Trivia

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5 Things You Didn't Know about William Shakespeare_2

On November 28th, 1582, William Shakespeare, future writer of immortal plays and sonnets, married Anne Hathaway (not the modern-day actress, by the way).  Here are five things you didn't know about William Shakespeare...

Shakespeare Married an Older Woman Who Was Three Months Pregnant at the Time

In November 1582, 18-year-old William wed Anne Hathaway, a farmer’s daughter eight years his senior. Instead of the customary three times, the couple’s intention to marry was only announced at church once—evidence that the union was hastily arranged because of Anne was pregnant. Six months after the wedding, the Shakespeares welcomed a daughter, Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith followed in February 1585.  A debate has raged for years about whether William Shakespeare and Anne Hathaway were a love match or not. How did the idea that they were unhappy come up? The smoking gun was Shakespeare's will, which left Anne his "second-best bed." Generations of scholars considered it a diss not to leave Mrs. Shakespeare the best bed in the house. 

Shakespeare and Hathaway Had to Pay a Lot to Get Married

When these two decided to get married, they had to pay a bond and verify that there were no objections to their marriage. The bond doesn't sound so bad now—40 pounds—but remember this was in 1582. For comparison, a court physician in the early part of the 1500s might have earned a little over 100 pounds per year, and chances are the pay wasn't much higher by the latter half of the century. So that 40-pound bond was nearly half the annual salary of a professional worker. Various online calculators peg 40 pounds in 1582 as equivalent to about 10,000 to 15,000 pounds in 2018.

We Probably Don’t Spell Shakespeare’s Name Correctl

Sources from William Shakespeare’s lifetime spell his last name in more than 80 different ways, ranging from “Shappere” to “Shaxberd.” In the handful of signatures that have survived, the Bard never spelled his own name “William Shakespeare,” using variations or abbreviations such as “Willm Shakp,” “Willm Shakspere” and “William Shakspeare” instead. 

Other Writers in History Haven't Been as Crazy About Him as the Public Has Been

If you don't like Shakespeare's plays, you're not alone—and some of your company includes well-regarded writers. For example, Leo Tolstoy thought Shakespeare's works were "trivial"; Voltaire referred to his works as a "dunghill" when lamenting that he had originally liked Shakespeare's works. George Bernard Shaw admitted hating the Bard's plays, and J.R.R. Tolkien desperately hated them (possibly a result of having to study them in school so much).

The Moons of Uranus Are Named After Shakespearean Characters

While most of the satellites orbiting other planets take their names from various mythologies, Uranus' moons are unique in being named for Shakespearean characters, along with a couple of the moons being named for characters from the works of Alexander Pope. To date 27 moons have been discovered around Uranus, those named after characters from Shakespeare include Titania (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Oberon (A Midsummer Night's Dream), Ariel (The Tempest), Miranda (The Tempest) and Puck (A Midsummer Night's Dream).

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PHKRAUSE

well I  did not know about  the marriage to ANNE HATHAWAY and that she was 8 years older ====also I  not  know about

the naming of the moons of URANUS  with the characters of the plays

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know about George Harrison

George Harrison, the ex-Beatle who went on to have a long and fruitful solo career, died on November 29, 2001, after a long battle with cancer.  Here are 5 surprising facts about the “Quiet Beatle” that you probably didn’t already know…

Harrison's Top-Selling Solo Song Was Also His Most Controversial

"My Sweet Lord" was released in 1970 as one of Harrison's first solo recordings, and it was a hit—so much so that it remained his biggest hit throughout his career. However, it also attracted the most controversy as well. First, the song was about Harrison's religious views and contained a simple Hare Krishna chant. This attracted the scorn of non-religious people who didn't want religion in the music they listened to, and it also attracted the scorn of religious people who did not want to hear about religions other than theirs. Second, Harrison was accused of swiping the tune from "He's So Fine," which was a hit for the girl group, the Chiffons, in 1963. The entire case lasted several years as first Harrison's manager left him and started working with the record company suing Harrison, and then his old manager actually bought the company that had sued him. Harrison lost the case even though the judge in the initial trial acknowledged that Harrison likely did not intend to or realize he was using a similar melody. A second trial reduced the payout of the first, though, after Harrison's ex-manager bought the other record company, and Harrison objected to the ex-manager profiting off the first ruling.

He Really Wasn't as Quiet as Fans Thought

Harrison was called the Quiet Beatle because he seemed to be the least comfortable with the publicity surrounding the group, and he was also very spiritual. Yet those around him said he was not quiet at all—Tom Petty noted that Harrison was much more garrulous than people realized—and Harrison was one of the major songwriters for the Beatles.

Harrison Produced a Monty Python Movie

Spiritual Harrison as a devotee of dead-parrot sketches isn't an image that crosses many people's minds, but Harrison was a Monty Python fan and even put up a few million dollars to see one of their movies—really. The actors of Monty Python wanted to produce Monty Python's Life of Brian but didn't have the funds. Harrison created a movie production company and supplied the money to make the film, which led to Python calling it the most expensive movie script ever. Harrison's production company, HandMade Films, went on to produce classics such as The Long Good Friday, Time Bandits, and Withnail & I.

