S. forces for almost five years.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The Postal Service_2

On February 20, 1792, President George Washington signed an act creating the U.S. Post Office. Here are five interesting facts you may not know about the U.S. Postal Service...

Ben Franklin Wasn't the Only "Celebrity" Postmaster

While Benjamin Franklin was the first Postmaster General in the United States, there have been several other big-names that have also served in the United States Postal Service. President Abraham Lincoln was himself a postmaster in his home state of Illinois. And according to the Postal Service's website, other famous former employees include Bing Crosby, William Faulkner, Walt Disney, Charles Lindbergh, and Adlai Stevenson. That's quite the dream team of mail delivery folks!

Mailboxes Turned Blue in 1971

People who have been around since before 1971 probably recall that mailboxes weren’t always blue. Collection boxes for the U.S. mail were green or red originally. Most were painted a uniform dark green around 1909 with the idea that the color would not be confused with fire or emergency equipment. The boxes changed to a drab olive green following World War I because the paint had been donated to the U.S. Postal Service by the U.S. Army. Later collection boxes were painted a patriotic, red, white and blue starting in 1955.

The Postmaster General Used to be in The Line of Succession to The Presidency

President Jackson decided that the Postmaster General should sit in the Cabinet, thereby putting the office on the same level as the Secretaries of War, Treasury, and State—and putting the PG in contention to be the Commander in Chief. Although, the Postmaster General was last in line, it still put him or her a heartbeat, or dozen, away. The Postmaster General was finally removed from the Cabinet and from succession in 1971.

Mail Delivery Is by Mule Still Exists in One Location

The creed of the U.S. Postal Service is “"Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." This is especially true for the residents of Supai, Arizona, who have their mail delivered by mule.  Supai lies at the Grand Canyon’s bottom, where members of the Havasupai tribe receive their mail. The route is an eight-mile trip taken by mules and horses.

Recipients—Not Senders—Had to Pay For Postage

Until the mid-19th century, recipients—not the senders—usually had to pay for postage on the letters they received. As a result, people tended to refuse so many letters in order to escape paying for them, which caused the post office to spend an inordinate amount of time returning mail to senders. Postage stamps—which were prepaid—were introduced in America in 1847 and eliminated this problem. 

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I did  not  know  that the people that received  the  letters  had to  pay for the postage until  1847====

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Malcolm X_2

On February 21, 1965, Malcolm X, a black civil rights leader who was feared by some and respected by others, was assassinated at age 39. Here are five things you probably didn't know about Malcolm X.

He Wasn't Born Malcolm X

Malcolm X's birth name was Malcolm Little. Malcolm took "X" to represent his unknown African name, and  in 1950, he began signing his name "Malcolm X." By rejecting "Little," he sought to cast aside the surname that had been forced upon his ancestors by white slave owners. The letter "X," in contrast, represented his true, yet tragically unknown, African tribal name.

He Converted to Islam in Prison

Malcolm was sentenced to eight to 10 years in jail in 1946 after committing burglaries in wealthy white neighborhoods. It was in jail where he converted to the Nation of Islam and changed his name to Malcolm X. He went to visit the founder, Elijah Muhammad, in 1952 in Chicago, and it was quickly discovered that Malcolm was an impressive orator with the ability to attract more members. In just over 10 years, the membership of the group rose from 500 in 1952 to 30,000.

The FBI Followed His Every Move

As a prisoner in 1950, Malcolm wrote a letter to President Harry Truman in which he declared himself a Communist opposed to the Korean War. This caught the attention of the FBI, which began surveillance of Malcolm X that continued for the rest of his life. In one document that has since come to light, FBI director J. Edgar Hoover told the agency’s New York office to “do something about Malcolm X.” 

He Created the Nation of Islam's Newspaper

Malcolm X created the Nation of Islam's Newspaper and started the street-corner sales requirement. If you've seen NOI members selling newspapers on street corners, that process -- and the Muhammad Speaks newspaper itself -- were part of X's influence on the NOI. He started the newspaper and decided that members should sell the paper on corners as a fundraising method. The sales also served as a recruitment method.

