Trivia

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6 Things You Didn't Know About The Olympics_2

On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic Games opened in Athens, Greece. The long-lost tradition of ancient Greece were reborn in Athens after 1,500 years of being banned by the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. Here are 6 surprising facts about the Olympic Games that you probably didn't know.

Olympic Champions Haven't Received Solid Gold Medals Since 1912

The last time Olympic champions were awarded solid gold medals was back in 1912. Olympic runners-up can take some consolation in the fact that there isn’t much difference between their silver medals and the gold medals awarded to winners. Medals made with pure gold were last awarded in 1912, and winners today receive medals that are 93 percent silver and 6 percent copper, with just 6 grams of gold.  Interestingly, champions at the first modern Olympics in 1896 received silver, not gold, medal.

The First Olympian To Fail A Drug Test Was Busted For Drinking Beer

Olympic drug testing debuted in 1968, and Swedish pentathlete Hans-Gunnar Liljenwall was first to test positive for a banned substance. His drug? Two beers he said he downed to “calm his nerves” before the pistol shoot. The disqualified Liljenwall and his teammates were forced to return their bronze medals. (Fellow pentathlete Hans-Jurgen Todt could have used something to calm down as well. The West German attacked his horse after it balked three times at jumping obstacles.)

Basketball Games Were Played on Soft Terrain

When basketball officially debuted at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, games were played on outdoor tennis courts made of clay and sand. During the gold medal game between the United States and Canada, a flood occurred during the second-half which turned the court into a muddy mess that would have stymied even the Dream Team.  With dribbling an impossible task, the waterlogged Americans spent most of the half simply playing catch with the slippery ball to protect their lead. Final score: United States 19, Canada 8.

The 1904 Olympics Featured a Gymnast With a Wooden Leg

During the 1904 Games in St. Louis, gymnast George Eyser competed with a wooden leg after being run over by a train. Not only did he compete, but the hometown hero won six medals including three gold medals in the long horse, parallel bar, and rope climbing. He took home silver in the side horse and all-around events and a bronze medal on the horizontal bar.

Only One Athlete Won Gold Medals In Both the Summer and Winter Olympics

Edward Eagan was an American boxer and bobsledder who is notable as being the only person to win a gold medal at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. Eagan competed as a boxer at the 1920 Summer Olympics in Antwerp, and won the gold medal in the light-heavyweight division.  He went on to win his winter gold medal in the four-man bobsled event at the 1932 Winter Games in Lake Placid. With the win, Eagan became the first, and the last, person to ever win gold in different sports at both the Summer and Winter Olympics.

The Summer Games Used To Last Months

While athletes train most of their lives preparing for the Olympics, the current games only last for 16 days. However, the games used to span months, starting in the spring and ending in the fall. The 1908 Summer Olympics in London spanned 188 days, or more than half of the year. The Games opened on April 27 and ended October 31. The 1900 Paris Games spanned more than five months, and the 1904 St. Louis Games and the 1920 Antwerp Games also lasted nearly as long.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The Battle Of Shiloh_2

On this day in 1862, the Union Army led by General Ulysses S. Grant defeated the Confederates at the Battle of Shiloh in Tennessee. Here are five riveting facts you probably didn’t know about the Battle of Shiloh...

It Was Also Known As The Battle of Pittsburg Landing

The Battle of Shiloh was one of the most significant early battles of the American Civil War. Also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, it was fought on April 6–7, 1862 between the Confederate Army of Mississippi led by Generals Albert Sidney Johnston and Pierre G. T. Beauregard; and the Union Army of the Tennessee led by Ulysses S. Grant which was aided by the arrival of Army of the Ohio of Don Carlos Buell. The Confederate plan was to surprise and destroy Grant’s army before it joined forces with Buell’s army. They were able to partially surprise Grant but ultimately the Union forces counter-attacked and forced the Confederate army to retreat marking an important victory for the Union.

The Battle of Shiloh Was The Bloodies Battle in American History Up To That Point

With 23,746 casualties, the Battle of Shiloh was the bloodiest battle in American history up to that time. There were over 10,000 casualties among Confederates and another 13,000 more among Union soldiers. Another three years of war would continue following the Battle of Shiloh, which included eight more battles that were even deadlier, including the Battle of Gettysburg, which saw between 46,000 and 51,000 casualties.

The Highest Ranking Officer Killed During The Civil War Died At Shiloh

Confederate commanding general Albert S. Johnston's right leg was wounded by a gunshot in an area of the Shiloh battlefield known as the "Hornet's Nest". As he thought the wound was insignificant, he sent his personal surgeon to take care of other wounded Confederates and Union soldiers they had captured rather than asking for his own injury to be looked after. Unfortunately, he ended up bleeding to death as a result of a lacerated artery in his leg. Johnston was the highest-ranking officer during the Civil War to be killed in combat. Confederate President Jefferson Davis considered Johnston to be the most effective general they had at the time and considered Johnston's death to be a turning point for the Confederate Army. 

Many Union Deaths Were Blamed on the Man Who Wrote "Ben Hur"

Major General Lewis "Lew" Wallace of the Union army caused a stir in the Battle of Shiloh after leading his troops meandering aimlessly through the forest after getting lost following an unexpected advancing Confederate Army. They didn't make it to the Union camp until 7pm, missing the bloody battle. Wallace blamed Grant for giving him unclear instructions on where to move his troops, though Grant claimed that he was clear about his instructions to take the southern route. Regardless of Wallace's blunder in the Battle of Shiloh, he eventually experienced success by penning the novel "Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ."

Ulysses S. Grant Was Blamed For the Bloodbath At The Battle of Shiloh

Despite his victory in the Battle of Shiloh, Ulysses S. Grant was heavily criticized by the media for all the casualties. The press claimed that Grant was not adequately prepared for battle. As a result, many called for Grant's removal, and he was eventually demoted to the position of second in command after his superior Union Major General Henry W. Halleck arrived to take command of the Union forces. Ulysses S. Grant would ultimately become the Commanding General of the US Army in 1864 and the 18th President of the United States in 1869.

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Arthur Ashe_2

On April 8, 1992, tennis champion Arthur Ashe held a news conference to announce he had AIDS. It was believed he contracted the HIV virus from a tainted blood transfusion. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about Arthur Ashe.

He Was The First Black Man to be Ranked No. 1 In The World

Ashe was a five-time Grand Slam champion and had 47 titles over the course of his tennis career.  He is celebrated for his many accomplishments, one of which is that he’s the only black man to ever win the singles title at Wimbledon (1975). Ashe was also the first African American to: be on the U.S. Davis Cup team, win the U.S. Open title (1968), win the Australian Open (1970), and be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (1985). He is also the fist black man to be ranked No. 1 in the world.

He Served in the Army in the Late 1960s—But His Brother Saved Him From Vietnam

Like many young men in the 1960s, Ashe served in the Army. However, he was able to avoid being sent to Vietnam because his brother, who was in the Marines, decided to head back to Vietnam a second time. His brother, Johnnie, had already served overseas and came home, but he knew that Arthur was at risk of being sent to Vietnam himself. Because the government had a policy that stopped siblings from being at war simultaneously, Arthur stayed in the United States while Johnnie returned to Vietnam. Johnnie made it back to the U.S. just in time to see his brother beat Tom Okker in five sets to claim his first U.S. Open, becoming the first African-American man to win a Grand Slam tournament.

He Received The Presidential Medal of Freedom

On June 20, 1993, Ashe was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Bill Clinton. Eight years prior, the tennis superstar was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. But his talents didn’t end there: he dabbled in writing, and even won a Sports Emmy for co-authoring the documentary, ‘A Hard Road to Glory’ with writer, producer, and author George Polivka.

