Fun Friday Fact - hope you respond weekly to give us all a smile

[miz miranda]

The Least Interesting Day in History was April 11, 1954

That, according to software developers True Knowledge. The search engine project collects facts, and of the more than 300 million facts it has collected, just two occurred on this date: a soccer player named Jack Shufflebotham died and a Turkish academic named Abdullah Atalar was born.

 

Aldous Huxley and C.S. Lewis Died on the Same Day as JFK

 

More than 2,500 left-handed people are killed every year from using equipment meant for right-handed people.

[Marcie Jensen]

Yep. Pretty boring day, given what they found out...

[Heather Shay]

Music Facts today from me...............

 

Think you know everything there is to know about music? Prepare to be blown away as we take a look at some of the most interesting, unbelievable facts about musicians and the music industry.

 

1. One in five country music songs refer to alcohol, one in three to tears and one in seven to “mama”.

2. Not a single member of the Beatles could read or write music.

3. The most expensive instrument in the world is the “Lady Blunt” Stradivarius violin, which sold in 2011 for US$15.9 million.

4. A 2007 study found that music, classical in particular, can help make plants grow faster.

5. Barry Manilow didn’t write the song called “I Write the Songs”

6. In 2008, researchers discovered that loud music makes customers in bars drink more alcohol in less time.

7. Leo Fender, the founder of the iconic electric guitar and bass brand and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, never learned to play either instrument.

8. In 2015, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield released the first ever album recorded entirely in space, named Space Sessions: Songs from a Tin Can.

9. For every US$1,000 of music sold, the average musician only makes about US$23.40.

10. The first (and only) band to play on all seven continents is Metallica.

11. In “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Freddie Mercury plays on the very same piano used by Paul McCartney in “Hey Jude”.

12. Music, along with painting, poetry, literature and architecture, was Olympic event from 1912 until 1948.

13. Mozart sold more CDs than Beyoncé in 2016.

14. When you listen to music, the brain releases the same feel-good hormone (dopamine) it does during sex and eating.

 

15. In 1952, American composer John Cage created a song titled “4’44”. It consisted of four minutes and 33 seconds of silence.

16. The longest song title ever is Hoagy Carmichael’s 1943 “I'm a Cranky Old Yank in a Clanky Old Tank on the Streets of Yokohama with my Honolulu Mama Doin' Those Beat-o, Beat-o Flat-On-My-Seat-o, Hirohito Blues.”

17. There are more people in Monaco’s orchestra than in its army.

18. Bryan Adams photographed The Queen for a Canadian postal stamp commemorating Her Majesty’s Golden Jubilee.

19. A 2001 study found that cows produce more milk when listening to relaxing moo-sic (sorry, we couldn’t resist!).

20. In the US in 2005, vinyl record sales only reached US$35 million. In 2015, sales had exploded to $416 million.

[Marcie Jensen]

Regarding item 1. Years ago David Alan Coe wrote "The Perfect Country and Western Song." It's closing verse goes, "I was drunk the day my Ma got out of prison//And I went to pick her up in the rain//But before I could get to the station in my pickup truck//She got runned over by a damn old train." It captures it all in one verse--drinking, Mama, prison, rain, trucks, trains and sadness.   What can I say? While I like country music, I've got to admit this pretty much covers every country song ever written.  

[Vidanjali]

Students STILL ask, "Is this going to be on the test?" ??

 

@Heather Shay I ❤️ your new profile pic. 

 

Re: Heather's list item #15, John Cage's 4'33 (a real crowd pleaser) was composed for any instrument or group of instruments. Here's one arrangement in the bass octave in some key with 7 sharps. 

[miz miranda]

Some facts about the US

 

Americans Eat About 100 Acres Of Pizza Each Day

 

California's State Animal Doesn't Exist in California

Before the mid-1800s, thousands of grizzly bears could be found across California—so much that the animal became the state's official animal. Nowadays, all of the grizzlies are gone.

