Category Archives: History

Mar 17 2017
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History

Fact #1317: After large animals went extinct, such as the mammoth, avocados had no method of seed dispersal, which would have led to their extinction without early human farmers.

Source: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/why-the-avocado-should-have-gone-the-way-of-the-dodo-4976527/

Mar 06 2017
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History

Fact #1308: The act of “Booing” originated from people attempting to mimic cattle sounds in order to show disapproval for an event.

Source: http://www.theboobirds.com/boo.htm

Feb 24 2017
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History, Language

Fact #1302: Billiards is called “Pool” because of horse race “poolrooms.” In the 1800s betting parlors were called poolrooms, “pool” referring to a collective bet. Billiard tables were installed in poolrooms for people to pass time between races. Eventually the phrase “shooting pool” meant playing billiards.

Source: http://www.thebilliardshop.com/history-of-pool-and-billiards

Jan 30 2017
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History, Uncategorized

Fact #1283: New York police officers used to carry an 11 inch club during the day, and a 26 inch club at night, when things were more dangerous. This is the origin of the term nightstick.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baton_(law_enforcement)

Nov 30 2016
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History, Uncategorized

Fact #1241: A family went into hiding from Soviets in Siberia after WWI. And weren’t found for over 40 years, unaware of WWII, the space race, or plastic bags.

Source:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-40-years-this-russian-family-was-cut-off-from-all-human-contact-unaware-of-world-war-ii-7354256/

Nov 28 2016
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Art, History

Fact #1239: Cave art from 15,000 years ago depicts an extinct buffalo/cattle hybrid. Scientists call it The Higgs Bison (because of its elusive nature).

Source: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/10/161018133142.htm

Nov 01 2016
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History, People

Fact #1222: The middle finger has been used as a derogatory gesture for at least 2400 years, with the middle finger representing a phallus and the ring and index fingers representing testicles.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-16916263

Oct 21 2016
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Health, History

Fact #1214: During prohibition in the U.S., an exemption was made for whiskey prescribed by a doctor and sold through a pharmacy. The Walgreens pharmacy chain grew from 20 retail stores to almost 500 during this period, from 1920 to 1933.

Source: http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-should-know-about-prohibition

Oct 17 2016
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History, Irony

Fact #1212: A holocaust denial group that offered $50,000 to anyone who could prove that gas chambers were used to intentionally kill people at Auschwitz was forced by a judge to pay that money, and an additional $40,000, to Auschwitz survivor Mel Mermelstein who provided proof of that very fact.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Institute_for_Historical_Review

Oct 15 2016
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Health, History

Fact #1210: The 1918 flu pandemic is often called the Spanish flu because Spain didn’t fake and minimise the data about the dead like Germany, Britain, France and the USA.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1918_flu_pandemic

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