He Announced He Had Aids On This Day in I988

In 1988, Ashe learned he had AIDS. It was believed he contracted the HIV virus from a tainted blood transfusion following a 1983 heart operation. Ashe kept his medical condition private until April 1992, when a newspaper informed him of its intention to run an article about his illness. Ashe decided to pre-empt the article and held a nationally televised press conference to announce he had AIDS. “Some of you heard that I had tested positive for HIV,” Ashe said. “That is indeed the case.” 

In 1988, Ashe learned he had AIDS. It was believed he contracted the HIV virus from a tainted blood transfusion following a 1983 heart operation. Ashe kept his medical condition private until April 1992, when a newspaper informed him of its intention to run an article about his illness. Ashe decided to pre-empt the article and held a nationally televised press conference to announce he had AIDS. “Some of you heard that I had tested positive for HIV,” Ashe said. “That is indeed the case.” 

He Became An AIDS Activist After Contracting The Disease

Ashe spent the remainder of his life working to raise awareness about the disease. After announcing his illness, Ashe created the Arthur Ashe Foundation for the Defeat of AIDS and the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health. The History Channel writes, “He established tennis programs for inner-city children and campaigned against apartheid in South Africa. On February 6, 1993, Arthur Ashe died of complications from AIDS, at age 49 in New York City.  Ashe’s body later laid in state at the governor’s mansion in Richmond, Virginia, where thousands of people lined up to pay their respects to the ground-breaking athlete and social activist.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The Civil War_3

On April 9, 1865, General Robert E. Lee surrendered 28,000 Confederate troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant, at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War.  Here are 5 things you may not know about the American Civil War.

Immigrants and African Americans Made Up a Large Number of Soldiers

One-third of the soldiers who fought for the Union Army were immigrants, and nearly one in 10 was African American. Union ranks during the Civil War included 7.5% Irish soldiers and 10% Germans soldiers.  Other immigrant soldiers were French, Italian, Polish, English and Scottish. In fact, one in four regiments contained a majority of foreigners. Blacks were permitted to join the Union Army in 1863, and some scholars believe this infusion of soldiers may have turned the tide of the war.

Black Soldiers Refused Pay for 18 Months

Black Union soldiers refused their salaries for 18 months to protest being paid lower wages than white soldiers. When black soldiers began signing up with the Union Army in 1863, they were paid $10 a month. White soldiers were paid at least $13, with officers earning even more. Blacks were further insulted when they were charged a $3 monthly fee for their clothing, which lowered their pay to $7. As a result, the highest-paid black soldier earned about half the lowest-paid white soldier’s salary. To protest these conditions, black regiments refused to accept their inferior wages. In September 1864, Congress rectified this injustice by raising the pay for blacks and making it retroactive, allowing many soldiers to send money home to help out their families.

An Assassin Attemped to Kill Lincoln Two Years Before His Assassination

Lincoln was shot at—and almost killed— nearly two years before he was assassinated. In August 1863, Lincoln rode by horse to the Soldiers’ Home, his family’s summer residence. Lincoln stated that he heard a gunshot, sending his horse galloping so fast that it knocked his hat off.  When guards retrieved the hat, they discovered a bullet hole in it.  Lincoln asked the guards to keep the incident quiet as not to worry his wife Mary.

William Tecumseh Sherman Lost His Command Due to "Insanity"

In October 1861, William Tecumseh Sherman, commander of Union forces in Kentucky, told U.S. Secretary of War Simon Cameron he needed 60,000 men to defend his territory and 200,000 to go on the offensive. Cameron called Sherman’s request “insane” and removed the general from command. But in February 1862, Sherman was reassigned to Paducah, Kentucky, under Ulysses S. Grant, who saw not insanity but competence in the disgraced general. Later in the war, when a civilian badmouthed Grant, Sherman defended his friend, saying, “General Grant is a great general. He stood by me when I was crazy, and I stood by him when he was drunk; and now, sir, we stand by each other always.”

Lincoln Wanted to Send The Freed Slaves Out of The Country

Abraham Lincoln supported sending the freed slaves abroad. The policy, called colonization, had been also supported by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, and even Harriet Beecher Stowe, Lincoln wanted to send freed blacks to Central America, even calling for a constitutional amendment authorizing Congress to pay for colonization. Prominent abolitionists such as Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison were appalled by the idea. Lincoln never gathered any support for the policy, and dropped the idea after signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About "The Great Gatsby"

On April 10, 1925, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was published. One of the bestselling novels of all time, The Great Gatsby is considered one of the most significant achievements in twentieth-century fiction. Here are five things you probably didn't know about The Great Gatsby.

Fitzgerald Rewrote Parts Of The Novel To Suit The Cover Artwork

The iconic book cover for The Great Gatsby pictured bright red lips and two sad eyes floating in a blue sky over a cityscape, and was designed before the manuscript was completed. Fitzgerald loved it so much that he rewrote sections of the book to better suit the artwork. For example, the description of Daisy as having "blue and gigantic" eyes was added to suit the book cover.

The Great Gatsby Was A Commercial Flop In Fitzgerald's Lifetime

The Great Gatsby was a commercial flop in Fitzgerald's lifetime. In addition to its lackluster reviews, The Great Gatsby sold only 21,000 copies in its first year—less than half the first-year sales for his previous books. It did not achieve commercial success or wide critical acclaim until after Fitzgerald's death in 1940. By 1960 it was selling 50,000 copies each year.

Fitzgerald Walked Out Of The Theater When Watching The First Movie

In 1926, the silent movie The Great Gatsby appeared in theaters starring Warner Baxter as Jay Gatsby and Lois Wilson as Daisy Buchanan. Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, hated it. In a letter Zelda wrote to her daughter, she said, "It's rotten and awful and terrible and we left.

Fitzgerald Was An Awful Speller

Fitzgerald was a poor student and a horrible speller. In fact, when he showed a draft of one of his early novels to his Princeton classmate, Edmund Wilson, who called it, "one of the most illiterate books of any merit ever published. Some of his spelling mistakes still baffle editors. Misspelled words in the original draft of The Great Gatsby included "apon" for "upon" and "yatch" for "yacht."

World War II Troops Received Copies Of The Book While Overseas

New York editors, publishers and librarians believed it was a good idea that American troops abroad during World War II have something to read. They chose several novels, including The Great Gatsby, to be "Armed Services Editions" and sent 123,000 copies of the novel —to sailors and soldiers overseas.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The Spanish–American War_2

On April 11, 1898, President William McKinley asked Congress for a declaration of war against Spain. Find out the five things you didn’t know about the Spanish-American War, which lasted from April to August 1898.

The U.S. May Have Gone to War Because of a Misunderstanding

The United States became involved in the war after the USS Maine, a U.S. battleship in Havana to protect American interests, exploded in February 1898 (“Remember the Maine!”). Two hundred sixty-six sailors died, and though the exact cause of the explosion was never discovered, the Spanish were blamed, and this helped encourage the U.S. to take military action against Spain. Today, experts say the explosion that sank the Maine was probably caused by how the ship’s ammunition was stored, its coal bunker, and the ship’s design. 

The Rough Riders Didn’t Really Ride

Artistic renderings of the Battle of San Juan Hill, led by Theodore Roosevelt, depict the soldiers going forward on their horses, armed with weapons raised for battle. However, when the Rough Riders traveled to Cuba, most of the soldiers had to leave their horses and mules in Florida.  So its members did not — despite their name — all ride horses during that battle.  While Theodore Roosevelt did indeed ride his horse, the majority of the Rough Riders charged up San Juan Hill on foot.

