Trivia

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I did  not  know the  she  did  not  need  a  passport to  travel or  a  driver's license  to  drive

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5 Classic Songs You Won't Believe Were Once Banned

On June 3, 1956, rock and roll was banned in Santa Cruz, California, after it was believed to be detrimental to the morals and health of the community’s youth. Here are 5 surprising songs were once deemed too scandalous for public consumption…

Bobby Darin’s “Splish Splash” Was About a Guy in a Towel

This popular 1958 novelty song reached number three on the pop singles chart but was banned because it suggested nudity. It does mention the singer is wearing a towel, but apparently, that wasn’t enough to pacify some listeners. The song does say the singer puts on dancing shoes, so perhaps assuming he also got dressed should have been addressed in the lyrics to keep censors happy.

“Puff the Magic Dragon” Was Smoked by Censors

Spiro Agnew, the then vice president of the United States under Richard Nixon, called for a ban on this 1962 song by Peter, Paul and Mary when he declared that it promoted drug use. Peter Yarrow wrote the song based on a poem by Leonard Lipton, who, in turn, based his poem on “Custard the Dragon,” a children’s poem written by Ogden Nash in 1936. Both of the authors have always insisted the song contained no references to drugs and was just an innocent, childlike fantasy.

“A Day in the Life” Was Banned for Promoting Drugs

This catchy Beatles tune released in 1967 with lyrics about current news headlines was banned by BBC radio because of a lyric that says “found my way upstairs and had a smoke.” Found as the last song on the “Sergeant Pepper’s” album, the rest of the songs on the album were played on the air except for the last one. Since Paul McCartney might have been referring to cigarettes or cigars in the lyric, assuming he was promoting drug use might have been a little out of line.

One Song Had its Wording Changed for “The Ed Sullivan Show”

“Let’s Spend the Night Together,” was released by The Rolling Stones in 1967 and appeared to be about an overnight romp Mick Jagger was suggesting, which almost got the band banned from Ed Sullivan’s television show. As a compromise, Jagger agreed to change the lyrics on the show to “spend some time together” instead of “spend the night together,” but when singing, he substituted “mmmm” for the missing word. 

“Walk Like an Egyptian” Was One of Many Songs Banned After 9/11

This popular song from The Bangles was banned by Clear Channel after the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York in 2001. The ban was because of the reference to a country in North Africa. A list of about 150 songs was sent to Clear Channel’s more than 1,000 radio stations with strong suggestions to not play them on the air following 9/11. "Walk Like an Egyptian," was one of them. 

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I did  not  know  that  shome of these  songs  were  band===

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5 Things You Didn't Know About the Tiananmen Square Massacre

On June 4, 1989, Chinese army troops stormed Tiananmen Square in Beijing in response to student protests in support of democracy. Find out five things you didn’t know about the Tiananmen Square Massacre.

It Wasn’t The Only Protest

The demonstrations in Tiananmen Square were not the only pro-democracy protests in the country at the time. They occurred in hundreds of cities, including Shanghai, Chengdu, and Nanjing. And to be sure, it wasn’t the first time protesters had filled the Square in Beijing, a space for public protest. More than a decade earlier, in what became known as the Tiananmen Incident, a similar but smaller-scale crackdown on protesters spawned outrage and led to a reshuffling of the nation’s top leadership.

The Identity of "Tank Man" Is Still Unknown

The most famous photo to come out of the Tiananmen Square Massacre was taken the day after the massacre when a lone man stopped a tank column by standing in front of them. The man - now known as "tank man" - was uninjured and led quickly to safety by other protesters and was lost in the crowd.Only rumors of his identity persist, and when Chinese leader Jiang Zermin was asked a year later if he know what had happened to the young man, he responded: “I think never killed.”

Information About the Massacre Is Still Censored

The massacre occurred 31 years ago, and the death toll is estimated to have ranged from hundreds of people up to 10,000, but information about the protests is highly censored within China. The date, the term “Tiananmen Square,” related phrases and words cannot be searched on the internet inside the People's Republic. However, many photographs and accounts of the incident are available online from other countries despite the Chinese effort to censor the event.