The Location of His Death Had to Be Kept Secret Initially to Avoid Memorabilia Hunters

It's generally known now that Harrison died in Los Angeles at a home leased by his friend, security consultant Gavin de Becker. However, at first, it wasn't clear if he died at a home provided by Paul McCartney or if there were another location that he had gone to. This secrecy was necessary, though, as memorabilia hunters were a real risk, and no one wanted to have hordes of people ripping a property to shreds.

His Musical Hero Was Carl Perkins

Despite his quiet reputation and spiritual bent, Harrison's tastes in music were anything but quiet—Carl Perkins was his musical hero. Harrison had even changed his first name to Carl early on in his career, as a tribute. Perkins was a pioneer in the rockabilly genre and had been influenced heavily by gospel music as a youth.

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5 Shocking Facts You Didn't Know About Pablo Escobar

On Dec 2, 1993, Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar was killed in a shootout with Colombian security forces in Medellin.  Here are five things you probably didn’t know about the king of cocaine and his amazing life...

He Lost 10% of His Fortune Because of Rats

Due to his massive amounts of money, and the effort it took to transport it, he stored piles of it in local warehouses. During the height of its operations, the Medellín Cartel brought in more than US $70 million per day (roughly $26 billion in a year). Smuggling 15 tons of cocaine per day, worth more than half a billion dollars, into the United States, the cartel spent over US $1,000 per week purchasing rubber bands to wrap the stacks of cash, storing most of it in their warehouses. Ten percent (10%) of the cash had to be written off per year because of "spoilage", due to rats creeping in and nibbling on the bills they could reach.  He’s believed to have lost about $2 billion to rats chewing up the bills.

The Drug King Had a Handle on Logistics That Would Have Shamed UPS

Authorities in Colombia managed to seize some of the fleet and properties used by Escobar in his cocaine operation. In addition to 141 offices and homes, they confiscated 142 airplanes, 32 yachts, and 20 helicopters. He also had two submarines to transport cocaine to the United States, estimated to have carried up to 30,000 pounds of the white powder each day to American shores. The largest submarine shipment weighed 51,000 pounds.

He Appeared on the Forbes Billionaire List Multiple Times

Forbes first published its billionaires' list in 1987, and Escobar was included among the world’s top 100 super rich. Escobar and his Medellin cartel were rolling in so much money that in 1984, they offered to pay off Colombia’s national debt in return for immunity from prosecution. Escobar made the Forbes list each year seven years in a row, and in 1989, was listed as the 7th wealthiest billionaire in the world.

He Lived Like Royalty

In addition to his 7,000-acre estate that cost around $63 million to construct, Escobar owned many large homes. In addition to the home, his estate had artificial lakes, an airstrip, a soccer field, a bullfighting arena, and grounds decorated with giant dinosaur statues. He also constructed his own private zoo that housed around 200 animals, including giraffes, elephants, zebras, camels, and more that were smuggled into Colombia using his drug planes.

Escobar Built His Own Prison

Escobar contacted Colombian authorities in 1991, offering to surrender with one caveat—he wanted to construct the prison that would hold him. Surprisingly, they agreed, and he built a facility that included a waterfall, nightclub, soccer field, and sauna, along with phones, fax machines, and computers. Acting as the usual bad guy and killing two members of the cartel while at his private prison, he was to be transferred elsewhere when he escaped, however, he was discovered and killed the day after his 44th birthday in 1993.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Organ Donation

On December 3, 1967, Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant in Cape Town, South Africa.  To honor of this anniversary, here are five facts about the history and the current practice of organ donation...

Organ Transplants Have Been Around a Lot Longer Than You Think

The skin is the largest organ in the body and was also the first organ to be transplanted. Doctors in India were discovered to have been using skin grafts to make surgical repairs for centuries. In fact, the first nose job, called rhinoplasty, was performed by a physician named Sushruta back around 500 BCE by removing skin from a patient’s forehead and moving it onto the nose in the first cosmetic surgery.

The First Face Transplant Was Performed in 2005

The first facial transplant was performed in France in 2005 to repair damage done to a 38-year-old woman by her dog, which had severely damaged her lips, nose, chin, and sections of her cheeks. Material for the transplant came from a woman, 46, who had died. The first facial transplant in the United States was performed in 2011 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for a man who had been burnt by high-voltage electricity while he was painting a church.

The Largest Known Chain of Organ Donations Involved 60 People

In 2012, Rick Ruzzamenti, who was a California electrician, decided to donate one of his kidneys to an individual who needed it, and it was transplanted into a New Jersey man who didn’t have a match in his own family. The family of the New Jersey man decided this was such a wonderful thing to do that they would do the same and began a donor chain that continued for about four months, involving 11 states and 17 hospitals. The chain finally ended with a Joliet, Illinois, man called Don Terry with the 13th donation.

Corneal Transplants Have Been Around for a Long Time

In 1905, the first corneal transplant was undertaken by Eduard Zirm, an ophthalmologist in Austria. The ophthalmologist used corneas from a deceased child on a 45-year-old farmworker who had lost his eyesight because of an accident. The operation was so successful that techniques used today evolved from the procedure used by Zirm.