Few Of The Soldiers Died In Battle

The Spanish-American War claimed the lives of 3,000 Americans, but only a small fraction of these soldiers died in combat. Yellow fever and typhoid decimated entire units, swiftly spreading through camps in the Caribbean and the southeastern United States. After the war, After the war, scientists conducted experiments outside Havana that proved for the first time that mosquitoes spread the potentially fatal sickness. Only 379 U.S. soldiers died in combat during the war.

Residents of Guam Welcomed the Invasion

When American troops captured Spanish-controlled Guam, they were surprised to be welcomed by a friendly Spanish officer who rowed out to meet their ship. He was probably even more surprised when they immediately took him prisoner. As it turned out, neither the 60 Spanish marines stationed on Guam nor the island’s civilians had any idea that war had broken out two months earlier. 

Gitmo Came About From The Spanish-American War

Guantanamo Bay was captured by Cuban and American forces during the Battle of Guantanamo Bay in June 1898. This victory proved to be strategically important to protect the U.S. Navy during hurricane season. Several years later, in February 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed a treaty with Cuba’s new government that leased the area to the United States for 2,000 gold coins (roughly $4,000) a year. (Though rent is still paid to this day, the Cuban government refuses to cash the checks.) Guantánamo Bay Naval Base, sometimes called Gitmo, is now America’s oldest overseas military installation. 

[Robb77]

On 7/31/2020 at 5:19 PM, phkrause said:

5 Things You Didn't Know About Andrew Johnson_3

On July 31, 1875, former President Andrew Johnson died and was buried with his body wrapped in the American flag, and with the U.S. Constitution as his pillow. Here are 5 things you didn't know about the man who replaced Abraham Lincoln following his assassination.

He and His Brother Were Indentured Servants

Johnson and his brother, William, were sent to James Selby, a tailor, to work as indentured apprentices. Although they were bound to the tailor legally, they were unhappy and ran away about two years later. The tailor placed a newspaper ad offering a $10 reward for their return. However, they were never captured.

He Had No Formal Education

That's right. Although Johnson never attended school, he was able to teach himself basic reading and writing. He was able to get an apprenticeship as a tailor and open his own shop before marrying. In fact, while he worked, he actually hired someone to read to him while he was sewing clothing. This allowed him to continue learning subjects like history even if he couldn't pick up the books himself.

Johnson Was Supposed to Be Assassinated With Abraham Lincoln

Johnson was part of a group of politicians marked for assassination along with Abraham Lincoln. When John Wilkes Booth devised his plan to kill Lincoln, he had two accomplices assigned to kill two other politicians. One was Secretary of State William Seward, who was stabbed almost to death (but survived). The other was Andrew Johnson, who was then vice president. However, the man assigned to kill Johnson was too scared to even knock on Johnson's door and ended up taking a walk instead. He was still charged as part of the conspiracy, taken to trial, found guilty and executed on July 7, 1865. pillow

Thanks for sharing! Didn`t know anything about that!

[Robb77]

On 5/16/2020 at 12:21 PM, phkrause said:

5 Things You Didn't Know About Jim Henson And His Muppets

Jim Henson, creator of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the other Muppets who entertained and educated millions of preschoolers around the world, died on this day in 1990.  Here are 5 things you may not know about Jim Henson and his Muppets...

Kermit Wasn't Originally A Frog

In the early days of the Muppets, the character Kermit was not a frog. His  body was made out of Jim Henson’s mother’s old coat, and his eyes were made out of ping pong balls. He was introduced in 1955 on the show Sam and Friends with roundish feet instead of flippers and no collar. He was more turquoise than his signature green. As Jim Henson described: "all the characters in those days were abstract"; Kermit was simply a lizard-like creature, and was not a specific species. According to Jim Henson himself, Kermit officially became a frog in the 1971 TV special The Frog Prince.

Cookie Monster's Real Name is Sid.

The original Cookie Monster went by the name Wheel-Steeler and was used in a 1966 snack-food commercial by General Foods Canada, complete with a full set of sharp teeth. Although the ad never aired, Cookie Monster reappeared a few years later, minus the sharp teeth, on “Sesame Street.” Instead of stuffing his mouth with food snacks, he switched to cookies. His signature song, "C Is For Cookie", was first aired during the 1971–72 season, and became one of the best-known songs from Sesame Street. In a song in 2004, Cookie Monster revealed that, before he ate his first cookie, his name was Sid.

 

That`s soo amazing! 

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Captain Phillips

On April 12, 2009, American cargo ship captain Richard Phillips was rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. Navy snipers. The incident was later adapted into the 2013 film Captain Phillips starring Tom Hanks. Here are five things you didn't know about the film Captain Phillips.

Captain Phillips Wrote a Book About His Experiences

Captain Richard Phillips wrote a book in 2010 called "A Captain's Duty" along with co-writer Stephan Talty, which became the 2013 movie Captain Phillips. The film starred Tom Hanks as Captain Phillips, alongside Barkhad Abdi as pirate leader Abduwali Muse. Captain Phillips received six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Abdi.

None Of The Somali Pirates Ever Acted Before

In Minneapolis, Minnesota, an open casting call was held to fill the Somali pirates' roles in the movie. Minneapolis was chosen as the casting location because it has the largest population of Somalis in the country. Barkhad Abdirahman, Barkhad Abdi, Mahat M. Ali and Faysal Ahmed were chosen from over 700 Somalis who auditioned to be in the movie. The four actors were selected, according to search casting director Debbie DeLisi, because they were "the chosen ones, that anointed group that stuck out."

Barkhad Abdi Was a First-Time Actor

Barkhad Abdi, who had never acted before “Captain Phillips”, played the part of the pirate leader Abduwali Muse. The fledgling actor was actually born in Somalia and improvised the famous line in the movie, "Look at me, I am the captain now." His acting was so good he received two nominations for Best Supporting Actor. Abduwali Muse, the real-life pirate that kidnapped Captain Richard Phillips, was only 15 at the time. He is now serving 33 years in Prison.

The Real Captain Phillips Was Sued

In real life, one of the men from Richard Phillips’ crew sued him after the incident. He claimed that Phillips was well aware of the danger in the Somali waters but went in anyway endangering all of them because he wanted to get the shipment to harbor faster, even though the shipping company itself sent him a note advising him to avoid the Somali seas.

The Somali Actors Unnerved Tom Hanks

In order to build tension for the film, the actors playing crew members on the ship did not meet the Somali pirate actors until filming the scene when they stormed the bridge. Hanks said while loud explosions were going on, Barkdad Abdi and three Somali actors playing the pirates appeared. Hanks went on to say they were “the skinniest, scariest human beings I had ever come across” and it raised the hair on the back of his neck.

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Sidney Poitier

On April 13, 1964, Sidney Poitier became the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor, in the film Lilie.s of the Field.  Here are 5 interesting facts about the impressive actor as we celebrate the anniversary of his first Oscar win.

He Was The First Black Man To Win An Oscar

As an African American, Sidney Poitier has been a trailblazer in Hollywood. He was the first African-American to be nominated for Best Actor at the Oscars for his role in the 1958 film The Defiant Ones, which he starred in alongside Tony Curtis. He made history again five years later when he won Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field and was the first African American to win such an award. In addition to groundbreaking films like In the Heat of the Night and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Poitier would go one to be a steadily working director in Hollywood, worked as the Bahamian Ambassador to Japan, and was awarded the highest civilian honor — the Presidential Medal of Freedom — by President Barack Obama in 2009.

He Took A Pay Cut To Act In Lilies Of The Field

By the 1960s, Sidney was a highly-respected and famous Hollywood actor who could easily collect big paychecks for his film roles. However he was so excited to star in the film Lilies Of The Field that he agreed to star in the movie for $50,000 and 10% of the box office returns, which was significantly less than his usual salary. However, in 1964, the film would earn him an honor that no amount of money could equal to and his second Academy Award-nomination became his first Oscar-win, which was also the first Best Actor Academy award given to a black man.