What changed, then, in the mid-1800s? If you guessed the state's gold rush, you are right on the money. Between then and 1922, every living grizzly in the state of California was captured or killed. And all it got was a lousy flag.

 

Abraham Lincoln Is in the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

The 16th president is actually in the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Before he took on the top job in the nation, Honest Abe was the winner of 299 out of his 300 fought matches, as the Wrestling Hall of Fame was only able to account for one loss out of all the matches he fought.

 

Ohio Wasn't Formally a State Until 1953

Talk about a snub. It wasn't until 1953 that Ohio congressman George H. Bender brought a bill to the U.S. Congress asking them to retroactively admit his state into the United States of America. (That's why, despite the bill being passed in the '50s, Ohio's official founding date is 1803.)

 

You Don't Need a Driver's License To Compete in NASCAR

 

In Kentucky, There Are More Bourbon Barrels Than People

 

You Can Get A Unicorn Hunting License in Michigan

 

Lake Superior Has Could Cover All Land in the Western Hemisphere

Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area at 31,700 square miles, or 82,100 square kilometers—or roughly the size of Maine. It also holds 10 percent of the world's surface fresh water. Its 3 quadrillion gallons are enough to cover both North and South America under one foot of water.

 

 

[Vidanjali]

1 hour ago, miz miranda said:

Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area at 31,700 square miles, or 82,100 square kilometers—or roughly the size of Maine. It also holds 10 percent of the world's surface fresh water. Its 3 quadrillion gallons are enough to cover both North and South America under one foot of water.

 

Wow! They don't call it superior for nothin'! 

[Heather Shay]

@Vidanjali Thank you - sadly it is a wig (my current hair is somewhat long but thin on top and my therapist suggested bravely going to a college town near me in a dress with a wig to desensitized myself and show me I'd be accepted as any other woman walking around town - hate wearing a wig but it will have to do until my spouse is good with me getting highlights and a hair topper for my thinness on top). On the positive side every but the wig IS THE REAL ME.

[Davie]

5 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

For every US$1,000 of music sold, the average musician only makes about US$23.40.

I believe this one. (Well, all of them but I grimaced when I read this.)

[Davie]

2 hours ago, Vidanjali said:

Students STILL ask, "Is this going to be on the test?" ??

 

@Heather Shay I ❤️ your new profile pic. 

 

Re: Heather's list item #15, John Cage's 4'33 (a real crowd pleaser) was composed for any instrument or group of instruments. Here's one arrangement in the bass octave in some key with 7 sharps. 

Fun Fact: I was at the first performance of this piece. That's me in the back, losing my religion. It was a little hard to hear but the traffic noise, gave the piece plenty of irony. — Davie

https://www.openculture.com/2016/04/john-cage-performs-his-avant-garde-piano-piece-433.html

[Billie75B]

@miz miranda "

Lake Superior Has Could Cover All Land in the Western Hemisphere

Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by surface area at 31,700 square miles, or 82,100 square kilometers—or roughly the size of Maine. It also holds 10 percent of the world's surface fresh water. Its 3 quadrillion gallons are enough to cover both North and South America under one foot of water."

Sure hope the dam doesn't break ?

[Vidanjali]

7 hours ago, Davie said:

Fun Fact: I was at the first performance of this piece. That's me in the back, losing my religion. It was a little hard to hear but the traffic noise, gave the piece plenty of irony. — Davie

https://www.openculture.com/2016/04/john-cage-performs-his-avant-garde-piano-piece-433.html

 

That's awesome! 

[Vidanjali]

7 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

@Vidanjali Thank you - sadly it is a wig (my current hair is somewhat long but thin on top and my therapist suggested bravely going to a college town near me in a dress with a wig to desensitized myself and show me I'd be accepted as any other woman walking around town - hate wearing a wig but it will have to do until my spouse is good with me getting highlights and a hair topper for my thinness on top). On the positive side every but the wig IS THE REAL ME.

 

Well, it's a cool wig, and you look altogether lovely. Did you go for the walk? If so, how did you feel? 

[Delcina B]

18 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

@Vidanjali Thank you - sadly it is a wig (my current hair is somewhat long but thin on top and my therapist suggested bravely going to a college town near me in a dress with a wig to desensitized myself and show me I'd be accepted as any other woman walking around town - hate wearing a wig but it will have to do until my spouse is good with me getting highlights and a hair topper for my thinness on top). On the positive side every but the wig IS THE REAL ME.

Looking beautiful @Heather Shay ! I so relate to THE REAL ME.

 

Hugs!

Delcina

[Heather Shay]

• It’s a common tradition in Japan to eat KFC on Christmas. In order to ensure they get their fried chicken, over three million people a year preorder their Christmas meal, sometimes months in advance.

[Davie]

Which one artist has won Academy Awards for both acting and for directing? Was it . . .

A.  Orson Welles, Citizen Kane (1941)

B.  Sir Laurence Olivier, Hamlet (1948)

C.  Woody Allen, Annie Hall (1977)

D.  Warren Beatty, Heaven Can Wait (1978)

E.  No, it was Emma Thompson, the only person to have won Academy Awards for both acting and writing. She won Best Actress for two films including Howards End (1992), and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sense and Sensibility (1995).
 (Also, she has played Hugh Grant's love interest in Sense and Sensibility and his sister in Love Actually—Now, THAT’S acting.)

[Ivy]

2 hours ago, Davie said:

Emma Thompson

She's one of my favorites

[Heather Shay]

JEST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN.......

 

1. "Jack o'lantern" comes from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack

Jack o'lanterns were not originally made from pumpkins — Photo courtesy of iStock / cookelma

Legend has it that Stingy Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him, but Jack didn't want to pay for the drink, so he convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin. Instead of buying the drink, he pocketed the coin and kept it close to a silver cross in his house, preventing the devil from taking shape again.

He promised to let the devil go as long as he would leave Jack alone for a year – and that if Jack died, the devil wouldn't claim his soul.

After a year, Jack tricked the devil again to leave him alone and not claim his soul. When Jack died, God didn't want such a conniving person in heaven and the devil, true to his word, would not allow him into hell.

Jack was sent off into the night with only a burning coal to light his path. He placed the coal inside a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the earth ever since.

People in Ireland and Scotland began creating their own creations of Jack's lanterns out of turnips, beets and potatoes. The tradition traveled to the United States along with the immigrants and people began to use pumpkins, native to North America, for the lanterns instead.

2. Candy corn was originally called Chicken Feed

Candy corn is a more suitable title for this confection — Photo courtesy of iStock / bhofack2

Though many would argue that candy corn tastes like chicken feed, that's not how it got its original name. Created in the 1880s by George Renninger, it was sold to the masses by Goelitz Confectionery Company (now Jelly Belly Co.) at the turn of the century.

Because corn is what was used to feed chickens, the creation was called "Chicken Feed" and the box was marked with a colorful rooster.

10BEST

Ghosts on a plane? Scary stories of haunted travel

3. Trick-or-treating comes from "souling"

Modern-day costumes have taken the place of garments designed to represent spirits — Photo courtesy of E+ / kali9

Having children dress up in costumes and go door-to-door like little beggars demanding treats is kind of weird. Like several other Halloween activities, the tradition can be traced back to the Middle Ages and the rituals of Samhain.

It was believed that phantoms walked the earth on the night of Samhain, so people would dress up in costumes in an effort to repel the spirits.

As the Catholic Church started supplanting pagan festivals with their own holidays (like All Souls' Day), the act of souling became popular, and poor children and adults would go door-to-door dressed as spirits accepting food in exchange for prayers.

4. The most lit jack o'lanterns on display is 30,581

New Hampshire Pumpkin Festival — Photo courtesy of Nicole Perry

According to Guinness World Records, the highest number of lit jack o'lanterns on display is 30,581 by the City of Keene, New Hampshire in 2013. Keene, represented by Let it Shine, has broken the record 8 times over since the original attempt. That's a whole lot of pumpkins!

