1. The Pope’s aircraft is known as “Shepherd One”.
More
2. In Japan, the Pleiades are known as Subaru (which explains the carmaker’s astrally inflected logo).
More
3. Poland is the only member of the EU to avoid the recent recession.
More
4. Iran is served by two free-standing armies - Artesh and Pasdaran. The latter, also known as the Revolutionary Guard, were formed in 1979 to counter the power of the former.
More
5. Ku Klux Klan uses the slogan “America’s Oldest Civil Rights Organization.”
More
6. Tea parties weren’t invented until the 1830s; which means the 1773 Boston Tea Party wasn’t known by that name until more than 60 years after the event. At the time it was referred to as “the destruction of the tea”.
More
7. Officially, there’s no dinosaur species called brontosauraus.
More
8. The famous novelist Chinua Achebe was born Albert Chinualumogu Achebe. His unabbreviated middle name means “May God fight on my behalf.”
More
9. Ninjas used to carry nine shuriken because it was an auspicious number.
More
10. Brigadier generals are the lowest-ranked generals, with only one star. Major generals get two, lieutenant generals three, and generals, the highest-ranked, get four stars.
More
/archive/10 things
Showing posts with label 10-things. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 10-things. Show all posts
Monday, November 08, 2010
Monday, August 30, 2010
1. New Zealand was the only team that went through the 2010 Football World Cup undefeated.
More
2. The penguin mascot of Penguin Books is named ‘Frostie’ after Eunice Frost, who became an editor at Penguin in the late 1930s and went on to be its first female director. In 1958 she became the first woman in publishing to be awarded an OBE for services to literature.
More
3. Named after the German word for fantasy or imagination, Fanta was originally a product created in Nazi Germany due to the inavailability of Coca-Cola during World War II.
More
4. The Chinese yuán and the Japanese yen both mean “round object” in their respective languages.
More
5. In 2009, Iceland became the first country with an openly gay head of government, when Johanna Sigurdardottir became prime minister.
More
6. Ridley Scott didn’t like the name Blade Runner for his 1982 sci-fi flick and tried to rename it ‘Gotham City’, but Bob Kane (comic book creator of Batman) wouldn’t sell the rights to the name, so it returned to being called ‘Blade Runner’.
More
7. The itinerant Roma people of Central and Eastern Europe - better known by the pejorative term, Gypsies - originated from India. They left the subcontinent in the 11th century, possibly following the Muslim invasions.
More
8. The “art title” is the name of the movie as it appears in fancy lettering in the middle of the poster/ad, whereas the “billing title” appears again in the billing box, which appear at the bottom of the poster. While they both are the same, their relative sizes dictate the type sizes of the names of the stars on the poster.
More
9. In the Russian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’, the ‘Ask the Audience’ lifeline isn’t used as often as the others because the audience often gives wrong answers intentionally to trick the contestants.
More
10. The name ‘Amanda’ literally means “she who is to be loved.”
More
/archive/10 things
More
2. The penguin mascot of Penguin Books is named ‘Frostie’ after Eunice Frost, who became an editor at Penguin in the late 1930s and went on to be its first female director. In 1958 she became the first woman in publishing to be awarded an OBE for services to literature.
More
3. Named after the German word for fantasy or imagination, Fanta was originally a product created in Nazi Germany due to the inavailability of Coca-Cola during World War II.
More
4. The Chinese yuán and the Japanese yen both mean “round object” in their respective languages.
More
5. In 2009, Iceland became the first country with an openly gay head of government, when Johanna Sigurdardottir became prime minister.
More
6. Ridley Scott didn’t like the name Blade Runner for his 1982 sci-fi flick and tried to rename it ‘Gotham City’, but Bob Kane (comic book creator of Batman) wouldn’t sell the rights to the name, so it returned to being called ‘Blade Runner’.
More
7. The itinerant Roma people of Central and Eastern Europe - better known by the pejorative term, Gypsies - originated from India. They left the subcontinent in the 11th century, possibly following the Muslim invasions.
More
8. The “art title” is the name of the movie as it appears in fancy lettering in the middle of the poster/ad, whereas the “billing title” appears again in the billing box, which appear at the bottom of the poster. While they both are the same, their relative sizes dictate the type sizes of the names of the stars on the poster.
More
9. In the Russian version of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’, the ‘Ask the Audience’ lifeline isn’t used as often as the others because the audience often gives wrong answers intentionally to trick the contestants.
More
10. The name ‘Amanda’ literally means “she who is to be loved.”
More
/archive/10 things
Monday, June 07, 2010
1. In 1939, with war against Germany looming, the British government designed three posters to steady the public’s resolve and maintain morale. These featured the crown of King George VI set against a bold red background, and three distinctive slogans - “Freedom is in Peril”, “Your Courage, Your Cheerfulness, Your Resolution Will Bring Us Victory”, and “Keep Calm and Carry On”. Although 2.5 million copies of the last one were printed, it was never actually used during the war. It’s fame is largely a result of its rediscovery in 2000.
More details
2. Only 19 countries are members of G20 group. The 20th member is the European Union.
More details
3. The guillotine was invented by Dr.Antoine Louis, secretary of the College of Surgeons. It was initially called Louisette or Louison, before being named guillotine for Joseph-Ignace Guillotin who recommended its use.
More details
4. Vicki Vale - one of Batman’s love interests in the comics and movies - was based on Marilyn Monroe.
More details
5. The newton, named after the physicist Isaac Newton, is approximately the force exerted by gravity on an apple at the Earth’s surface.
More details
6. Elton John’s real name is Reginald Dwight.
More details
7. There are about 50 species of flying fish.
More details
8. Planes dim their cabin lights when they take off to acclimatise passengers’ eyes to the dark - a valuable safety procedure. If the plane had to be evacuated in an emergency, passengers’ eyes would be better suited to the darkness outside.
More details
9. Freshwater fish do not drink water through their mouths because they absorb more than enough water by osmosis through their gills. Saltwater fish, on the other hand, do drink water because they lose water by osmosis.
More details
10. Given good conditions, some plants can live for ever.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Only 19 countries are members of G20 group. The 20th member is the European Union.
More details
3. The guillotine was invented by Dr.Antoine Louis, secretary of the College of Surgeons. It was initially called Louisette or Louison, before being named guillotine for Joseph-Ignace Guillotin who recommended its use.
More details
4. Vicki Vale - one of Batman’s love interests in the comics and movies - was based on Marilyn Monroe.
More details
5. The newton, named after the physicist Isaac Newton, is approximately the force exerted by gravity on an apple at the Earth’s surface.
More details
6. Elton John’s real name is Reginald Dwight.
More details
7. There are about 50 species of flying fish.
More details
8. Planes dim their cabin lights when they take off to acclimatise passengers’ eyes to the dark - a valuable safety procedure. If the plane had to be evacuated in an emergency, passengers’ eyes would be better suited to the darkness outside.