He Has Been Knighted

Sidney Poitier does not just hold the title of Hollywood Actor, director, author, or even the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient. He also holds the title of "Knight" after being knighted in 1974. But rather than using the title "Sir" to represent his knighthood, Poitier uses the suffix K.B.E., which stands for "Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire."

He Studied Radio Announcers To Shed His Bahamian Accent

When Sidney Poitier first auditioned to be in a production for the American Negro Theater in the mid-1940s, his thick accent cost him the role and he was told by founder Frederick O'Neal he would be better off as a dishwasher, which, coincidentally, was his occupation at the time. Poitier was determined to evolve from his Bahamian dialect and prove his worth as an actor. Poitier bought a radio and observed the speech pattern of one of his favorite announcers to develop a new accent.

He Tried to Leave The Army With a Fake Mental Illness

Sidney Poitier enlisted in the Army in 1943 but soon became dissatisfied with his position at a veterans hospital. In an effort to leave the army, he started behaving in socially awkward ways in hopes of coming across as having some form of mental illness, allowing his discharge from the army earlier. However, Poitier inevitably confessed to faking his condition after medical professionals prescribed shock treatment. That said, he was discharged anyway, which gave him the opportunity to pursue an acting career.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Webster's Dictionary

On April 14, 1818, Noah Webster compiled Webster's American Dictionary, compiled by Noah Webster was printed for the first time. The dictionary has since become the go-to resource for those who wish to determine the meaning of every word in the English language.  Here are 5 interesting facts you didn't know about Webster's famous dictionary..

The Dictionary Wasn't His First English Language Book

After graduating from Yale in the late 1700s, Webster worked as a teacher. As an educator, he was horrified at the poor quality of school textbooks, and took it upon himself to produce his own. Webster produced 'A Grammatical Institute of the English Language', which was published in 1783 and was the standard English language textbook in US schools over the next century.

It Wasn't His First Dictionary Either

Webster's American Dictionary was not the first dictionary that Noah Webster published. He put out a smaller dictionary in 1806 called 'A Compendious Dictionary of the English Language'. Though the dictionary may not have been as detailed as the one to come, it still consisted of 37,000 defined words. It was also considered the first major dictionary in history to list the letter I and J and U and V separately. He began work on his American Dictionary the following year.

It Took Him 22 Years To Complete

Webster’s dictionary was one of the first lexicons to include distinctly American words. Webster  was 70 years old when his American Dictionary of the English Language was finally published in 1828.  The dictionary, which took him more than two decades to complete, introduced more than 10,000 “Americanisms.” The introduction of a standard American dictionary helped standardize English spelling.

It Was the Largest Dictionary Ever Created

Webster's Dictionary required two volumes to encompass all 70,000 defined words. About half of these terms were never part of any other English dictionary before. Other dictionaries paled in comparison, including the likes of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary of the English Language, which was published in 1755 and contained 42,000 words.

He Made Edits to Certain Words

While developing his dictionary, Webster sought to reform certain words included in his dictionary. For instance, he suggested taking out the letter "U" in words such as "colour" and "honour." Such reforms remain today, leaving behind some differences in American and British spelling. However, other suggestions were less successful and didn't take. Among his less popular suggestions, Webster attempted to remove the letter "B" from "thumb", the letter "S" from the "island", the letter "E" from "give".  

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The Sinking of The Titanic_3

April 15, 1912, is the day the British ocean liner Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg during its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.  Here are five surprising facts you may not know about the sinking of the Titanic...

A Full Moon May Have Led to The Iceberg Collision

Scientists arrived at a new theory that the full moon on January 4, 1912 could be to blame for the Titanic‘s collision with the iceberg. Quoting astronomer Donald Olson of Texas State University, “That full moon, on January 4, 1912, may have created unusually strong tides that sent a flotilla of icebergs southward—just in time for Titanic‘s maiden voyage.” This wasn’t a normal full moon, though. It was the closest approach of the moon since A.D. 796, and Earth won’t see its like again until 2257.

The Sinking of the Titanic Was Predicted in More Than One Book

At least four fictional books had eerily similar tales of liners that met the same fate as the Titanic. That might not sound so weird until you realize that all four were written before the ship sank. The first was the 1886 novel The Sinking of a Modern Liner, a British story about a ship that leaves Liverpool for New York, hits something, sinks, and loses most of her passengers because she lacked the correct number of lifeboats. What's even stranger is that the author of this book, W.T. Stead, died on the Titanic. Another book is 1898's Futility, or the Wreck of the Titan, in which a liner named Titan, supposedly unsinkable, hits an ice shelf and sinks. Additional creepy details include sinking off Newfoundland, like the Titanic; not having enough lifeboats; and traveling at similar speeds. A third book was 1908's The Ship's Run. However, there were so many similarities between the Titanic and the ship in the book that there is speculation that the author saw construction plans for the Titanic before writing the story. The fourth book was 1912's The White Ghost of Disaster. This book, released as the Titanic was setting sail, saw a ship crash at a specific speed—the same one that the Titanic traveled at when it hit the iceberg. 

Days Passed Before the True Story of the Titanic Became Known

News that the Titanic struck an iceberg began to spread on April 15. As wire dispatch messages were being relayed to the media, details were hazy. But many publications went full steam ahead with their coverage. One paper proclaimed “All Saved From Titanic After Collision,” while a London Daily Mail headline said “No Lives Lost.” The New York Times was skeptical of the ship’s fate, but published a dispatch that claimed, “All Titanic Passengers Safe; Towing to Halifax.” It was days later before the real story of the massive loss of lives reached the press.

Titanic Memorability Fascinates Collectors

Though it sank more than 100 years ago, Titanic memorabilia is still highly sought after by collectors, who pay big bucks from items that survived the ship’s sinking. In 2015, a first-class lunch menu from the Titanic saved by a passenger fetched $88,000. In 2017, an unsent letter recovered from the body of a passenger and dated April 13, 1912, sold for $166,000 at auction.

Titanic’s Oldest Living Survivor Died in 2009

Millvina Dean was a nine-week-old infant traveling with family emigrating to Wichita, Kansas, when the Titanic went down. When the ocean liner sank, she represented the youngest survivor. Dean, along with her mother and brother, survived and returned to Southhampton after their rescue.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Charlie Chaplin_3

On April 16, 1889, future Hollywood legend Charlie Chaplin was born Charles Spencer Chaplin in London, England. Here are 5 things you didn't know about one of the most successful stars of early Hollywood...

He Co-Founded a Movie Studio

In 1919, Chaplin and his fellow filmmakers, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith, created United Artists as a way to finance their own movies. The first film released by the studio was His Majesty, the American starring Douglas Fairbanks. The studio took off and eventually branched out to build a chain of movie theaters. Chaplin sold his ownership in United Artists in 1955, eight years before UA released the first James Bond film. The parent company of UA is now MGM Studios.

He Married Three Separate Teenagers

Chaplin didn't have the best track record in terms of marriage, and he tended to marry young. In 1918 Chaplin tied the knot with 17-year-old actress Mildred Harris, a decision he would soon come to regret, saying they were “irreconcilably mismated.” Following their divorce, he married 16-year-old Lita Grey, another actress with whom he had a bitter breakup. And in 1943, while in the middle of a high-profile paternity suit, 54-year-old Chaplin married 18-year-old Oona O’Neill. O’Neill’s father, playwright Eugene O’Neill, was so upset by the match that he disinherited her. But unlike Chaplin’s other relationships, this one would last. The two stayed together until Chaplin’s death at age 88 and had eight children.

