Trivia Today

Heroism is latent in every human soul - However humble or unknown, they (the veterans) have renounced what are accounted pleasures and cheerfully undertaken all the self-denials - privations, toils, dangers, sufferings, sicknesses, mutilations, life...: Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain.

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Memorial day was first celebrated on May 30, 1868. It was
observed by placing flowers on the graves of Union and
Confederate soldiers during the first national celebration.
Gen. James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National
Cemetery, after which around 5,000 participants helped to
decorate the graves of the more than 20,000 Union and
Confederate soldiers who were buried there.


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Since the late 1950’s on the Thursday just before Memorial
day, around 1200 soldiers of the 3d U.S. Infantry place
small American flags at each of the more than 260,000
gravestones at Arlington National Cemetery.

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On Memorial Day, the flag should be at half-staff until
noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.


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Moina Michael came up with an idea of wearing red poppies
on Memorial day in honor of those who died serving the
nation during war. She was the first to wear one, and sold
poppies to her friends and co-workers with the money going
to benefit servicemen in need.

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In the year 2000 the National Moment of Remembrance
Resolution ******. At 3pm on Memorial Day all Americans
are asked to voluntarily and informally observe in their
own way a moment of remembrance and respect by pausing
from whatever they are doing for a moment of silence or
listening to Taps.

***

The south refused to honor the dead on Memorial Day until
after World War I when the meaning of Memorial Day changed
from honoring civil war dead to honoring Americans who died
fighting in any war.

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With each passing day, I didn't lose hope. I fought to have more: Amy Tan.

Your random dose of trivia for the day!

In 2002, a Guangzhou sporting goods company opened a factory
to make 100,000 ping-pong tables annually.

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The red granite obelisk on the Victoria Embankment in London
was originally erected in Heliopolis in Egypt.

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The two top selling spices in the world are pepper and
mustard.

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Emily Dickinson only published seven poems in her lifetime,
but many more saw print after her death.

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Many Americans tended to save rather than spend the 1964
Kennedy half-dollar.

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A group of larks is called an exaltation.
 
A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person: Mignon McLaughlin.

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It is customary, near the end of the reception, for the
single female guests to gather around the bride who will
throw her bouquet over her shoulder for one of them to
catch. Originally, the bride would actually throw one of
her shoes over her shoulder during this ritual. Tradition
says that whoever catches the bouquet shall be the next to
marry.

***

It is believed that an unmarried male guest who keeps a
piece of wedding cake under his pillow as he ****** will
increase his chances of finding a mate. An unmarried
bridesmaid who does the same will ***** of her future
husband.

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The custom of throwing rice at the newlywed couple was to
symbolize fertility. In some cultures, it was not rice
which was thrown, but rather small cakes or pieces of a
crumbled cake.

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In old England it was traditional to bake a ring into the
wedding cake as a symbol of bliss and happiness. The guest
whose piece of cake contained the ring, it was said, could
look forward to a full year of uninterrupted happiness.

***

Another old English custom was to throw a plate with a
piece of wedding cake out of a window on the occasion of
the bride's first return to her ****** home after the
wedding. If the plate broke she could expect a happy
future with her husband - but if the plate remained intact,
prospects for the future became grim.

***

Cutting the wedding cake together, still a predominant
ritual at weddings, symbolizes the couple's unity, their
shared future, and their life together as one.
 
There is no more lovely, friendly and charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage: Martin Luther.

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Cakes have played a part of weddings all through history.
The Romans shared a plain cake of flour, salt and water
during the wedding ceremony itself, as Native Americans
still do today. The traditional fruit cake originated in
Britain, with the fruit and nuts being a symbol of
fertility.

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Tradition says that the first member of the newlywed couple
to purchase a new item following the wedding will be the
dominant ***** in the relationship. As such, to this day
some superstitious brides will pre-arrange to buy a small
item from one of the bridesmaids immediately following the
ceremony!

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The tradition of having members of the wedding party dress
alike was started with the hopes that this would cause
confusion for the spirits and send them on their way.

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Playing pranks on the newlywed couple was also a tradition
which began with the intentions of warding off evil spirits.
Loyal friends of the couple would do this in hopes that the
spirits would take pity on the couple for already being
picked upon enough, and would then leave the couple alone.

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The tradition of tying tin cans to the back of the
newlywed's vehicle originated long ago when items which
would produce noise were tied to the back of the couple's
carriage to scare away evil spirits.

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In times past, if a young man encountered a blind person,
a pregnant woman, or a monk while on his way to propose to
his intended bride, it was believed that the marriage would
be doomed if he continued along because these images were
thought to be bad omens.
 
A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short: Andre Maurois.

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The tradition for the bride to wear white began in the 16th
century and is still commonly followed today. This is a
symbol of the bride's purity and her worthiness of her
*****. The tradition became solidified during the time of
Queen Victoria who rebelled against the royal tradition for
Royal brides to wear silver. Instead, the queen preferred
the symbolism which is expressed by wearing white. The brides
of the time quickly emulated the queen, and the tradition
has continued in full ***** to this day.