More details
9. Freshwater fish do not drink water through their mouths because they absorb more than enough water by osmosis through their gills. Saltwater fish, on the other hand, do drink water because they lose water by osmosis.
More details
10. Given good conditions, some plants can live for ever.
More details
/archive/10 things
Monday, April 12, 2010
1. Isaac Asimov is the only author to be published in nine out of ten categories of the Dewey Decimal System of library classification.
More details
2. The opening line of Karl Marx’s ‘The communist Manifesto’ reads “A spectre is haunting Europe - the spectre of communism.”
More details
3. Before being renamed, Melbourne used to be known as Batmania - after one, John Batman who settled there in 1835.
More details
4. Ponds and lakes are not differentiated based on size but on depth - or more precisely, the presence or absence of a photic zone. A pond will be able to have plant life in all parts of it as the water depth allows enough sunlight to entire area of bottom. A lake in contrast will have enough depth to have areas where plant life will not exist due to lack of sunlight. Ponds may be much larger than lakes and can be natural or man made.
More details
5. The mother of Buzz Aldrin - the second man to set foot on the moon - had the birth name Marion Moon.
More details
6. Geometry started historically in problems of land measurement - geo = “earth” + metry = “measurement.”
More details
7. Similar to fingerprints, everyone also has a unique tongue print.
More details
8. Yoda was based on Albert Einstein.
More details
9. Tea bags are an accidental invention. Thomas Sullivan, a tea and coffee merchant in New York, tried to cut sampling costs by sending loose tea in small silk sacks instead of costly tins. Potential clients, confused by this new packaging, threw the tea in hot water - bag and all - and discovered their convenience. Thomas soon started getting many requests for these “teabags” and realized that he had struck gold.
More details
10. Paul McCartney’s Beatles’ classic Blackbird is a homage to the black civil rights movement - “bird”, in this case, being a colloquial term for “woman”.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The opening line of Karl Marx’s ‘The communist Manifesto’ reads “A spectre is haunting Europe - the spectre of communism.”
More details
3. Before being renamed, Melbourne used to be known as Batmania - after one, John Batman who settled there in 1835.
More details
4. Ponds and lakes are not differentiated based on size but on depth - or more precisely, the presence or absence of a photic zone. A pond will be able to have plant life in all parts of it as the water depth allows enough sunlight to entire area of bottom. A lake in contrast will have enough depth to have areas where plant life will not exist due to lack of sunlight. Ponds may be much larger than lakes and can be natural or man made.
More details
5. The mother of Buzz Aldrin - the second man to set foot on the moon - had the birth name Marion Moon.
More details
6. Geometry started historically in problems of land measurement - geo = “earth” + metry = “measurement.”
More details
7. Similar to fingerprints, everyone also has a unique tongue print.
More details
8. Yoda was based on Albert Einstein.
More details
9. Tea bags are an accidental invention. Thomas Sullivan, a tea and coffee merchant in New York, tried to cut sampling costs by sending loose tea in small silk sacks instead of costly tins. Potential clients, confused by this new packaging, threw the tea in hot water - bag and all - and discovered their convenience. Thomas soon started getting many requests for these “teabags” and realized that he had struck gold.
More details
10. Paul McCartney’s Beatles’ classic Blackbird is a homage to the black civil rights movement - “bird”, in this case, being a colloquial term for “woman”.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, March 21, 2010
1. Henry Ford is the only American mentioned in Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”.
More details
2. The word ‘baroque’ comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning ‘misshapen pearl’, first used to characterise the architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. Later, the name came to be applied also to its music and art too.
More details
3. Rio de Janeiro’s residents are referred to as Cariocas.
More details
[Update 5th April 2010 - A carioca is someone who’s born in Rio rather than just a resident of the city. More details]
4. Heracles, the Greek hero, is credited with the discovery of purple dye.
More details
5. The last execution by guillotine in France took place in 1977.
More details
6. When the sport of car-racing began in Europe, each country was assigned a color. Green was assigned to English cars, blue to French, white to German, yellow to Italian, and red to American cars. Because America failed to make any considerable impact in European racing, red was eventually taken over by the Italians, while yellow became Belgium’s color.
More details
7. The pope cannot be fired. The Code of Canon Law has no provision that allows a pope’s removal from office — for any reason, even poor health or psychological trauma.
More details
8. Alongside sporting events, the 1912 Olympics included competitions in architecture, painting, sculpture, music and literature.
More details
9. John Cleese’s character in ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ (1988) is called Archie Leach, which happens to be Cary Grant’s real name.
More details
10. Contemporaries of Jesus would have called him Yeshua Bar Yehosef or Yeshua Nasraya. (“Jesus, son of Joseph” or “Jesus of Nazareth.”)
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The word ‘baroque’ comes from the Portuguese word barroco, meaning ‘misshapen pearl’, first used to characterise the architecture of the 17th and 18th centuries. Later, the name came to be applied also to its music and art too.
More details
3. Rio de Janeiro’s residents are referred to as Cariocas.
More details
[Update 5th April 2010 - A carioca is someone who’s born in Rio rather than just a resident of the city. More details]
4. Heracles, the Greek hero, is credited with the discovery of purple dye.
More details
5. The last execution by guillotine in France took place in 1977.
More details
6. When the sport of car-racing began in Europe, each country was assigned a color. Green was assigned to English cars, blue to French, white to German, yellow to Italian, and red to American cars. Because America failed to make any considerable impact in European racing, red was eventually taken over by the Italians, while yellow became Belgium’s color.
More details
7. The pope cannot be fired. The Code of Canon Law has no provision that allows a pope’s removal from office — for any reason, even poor health or psychological trauma.
More details
8. Alongside sporting events, the 1912 Olympics included competitions in architecture, painting, sculpture, music and literature.
More details
9. John Cleese’s character in ‘A Fish Called Wanda’ (1988) is called Archie Leach, which happens to be Cary Grant’s real name.
More details
10. Contemporaries of Jesus would have called him Yeshua Bar Yehosef or Yeshua Nasraya. (“Jesus, son of Joseph” or “Jesus of Nazareth.”)
More details
/archive/10 things
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
1. Launched in 1935, Kit Kat was originally known as ‘Chocolate Crisp.’
More details
2. Rabindranath Tagore - the 1913 Nobel Literature prize winner - is Asia’s first Nobel laureate.
More details
3. Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Gustav Klimt and Andy Warhol are the only artists with pieces of work that have sold for more than $100 million.
More details
4. In the Paso Doble - a dance modelled after the Spanish bullfight - the leader of the dance plays the matador; the follower typically plays the part of the matador’s cape.
More details
5. According to medieval legend, Britain is named after Brutus of Troy, a descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas.
More details
6. Bagpipes were invented in Iran and then brought to Scotland by the Romans.
More details
7. The collective noun for rhinos is ‘crash.’
More details
8. The check box software licence agreement mostly found on the Internet as part of the installation process of many software packages or in other circumstances where agreement is sought using electronic media - is termed as a ‘clickwrap’ agreement. The name ‘clickwrap’ came from the use of ‘shrink wrap contracts’ commonly used in boxed software purchases, which “contain a notice that by tearing open the shrinkwrap, the user assents to the software terms enclosed within”.
