Wikipedia:Recent additions 209

Did you know...

 * ...that the song "Vodka" will represent Malta at Eurovision Song Contest 2008?
 * ...that American rockabilly musician Bobby Lee Trammell nearly fell off a radio broadcast tower during a botched practical joke?
 * ...that a Venetian foundation seeking to rebuild the Bucentaur (model pictured) has written to Nicolas Sarkozy for a financial contribution as compensation for Napoleon's 1798 destruction of the original ship?
 * ...that Joyce Carlson, designer of the Disney theme park attraction "It's a Small World", was the first female employee to work for the Disney for fifty years?
 * ...that the 1917 Pinar del Río hurricane is the third most intense cyclone to make landfall in Cuba, with a low atmosphetic pressure reading of 928 mbar?
 * ...that Sherefudin's White Mosque, where the mihrab, minbar and minarets have a folk art character subtly enhanced by the avant-garde geometries of their setting, won the 1983 Aga Khan Award for Architecture?
 * ...that the 13th-century troubadour Guilhem de Montanhagol encouraged the conversion of the Cathars to Catholic orthodoxy by persuasion and opposed their violent suppression by the Albigensian Crusade?
 * ...that Tews Fall, located within the Spencer Gorge / Webster's Falls Conservation Area, is the tallest of 96 waterfalls found in Hamilton, Ontario?
 * ...that the Rolls-Royce Conway,a turbofan engine, was the first commercial aero engine to be awarded clearance to operate for periods up to 10,000 hours between major overhauls?
 * ...that St James's Hall, London's principal concert hall and home of the Philharmonic Society in the 19th century, had annual seasons of blackface minstrelsy?
 * ...that when Chester Cathedral (pictured) was restored by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the 19th century, its exterior was almost completely recased in Runcorn sandstone?
 * ...that Heba Kotb, Egypt's first licensed sexologist, hosts a call-in show named The Big Talk where she gives Qur'anic advice?
 * ...that Interstate 37 is one of the few limited-access hurricane evacuation routes away from the Texas coast?
 * ...that wig wearing and addressing judges as "My Lord" or "Your Lordship" in Singapore courts was abolished by Chief Justice Yong Pung How in 1990?
 * ...that Africans from the last known illegal shipment of slaves to the US formed their own community of Africatown near Mobile, Alabama after the Civil War?
 * ...that a group of Philippine congressmen were named after the Spice Girls?
 * ...that upon his death, Lolita author Vladimir Nabokov told his son to destroy his final novel, The Original of Laura, but the manuscript remains in a Swiss Bank vault, its fate uncertain?
 * ...that the 11th century Duke Yaropolk Izyaslavich is an Eastern Orthodox saint?
 * ...that as a non-military form of conscription, a Finnish rescue authority official is entitled to order anyone in the municipality to assist in a rescue operation?
 * ...that a poem by William Newton led to an end to gibbeting corpses in Derbyshire?
 * ...that the Cray House (pictured) is a rare surviving example of post-and-plank style, once common across the Eastern Shore of Maryland?
 * ...that Italy's Cantieri Riuniti dell' Adriatico shipyard built two ocean liners named MS Stockholm (1941) for the Swedish American Line between 1936 and 1941, neither of which operated commercially?
 * ...that during the Chicago Federation of Labor ' s 1903 convention, seven major brawls broke out, hospitalising one man?
 * ...that Kjesäter, a Swedish manor, was later the main assembly point for up to 50,000 refugees from German-occupied Norway during World War II?
 * ...that Interstate 80 in Nevada crosses the Forty Mile Desert, the most dangerous part of the California Trail?
 * ...that the butterfly Heliconius heurippa may be a separate species from&mdash;but a hybrid of&mdash;the species Heliconius cydno and Heliconius melpomene, a possible example of hybrid speciation?
 * ...that Times Square Stores, which went bankrupt in 1989, was once considered Long Island's most prominent discount department store chain?
