OT: Share useless Trivia!

[Fast Learner]

Colonel Saunders of KFC, is a fictional character.

Well, maybe "Colonel Saunders" is fictional, but Colonel Harlan Sanders was a very real man, the very person who started the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant chain.

 

[Griswold]

Intresting info regarding US Currency.

The stamps used to mint coin are still to this day hand crafted.

the cost of 1 peice of US currency is approx 4 cents.

All US bills are treated to repell bacteria.

G.

 

[s/LaSH]

Finland was the first country in the world to give women voting rights.

What year? I know New Zealand did in in, like, 1897 or some such, and I always thought that was the first.

Also, I believe a state of the US (Oklahoma?) had female voting rights before 1897, but rescinded them later...

Now on to some more trivia:

There are two populations of genetically identical lizards in Australia a couple of hundred miles apart. One colony lays eggs. The other lays live young.

Colonel Sanders (of KFC fame) was awarded an honorary rank for his achievements in the field of fast food. (Why?) He changed his lifestyle and became a 'southern gentleman'; that's the stereotype we all know and love today.

Kamikaze means 'divine wind of heaven'. It refers to the attempted invasion of Japan in the 12th century (?) by the Mongol Hordes; a typhoon blew up and sank the fleet.

Before the Declaration Of Independance, the North American colonies of England were the least taxed of all English subjects. Nevertheless they refused to pay...

The word America itself comes from an obscure historical figure named Amerigo Vespucci. He was an officer on an expedition after Columbus. Somehow, a mapmaker decided that Amerigo had discovered this new realm, make Amerigo into a latin, feminine word, and presto: America. It was the name for the southern continent, not the northern continent.

And Columbus not only never actually landed on an American continent, but died believing he'd found a new route to the Indian islands. (Well, if you discount the Pacific Ocean, he was almost there...)

 

[Wicht]

Also, I believe a state of the US (Oklahoma?) had female voting rights before 1897, but rescinded them later...

Didn't ancient Rome allow certain wealthy women to vote?

 

[Shoon]

Well, ancient Rome can hardly be described as a "democracy". Even Athens was more democratical.

 

[Wicht]

Well, ancient Rome can hardly be described as a "democracy". Even Athens was more democratical.

I didn't say it was a democracy (it was a republic) I was just asking about whether or not it allowed votes to certain women. It is possible that it did not and it was one of the greek city-states (such as athens) I recall reading about.

 

[Xeriar]

Well, ancient Rome can hardly be described as a "democracy". Even Athens was more democratical.

Rome was a republic before Ceaser came to power.

Note about kamikaze - there is no 'heaven' in it. kami = spirit/divinity, kaze = wind.

Kublai Khan's fleets got sunk twice, IIRC. They stopped trying to invade Japan after that.

The legendary Amazons never existed.

They certainly wouldn't have called themselves amazons, but there are many rumors of a powerful matriarchal culture in ancient Europe.

 

[Fred Delles]

>> They certainly wouldn't have called themselves amazons, but there are many rumors of a powerful matriarchal culture in ancient Europe.

Well, sadly, we have no reliable record of that. Just rumors. I mean, how reliable was the Roswell crash of '47? Or the "Elvis is alive" schtick?

Bleh, it's hard to believe certain stuff nowadays.

 

[Fred Delles]

>> Didn't ancient Rome allow certain wealthy women to vote?

Possible, though they probably voted for what their husbands/brothers voted for anyway.


And for more stuff. As always, correct me if I'm wrong.

I've heard that casinos (walk-in, not online) lose money on blackjack. But they gain it back on everyting else. And the loss to them is insignificant, so gon't gamble compulsively.

I've also heard from a friend that Nevada enforced a law in which casinos are supposed to back every chip and progressive jackpot with cash on hand. (Thus, IIRC, the plot for the movie Ocean's Eleven.)

As with Rome, gladiators really did endorse products like today's sports icons endorse certain products (Buy Moeicus, Larricus, and Curlycue's togas today!). In fact, it was so weird that Ridley Scott didn't include it in his movie Gladiator. He thought about it, though.

Longbows (the big ones) can pierce any metal up to about an inch thick. But no hand-held weapon (even axes or katanas) can pierce metal of about the same thickness.

The real Vikings never wore those horned helmets. They only came after Wagner created his opera.

The United States never had an official language.

The three most famous brand names in the world are Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

 

[AngelTears]

I did a bit of checking and in 1863 all unmarried women over the age of 25 were given the same rights as men.

Although in 1906, Finland becomes the first country in Europe to grant women the right of suffrage and the first country in the world to grant women the right to be electoral candidates.

In 1907, the first woman was elected into parlament.

For more information about women's right and Finland check this link:

http://virtual.finland.fi/finfo/english/women/mileston.html

-Angel Tears