More details
9. The Odeon cinema chains in Europe are named after their British founder Oscar Deutsch, and the name is an acronym for ‘Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation.’
More details
10. Jesus Christ was actually born in 4 BC.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Rabindranath Tagore - the 1913 Nobel Literature prize winner - is Asia’s first Nobel laureate.
More details
3. Pablo Picasso, Jackson Pollock, Willem De Kooning, Gustav Klimt and Andy Warhol are the only artists with pieces of work that have sold for more than $100 million.
More details
4. In the Paso Doble - a dance modelled after the Spanish bullfight - the leader of the dance plays the matador; the follower typically plays the part of the matador’s cape.
More details
5. According to medieval legend, Britain is named after Brutus of Troy, a descendant of the Trojan hero Aeneas.
More details
6. Bagpipes were invented in Iran and then brought to Scotland by the Romans.
More details
7. The collective noun for rhinos is ‘crash.’
More details
8. The check box software licence agreement mostly found on the Internet as part of the installation process of many software packages or in other circumstances where agreement is sought using electronic media - is termed as a ‘clickwrap’ agreement. The name ‘clickwrap’ came from the use of ‘shrink wrap contracts’ commonly used in boxed software purchases, which “contain a notice that by tearing open the shrinkwrap, the user assents to the software terms enclosed within”.
More details
9. The Odeon cinema chains in Europe are named after their British founder Oscar Deutsch, and the name is an acronym for ‘Oscar Deutsch Entertains Our Nation.’
More details
10. Jesus Christ was actually born in 4 BC.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, November 01, 2009
1. In the Biblical account of Genesis, the first task God entrusted to Adam was to give names to all the animals.
More details
2. Password aging is a feature in software that forces users to change their passwords after a specified period of time.
More details
3. According to long-standing protocol, Brazil always speaks first at the UN General Assembly and is followed by the host country.
More details
4. Jazz musician Stan Getz’s real name is Stanley Gayetsky.
More details
5. Silent movie superstar Clara Bow was the original ‘It’ girl - heralded as such in 1927 for appearing, appropiately enough, in the movie ‘It.’
More details
6. Goldfish are naturally greenish-brown or grey. But when exposed to high-levels of light, as in a fishbowl, they turn a pleasing gold colour.
More details
7. In the early days of barcodes there was a plan for round - or bullseyes - ones.
More details
8. The Lincoln penny is the longest-running U.S. coin still in circulation. Introduced in 1909 it was the first US coin on which a President’s likeness appeared.
More details
9. Saturn’s rings are named in the order in which they were discovered, not for their location.
More details
10. Germany does not recognize Scientology as a religion and treats it instead as a business.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Password aging is a feature in software that forces users to change their passwords after a specified period of time.
More details
3. According to long-standing protocol, Brazil always speaks first at the UN General Assembly and is followed by the host country.
More details
4. Jazz musician Stan Getz’s real name is Stanley Gayetsky.
More details
5. Silent movie superstar Clara Bow was the original ‘It’ girl - heralded as such in 1927 for appearing, appropiately enough, in the movie ‘It.’
More details
6. Goldfish are naturally greenish-brown or grey. But when exposed to high-levels of light, as in a fishbowl, they turn a pleasing gold colour.
More details
7. In the early days of barcodes there was a plan for round - or bullseyes - ones.
More details
8. The Lincoln penny is the longest-running U.S. coin still in circulation. Introduced in 1909 it was the first US coin on which a President’s likeness appeared.
More details
9. Saturn’s rings are named in the order in which they were discovered, not for their location.
More details
10. Germany does not recognize Scientology as a religion and treats it instead as a business.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, August 16, 2009
1. Yellow jerseys were initially associated with Tour de France to correspond with the colour of the paper of the sports newspaper, L’auto - the tour actually began as a publicity event for the paper. That led to the honour of wearing a yellow jersey while leading the race.
More details
2. The Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK was the first hospital in the world to be dedicated to cancer. It was founded in 1851 by a doctor who watched his own wife die from the disease.
More details
3. In Nepal, Gurkhas are referred to as ‘lahures’, after the city of Lahore where Gurkhas regiments once served.
More details
4. Newton referred to differential calculus - which both he and Gottfried Leibniz discovered independently - as fluxions.
More details
5. Scotland was ruled between 1040 and 1057 by King Macbeth - later to become the subject of William Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy. The play however is historically inaccurate.
More details
6. During his first voyage, Dutch seafarer and explorer Abel Tasman “discovered” Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji, but managed to completely miss mainland Australia!
More details
7. Six of the 10 fastest elevators in the world are located in Asia.
More details
8. Alfred Thayer Mahan - a US navy officer and geostrategist - invented the term “Middle-East” in 1902.
More details
9. There are only 180 geo-stationary spots available for satellites orbitting Earth.
More details
10. When Anders Celsius (1701–1744) created the celsius scale, he invented it upside-down with 0 ℃ being the boiling point of water and 100 ℃ being the freezing point. It was reversed in the year of Celsius’ death by Carolus Linnaeus.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The Royal Marsden Hospital in the UK was the first hospital in the world to be dedicated to cancer. It was founded in 1851 by a doctor who watched his own wife die from the disease.
More details
3. In Nepal, Gurkhas are referred to as ‘lahures’, after the city of Lahore where Gurkhas regiments once served.
More details
4. Newton referred to differential calculus - which both he and Gottfried Leibniz discovered independently - as fluxions.
More details
5. Scotland was ruled between 1040 and 1057 by King Macbeth - later to become the subject of William Shakespeare’s well-known tragedy. The play however is historically inaccurate.
More details
6. During his first voyage, Dutch seafarer and explorer Abel Tasman “discovered” Tasmania, New Zealand and Fiji, but managed to completely miss mainland Australia!
More details
7. Six of the 10 fastest elevators in the world are located in Asia.
More details
8. Alfred Thayer Mahan - a US navy officer and geostrategist - invented the term “Middle-East” in 1902.
More details
9. There are only 180 geo-stationary spots available for satellites orbitting Earth.
More details
10. When Anders Celsius (1701–1744) created the celsius scale, he invented it upside-down with 0 ℃ being the boiling point of water and 100 ℃ being the freezing point. It was reversed in the year of Celsius’ death by Carolus Linnaeus.
More details
/archive/10 things
Thursday, May 21, 2009
1. CS Lewis’s middle name is Staples. (His first name is Clive.)
More details
2. Oxygen in Greek literally means ‘acid giver or begetter’ - because its discoverer, Lavoisier, mistakenly thought Oxygen is present in all acids.
More details
3. Billy Durant founded GM in 1908.
More details
4. In research, “Hawthorne Effect” is the idea that the very act of being experimented upon changes subjects’ behaviour.
More details
5. The Fedora is named for the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou, Fédora, written for Sarah Bernhardt.