More Than 50 Percent of Organ Transplants Are Kidneys

There is an enormously long list of people waiting for kidney transplants, and more than 17,000 are performed yearly. The first kidney transplant in the United States was performed in 1954 between a pair of twins, so immunosuppressant drugs were not needed. By then, scientific advances had significantly improved the chances that the recipient would not reject the organ, which increased the odds of survival. After 1954, organ transplantation began in earnest.

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PHKRAUSE

WELL I  learned  many  things about  transplant of people organs

dgrimm60

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5 Amazing Facts You Didn't Know About Burger King

On December 4, 1954, the first Burger King opened to the gustatory delight of the American public.  Here are 5 amazing facts you probably didn’t know about Burger King, home of the Whopper...

Burger King’s First Name Wasn’t Appetizing

Burger King was originally named Insta Burger King, which doesn’t have much of a ring to it. David Edgerton and James McLamore, two franchisees based in Miami, Florida, bought out the company, dropped the word “insta” and came up with the Whopper burger. The big flame-grilled burger was introduced in Miami at their first restaurant in 1957. The original Whopper from Burger King cost a whopping 37 cents.

The Suicide Burger Isn’t on the Menu

Not everything sold at Burger King is on the menu, such as the Suicide Burger. Loaded with four patties of beef, bacon, four cheese slices, and secret sauce, the burger alone has 800 calories before you start on the side of fries. Since it has nearly 2,500 mg of sodium and 175 mg of cholesterol, you might want to save this treat for a special occasion.

A Crown Card Gives the Owner Free Burgers, Drinks and Fries for Life

Only 12 people have a Burger King Crown Card. So chances of getting one of these coveted cards are relatively slim. Some of the honored card holders are Robert Downey Jr, Jay Leno, Jennifer Hudson, Hugh Laurie, and George Lucas, filmmaker of Star Wars fame. The card bestows on its recipients free burgers, drinks and fries for life.

An Illinois Burger King Is Not Connected to the Chain Restaurant

One Burger King, located in Mattoon, Illinois, is unconnected with the popular chain restaurants. Because it predated the fast food restaurant and owned the Illinois trademark, the case went to court. The court decided that the Matoon restaurant’s patent was good, so Burger King, the corporate giant, can’t locate any of their restaurants within 20 miles of the original name holder.

One Burger King Marketing Strategy Had Facebook Users Dumping Their Friends

In 2009, Burger King introduced an unusual promotion that affected Facebook users when it offered them a free Whopper if they would unfriend ten friends they were connected with on the social media site. In return, that person got a free burger, while their ten dropped friends received a notice that the friendship had been traded off for a mere hamburger. Facebook was less than amused when 80,000 users deleted at least 200,000 friends in seven days and deleted the app.

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PHKRAUSE

I did  not  know about the  ILLINOIS  Burger King===also  about FACEBOOK and BURGER KING

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Prohibition

On December 5, 1933, prohibition ended after the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which had been ratified in 1919, was repealed. Here are 5 things you didn't know about the long dry spell in American history....

It Was Perfectly Legal to Drink During Prohibition

It was prohibited to make alcohol, sell it, or ship it during prohibition under the Volstead Act if it was intended for consumption. The Volstead Act did allow alcohol for scientific research and use in manufacturing. The one thing the 18th Amendment did not do is prohibit people from drinking products that contained alcohol, so many people resorted to buying their liquor from illegal sources.

Not All States Participated During Prohibition

Not every state was happy with the idea of depriving its citizens of alcoholic beverages, not only because their citizens wanted it but because it lowered revenues. The state of Maryland never passed any legislation to enforce prohibition, and other states became laxer as time went on in enforcing the amendment. The state of New York went so far as to repeal its enforcement measures in 1923, a move that was probably toasted by many state residents with their favorite beverage.

Speakeasies Often Had a Green Door

It wasn’t legal to open a bar that served alcoholic drinks during prohibition, but people always find a way to get around things, so they went to illegal, hidden bars called speakeasies. Chances were that if you saw a business with a green door, there was a speakeasy hidden inside. The Green Door Tavern in Chicago used this not so subtle advertising during prohibition and is still open for business, although now they can openly sell liquor to their customers.

Cruises to Nowhere Became Popular

One thing that may have led to vacation cruises in the travel industry was the “booze cruises” during the prohibition era. Since alcoholic beverages could not be manufactured, sold, or shipped, boats would take passengers out beyond the territorial limit, sometimes sailing around in circles so their patrons could party and enjoy their drinks in safety. Other ships would take passengers to Havana, Cuba, or to the Bahamas, where clubs and bars were legal.

The Great Depression Contributed to the Repeal of Prohibition

Americans would not be denied and spent plenty of money on the booze that was supplied by the black market, with New York City alone having 30,000 or more speakeasies. Once the Great Depression hit, those tax revenues were needed, so President Franklin D. Roosevelt, during his presidential campaign in 1932, included the repeal of Prohibition as part of his platform. When it was repealed about a year later, Roosevelt reportedly downed a dirty martini to celebrate while New Orleans partied in style with a 20-minute cannon salute.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know  about the  green door  or about  the NEW ORLEANS shooting cannons 

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Pearl Harbor

In the early morning hours of December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise military attack on the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. To mark the anniversary of that event, here are five things you probably didn't know about Pearl Harbor....

The U.S. Was About to Jump Into the War Anyway (Pearl Harbor Was Just the Last Straw)

Pearl Harbor is often given as the reason that the isolationist U.S. finally got involved in World War II, and it was the catalyst for the U.S. going to war against Japan. But the country was already sending supplies to Britain, Russia, and France, telegraphing to Axis powers just which side the U.S. would be on. Italy and Germany jumped into the fray a few days after the attack by officially declaring war on the U.S. Between the Pearl Harbor attack and an outright declaration of war in the European Theater, the U.S. couldn't afford to remain outside of the hostilities any longer.

The Attack Missed Three Fleet Carriers That Later Changed the Course of the War

The attack on Pearl Harbor was devastating to the Pacific fleet, destroying much of the sea and air fleets available to U.S. troops. However, three fleet carriers were not in the harbor that day, so they were not attacked or destroyed—and they were later crucial in changing how the war was going. Without these three, the Battle of Midway would not have gone as well for the U.S. as it did.

The U.S. Kind of Expected a Japanese Attack, Only Much Farther to the West

For months before the attack, the U.S. kept an eye on whether the Japanese might attack, and the government wasn't so surprised at the idea that Japan would attack—but the location of the attack was a complete shock. U.S. officials thought that Japan wouldn't bother with the relatively remote Hawaiian Islands and would instead focus on any U.S. interests in the western reaches of the Pacific. That meant that Pearl Harbor was left relatively open and provided the Japanese with a rich target.

The Attack Extended Past the Harbor

Historical reports tend to focus on the destruction of the fleet and harbor, and the ensuing deaths. They don't always show how messy the bombing was and how it affected civilian territory outside of the harbor. Missiles also reached an elementary school (the missiles may have gone off-target and bombing the school may not have been an actual goal; one report said the missile was a defective anti-aircraft weapon that fell onto the school instead of hitting bombers), and people around the harbor had to flee to safety.

The U.S. Was Already Reducing Contact With Japan Well Before the Attack

The U.S. and Japan were not at war with each other before Pearl Harbor, but as early as 1939, the U.S. started reducing ties with the country. First, the U.S. terminated a commerce treaty, and then in 1940, the country started restricting exports to Japan. The U.S. also was sympathetic to China, which was fighting against Japanese occupation, and the Japanese government became less friendly to the U.S. over time because of this. By mid-1941, the U.S. had cut off relations with Japan.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About John Lennon's Death

On December 8, 1980, John Lennon was shot and killed outside his apartment building in New York by Mark David Chapman. The death stunned the world, and the details only make the case stranger and sadder. Here are five things you didn't know about John Lennon's death...

Lennon and Chapman Spoke Earlier That Day

The moment of the murder was not the first time Chapman and Lennon had encountered each other. Lennon actually gave Chapman an autograph that same day, and even Chapman admitted that Lennon had been very kind to him. In fact, Chapman admitted that he had some doubt about carrying through with his plan to kill Lennon and nearly decided not to. But Chapman's need for attention—his admitted reason for killing Lennon—and his hatred of some of what Lennon supposedly represented led Chapman to go through with the plan.

Fans Held a Ten-Minute Vigil of Silence Instead of a Funeral

Lennon was not given a funeral. Instead, Yoko Ono had his body cremated and the ashes scattered in Central Park. She asked fans everywhere to hold a 10-minute silent vigil in place of the funeral. While fans agreed to this and actually held that vigil, thousands still congregated in Central Park and outside Lennon and Ono's apartment building.

Yoko Ono Created the Strawberry Fields Memorial to Lennon Located Across From Their Apartment Building

There is a section of Central Park that has been renamed Strawberry Fields, in honor of Lennon. This is a memorial created and landscaped by Ono and is the site where Lennon's ashes were scattered. It is open to the public and is officially designated as a quiet zone so that people can contemplate and meditate.

Chapman Pled Guilty Even Though Others Told Him to Plead Insanity

Those working with Chapman during his trial told him to plead insanity, but Chapman pled guilty to second-degree murder instead. He has been incarcerated since, with every parole attempt denied (he's had over ten parole hearings). Part of the denials stem from the severity of the crime, but at least one parole board has noted that releasing Chapman could put Chapman's own life in danger.

Chapman Has Started Expressing Remorse

As years have gone by, Chapman has gone on record as calling himself an idiot and apologizing for acting as he did. In 2018, Chapman also described becoming more and more remorseful about the crime, claiming that he has realized how shameful it was. Whether his remorse is real is for parole boards to determine, but even if it is, it will never erase the damage done to the psyche of others involved—Ono, Lennon's sons, the other Beatles, and more—and to the music industry.

ps:My grandfather worked in that building for about 10 years as a janitor!!

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6 Things We Didn't Know about Prince Charles and Princess Diana

On December 9, 1992, Britain's Prince Charles and Princess Diana announced their formal separation after 15 years of marriage. Here are 6 shocking facts that you didn’t know about the fairy tale couple who enchanted the world...

The Marriage May Have Been in Trouble From the Start

Diana, while saying her wedding vows, got the name of her new husband wrong, calling him “Phillip Charles Arthur George” instead of “Charles Phillip.” Prince Charles committed his own faux pas when he forgot to kiss his new bride at the altar when the ceremony concluded, but he made up for it when they went out to the balcony to be received by the people. It could have been worse because when Princess Augusta married Prince Frederick of Wales in 1736, she threw up all over her soon-to-be mother-in-law.

Diana’s Divorce Settlement Wasn’t Too Shabby

When the divorce decree was granted, it was publicly announced that Diana would no longer be “Her Royal Highness,” but would be able to keep the title of Princess of Wales. She received a cash payment totaling $26.5 million, more than half a million a year to pay her office staff, and she retained her apartment in Kensington Palace, which had five bedrooms. Custody was to be shared between the former couple.

They Only Dated About a Dozen Times Before Getting Engaged

Prince Charles had previously dated Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Diana’s sister, so it may have been a little awkward when he began dating Diana. They are reported to have gone out only a dozen times before their February 1981 engagement. They were married five months later, so the wedding planner must have been amazing to accomplish so much in such a short time.

Both Admitted to Cheating

Diana appeared in an interview on BBC with Martin Bashir and discussed her infidelity and that of Charles with Camilla Parker Bowles, his future wife. The order for them to divorce came straight from Buckingham Palace in 1995, right before Christmas, saying that it should be done as soon as possible. Charles agreed quickly, but it was February before Diana announced her agreement and July before the terms were agreed upon.

After the Divorce, Princess Diana Had to Curtsy to Her Children

Charles wanted Diana to give up her title but she was allowed to be called, Diana, Princess of Wales. The concession meant that she was separated from the royal family, and she was required to curtsy to its members, including to her sons, William and Harry.

Princess Diana Kept a Number of Things From Her Marriage

In addition to her Kensington Palace apartment, where her son William and his family now reside, Diana was allowed to use the apartments at the palace of St. James to entertain with permission from the queen. She also retained the jewelry she had received during the marriage except for a tiara named the Cambridge Lover’s Knot, which had been a wedding present from the queen.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know that JOHN LENNON did not have a  funeral

dgrimm60

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PHKRAUSE

I did not know she had to curtsy to her  2 sons

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know About the Apollo Missions

On December 11, 1972, man landed on the moon for the last time during the Apollo 17 mission. Here are 5 shocking facts that you probably didn't know about the Apollo missions...

Duct Tape Was Used to Repair One of the Moon Buggies

A crew member with Apollo 17 accidentally broke off a fender extension of the LRV Lunar Rover with a hammer. Although they tried to repair it with duct tape, which was necessary to keep out dust, after about an hour, the fender fell off again. They eventually used lunar maps, along with clamps, to construct a makeshift fender.

The Apollo II Moon Landing Tape Is Missing

The tapes of the Apollo 11 moon landing with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin, Jr and Michael Collins couldn’t be found in 2009 when NASA decided to restore them. Because of a shortage of the tapes used by NASA at the time, they were forced to reuse some of those stored in the archives. Low-quality audio versions of the astronaut's conversations are available, but the original videos are missing.

You Can Thank NASA’s Apollo Program for Many New Convenience Items

A number of household items were invented because they were needed on the space missions for the Apollo program. Probably the most commonly used invention is the portable vacuum cleaner (a.k.a. the Dustbuster) because NASA required a lightweight, cordless vacuum. Cordless tools such as cordless drills, grass shears and shrub trimmers also have a background with the Apollo missions. Both the mini cordless vacuum and motors for the cordless drill and other tools were developed using a computer program designed by Black & Decker.

An Emmy Was Awarded to Apollo VII’s Crew

Apollo 7 introduced superstars when astronauts Walter Cunningham, Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele broadcast for the first time on live television from their spacecraft. Nicknamed the “Wally, Walt and Donn Show,” they gave tours of Apollo 7 and showed how they prepared meals without gravity, as well as cracked jokes throughout. The broadcasts were so well received by the television audience that when the astronauts returned to Earth, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gave them a special Emmy for their efforts.

The Astronauts’ Spacesuits Were Designed by a Brassiere Company

Playtex, the well-known bra and girdle manufacturer, is the company to thank for the astronauts’ snappy spacesuits. Neil Armstrong wore one in July 1969 when he took his walk on the moon and made his famous statement, “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” The spacesuit division for Playtex split from the company in 1967 and works under the name ILC Dover as a contractor for NASA.

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PHKRAUSE

I did not  know about the Playtex company  that made  space suits for the early astronauts===also I  did not know about BLACK & DECKER

and the making of the mini cordless vaccum

dgrimm60

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5 Things You Didn't Know about Frank Sinatra_2

On December 12, 1915, legendary singer Frank Sinatra was born in Hoboken, N.J. Find out about the following things you didn’t know about “Old Blue Eyes.”

“The Best Is Yet to Come” is Engraved on His Tombstone

Frank Sinatra had many iconic songs in his long and illustrious career, but only one of them appears engraved on his tombstone and it wasn’t even a song originally intended for him. The song title “The Best Is Yet to Come” is engraved on his tombstone and appeared on his 1964 album "It Might As Well Be Swing." The song, however, was originally written for and recorded by Tony Bennett in 1962. “The Best Is Yet to Come” was fittingly the last song Sinatra ever performed in concert, doing so at a private party at the Frank Sinatra Desert Classic golf tournament.  He would die on May 14, 1998 at the age of 82.