He and Redd Foxx Were Dishwashers at the Same Restaurant

Malcolm was working in 1943 at a Harlem restaurant called Jimmy’s Chicken Shack along with John Sanford, who later became famous as the comedian Redd Foxx. Malcolm reported that they committed petty crimes together, but Foxx’s life took a different direction after he went to Los Angeles and did his comic routine at a nightclub called the Brass Rail. Malcolm went to Boston in 1945 and was arrested that year, along with others, for committing a number of burglaries and ended up being sentenced to prison at Charlestown with an eight- to 10-year sentence to serve.

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5 Places Airplanes Can't Fly Over

On February 22, 1935, it became illegal for planes to fly over the White House. While the sight of an airplane flying overhead is normal for most people, there are areas in the United States where planes can't fly. These no-fly zones cover places that range from historical to top secret. Here are 5 places that airplanes can't fly over...

The White House

You might think the White House barred planes from flying overhead for security reasons. But in this case, the no-fly zone was created on this day in 1935 because President Franklin D. Roosevelt couldn't sleep with the drone of engines and propellers overhead. The ban is still in place, although it hasn't kept all aircraft out. There have been a few incidents in which an aircraft breached the no-fly zone, including one in which a small plane crashed two stories below President Clinton’s bedroom. In 1974, an Army private stole a helicopter from Fort Meade and hovered above the White House for six minutes and landed on the South Lawn.

Area 51

If you were hoping to fly an aircraft over the infamous Area 51 to see what you could spot, you'd be in for a nasty surprise. The area around it is restricted to most, but not all, air travel. The only commuter flights allowed to fly to Area 51 must originate from a specific terminal at a specific airport (Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport). The planes themselves must use the call sign “Janet” to get clearance to enter the airspace. While these restrictions may add to the forbidden appeal of sneaking around Area 51, it's a legitimate military zone that handles top-secret information. It's not an area you'd want to mess around in. 

Disneyland and Disney World

Both Disney properties in the United States have no-fly zones that extend in a three-mile radius around each, up to 3,000 feet above the park. They were included in a massive air-safety-focused act of Congress, Operation Liberty Shield, enacted in 2003. While the zones prevent plane noise from interrupting people's days at the park, critics say the zones do nothing to prevent terrorism and only prevent banner-towing planes from flying over the park. Some conservative groups have treated the zones as free-speech issues because they can't fly protest banners during some of the parks' events. 

A Number of Presidential Properties

What do Mount Vernon, Kennebunkport, and Camp David have in common? They're all presidential-related properties that have no-fly zones. Mount Vernon was George Washington's home, which has a no-fly zone up to 1,500 feet above mean sea level; Kennebunkport is home to the Bush family compound at Walker's Point, which has a no-fly zone up to 1,000 feet above mean sea level; and Camp David is the Maryland retreat where many presidents have gone to relax and to hold historical meetings and conferences. It has a no-fly zone of up to 5,000 feet above mean sea level.

Pantex Nuclear Assembly Plant

This spot is located about 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas, and it is exactly what it sounds like—it’s a site for the production of nuclear weapons. Pantex also dismantles excess nukes and keeps tabs on existing ones. It’s one of several locations run by the National Nuclear Security Administration—but it’s actually the only one with a no-fly zone. As you might expect, the site is also closed to the public.

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6 Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About Steve Jobs

On February 24, 1955, Steve Jobs was born in the San Francisco Bay Area.  He would go on to become the co-founder, chief executive and chairman of Apple Computer. Here are six shocking facts you didn't know about Steve Jobs...

Jobs Dropped Out of College

Steve Jobs was a college dropout and attended Reeds College for just 18 months.  The course that interested him the most at Reed was calligraphy. In the class, he studied typefaces and put his knowledge of typography to work when the first Macintosh computer was designed. Jobs said: “I learned about serif and sans serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It’s this appreciation for aesthetics which ultimately set Apple apart in the tech world. Jobs had no idea, at the time, how much his knowledge in calligraphy would influence the typography and font of Apple products.

