Post Interesting Trivia That Youll Never Use.
- Thread starter Torre82
- Start date
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Why pumpkins are associated with Halloween.
Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants. All Hallows Eve on October 31st marked the end of the old Celtic calendar year. On that night hollowed-out turnips, beets and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called “Stingy Jack.”
Using pumpkins as lanterns at Halloween is based on an ancient Celtic custom brought to America by Irish immigrants. All Hallows Eve on October 31st marked the end of the old Celtic calendar year. On that night hollowed-out turnips, beets and rutabagas with a candle inside were placed on windowsills and porches to welcome home spirits of deceased ancestors and ward off evil spirits and a restless soul called “Stingy Jack.”
Philbert
Banned
(Were you looking for the "Random Brain Fart" thread?:rofl: )
3/2003
Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 500
employees and has the following statistics:
* 29 have been accused of spousal abuse
* 7 have been arrested for fraud
* 19 have been accused of writing bad checks
* 117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses
* 3 have done time for assault
* 171 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit
* 14 have been arrested on drug-related charges
* 8 have been arrested for shoplifting
* 21 are currently defendants in lawsuits
* 84 have been arrested for drunk driving in the last year.
Can you guess which organization this is?
Give up yet?
It's the 535 members of the United States Congress.
The same group of idiots that crank out hundreds of new laws each year
designed to keep the rest of us in line.
bigbadbrody
Banned
- Belize was formerly known as British Honduras
- Coast Rica means "Rich Coast"
- Venezuela named its unit of currency, the Bolivar after Simon Bolivar
- Angels Falls in Venezuela, which plummets from "Devils Mountain" was discovered and named after American Jimmy Angel
- Simon Bolivar helped free South America from Spain
- Angel Falls In Venezuela is the worlds tallest waterfall at 979 meters
- The worlds tallest wooden structure is the Georgetown Cathedral in Guyana, South America
- The Dutch traded Manhattan for Suriname
- Suriname was formerly know as Dutch Guiana
- French Guiana is the launch site for France's aerospace program
- Quito, Peru is nicknamed the "City of Eternal Springs"
- On Ecuador's Railway in the Andes Mountains, passengers are allowed to ride on the roof of the train
- Panama hats actually originated in Ecuador
- Charles Darwin did his research for his theories of evolution's on the Galopagos Islands
- The Giant tortoises that live at the Galapagos Islands are believed to be the worlds oldest living animals
- Cuzco, Peru is the former capital of the Inca Empire
- Machu Picchu remained hidden in the Andes until it was rediscovered in 1911 by former US Senator Hiram Bingham
- Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two landlocked countries in South America
- Bolivia's Aymara Indians were the first to cultivate the Potato
- Chacaltaya, Bolivia is the worlds highest ski run
- La Paz, Bolivia has a "Legal Black Market"
- Lake Titicaca on the Peru-Bolivia border is the worlds highest navigational lake
- There are Mennonites found in Pennsylvania, Mexico and Paraguay
- Uruguay is one of the most European counties in South America
- Brazil is the largest country in South America and Argentina is the second largest
- Over one third of all people in Argentina are of Italian descent
- The Tango originated in Argentina in the 19th Century
- Buenos Aeries is considered to be the Paris of south America
- The widest boulevard is "Avenida 9 de Juliano" in Buenos Aeries, Argentina
- There is a replica of the "Big Ben" tower in Buenos Aeries
- The lake district of Argentina is similar to that of Switzerland
- At one point Chile is only 90 kilometres wide
- Chile is 4240 kilometres long and does not have a single river
- Coast Rica means "Rich Coast"
- Venezuela named its unit of currency, the Bolivar after Simon Bolivar
- Angels Falls in Venezuela, which plummets from "Devils Mountain" was discovered and named after American Jimmy Angel
- Simon Bolivar helped free South America from Spain
- Angel Falls In Venezuela is the worlds tallest waterfall at 979 meters
- The worlds tallest wooden structure is the Georgetown Cathedral in Guyana, South America
- The Dutch traded Manhattan for Suriname
- Suriname was formerly know as Dutch Guiana
- French Guiana is the launch site for France's aerospace program
- Quito, Peru is nicknamed the "City of Eternal Springs"
- On Ecuador's Railway in the Andes Mountains, passengers are allowed to ride on the roof of the train
- Panama hats actually originated in Ecuador
- Charles Darwin did his research for his theories of evolution's on the Galopagos Islands
- The Giant tortoises that live at the Galapagos Islands are believed to be the worlds oldest living animals
- Cuzco, Peru is the former capital of the Inca Empire
- Machu Picchu remained hidden in the Andes until it was rediscovered in 1911 by former US Senator Hiram Bingham
- Bolivia and Paraguay are the only two landlocked countries in South America
- Bolivia's Aymara Indians were the first to cultivate the Potato
- Chacaltaya, Bolivia is the worlds highest ski run
- La Paz, Bolivia has a "Legal Black Market"
- Lake Titicaca on the Peru-Bolivia border is the worlds highest navigational lake
- There are Mennonites found in Pennsylvania, Mexico and Paraguay
- Uruguay is one of the most European counties in South America
- Brazil is the largest country in South America and Argentina is the second largest
- Over one third of all people in Argentina are of Italian descent
- The Tango originated in Argentina in the 19th Century
- Buenos Aeries is considered to be the Paris of south America
- The widest boulevard is "Avenida 9 de Juliano" in Buenos Aeries, Argentina
- There is a replica of the "Big Ben" tower in Buenos Aeries
- The lake district of Argentina is similar to that of Switzerland
- At one point Chile is only 90 kilometres wide
- Chile is 4240 kilometres long and does not have a single river
bigbadbrody
Banned
Great Britain Facts
- City and town names in Great Britain are not always pronounced how they are spelt.