More details
6. Britain is still paying off debts that predate the Napoleonic wars because it’s cheaper to do so than buy back the bonds on which they are based.
More details
7. The price of every DVD disc includes a small royalty to Philips, which developed the format.
More details
8. George Bernard Shaw named his shed after the UK capital so that when visitors called they could be told he was away in London.
More details
9. Paul McCartney’s Beatles’ classic ‘Blackbird’ is a homage to the black civil rights movement - “bird”, in this case, being a colloquial term for “woman”.
More details
10. Che Guevera’s family was half-Irish and his real name was Ernesto Lynch.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Oxygen in Greek literally means ‘acid giver or begetter’ - because its discoverer, Lavoisier, mistakenly thought Oxygen is present in all acids.
More details
3. Billy Durant founded GM in 1908.
More details
4. In research, “Hawthorne Effect” is the idea that the very act of being experimented upon changes subjects’ behaviour.
More details
5. The Fedora is named for the title of an 1882 play by Victorien Sardou, Fédora, written for Sarah Bernhardt.
More details
6. Britain is still paying off debts that predate the Napoleonic wars because it’s cheaper to do so than buy back the bonds on which they are based.
More details
7. The price of every DVD disc includes a small royalty to Philips, which developed the format.
More details
8. George Bernard Shaw named his shed after the UK capital so that when visitors called they could be told he was away in London.
More details
9. Paul McCartney’s Beatles’ classic ‘Blackbird’ is a homage to the black civil rights movement - “bird”, in this case, being a colloquial term for “woman”.
More details
10. Che Guevera’s family was half-Irish and his real name was Ernesto Lynch.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, May 10, 2009
1. ‘The Watchmen’ is the only superhero comic to win the Hugo Award.
More details
2. The Republic of Kalmykia - a federal subject of the Russian Federation - is the only European state where the dominant religion is Buddhism.
More details
3. Umami - Japanese for ‘brothy’ or ‘savory’ - is the fifth of the 5 recognised basic tastes that the human tongue can sense. The other 4 are bitter, salty, sour and sweet.
More details
4. The term negawatt refers to power gained from adding efficiency to the electricity grid.
More details
5. Jazz legend Duke Ellington is the first African-American to appear solo on a circulating US coin.
More details
6. The word ‘gun’ for firearms is derived from ‘Lady Gunilda’- the name given to a missile-thrower/large crossbow used to defend Windsor Castle in the 14th century.
More details
7. Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb in history was named for its pilot Paul Tibbets’ mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.
More details
8. There are twice as many privately-owned tigers in the US as there are in the wild in the rest of the world.
More details
9. Creative Technology invented the NOMAD two years before the iPod was launched and received $100 million for patent infringment from Apple.
More details
10. Slavery was officially established in Virginia in 1654, when Anthony Johnson, a black man, convinced a court that his servant (also black) John Casor was his for life. The court ruled in Johnson’s favor, and the very first officially state-recognized slave was actually enslaved by another black man.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The Republic of Kalmykia - a federal subject of the Russian Federation - is the only European state where the dominant religion is Buddhism.
More details
3. Umami - Japanese for ‘brothy’ or ‘savory’ - is the fifth of the 5 recognised basic tastes that the human tongue can sense. The other 4 are bitter, salty, sour and sweet.
More details
4. The term negawatt refers to power gained from adding efficiency to the electricity grid.
More details
5. Jazz legend Duke Ellington is the first African-American to appear solo on a circulating US coin.
More details
6. The word ‘gun’ for firearms is derived from ‘Lady Gunilda’- the name given to a missile-thrower/large crossbow used to defend Windsor Castle in the 14th century.
More details
7. Enola Gay, the B-29 Superfortress bomber that dropped the first atomic bomb in history was named for its pilot Paul Tibbets’ mother, Enola Gay Tibbets.
More details
8. There are twice as many privately-owned tigers in the US as there are in the wild in the rest of the world.
More details
9. Creative Technology invented the NOMAD two years before the iPod was launched and received $100 million for patent infringment from Apple.
More details
10. Slavery was officially established in Virginia in 1654, when Anthony Johnson, a black man, convinced a court that his servant (also black) John Casor was his for life. The court ruled in Johnson’s favor, and the very first officially state-recognized slave was actually enslaved by another black man.
More details
/archive/10 things
Monday, March 23, 2009
1. At the insistence of Steve Jobs, the keyboard of the original Apple Macintosh had no arrow keys. Jobs felt users should use the mouse instead; not surprisingly, users protested and the arrow keys were re-instated in later models.
More details
2. The main pack of cyclists in a race is referred to as the peloton.
More details
3. Mercury is the only solar planet whose rotational axis is not tipped - the effect of the Sun’s overpowering gravity ensures that its rotational axis is perpendicular to its orbital plane.
More details
4. In China, James Bond is known as Ling Ling Qi - Chinese for ‘007.’
More details
5. In 1950s Britain, pizza was known as “Italian Welsh Rarebit.”
More details
6. During the time of the dinosaurs, the day was just 23 hours long.
More details
7. Israel has the highest ratio of PhDs per person in the world.
More details
8. Tim Berners-Lee’s initial proposal for the World Wide Web in March 1989 was rather unpromisingly titled ‘Information Management: A Proposal.’
More details
9. Ronald Reagan initially entered politics as a Democrat.
More details
10. German law prevents anyone who has ever been bankrupt from becoming a CEO.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The main pack of cyclists in a race is referred to as the peloton.
More details
3. Mercury is the only solar planet whose rotational axis is not tipped - the effect of the Sun’s overpowering gravity ensures that its rotational axis is perpendicular to its orbital plane.
More details
4. In China, James Bond is known as Ling Ling Qi - Chinese for ‘007.’
More details
5. In 1950s Britain, pizza was known as “Italian Welsh Rarebit.”
More details
6. During the time of the dinosaurs, the day was just 23 hours long.
More details
7. Israel has the highest ratio of PhDs per person in the world.
More details
8. Tim Berners-Lee’s initial proposal for the World Wide Web in March 1989 was rather unpromisingly titled ‘Information Management: A Proposal.’
More details
9. Ronald Reagan initially entered politics as a Democrat.
More details
10. German law prevents anyone who has ever been bankrupt from becoming a CEO.
More details
/archive/10 things
Monday, March 09, 2009
1. Ronald Reagan is the only US president to have been the head of a trade union. He led the Screen Actors Guild at the height of the McCarthy witch hunts.
More details
2. Oliver Cromwell coined the phrase ‘warts and all.’ While having his portrait painted, he insisted that the artist not flatter him but instead depict his rough soldier’s visage as it truly was.
More details
3. The Ikea catalogue is the world’s largest printed publication distributed for free - with 3 times as many copies in circulation as the Bible.
More details
4. The third brakelight - the one mounted in the rear car window - is known as a chimsil.
More details
5. Google was initially named BackRub by Brin and Page - because it checked the links back to a page to see how popular it was.