 * ...that John Roby ignored some Lancashire oral traditions in writing about the boggart of Clegg Hall?
 * ...that Democrat Bob Holden was the first incumbent Missouri Governor to lose a primary?
 * ...that despite being a National Historic Landmark and the site of Washington's oldest known human remains, the Marmes Rockshelter was submerged after the Lower Monumental Dam construction?
 * ...that after Dr. William Penny Brookes (pictured) began organising Olympian Games in Much Wenlock, England, in 1850, he was credited with inspiring the modern games?
 * ...that HMS Bonaventure became the first ship to re-enter service with the Clan Line after the end of the Second World War, having spent five years as a submarine depot ship?
 * ...that Abby and Julia Smith fought for women's suffrage by refusing to pay taxes to the Town of Glastonbury, Connecticut and almost lost their property Kimberly Mansion?
 * ...that the Maltese European Union membership referendum saw the lowest support for joining, and highest turnout, of any of the states that held referendums on joining in 2003?
 * ...that the Blessed Martyrs of Nowogródek were Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth who offered their lives during the Holocaust in exchange for the release of citizens of Nowogródek?
 * ...that much of Glencoe, Oregon, was relocated to the new town of North Plains after the railroad bypassed the old town?
 * ...that the Dix of the Puget Sound Mosquito Fleet, a steamboat which sank and drowned over 45 people after a collision off Duwamish Head, Washington in 1906, was twice refused a seaworthiness certificate?
 * ...that NASCAR champion David Pearson won three auto races in a season in a Ray Fox-prepared Pontiac (pictured) ?
 * ...that the first medical missions in China began in part because the missionary Robert Morrison wanted to discover whether the Chinese pharmacopoeia could cure disease in the West?
 * ...that French geometer Émile Lemoine proposed a system of five operations to measure the "complexity" of compass and straightedge constructions?
 * ...that the Brindavan Gardens in Karnataka is a Mughal style garden having a design similar to that of Shalimar Gardens in Kashmir?
 * ...that in the post-WWII era, the Zidell family business based in Portland, Oregon became the largest shipbreaking operation in the U.S.?
 * ...that the broadhead catfish, a carnivore, can be fed with rice bran?
 * ...that French cardinals in the Papal conclave, 1758 vetoed the candidature of cardinal Cavalchini when he was only one vote short of being elected to the papacy?
 * ...that Royal Navy captain Kenneth Dewar was controversially court-martialled in 1928 for criticising his flag officer, an event the press described as a mutiny?
 * ...that in 1956 the Pidhirtsi Castle in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine burned for three weeks costing US$12 million in damages?
 * ...that Rear Admiral Patrick H. Brady (pictured), commander of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, is one of four active Hispanic Admirals in the U.S. Navy?
 * ...that Adolf Hitler never thought much of the Columbus Globe for State and Industry Leaders despite its iconic status in Nazi Germany?
 * ...that the Chinese government had no objections when the Eastern Orthodox Church canonized Metrophanes, Chi Sung and other martyrs of the Boxer Rebellion, but did object to canonizations by the Roman Catholic Church?
 * ...that seeds of the water lily Euryale ferox may be toasted and eaten like popcorn?
 * ...that the Maratha Ditch was excavated around Calcutta, India, as a protection against attacks by Marathas, who, however, never attacked?
 * ...that the 2008 Lincolnshire earthquake was the largest earthquake to hit the UK for over twenty years?
 * ...that the K'iche' Kingdom of Q'umarkaj in Central America were conquered when the Kaqchikel people allied with a Spanish force?
 * ...that the Augustaion, named after the Augusta Helena, was the main public square in medieval Constantinople?
 * ...that the monk responsible for the current state of Thuyen Ton Temple in Vietnam lived to 102 years?
 * ...that Romanian clergyman Gavril Bănulescu-Bodoni (pictured) was the first head of the church in Bessarabia after the Russian annexation?