He Could Have Played the Lead in Die Hard

Since Sinatra was 73 at the time he was offered the role in Die Hard, it probably would have been a bad idea to accept. However, in 1966, Sinatra had played Detective Joe Leland in a movie called The Detective, which was penned by the same author that wrote the book on which Die Hard was based. Since Die Hard was considered a sequel, the studio was required by contract to offer the role to Sinatra first, which he ultimately turned down. Arnold Schwarzenegger was offered the role next, but he also turned it down. The part was given to Bruce Willis, with the character’s name changed to John McClane.

Sinatra Was Arrested Once and Spent 16 Hours in Jail

Most people don’t know that Frank Sinatra has an arrest record and a mugshot to match. The official charge? Seduction.This seemingly archaic charge was generally applied when a man convinced an unmarried woman of good repute to engage in an inappropriate encounter with him. There was generally a promise of marriage that was never actually forthcoming, thereby ruining her reputation.In 1938, a 23-year-old Sinatra found himself in just such a situation, and he was officially arrested and booked for Seduction. The charge was eventually dropped when it was discovered that the supposedly single woman was in fact married. Later that year, armed with this new information, the original charge was revised slightly, and Sinatra was again arrested, this time for Adultery.  A bond was set for Sinatra, which he promptly paid, and he was released.

Sinatra Helped Desegregate Las Vegas

Many people don’t realize how much Frank Sinatra did for race relations. In 1945 he made a short film called “The House I Live In,” which spoke out against both anti-Semitism and racial intolerance. Later in his career he helped to desegregate the recently booming Las Vegas by refusing to play at nightclubs, hotels or casinos which didn’t allow African-Americans patrons. Sinatra was such a huge draw in Vegas that many businesses changed their policies on segregation at his demand to entice him to perform at their establishments.

Sinatra Starred in a Minimum of 45 Movies

From dramas to musicals, Sinatra appeared in some without any credit—especially early on. He starred in 1941’s Las Vegas Nights, produced a few movies and was both director and actor in a 1965 war film, called None But the Brave. He won the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his role in From Here to Eternity and the Best Actor Golden Globe for playing the starring role in Pal Joey. In addition, Sinatra played a number of cameo roles, including in Around the World in 80 Days as the saloon player, as an astronaut in The Road to Hong Kong and in Cannonball Run II as himself.

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Nostradamus

December 14th, 1503, marked the birth of Nostradamus.  Nostradamus was a French physician and an esteemed seer who published several prophecies that have become widely known.Here are five things you didn't know about this famed prognosticator...

He May Have Been Kicked out of Medical School Because He Had Worked as a Pharmacist

What is known is this: Nostradamus went off to medical school as a teenager but had to leave when the plague became a problem. During his time off from school, he worked as an apothecary, the 16th-century equivalent of a pharmacist, creating and selling medicines. He went back to medical school at a different institution after the plague outbreak had subsided and eventually got his degree. Yet what isn't known for sure is what happened at one point during his second stint at medical school. Some say he finished without a problem. Yet others say he was actually kicked out because of his prior work as an apothecary; the trade was actually not considered very academic or appropriate for doctors, even though doctors relied on some of those medicines produced by apothecaries.

He Was a Great Doctor, but Apparently a Sloppy Astrologer

Nostradamus' time treating the plague was productive. He was among the more avant-garde doctors who advocated removing corpses, keeping everything clean, and improving diet as ways to improve the survival rate (other doctors were using mercury and leeches, so you can imagine how well that went for patients), and Nostradamus had a pretty good cure rate. Yet his astrology skills—part of what he's better known for today—were lacking, to put it lightly. He knew astrology, but according to other astrologers at the time, he did not use proper techniques. This could be easily brushed off as jealousy at Nostradamus' fame, but apparently, he didn't take clients' birthdates or places into account. In modern astrology, this is a major mistake, and leaving these out deliberately would have thrown off a chart badly.

He Was the First to Turn Astrological Almanacs Into a Full Income

Astrological almanacs, which included farming and climate information, were not new when Nostradamus got into the game, nor was he the first to sell them. But he was the first to make them a big moneymaker that provided him with enough income to live on. He ended up with a very good estate, eventually leaving the 16th-century equivalent of $300,000 to his family after his death.

His Supposed Death Prediction (if It Happened) Isn't That Far-Fetched

Supposedly, Nostradamus told his secretary one night that he (Nostradamus) wouldn't be alive in the morning; that was the night before July 1, 1566, when Nostradamus was found dead. The story of the prophecy is unconfirmed, and it sounds at first like it would have been a big deal to predict your own death. But it's not so far-fetched. As a doctor, Nostradamus could very well have recognized signs that his health was fading fast. It wouldn't be that far out for him to have realized that he was likely not going to make it through the night.

His Accuracy (or Lack Thereof) Still Hasn't Been Proven

Despite the proclamations of skeptics and supporters alike, no one has really proved Nostradamus correct or wrong. One modern biographer of his noted that, after researching Nostradamus' life and predictions, that it became harder and harder to believe that what Nostradamus had written was true. But even then, there is simply no proof either way.

[phkrause]

5 Things You Didn't Know About the Leaning Tower of Pisa

On this day in 2001, Italy’s Leaning Tower of Pisa reopened after a team of experts spent 11 years and $27 million to fortify the tower without eliminating its famous lean. Here are five things you didn't know about the Leaning Tower of Pisa...

Delays Due to Several Wars May Have Saved the Tower

Normally a delay in the construction of a building due to public problems would be annoying, and several delays would be disastrous. The Leaning Tower of Pisa suffered through nearly 226 years of delays—but instead of destroying the tower, the delays may have saved it. The tower was built on clay soil that was not very stable. When the construction started in the 1170s, the ability to determine soil stability for heavy construction didn't really exist. The particular soil under the tower was so unstable that it's been described as being like foam rubber. Yet all the stops and starts in construction gave that soil a chance to compact more and more as parts of the building were slowly added on. The compaction added stability to the soil and allowed construction to proceed without the tower falling over.

It Didn't Really Start Leaning Until the 1830s

Some reports say the tower actually began to lean soon after construction started. However, the real—as in severe—leaning began in the 1830s when construction at the base of the tower made the soil less stable. The tower slowly began to sink on one side, creating the famous lean.

The Collapse of Another Tower Made the Italian Government Close the Tower of Pisa

In 1989, a tower collapsed in Pavia, south of Milan (Pisa is west of Florence). Given the tower's lean in Pisa, the Italian government decided to close the monument instead of allowing tourists to continue to clamber up its stairs. The government undertook a multi-year project to restabilize the tower, including methods like digging soil out from the other side of the base in order to reduce the degree of lean. The work was successful, resulting in a reduction of nearly 16 inches when comparing its tilt to a vertical plane. However, Curbed reports that the effects would not be permanent, but they should last long enough to give the government and engineers more time to figure out a permanent solution.

The Tower Now Leans About 1 1/2 Inches Less Than It Did in 2001

The work was so successful that the tower continued to reduce its amount of lean. In 2018, it was reported that the tower had actually straightened by another 1 1/2 inches since 2001.

It's Not the Only Leaning Tower in Town

The Leaning Tower of Pisa gets all the attention, but it's not the only tower in the leaning game in town. At least two other towers lean, and near the famous tower itself, two more buildings are slowly sinking. Whatever solution the government finds for the unstable soil, let's hope they can use it to shore up the other buildings as well.

[phkrause]

5 Things You Didn't Know About the Boston Tea Party

On the winter night of Thursday, December 16, 1773, members of the Sons of Liberty disguised as Mohawk Indians dumped a lot of British-imported tea into Boston Harbor.  Here are five things you didn't know about the Boston Tea Party. 

The Participants Didn't Dress Up as Indians

The 60 Sons of Liberty, as the men in the group were known, dressed up as Indians for the protest—or so the story goes; it's not quite accurate. The men did dress up to disguise themselves, and they did use various "Indian" items like very generic headdresses as part of their outfits. However, they also darkened their skin with soot and charcoal and wore blankets as if they were coats. In other words, these "Indian" disguises were not really Indian dress, and the main concern was hiding everyone's true identity. The vaguely Indianish items were chosen more as an attempt to show symbolically that the group was tied more closely to the American continent than it was to Britain. Whatever the origins, though, the disguises worked; only one man was arrested for his part in the Tea Party.

Boston Wasn't the Only City to See Tea Protests

But it was the only one to allow British ships into the harbor. In other cities around the colonies, British ships were turned away by local members of the Sons of Liberty. But in Massachusetts, where the governor was a staunch British supporter, the ships were not only allowed in but not allowed to leave. So no matter what the Sons of Liberty might try, the ships couldn't retreat to save their cargo or crew, even though threats in other cities had included promises to tar and feather anyone on board.

Oppression by the British Government Only Increased After the Protest

After the Tea Party, the oppressive atmosphere grew worse. Parliament passed the Coercive Acts, which the colonists called the Intolerable Acts. One of the items legalized by these acts was the requirement that colonists quarter British soldiers—let the soldiers stay in the colonists' homes. This wasn't an organized boarding venture, though; troops could show up unannounced, barge in, and basically take over the home and its supplies. This, plus taxation without representation and all the immunity British officials gave themselves, catapulted the country into revolution.

The Tea Dumped in the Protest Created a Huge Financial Loss

The Sons of Liberty dumped tea brought over in three huge ships—92,000 pounds' worth of tiny leaves. Think about how light a box of tea feels, and now multiply that amount of tea to equal 92,000 pounds. That's a lot of boxes clogging up the waterways. Various sources have put the 1773 value of the tea at both $70,000 and £70,000, but the current value in 21st-century money is $700,000. That is a tremendous loss for companies today, let alone a financially failing company in the 1770s.

The Tea Wasn't Destroyed Immediately, and Looting Was a Concern

The tea was dumped in the water, but it was not destroyed immediately. A lot of tea got loose and not only stank up the harbor water, but it floated as well. The Sons of Liberty were concerned that looters would try to salvage the tea, so the Sons of Liberty would paddle into the harbor daily, beating any floating masses of tea with oars in an attempt to sink them and make them so waterlogged with salt water that they would be unusable. Some of the tea remained in its chests, and in the 1980s, a salvage team tried to recover the chests from the floor of the harbor.