More details
6. Richard Feynman was also an artist - and used the pseudonym ‘Ofey’ to sign his work.
More details
7. The Spanish Anthem - Marcha Real - has no officially recognised lyrics.
More details
8. Humans get a completely new skeleton every 10 years, because of cell renewal.
More details
9. A professional pronouncer - the BBC employs three of them - is known as an orthoepist.
More details
10. Author J D Salinger bans publishers of ‘Catcher in the Rye’ from having images on the cover, or describing it as “a classic”.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Oliver Cromwell coined the phrase ‘warts and all.’ While having his portrait painted, he insisted that the artist not flatter him but instead depict his rough soldier’s visage as it truly was.
More details
3. The Ikea catalogue is the world’s largest printed publication distributed for free - with 3 times as many copies in circulation as the Bible.
More details
4. The third brakelight - the one mounted in the rear car window - is known as a chimsil.
More details
5. Google was initially named BackRub by Brin and Page - because it checked the links back to a page to see how popular it was.
More details
6. Richard Feynman was also an artist - and used the pseudonym ‘Ofey’ to sign his work.
More details
7. The Spanish Anthem - Marcha Real - has no officially recognised lyrics.
More details
8. Humans get a completely new skeleton every 10 years, because of cell renewal.
More details
9. A professional pronouncer - the BBC employs three of them - is known as an orthoepist.
More details
10. Author J D Salinger bans publishers of ‘Catcher in the Rye’ from having images on the cover, or describing it as “a classic”.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, February 22, 2009
1. Google’s browser, Chrome, gets its name from the term used to describe the frame, toolbars, and menus bordering a browser window. Interestingly the project team’s mantra during its development was “Content, not chrome.”
More details
2. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the undisputed tallest man-made structure in the world for over 4,000 years - right until the building of the Eiffel Tower in the 19th century.
More details
3. The English word ‘Blighty’, referring to homeland (mostly by British and French soldiers in WWI) , is derived from the Urdu world ‘bilayati’ meaning ‘foreign.’
More details
4. Each successive monarch faces in a different direction on British coins.
More details
5. Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day - February 12th 1809.
More details
6. Not all halos are round - there are triangular and even square halo depictions in art.
More details
7. Quebec is nearly three-times the size of France.
More details
8. If there are no changes to the current calendar, we will never have a century beginning on a Sunday.
More details
9. Koalas have fingerprints exactly like humans (although obviously smaller).
More details
10. Part of the static one sees or hears on an untuned TV or radio is actually the cosmic background radiation - the remnnant from the Big Bang explosion that created the universe.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The Great Pyramid of Giza was the undisputed tallest man-made structure in the world for over 4,000 years - right until the building of the Eiffel Tower in the 19th century.
More details
3. The English word ‘Blighty’, referring to homeland (mostly by British and French soldiers in WWI) , is derived from the Urdu world ‘bilayati’ meaning ‘foreign.’
More details
4. Each successive monarch faces in a different direction on British coins.
More details
5. Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin were born on the same day - February 12th 1809.
More details
6. Not all halos are round - there are triangular and even square halo depictions in art.
More details
7. Quebec is nearly three-times the size of France.
More details
8. If there are no changes to the current calendar, we will never have a century beginning on a Sunday.
More details
9. Koalas have fingerprints exactly like humans (although obviously smaller).
More details
10. Part of the static one sees or hears on an untuned TV or radio is actually the cosmic background radiation - the remnnant from the Big Bang explosion that created the universe.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, January 11, 2009
1. Carrots originally used to be purple in colour. They acquired their present orange colour as a result of Dutch cultivation in the 17th century - patriotic Dutch growers selectively bred the carrot and turned it into the colour of their national flag.
More details
2. Victorinox gets its name from the combination of Victoria (the name of founder Karl Elsener’s mother) and the French word for stainless steel - ‘acier inoxydable.’
More details
3. The game of dominoes traces its beginnings to the objects (called bones or tiles) originally used to keep track of dice throws - the number of pips on each domino represent the twenty-two possible results of a two-dice throw.
More details
4. Isaac Newton is the first person to be knighted for scientific acheivement. He was kighted by Queen Anne in 1705.
More details
5. Sudan is Africa’s largest country.
More details
6. Blind children used to be taught to write Braille right to left, so it could be turned over and read left to right.
More details
7. The Sun doesn’t stay in the same place of the sky at a given time each day - the shape traced out by it over the course of a year is called an analemma.
More details
8. Although widely thought to be Japanese, the tree-cultivating art of Bonsai actually originated in China.
More details
9. Pears sink in water; apples, on the other hand, float.
More details
10. Rocket engines are rated on a letter scale from A to Z, with each letter representing twice as much power as the preceding one.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Victorinox gets its name from the combination of Victoria (the name of founder Karl Elsener’s mother) and the French word for stainless steel - ‘acier inoxydable.’
More details
3. The game of dominoes traces its beginnings to the objects (called bones or tiles) originally used to keep track of dice throws - the number of pips on each domino represent the twenty-two possible results of a two-dice throw.
More details
4. Isaac Newton is the first person to be knighted for scientific acheivement. He was kighted by Queen Anne in 1705.
More details
5. Sudan is Africa’s largest country.
More details
6. Blind children used to be taught to write Braille right to left, so it could be turned over and read left to right.
More details
7. The Sun doesn’t stay in the same place of the sky at a given time each day - the shape traced out by it over the course of a year is called an analemma.
More details
8. Although widely thought to be Japanese, the tree-cultivating art of Bonsai actually originated in China.
More details
9. Pears sink in water; apples, on the other hand, float.
More details
10. Rocket engines are rated on a letter scale from A to Z, with each letter representing twice as much power as the preceding one.
More details
/archive/10 things
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
I just finished reading ‘AdLand’ - a breezy history of the advertising business written by journalist and author Mark Tungate.
I made a note of some of the interesting things I discovered about the advertising industry through the book - to share it here. Enjoy!
1. Convinced of his own power to make the brand a success, the advertising legend Claude Hopkins bought a stake in Pepsodent - and made a fortune when it took off.
2. J. Walter Thomson - the man, not the agency - was known as ‘The Commodore’.
3. Madison Avenue is the only major NY street named after a president of the US. (It is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.)
4. Before founding his own agency at the age of 38, David Ogilvy tried his hand at the rural life - buying an Amish farm in Pennsylvania and attempting to cultivate tobacco. He was unsuccessful.
5. A BBDO ad for Pierce Arrow cars carried more or less the same slogan as the famous “At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new…” - about 25 years before Ogilvy used it.
6. McCann Erickson was formed in 1911 after Standard Oil broke itself up at the behest of the government - effectively H.K.McCann, as the agency was known then, was the spun-off advertising department of Standard Oil.
7. Bill Bernbach often joked that he had no middle name because his parents couldn’t afford one.
8. An oft-repeated joke about Bill Bernbach (and his outsized ego) has a colleague commenting on the day’s beautiful weather. “Thank you”, says Bernbach.
9. Maxwell Dane (of Doyle Dane Bernbach fame) introduced the innovative concept of news bulletins every hour on the hour - during his stint at the WMCA radio station.
10. There were no commas in the name ‘Doyle Dane Bernbach’ - a departure from the norm at that time. “Nothing will ever come between us,” Bernbach explained. “Not even punctuation.”
11. Before George Lois changed the practice at DDB, art directors weren’t allowed to talk to clients.
12. In 1962, Papert Koenig Lois (started by Fred Papert, Julian Koenig and George Lois) became the first agency to go public.
13. Agency staffers would measure Leo Burnett’s opinion of the ads they showed him by the LPI - or the ‘Lip Protrusion Index.’ The more Leo’s jutting lower lip stuck out, the bigger trouble they were in.
14. It was John Crawford - a copywriter at Leo Burnett - who first said “When you reach for the stars you may may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.” Leo Burnett wrote it down and used it from then on.
15. The first ‘Marlboro Man’ ad carried the headline ‘The Sheriff.’
16. Although Stanley Pollitt and Stephen King are considered the fathers of planning, a third man - Tony Stead from JWT - conceived the name ‘account planning’ in a brainstorming session in 1968.
17. Stanley Pollitt - the father of planning - referred to the planner as the ‘account man’s conscience.’
18. David Abbott failed the first copy test he took at Mather & Crowther. He begged them to let him take it again - and passed the second time.
19. In 1982, Chiat Day became the first US agency to introduce the practice of account planning.
20. Contrary to popular myth, the Apple 1984 commercial ran more than once - it ran for at least a week, in the form of a teaser campaign in smaller markets and a 30-second version in selected cinemas.
21. ‘Publicis’ gets its name from the contraction of ‘publicité’ (french for advertising) and the French pronounciation of the number six - because 1926 was the year in which its founder, Marcel Bleustein, conceived the project.
22. Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet opened a Publicis Drugstore on the ground floor of his agency - to ensure that the Publicis brand name became as well known as those of its clients.
23. Andy Warhol who designed an ad for Absolut Vodka, didn’t drink the stuff but occasionally liked to dab it on as cologne.
24. St.Luke’s is named after the patron saint of artists.
25. The advertising industry’s first hostile takeover was WPP’s acquisition of JWT in 1987.
26. The BMW tagline ‘the ultimate driving machine’ was conceived by Martin Puris (of Ammirati Puris Lintas fame)
27. Multicoloured columns on Dentsu’s website track the Dentsu Tokyo office’s elevators in real time.
28. The name Dentsu is a shortening of Nippon Denpo-Tsushin Sha, an agency formed in 1907 by the merger of Telegraph Srvice Co. and Japan Advertising.
29. In Brazil, television commercials for Bombril household cleaner (featuring comedian Carlos Moreno) were so popular that at one point their schedule appeared in TV listings.
30. In the beginning, The Cannes Advertising Festival was alternated between Cannes and Venice. It is this Venice link that led to the adoption of the lion as the name and the form of the award - a winged lion is the symbol of the Venice’s patron saint, St.Mark.
I made a note of some of the interesting things I discovered about the advertising industry through the book - to share it here. Enjoy!
1. Convinced of his own power to make the brand a success, the advertising legend Claude Hopkins bought a stake in Pepsodent - and made a fortune when it took off.
2. J. Walter Thomson - the man, not the agency - was known as ‘The Commodore’.
3. Madison Avenue is the only major NY street named after a president of the US. (It is named for James Madison, the fourth president of the United States.)
4. Before founding his own agency at the age of 38, David Ogilvy tried his hand at the rural life - buying an Amish farm in Pennsylvania and attempting to cultivate tobacco. He was unsuccessful.
5. A BBDO ad for Pierce Arrow cars carried more or less the same slogan as the famous “At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new…” - about 25 years before Ogilvy used it.
6. McCann Erickson was formed in 1911 after Standard Oil broke itself up at the behest of the government - effectively H.K.McCann, as the agency was known then, was the spun-off advertising department of Standard Oil.
7. Bill Bernbach often joked that he had no middle name because his parents couldn’t afford one.
8. An oft-repeated joke about Bill Bernbach (and his outsized ego) has a colleague commenting on the day’s beautiful weather. “Thank you”, says Bernbach.
9. Maxwell Dane (of Doyle Dane Bernbach fame) introduced the innovative concept of news bulletins every hour on the hour - during his stint at the WMCA radio station.
10. There were no commas in the name ‘Doyle Dane Bernbach’ - a departure from the norm at that time. “Nothing will ever come between us,” Bernbach explained. “Not even punctuation.”
11. Before George Lois changed the practice at DDB, art directors weren’t allowed to talk to clients.
12. In 1962, Papert Koenig Lois (started by Fred Papert, Julian Koenig and George Lois) became the first agency to go public.
13. Agency staffers would measure Leo Burnett’s opinion of the ads they showed him by the LPI - or the ‘Lip Protrusion Index.’ The more Leo’s jutting lower lip stuck out, the bigger trouble they were in.
14. It was John Crawford - a copywriter at Leo Burnett - who first said “When you reach for the stars you may may not quite get one, but you won’t come up with a handful of mud either.” Leo Burnett wrote it down and used it from then on.
15. The first ‘Marlboro Man’ ad carried the headline ‘The Sheriff.’
16. Although Stanley Pollitt and Stephen King are considered the fathers of planning, a third man - Tony Stead from JWT - conceived the name ‘account planning’ in a brainstorming session in 1968.
17. Stanley Pollitt - the father of planning - referred to the planner as the ‘account man’s conscience.’
18. David Abbott failed the first copy test he took at Mather & Crowther. He begged them to let him take it again - and passed the second time.
19. In 1982, Chiat Day became the first US agency to introduce the practice of account planning.
20. Contrary to popular myth, the Apple 1984 commercial ran more than once - it ran for at least a week, in the form of a teaser campaign in smaller markets and a 30-second version in selected cinemas.
21. ‘Publicis’ gets its name from the contraction of ‘publicité’ (french for advertising) and the French pronounciation of the number six - because 1926 was the year in which its founder, Marcel Bleustein, conceived the project.
22. Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet opened a Publicis Drugstore on the ground floor of his agency - to ensure that the Publicis brand name became as well known as those of its clients.
23. Andy Warhol who designed an ad for Absolut Vodka, didn’t drink the stuff but occasionally liked to dab it on as cologne.
24. St.Luke’s is named after the patron saint of artists.
25. The advertising industry’s first hostile takeover was WPP’s acquisition of JWT in 1987.
26. The BMW tagline ‘the ultimate driving machine’ was conceived by Martin Puris (of Ammirati Puris Lintas fame)
27. Multicoloured columns on Dentsu’s website track the Dentsu Tokyo office’s elevators in real time.
28. The name Dentsu is a shortening of Nippon Denpo-Tsushin Sha, an agency formed in 1907 by the merger of Telegraph Srvice Co. and Japan Advertising.