- Apsley House, once the home of the First Duke of Wellington, is now open to tourists.
in 1300, the Pope declared that Pilgrims should keep to the left on roads. The reason: So they could reach their swords if they were passed by a bandit. In the 1700s, the French began keeping to the right to let the cartridges go by. Napoleon spread this French custom throughout Europe, and it was copied by the newly formed USA. The British never changed, nor did many of their colonies.
- Today, only 30 % of the world drives on the left ex: Japan and England
- The largest Hindu Temple outside of India is located in Northwest London, England
- The Tower of London is one of Britain's most visited tourist attractions
- You can tour the interior of the famous Tower Bridge
- When shopping, ask the salesperson about refunds on the VAT ( a tax on goods and services )
- An exact replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre has been built in London near the original
- St. Paul's Cathedral is the largest church in London, designed by Christopher Wren
- The worlds largest arts festival is held in Edinburgh, Scotland
- The Mayflower pub in Scotland, has on display an old copy of the passenger list of its namesake ship
- The British Open Golf Tournament, held in mid July, is usually played in Scotland, at St. Andrews, or Gleneagles
- The Village with the longest place name in the wolrd is in norther Whales. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, know locally as Llanfair P.G.
- Norther Ireland has quite a few Championship Golf Courses
- U2 owns the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, Ireland
- The National Museum in Dublin, has gold on display, that dates back to the Bronze Age
- If you kiss the Blarney Stone in Blarney, Ireland you are said to be blessed with the gift of eloquence
- Some of the worlds most expensive hotels can be found in London
- City and town names in Great Britain are not always pronounced how they are spelt.
- Apsley House, once the home of the First Duke of Wellington, is now open to tourists.
in 1300, the Pope declared that Pilgrims should keep to the left on roads. The reason: So they could reach their swords if they were passed by a bandit. In the 1700s, the French began keeping to the right to let the cartridges go by. Napoleon spread this French custom throughout Europe, and it was copied by the newly formed USA. The British never changed, nor did many of their colonies.
- Today, only 30 % of the world drives on the left ex: Japan and England
- The largest Hindu Temple outside of India is located in Northwest London, England
- The Tower of London is one of Britain's most visited tourist attractions
- You can tour the interior of the famous Tower Bridge
- When shopping, ask the salesperson about refunds on the VAT ( a tax on goods and services )
- An exact replica of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre has been built in London near the original
- St. Paul's Cathedral is the largest church in London, designed by Christopher Wren
- The worlds largest arts festival is held in Edinburgh, Scotland
- The Mayflower pub in Scotland, has on display an old copy of the passenger list of its namesake ship
- The British Open Golf Tournament, held in mid July, is usually played in Scotland, at St. Andrews, or Gleneagles
- The Village with the longest place name in the wolrd is in norther Whales. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, know locally as Llanfair P.G.
- Norther Ireland has quite a few Championship Golf Courses
- U2 owns the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, Ireland
- The National Museum in Dublin, has gold on display, that dates back to the Bronze Age
- If you kiss the Blarney Stone in Blarney, Ireland you are said to be blessed with the gift of eloquence
- Some of the worlds most expensive hotels can be found in London
Huh...cool!:thumbsup:
Facts about science and language in India:
- The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.
-The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
-Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).
-Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.
-The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 BC in India.
- The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat.
-The number system was invented by India. Aryabhatta was the scientist who invented the digit zero.
-Sanskrit is considered as the mother of all higher languages. This is because it is the most precise, and therefore suitable language for computer software. ( a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987 ).
-Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies which originated in India.
-The' place value system' and the 'decimal system' were developed in 100 BC in India.
bigbadbrody
Banned
Spain and Portugal...
