dailyfactsofgoodness-blog

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

"Above the salt" is an expression that was created in medieval times based upon the seating at a noble table. Salt, which was one of the most valuable and treasured spices of the day, was placed at approximately the mid-point of the long banqueting table. The lord and his family sat toward the head of the table or "above the salt," while the servants sat toward the foot or "below the salt."

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Strawberries technically aren't considered berries, yet bananas and avacados are considered berries. (Although, it must be noted that bananas are actually "false" or epigynous berries)

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

The name Jessica was created by Shakespeare in his classic play, the Merchant of Venice (1596).

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Mr. Rogers drove the same car for years to the studio to film "Mister Rogers Neighborhood" - an old, worn out Impala. When Fred Rogers reported his car missing one day, the story became headline news and everyone began searching for the Impala. Within two days, the car was found right where it had been taken with an letter in the window: “If we’d known it was yours, we never would have taken it.” Mr. Rogers pursued it no further and was simply happy to have his old car back.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Back in the mid 1800s, it was commonplace for people to segregate their personal libraries by the gender of each book's author.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Game of Thrones Season 3 Episode 1 shattered the HBO record for most views with 4.4 million viewers for the 9pm showing and 6.7 million more for later showings. These numbers do not include viewers using HBOgo, multiple viewers per tv, or various online streaming sources.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Only 21 percent of millennials (those ages 18-29) are married, and the median age for marriage is the highest in generations: almost 27 for women and 29 for men. By comparison, 29 percent of Generation X, 42 percent of Boomers, and 54 percent of the Silent Generation (born 1928 through 1945) were married by that age, according to a recent survey

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

"Speed of Sound" by Coldplay was the 1 billionth song on iTunes - added 2006

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

SLINKY FACTS:

Since 1945, more than 300 million have been sold.

The slinky song the single longest running jingle on tv.

NASA has used the slinky in space to run zero-gravity tests.

Soldiers during the Vietnam and Korean Wars used the slinky as a portable radio antenna.

On average, a Slinky is made up of 80ft of wire.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

The Oprichniki were Ivan the Terrible's secret police force who suppressed any enemies of the Tsar. They dressed completely in black, rode black horses, and drove black carriages, swiftly removing anyone they saw as a threat to their Tsar. A severed dog's head and broom worn by Oprichniki symbolized sniffing out Russia's opposition and sweeping them away.

Today, the Nazgul from J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings novels are largely based upon the mythical endeavors of the Oprichniki.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

A good indicator of a doctor's seniority in a practice is the length of their coat. The longer the coat, the higher up they are.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Hannibal Barca, a brilliant general from Carthage in 216 BC, marched a massive army of war elephants and archers across the Rhine River and into the Alps to attack the formidable Roman Army. Despite entering the battle both heavily outnumbered and under-armed, Hannibal defeated the Romans and spent the next 15 years of his life roaming Italy and destroying any legion bold enough to attack him. Revenge achieved.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

"Letting the cat out of the bag" is a phrase that originated in the Middle Ages when merchants tried to pawn off street cats on unsuspecting customers. Back then, livestock was sold in a sack so that the owner could carry their purchase home rather than lead it with a rope. Often times these merchants got away with their fraud, but on occasion, the cats would let out a meow or climb out of the bag to reveal the deception. It is for that reason that we today call a surprising reveal of truth - letting the cat out of the bag.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

“A helium balloon made of 40 acres of ultrathin plastic took Mr. Baumgartner to an altitude of 128,100 feet. Mr. Baumgartner broke the sound barrier during his jump, reaching a maximum speed of 833.9 miles per hour, or Mach 1.24.”

- NY Times 

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Lafayette C. Baker was a Union Spy during the Civil War. He was removed from his position as chief of the Union Intelligence Service for tapping the Secretary of War’s telegraph, but was quickly called back into service after the assassination of President Lincoln. Within two days, Baker made four arrests and was already tracking John Wilkes Booth, the presidential assassin who was later shot and killed by government officials.

Baker mysteriously died a few years later, supposedly from meningitis, however later tests proved the real cause was in fact arsenic.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Michael Phelps set the record for the most Olympic medals won by any one athlete on July 31st, 2012 with 22 overall -including 18 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze.

[dailyfactsofgoodness-blog]

Black vultures, though not the prettiest of birds, mate for life and sometimes even attack other vultures that have been unfaithful.