He Was Offered an Internship at Hewlett-Packard in 8th Grade

The HP website tells the story like this: "When he was in eighth grade, Steve Jobs decided to build a frequency counter for a school project and needed parts. Someone suggested that he call Bill Hewlett. Finding a William Hewlett in the telephone book, the 12-year-old Jobs called and asked, "Is this the Bill Hewlett of Hewlett-Packard?" "Yes," said Bill. Jobs made his request. Bill spent some time talking to him about his project. Several days later, Jobs went to HP and picked up a bag full of parts that Bill had put together for him. Subsequently, Jobs landed a summer job at HP."

Jobs Worked at Atari Before Starting Apple

Back in the early 1970s, Jobs landed a computer job with Atari, the video game company. He was a technician, and a highly valued one at that, although he had a reputation for being obnoxious. Jobs and Steve Wozniak, also later an Apple leader, designed the game Breakout for Atari in 1976. Reports are that people started complaining about the guy who never showered and walked around barefoot, and Atari had to move Jobs to the night shift because of his hygiene.

He Has Over 300 Patents to His Name

We all know he invented the iPhone, iPad and MacBook, but there are way more patents associated with his name. In fact, there are over 300! He appears as the lead inventor for over 30 products. Steve wasn’t just the inventor of desktop computers, iPods, laptops, keyboards and mice, he also invented packaging, power adapters, display devices and even the glass staircase inside of some Apple retail stores.

He Was Fired From Apple

Did you know that in 1985 Steve Jobs was fired from Apple—the company he helped to create. There was a disagreement between Jobs and Apple’s then-CEO, John Sculley. Jobs wanted to drop the price of the Macintosh and focus more of the advertising on it, instead of the Apple II. At the time, Mac sales were not doing well, but Sculley blamed it on the software, not the price. Apple’s Board of Directors sided with Sculley and Steve was let go from the company. Even though he fell out of his own company, he took it as a blessing in disguise and later in 1997 joined back as the CEO. He later said that the feeling was very liberating and it was the most creative period of his life.

He Initially Opposed Apps

It may come as a surprise, that Steve Jobs initially opposed the idea of having third-party apps on the iPhone. A member of Apple’s board of directors had to call him about six times to try to convince him to even consider the idea. He was against it because he “felt his team did not have the bandwidth to figure out all the complexities involved in policing third-party app developers.” Thankfully, he eventually agreed to it. 

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Samuel Colt

On February 25, 1836, American inventor Samuel Colt patented his revolver. Many historians have said that the Colt firearm altered the course of history.  Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about the gun manufacturer and industrialist...

A Sea Voyage Inspired the Design for the Colt Revolver

In 1830, when Samuel Colt was a teenager who had been expelled from school, he took a sea voyage on a ship going to London and Calcutta, India. While onboard the ship, he became obsessed with the ship’s wheel, which he noted could be spun or locked into one position. Reportedly, this observation sparked his idea for a revolving chamber capable of holding six bullets that could lock into place. He later used this technique to create a prototype revolver gun that used a cylindrical design and could fire multiple bullets without the need to be reloaded.

The Company Grew Because of the Mexican-American War

Colt found himself strapped for money after his initial gun factory failed, but interest in his revolver, which held five shots, grew once again as the Mexican-American War raged in the mid to late 1840s. American soldiers and groups such as the Texas Rangers found the weapon useful, and this increased its popularity. Captain Samuel Walker, a famed Texas Ranger who fought in the war with Mexico, collaborated with the inventor. The result of this collaboration was the Walker .44, and this gun made Colt’s name synonymous with weapons of war.

Colt Used Assembly Lines Before Henry Ford Did

In 1913, Henry Ford began using assembly lines in his factory, but Colt used them even earlier. His revolvers were mass-produced and his facility in Hartford turned out 150 guns a day. The venture was successful because the guns were constructed using interchangeable parts, which made the finished product more easily available and affordable.

Colt Was Creative at Advertising His Weapons to Increase Sales

Samuel Colt realized that he would sell more guns if people knew about them, so he made every attempt to keep them in the public eye. Most people don’t realize that the famous western artist George Catlin was commissioned by Colt to include his guns in paintings, and they appear in many of them. In addition, Colt hired people to write stories and features that included his revolvers, in an early type of what's known today as "content marketing."

He Never Held a Colt .45 in His Hand

He never held a Colt .45 in his hand.The Colt Single Action Army handgun, better known as the Colt .45, was not released until a decade after Colt’s death in 1862. Dubbed the “Peacemaker” and “the gun that won the West,” the Colt .45 served as the standard service revolver of the U.S. military between 1873 and 1892.

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Mardi Gras

On February 27, 1827, a group of masked and costumed students danced through the streets of New Orleans, Louisiana, marking the beginning of the city’s famous Mardi Gras celebrations.  Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about Mardi Gras...

Alabama Held the First Mardi Gras Celebration

Contrary to popular belief, the festival didn’t actually begin in New Orleans, but rather in present-day Mobile, Alabama. The first Mardi Gras occurred when French explorer brothers Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville and Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville were camped on the Gulf Coast in 1699. Realizing it was Mardi Gras, March 2, they named the spot Point du Mardi Gras. Bienville became the founder of New Orleans and Mobile—where the first American Mardi Gras celebration is said to have been established in 1703. To this day, Mobile puts on a huge festival for Mardi Gras.

The Date of Mardi Gras Changes Every Year

Mardi Gras celebrations in New Orleans originated during the French colonial rule of Louisiana, and its roots are tied to the traditions of the Catholic Church. Celebrated on the last day of Carnival season, Mardi Gras signals an end of indulgence and beginning of observed austerity during Lent, which begins the following day on Ash Wednesday. Fat Tuesday comes 47 days before Easter, the date of which changes every year, too.

Mardi Gras Colors are Purple, Gold and Green

Mardi Gras is associated with beads, of course, and every year, crowds line up on Bourbon Street in order to try and get themselves some beaded necklaces. What you might not have known, though, is that the purple, green and gold beads represent justice, faith and power, respectively. And in keeping with the celebratory and generous spirit of Mardi Gras, a person is allowed to pick up as many beads as their neck can hold

Mardi Gras Is a Legal Holiday

Despite the preponderance of what might “seem” like illegal activity, Mardi Gras is a legal holiday in Louisiana, and has been since 1875, when Governor Warmoth signed the “Mardi Gras Act.”

Floats and Marching Bands Were Added to Mardi Gras Around 1857

In 1856, the first floats and marching bands appeared in Louisiana, around 60 miles from New Orleans. The floats were built by the Mistick Krewe of Comus. There are many more krewes now and they are a popular part of Mardi Gras festivities. Other customs of the celebration include tossing strings of beads, elaborate costumes and masks and, of course, eating King cake, which has a small plastic baby inside. The person who gets the baby in their slice of cake is expected to throw the next party.

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I did not  know  that  he  had   an    Assembly  Line  that  put  out  150  guns  a day  before  HENRY FORD  had  his Assembly Line====

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I did  not  know  that MARDI  GRAS  is  a  legal Holiday  in  LOUISANA ====

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4 Things Interesting Facts About The M*A*S*H Finale

On this day in 1983, the celebrated sitcom M*A*S*H bows out after 11 seasons, airing a special two-and-a-half hour episode watched by 77 percent of the television viewing audience. To commemorate the men and women of the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital, check out these 4 interesting facts about the series finale...