29. In Brazil, television commercials for Bombril household cleaner (featuring comedian Carlos Moreno) were so popular that at one point their schedule appeared in TV listings.
30. In the beginning, The Cannes Advertising Festival was alternated between Cannes and Venice. It is this Venice link that led to the adoption of the lion as the name and the form of the award - a winged lion is the symbol of the Venice’s patron saint, St.Mark.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
1. Germany is the world’s biggest exporter.
More details
2. Moon’s South Pole is contained within a crater named Shackleton - named for noted Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton.
More details
3. Upon entering the ring, Sumo wrestlers clap, stomp their feet, toss salt on the ground and rinse their mouths — purification rituals tied to Shintoism, from which the sport derives.
More details
4. The upper and lower decks of the chinese abacus are called heaven and earth, respectively.
More details
5. The English village of Tinsley Green in West Sussex holds the annual World Marble championships every Good Friday.
More details
6. In the UK, the 999 emergency number was chosen over 111 because telegraph wires rubbing together in the wind transmitted the equivalent of a 111 call.
More details
7. Pablo Picasso’s full name is “Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso”.
More details
8. Julius Caesar’s Veni, vidi, vici (“I came. I saw, I conquered”) is an example of the tricolon technique in speechwriting - where a sentence is divided into three parts for impact.
More details
9. Lilac is derived from the Persian ‘nilak’, meaning ”of a bluish shade”.
More details
10. Thanks to his brand of balsamic dressing (Newman’s Own) that sold for charity, Paul Newman was the most generous individual - relative to his income - in the 20th-century history of the United States.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Moon’s South Pole is contained within a crater named Shackleton - named for noted Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton.
More details
3. Upon entering the ring, Sumo wrestlers clap, stomp their feet, toss salt on the ground and rinse their mouths — purification rituals tied to Shintoism, from which the sport derives.
More details
4. The upper and lower decks of the chinese abacus are called heaven and earth, respectively.
More details
5. The English village of Tinsley Green in West Sussex holds the annual World Marble championships every Good Friday.
More details
6. In the UK, the 999 emergency number was chosen over 111 because telegraph wires rubbing together in the wind transmitted the equivalent of a 111 call.
More details
7. Pablo Picasso’s full name is “Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Martyr Patricio Clito Ruíz y Picasso”.
More details
8. Julius Caesar’s Veni, vidi, vici (“I came. I saw, I conquered”) is an example of the tricolon technique in speechwriting - where a sentence is divided into three parts for impact.
More details
9. Lilac is derived from the Persian ‘nilak’, meaning ”of a bluish shade”.
More details
10. Thanks to his brand of balsamic dressing (Newman’s Own) that sold for charity, Paul Newman was the most generous individual - relative to his income - in the 20th-century history of the United States.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, October 12, 2008
1. A 1,999 ft peak is a hill but a 2,000 ft one is a mountain.
More details
2. The Vespa - Italian for ‘wasp’ - gets its name from the sound of its engine, which supposedly sounds like a swarm of wasps.
More details
3. A Blue Law is a type of law designed to enforce moral standards upon the populace.
More details
4. Inscribed on The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is the poem ‘The Mighty Task Is Done’; it was written by the architect who designed the bridge, Joseph Strauss.
More details
5. Suzanne Vega is known as the “the mother of the MP3”, because the audio engineer who developed the compression method used Vega’s song “Tom’s Diner” as the reference track.
More details
6. Shocked by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the United States responded by creating and charging two agencies with the mission to keep the US ahead in space technology: Advanced Research Projects Agency (later to be known as Darpa) and NASA.
More details
7. In many cities in the late 19th century (and early 20th century) letters and parcels could be put in capsules and sent through pipelines direct to people’s houses. The capsules were propelled by air and whizzed along tubes from sender to receiver. Paris, Berlin and London had hundreds of kilometres of tubes built for this purpose. Currently, Prague is the only city that still uses this Victorian technology.
More details
8. Contrary to popular myth, Bastille was not “taken”; the mob surged into its inner courtyard only after the governor, the Marquis de Launay, had offered a surrender. There were only 7 prisoners in the prison to be freed - and Launay was hacked to death for his troubles.
More details
9. Sagging jeans are a fashion that began in US prisons, where belts were removed to prevent inmates hanging themselves.
More details
10. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are not counted when arriving at the 31 flavours of Baskin Robbins.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. The Vespa - Italian for ‘wasp’ - gets its name from the sound of its engine, which supposedly sounds like a swarm of wasps.
More details
3. A Blue Law is a type of law designed to enforce moral standards upon the populace.
More details
4. Inscribed on The Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco is the poem ‘The Mighty Task Is Done’; it was written by the architect who designed the bridge, Joseph Strauss.
More details
5. Suzanne Vega is known as the “the mother of the MP3”, because the audio engineer who developed the compression method used Vega’s song “Tom’s Diner” as the reference track.
More details
6. Shocked by the launch of Sputnik 1 in 1957, the United States responded by creating and charging two agencies with the mission to keep the US ahead in space technology: Advanced Research Projects Agency (later to be known as Darpa) and NASA.
More details
7. In many cities in the late 19th century (and early 20th century) letters and parcels could be put in capsules and sent through pipelines direct to people’s houses. The capsules were propelled by air and whizzed along tubes from sender to receiver. Paris, Berlin and London had hundreds of kilometres of tubes built for this purpose. Currently, Prague is the only city that still uses this Victorian technology.
More details
8. Contrary to popular myth, Bastille was not “taken”; the mob surged into its inner courtyard only after the governor, the Marquis de Launay, had offered a surrender. There were only 7 prisoners in the prison to be freed - and Launay was hacked to death for his troubles.
More details
9. Sagging jeans are a fashion that began in US prisons, where belts were removed to prevent inmates hanging themselves.
More details
10. Vanilla, chocolate and strawberry are not counted when arriving at the 31 flavours of Baskin Robbins.
More details
/archive/10 things
Sunday, August 31, 2008
1. The Roman Emperors Marcus Aurelius, Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and Antoninus Pius are collectively referred to as ‘Five Good Emperors.’
More details
2. Though commonly misused to describe heavy rain, monsoon actually refers to wind.
More details
3. Benito Mussolini was knighted in 1923. The knighthood was withdrawn in 1940.
More details
4. Flickr - the popular photo-sharing site and Web 2.0 stalwart - actually started as an online multiplayer puzzle-based game called Game Neverending.
More details
5. Misinformation packaged to look like fact is called counterknowldge. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is an example.
More details
6. Employees at Baskin Robbins are allowed to eat as much ice cream as they like - for free.
More details
7. Jozi is the nickname for Johannesburg.
More details
8. The orthography of a language specifies how its words are spelt - and also includes directions for punctuation and capitalisation.
More details
9. ‘Guantanamera’ is actually a patriotic song.
More details
10. Quarter-finalists at Wimbledon get free tea at the tournament for life.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Though commonly misused to describe heavy rain, monsoon actually refers to wind.
More details
3. Benito Mussolini was knighted in 1923. The knighthood was withdrawn in 1940.
More details
4. Flickr - the popular photo-sharing site and Web 2.0 stalwart - actually started as an online multiplayer puzzle-based game called Game Neverending.
More details
5. Misinformation packaged to look like fact is called counterknowldge. Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code is an example.
More details
6. Employees at Baskin Robbins are allowed to eat as much ice cream as they like - for free.
More details
7. Jozi is the nickname for Johannesburg.
More details
8. The orthography of a language specifies how its words are spelt - and also includes directions for punctuation and capitalisation.
More details
9. ‘Guantanamera’ is actually a patriotic song.
More details
10. Quarter-finalists at Wimbledon get free tea at the tournament for life.
More details
/archive/10 things
Monday, June 09, 2008
1. The Swiss Army Knife’s original name was ‘Offiziersmesser.’ US soldiers who couldn’t pronounce that gave it its current name.
More details
2. Canary Islands don’t get their name from the canary birds. Canary Islands are actually named after dogs - getting their name from the latin ‘Insula Canaria’, meaning ‘Islands of the Dogs.’ Canary birds are actually named after the islands.
More details
3. The Spanish city of Granada gets its name from the pomegranate, literally ‘Granada’ in Spanish.
More details
4. The original name given of The Taj Mahal as given by Shah Jahan was Rauza-i-Munavvara - ‘The Illumined Tomb.’ The name Taj Mahal was given to it later, probably by a Englishman.
More details
5. Philately - the hobby of stamp collecting - was initially named ‘timbromania’ (‘stamp madness’ in French.)
More details
6. A capitonym is a word that changes pronounciation and meaning when it is capilatised. Examples can be found in the following poem entitled ‘Job’s Job’ : In August, an august patriarch/Was reading an ad in Reading, Mass./Long-suffering Job secured a job/To polish piles of Polish brass.
More details
7. Originally, a cobbler was one who repairs shoes. Those who actually make footwear were known as “cordwainers.” That distinction however has gradually eroded.
More details
8. Lethologica is the disorder that causes the person afflicted to forget the very word he/she wants to use at the moment. It’s derived from Greek ‘letho’ (forgetfulness) and ‘logos’ (word). In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers in Hades. Its water caused forgetfulness in those who drank it.
More details
9. Wrangell-St.Elias National Park in Southern Alaska - and not Yellowstone - is the largest national park in the United States.
More details
10. The first public anti-smoking campaign in modern history was initiated in Nazi Germany.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Canary Islands don’t get their name from the canary birds. Canary Islands are actually named after dogs - getting their name from the latin ‘Insula Canaria’, meaning ‘Islands of the Dogs.’ Canary birds are actually named after the islands.
More details
3. The Spanish city of Granada gets its name from the pomegranate, literally ‘Granada’ in Spanish.
More details
4. The original name given of The Taj Mahal as given by Shah Jahan was Rauza-i-Munavvara - ‘The Illumined Tomb.’ The name Taj Mahal was given to it later, probably by a Englishman.
More details
5. Philately - the hobby of stamp collecting - was initially named ‘timbromania’ (‘stamp madness’ in French.)
More details
6. A capitonym is a word that changes pronounciation and meaning when it is capilatised. Examples can be found in the following poem entitled ‘Job’s Job’ : In August, an august patriarch/Was reading an ad in Reading, Mass./Long-suffering Job secured a job/To polish piles of Polish brass.
More details
7. Originally, a cobbler was one who repairs shoes. Those who actually make footwear were known as “cordwainers.” That distinction however has gradually eroded.
More details
8. Lethologica is the disorder that causes the person afflicted to forget the very word he/she wants to use at the moment. It’s derived from Greek ‘letho’ (forgetfulness) and ‘logos’ (word). In Greek mythology, Lethe was one of the five rivers in Hades. Its water caused forgetfulness in those who drank it.
More details
9. Wrangell-St.Elias National Park in Southern Alaska - and not Yellowstone - is the largest national park in the United States.
More details
10. The first public anti-smoking campaign in modern history was initiated in Nazi Germany.
More details
/archive/10 things
Monday, June 02, 2008
1. Madame Tussauds is currently housed at Marylebone Road - moving its premises there in 1884. Before that, it was located on Baker Street - later made famous by the fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes.
More details
2. Number One Observatory Circle is the name of the official residence of the US Vice President.
More details
3. With 34.8 percent salt concentration (even more than that of the Dead Sea), Lake Asal in Central Djibouti is the most saline body of water on Earth.
More details
4. All the books in the New Testament were originally written in Koine Greek - a common (‘Koine’ literally meant ‘common’ in Greek) vernacular dialect prevalent in the Roman times. This prompted Nietzsche to say “God spoke bad Greek.”
More details
5. Kingsley Amis - under the pseudonym ‘Robert Markham’ - wrote the first James Bond novel not to be authored by Ian Fleming. It was titled ‘Colonel Sun’ and was published in 1968.
More details
6. Cushy is derived from the urdu word ‘kushi’ meaning pleasure.
More details
7. In the first half of the twentieth century, pink was considered a boy’s colour and blue was for girls. The reverse became the standard only from the 1950s.
More details
8. Fireflies are actually beetles.
More details
9. Voltaire never really said “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” His original quote was “Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.” The misquote actually comes from a 1907 book called Friends of Voltaire, by Evelyn Beatrice Hall.
More details
10. The continent of Australia was known as New Holland until 1824.
More details
/archive/10 things
More details
2. Number One Observatory Circle is the name of the official residence of the US Vice President.
More details
3. With 34.8 percent salt concentration (even more than that of the Dead Sea), Lake Asal in Central Djibouti is the most saline body of water on Earth.
More details
4. All the books in the New Testament were originally written in Koine Greek - a common (‘Koine’ literally meant ‘common’ in Greek) vernacular dialect prevalent in the Roman times. This prompted Nietzsche to say “God spoke bad Greek.”
More details
5. Kingsley Amis - under the pseudonym ‘Robert Markham’ - wrote the first James Bond novel not to be authored by Ian Fleming. It was titled ‘Colonel Sun’ and was published in 1968.
More details
6. Cushy is derived from the urdu word ‘kushi’ meaning pleasure.
More details
7. In the first half of the twentieth century, pink was considered a boy’s colour and blue was for girls. The reverse became the standard only from the 1950s.
More details
8. Fireflies are actually beetles.
More details
9. Voltaire never really said “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” His original quote was “Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so too.” The misquote actually comes from a 1907 book called Friends of Voltaire, by Evelyn Beatrice Hall.
More details
10. The continent of Australia was known as New Holland until 1824.
More details
/archive/10 things
About the author:
Iqbal Mohammed is Head of Innovation & Strategy at a digital innovation agency serving the DACH and wider European markets. He is the winner of the WPP Atticus Award for Best Original Published Writing in Marketing & Communication.You can reach him via email.