***

It was thought that misfortune would come to those who
married during lent - "Marry in Lent, live to repent" -
because lent was a time for abstinence.

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For centuries the month of June has been the most popular
choice for weddings - but the original reason might surprise
you. You see, during the 1400 -1500s, May was the month in
which the "annual bath" occurred. Yes, just as it sounds,
back then people were only able to bathe thoroughly once
each year. As such, since the over-all population was
smelling relatively fresh in June, it was a good time to
hold a special event like a wedding!

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Bad weather on the way to the wedding is believed to
signify unhappiness in the marriage. Traditionally it is
believed that cloudy skies and wind en route to the wedding
will result in a stormy marriage. However, snow on the way
to the wedding is a sign of fertility and prosperity!

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There is an old saying that "the bride wore a green gown".
This implies the belief that she was promiscuous before
marriage and refers to the image of her rolling around in
grassy fields with a young man.

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Traditionally brides have been thought to be particularly
vulnerable to evil spirits. Many wedding customs and
traditions were originated as an attempt to fight away such
evil. The veil was worn with the belief that it would
disguise the bride and fool the evil spirits. It was not
until 1800 in Britain that the veil came to symbolize
modesty and chastity. Today, the veil remains the ultimate
symbol of virginity.
 
Then let us, one and all, be contented with our lot;
The June is here this morning, and the sun is shining hot;
Oh! let us fill our hearts up with the glory of the day,
And banish ev'ry doubt and care and sorrow far away.
: James Whitcomb Riley.


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June is named for the Roman goddess Juno, wife of Jupiter
and the Greek equivalent of the goddess Hera.


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In both common and leap years, no other month begins on the
same day of the week as June. This month and May are the
only two months that have this.

***

Flag Day is observed in the United States on June 14. It
commemorates the day in 1777 when the Continental Congress
adopted the Stars and Stripes as our flag. It then had only
13 stars, to match its 13 stripes.


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June's birthstone is the pearl, the Moonstone (gemstone),
and the Alexandrite. The meaning is health & longevity.
The rose is the flower for the month of June.

***

The Philippines' Independence Day is on June 12. Sweden
celebrates flag day, its national holiday, on June 6.
Finland's flag day is the Saturday closest to June 24.

***

The solstice called the Summer solstice in the northern
hemisphere and the Winter solstice in the southern
hemisphere occurs on dates varying from June 22-23. In the
pagan wheel of the year the summer solstice is the time of
Litha and the winter solstice is that of Yule.
 
Comics are words and pictures. You can do anything with words and pictures: Harvey Pekar.

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In 1895, the New York World, owned by Joseph Pulitzer,
begins publishing a series of comics by Richard Outcault
taking place in Hogan's Alley, and featuring a boy in a
yellow nightshirt who becomes known as "The Yellow ***."

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In 1897, Rudolph Dirks's The Katzenjammer **** appears for
the first time in the New York Journal on December 12. It
stars a set of twin brothers, Hans and Fritz, and is the
first strip to tell a story in a series of panels. It is
still running today, as the oldest strip in syndication.

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In 1905, Little Nemo in Slumberland, by Winsor McCay, begins
running in the New York Herald. The first comic with a
continuing story, it is still noted as one of the most
richly illustrated comic strips of all time.

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In 1907, Mutt and Jeff becomes the first successful daily
comic strip. Originally known as A. Mutt, Jeff joins the
cast the following year. In addition to being a newspaper
strip, it gets made into a series of animated films
starting in 1913. The strip continues to be published
through 1982.

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In 1919, Frank King's Gasoline Alley begins. It is the
first strip ever to have characters who age in real time.
Characters go to war, marry, have ********, and so on. The
strip is still running today.

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In 1920, Winnie Winkle debuts, chronicling the trials of a
woman working to support her ******. While not the first
comic to feature a working woman, it is the first to gain
widespread attention. It lasts until 1996.
 
historylover said:
In 1920, Winnie Winkle debuts, chronicling the trials of a
woman working to support her ******. While not the first
comic to feature a working woman, it is the first to gain
widespread attention. It lasts until 1996.
Click to expand...

I take it they didn't publish it in the Bible Belt.
 
The Internet is the world's largest library. It's just that all the books are on the floor: John Allen Paulos.

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1969 - ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) goes
online in December, connecting four major U.S. universities.
Designed for research, education, and government
organizations, it provides a communications network linking
the country in the event that a military ****** destroys
conventional communications systems.

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1972 - Electronic mail is introduced by Ray Tomlinson, a
Cambridge, Mass., computer scientist. He uses the @ to
distinguish between the sender's name and network name in
the email address.

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1982 - The word “Internet” is used for the first time.