[dgrimm60]

PHKRAUSE

I did not know that that some of the chests  still remained as long as the 1980's 

and that divers tried to salvage the chests

dgrimm60

[phkrause]

5 Things You Didn't Know about the Wright Brothers

On December 17, 1903, Orville and Wilbur Wright made the first successful man-powered airplane flight near Kitty Hawk. Here are five things you never knew about the Wright brothers and their amazing invention...

A Toy Sparked the Wright Brothers’ Interest in Flying

Wilbur and Orville Wright were 11 and 7 years old respectively when their father, Milton, gave them a flying toy as a gift in 1878. It was made of cork, bamboo and paper, and it flew by winding up a rubber band. Both brothers later stated that the toy sparked their obsession with machines that could fly.

They Sold and Manufactured Bicycles

When a bicycle craze started in 1890s America, the Wright brothers decided to sell and manufacture their own, including the “Van Cleve” in 1896 and the “St. Clair” model. In the beginning, the Van Cleve cost $65 and the St. Clair cost $42.50, both of which were a hefty price in those days. Despite the cost, they manufactured and sold around 300 of these bicycles. As business started to decline in 1898, they became interested in aviation after hearing of a $50,000 contract by the War Department with Samuel Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian, to develop a flying machine that would carry a man.

The Brothers Flew Together Only Once

The plane built by the Wright brothers was called the Wright Flyer, and it was designed to carry two passengers. However, because of the danger and a promise to their father, they agreed to not fly together. The brothers finally flew together just once, on May 25, 1910, with the permission of their father, in a six-minute flight piloted by Orville and with Wilbur as the passenger. Their father, Milton, finally took to the air with one of his sons at age 82, and from all accounts, was thrilled by the ride.

The Wright Flyer Only Went Up in the Air for One Day

It took a number of years for the Wright Brothers to design their flying machine, and much of it was spent in testing wing designs. One of their four flights at Kitty Hawk traveled 852 feet and lasted almost one minute. An additional flight had been planned, but strong wind flipped the plane over, causing significant damage, and it never flew again.

Pieces of the Wright Flyer Went to the Moon

Several small pieces from the plane flown by the Wright brothers in 1903 were taken along on the Apollo 11 manned lunar landing with astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins. A small piece of fabric from the left wing of the plane and a piece of the wooden propeller made the journey to space. After their arrival back on Earth, the historic pieces were put on display in Washington, D.C., at the National Air and Space Museum.

[dgrimm60]

PHKRAUSE

 I did not  know that their father flew in one of the planes they built at age 82===

I also did not  know  about parts of the plane they built  were taken in to space on APOLLO 11

dgrimm60

 

[phkrause]

5 Things You Didn't Know about the Mayflower

On December 18, 1620, the Mayflower docked at Plymouth Harbor where settlers, including the Pilgrims, established a new colony.  Here are five surprising facts you probably didn't know about the Mayflower's journey...

The Voyage Was Uncomfortable for its Passengers

Two ships originally set sail, the Mayflower and the Speedwell, but the second ship had to turn back because of problems, and all its passengers continued on in the Mayflower. Living quarters aboard the Mayflower were 5.5 feet high, 25 feet wide and only 80 feet long. Needless to say, this made for an uncomfortable living situation for the 102 passengers and additional crew members. The Mayflower was never outfitted for passengers and was a merchant vessel designed to carry supplies and goods, not people.

Plymouth Wasn’t Named After Plymouth, England

Plymouth wasn’t a name chosen by the Pilgrims for their new home in America, and it wasn’t named after Plymouth in England. The name was chosen earlier by Captain John Smith, leader of the Jamestown, Virginia, colony. Most of the new settlers had been living in Holland, where they had been exiled for a number of years, and the rest were from around London. The only reason the Mayflower departed from Plymouth, England, was because misfortune and bad weather prevented them from leaving in their first two attempts from the seaports of Dartmouth and Southampton.

The Ship Was Forced to Lay Anchor in the Wrong Spot

The Mayflower only sailed at about two mph and was intended to go to an area near the Hudson River in New York, but the ship was off course and landed at Cape Cod on November 11, later docking in Plymouth Harbor. Because their supplies were dwindling, they had little choice but to stay in the area. In addition, it was far too late in the year to build homes, so their first winter was spent on the ship.

One Passenger Was Swept Overboard

During one storm the ship encountered on its voyage, John Howland, servant to the Carters, fell overboard. However, he grabbed a halyard and was hauled back to safety on the ship. Governor Carter and his wife died in the spring following the long, arduous first winter at Plymouth, and Howland was their beneficiary. Howland passed away on February 23 in 1672 or 1673, outliving almost all the other male passengers who had traveled to America on the Mayflower, except for John Soule, John Alden and John Cooke.

It Wasn’t the First Trip to America for Some Passengers

Several crew members had made previous voyages to America on exploration or fishing trips. One, Stephen Hopkins, had attempted to settle in the Jamestown, Virginia colony ten years prior but was shipwrecked near Bermuda for several months. The story of his tribulations was popularly told in England, and the play “The Tempest,” written by William Shakespeare, was based on Hopkins’ voyage.