The Battle Was One-Sided and Became a Bloodbath

On June 4, thousands of troops and 50 trucks entered the Tiananmen Square area and fired into the crowds. Some of the protesters stayed their ground, throwing Molotov cocktails and rocks, but they were no match for the Chinese military. The battle continued through the morning hours, leaving the area littered with bodies of protesters and some soldiers.

"The Goddess of Democracy" Was Crushed

A few days before the massacre, a giant statue made of plaster and Styrofoam was erected by protesters in the square and named the “Goddess of Democracy.” Protestors believed that 30-foot statue would embarrass the authorities and be difficult to remove. When troops entered Tiananmen Square, the statue was crushed by tanks.

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I did  not  know that there  were other  protests  in  other  cites  that  same  day====

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Bobby Kennedy_3

On June 5, 1968, Bobby Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan at the Ambassador Hotel. Despite his premature death, he remains a major figure in U.S. culture and politics. Here are five surprising facts you probably didn't know about Bobby Kennedy...

He May Have Predicted Obama's Presidency

In a 1968 interview, a young Robert F. Kennedy made a bold prediction. "In the next 40 years," he said, "a [black person] can achieve the same position that my brother has," meaning the late President John F. Kennedy. And what happened exactly forty years later, in 2008? The people of the United States elected the very first African-American president, Barack Obama.

He Was The First To Climb Mount Kennedy

When a 14,000-foot mountain in Canada’s Kluane National Park was to be named Mount Kennedy, Bobby was determined to become the first person to climb its peak. As he and his team of climbers approached the summit, Kennedy broke away from the group and approached the mountain’s peak himself. Once there, he deposited several JFK-related items, including a copy of his inaugural address, a memorial medallion and even one of President Kennedy’s World War II-era PT-boat tie clips. 

He Shared An Interest In Stamp Collecting With FDR

As a child, Robert F. Kennedy had a keen interest in collecting stamps, a hobby he shared with president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In fact, in 1935, at the age of 10, Bobby wrote to the then-president to express his interest in stamp collecting, to which FDR responded by gifting him with a book of stamps and an album in which to collect them. "Perhaps sometime when you are in Washington you will come in and let me show you my collection," Roosevelt wrote.

Two People Were Killed During The Procession of RFK’s Funeral Train

After a funeral mass in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral on June 8, Kennedy’s body began its trek towards its final resting place beside his brother at Arlington. Intended to give a grieving nation an opportunity to pay their respects, Kennedy’s funeral train passed by tens of thousands of mourners waving flags and signs. The already tragic events of the assassination were compounded, however, when two onlookers, hurrying to move out of the path of the Kennedy train near Elizabeth, New Jersey, were struck and killed by a train moving in the opposite direction.

The Man Who Assassinated Robert Kennedy Is Still Alive

Sirhan Sirhan, who killed Senator Robert Kennedy, admitted that he was the one who shot Kennedy and five others at the Ambassador Hotel. He was sentenced to the gas chamber on April 23, 1969, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment several years later. He is currently imprisoned in San Diego at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.

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I did not  know that  he  was interested in stamp collecting====

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5 Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About D-Day_2

On June 6, 1944, Allied troops landed at Normandy in northern France, in a massive assault that became known as D-Day. Here are 5 shocking facts you didn’t know about this turning point in World War II…

D-Day Was the World’s Biggest Military Operation

Preparations started in August 1943 when the Allies began planning for an amphibious invasion along the beaches of Normandy, France, to make a massive push against the Nazis.  Initially, three divisions were planned to land at Normandy, but that number eventually grew to be much larger, with 39 Allied divisions committing to the invasion at the beach in France. By the end of the D-Day invasion on June 11, more than 160,000 Allied troops had landed, along with 104,328 tons of supplies and 54,186 vehicles, making it the largest military operation in history.

