Wikipedia:Recent additions 27

Did you know...

 * ...that "The Fires of Pompeii", an episode in the British TV show Doctor Who, is the first appearance of Karen Gillan as the Soothsayer?
 * ...that the broadfish tapeworm is the longest tapeworm in humans, averaging ten meters long and that it can shed up to a million eggs a day?
 * ...that during the Elizabethan era in England, theaters were constructed of wood and were circular in form, open to the elements and with a large portion of the audience standing directly below the stage?
 * ...that "I Want You Back," the 1969 debut single by The Jackson 5, was originally intended for both Gladys Knight & the Pips and Diana Ross, and has been sampled by Blackstreet, Jay-Z, and Lil' Romeo?
 * ...that Google Gulp, a fictional drink developed by Google as an April Fool's Day hoax, is said to boost the intelligence of the drinker?
 * ...that Wilfredo Gomez and Wilfredo Benitez share not only their first name, but also their Puerto Rican nationality? (They also won three world boxing titles each.)
 * ...that DJ Grand Mixer DXT is credited with inventing turntablism, the rhythmic scratching of a record on a turntable using different velocities to alter the pitch of the note or sound on the recording, making the turntable a fully performable and improvisational instrument?
 * ...that Robert Dick Wilson was a leading Bible scholar who was able to read the New Testament in nine different languages while still at Princeton University, and strongly defended the Bible's historical accuracy?


 * ...that the 1459 Fra Mauro map reports that "a junk from India" rounded the Cape of Good Hope in 1420, around 70 years before the navigations of Vasco da Gama?
 * ...that The Brady Bunch actress Maureen McCormick was one of the many people who voiced the 1960s toy Chatty Cathy?
 * ...that Flying Dog Brewery employs the unusual artwork of Ralph Steadman on its labels, best known for his work as the illustrator of the works of Hunter S. Thompson?
 * ...that Arthur Owens, codenamed SNOW, was a vital double agent who supplied information to German intelligence under the direction of British MI5 during the early years of World War II?


 * ...that the history of sushi shows that although sushi is famous for its use in the Japanese cuisine, it actually originated in China in the 3rd or 4th century BCE, more than 900 years before its first known appearance in Japan?
 * ...that Ray Wilson, who was the eldest member of England's victorious 1966 World Cup team, became an undertaker after he retired from football?
 * ...that pilot Victor Chapman died after being attacked by German enemies while on flight to carry oranges to a wounded friend?
 * ...that Eli H. Janney whittled the prototypes for his railroad coupler design out of wood in 1873?
 * ...that Bunchy Carter founded the Southern California chapter of the Black Panther Party?
 * ...that adult attention-deficit disorder (AADD) affects an estimated 30 percent of people who suffered from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in childhood?
 * ...that from 1926 to 1940, the Union Minière du Haut Katanga had a virtual monopoly of the world uranium market?
 * ...that on March 4, 1839, William F. Harnden became the first person to send an express freight shipment by rail?


 * ...that although Gridley Bryant invented many of the basic railroad technologies in the early 1820s, including tracks and wheels, he never patented them?
 * ...that Arcadia University changed its name from "Beaver College" because the latter "...too often elicited ridicule in the form of derogatory remarks"?
 * ...that the protagonist of Alexandre Dumas' rediscovered last novel The Knight of Sainte-Hermine has a pivotal encounter with the British admiral Horatio Nelson during the Battle of Trafalgar?
 * ...a coping skill is a behavioral tool used to overcome adversity, disadvantage, or disability without correcting or eliminating the underlying condition?


 * ...that a bulbous bow can increase a ship's fuel efficiency by as much as 15 percent?
 * ...that the Sedlec Ossuary is a chapel decorated with the bones of 40,000 people?
 * ...that A Year in the Merde by Stephen Clarke is a humorous look at the tense Franco-British relations during the time of the 2003 invasion of Iraq?
 * ...that the BMT Sea Beach Line has at times hosted the fastest express train service between Manhattan and Coney Island, but now carries only local trains of the New York City Subway, and doesn't even reach Coney Island due to reconstruction?
 * ...that tiao-kuai is the quasi-federal administration system in China?