Only Two Actors Appeared in Both the First and Last Episodes

Alan Alda, who played surgeon Captain Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce, and Loretta Swit, known as the nurse, Major Margaret “Hot Lips” Houlihan, were the only two actors to appear in the first episode as well as the two-hour finale. Alda appeared in all the episodes during the 11 seasons M*A*S*H was aired and was also the director of the finale. Swit appeared in all but 11 of the show's 256 episodes. The television series was a spinoff from the 1970 movie M*A*S*H, which was directed by Robert Altman and starred Donald Sutherland.

A Fire at the Filming Location Was Written Into the Script

The Fox Ranch in Malibu Creek State Park, used by 20th Century Fox, was the filming location for a number of famous movies as well as being the set for the M*A*S*H finale. A brush fire occurred at the location, and it was written into the script, extending the finale from its originally slated 90 minutes to two full hours. This extension allowed extra commercials to be run, and since they sold for $450,000 for a 30-second spot, the network made more money than they would have had the fire not happened.

The Final Show Wasn’t Filmed Last

The final season of the show wasn’t filmed in chronological order. The cast and crew had to go back and shoot the remaining episodes of the season after the filming of the finale episode. The final program of the series shot was actually the episode titled “As Time Goes By,” which features the burial of a time capsule. Almost 106 million people watched the two-hour M*A*S*H finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” in the United States. It was the most-watched program on television until 2010 when it was finally surpassed by Super Bowl XLIV.

The Finale Caused a Water Surge in New York

One rumor that floated around following the finale of M*A*S*H was that so many people went to the bathroom after the program concluded, the pressure drop created a water surge inside the tunnels bringing water from the Catskill Mountains to New York. This wasn't just an urban legend. It turned out to be true. It was estimated that 6.7 million extra gallons of water entered the New York City sewers around three minutes after the end of the show.

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5 Surprising Facts About Leap Year

While you may know that leap years occur once every four years, you may not be aware of the purpose behind this additional day and even less about its origins This extra day is more than just an oddity on the calendar. Here are 5 things you didn't know about Leap Years...

Leap Day Used to Be Leap Month.

The discrepancy between human time and seasonal progression is ancient, with the concept of extra time added to let humans "catch up" to solar time existing for centuries. However, leap time wasn't always as short as a day. The Roman calendar, for example, used to be 355 days long but would add a 22-day month every two years to allow human time to catch up to solar time. Around 46 B.C.E, Julius Caesar decided this was too confusing and created a new calendar, the Julian calendar, that added one leap day every four years. 

Leap Years Are Why We Switched From the Julian Calendar to Gregorian Calendar.

Caesar wanted to make leap time less confusing, but his solution didn't help permanently. The extra day every four years without fail led to too many leap days, with human time eventually out of sync with solar time and seasons again. In response, Pope Gregory XIII ordered a new calendar, one that calculated leap days differently. The Gregorian calendar, which is what we use now, was created in 1582, but countries took a couple of centuries to adjust. The Gregorian calendar allows some leap years to be skipped. The -00 years (1800, 1900, etc.) do not have a leap day unless the year is divisible by 400. So 1900 wasn't a leap year, but 2000 was.

Leap Seconds Occur as Needed.

If you use any devices that rely on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), you're relying on atomic clocks, which are highly accurate and rarely need adjustment. While atomic clocks themselves go off by one second maybe every 100 million years, they don't account for the slowing of the Earth's rotation (which is due to tidal effects from the moon and amounts to less than 2 milliseconds of slowing per century). This slowing means that the clocks end up being inaccurate to a small degree and need periodic readjustment. Because the increments of time at play here are so small, the fix is a leap second added every 1 1/2 years. The leap second is scheduled based on predictions and announced by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service.

February 30 Has Happened Twice.

February 30th? Twice in history have countries had to arrange for February 30. In one case, the day occurred as part of the conversion between the Julian and Gregorian calendars; Sweden had to add the day in 1712 because, during its initial attempts to convert in 1700, it made the wrong years leap years. This messed up the country's calendar so badly that everyone had to go back to the Julian calendar temporarily. In 1712, the country made the change to the Gregorian calendar official and added two leap days -- February 29 and 30 -- to catch up. The second time was in the Soviet Union between 1930 and 1931. The Soviet Revolutionary calendar, introduced in 1929, created six 5-day weeks per month, with five to six holidays at the end of the year. That gave February 30 days, but the country continued to observe the Gregorian calendar in everyday life, and the 5-day week was later abandoned.