5. Halloween folklore is full of fortune-telling and magic

We don't recommend attempting to walk down the stairs backwards while holding a mirror — Photo courtesy of iStock / Jetrel

Old English folklore about Halloween is full of superstition and fortune-telling that still lingers today, like bobbing for apples or avoiding black cats. One piece of folklore says that if a young unmarried person walks down the stairs backwards at midnight while holding a mirror, the face that appears in the mirror will be their next lover.

6. Day of the Dead should really be called Days of the Dead

Calavera, or decorative skulls, for Day of the Dead — Photo courtesy of iStock / corey mckenna

The Day of the Dead, or Dia de los Muertos, takes place October 31 through November 2 in Mexico and a few other Hispanic countries. November 1st, Dia de los Inocentes, honors children that died, and family members decorate graves with baby's breath and white orchids. On November 2nd, Dia de los Muertos, families honor adults who have died and place orange marigolds on grave sites.

The original Aztec celebration actually lasted a month long, but when Spanish conquistadors came over to Mexico in the 16th century, they merged the festival with the Catholic All Saints' Day. Today's celebration is a mix of both Aztec rituals of skulls, altars to the dead and food with Catholic masses and prayers.

7. Michael Myers' mask is actually a William Shatner mask

We're pretty sure that Michael Myers never asked to be beamed up — Photo courtesy of We hope / Wikimedia Commons

The classic 1978 horror film "Halloween" can be easily recognized in just one image: the psychotic Michael Myers in his iconic pale-faced mask. Without a doubt, it's one chilling look that has struck terror into the hearts of partying teens in slasher flicks.

The movie was actually filmed on such a tight budget that the crew used the cheapest mask they could find: a $2 Star Trek Captain James Kirk mask. They spray painted it white and reshaped the eye holes, making William Shatner look incredibly creepy.

8. Halloween originated from an ancient Celtic festival

Bonfires lit up spooky evenings like this one — Photo courtesy of iStock / johnnorth

According to History.com, the Halloween we know today can trace its roots back to the ancient Celtic end-of-harvest festival of Samhain. During Samhain, people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off evil spirits.

In the eighth century, in an effort to spread Christianity, Pope Gregory III decreed November 1 as All Saints' Day and incorporated some of the rituals of Samhain. All Saints' Day was also called All Hallows and the night before, when the traditional Samhain festival used to take place in Celtic regions, was called All Hallows' Eve.

9. Des Moines has a hilarious tradition called Beggars' Night

Beggars' Night in Des Moines is for the kids — Photo courtesy of iStock / ChristinLola

The night before Halloween, young children in Des Moines hit the streets for Beggars' Night. According to an article in the Des Moines Register, the event began around 1938 as a way to prevent vandalism and give younger children a safer way to enjoy Halloween.

Beggars' Night is very similar to regular trick-or-treating, except kids are required to tell a joke, poem or perform a "trick" for a treat. The best part? The jokes are notoriously groan-worthy like, "If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?"

"Pilgrims." Get your best dad jokes ready!

10. The White House is haunted

Spirits roam the halls at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave — Photo courtesy of iStock / Yvonne Navalaney

The United States' most famous address has had several reports of ghostly appearances and eerie sounds – and that's not even including election years! The most common ghost sighting is of Abraham Lincoln who has been spotted by First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands and Sir Winston Churchill. Other paranormal guests include Andrew Jackson, David Burns and Abigail Adams.

[Heather Shay]

November is National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month in the US

November is also host to Guy Fawkes’ Night, or Bonfire Night, in the UK. This day celebrates the capture and execution of Guy Fawkes, an attempted terrorist who tried blowing up the Houses of Parliament centuries ago. Oddly enough, this event is celebrated with toffee apples and Catherine wheels!

If you’re feeling a bit angsty, you might want to start practicing some better behaviors by the time November next rolls around. That’s because International Tolerance Day falls mid-month, on November 16th.