The Plans For the Invasion Were Almost Leaked to the Public

Secrecy was important during the planning of the D-Day invasion, so word would not get back to the Germans. As plans for the invasion were made, the information was even kept from high ranking officers. During 1943, a draft of the planned Normandy landing was blown out a window by the wind at Norfolk House but was picked up by a passerby and returned. In another close call, three days before the invasion, a teletype operator in London was practicing her typing by composing a make-believe news release about the invasion. It was accidentally picked up by the AP and announced over 500 U.S. radio stations, but the news was quickly corrected three minutes later.

Eisenhower Wrote a Letter of Resignation in the Event the Invasion Failed.

General Eisenhower had his doubts and prepared a letter of resignation and apology. Here's what it says: "Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based upon the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that Bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt it is mine alone."

A Pigeon Named Gustav Brought the First Report of the Landing

News of the Normandy invasion came by an unlikely source, a pigeon named Gustav, that carried the message strapped to its leg. The message read that troops were 20 miles away from the beaches, and the first of the assault troops had landed at 7:30 a.m. with no interference. It took Gustav five hours and 16 minutes to reach Thorney Island along the Thames River and deliver the message.  For their service, that day, Gustav and three other pigeons, as well as Brian the dog, received the Dickin Medal, an animal version of the Victoria Cross.

The British Constructed a Fake Army to Fool the Germans.

The Germans knew that an invasion was planned, but they didn’t know where. An elaborate ruse was put into operation so they would think the attack would be in France at Calais. A ghost army of rubber airplanes, inflatable tanks, vehicles and camps were built in Essex and Kent to throw them off. Juan Pujol Garcia, a British double agent known as Garbo, fed the news to the Germans, and it eventually reached Hitler.

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I did  not  know  that EISENHOWER had  written  a  letter of resignation if the  invasion failed===

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The Battle of Midway

On June 7, 1942, the Battle of Midway—one of the most decisive U.S. victories in its war against Japan—came to an end.  This epic clash was one of the most important battles in World War II and is considered a turning point on the war in the Pacific. Here are 5 things you didn't know about the Battle of Midway.

The Japanese Chose Midway Because It Was out of Range of Most U.S. Aircraft

The Japanese wanted a way to hurt U.S. forces, particularly the fleet of aircraft carriers, with minimal risk to their own troops and ships. Attacking Hawaii again was not seen as an option because the U.S. had substantial firepower there. So the Japanese looked at more remote areas for a suitable target. Midway caught their eye because it was both strategically important to the U.S. but also well out of range of aircraft stationed at Pearl Harbor. The idea was to launch an attack on Midway and then pick off the U.S. forces as they made their way to the island of Midway to defend it. That did not work out as planned thanks to U.S. codebreakers.

The U.S. Got Advance Notice Thanks to Codebreakers

U.S. codebreakers managed to crack Japanese code just in time to learn of the planned attack. The new knowledge wasn't set in stone; Japanese codes required some guesswork to interpret even after the framework of the code became known. Two separate codebreaking groups had worked on a message that definitely indicated that Midway would be a target but that was not clear on exactly when the attack would happen. One group thought it would be in June 1942, while the other -- the one that actually cracked the code -- thought late May or early June 1942 was correct. In the end, Chester Nimitz, who commanded the U.S. Pacific Fleet, chose to follow the earlier group's recommendation to prepare for an earlier attack.

The Japanese Lost All Four Aircraft Carriers Involved In The Battle

The Japanese had planned to decimate the U.S. fleet at Midway, but instead, the opposite happened; the U.S. destroyed all four of the Japanese aircraft carriers at the battle. Initially, things didn't look that bright for the U.S.; it launched an initial attack that had little effect other than having the aircraft carrier Yorktown damaged. The Japanese later launched their attack, heavily damaging the base at Midway but not destroying it. The U.S. fought back with bombers launched from a repaired Yorktown and two other carriers, the Enterprise and Hornet. Three of the Japanese carriers (Akagi, Kaga, and Soryu) were sunk. The fourth Japanese carrier, Hiryu, launched another attack, resulting in the destruction of the Yorktown, but bombers from the Enterprise sunk that fourth Japanese carrier.