His Body Was Stolen And Held For Ransom

In 1978, several months following his death, Chaplin’s body was stolen from a cemetery in Switzerland and held for ransom. The grave robbers wanted $600,000 for the remains. Two auto mechanics, one from Bulgaria and the other from Poland were arrested, and Chaplin’s body was discovered around one mile from his family home, buried in a cornfield. Roman Wardas, was sentenced to 4 ½ years at hard labor, while his cohort, Gantscho Ganev, received a suspended sentence of 18 months. Both men wrote apology letters to Chaplin’s widow, Oona before they were sent to jail. 

He Composed The Music For His Films

Starting with City Lights in 1931, Chaplin composed the music for the soundtracks of his films. His song “Smile,” which debuted in the film Modern Times, became a classic, and was recorded by Nat King Cole with lyrics in 1954. Chaplin won his only competitive Oscar in 1973 for composing the theme to his film Limelight.

Chaplin Resisted The Arrival Of Talkies

Movies with sound quickly replaced silent films beginning in 1927 with The Jazz Singer. Yet Chaplin hesitated to adopt the new technology, fearing it would ruin the Little Tramp. In his two 1930s movies, City Lights and Modern Times, Chaplin included music but not dialogue, except for one scene in which he sings in nonsensical fake Italian. Finally, in 1940, he released a full sound film, The Great Dictator, an anti-Hitler satire featuring him as a character other than the Little Tramp for the first time in almost 20 years.

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5 Things You Might Not Know About Federal Express

On April 17, 1973, FedEx, called Federal Express at that time, began operations by delivering its first 186 packages, and soon became the premier carrier for the express shipping industry. Here are five things you didn't know about Federal Express.

FedEx Originally Transported Bonds

FedEx didn’t start out as the courier company as it is today. The business plan crafted by founder Fred Smith in 1971, was that FedEx would be a company which would pick up checks from the 12 Federal Reserve banks in the United States, fly them to a central hub and then deliver the checks to the federal reserve member banks the next day. Later, the federal reserve directors changed their mind - and the company was left with no client, two jets and $3.6 million in debt. Forced to re-consider his business plan, Smith decided to instead to create a service providing USA-wide delivery for time-sensitive documents for businesses and consumers.

The Founder Gambled His Last $5,000

In 1974, three years after the company’s birth, FedEx was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy. The company was losing $1 million each month, and was down to only $5,000 in their account. Smith decided to take drastic action. He flew to Las Vegas and he spent the weekend playing blackjack with the company funds. Smith returned to the company headquarters in Little Rock on Monday and told astonished executives that he had managed to turn the $5,000 into $27,000. Soon afterwards, the company captured $11 million in funding.

The FedEx Logo Contains a Hidden Design

Look closely between the letters "E" and "X", and you will see an arrow in the white space between the two letters.  The hidden arrow in the design of the logo provides a subliminal message of getting from point A to point B.. The message was accidentally created in 1994 as the logo designer noticed that putting a capital "E" and a lowercase "X" together created the suggestion of an arrow. The clever use of the negative space between the last two letters has won the logo several awards and makes it one of the most effective logos ever created.

FedEx Invented Tracking Numbers

In the late 1970’s FedEx created the tracking number – a set of numbers designed to the track the journey of a package. The system was originally intended for internal quality control but was later released to the general public. Today, tracking numbers are used throughout the courier industry and millions of tracking numbers are entered everyday into fedex.com. 

It's a Really Busy Company

FedEx owns the most extensive fleet of air cargo planes in the world, with more than 670 in use to deliver packages. The company handles more than 19 million packages daily. It keeps up with the packages, too, with around 125 million requests by clients who want to track their deliveries' progress.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Paul Revere_3

On April 18, 1775, Paul Revere made history with his midnight ride to warn colonists that the British were coming. The Trivia Today team has put together these five shocking facts you probably didn't know about Paul Revere and his midnight ride! 

Revere Never Shouted, "The British Are Coming!"

Though it certainly makes the story more exciting, the statement would have made no sense in 1775 considering the fact that colonialists were...well...all British. That'd be a bit like running through Massachusetts today saying, "Americans are coming this way!" Actual accounts of Revere's midnight ride reveal he and his riding pals actually said: "The Regulars are coming out." The reason for the wrong message is because Longfellow changed the wording in his poem.

He Had To Borrow A Horse To Make His Famous Ride

Revere's job was given to him by the Massachusetts Committee of Safety and Boston Committee of Correspondence to work as an express rider and deliver news, documents, and messages. Since Revere had to cross the Charles River, he needed a horse on the other side. He borrowed one from John Larkin, a Charlestown patriot, who got it from his father, Deacon John Larkin. The horse, a mare named Brown Beauty, was captured and Larkin would never see Brown Beauty again.  Revere did, however, refer to the beast as "a very good horse."

Revere Was Captured Before He Completed His Ride

Although Paul Revere did ride to warn colonists the British were coming, he wasn’t the only one warning colonists. Nor did he ride alone. Revere was accompanied by Samuel Prescott and William Dawes, and they split up later, going in different directions. Around halfway through their ride, Revere was captured by a British patrol, and Dawes lost his horse, but Prescott made it to Concord in time to spread the news that the British were on their way.

Revere Found His Calling As A Businessman

After the American Revolution, Revere opened a hardware store, a foundry and eventually the first rolling copper mill in the United States. He provided materials for the historic frigate USS Constitution, which played an important role in the War of 1812 and is the world’s oldest floating commissioned naval vessel. He also produced more than 900 church bells, one of which still rings every Sunday in Boston’s King’s Chapel. Revere Copper Products, Inc., is still in operation today.

It's a Wonder He Had Time for Anything

Revere was the father of 16 children, half by Sarah Orne, his first wife, and the others with Rachel Walker, his second wife. The children grew up at 19 North Square in a townhome that is the oldest building in Boston, constructed in 1680. Eleven of his children survived to become adults, and when Revere died at 83, five still lived.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About The American Revolution_5

On April 19, 1775, the American Revolution began when American and British soldiers exchanged fire at Concord and Lexington. Here are 5 things you probably never heard about the American Revolutionary War…

The Word Independence Never Appears In The Declaration

The title of the document is not the Declaration of Independence. The document's first words are "The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America." The only reference to independence is the phrase "Free and Independent States" near the document's end.

General Washington Insisted On Inoculating The Troops

Before the advances of modern medicine, disease—not combat—was one of the primary causes of death in war. In the winter of 1777, Washington demanded the entire Continental Army to be inoculated against smallpox. This operation required great secrecy, as the process left the inoculated soldiers incapacitated for a stretch of time. As a result, death by smallpox decreased from 17% of deaths to 1% of deaths after troops were inoculated.

The Boston Tea Party Had a Sequel

We all know about the initial incident on December 16, 1773, when Boston’s Sons of Liberty dressed as Mohawk Indians and tossed 342 chests of tea from three ships into the Boston Harbor to protest the taxes imposed in the Tea Act. But we forget that they felt the need to hammer the point home with a second party, on March 7, 1774 — probably because they grabbed only 16 chests of tea.

George Washington Returned British General Howe's Dog

At the Battle of Germantown, 150 of Washington’s men were killed, 500 wounded, and 400 taken prisoner.  But George Washington didn’t lose his sense of good manners with the battle. A fox terrier appeared in the American’s camp that was wearing a tag with British General Howe’s name as the owner. Washington promptly returned the dog back to Howe along with the following polite note (likely written by Alexander Hamilton):

To General William Howe:

General Washington’s compliments to General Howe. He does himself the pleasure to return [to] him a dog, which accidentally fell into his hands, and by the inscription on the collar appears to belong to General Howe. 