1984 - Domain Name System (DNS) is established, with
network addresses identified by extensions such as .com,
.org, and .edu. Writer William Gibson coins the term
“cyberspace.”

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1985 - Quantum Computer Services, which later changes its
name to America Online, debuts. It offers email, electronic
bulletin boards, news, and other information.

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1989 - The World (world.std.com) debuts as the first
provider of dial-up Internet access for consumers. Tim
Berners-Lee of CERN (European Laboratory for Particle
Physics) develops a new technique for distributing
information on the Internet. He calls it the World Wide
Web.

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1995 - CompuServe, America Online, and Prodigy start
providing dial-up Internet access. Sun Microsystems
releases the Internet programming language called Java.
The Vatican launches its own website, Premium Link Upgrade .
 
Never trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain: J.K. Rowling.

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1981 - Apple Viruses 1, 2, and 3 are some of the first
viruses “in the wild,” or in the public domain. Found on
the Apple II operating system, the viruses spread through
Texas A&M via pirated computer games.

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1988 - One of the most common viruses, Jerusalem, is
unleashed. Activated every Friday the 13th, the virus
affects both .exe and .com files and deletes any programs
run on that day. MacMag and the Scores virus cause the
first major Macintosh outbreaks.

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1990 - Symantec launches Norton AntiVirus, one of the first
antivirus programs developed by a large company.

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1994 - Good Times email hoax tears through the computer
community. The hoax warns of a malicious virus that will
erase an entire hard drive just by opening an email with
the subject line “Good Times.” Though disproved, the hoax
resurfaces every six to twelve months.

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1999 - The Melissa virus, W97M/Melissa, executes a macro in
a document attached to an email, which forwards the document
to 50 people in the user's Outlook address book. The virus
also infects other Word documents and subsequently mails
them out as attachments. Melissa spread faster than any
previous virus, infecting an estimated 1 million PCs.

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2000 - The Love Bug, also known as the ILOVEYOU virus,
sends itself out via Outlook, much like Melissa. The virus
comes as a VBS attachment and deletes files, including MP3,
MP2, and .JPG. It also sends usernames and passwords to the
virus's author.
 
And the virus history lives on. Just give me a few minutes with the geek(s) responsible for these viruses....:crash:
 
For death is no more than a turning of us over from time to eternity: William Penn.

RANDOM TIDBITS - Crimes of the 20th Century

Charles Lindberg, the 20-month-old *** of American aviator
Charles Lindberg, was ********* and ********. The baby's
remains were found on the side of the road near the Lindberg
home. An autopsy revealed that baby Charles had died from a
blow to the head shortly after being taken from his home.

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In 1924, University of Chicago students Nathan Leopold and
Richard Loeb ******** a 14-year-old boy because they were
bored and wanted to see if they could get away with the
perfect crime. The two were convicted and served several
years in prison together. In 1936, Loeb was ******** by his
cell mate. Leopold was released on parole in 1958, after 33
years in prison.

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In 1947, a nude female corpse severed at the waist was
discovered. The 22-year-old victim, Elizabeth Short, was
nicknamed "Black Dahlia" for her habit of wearing black
clothing.

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In 1969, actress Sharon Tate and several others were
******** in Tate's home. Tate was ****** by Charles
Manson's followers despite being eight and a half months
pregnant. Her unborn *** also died.

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In the 1970s, Chicago businessman John Wayne Gacy, Jr.
*****, ********, and ****** at least 33 men and boys. The
remains of most of his victims were found in the crawlspace
under his house. After his arrest, police pulled the remains
of 27 bodies from beneath Gacy's house.

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In 1997, Andrew Cunanan, 27, went on a cross-country *******
spree that left people dead. One of his victims was
billionaire clothing designer Gianni Versace. Versace was
shot by Cunanan in front of his Miami Beach mansion.
 
The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate: Joseph Priestly.

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The world's first e-mail message was sent in 1971 by Ray
Tomlinson.

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Unsolicited email earned the name "spam" because it
resembled a Monty Python skit where a chorus of Vikings
drowned out other sounds by singing "spam, spam, spam."

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The time spent deleting SPAM costs United States businesses
$21.6 billion annually.

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Thirty-five billion e-mails are sent each day throughout
the world.

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During Bill Clinton's entire eight year presidency, he
only sent two e-mails. One was to John Glenn when he was
aboard the space shuttle, and the other was a test of the
e-mail system.

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Seventy seven percent of Yahoo! Mail poll respondents said
they are more aggravated by weeding through spam than they
are by cleaning a dirty toilet.
 
historylover said:
During Bill Clinton's entire eight year presidency, he
only sent two e-mails. One was to John Glenn when he was
aboard the space shuttle, and the other was a test of the
e-mail system.
Click to expand...

I love your posts, i read them every day. But I find this impossible to believe. I must go look this up....
 
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