Wikipedia:Recent additions/2006/June

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Did you know...

30 June 2006

17:07, 30 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Higgins Glass (pictured) refers to fused glass functional artwork produced by Michael and Frances Higgins of Chicago, in the latter half of the 20th century?
...that Tsenacommacah was the name of the territory in eastern Virginia which was controlled by the Powhatan Confederacy at the time of the arrival of English colonists at Jamestown in 1607?
...that the East Los Angeles community arts center Self Help Graphics & Art has been producing Chicano art for more than thirty years?
...that Winsor McCay's animated film Gertie the Dinosaur was originally created for a vaudeville act where McCay would seem to interact with the cartoon dinosaur?
...that Alevtina Kolchina was the first female Nordic skier and first person from the Soviet Union (now Russia) to receive the Holmenkollen medal in 1963?
...that former Eight is Enough actress Susan Richardson battled an addiction to cocaine after using the drug for weight loss following her pregnancy?

29 June 2006

17:05, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Clinton-Sherman Industrial Airpark in Oklahoma (pictured) has received a license from the FAA to become a spaceport, and plans to launch space tourism flights by 2008?
...that Maharaja Gulab Singh, founder of the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir, was illiterate?
...that the National Labor Board established the doctrine of representational exclusivity in American labor relations, a rule still used today?
...that even in perfect darkness, the retina spontaneously sends signals down the optic nerve, causing a sensation of gray called eigengrau?
...that during Jake Gaither's tenure as head football coach at Florida A&M University, his teams won twenty-two Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and six Black College National Championships?
...that the 1st Lithuanian-Belarusian Infantry Division was a Polish military unit, created from volunteers and self-defence units of the Kresy territories?

04:25, 29 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the "Cold War", held in MSU's Spartan Stadium (pictured), was the most-attended ice hockey game in history?
...that Kazakhstan Temir Zholy is building a transshipment railway to connect China with Europe using standard gauge?
...that Nenets painter Konstantin Pankov had never seen a painting before he began painting landscapes of the Far North?
...that Alexander Korzhakov contends that his political adversaries wanted to kill his main rival in the 1997 parliamentary by-election in Tula in order to deem it invalid?
...that career US diplomat George Wadsworth, Chargé d'affaires in Italy at the onset of World War II, was one of the last American personnel to leave the country?
...that Charlotte Wilson was murdered by Hutu rebels in Burundi during the Titanic Express massacre?

28 June 2006

04:17, 28 June 2006 (UTC)

...that among all European Union member states, Cyprus is the only presidential republic? (pictured: EU flag)
...that Edward Schildhauer's design for the Panama Canal railway and lock machinery has remained in use for almost 100 years?
...that the Congressional Country Club is one of the 100 Greatest Golf Courses as ranked by Golf Digest and it will host its third United States Open in 2011?
...that 3D Construction Kit, a utility for creating 3D worlds in Freescape, typically ran at one frame per second on the Commodore 64?
...that His Master's Voice, one of the most acclaimed science-fiction novels of Stanisław Lem, is also one of Lem's strongest critiques of the science-fiction genre itself?
...that the Swedish General and Privy Councillor Magnus Julius De la Gardie arranged regular receptions at his residence, a novelty never heard of in Sweden in the early 1700s?

27 June 2006

11:48, 27 June 2006 (UTC)

...that although NASA originally thought that there was only one scalloped margin dome on the planet Venus (pictured), they have since discovered hundreds of them?
...that choreographer Gillian Lynne took up dance as a child to recover from the violent death of her mother?
...that at the Roman festival of Quinquatria in 59, Emperor Nero invited his mother Agrippina to his villa, as part of his plan to assassinate her?
...that Antoni Heda, one of the most successful partisan commanders in Armia Krajowa Polish resistance in World War II, was sentenced to death on 7 consecutive charges by the Polish communists' government?
...that David Ross Boyd, the first president of the University of Oklahoma, planted nearly 10,000 trees on campus during his first 18 months in the post?
...that the Kassel glosses, one of the earliest written documents of the Old High German language, form a practical language guide for foreigners and include phrases containing the jocular xenophobic jibe "Romans are stupid, Bavarians are smart"?

26 June 2006

18:18, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

Mouzinho de Albuquerque

...that a study on chemical analysis by Luís da Silva Mouzinho de Albuquerque (pictured), a Portuguese military officer, scientist and statesman of the 19th century, motivated a special report by two of the most prestigious scientists of the time: Jean-Antoine Chaptal and Joseph-Louis Gay-Lussac?
...that the Roman festival of hilaria, which allowed anyone to masquerade as any rank, was used in a plot to assassinate Emperor Commodus, by conspirators planning to disguise themselves as members of the Praetorian Guard?
...that by the time U.S. Civil War tokens were deemed illegal tender in 1864, there were about 25 million in circulation, in over 7,000 varieties?
...that Corné Krige and George Gregan, who respectively captained the South Africa and Australia rugby union teams in both the 2002 and 2003 Tri Nations Series, were born in the same hospital in Zambia?
...that former Governor of Guam Bill Daniel provided 400 longhorns and hundreds of horses from his ranch for the John Wayne film The Alamo, in which he also starred?
...that the Chilean National Plebiscite of 1980, which affirmed General Pinochet as president and approved a new constitution for Chile, was marked by irregularities?