 * ...that the "Sound of Insanity" in Powderfinger's 2008 single "Who Really Cares (Featuring the Sound of Insanity)" is simply a sitar with synthesised effects overlaid?
 * ...that pig fat, cannabis oil, fish, scorpions and hot sand were used in various offensive weapons in ancient and medieval warfare?
 * ...that restaurant Beyti in Istanbul, famous for its Beyti kebap, once catered U.S. president Richard Nixon's Air Force One?
 * ...that Truc Lam Temple is named after the Zen sect founded by Emperor of Vietnam Tran Nhan Tong, who abdicated the throne to become a monk?
 * ...that the Sheffield Improvement Act 1818 required all owners of steam engines in the Yorkshire town to "consume" the engine's smoke?
 * ...that Filipino poet José García Villa is known for his extensive use of commas, which made him known as the "Comma Poet"?
 * ...that Frances Siedliska (pictured) founded 29 communities of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth between 1875 and 1902?
 * ...that Randi Weingarten, the openly gay president of the United Federation of Teachers, has been called one of the 25 most powerful women in New York City business?
 * ...that General Anthony Bacon, hero of Waterloo, resigned his commission in protest when the colonelcy of the 17th Lancers was purchased by Lord Lucan (later of Balaclava fame)?
 * ...that Konrad Bartelski is the only British alpine ski racer to finish on the podium in a World Cup downhill race?
 * ...that the Telugu film Anasuya was said to be inspired by the Hollywood movie The Silence of the Lambs?
 * ...that Denmark's debut in the Eurovision Song Contest took place in 1957, when the country finished third and would be the most successful debutant until 1994?
 * ...that the Reichstag dome (pictured) was originally designed as a cylinder by its architect Norman Foster?
 * ...that eight well preserved Maronite mummies dating back to the 13th century were uncovered by speleologists in the Qadisha Valley, Lebanon?
 * ...that New York Assemblyman Gregory R. Ball proposed a measure offering free education for United States military veterans?
 * ...that a large number of Rwandans converted to Islam after the 1994 Genocide?
 * ...that author Ken Kesey taught a course at the University of Oregon where he and thirteen students collaboratively wrote Caverns?
 * ...that Ngo Duc Ke advocated the adoption of the Romanised quoc ngu to replace the chu nom script used in Vietnam for writing?
 * ...that the young leaves and flowering stems of Senecio congestus can be made into a "sauerkraut"?
 * ...that the Midway-Sunset Oil Field contains an estimated 584 million barrels of oil, which amounts to 18% of California's total estimated reserve?
 * ...that the pot-de-fer (pictured) was the first metal cannon?
 * ...that Inteco, the Russian company owned by Yelena Baturina controlled 20% of the construction in Moscow?
 * ...that the law professor Boudewijn Sirks has written on papyrology, food distribution in ancient Rome, and Sailing in the Off-Season with Reduced Financial Risk?
 * ...that the current configuration of Sun Pass State Forest in Oregon was the result of a land swap between the state government and the federal forest service?
 * ...that J.R.R. Tolkien was so incensed by the adaptation of proper names in the Dutch translation of The Lord of the Rings that he wrote a guide to advise future translators?
 * ...that the abbot of Linh Son Pagoda, one of the tourist attractions in Da Lat, Vietnam, has held the post for more than forty years?
 * ...that Hagia Sophia (pictured) in Turkey has runic inscriptions left by Vikings?
 * ...that according to the Books of Kings, ancient Egyptians captured and burnt down the Canaanite town of Gezer and gave it as a dowry to the Pharaoh's daughter?
 * ...that Baseball Hall of Fame manager John McGraw said that Bill Monroe "was the greatest infielder he had ever seen"?
 * ...that the Hennepin, which transported construction aggregate around the Great Lakes early in the 20th century, was the first self-unloading bulk carrier in the world?