Japan Lost More Than 3,00 Men In The Battle Compared To America's 300

The Japanese losses in the Battle of Midway included 4 aircraft carriers, nearly 300 planes and as many as 3,000 men, including Japan’s most experienced pilots. U.S. losses were comparatively very less. They lost 1 aircraft carrier, 1 destroyer and around 150 aircraft. 307 Americans were killed in the battle while 3 were captured and put to death. The purpose of Japan’s attack was thus completely defeated and it also had to suffer heavy losses. The battle was a major victory for the Allied forces.

A Famous Hollywood Director Shot Footage Of The Battle

Best known for his masterful Westerns, and his longtime collaboration with John Wayne, director John Ford was also an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and was tasked with making documentary films for the Navy during World War II. At Admiral Nimitz’s request, the director was stationed on Midway during the battle, and suffered a “bomb concussion” and gunshot wound during the Japanese raid. U.S. Marines gave Ford first aid, but he “did not leave his station until he had completed his photographic mission.”Ford’s footage of the battle, appeared in "The Battle of Midway", which won an Oscar for best documentary that year. Ford went on to lead the photographic unit for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the precursor to the CIA, for the remainder of the war.

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I did  not  know that  codebreakers gave advance  warning  to the  MIDWAY  battle====

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5 Things You Didn't Know About George Orwell's "1984"

On June 8, 1949, George Orwell's novel of a dystopian future, 1984, was published. The book has become one of the most widely read and referred-to books in modern history. Here are 5 things you didn't know about George Orwell's 1984...

It Nearly Wasn't Called Nineteen Eighty-Four

In a letter to his literary agent, George Orwell wrote, "I have not definitely decided on the title. I am inclined to call it either Nineteen Eighty-Four or The Last Man in Europe, but I might just possibly think of something else in the next week or two." Before assigning his fearful prognostications to the year 1984, Orwell tried out 1980 and 1982. 

Orwell Himself Worked as a Propagandist

Part of the impact of 1984 lay in its use of propaganda to cover up and obfuscate what was really happening outside the country. Orwell was particularly knowledgeable about propaganda as he himself had worked as a propagandist in WWII, creating content for Indian viewers to influence them to view the British and Allies in a positive light. Orwell even based the infamous Room 101, where people were tortured, on Room 101 in the BBC Broadcasting House. While people weren't tortured at the BBC, that was the place writers had to go to, to get their propaganda cleared for broadcast.

He Was Under Government Surveillance

Not only did Orwell work in propaganda and was able to use his knowledge in the book, but he was also under surveillance when he wrote 1984. Thanks to a research trip in 1936 that included a stay at an apartment "arranged by the local Communist party," the government put Orwell on a special watch list. He was kept under tight surveillance for more than 12 years.

An Italian Translation Exists Where The Clocks Strike "Uno" Instead Of Thirteen.

The book opens with the novel's infamous first line—"It was a bright, cold day in April and the clocks were striking thirteen".  The clock striking thirteen was meant to immediately signal that something was off in this fictional world.  However, an Italian translation seemed to have misunderstood the point of the first line.  An unnamed translator  believed it to be a typo and altered the sentence to read, "…and the clocks were striking one", unaware that Orwell had intentionally included an hour not present on analog clocks.

An Asteroid Discovered in 1984 Was Named After Orwell.

On July 31, 1984, astronomer Antonin Mrkos discovered an asteroid at the Czech observatory in Klet. As befitting a small rocky body hurtling through space and identified by humans in the year 1984, it was designated 11020 Orwell. 

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I did  not  know that an asteroid was named  after  him

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Richard Pryor

On June 9, 1980, comedian Richard Pryor lit himself on fire and suffered near-fatal burns. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about this popular stand-up comedian and movie star…

A Deal With His Teacher Gave Pryor His First Audience

Richard Pryor’s first gig was in sixth grade and was made possible by his school teacher Mrs. Yinst. Pryor had a bad habit of being late for class. Sensing Richard’s love of performing, Mrs. Yingst struck a deal with the boy: if he arrived to class on time, she would give him ten minutes every Friday afternoon to do his comedy routines in front of the class. Richard jumped at the chance and was rarely late for school again.