A Woman Disguised Herself as a Man and Served During the War

Massachusetts born Deborah Sampson, who was taller than most men at the time, was one of a few women who saw military combat during the War of Independence and proved to be an excellent soldier. Using the name Robert Shurtliff, she enlisted in the army with the 4th Massachusetts Regiment and was wounded in the leg by two musket balls at a battle in Tarrytown before she was discovered after having served for about three years. She was honorably discharged on October 25, 1783, after a physician discovered she wasn’t a male when he treated her for an illness.

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Wisconsin

On April 20, 1836, the Territory of Wisconsin was established by Congress. Since its founding, Wisconsin has become known for its cheese, its frigid winter weather, and the Green Bay Packers. But there's more to America's DairyLand than that. Here are 5 interesting facts you probably didn't know about  Wisconsin...

Green Bay Is Known As The "Toilet Paper Capital of The World"

Green Bay is known as the "Toilet Paper Capital of the World" because of the prevalence of the paper industry in the city. In 1901, Northern Paper Mills of Green Bay created the first ever “sanitary tissue” which they called Northern Tissue. By 1920, the company was producing toilet paper on a roll, and quickly became the world’s largest producer of bath tissue. The discovery that toilet paper could be made without shards of wood creeping through made “Splinter-Free“ Northern Tissue’s slogan. Wisconsin is the nation's No. 1 toilet paper manufacturer, cranking out $13.8 billion in products annually and employing over 30,000 people.

Margarine Was Once Illegal In Wisconsin

In 1897, in order to protect that dairy industry, margarine colored yellow to look like butter was banned in the state. While the law was repealed in 1967, it remained illegal for public places such as restaurants and prisons to use the butter substitute—unless they also served butter. These restrictions were finally lifted in 2011.

Many Of The First Settlers Were Lead Miners

You might think that Wisconsin is the "Badger State" because these cute little guys are found in Wisconsin. Actually, the reference has to do with the rush of lead miners in the state during the early 19th century. At the time miners would come to Wisconsin but often did not have shelter.  When it grew colder, the workers would dig holes to sleep in, not unlike badgers.

Monroe, Wisconsin Is The Swiss Cheese Capitol Of The World

Considering the name, you might assume that the Swiss Cheese Capital of the World is located in Switzerland. But you'd be wrong. Instead, this title is held by Monroe, Wisconsin. Cheese factories within a 40-mile radius surrounding Monroe produce 84% of Swiss cheese manufactured in the United States. Wisconsin also leads the country in exports of other edible goods, including whey, cranberries, ginseng root, and sweet corn.

It Is Home To The First Kindergarten

The first American kindergarten was actually started in Watertown, Wisconsin. It was opened in 1856 by Margarethe Schurz, who started a home kindergarten for her daughter and four of the cousins. She soon let other children in. You can even visit the actual house, which was been converted into a museum.

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6 Shocking Things You Didn't Know About Prince

On the morning of April 21, 2016, pop sensation Prince was found dead in his Minnesota home and recording studio. The cause of death was an accidental overdose of the opioid fentanyl. Here are 6 shocking facts you probably didn't know about the artist formerly known as The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.

His Real Name Was Prince

The name "Prince'' seems like the perfect stage name for an artist to adopt. But in Prince's case, this was his actual birth name. The artist was born Prince Rogers Nelson and was named after his father's jazz combo. Not surprisingly, both of his parents were musical artists, which can explain Prince's name and his musical talents.

He Was A Jehovah's Witness

Prince was not just dedicated to his craft, but he was also a devout Jehovah's Witness. He was even baptized in 2001 as a symbol of his devotion to his faith.  Like others in the congregation, Prince went door-to-door to spread the word about his faith and often used disguises to deflect attention from himself. A woman told the Daily Mail that Prince once knocked on her door in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, where he introduced himself as Brother Nelson. “Excuse me, but has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like Prince?” she said, to which she remembers him replying, “It has been said.”

He Wrote Many Hits For Other Singers

Prince's list of hits is quite lengthy and includes the likes of When Doves Cry, Let's Go Crazy, Purple Rain, Cream, and Little Red Corvette. But his songwriting wasn't just reserved for himself. In fact, Prince wrote some of the most iconic songs for other artists, including "I Feel For You" for Chaka Khan, "Manic Monday'' for the Bangles, and perhaps most famously, "Nothing Compares 2 U'' for Sinéad O'Connor.

His Symbol Had a Copyrighted Name

In 1993, Prince turned his name into a symbol, in a step that he claimed was to break away from his affiliation with Warner Bros. after a challenging working situation. Following that, he became known as "The Artist Formerly Known as Prince." However, the actual symbol itself had a name, "Love Symbol #2," that Prince copyrighted in 1997. When Prince's contract with Warner Bros. expired at midnight on December 31, 1999, he announced that he was reclaiming his given name.

He Was Given His Own Color By Pantone

Every year, Pantone comes out with its Color of the Year. Not long after Prince passed away, the color authority company created a royal purple shade to honor the pop star. It was appropriately named Love Symbol #2. Prince and the color purple went hand in hand, so it was only fitting for Pantone to come out with a hue that suited the late singer best.

He Held The #1 Spots For Film, Album, And Single Simultaneously

The year 1984 was a big one for Prince. During the week of July 27, 1984, Prince's film Purple Rain hit number one at the box office. That same week, the film's soundtrack was the best-selling album and "When Doves Cry" was holding the top spot for singles.

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5 Things To Remember About American Hero Pat Tillman

On April 22, 2004, pro football player Pat Tillman, who gave up his NFL career to enlist in the U.S. Army after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, was killed by friendly fire while serving in Afghanistan. Here are five things to remember about American Hero Pat Tillman.

He Played Football Despite His Small Stature

After leading his high school in San Jose, California to a championship, Pat Tillman received a scholarship to Arizona State University. At 5-foot-11, he was considered too small to play linebacker at a Division I school, but he proved his critics wrong. He played four seasons, helping lead his undefeated Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl during his junior year. After his senior season in 1997, he was named the Pac-10 Conference defensive player of the year, an award that now bears his name. An Academic All-American, Tillman graduated Summa Cum Laude, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing.

The Arizona Cardinals Drafted Him As The 226th Pick

The seventh round of the draft is not usually where teams find premier talent, but Pat Tillman moved to the safety position and defied expectations once again, playing in all 48 games for the Cardinals during his first three seasons. After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 Tillman enlisted in the U.S. Army.  Tillman turned down an offer from the Cardinals that would’ve paid him about $1.2 million year. He opted instead to enlist in the U.S Army for about $1,000 a month.

He And His Brother Became Army Rangers

Pat Tillman wasn’t the only family member to forgo a career in pro sports to serve his country. His brother Kevin gave up the prospect of a career with the Cleveland Indians, where he played second base in the team’s minor league system. The two brothers enlisted in the Army together on May 31, 2002. They both became members of the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment and took part in Operation Iraqi Freedom. After Pat was killed in Afghanistan, Kevin Tillman accompanied his body back to the United States.

The Army Initially Covered Up The Cause of Tillman’s Death

The initial claim was that Tillman died in an ambush near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. He received a Silver Star and Purple Heart, and was posthumously promoted. Twenty-six days after his memorial service, the Army publicly acknowledged that Tillman had died from friendly fire while returning to support members of his platoon from whom he and other Rangers had been separated.  He died on April 22, 2004, after being shot in the head three times by US soldiers who had mistaken him for the enemy. Congressional inquiries and investigations into the incident later showed that several soldiers knew about the circumstances of Tillman’s death and attempted to hide it.

Tillman Left A Letter For His Wife

Tillman and his wife, Marie, were high school sweethearts and were married for two years when he died. When Tillman went overseas, he left Marie a letter to open "just in case" he was killed.  Marie opened the letter the night of his death which read: “Through the years, I’ve asked a great deal of you. Therefore, it should surprise you little that I have another favor to ask. I ask that you live.” Marie Tillman would go on to chronicle her life with and after Tillman. She called her book, “The Letter.”

