Wikipedia:Recent additions 155

Did you know...

 * ...that the Evelyn tables, acquired by John Evelyn in Padua in 1646, are thought to be the oldest anatomical preparations in Europe?
 * ...that an effigy mound in the shape of a turtle is located in the Beattie Park Mound Group in downtown Rockford, Illinois?
 * ...that Saionji Kinmochi, the 11th Prime Minister of Japan, was a member of the Saionji family, a line of court nobles stretching back to the 12th century?
 * ...that the capital city Chang'an during the Chinese Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD) had 111 Buddhist monasteries and 41 Daoist abbeys within its walls?
 * ...that Russian poet Dmitri Prigov wrote approximately 36,000 poems with much of his work distributed as samizdat?
 * ...that Wilhelm von Pressel designed the first railroad in Turkey?
 * ...that Kobayashi Kiyochika, the last great ukiyo-e artist, studied photography and Western-style painting, the two forms which heralded the demise of his art, extensively?
 * ...that several of the Orkney islands' highest points are named "Ward Hill" due to the many old warning beacons in the area?
 * ...that under the First Organic Laws of Oregon, the de facto constitution of the Provisional Government, women could get married at the age of 14?
 * ...that the 2007 Super 14 Final between the Bulls and the Sharks was the first all-South African final in Super rugby history?
 * ...that the 1621 Battle of Khotyn resulted directly in the death of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth leader, hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, and indirectly in the death of the Ottoman Empire commander, sultan Osman II?
 * ...that Chao Tzee Cheng, a Singaporean forensic pathologist, performed over 25,000 autopsies?
 * ...that in one Indonesian legend, Prince Panji's vanished bride disguised herself as a man and became king of Bali?
 * ...that it has been suggested that the Parthenon Frieze (pictured) might be a war memorial for the Athenian dead at the Battle of Marathon?
 * ...that Academy Award-winning American singer Barbra Streisand filled in a tooth gap with Aspergum when she started out in theater? --
 * ...that the nickname Ned arose from an instance of rebracketing, as children interpreted the term of endearment "mine Ed" as "my Ned"?
 * ...that the vigilante actions of the Omaha Claim Club, including many founding fathers of Omaha, Nebraska, were later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in Baker v. Morton?
 * ...that York radiate groundsel (Senecio eboracensis) is a hybrid plant species thought to have evolved suddenly within the last 300 years?
 * ...St Peter's Church, Plemstall in Cheshire, England, is built on the site of a hermitage occupied by Plegmund who was later the Archbishop of Canterbury?
 * ...that John Wylde (1781-1859) at one time filled the post of Deputy Judge Advocate of New South Wales, where he effectively had to simultaneously perform the roles of committing magistrate, public prosecutor and judge?
 * ...8,909,200 pounds of cast iron were used to build the United States Capitol dome?
 * ...that the Mosque of Kefeli in Istanbul was used jointly as a church by Roman Catholic and Armenian believers before becoming a mosque?
 * ...that smoking (cigarette pictured) has a history that dates back at least 5,000 years and is one of the most widely practiced recreational activities in the world?
 * ...that the dwarf pygmy goby (Pandaka pygmaea), a freshwater fish from the Philippines, is the smallest fish in the world?
 * ...that Stirling Moss is the only racing driver who was given a distinctive caricature design (wearing a helmet), differing from the usual design, by Autosport's cartoonist Jim Bamber in 1998?
 * ...that British forces serving in Basra, Iraq were accused of using killer badgers as a weapon?
 * ...that What to Expect When You're Expecting has been called "the Bible of American pregnancy" and consistently tops the New York Times Best Seller list in the paperback advice category?
 * ...that Karnataka is home to the largest concentration of Siddhis (a tribe of African descent) in India?
 * ...that after the Hospital Real de Todos os Santos was destroyed in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, its remains were demolished to create a public square?
 * ...that while Angelina di Marsciano (pictured) was preaching in Naples, she was arrested under charges of sorcery and Manichaeism, because of how readily young women accepted her call to virginity?
 * ...that for special effects in the 2001 Cambodian film, The Snake King's Child, live snakes were glued to a cap worn by the lead actress?
 * ...that on the same day Arbroath beat Bon Accord 36-0 in the Scottish Cup that 18 miles away in Dundee, Dundee Harp had beaten Aberdeen Rovers 35-0?
 * ...that the known writings of Caius, Presbyter of Rome exist only in fragments, many of which were preserved in the Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius of Caesarea?
 * ...that Pakistani artist Anwar Shemza changed his name so it would match that of his studio in Lahore?
 * ...that the auto racing division of Sigma Automotive (later known as SARD) became the first Japanese team to compete in the 1973 24 Hours of Le Mans?
 * ...that family lawyer Harry Fain played a significant role in the introduction of no-fault divorce law in California in 1970?
 * ...that the former Schiller Piano Factory (pictured) in Oregon, Illinois has been a shopping center since 1975?
 * ...that the fruit of the apple dumpling, was one of the first bushfoods to be commonly eaten by Europeans in Australia?
 * ...that the Timucua Indians of the St. Johns culture left many large shell middens, including one estimated to be 75 feet high, even though shellfish were a minor part of their diet?
 * ...that Sabarna Roy Choudhury sold to the British, for Rs. 1,300, the land rights of Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur, that ultimately merged to become Calcutta?
 * ...that the construction of the Édifice Price was originally so criticized that it caused an ordinance prohibiting buildings exceeding 65 feet in Old Québec?
 * ...that the former imperial vineyard at Abrau-Durso is known for a brand of Russian wine marketed as the Soviet Champagne?
 * ...that Arundinaria appalachiana is one of only three bamboos native to temperate North America?
 * ...that John Henry Dearle (example of work pictured) was an apprentice tapestry weaver to Pre-Raphaelite artist and craftsman William Morris who rose to become Morris & Co.'s chief designer and Art Director after Morris's death?
 * ...that Ian Pont is the only professional cricketer to have played a professional baseball match?
 * ...that due to safety concerns, a number of U.S. states require air ambulance services to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems?
 * ...that the Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (27-97 AD) accurately described the water cycle in meteorology?
 * ...that Alexander Pope was expelled from Twyford School for writing a poem that poked fun at one of his school masters?
 * ...that the Klaus Advanced Computing Building is named for Chris Klaus, who donated $15 million to his alma mater, Georgia Tech, when he was just 26?
 * ...that Gundoin was the first Duke of Alsace, a duchy which existed as part of the Frankish Empire from the 630s?
 * ...that Shardha Ram Phillauri, a Punjabi, wrote the first Hindi novel?
 * ...that 75% of the tombstones (example pictured) in Hope Cemetery were designed by the people they house?
 * ...that Rice People, a 1994 drama film by director Rithy Panh, was the first Cambodian film to be submitted for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film?
 * ...that Megaloprepus caerulatus, a giant damselfly with a wingspan of up to 19 centimeters (7.5 inches), breeds in water-filled tree holes?
 * ...that Choke, an upcoming film adaptation of the 2001 novel by Chuck Palahniuk, will be the author's first film adaptation since Fight Club?
 * ...that Édouard Richard, a two-term member of the Canadian House of Commons and Acadian historian, practiced law with future Canadian Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier?
 * ...that the Dima Halim Daoga and the Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland broke ties because of competing separatist ideologies?
 * ...that World War II Imperial Japanese Navy light cruiser Kuma was torpedoed by a Royal Navy submarine while engaged in anti-submarine warfare training?
 * ...that Song Du-yul, a professor of philosophy and sociology at the University of Münster in Germany, was the only South Korean to attend the 1994 funeral of North Korean leader Kim Il-sung?
 * ...that despite being known from many specimens, the fossil Fuxianhuia (pictured) remains one of the most controversial Cambrian arthropods?