He Drove Lorne Michaels To Quit SNL - Almost

In 1975, Saturday Night Live was in its first season and Lorne Michaels wasn't quite the big shot he is today. It was still the first season of the show and Lorne desperately wanted Pryor to host. NBC was understandably hesitant—Pryor wasn't known for having the "cleanest" mouth in show business and a live show was a big risk. It took Michaels handing in a fake resignation to convince NBC executives to allow the famous foulmouthed comic to appear. The network agreed to let him host, but Lorne was required to put in a 5-second buffer on the live stream in case Pryor went off-script.

He Lost The Co-Starring Role In Blazing Saddles

Mel Brooks was a big fan of Richard Pryor's, so much so that Brooks tagged Pryor to help co-write and star in possibly his most iconic film, Blazing Saddles. Brooks wanted Pryor to play one of the film's lead roles: Sheriff Bart. However, when Brooks went around to the studios to gather funding for production, no one was willing to commit money to the film with Pryor attached to it. His drug use and often raunchy comedic style were too much of a risk for big movie executives and so Brooks was left with no choice but to cast someone else—Cleavon Little—for the role. Pryor still earned a writing credit for the film, but this is just one instance of Pryor's drug habit costing him a big opportunity.

He Set Himself On Fire In A Suicide Attempt

While Pryor was in the middle of making the movie Bustin’ Loose, he was known to spend time freebasing cocaine at his home. In a film documentary entitled Richard Pryor: Omit the Logic, he admitted to the interviewer that catching himself on fire was a suicide attempt, not an accident. In an incident fraught in mystery and conflicting versions, Pryor claimed had actually attempted to kill himself by dousing his body in 151-proof rum and setting himself on fire. Help was called and he was found running down the street ablaze. After being taken to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, his physician reported that he had third-degree burns over 50 percent of his body. However, he survived against the odds. He was in the hospital for six weeks.

Getting Married Was A Hobby For Pryor

Pryor married a whopping seven times to five different women throughout his 65 years. One of his groomsmen recalls Pryor walking into his hotel room mere hours after his first wedding to Jennifer Lee and proclaiming he wanted a divorce. Despite their separation, Lee was the true love of Pryor's life. The two rekindled their relationship 19 years later and stayed together until Pryor's death in 2005.

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I did  nor  know that he was  married 7 time to  5  different  wives ====

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5 Surprising Things Invented By Benjamin Franklin

On June 10, 1752, Benjamin Franklin flew a kite during a thunderstorm to demonstrate that lightning is electrical in nature. Here are 5 surprising things invented by Benjamin Franklin...

Franklin’s Lighting Rod Prevented Many Fires

During the 18th century, lightning was responsible for many fires, especially to churches, since lightning bolts were attracted to the tallest objects around. In Italy, 3,000 people died when one hit a church basement that had gunpowder in it. Franklin determined that if a metal rod could be fixed to the top of a building and wired to the ground with a cable, it could protect the structure from a lightning strike. He sent the news of this idea of this new protective rod to Europe, where it was used in French cathedrals and churches.

Franklin Invented Swim Fins

Franklin was a young man with a good physique, at least according to him, and he credited his good health to being a swimmer. It must have been from an early age because his first invention at age 11 was placing holes through a pair of planks that were oval in shape and using them as swim fins on his hands and later trying them on his feet. His early advocacy of swimming back in the 1700s earned him a spot in the International Swimming Hall of Fame.