04:55, 26 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the horseman depicted on the Coat of arms of Moscow (pictured) was not identified with Saint George until the 18th century?
...that the earliest known Polish language sentence comes from the Book of Henryków, a 13th-century chronicle of a Cistercian abbey?
...that British Labour Party MP Roland Boyes continued in office after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1995, but his condition had deteriorated so much that, upon his retirement in 1997, he was unaware that his party had gained control after 18 years in opposition?
...that one can live, work, and play in Fermont, Quebec without going outside, because the town is bordered on two sides by a long building containing living, shopping, work and recreational facilities all under one roof?
...that after Oklahoma Governor Henry S. Johnston was impeached in 1929, it would be 60 years before another U.S. Governor is impeached?
...that May crowning is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual in which the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is ceremonially crowned to signify her as Queen of Heaven and Mother of God?

25 June 2006

20:08, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the second line of the Valenciennes tram (pictured) will open in 2007, but will reuse the platform of a railway line that opened in 1838?
...that Rugby union is considered the national sport of Fiji?
...that the Constitution of the People's Republic of Poland abolished the office of the President of Poland, replacing it with the State Council of Poland?
...that the song "Run-Around" by jam band Blues Traveler was first played at the CBGB club in New York City?
...that Taiwan's non-profit Industrial Technology Research Institute spun off Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world's largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry?
...that American tenor Charles Anthony has sung with the Metropolitan Opera for 52 consecutive seasons, which is unparalleled in company history?

08:54, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

... that NASA test pilot Joe Walker's X-1E and record-setting X-15 were two of the very few research aircraft to have nose art? (pictured, Joe Walker and the X-1E)
...that fuel burned by combustion equipment in large industrial plants is channeled to the atmosphere by large vertical pipes or vents called flue gas stacks?
...that the only recorded use of the phrase "We who are about to die salute you" in Ancient Rome was at a naumachia, a theatrical naval spectacular, not said by gladiators as is widely believed?
...that the disastrous Battle of Beroia resulted in the disappearance of the nomadic Pecheneg people from eastern Europe?
...that Betsey Stockton, the first unmarried female foreign missionary, was a manumitted slave who established schools in Hawaii and Canada?
...that tissue transglutaminase antibody testing has superseded all older blood tests in the diagnosis of coeliac disease?

24 June 2006

13:54, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Ulriksdal Palace (pictured) was originally named Jakobsdal, after Jacob De La Gardie, and was one of the first buildings in Sweden with mansard roofs?
...that professional ice hockey player Duncan MacPherson disappeared in 1989 at the age of 23, and was found dead 15 years later on a mountain in Austria?
...that Piscataway Park was created to prevent development and protect the view across the Potomac River from Mount Vernon?
...that Sabantuy is a Tatar summer festival which features such contests as Tatar wrestling, horse racing, race-in-sack, pillar-climbing, egg-in-spoon-in-mouth-racing, and finding a coin in a bowl of sour milk?
...that a Roman man once received the surname of "Tricongius" for his ability to drink three congii of wine (9.8 litres; 2.6 gallons) in one sitting in a feat that he once performed before Emperor Tiberius?
...that Akira Endo received the 2006 Japan Prize for his discovery of the popular statin drugs, used to treat high cholesterol?

04:22, 24 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Greenbrier Ghost (Zona Heaster Shue, pictured) is the only ghost in American history whose alleged testimony influenced a jury trial?
...that when NASCAR driver David Gilliland won his first career Busch Series race in 2006, driving for an unsponsored part-time team, commentator Hermie Sadler called it "the biggest upset in Busch Series history"?
...that in 2003, the Cuban town of San Antonio de Los Baños had no water for 2 days while a 100-year old aqueduct supplying the city was being repaired?
...that Ah Meng, a Sumatran Orangutan and tourism icon of Singapore, had breakfast with celebrities including the Duke of Edinburgh and pop star Michael Jackson?
...that hydrological transport models are computer simulations analyzing the movement of water pollution in rivers, and have played a role in aiding endangered species?
...that the breakfast room at Tullgarn Palace in Sweden is furnished like a south German Bierstube, possibly reflecting the fact that King Gustav V's queen consort came from Baden?

23 June 2006

11:38, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Artrain USA (pictured) is a 5-car art gallery that tours the U.S. 11 months of the year, visiting small towns whose residents may not otherwise have a chance to see art up close?
...that Franciszek Ksawery Drucki-Lubecki, creator of the National Bank of Poland and author of many economic reforms in Congress Poland, also laid foundations for the industrialization of the city of Łódź?
...that the Swedish term yrast, meaning "dizziest", is used in nuclear physics to refer to nuclear states of high angular momentum?
...that J. Dringwell Rymbai had to discontinue his education due to poverty, but became the head master of a school and eventually the Chief Minister of Meghalaya?
...that Roman Emperor Trajan was heavily criticized for giving extravagant donations, called congiaria, to every citizen?
...that Captain William Reynolds, a veteran of the American Civil War, formally claimed the Midway Atoll for the United States in 1867 due to its abundance of guano?