[miz miranda]

Today is also

 

National Jersey Friday

National Redhead Day

National Love Your Red Hair Day

National Love Your Lawyer Day

National Fountain Pen Day

National American Football Day

 

I have been largely disconnected from the internet for the last 2 weeks due to our move to a new house so here's an internet fact:

 

The average person now spends almost 10 hours a day online – we spend more time on the Internet that we do sleeping!

 

[Heather Shay]

@miz miranda thank you - hope your move went smoothly.

[Heather Shay]

Turkey Day Specials.............

The First Thanksgiving was only eaten with Spoons and Knives

Forks are something that most people take for granted but imagine eating your turkey with a spoon instead of a fork this year. The reason for the fork being absent was because it was not brought by the pilgrims in 1620. It was introduced ten years later by Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts but it was not brought into popular use until the 18th century.

Benjamin Franklin wanted the Turkey to be the national bird of the United States

Luckily for those of us who prefer the Eagle, Thomas Jefferson was opposed to this idea and fought Benjamin Franklin on it. It has been rumored that Benjamin Franklin named the male Turkey "Tom" in retaliation. Franklin's reasoning was that the turkey has a much greater significance to the American people (being the main food source for the Pilgrims) and he claimed that the Eagle had "bad moral character."

The best way to check if a Cranberry is ripe is to bounce it

If you want to know if a cranberry is ripe then all you need to do it throw it at the ground and measure how high it bounces. As long as it bounces higher than four inches it is ready to be picked. Who knew that is what it takes to make the perfect cranberry sauce for your Thanksgiving. The cranberry is actually one of only three fruits that are native to North America and it is served at 94% of Thanksgiving dinners.

Thanksgiving brought about the creation of T.V. Dinners

Part of the reason that Swanson started creating T.V. Dinners in 1953 was because they needed to find something to do with 260 tons of frozen turkeys that were left over from Thanksgiving. Talk about a lot of Turkey dinners!

Turkeys in Space

Turkeys as food have become such an important staple and comfort food of Americans that Turkey has even been served in space. The first meal in space was a Turkey dinner and Thanksgiving has been celebrated on a number of space shuttles including the Columbia and the Mir.

Americans eat the weight of Singapore in Turkey every Thanksgiving

According to a study done by the National Turkey Association Americans ate 690 million pounds of turkey during Thanksgiving 2007. That is equal to the weight of the entire population of Singapore. If that isn't enough to make you feel stuffed then nothing will.

[Jackie C.]

2 hours ago, Heather Shay said:

The First Thanksgiving was only eaten with Spoons and Knives

Forks are something that most people take for granted but imagine eating your turkey with a spoon instead of a fork this year. The reason for the fork being absent was because it was not brought by the pilgrims in 1620. It was introduced ten years later by Governor Winthrop of Massachusetts but it was not brought into popular use until the 18th century.

 

I can imagine that pretty easily. I've picked flesh off a turkey carcass with my fingers before. Cut a hunk off with my knife, grab it with my fingers and stuff it in my mouth. You have to remember table manners in 1620 weren't exactly what they are today either.

 

Hugs!

[Cyndee]

Just think here in the 21st century we have the spork ?

[miz miranda]

Feast on some additional Thanksgiving facts. I yam sorry for the terrible puns. I cranberry them myself.

 

• There are four towns in the United States named “Turkey.” They can be found in Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, and North Carolina.
• The average number of calories consumed on Thanksgiving is 4,500.
• Butterball answers more than 100,000 turkey-cooking questions via their Butterball Turkey Hotline each November and December.
• The tradition of football on Thanksgiving began in 1876 with a game between Yale and Princeton. The first NFL games were played on Thanksgiving in 1920.
• Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday on October 3, 1863. Sarah Josepha Hale, the woman who wrote “Mary Had A Little Lamb,” convinced Lincoln to make Thanksgiving a national holiday after writing letters for 17 years.