Motorists Can Thank Him For The Odometer

Mail delivery was a problem back in colonial America. Letters between cities were carried by whoever was available, and post offices were little more than sacks of mail stashed in the back room of your local tavern. Many colonists would make up to 5 copies of a letter and send them in five different directions just to make sure one of them made it to its destination.  When Ben Franklin was appointed postmaster in Philadelphia, he checked the distances between the postal stations by placing a device with gears on his horse carriage’s rear-wheel where 1.6 kilometers equaled 400 revolutions. While modern odometers are more advanced, an example of the one invented by Franklin is at the Phillips Museum of Art in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Older People Are Probably Wearing His Invention

As he reached old age, Ben Franklin found himself becoming both near- and far-sighted. Outdoors, he needed a set of long distance lenses, but when he examined something close-up, he would need to swap out his outdoor glasses for a pair with different lenses. It quickly became a frustrating ritual, so Franklin simply cut the two glasses in half and joined them together in one frame, creating the first bifocals.

Versions of the Franklin Stove Are Still Used Today

In the days of Benjamin Franklin, fireplaces were used to warm a house during the cold winters in Pennsylvania. But the problem was people were cutting down all the forests and ended up having to travel a long distance to find trees to use as firewood. Franklin was determined to combat the growing energy crisis by finding a more efficient way to heat colonial homes. He solved these problems by enclosing the fire in a cast-iron box positioned in the center of the room. The stove radiated heat from all four sides, and users could control the rate at which wood burned by adjusting the stove's airflow. Safely enclosed, the stove also eliminated the risk of fires being ignited by stray sparks. Versions of Franklin's original design are now a staple of cabins and cottages around the world.

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I  did  not  know  that he  invented the odometer===

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5 Things You Didn't Know About John Wayne

On June 11, 1979, John Wayne, the iconic film actor famous for starring in countless westerns, died at age 72 after battling cancer for more than a decade. Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about John “The Duke” Wayne.

Stalin Had a KGB Hit Out on Wayne

Stalin Had a KGB Hit Out on Wayne.Outraged by the anti-Communist messages Wayne gave in his films, Stalin reportedly enlisted the KGB to assassinate John Wayne. Though the FBI intercepted the two hitmen before they could reach Wayne, it would not be his last assassination attempt. Another plot was foiled when a sniper tried to take out Wayne while he was visiting Vietnam in 1966. The Soviet hit was eventually called off by Stalin's successor, who apologized for the event when he met Wayne in 1958. 

It Might Have Been His Film The Conquerors That Killed Him

In 1956, Wayne starred in The Conqueror, a movie about Genghis Khan that co-starred Agnes Moorhead, Dick Powell, Susan Hayward and Pedro Armendáriz. The movie was shot in southeast Utah, just downwind from where the U.S. government was conducting nuclear weapon tests at the height of the Cold War.  91 out of 220 members of the cast and crew came down with cancer, including Wayne himself, who lost a lung and ribs to pulmonary cancer. Though the radioactivity certainly may have played a part, Wayne's six-pack-a-day smoking habit certainly didn't help anything either

His Nickname “The Duke” Came From an Interesting Source

John was born Marion Robert Morrison on May 26, 1907.  As a youngster, he took his Airedale terrier named Duke along with him so much that firefighters nicknamed the boy “Little Duke,” which stuck with him for a lifetime. In his first credited movie in 1929, Words and Music, the name he used was Duke Morrison, but in 1930, he began to be listed in movies as John Wayne, although what name he was billed as was never his choice but the studios'.

Wayne Was Never in the Military

Many of John Wayne’s major roles showed him as a war hero, but he never actually served in the military. He wanted to enlist during World War II, but Republic Studios was against it because he was the only A-list actor they had during this period. His studio successfully applied for him to receive a 3-A deferment (“hardship to dependents”) because he had a family. Given his fame, Wayne would likely have been granted a ceremonial role if he had enlisted. Yet he likely he did more for the war effort by appearing in films that glamorized the military. He also applied to work for the OSS during the war, and he spent months doing USO appearances for the troops.

Wayne’s Grandnephew Was a Famous Boxer

Boxer Tommy Morrison briefly held the WBO and ICB heavyweight championship titles. He portrayed mulleted Tommy “The Machine” Gunn, the main antagonist, in Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky V. He also happened to be John Wayne’s grandnephew, and he went by the nickname “The Duke.” Following a tragic background, it was determined that Morrison had HIV and died of complications from AIDS at age 44 in 2013, after spending over a year bedridden.