00:45, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the American Buffalo gold bullion coin will be the first .9999 fine 24-karat gold coin released by the United States Mint?
...that Ashta Pradhan, a council formed by Shivaji in 1674 to help him in administration, was one of the first instances of ministerial delegation in India?
...that the name of the Azeri settlement Ramana, with natural gas vents where Zoroastrians still hold fire rites, might, according to conjecture, be derived from Roma, the Latin word for Rome?
...that Joseph Krumgold was the first author to win the Newbery Medal twice?
...that Czech basketball player George Zidek is the younger of the only father-and-son pair to have each played in European club basketball title games?

22 June 2006

12:13, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the 1900 Paris Exposition's Mareorama was a simulated sea voyage using two 2,460-foot-long (750 m) panoramic paintings and a giant motion platform?
...that Governor James B. A. Robertson called out the Oklahoma National Guard in order to restore law and order during the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921?
...that Union for Active Struggle was a secret paramilitary organization dedicated to reclaiming Polish independence, with support by Austria-Hungary against the Russian Empire?
...that the Kutiyapi is a two-stringed, fretted boat-lute with beeswax frets?
...that Russian composer Ella Adayevskaya took her pseudonym from the notes played by the kettledrum in Mikhail Glinka's opera Ruslan and Ludmila?

00:52, 22 June 2006 (UTC)

Khruschev's grave

...that although Ernst Neizvestny's work had been denounced by Nikita Khrushchev as degenerate art, he was commissioned to sculpt Khrushchev's tomb?
...that the Kell antigen system is a group of antigens on the human red blood cell surface that are important determinants of blood type and targets for autoimmune or alloimmune diseases that destroy red blood cells?
...that Ann Hasseltine Judson was the first Protestant to translate a scripture into Siamese, and legitimized the missionary calling for Christian women?
...that the Motown recording "Do You Love Me" by The Contours became a Billboard Hot 100 Top 20 hit twice; once in 1962 and again in 1987?
...that American sculptor Luis Jiménez, known for his large Southwestern and Hispanic polychromed fiberglass sculptures, was killed when a large piece of his work fell on him?

21 June 2006

17:13, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Banksia menziesii (pictured), named after 18th-century physician and naturalist Archibald Menzies, is also known as the Firewood Banksia for its burning properties and abundancy?
...that the A8(M) motorway is the shortest motorway in Northern Ireland at only one mile long, and has no junctions with any other roads along its entire length?
...that the Lviv tram, opened on May 5, 1880 in Galicia (then part of Austria-Hungary), is one of the last urban transit systems in the former Soviet Union to still use grooved rail?
...that people protested outside NASCAR's headquarters after African-American driver Bobby Norfleet was not allowed to qualify for a 2000 Craftsman Truck Series race at Pikes Peak International Raceway?
...that Giovanni Antonio Pellegrini, said to be Christopher Wren's favourite decorative painter, nevertheless did not secure the commission to paint the dome of Wren's St Paul's Cathedral, finished in 1708?
...that one of the shotguns used by the all-male pep squad RUF/NEKS of the University of Oklahoma during football games is displayed in the Smithsonian Institution?

00:21, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Australian boxer Jim Hall (pictured) was buried in an unmarked grave, apparently to elude the man to whom he had sold his skeleton?
...that Tarquin the Proud modified the Roman festival of Compitalia to include the sacrifice of children's heads, but upon his expulsion, Brutus substituted heads of garlic and poppies instead?
...that Aleksandra Piłsudska, a Polish revolutionary and second wife of dictator Józef Piłsudski, helped plan the Bezdany train raid?
...that Russian playwright Yakov Knyazhnin was once thought to have been tortured to death after presenting a libertarian play to Catherine the Great?
...that future High Court judge Sir John Vinelott sat by during an argument in a Karl Popper lecture as his mentor, Ludwig Wittgenstein, brandished a red hot poker before storming out?

20 June 2006

15:52, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Russian General Denis Davydov (pictured) was also a celebrated poet who created a specific genre, known as hussar poetry?
...that the French West India Company was so successful at recovering commerce from the Dutch in the West Indies, that the company became obsolete after only 9 years in operation?
...that during the 976-9 civil war in the Byzantine Empire, military support provided by Georgian prince David III of Tao was crucial to Emperor Basil II's continued reign?
...that three trophies are given to the winner of the annual Red River Shootout, one of college football's oldest rivalry games, played between the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners?
...that Boyle Roche, an 18th-century Irish politician famous for his risible use of mixed metaphors and malapropisms, was a member of the same family as Diana, Princess of Wales?

02:31, 20 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Russian modernist writer Aleksey Remizov (pictured) was also an expert calligrapher who sought to revive this medieval art form in Russia?
...that the 1040-foot-long Starrucca Viaduct in Lanesboro, Pennsylvania was the largest and most expensive stone railway viaduct when built in 1848, and is still in use by the Norfolk Southern Railway?
...that German tailor Franz Muller committed the first murder on a British train, in 1864?
...that the Namibian city of Otjimbingwe was the capital city before the modern capital, Windhoek, replaced it in 1892?
...that the Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band played a record-setting 10-hour drum roll in 1934?

19 June 2006

05:57, 19 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Russian courtier Ivan Betskoy (pictured) was rumoured to have been not only Catherine the Great's confidant but also her father?
...that the British Levant Company avoided a fatal mistake of other chartered companies by paying their consuls and ambassadors a pension, so that they would not impose taxes on merchants for personal gain?
...that Henryk Woliński, Polish resistance Armia Krajowa member, was responsible for the creation of Żegota and saving the lives of thousands of Polish Jews in WWII?
...that Yoshioka-Kaitei Station, located 149.5 metres below sea level within the Seikan Tunnel, is the deepest underground station in Japan?
...that tradition traces Clan Drummond, a Scottish clan from Stirlingshire, to Hungarian origins?

18 June 2006

19:15, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Sveti Sedmochislenitsi Church (pictured) in Sofia, Bulgaria is a reorganized Ottoman mosque, built on the site of an Early Christian temple?
...that because straw-processing was very important to the town, Twistringen's 750^th anniversary was celebrated by building the world's largest straw hat, at over 5 m (16 ft) wide?
...that CRISM is a spectrometer on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and will be used to find minerals on the surface of Mars?
...that Portuguese jurist João das Regras aided John I of Portugal by refuting the arguments of pretenders to the throne during the 1383–1385 Crisis?
...that Microsoft chose Motorsports Hall of Fame of America inductee Chris Economaki to author the auto racing history portion of its Encarta encyclopedia?

09:13, 18 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Belton House (pictured), a Carolean country house in Lincolnshire, was featured as the residence of Mr. Darcy's aunt in the TV version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?
...that Hewlett Packard's popular LaserJet 4 range of printers included the LaserJet 4LC, the first printer designed exclusively for the Chinese market?
...that the Malay word Merdeka has been used in both Singapore and Malaysia to describe the campaigns for self-government and independence in both countries?
...that the Dover Straits earthquake of 1580 raised tsunamis in the English Channel, flooding Calais and Boulogne?
...that science fiction and fantasy in Poland traces its origins to the Polish Enlightenment, and that many of its writers are translated into foreign languages—with the notable exception of English?

17 June 2006

21:19, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the recordings of Pyotr Leshchenko (pictured), "the King of Russian Tango", were banned in the Soviet Union as counterrevolutionary?
...that Szinva Terrace, the newest public square in Miskolc, Hungary, features a small artificial waterfall built into the wall bordering the Szinva stream?
...that the coat of arms of Greenland depicts a polar bear raising its left forepaw, breaking with the heraldic tradition of showing the right forepaw raised, because polar bears are left-handed?
...that Chicago composer Margaret Bonds wrote her first work, the Marquette Street Blues, at the age of five?
...that the last male-line descendant of Alexander III of Russia, Count George Brasov, died in a road accident whilst exiled in France at the age of 20?

07:56, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Muhammad had the Jewish tribe Banu Nadir expelled from Medina, their men killed, and their wives and property divided among his followers, choosing for himself the widow of the tribe's slain treasurer?
...that Epiphanius's most important work, the Panarion, is ironically the only surviving source of information on several early Christian sects that he sought to eliminate with his writing?
...that Francesca Caccini's La liberazione di Ruggiero, which premiered in 1625, was the first opera written by a woman?
...that with the coming of Tropical Storm Henri, parts of Red Clay Creek in Delaware experienced a 500-year flood?
...that the Russian Party of Revolutionary Communism was dissolved in 1920 after a decision of the 2nd Comintern congress, which ordered there could only be one communist party in each country?
...that the proposed Atlantica trade bloc would economically tie New England in the U.S. to the Atlantic Provinces of Canada?

16 June 2006

15:08, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Stinkpot turtle (pictured) deters predators by releasing a musky smell from glands under its shell?
...that polyphenol antioxidants are a class of over 4,000 nutritionally-derived chemicals linked to immune system and cardiovascular health, due to their cellular role of oxidative species scavenging?
...that Chile's current Interior Minister, Andrés Zaldívar, was also a senator and cabinet member in pre-Pinochet democratic Chile, a prominent democracy activist, and member of the successful opposition to the subsequent military regime?
...that Typhoon Patsy (1970) was the deadliest tropical cyclone to strike Manila since the establishment of the Philippine Weather Bureau in 1865?
...that although the Constitution of Singapore had been revised in 1958 to implement self-government for the then British colony of Singapore, self-government was only officially achieved with the Singapore general election of 1959?
...that English architect Richard Roach Jewell designed many of the important public buildings in Perth, Western Australia during the latter half of the 19th century?