 * ...that the 2007 main event World Series of Poker bracelet, awarded on July 17, 2007, is made with 136 grams of 18-carat white gold set with 120 diamonds?
 * ...that after seeing the documentary, S-21: The Khmer Rouge Killing Machine, former Khmer Rouge leader Khieu Samphan was moved to admit the existence of the S-21 torture center in Phnom Penh after years of publicly denying it?
 * ...that the United States Army formed 106 tank destroyer battalions in World War II, all of which were disbanded by 1946?
 * ...that Besalú was an independent county from 988 to 1111, when Ramon Berenguer III inherited it, annexing it to the County of Barcelona?
 * ...that the hostility of English alchemist Thomas Charnock's neighbours forced him to barricade himself in his cottage?
 * ...that the Shuguang spacecraft was designed by the People's Republic of China with the goal of achieving a manned space flight in 1973?
 * ...that the unimportance and consequent emptiness of Kalikata afforded the British room to settle there and establish Calcutta?
 * ...that the Polish-Teutonic War of 1519-1521 was the last of the Polish-Teutonic Wars, and ended with the Prussian Homage (pictured)?
 * ...that the 1993 film Heaven & Earth, directed by Oliver Stone, was based on the life of the Global Village Foundation initiator Le Ly Hayslip, who had a cameo appearance in the film?
 * ...that Josephus's Discourse to the Greeks concerning Hades is actually the work of Hippolytus of Rome, but was considered Josephus's by his translator William Whiston
 * ...that the Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard ferry, Sankaty, set fire to the famous whaler Charles W. Morgan before being commissioned as a minelayer by the Royal Canadian Navy?
 * ...that the Galaxy Zoo is an online astronomy project that allows members of the public to help classify previously unseen images of galaxies?
 * ...that the Roman merchants who traded with ancient Tamil country, used the monsoon winds to reduce the travel time between Egypt and India to forty days?
 * ...that the San Rafael Wilderness was the first U.S. Primitive Area to be reclassified as wilderness after the passage of the 1964 Wilderness Act?
 * ...that although in 1939 the Polish Army had an elaborate plan for defence against the Soviet invasion, it couldn't implement it when the invasion began due to being committed against an earlier German invasion?
 * ...that William Leybourn (pictured) wrote the first English language astronomy compendium?
 * ...that William W. Powers State Recreation Area's Wolf Lake co-hosted a BioBlitz by over 150 scientists who unofficially counted 1,815 species in a day?
 * ...that infanticide is committed by animals as diverse as gray langurs, pigs, jacanas and water bugs?
 * ...that Union Army color bearer Thomas J. Higgins received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Vicksburg during the US Civil War at the request of his Confederate captors?
 * ...that the 1975 U.S. Supreme Court case NLRB v. J. Weingarten, Inc. allowed all workers in unionized workplaces to have a union representative present during management inquiries that might result in discipline?
 * ...that there is a 14 foot (4.3 m) tall miniature Stick style house on the grounds of the Ellwood House in DeKalb, Illinois?
 * ...that John Hill, former Texas Attorney General, was prominent in shutting down the Chicken Ranch known as the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas?
 * ...that the Christian Specht Building is the only existing building with a cast iron facade known in Nebraska today, and one of the few ever built there?
 * ...that in 1920, KDKA in Pittsburgh was the first radio station to broadcast Major League Baseball on the radio?
 * ...that Sozodont (advertisement pictured) was an extremely popular oral hygiene product whose name came from the Greek meaning "to save the teeth"?
 * ...that Juliana Anicia commissioned the largest church of pre-Justinian Constantinople?
 * ...that 18th century brothel-keeper Jane Douglas sold condoms in silken bags to her customers?
 * ...that the critically endangered totoaba, a member of the drum family which weighs up to 100 kg, is found only in the northern end of the Sea of Cortez?
 * ...that nineteenth-century ventriloquist Alexandre Vattemare originally studied to be a physician, but was refused a diploma after making cadavers seem to speak during surgical exercises?