Some of the best trivia you wish to share with others

Equus, Was "ignorant' acceptable?

Yes, I could say "ignorant" all I wanted.

Ignorant.
Ignorant.
Ignorant.

Funny you should say that! One of the other great lessons as a child was that you should never think badly of stupid people because they cannot help it, whereas ignorant people can help it but will not.

I didn't define those two words that closely; just called myself "stupid" or "ignorant" as the situation warranted. Sometimes "dummy" sufficed.

The reason cabs are yellow was the creation of John Hertz, a Chicago car dealer who turned his excess cars into cabs to attract riders. John Hertz also started another business, DriveUrSelf, which later became Hertz Rent-A-Car.

There's been a long term mystery whether Columbus' remains is actually inside the tombs in Seville. Scientists have now confirmed through DNA that "some" of his remains are indeed there.

We were told by our guide on our visit to Seville that Columbus traveled more after death than he did while alive.

Updated: 9:27 a.m. MT May 19, 2006

MADRID, Spain - Scientists said Friday they have confirmed that at least some of Christopher Columbus' remains were buried inside a Spanish cathedral, a discovery that could help end a century-old debate over the explorer's final resting place.

DNA samples from 500-year-old bone slivers could contradict the Dominican Republic's competing claim that the explorer was laid to rest in the New World, said Marcial Castro, a Spanish historian and teacher who devised the study that began in 2002.

However, some of Columbus' remains also could have been buried in the Dominican Republic, he said.

9/10 but took 831 seconds to complete it... googling time! I actually knew only one answer.

other corpse trivia:

Daniel Boone's grave is also in question. He was originally buried in Defiance, Missouri in 1820, but his family dug him up in 1845 and moved him to Frankfort, Kentucky. BUT...Missourians claim that the family exhumed the wrong grave and insist that Boone's body is still in Defiance. So Boone has two graves in two different states.

Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, was disinterred from Westminster Abbey 25 years after his death, his head was removed, and the head was in private collections until 1992 when it was reburied in Sussex.

Charlie Chaplin's corpse was stolen in 1978 but eventually recovered.

Poet/playwright Ben Jonson was buried standing up. He had asked Charles I for a square foot of space in Westminster Abbey, and that is exactly what he got.

English philospher Jeremy Bentham provided in his will that his corpse be preserved and present for all board meetings of the University College Hospital in London. The embalmers made a mistake on his head, so currently a wax head rests on the embalmed body, in a mahogany case in the Hospital board room.

One-third of the population of the Republic of Palau observes the religion
of Modekngei.

:wink:

The Archives of the New York Times extend all the way back to 1851.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Modekngei is a monotheistic religious movement founded around 1915 by Temedad, a native of the island of Babeldaob that spread throughout Palau. The full name is Ngara Modekngei, which means United Sect. It rose to political ascendancy between the world wars and is currently observed by one third of Palau's population.

Modekngei origins were as a nonviolent opposition to the Japanese occupation and are an amalgamation of native animistic and Christian beliefs carried on in an oral tradition of chants called keskes, tending to reinforce the native culture heritage.

Richard Lawrence was the first person to attempt to assassinate a US President.

Lawrence believed he was the rightful King Richard IV of Great Britain (he had no legitimate claim) and that the US Government was obstructing his accession to the throne. He attempted to shoot President Andrew Jackson as he was leaving the funeral of a US Congressman in January, 1835. He carried two pistols- the first pistol misfired and the second was useless because the ball had rolled out into his pocket. He was wrestled to the ground by several persons, including Congressman Davy Crockett (Alamo). The prosecuting attorney was Francis Scott Key (Star Spangled Banner). Lawrence spent the rest of his life in an insane asylum.

Later failed assassin John Hinckley Jr (Ronald Reagan, 1981) was committed to the same asylum where Lawrence died in 1861.

According to MSNBC, one in every 136 US residents is behind bars.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12901873/?GT1=8199

The distance between White Sox park in Chicago and Wrigley Field is 8 miles.

Miller, Talking about "distance," at least the White Sox won the 2005 Championships.

Islam has 1.1 billion adherents in 184 countries and is the second largest
religion in the world.

USA Today is the number newspaper in Circulation in the USA, having a circulation of 2,635,412.

Sir Paul McCartney ( former Beattle ) has a net value of $1.1. billion.

Sir John Lennons' middle name: Winston

Lew Alcindor changed his name to: Abdul-Jabbar.

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