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I did  not  know  that he  was  never  the  military====

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Anne Frank_3

On June 12, 1942, Anne Frank received a diary as a gift for her birthday, which she wrote in while she and her family were hidden in an attic from the Nazis. Here we round up 5 important facts that you probably didn't know about Anne Frank and her diary...

The Woman Who Found the Diary Said She Would Have Burned It if She Read

Miep Gies, a secretary at the factory where the Franks hid for two years, was a supporter of the family and regularly visited with Anne. After the raid on August 4, 1944, Gies went up to the attic and found Anne's diary strewn across the floor. She collected the papers but never read them, instead storing them safely and returning them to Otto Frank after the war. It's a good thing she didn't read them, too: Gies later confessed that had she read the pages, she would have burned them because they implicated her and everyone else involved in a crime that could have cost them their lives.

She Hoped to Become a Writer

Frank noted in her diary that she would someday like to become a famous writer, but she unfortunately never knew that she did exactly that through the diary of her daily life, hopes and thoughts. She also included in her diary that she wanted to learn different languages and study art history, see beautiful dresses and do exciting things. For example, her diary entry on March 16, 1944 said that writing gave her an outlet to avoid her suffocating confinement.

Anne Frank Wasn’t the Only One in the Family to Keep a Diary

Margot Betti Frank, Anne’s older sister, was known to keep a diary. However, although Anne’s was kept safe by a family friend after the Franks were arrested by the Nazis and taken to prison camps, Margot’s diary disappeared and never turned up.

The Diary of Anne Frank Was Banned From Some Schools

Despite being a prolific writer and deep thinker, Frank was still just a young girl, and therefore, some of the entries depict the natural thoughts and curiosities of a young girl discovering her own anatomy. Because of a brief passage where Frank wonders about her own body, the book has been regularly banned from school reading lists. But that's not even the silliest reason for banning the book: schools in Alabama once banned it for being a "downer." Yikes.

She Wrote Two Versions of Her Diary

The first version (A) began in the book that she received for her 13th birthday and spilled over into at least two notebooks. Anne rewrote her diary in 1944 after hearing a call on the radio for people to save their war-time diaries in order to help document the suffering of the Nazi occupation once war was over. She planned to publish this book about her time in the Secret Annex after the war. For a title, she came up with Het Achterhuis or The Secret Annex. In this second version, known as B, Anne omits parts of A, while also adding new sections.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Alexander The Great

On June 13, 323 B.C, Alexander the Great died and with him one of the greatest military minds in history. Here are 5 things you probably didn’t know about Alexander the Great...

The Great Philosopher Aristotle Was His Teacher

Philip II of Macedon was Alexander’s father. He hired one of the world’s greatest philosophers, Aristotle, to teach his young son Alexander, which will be later Alexander the Great. Aristotle taught Alexander about medicine, philosophy, morals, religion, logic, and art. It was Aristotle who inspired Alexander’s great love for literature. It is said that Aristotle gave Alexander his annotated copy of Homer’s “The Illiad”, a book that Alexander considered a handbook on the art of war. He had this book by his side during his legendary conquests. 

Alexander Never Lost A Battle

Alexander the Great’s military tactics and strategies are still studied in military academies today. From his first victory at age 18, Alexander gained a reputation of leading his men to battle with impressive speed, allowing smaller forces to reach and break the enemy lines before his foes were ready. After securing his kingdom in Greece, in 334 B.C. Alexander crossed into Asia (present-day Turkey) where he won a series of battles with the Persians under Darius III. The centerpiece of Alexander’s fighting force was the 15,000-strong Macedonian phalanx, whose units held off the sword-wielding Persians with 20-foot-long pikes called sarissa.

He Named Over 70 Cities After Himself - And One After His Horse

Alexander commemorated his conquests by founding dozens of cities which he named Alexandria, after himself. The most famous of these, founded at the mouth of the Nile in 331 B.C., is today Egypt’s second-largest city. Near the site of the battle of the river Hydaspes—the costliest victory of his Indian campaign—Alexander founded the city of Bucephala, named for his favorite horse, which was mortally wounded in the battle.