01:19, 16 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Hickman's potentilla (pictured) is a rare plant discovered by Alice Eastwood, who climbed six floors through a burning building in the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake to save her specimens?
...that Charles N. Haskell was the first governor of Oklahoma, and he played a crucial role in drafting the Oklahoma Constitution?
...that the Isted Lion, an important Danish war monument, was located in Berlin for almost 70 years, but was returned to Denmark on the orders of General Dwight D. Eisenhower?
...that John Roberts was an Australian businessman who founded the construction company Multiplex, which is currently building the new Wembley Stadium in London?
...that Ewale a Mbedi may have been the first Duala leader to trade with Europeans in Cameroon?
...that offspring of the Blue Wildebeest can stand seven minutes after birth and run with the herd at two hours old?

15 June 2006

10:53, 15 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Saltwood Castle (pictured) in Kent, England, was the site where four knights plotted to kill Thomas Becket in 1170?
...that the fruit of the colocynth is such a violent laxative that it was even used by pregnant women to induce abortion?
...that U.S. Marine Corps Medal of Honor recipient Jay R. Vargas, one of four brothers who were decorated war veterans, requested that his medal be engraved with his mother's name instead of his own?
...that the blind cave beetle Anophthalmus hitleri is threatened by poaching due to its curious name, which is a dedication to Adolf Hitler?
...that M. E. Clifton James posed as Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery as part of an Allied deception plan called Operation Copperhead in 1944, and then went on to play himself in a 1958 biopic called I Was Monty's Double?
...that Jean-Baptiste Le Blond, chief architect of Saint Petersburg from 1716 until his death, introduced the distinctions between state apartments and private apartments into French architectural practice?

14 June 2006

22:15, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Hairpin Banksia spike (pictured) contains over 1,000 individual flowers around a central woody axis?
...that in Japan, the Simpsons are better known for appearing in C.C. Lemon commercials than for their television show?
...that Perth Gaol was built in the 1850s to house convict labour, but by 1891, it was a geological museum?
...that the native ornate plainchant of Benevento, Beneventan chant, co-existed with Gregorian chant for over a century before it was abolished by papal decree?
...that the music video for the song "Vindaloo" was a direct parody of that of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by The Verve, which was in turn a mocking recreation of the music video for "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack?
...that Aleksander Krzyżanowski , commander of Polish resistance in the Vilnius region, was arrested by the Soviets after his unit helped them liberate Vilnius from the Germans?

02:11, 14 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the noble rhubarb (pictured) of the frigid, sunburnt Himalaya creates its own protective greenhouse with ultraviolet-blocking panels?
...that the Christian sect of Collegiants was formed in 1619 to defy the Synod of Dort, which had forced Holland to dismiss liberal ministers?
...that according to the U.S. NIH, elective c-section and natural birth have "similar degrees of risk" for most women?
...that the Neo-Baroque equestrian Monument to Nicholas I (1859) is the only statue of a 19th-century tsar in Saint Petersburg that was not demolished or relocated during the Soviet era?
...that American country musician Cowboy Copas's private plane crashed in Tennessee in 1963, killing him and everyone onboard, including fellow country music star Patsy Cline?

12 June 2006

23:16, 12 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Hindustani classical musician Pandit Vishnu Narayan Bhatkhande (pictured) ushered in a renaissance of Hindustani music by his reorganisation of Ragas?
...that the Diademed Sifaka is an athletic lemur whose small groups defend a rainforest territory of up to 125 acres by scent marking?
...that Britain's regulations on bread sales, as originated from the Assize of Bread and Ale (1266), were enforced for six centuries?
...that a type of reflex hammer was popularized as a medical instrument after two neurologists brawled in Vienna?
...that web notes were an experimental attempt by the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing to find a cheaper alternative to intaglio printing, but ultimately failed due to quality issues?

11 June 2006

17:35, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Sonoma Creek (pictured), a California-designated critical coastal watershed, drains the acclaimed Sonoma Valley Wine Country, and provides a home to many endangered species?
...that the prosecution of writer and poet Perihan Magden for urging defiance of mandatory military service has complicated Turkey's negotiations for membership in the European Union?
...that Indian classical dancer Mrinalini Sarabhai was married to Vikram Sarabhai, considered the Father of the Indian space program?
...that the Railsback curve shows that on a normally-tuned piano, low-octave notes will be lower and high-octave notes higher than expected, due to inharmonicity?
...that Saugumas, a Nazi-controlled Lithuanian secret police of the 1940s, was modelled after the infamous Gestapo?

11:31, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Chinese box turtle (pictured) has at least four common names, and there is debate over its genus classification?
...that ANTARES, a neutrino telescope under construction in the Mediterranean Sea, will find neutrinos from outer space by looking downward, into the Earth?
...that Coldplay's A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour featured frontman Chris Martin performing songs after inhaling a helium balloon?
...that Szeged's public transport company is one of only four city transport companies that operate tram service in Hungary?
...that Maraba Coffee, the first Rwandan coffee to gain Fairtrade status, is used to make the only coffee beer sold in the British Isles?
...that the legendary Tamil stage and film artiste K. B. Sundarambal was also a political activist, and the first film personality to enter an Indian state legislature?

02:06, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Size comparisons of adult and juvenile Europasaurus, and human.

...that a new "dwarf" dinosaur, a sauropod named Europasaurus (pictured), was recently discovered in Northern Germany?
...that economist Barbara Ward, an early advocate of sustainable development, was the first woman ever to address a synod of Roman Catholic bishops?
...that climacteric years, occuring septennially, were considered critical and dangerous moments in an Ancient Greek's life?
...that New York Times theater critic Howard Taubman said, "it is the destiny of the theatre nearly everywhere and in every period to struggle even when it is flourishing"?
...that due to protests and financial problems, the Saint Petersburg Dam was one of the Soviet Union's most notorious long-term construction projects?
...that shortly after Capt. William Swift was given command of the maiden voyage of USS Connecticut, it was recalled to port because of a bout of typhoid, and then run aground near Culebra, Puerto Rico?

10 June 2006

17:18, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna of Russia (pictured) was noted as a patroness of Schiller, Goethe, and Liszt?
...that Super Typhoon Kate of the 1970 Pacific typhoon season, which struck the Philippines less than a week after Super Typhoon Joan, was at the time the deadliest typhoon ever to strike the Philippines?
...that 18th-century professional portrait painter Tilly Kettle was the first British painter to work in India?
...that, at the time of its construction in 1838, the Moscow Triumphal Gate in Saint Petersburg was the largest cast-iron structure in the world?
...that British pianist Antony Peebles has performed in concerts in 128 different countries around the world?
...that the DSSAM Model is a computer simulation used to study water quality of the Truckee River, and assisted in conservation of two endangered species?

07:58, 10 June 2006 (UTC)

Cathédrale Saint Jean during La fête des Lumières

...that on every December 8^th, families celebrating Fête des lumières in Lyon, France, line their windowsills with candles to express gratitude to Mary, mother of Jesus? (pictured)
...that Abner Kneeland became the last person in the U.S. jailed for blasphemy, in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Kneeland?
...that cledonism was an ancient form of divination by listening to the chance words of passers-by, an example of which appears in the Odyssey?
...that in almost 100 years of existence, Ireland King of Arms granted only three coats of arms?
...that a client was an Ancient Roman who traded his vote for protection, in a similar way to the activities of modern organized crime?
...that if U.S.-based PacifiCorp decommissions the Condit Hydroelectric Project in 2008, Condit Dam will be the largest dam ever removed for environmental reasons?

9 June 2006

21:34, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Alexander Column (pictured) on Palace Square in Saint Petersburg, despite its weight of 600 tons, is set so nicely that no attachment to the base is required?
...that former movie actress Vera Ralston personally insulted Adolf Hitler in the 1936 Winter Olympics, and won a silver medal?
...that a circumferentor was an important tool to surveyors for mapping the North American frontier?
...that the works of Polish poet Jerzy Ficowski were banned for several years in the People's Republic of Poland, following his criticism of the government?
...that only one percent of the Key West National Wildlife Refuge is above sea level?
...that Christopher and Cosmas were two Japanese men who travelled the world's oceans with the English explorer Thomas Cavendish between 1587 and 1592?

12:27, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Reverend William Mitchell was an Anglican missionary, and the first ordained person to provide Christian religious services in the Swan Valley area of the Swan River Colony in Australia?
...that Popeye Village, where the 1980 film Popeye was filmed, is now one of Malta's most popular tourist attractions?
...that a commission as an Admiral in the Great Navy of the State of Nebraska gives authority over "all officers, seamen, tadpoles and goldfish" under one's command?
... that the Chartered Society of Designers is the world's largest and oldest chartered body of professional designers, and is unique in having designers of all disciplines?
...that the Temple Sanitarium hired the first female anesthesiologist to work in the U.S., Dr. Claudia Potter, in 1906?
...that the Ahmedabad Stock Exchange is the second oldest stock exchange in India, and first functioned under a banyan tree?

04:37, 9 June 2006 (UTC)

...that in the Finnish wilderness, a backpacker can spend the night in a rent-free wilderness hut?
...that the chrysargyron tax forced some Byzantine families to sell their children into slavery and prostitution?
...that Australian Olympic medal-winning swimmer Gary Chapman died in a fishing accident, after retiring from swimming to pursue this very hobby?
...that spoons, eyeglasses, and toothbrushes have been removed from stomachs using endoscopic foreign body retrieval techniques with specialized cameras?
...that in the 1930 Polish election, due to government censorship, opposition papers were reduced to using images of Nietzsche, because he resembled dictator Józef Piłsudski?
...that 19th-century German Wilhelm Hasenclever did not live to see the political party he co-founded get its present name, the Social Democratic Party of Germany?

8 June 2006

21:01, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Henryk Zieliński (pictured), a modern Polish historian who studied in the underground university in his youth, died in mysterious circumstances?
...that the Byzantine Komnenian army was deployed in places as far-ranging as Italy, Hungary, and Egypt, and was instrumental in the Komnenian restoration of the empire?
...that NASCAR driver Stephen Leicht, who started racing at age 7, was unable to participate in go-karting for 6 months after rupturing his spleen in an accident at age 11?
...that Heraldo Muñoz, former National Supervisor of the People's Stores under Allende, is now Chile's Permanent Ambassador to the United Nations?

20:57, 8 June 2006 (UTC)
...that the film Autism Every Day, though praised by many parents of autistics, has been heavily criticized by people with autism?

10:54, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the technique of double-balloon enteroscopy allows any position along the gastrointestinal tract to be visualized in real-time? (pictured: polyp in small intestine)
...that Pando, an aspen colony, is the oldest known living being at 80,000 years, and the heaviest at six million kilograms (6,000 tonnes)?
...that the deployment of Panjandrum, an experimental British weapon devised during World War II, invariably resulted in the random firing of dozens of cordite rockets into the air?
...that John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle inspired one of the pioneering works of British satire, and half a century later, fell down the stairs at the coronation of Queen Victoria?
...that if one of the dams of Ukraine's Dnieper River reservoirs is destroyed, it may cause radioactive contamination of the whole Black Sea area?

02:31, 8 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Humphrey the whale may be the most publicized Humpback whale in history, having twice wandered off his migration course into San Francisco Bay?
...that of the 27 U.S. Marines in World War II who threw themselves onto exploding grenades to save others, Richard K. Sorenson was one of only 3 to survive?
...that a zayat is a combination rest-house and religious school funded and run by Burmese Theravada Buddhists, as an act of daná (meritorious charity)?
...that the remains of Henri Huet and three other noted war photographers, shot down in their helicopter over the Ho Chi Minh trail in 1971, have never been found?
...that the EU legal doctrine of state liability was first introduced following the Italian government's failure to properly compensate laid off workers?

7 June 2006

15:29, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Nicholas II of Russia and his family preferred the cosy apartments of the Anichkov Palace to their official residence, Winter Palace?
...that the Grand Chartophylax was considered the right arm of the Patriarch of Constantinople?
...that the scandalous tales of Aristides of Miletus are still being discussed after over two millennia, although not one word of them has survived?
...that the endangered cui-ui sucker fish was a staple of the Native American Paiute tribe for over a millennium?
... that William Lee was U.S. President George Washington's personal servant, and the only one of his slaves freed by Washington in his will?

00:35, 7 June 2006 (UTC)

...that bread and salt is a traditional greeting ceremony (pictured) symbolizing hospitality in Slavic countries?
...that Stanisław Warszycki, a wealthy 17th-century Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth magnate, gave rise to many legends about his cruelty, and several places in Poland claim sightings of his ghost?
...that in the Penguins' Rebellion, over 800,000 Chilean high school students demanded education reforms from the government of Michelle Bachelet?
...that the victory of Alexios I Komnenos over the Pechenegs at Levounion marked a resurgence of Byzantine military power after half a century of turmoil?
...that Tropical Storm Larry caused five deaths and US$53.6 million in damage when it struck the Tabasco state of Mexico, the first landfall in the state since 1973?

6 June 2006

09:54, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the All Saints Church, Henley Brook, the oldest church in Western Australia, held its first service almost eight years before it was consecrated?
...that a catholicon was a purported universal remedy taken orally or rectally?
...that a cento is a poetic work composed entirely of verses taken from other authors?
...that British architect Ron Herron proposed building massive robotic walking cities in 1964?
...that the poem The Absent-Minded Beggar was written to raise money for servicemen's families during the South African War?

00:37, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Arthur Rimbaud evoked the iconic image of Venus Anadyomene in a sardonic poem that introduced cellulite to high literature? (pictured: Venus Anadyomene by Titian)
...that Yucca Mountain Johnny is a cartoon character created to explain nuclear waste disposal to children, and has attracted controversy, being compared to Joe Camel?
...that Pallister-Killian syndrome is a rare congenital genetic disorder that cannot be detected through prenatal blood tests because it occurs only in the chromosomes of skin cells?
...that the Magdeburg Centuries is a 1300-year history of the Catholic Church, written particularly as a criticism of the papacy?
...that the Anichkov Bridge in Saint Petersburg features one of the city's notable landmarks, The Horse Tamer, a group of four neoclassical bronze sculptures by Baron Peter Klodt?

5 June 2006

11:50, 5 June 2006 (UTC)

...that a catoptric theatre (pictured) was an ancient optical illusion in which a single elaborate scene appeared to be larger than the box that contained it?
...that the Antikythera wreck, discovered by Greek sponge divers in 1900, contained one of the first forms of a mechanised clock?
...that bay mud is a significant estuarine ecological resource, but went unstudied until humans began building high-rise structures near bays?
...that an unknown manuscript of opera libretto by writer Mikhail Bulgakov was found in Isaak Dunayevsky's archive after his death in 1955?
...that missionary Roger Youderian almost returned to the United States one month before he was killed in Operation Auca?
...that the music video for the Fiona Apple song "Not about Love" (2006) features comedian Zach Galifianakis, and was filmed in and around his neighborhood?