 * ...that King George V of the United Kingdom was a member of the Society for the Prevention of Calling Sleeping Car Porters "George"?
 * ...that C is for Cookie is a song by Joe Raposo, first performed on Sesame Street by Cookie Monster on March 28, 1972?
 * ...that Loys Bourgeois, a French Renaissance composer, was sent to jail for changing a few notes in a hymn tune?
 * ...that the Swedish government canceled a short film about AIDS that they commissioned from film director Roy Andersson because he had made it "too dark in its message"?


 * ...that Admiral Alexander Hood, 1st Viscount Bridport of the Royal Navy was elevated to the peerage for his exploits in the Battle of the Glorious First of June?
 * ...that the eighth century bishop and saint Rupert of Salzburg set up his base in the old Roman town of Juvavum and renamed it Salzburg?
 * ...that Alvin Adams founded Adams and Company, forerunner to Adams Express Company, to haul express freight shipments by rail in 1840?
 * ...that the world's first geothermal power station was built in Larderello, Italy in 1911?


 * ...that an automatic number plate recognition system uses optical character recognition to read the license plates on vehicles?
 * ...that enaptin has the second-longest chemical name to be written down, at 64,060 letters?
 * ...that, in the 1996 film The Pompatus of Love, the main characters sit around discussing the meaning of the word "pompatus"?
 * ...that Captain Alexander Hood of the Royal Navy was killed in battle between his ship Mars and the French Hercule in 1798?


 * ...that sashimono were small banners worn on the backs of Japanese medieval troops for identification during battles?
 * ...that the Soviet Red Army's T-10 heavy tank was originally named IS-10 for Iosif Stalin (Joseph Stalin), but renamed in the climate of de-Stalinization, after Stalin's death in 1953?
 * ...that the Interactive Urine Communicator is a guerilla marketing device for urinals?
 * ...that the crews of even the most heavily-armoured tanks try to take advantage of protective terrain in combat, by moving their vehicles into hull-down positions whenever possible?


 * ...that John S. Collins, who came to southern Florida to grow vegetables and coconuts on a barrier island, built 2.5 mile long wooden Collins Bridge across Biscayne Bay in 1913 which led to the development of Miami Beach?
 * ...that the famous Hit Factory recording studio in New York City recently closed down after 12 years of operation?
 * ...that Double Gloucester cheese is made from a mixture of milk taken in the morning and evening?
 * ...that Rose is the first new episode of Doctor Who to be shown since 1996?
 * ...that fans in the Dawg Pound at Cleveland Browns Stadium used to throw dog food at opposing players?
 * ...that the Florida Lottery's Lotto game was the first single-state lottery in the United States to have a jackpot over US$100 million, on the September 14, 1990 drawing?
 * ...that Alonzo C. Mather was awarded a medal in 1883 by the American Humane Society for the humane treatment of the livestock transported in railroad stock cars he designed?


 * ...that Anthony T. Rossi operated a grocery store, began making gift boxes of Florida oranges, invented a process to pack pure chilled orange juice, and in 1947 founded Tropicana Products?
 * ...that cardiac surgeon William Mustard developed the Mustard cardiovascular procedure to correct blue baby syndrome, saving thousands of children worldwide?
 * ...that Mather Tower, the headquarters building for Mather Stock Car Company built in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois, has the smallest floor size of any of Chicago's skyscrapers?
 * ...that the Common Travel Area which allows Irish and British people to travel without passports between their countries is not the result of any treaty or law, but simply the lack of any law requiring a passport?


 * ...that Ninety Mile Beach in Victoria, Australia is the longest uninterrupted stretch of sandy coastline in the world?
 * ...that in Operation Saturn, the Red Army drove the Axis Powers out of the Caucasus and back across the Donets River in the winter of 1942–1943?
 * ...that Russian-born Yiddish playwright Peretz Hirshbein tried his hand at farming, both in the Catskills and in Argentina?
 * ...that Dr. Angel Ramos is one of the few deaf Hispanics in the United States to hold a doctorate?


 * ...that in the 1950s and 1960s, some residents of mid-rise apartment buildings would sleep outside on the unsafe platforms of their fire escapes during hot summers?
 * ...that the England football squad for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico contained two players called Gary Stevens?
 * ...that up to 2 million people may be living in an unknown number of Russian closed cities, which are off-limits to foreigners because they have sensitive military and nuclear industry?