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About YouTube

The first ever YouTube video was uploaded by co-founder Jawed Karim on April 23, 2005 -- exactly 16 years ago, today. A year later, Karim and fellow co-founders sold the platform to Google for a whopping $1.65 billion. Here are 5 things you probably didn't know about Youtube. 

The Founders of YouTube Were PayPal Empoloyees

In 2005, Steve Chen, Jawed Karim and Chad Hurley began YouTube. They first met while working at the then-Internet start-up, PayPal. The partners received initial funding for YouTube from bonuses when eBay bought out PayPal. You could say that if there was no PayPal, there would be no YouTube.

YouTube was Started as a Dating Site

YouTube initially started out as a dating site named "Tune In Hook Up" — inspired by the then-popular Hot or Not. But fate had other intentions for the company when two different events took place. The first event was when Jawed Karim was unable to find video footage of Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction”, and the second event was when Hurley and Chen were not able to share a dinner party video because of e-mail attachment restrictions. Luckily Dropbox did not exist at the time, otherwise YouTube may never have been created.

The First Video Was At The Zoo

On April 23, 2005, co-founder Jawed Karim uploaded the first video to YouTube, which featured a visit to the zoo. Karim went to the San Diego Zoo and was filmed standing in front of the elephant enclosure. The 18-second video, titled "Me at the zoo" has since garnered over 162 million views. To this day, it is the only video on Karim's channel. 

Rickrolls And Pranks On April Fools Day

The company plays pranks on YouTubers every April 1, which started with a Rickroll in 2007. The prank is named for singer Rick Astley and his song, "Never Gonna Give You Up," which is the video that briefly replaced every video on the site.  In 2009, YouTube surprised its users when it turned the website upside down. Since starting the April Fool’s Day tradition, every year YouTube comes up with something unique to keep the trend alive

The Most Viewed YouTube Videos Of All Time Is...

On June 17, 2016, Korean education brand Pinkfong released their video "Baby Shark Dance", and the rest is history. On February 11, 2021, the video became the most-viewed YouTube video of all time, surpassing the former record holder "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi. "Baby Shark Dance" currently has 8.39 billion lifetime views on YouTube.

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Jane Fonda

On April 24, 1982, Oscar-winning actress Jane Fonda released her first of her many bestselling workout videos. With the phenomenal success of her exercise books and videos, Fonda sparked the aerobics trend of the late 1970s and 1980s. Here are 5 things you didn't know about Jane Fonda.

She Sold 17 Million Workout Videos

During the 1980s, VHS cassette tapes were popular and her workout videos have even been credited with convincing many families to purchase VCRs. When she released her first Jane Fonda's workout video, it instantly became the highest-selling VHS of all time. She followed it up with 21 more videos over the next 13 years. Ultimately, they sold more than 17 million copies, many of which are still in circulation today (if you can find them, not to mention a VCR to play them on!)

Fonda and Her Dad Were The First Father-Daughter Duo To Earn Oscar Nods Together

Fonda and her famous father, Henry, acted together in On Golden Pond and became the first father/daughter duo to receive Oscar nominations together. Interestingly, the film depicted the pair in a strained relationship, which mirrored their relationship in real life. The film earned Jane her first Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Henry Fonda won the Academy Award for Best Actor but Jane   had to accept for him as he was ill at the time. He passed away five months later.

The Spelling of Her Real Name is Unconventional

Jane Fonda was born Jayne Seymour Fonda on December 21, 1937. She obvious dropped the ”y” in her first name and ignored her middle name for most of her life.  If you are curious about her middle name, Jane was named after the third wife of King Henry VIII of England, Jane Seymour. There is an actual ancestry connection, though distant, to the Jane Seymour of old from her mother’s genealogy.  

She Has Been Protesting For Decades

Fonda became an activist against the Vietnam War and made an anti-war documentary with her Hollywood friend Donald Sutherland. The two created an organization that ran counter to the well-known Bob Hope USO shows Hope would do for the troops in Vietnam. She also paired with feminist Gloria Steinham in support of the feminist movement. She highlighted her support for the movement when she co-starred in 9 to 5.

Many Americans Rejected Her Anti-War Activism

Fonda earned the nickname "Hanoi Jane" when she went to North Vietnam in 1972.  That visit would connect her with the support of the North Vietnamese and being a traitor to the United States. The photo of her sitting atop a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft gun combined with the rumors she met with and betrayed American POWs held in North Vietnam, were events that could not be easily explained away. Once her participation in other activist groups was made known, she was largely perceived as anti-American by many Americans.

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5 Things We've Learned From The Hubble Space Telescope

On April 25, 1990, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed into orbit from the payload bay of the Space Shuttle Discovery. On the anniversary of this milestone in space exploration, here are five things you didn't know about the Hubble Space Telescope...

It Was Named After A Famous Astronomer

The Hubble Space Telescope takes its name from Edwin Hubble, an American astronomer whose observations helped broaden scientists’ view of the universe to include galaxies other than our own.  In 1923, while working at the Mount Wilson Observatory, he realized that Andromeda, then thought of as a nebula, was a galaxy hundreds of thousands of light years away from our Milky Way. He made another groundbreaking discovery in 1929, when he helped quash the “static universe” theory by finding evidence that galaxies move away from one another at a constant rate. Hubble died in 1953, but the the telescope that bears his name has confirmed and improved upon his theories.

The Challenger Disaster Delayed the Launch of The Hubble Telescope

In 1986, seven astronauts died when the space shuttle Challenger blew up shortly after launch. NASA’s space fleet remained grounded due to the tragedy, which left the Hubble launch questionable since it needed to hitch a ride on the space shuttle. It finally went into space in 1990, riding in the cargo bay of the space shuttle Discovery seven years behind the original schedule and running more than $1 billion over its budget.

It Has Recorded The Deepest Images Of The Universe

The Hubble focused on an empty piece of sky for 10 days in 1995, and the result astonished its operators. It revealed galaxies never seen before and previously undiscovered star systems. Images taken recently show thousands of galaxies as distant as 13.2 billion light-years away. Since the light from these galaxies has taken eons to reach our solar system, it offers astronomers a window to what the universe looked like only a short time after the Big Bang some 13.7 billion years ago.

Hubble Technology Helped Lead To Better Methods For Detecting Breast Cancer

Like other NASA programs, Hubble spawned “spinoff” technologies that proved useful in other fields of science. One of the most significant breakthroughs concerns the observatory’s Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, which Hubble used to search for supermassive black holes. Medical professionals used the same silicon chips to more effectively image women’s breast tissue and distinguish between benign and malignant tumors.

Anyone Can Make A Request To Use The Hubble Telescope

Every year, Johns Hopkins University’s Space Telescope Science Institute issues an open call for proposals to conduct observations using Hubble. While there are no restrictions on who can apply, the competition is extremely tough. Hundreds of eager astronomers come forward each year, and following a review by a panel of experts, only around one-fifth of them actually receive time with the telescope. 

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5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Studio 54

The brainchild of Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, Studio 54 opened its doors for the first time on this day in 1977 and immediately became the epicenter of nightlife in New York City. Here are five things you didn't know about Studio 54...

It Was A Party Even Out In The Street

People were desperate to get in from the first night it opened. Oddly, one of the first people ever in the club was Donald Trump. According to the Daily Beast, he and his friends had no problem getting in because they showed up unfashionably early and were basically first in line.  The crowds outside grew, but by midnight, it turned into a Sodom and Gomorrah, especially when a doctor in the crowd passed out Quaalude.  Soon after, a “sex orgy” began with people exposing themselves and becoming more than amorous with complete strangers.