4 June 2006

22:33, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Russian Hussar Alexander Bulatovich (pictured) was a military aide to Ethiopian ruler Menelek II, a hieromonk in Greece, and leader of a banned religious movement?
...that racecar driver Stan Fox barely survived a crash in the 1995 Indy 500, but later died in a head-on collision on New Zealand's North Island?
...that KATRIN is an experiment to determine the mass of the neutrino by measuring the energies of electrons given off from the beta decay of tritium?
...that the film BloodSpell, licensed under Creative Commons, is the first feature-length production made using the computer game Neverwinter Nights?
...that Gestrinone, a medication for endometriosis that is banned by the IOC for its anabolic effects, has also been studied as a postcoital contraceptive?

12:01, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Eton College owns its own rowboat manufacturer, Eton Racing Boats?
...that the catastrophe was the final resolution of Ancient Greek tragedies, in which one or more main characters usually died?
...that the popular German snack Strammer Max takes its name from a slang expression for an erection?
...that Ukrainian Patriarch Mstyslav was enthroned at the age of 92?
...that Johannes Rietstap was the founder of modern heraldic theory in The Netherlands?
...that although he was king of the Isubus of Cameroon, Young King William lacked the authority to stop the execution of a man accused of witchcraft?

02:07, 4 June 2006 (UTC)

...that Cividade de Terroso (map pictured) was one of the main fortified cities of the Castro culture, a stone civilization in Iberia, eventually destroyed by the Romans?
...that General Tadeusz Jordan-Rozwadowski was one of the architects of the Miracle at Vistula, the decisive battle of the Polish-Soviet War in 1920?
...that casting is the regurgitation of fur, feathers, and other undigestible material by hawks, to clean and empty their crops?
...that Chechen military commander Said-Magomed Kakiev has been declared a Hero of the Russian Federation four times, making him one of the most decorated Russian citizens?
...that Jane Colden was the first female botanist to describe flora in the United States?
...that the fog which filled the stadium during the 2006 Super 14 Final forced some spectators to leave the match and watch it elsewhere, just to see the players?

3 June 2006

02:12, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the Black-necked Stilt (pictured) appears to be dressed in a tuxedo, and the chicks can swim competently two hours after hatching?
...that the rostral columns in front of the St. Petersburg Bourse were intended to serve as beacons and are still lit on ceremonial occasions?
...that the GayFest of 2005 was the first LGBT pride parade in Romania?
...that in the Bezdany train robbery of 1908, led by the future Polish dictator, Józef Piłsudski, the revolutionaries stole over 200,000 rubles?
...that the Caroline Books were a harsh argument against the Second Council of Nicaea in 787, commissioned by Charlemagne and sent to Pope Adrian I?

2 June 2006

11:12, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

Coccolithovirus attached to a Coccolithophore

... that coccolithovirus, a giant double-stranded DNA virus, has 472 protein-coding genes, and is the largest known marine virus by genome?
... that Russian opera in the 18th century was dominated by Italian composers and singers?
... that HMS Prince Albert was the first Royal Navy warship to have her main armament mounted in turrets?
... that a carmen was a spell or incantation among the Ancient Romans, of which the oldest surviving examples are the Carmen Arvale and the Carmen Saliare?
... that Gabriel Fauré declared that his Requiem was "composed for nothing...for fun, if I may be permitted to say so"?

1 June 2006

22:02, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

...that the energy policy of the United Kingdom adheres to carbon dioxide emissions reduction of the Kyoto Protocol, but accepts transition in 2006 to a net energy importer?
...that Super Robot Wars: Original Generation, a strategy game featuring characters from major mecha animes, was originally never planned to be released in the United States due to licensing complications?
...that children sometimes stopped the Parenzana train by greasing rails with figs?
...that principles governing the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) date back to the diet of Ancient Greece?
...that the second subtitle of title III of the USA PATRIOT Act largely modifies the Bank Secrecy Act in an effort to make it harder for money launderers to operate, and to make it easier for law enforcement and regulatory agencies to police money laundering operations?

12:17, 1 June 2006 (UTC)

...that in 1766, the collapse of the cupola of St. Andrew's Cathedral, St. Petersburg (pictured) led to the arrest of the cathedral's architect?
...that a carcass was a kind of artillery shell fired from a mortar or cannon to burn down enemy defences?
...that Major General Dan Harel was the Israeli commander in charge of the Gaza pull-out during the summer of 2005?
...that starting in 1893, Krupp armour quickly replaced Harvey armor as the primary form of protection used on capital ships?
...that the true identity and current whereabouts of Philip Staufen, also known as "Mr. Nobody", who wandered into a Toronto hospital in 1999 and was diagnosed with amnesia, are still unknown despite an international search?
...that the Crusade cycle is an Old French cycle of chansons de geste concerning the First Crusade and its aftermath?