The Cause Of His Death Remains A Mystery

Alexander the Great fell ill after downing a bowl of wine at a party. Two weeks later, the 32-year-old ruler was dead. Since his father, Philip II of Macedon, had been murdered, suspicion arose about whether he had been poisoned, most notably by his general Antipater and Antipater’s son Cassander. In modern times, medical experts have speculated that malaria, lung infection, liver failure or typhoid fever may have done Alexander in.

The Great Conqueror’s Body Was Stolen

Alexander’s body was treated by Egyptian embalmers in Babylon and on its way to Macedonia was stolen by Ptolomy I and kept in Egypt to heighten his claim to the throne. Another rumor was that his body had been stolen by Venetian merchants, who thought it was the remains of Saint Mark, and took it to Venice to St. Mark’s Basilica. Although extensive archaeological searches have been made to discover the tomb and body of Alexander, it still remains a mystery what really happened.

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PHKRAUSE

I did  not  know  that  her  sister  also kept a  diary but  it  was  lost  when they were  found by the  soldiers====

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PHKRAUSE

I did  not  know  that  he  never  lost  a  battle=====

dgrimm60

[phkrause]

5 Important Facts About The American Flag_3

You may not know it, but today is National Flag Day.  On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress in Philadelphia adopted the Stars and Stripes as the national flag of the United States.  Here are 5 important facts that you need to know about Flag Day...

It Was Never Proven That Betsy Ross Made the First American Flag

Every schoolkid knows that Betsy Ross created the first American flag, right? Not necessarily.  While images of Ross doggedly sewing away will always live on --some historians dispute that she did the actual sewing. The only records of Ross' involvement came from her own grandson in 1870, when he presented the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia with affidavits from his own family members as evidence. True or not, it is a revered story in the history of the country.

A Student Designed The 50-State Flag For a Class Project

A 17-year-old student designed the flag as it appears today. In anticipation of Alaska and Hawaii becoming states, Robert G. Heft created the 50-star flag as part of a history project (for which he received a B-) before submitting it to Congress for consideration. In August of 1959, President Dwight D. Eisenhower chose Heft's design over 1,500 other applicants and informed him of the news over the phone. Heft's teacher later changed his grade to an A. Talk about sweet revenge

A Flag Serves as a Sad Time Capsule in Gilligan's Island

If you watch the original opening to Gilligan's Island, when it was filmed in black and white, look carefully at the background at about 22 seconds in. You'll see a flag that is at a lowered position -- it's not very big, but if you look carefully, you'll see it. According to a 1994 audio book co-authored by Russell Johnson, who played the Professor, this is because the show's pilot episode finished filming on Nov. 22, 1963 — the same day President Kennedy was assassinated.

The U.S. Flag Was First Flown on the Moon in 1969.

During the first mission to the moon by Apollo 11, astronaut Neil Armstrong implanted a five-foot by three-foot U.S. flag in the moon’s surface. Five additional flags were planted from later Apollo missions. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin reported that the original flag had been knocked over as a result of a rocket blast as he and Armstrong were departing the moon’s surface for their return trip to Earth.

The Flag Was Nicknamed “Old Glory” by a Sea Captain

While "Old Glory" is a very common nickname for the U.S. flag now, it was the name of one specific flag owned by a sea captain. Sea Captain William Driver, who was from Massachusetts, owned a 10- by 17-foot flag, which he named Old Glory; it's said to have survived the Civil War. The story behind the name is unclear, although historians think he came up with the name when thinking back on his career and the things he (and the flag) had seen.  When the war was over, it was flown over the statehouse in Tennessee. Eventually, the nickname worked its way into the national mind as a name for the flag in general. It is considered an important artifact in the nation’s history and is housed at the Smithsonian Institution. 

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PHKRAUSE

I did  not  know  that  the after the 1st  American Flag  was planted  on the

 moon in 1965 that  5 additional American Flags  were  planted on the moon====

dgrimm60