Trivia

[Spare]

Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.

According to tradition, the first engineer to build a bridge across the Tiber in Ancient Rome was given the name Pontifex, meaning "bridge builder." The Pontifex was seen as someone who "connects" people, and that symbolism was so powerful that Roman high priests--including Julius Caesar--later adopted the title Pontifex Maximus. During the Roman Imperial age, the emperor was always the Pontifex Maximus. The title eventually passed from Roman emperors to the leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Today, the Pope still carries the title Pontifex Maximus.

 

[Naval_Fluff]

The average person farts 32 times a day >.<

 

[Pasha Selim]

Lovers by nation

Best equipped men: Frenchmen
Best time per week men: Hungarians

 

[Minus]

Armored knights raised their visors to identify themselves when they rode past their king. This custom has become the modern military salute.

Somewhere i saw the claim that the same visor raising also evolved into the tipping of the hat as an expression of recognition or greeting.

 

[Minus]

"Take Me to the River" is a 1974 song written by singer Al Green and guitarist Mabon "Teenie" Hodges. The original version was recorded by Al Green in 1974.

Syl Johnson then made a recording of it which reached # 48 on the US Hot 100 in 1975, and # 7 on the R&B chart.

In 1976, Foghat made the first recording of the song by a rock band. Two years later, it was recorded separately by Levon Helm and Bryan Ferry on solo albums. Then it was recorded by the Talking Heads on their second album. Their version reached # 26 on the US Hot 100 in 1979. The single also reached # 26 in Australia, # 34 in Germany, and # 58 in Canada.

"Take Me To The River" has also been covered by several other performers including Diane Schuur, Tina Turner, The Blue Ox Babes, Annie Lennox, Toni Childs, Max on the Rox, Dave Matthews Band, Canned Heat, The Dresden Soul Symphony, Grateful Dead, Delbert McClinton, Maná, The Commitments, Gov't Mule, Guy Sebastian, Phish, The Gizmos, Element Of Crime and Eva Cassidy.

In 2000, the song was used in the popular singing toy "Big Mouth Billy Bass". The recording was arranged and produced for the toy's manufacturers, Gemmy Industries, by Al Thomas of Designer Music. According to the song cowriter, Teenie Hodges, he made more money in royalties from that toy version than from any previous serious versions that had been recorded.

 

[Lonely in BC]

Captain Kirk never said "Beam me up, Scotty," but he did say, "Beam me up, Mr. Scott."

 

[Minus]

In 1912, Scotland Yard detectives bought their first camera to covertly photograph suffragettes. The pictures were compiled into ID sheets for officers on the ground.

 

[Minus]

Young boys often wore dresses in the 19th century, but by 1905 it was no longer a major fashion convention. It did not entirely disappear until after World War I.

 

[Minus]

"Telstar"... by The Tornados and was the first single by a British band to reach number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.

 

[Minus]

Studies done indicate that the sense of "flying" encourages a cricket's fighting spirit.

Laufer, Ph.D., Peter (2011). No Animals Were Harmed: The Controversial Line Between Entertainment and Abuse. Guilford, Connecticut: Lyons Press. pp. 144–145.

 

[Minus]

In 1943, Claude R. Wickard, the head of the War Foods Administration as well as the Secretary of Agriculture, got the bright idea to ban pre-sliced bread in America, which he did on January 18, 1943.

Within about three months of the ban being introduced, on March 8, 1943, it was rescinded.

 

[Cherubino]

The most viewed youtube video

"Baby Shark Dance" by Pinkfong Baby Shark - Kids' Songs & Stories, 12.66 billions views, uploaded June 17, 2016

 

[okidoke]

I love to watch old movies, and when I do, I like to read about the actors; when they were born, are they still alive, how did they die, etc. There is much interesting reading for sure. Often I am surprised by the things I discover. I love it when I find that an actor from a very old film is still alive - like today I'm watching the 1935 film Mad Love with Peter Lorre. An actress in the film, Kay English, is still alive as far as I can see. She's 111 years old! Another actor, Bernard Siegal, was born in 1868! Isn't that amazing.

 

[Cherubino]

Michael Jackson's "Thriller" (1982) the best selling album of all time

Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" (1942) the best selling single of all time

 

[Minus]

Originally Superman couldn't fly. He would just leap around.

 

[Cherubino]

this is Cherubino's post #2,500

 

[NoxApex(N/A)]

In the history of witchcraft prior to and including the Salem incident, witches had what was sometimes referred to as "flying potions." These "potions" were not drank, however, which is a common misconception in modernity. They were actually topical solutions, like an ointment, that when rubbed into the skin would be absorbed and the hallucinogenic properties of it which came from entheogens would lead them into a spiritual hallucinogenic experience, hence "flying"--because they were high, and often stargazing from laying on the ground during such an experience. Should a person accidentally drink a flying potion it would likely result in unfortunate and accidental fatality due to the other additional ingredients in conjunction with the fact that certain entheogens can be fatal in high levels of ingestion. Some books from the Salem period have been digitally preserved in Cornwell's digital archive that do indeed contain some of the information about flying potions that were available at the time, however ingredient lists have been redacted in order to prevent the public from attempting to recreate them in their fullest authenticity.

 

[Minus]

Aulophobia is an exaggerated or irrational fear of flutes.

 

[swirlturtle]

Scotland's national animal is a unicorn

 

[Minus]

Venus is the only planet to spin clockwise.