 * ...that Mohammed Atif Siddique was sentenced to imprisonment after being charged with collecting online files related to the War on Terror and encouraging classmates to watch videos of beheadings?
 * ...that short draw is a hand spinning technique that produces yarn suitable for weaving but not knitting?
 * ...that Quoc An Temple in Huế was founded by a Zen monk from China, whose disciple lineage covers most of the Buddhists in southern Vietnam?
 * ...that Kazys Grinius (pictured), the third Lithuanian President, was deposed in a military coup on his 60th birthday?
 * ...that Harry Blackmun's colleagues on the U.S. Supreme Court felt his long history of baseball in the Flood v. Kuhn majority opinion was beneath the Court's dignity?
 * ...that Vogel State Park is one of the two oldest in the State of Georgia?
 * ...that former Drexel University president Hollis Godfrey was an advisory member of Woodrow Wilson's Council of National Defense?
 * ...that a blue line marks where Pogue's Run once ran through downtown Indianapolis?
 * ...that the 1976 Football League Cup win made Tony Book the first to so as both a player and manager?
 * ...that Hillary Rodham called children's rights a "slogan in need of a definition"?
 * ...that in 1261, Caesar Alexios Strategopoulos reconquered Constantinople from the Latins, thereby restoring the Byzantine Empire?
 * ...that the Saviour's Lutheran Church in Baku, Azerbaijan (pictured) survived Joseph Stalin's rule by promising to pray for him?
 * ...that Tran Cao Van's plot to install Duy Tan as the independent boy Emperor of Vietnam happened only after he bribed the boy's chauffeur into allowing him access?
 * ...that Stieg Larsson's posthumously published Swedish crime novel The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was a best-seller critically compared with War and Peace?
 * ...that Bordeaux wine merchants in the Middle Ages, concerned about the competition from nearby regions, prohibited trading access to Bordeaux until most of their wine was sold?
 * ...that blind Nguyen Dinh Chieu's writings praising Vietnamese revolutionary Truong Dinh saw him regarded as the leading revolutionary poet in the south?
 * ...that the author Amulya Malladi, an expatriate Indian, said that when she first moved to Denmark that "Danish sounded to me like the buzzing of bees"?
 * ...that 13 years his death in 1875, the future Royal College of Art found a letter from the widow of Richard Burchett, headmaster for over 20 years, asking for a pension?
 * ...that the Buddha statue of Long Son Pagoda in Nha Trang, Vietnam is a major vantage point over the city?
 * ...that canvaswork designs of plants called slips appliquéd on silk or velvet (pictured) were often based on woodcuts from herbals?
 * ...that Grits Gresham, the former host of ABC's The American Sportsman, revealed that Ronald Reagan used a gun to rescue a nurse from a mugging?
 * ...the Trim and Fit weight loss program targeting obesity in Singaporean schoolchildren resulted in its participants suffering from teasing and stigmatization?
 * ...that squab is the meat from a young domestic pigeon?
 * ...that the formulas John Knox and Harlan J. Brothers came up with to calculate e were no more difficult than college-level calculus?
 * ...that uprisings broke out in 1916 over the jailing of Phan Xich Long, who declared himself Emperor of Vietnam and tried to arm his rebels with magic potion that supposedly made them invisible?
 * ...that people from County Carlow in Ireland are nicknamed "scallion-eaters" because, in the early 19th century, Carlow town supplied most of the onions in Leinster?
 * ...that a high speed tablet press (animation shown) can punch out over one million tablets an hour?
 * ...that Dada artist Marcel Duchamp's Bottle Rack was mistakenly thrown away as garbage?
 * ...that Captain Rosemary Bryant Mariner was the first military woman to command an operational naval aviation squadron?
 * ...that the Lithuanian Electricity Organization, a planned energy holding company, will be responsible for building a new nuclear power plant in Ignalina in 2015?