Pointless Facts Thread

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

In the original Grimm brothers' fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the wicked Queen was condemned to dance in red-hot iron shoes until she died.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The French phrase jeunesse dorée, which refers to wealthy, stylish, sophisticated people, translates literally to “gilded youth.”

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

It only snows about 2 inches per year over most of Antarctica. The coldest temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Antarctica -128.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Mark Twain referred to the accordion as the "stomach Steinway."

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The Mongol conqueror Timur the Lame (1336-1405), played polo with the skulls of those he had killed in battle. Timur left record of his victories by erecting 30-foot-high pyramids made of the severed heads of his victims.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

At age 14, Tom Cruise enrolled in a seminary to become a priest, but dropped out after one year.

 

[The Flood]

Gandhi weighed 80 lbs...

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The odd zigzag in the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, just south of Charlotte, resulted when boundary commissioners altered the line in 1772 to avoid splitting the Catawba Indians between the two British colonies

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

As each and every cut and polished diamond is the result of the meticulous work of skilled masters, only one polished diamond in a thousand weighs more than a carat.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The female name Nicole is from Greek and translates to "victory of the people."

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Spider silk is an extremely strong material and its on-weight basis has been proven to be stronger than steel. Experts suggest that a pencil-thick strand of silk could stop a Boeing 747 in flight.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Christopher Columbus had blond hair

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Crabs and other crustaceans can escape danger by simply discarding an injured or trapped limb.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The color combination with the strongest visual impact is black on yellow. Next to follow black on white, yellow on black, white on black, dark blue on white, and white on dark blue.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

A "winkle" is an edible sea snail.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The name "piano" is an abbreviation of Cristofori's original name for the instrument: piano et forte, or soft and loud.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

It is estimated that 1.8 billion light bulbs are manufactured each year in the United States.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Japan consists of the four large islands of Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and about three thousand smaller islands.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

During the Renaissance, laws were passed that prescribed which fashions could not be worn by the lower classes, so as to keep social distinctions intact. Queen Elizabeth of England would not allow the ruff to be worn by commoners; in Florence, women of the lower class were not allowed to use buttons of certain shapes and materials.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Rap artist Sean "Puffy" Combs had his first job at age two when he modeled in an ad for Baskin-Robbins ice-cream shops.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

More immigrants settle in the state California than in any other state. In 1990, they made up more than 30 percent of all immigrants to the United States. Most immigrants settling in California come from Asian-Pacific countries such as Japan and China.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

At the famous Yankee Stadium in the New York City borough of the Bronx, bleachers in right-center are often referred to as "Ruthville" and "Gehrigville". The green curtain in back of centerfield is sometimes raised and lowered like a window shade to force visiting batters to face a background of white-shirted bleacher fans, while allowing Yankees hitters to face a dark green background. It is sometimes removed in World Series play to sell more seats

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

The population of the entire world in 5000 B.C., according to the National Population Council, was 5 million.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Winston Churchill's mother, the former New York socialite Jennie Jerome, invented the Manhattan cocktail – whiskey and sweet vermouth.

 

[Erik Magnus Lehnsherr]

Mass infestation by scales threatened to destroy the burgeoning California citrus groves in the late 19th century. Orchard owners gained complete control of the scale insects within two years after vedalia ladybugs were imported. The operation cost less than $5,000 and saved millions of dollars annually. In the 1940s, DDT spray programs eliminated the ladybugs, and scales reappeared in force. Reintroduction of the beetle and tempering of chemical applications again saved the citrus industry. Vedalia ladybugs now help control scales in more than 60 countries.