People Tried Absolutely Everything To Get In

Getting into Studio 54 could be impossible. No one understood why some people got into the nightclub while others remained outside, but Steve Rubell, the owner, said they searched for a perfect mix of people. According to Rolling Stone, thousands of dollars changed hands to get inside, while others offered their bodies in trade. When sex and money didn't work, violence and attempts to sneak in commonly occurred. One night a rejected hopeful came back and brandished a gun. The doormen regularly had to be escorted home at the end of the night for their safety.

Drugs Were Absolutely Everywhere

To dodge strict rules about serving alcohol, the club didn't actually have a permanent liquor license for a long time. Instead, they would just apply for a temporary one every day. Amazingly, this worked for a while, until it didn't. People came to the nightclub for drugs anyway, not alcohol. Hung from the roof of Studio 54, dangling over the dance floor, was a giant crescent moon with a face, a cocaine spoon moving to and from its nose. People openly took drugs, and Steve Rubell allegedly kept a stash of cocaine and pills in his padded coat and passed it out.

Private Parties Were Completely Over The Top

If a regular night at Studio 54 was crazy, it was the special parties that were totally insane. One of the most famous photos ever taken at the club was of Mick Jagger's then-wife Bianca, riding a white horse led by a glitter-covered naked man. She said the horseback ride was a birthday surprise from the club owners. Rolling Stone reported that when Dolly Parton came to town for a concert, the owners decided the best way to make a country singer feel comfortable was to turn the club into a farm.  The club was filled with donkeys, mules and horses running loose inside, along with chickens in a pen.

They Partied All The Way to Prison

In 1978, co-owner Steve Rubell openly bragged about how well things were going, saying "only the Mafia made more money." Comparing yourself to organized crime is not the best idea if you have something to hide, which they did. It got the attention of the IRS, and the club was raided. It turned out the owners neglected to report millions, almost 80 percent of their profits, something the federal government frowns upon. They kept books on their cocaine sales listed as “party favors,” but the IRS were not fooled. After a guilty verdict for obstruction of justice and tax evasion and sentencing of more than three years in prison, they held one last huge party the night before reporting to jail with Liza Minelli and Diana Ross appearing as performers.

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6 Crazy Facts You Probably Didn't Know About The Universe

On this day in 4977 B.C., the universe was created, according to German mathematician and astronomer Johannes Kepler, considered a founder of modern science.  Check out these 6 crazy facts you probably didn't know about the universe....

Kepler Was Wrong

Seventeenth-century astronomer Johannes Kepler should have stuck with his theories about the motion of the planets, because it turns out that he was wrong about the age of the universe to the tune of billions of years. Astronomers now estimate the age of the universe at around 13.7 billion years, give or take a few million. The age was calculated by measuring the density of energy and matter in the universe, which determined how fast it expanded billions of years back into the past. 

When You Look At the Stars, You Are Looking Back In Time

The light shining from the stars in the sky has taken years to reach our eyes. That means we're looking into the past when we gaze at the stars in the sky at night. For example, the bright star Vega is relatively close to us at 25 light-years away, so the light we see left the star 25 years ago; while Betelgeuse in the constellation of Orion is 640 light-years away, so the light left the star around 1381 during the time of the Hundred Years’ War between England and France.

There's a Massive Diamond in the Sky

Astronomers have discovered the largest known diamond in our galaxy is a massive lump of crystallized diamond called BPM 37093, otherwise known as Lucy after The Beatles’ song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It can be found 50 light-years away in the constellation of Centaurus. Its size? A staggering 10 billion trillion trillion carats, which makes the largest natural diamonds on planet earth seem invisible by comparison. 

A Year On Venus Is Shorter Than Its Day

Venus is the slowest rotating planet in our Solar System. Venus spins so slowly that fully rotating takes longer than completing its orbit, which means the planet has days that last longer than its years. It’s also home to one of the most inhospitable environments imaginable, with constant electronic storms, high CO2 readings, and it’s shrouded by clouds of sulfuric acid.

There Are More Stars In The Universe Than Grains of Sand on Earth

The universe extends far beyond our own galaxy, which is why scientists can only estimate how many stars are in space.  However, scientists estimate the universe contains approximately  1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars, or a septillion.   While no one can actually count every single grain of sand on the earth, however the estimated total from researchers at the University of Hawaii, is somewhere around seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains.  That is an awfully big sand castle!

The Voyager 1 Spacecraft is the Furthest Man-Made Object From Earth

In 1977, two spacecraft were launched through the Voyager Program to explore planets and moons located on the outer edge of our Solar System. Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 have been orbiting for many decades and are now traveling through the heliosphere to probe into interstellar space. Voyager 1 is now considered the furthest man-made object from the earth after departing the Solar System in 2013. It is now at a distance of 124.34 Astronomical Units away. That's the equivalent of approximately 1.15581251×1010 miles away from earth.

[phkrause]

5 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Lamborghini

On April 28, 1916, Ferruccio Lamborghini, the founder of the company that bears his name was born in Italy. Here are 5 surprising facts you didn’t know about one of the most exclusive car brands in the world...

Lamborghini Originally Made Tractors

Many car experts know that Lamborghini was not initially a car company. Yes, in fact, Lamborghini first started out building tractors which can still be purchased to this day. Ferruccio Lamborghini was a very skilled mechanic who originally worked for the Italian military during the Second World War. When the war ended and Ferruccio went home, he started building and maintaining tractors using all of the military surplus sitting around. Ferruccio's first company was called "Lamborghini Trattori '' after realizing the success of this tractor.  Blessed with mechanical know-how and a growing fortune, Lamborghini eventually made the move into the automotive market in the early 1960s.

The Lamborghini Is A Result Of An Insult

The existence of the Lamborghini is a direct result of the competition that Enzo Ferrari brought to the field of luxury automobiles. While the Lamborghini company was busy making tractors and other agricultural vehicles, Ferrari had become a top car brand in the luxury car industry. Ferruccio himself owned a Ferrari 250 GT and was a big fan of sports cars, but he didn't like the clutch that Ferrari was using at the time. So, Ferruccio approached Enzo Ferrari about the issue. Enzo, who had a fiery temper,  didn't appreciate Ferruccio's complaint and told him he should focus on his tractors instead of giving his opinion about sports cars. As legend has it, Lamborghini took this as a personal challenge and decided to create his own sports car. Four months later the Lamborghini 350GTV was unveiled. This ended up being a move that brought Lamborghini world fame.

Models Are Named After Bulls

Each car manufacturer has its own way of finding the perfect name for every model of its cars. In the case of Lamborghini, the recurring theme is bulls. Ferruccio Lamborghini was a big fan of Spanish bullfighting and compared the powerful animal to the power of his vehicles. For this reason, he decided that he would use the names of famous Spanish fighting bulls for his cars. The first model to take the name of a bull was the Lamborghini Miura. This became a theme and many more models of cars were produced that took on the name of a famous bullfighting bull.

The Design Is Inspired By Fighter Planes

Designers get their ideas from everywhere and the inspiration for some of the Lamborghini models is no different. In fact, the design of many Lamborghinis is inspired by fighter planes. The steel-cut body style designed by Filippo Perini has become the signature look of Lamborghini. Perini has admitted that he was inspired by fighter planes, especially the American F-22 and B-2 aircrafts.

Lamborghinis Have Some Useful Purposes

Lamborghinis are known as luxury vehicles and sports cars, but they're used for more than just status and racing. The ability for the car to reach high speeds has proven useful in other areas when time is of the essence. For instance, Lamborghinis are sometimes used in Italy for high-speed organ transport. These cars are also used as police cars, both in Italy and in the United Arab Emirates. In both of these cases, speed comes in handy, and the Lamborghini certainly fits the bill.