Famous People Born on Leap Day

People born on leap day are often called "leaplings" or "leapers." Most of them don't wait every four years to celebrate their birthdays, but instead blow out the candles on Feb. 28 or March 1. According to History.com, about 4.1 million people around the world have been born on Feb. 29, and the chances of having a leap birthday are one in 1,461. Famous people born on leap day include composer Gioacchino Rossini, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, jazz musician Jimmy Dorsey, actors Dennis Farina and Antonio Sabato Jr., and rapper/actor Ja Rule, to name a few.

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PHKRAUSE

I did  not  know  that  a  brush fire was put in to the  film and extend the  program from  90 mins to  2  hours=====

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PHKRAUSE

I did not  know  that the ROMANS  had  a 22 day  leap Month to  adjust time  based  on a  calendar  of  355  days====

I   also  did not  know that  JULIUS  CEASER changed  this  in  46 BC to  1 day every 4 years===

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5 Surprising Facts About the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping

On March 1, 1932, the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped from his crib on the upper floor of the home. Here are five surprising facts you didn’t know about the kidnapping of the son of aviator Charles Lindbergh.

Lindbergh Paid $50,000 in Ransom to the Kidnapper

Just after the baby’s kidnapping from his second-floor nursery on March 1, 1932, a ransom note demanding $50,000 was found on the windowsill of his room. Arrangements were made with a local doctor to act as the go-between to comply with the kidnapper’s demands. The doctor paid the money to an unknown man in the Bronx in early April. A search was conducted to find the baby after the kidnapper told the doctor that the baby was onboard a boat in Massachusetts. However, after an exhaustive search of every port, there was no sign of either the boat or the child.  

Gold Certificates Tied Hauptmann to the Murder and Kidnapping Plot

When Lindbergh decided to pay the $50,000 ransom, the FBI made sure the payment was trackable. The serial number of every bill was recorded, and most of those bills were gold notes. On September 15, 1934 a Manhattan gas station attendant was handed one of those gold notes. He took down the license plate number of the motorist who paid him with it — and the next morning, police tracked the plate back to Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who had $14,600 in Lindbergh ransom bills hidden in the frame of his garage.

A Truck Driver Found the Baby’s Body

On May 12, 1932, the baby’s body was discovered by a delivery truck assistant named William Allen around four miles from the estate of the Lindbergh family. Allen walked into a treed area to relieve himself and spotted the child’s body. He and the other man in the truck, Orville Wilson, drove to Hopewell, New Jersey, to notify police. Time magazine pointed out that if Allen hadn’t gotten out of the truck and gone into the woods, police would have still been looking for the child. The examination by the coroner showed the infant had died several months prior. The cause of death was a blow to the head.

The Man Arrested for the Kidnapping Had a Long Criminal Record

Bruno Hauptmann, arrested as a suspect in the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., had a long record back in his native Germany for burglary. On his record was an incident where he entered the second story of a house by using a ladder, which was similar to how the Lindbergh baby was taken. Although Hauptmann maintained his innocence until the end, he was executed in the electric chair for the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and murder on April 3, 1936.

The Case Inspired Federal Legislation

On June 17th, 1932 — three and a half months after Charlie’s kidnapping — the 72nd Congress passed the Federal Kidnapping Act, or the “Lindbergh Law,” which made the transportation of abductees across state lines a federal crime that was punishable, in especially heinous cases, by death. President Hoover signed the bill into law on June 22, which would have been Charlie’s second birthday.

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PHKRAUSE

I did  not  know  that  the  X  in  MALCOLM X  was  for his  unknown African  name  ===

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