- Though Portugal is small, its seafaring tradition enabled it to have a worldwide empire. among its former colonies were Macau in China (near Hong Kong), Brazil, Goa, Taiwan, Angola and Mozambique
- The Former name of Taiwan was Formosa
- Spain was once considered the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world
- The oldest restaurant in the world is is Spain. This restaurant opened in 1725
- Over 3000 feasts and festivals take place each year in Spain
- Gaudi, never created a blueprint for there Holy Church in Spain, he just followed a rough sketch on a crumpled piece of paper
- Most Signs in Barcelona are in two languages: Spanish and Catalan
- Mayonnaise was invented in Menorca, Spain
- Nightlife is taken very seriously in Spain
- Columbus is claimed to be buried in two nations, these are Spain and the Dominican Republic
- There are more people of Portuguese decent in souther New England than in Lisbon, Portugal
- Diner is served very late in Spain. Usually between 9 and 11pm
- After a meal if a diner does not put his or her utensils together on the plate, it means that were no satisfied with the meal
- Though Portugal is small, its seafaring tradition enabled it to have a worldwide empire. among its former colonies were Macau in China (near Hong Kong), Brazil, Goa, Taiwan, Angola and Mozambique
- The Former name of Taiwan was Formosa
- Spain was once considered the wealthiest and most powerful country in the world
- The oldest restaurant in the world is is Spain. This restaurant opened in 1725
- Over 3000 feasts and festivals take place each year in Spain
- Gaudi, never created a blueprint for there Holy Church in Spain, he just followed a rough sketch on a crumpled piece of paper
- Most Signs in Barcelona are in two languages: Spanish and Catalan
- Mayonnaise was invented in Menorca, Spain
- Nightlife is taken very seriously in Spain
- Columbus is claimed to be buried in two nations, these are Spain and the Dominican Republic
- There are more people of Portuguese decent in souther New England than in Lisbon, Portugal
- Diner is served very late in Spain. Usually between 9 and 11pm
- After a meal if a diner does not put his or her utensils together on the plate, it means that were no satisfied with the meal
bigbadbrody
Banned
Random European facts that you may or may not use
- You can take a shower at the Frankfurt airport
- The Kiel Canal in Germany that goes from the North to the Baltic sea carries the most traffic out of all the worlds canals
- On some of the straight stretches of the Autobahn in Germany, there are no speed limits
- If a city has the word "Baden" in its name, it means that it has a spa in the town
- Turkey is 3 % in Europe and 97 % in Asia
- Most of the buildings ans statues in ancient Greece were painted in bright colours
- The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi, Greece was the centre of the world and the universe
- There are more ruins in Delos, Greece than anywhere else in the world
- The dutch buy more books and bicycles per capita than any other people in the world
- There are more than 2000 Chocolate shops in Belgium
- The UN has an office in Switzerland, but Switzerland is not part of the UN
- Reykjavik Iceland is the most northerly Country Capital city
- Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993
- Many building in Budapest, Hungary, have bullet holes in them from a 1956 uprising against communism
- The worlds biggest bell is at the Kremlin
- The worlds busiest McDonald's is in Pushkin Square in Moscow
- You can take a shower at the Frankfurt airport
- The Kiel Canal in Germany that goes from the North to the Baltic sea carries the most traffic out of all the worlds canals
- On some of the straight stretches of the Autobahn in Germany, there are no speed limits
- If a city has the word "Baden" in its name, it means that it has a spa in the town
- Turkey is 3 % in Europe and 97 % in Asia
- Most of the buildings ans statues in ancient Greece were painted in bright colours
- The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi, Greece was the centre of the world and the universe
- There are more ruins in Delos, Greece than anywhere else in the world
- The dutch buy more books and bicycles per capita than any other people in the world
- There are more than 2000 Chocolate shops in Belgium
- The UN has an office in Switzerland, but Switzerland is not part of the UN
- Reykjavik Iceland is the most northerly Country Capital city
- Czechoslovakia became the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993
- Many building in Budapest, Hungary, have bullet holes in them from a 1956 uprising against communism
- The worlds biggest bell is at the Kremlin
- The worlds busiest McDonald's is in Pushkin Square in Moscow
Philbert
Banned
I lived in an apt complex in east New Orleans, where the metal stairs to the 2nd floor had several bullet holes still in them, nicely painted with the rest of the stairs.
I later became friends with a SWAT sergeant, and when he came over for the first time, he realized he was where he had had a shootout a year or so earlier. He had put those bullet holes there!
Now, THAT's interesting trivia I'll never use!
bigbadbrody
Banned
or the doggy in my Avatar
___________________________________________________________________
The Sahara is the hottest, largest and most desolate desert on earth
until a few thousand years a go lions, elephants and other large animals lived in north Africa.
The countries of Somalia and Ethiopia that are on the east coast of Africa, are called the African horn because of their shape
A shrine in Ethiopia, claims to have the Arc of the Covenent
Djibouti is considered by some to be the hottest inhabited place on earth
Asawan, Egypt is considered by some to be the driest place on earth
Spanish is the official language of only one African Nation: Equatorial Guinea
about 1/10 of the worlds population lives in Africa
The first beers were brewed in ancient Egypt and Babylon
The lower Nile is in northern Egypt, and the upper Nile is in southern Egypt
Alexander the Great is buried in Alexandria, Egypt
The first Obelisk was erected in Egypt. The worlds tallest Obelisk is in Washington DC: The Washington Monument
The Pyramids were the worlds tallest structures until the Eiffel Tower was built
Stomach Disorders are common on Nile cruises
Iamforever
Banned
now thats hilarious. :rofl:
