Icebergs And Sunshine, Both Make The Fact File Today.

February 3, 2015January 6, 2015 fasab Factoids, Unusual 671 Lincoln Avenue, acoustics, agave tequilana Weber, aguamiel, all right, Aston Martin, bathroom, blue agave, Bond, bottle of champagne, car tires, champagne bottle, Chicago, Daniel Craig, deadliest spare-related accidents, education, Egyptian mythology, Egyptian pyramids, England, Entertainment, exploded, fact, factoid, factoids, factory, facts, farm, farmer, first video uploaded to YouTube, first words uttered on YouTube, flight of death, floating, French words, George Washington, greatest threat to your health, Greece, grew marijuana, Harry Potter, heart disease, historic ship, Home Alone, honey water, hot chilies, Hot Sauce and Hot Chili Pepper Eating Contest, hotness, ICBM, iceberg, Illinois, immigrant, infamous, information, Jawed Karim, Karim, killed, Large Cayenne Pepper, last surviving Mayflower passenger, launch pad, lower your risk of heart disease, Mary Allerton, Massachusetts, Mayflower, McCallister´s house, Me at the zoo, movie, Nedelin Catastrophe, New World, Nikita Khrushchev, North Carolina, passengers, permanent residence, plant, Plymouth, Plymouth Colony, popped cork, pressure, realm of the dead, relaxing place, San Diego Zoo, Scoville Heat Units, secret, setting sun, shower, sing in shower, single-family house, so here we are in front of the elephants, Soviet Premier, Soviet R-16 rocket, Sunniest Country In Europe, sunny, sunshine, syrup, Tequila, The Orange Habenero, Titanic, tourist attraction, transported the first Pilgrims, trivia, video, village, Voldemort, west bank of the River Nile, Winnetka, Yakov Lapitsky, YouTube cofounder

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Another contrasting day of facts here at the fasab blog.

And what could be more of a contrast than icebergs and sunshine?

Find out more below.

Enjoy.

Contrary to popular belief,

the ‘t’ at the end of Voldemort,

who features in the Harry Potter stories,

is silent.

The name comes from the French

words meaning “flight of death.”

In North Carolina each year there is a

Hot Sauce and Hot Chili Pepper Eating Contest,

consisting of 5 rounds in which the participants

have to eat increasingly hot chilies.

The hotness of chilies is based on Scoville Heat Units.

In the first round, each contestant starts out with a

Large Cayenne Pepper (Long Hots) (500-2,500 SU)

and those who make it all the way to the last fifth round

have to deal with The Orange Habenero (100,000-300,000 SU).

Crikey!

Apparently Greece Is the “Sunniest” Country in Europe

enjoying on average more than 250 days of sunshine

(three thousand hours) a year,

which also makes it one of the

most sunny countries in the world.

Daniel Craig is able to take any

Aston Martin from the factory

for the rest of his life,

because of his time as Bond.

Tequila is made from the blue agave,

or agave tequilana Weber.

According to WebMD, the core of the plant

contains aguamiel or “honey water,”

which is used for syrup (and tequila) production.

All Egyptian pyramids were built

on the west bank of the River Nile,

which as the site of the setting sun

and was associated with the realm of

the dead in Egyptian mythology.

The more education you have,

the lower your risk of heart disease,

however, in spite of that, heart disease

is still the greatest threat to your health.

The infamous iceberg that sank the Titanic

has been floating around since about 1,000 B.C.

Why do people sing in shower?

One theory is that they might simply feel

more comfortable in the shower

since it is a relaxing place

and they are by themselves.

Or it may be because the acoustics

are better in the bathroom,

so the chances of you sounding

like a great singer are higher.

Although it is supposed to be in Chicago,

the McCallister´s house in the movie Home Alone

is actually located at 671 Lincoln Avenue

in the village of Winnetka, Illinois.

The three-story single-family house

was listed for sale at $2.4 million in 2011

and sold for $1.585 million in 2012.

The house is now promoted as a tourist attraction.

As a farmer,

George Washington grew marijuana

on his farm and promoted its growth.

The October 24, 1960 saw one of the

deadliest spare-related accidents in history,

when a Soviet R-16 rocket (an ICBM) exploded

on the launch pad during testing.

72 workers were killed.

Soviet Premier at the time, Nikita Khrushchev,

demanded it be kept secret.

Today it is known as the Nedelin Catastrophe.

A bottle of champagne contains

90 pounds or pressure per square inch,

which is three times the pressure found in car tires.

The popped cork from a champagne bottle

travels as fast as 60 miles per hour

and can cause some serious damage.

Mary Allerton was an immigrant

who established a permanent residence in

Plymouth Colony, which we know today as Massachusetts.

She was one of the many passengers of on the Mayflower,

the historic ship that transported the first Pilgrims,

from Plymouth, England, to the New World.

She was only four years old when she boarded the ship

and would die almost 80 years later,

making history as the last surviving Mayflower passenger.

The first video uploaded to YouTube,

titled “Me at the zoo,”

made its debut on April 23, 2005.

The nineteen-second video was shot by Yakov Lapitsky

and shows YouTube cofounder Jawed Karim

at the San Diego Zoo.

It also contains the first words uttered on YouTube

which were

“All right, so here we are in front of the elephants”

when Karim was trying to “charm” the camera.

====================================

Significant Number Factoid Friday – Today The Number Had To Be 1776

July 4, 2014 fasab Factoids, Numbers 1776, Adam Smith, Adam Weishaupt, America, American colonies, American Continental Army, American Continental Navy, American Continentals, American friends, American gunboats, American navy, American Patriots, American Patriots Royal Navy, American Revolution, American Revolutionary War, American Southwest, American submersible craft Turtle, americans, an independent nation, Andrew Doria, Arctic, Assembly of New Hampshire, Austria, Bahamas, battle, Battle of Harlem Heights, Battle of Long Island, Battle of Pell's Point, Battle of the Rice Boats, Battle of Trenton, Battle of White Plains, Bavaria, Benedict Arnold, Benjamin Franklin, bigamy, bird tail, Boston, Bowling Green, Brigadier General Benedict Arnold, British, British Admiral Richard Howe's flagship HMS Eagle, British authority, British control, British fleet, British parliament, British Royal Navy, Brooklyn, California, Captain James Cook, Chatterton Hill, Cherokee, Cherokee Nation, cock tail, Col. Johann Rall, Committee of Five, common sense, Continental Army, Continental Congress, Continental Congress delegates, Continental Union Flag, crossed the Delaware River, Crown Prince Paul, customer, declaration of independence, Delaware General Assembly, Doncaster, Dorchester Heights, Duchess of Kingston, Dutch flag, education, Edward Gibbon, England, enlistment of free blacks, Entertainment, espionage, facts, fatal, Father Francisco Palou, first Europeans, first governor, first state constitution, first US fraternity, Fort Orange, Fort Washington, France, Francisco Atanasio Domínguez, Francisco Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, French support, Gen George Washington, George III of Great Britain, George Mason, George Washington, Gregorian calendar, Guadeloupe, Haffner, Halifax Resolves, hanged, happy Fourth of July, Hessian mercenaries, Hessian troops, HMS Resolution, horse races, hurricane, Illuminati, independence day, independence from British rule, Ingolstadt, interrogation torture, invading spaceships, Jersey bank, Johannes de Graaff, Juan Bautista de Anza, Julian calendar, King George III, Kips Bay, Lake Champlain, leap year, Lee Resolution, Liberty Bell, Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen, loyalist leaders, Lt Jose Joaquin Moraga, Manhattan, Marines, Marquis de Lafayette, Massachusetts, McKonkey's Ferry, MDCCLXXVI, Mission Dolores, Mission San Francisco de Asis, Monterey Presidio, Moore's Creek bridge, Mozart, Nassau, Nathan Hale, new york, New York City, New York Harbor, Norfolk, North Carolina, number, number factoid, numbers, Pacific Ocean, pamphlet, Patriot cannons, Patriot forces, patriot victory, peace conference, Phi Beta Kappa, Philadelphia, Plymouth, Presidio of San Francisco, Province of Georgia, published, rebels, renounce allegiance to King George III of Great Britain, Rhode Island, Richard Caswell, Richard Henry Lee, Roman numerals, Royal Colony of North Carolina, Royal Navy, Russia, Salzburg, San Francisco, Santa Fe, Savannah River, Scottish economist, Scottish North Carolina Loyalists, Second Continental Congress, Serenade No. 7, Significant Number Factoid Friday, significant numbers, Sir Guy Carleton, Sophie Marie Dorothea, South Carolina, Spaniards, spy, St Leger, State of North Carolina, Staten Island, successful assault, The American Crisis, The Bronx, The Crisis, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, the Rockies, the Sierras, The Wealth of Nations, the world's first submarine attack, These are the times that try men's souls, third voyage, thirteen colonies, Thomas Paine, time bomb, Trenton, United States Declared Independence, Valcour Island, Virginia, Virginia Convention of Delegates, Virginia Declaration of Rights, vote for independence, Washington, Washington's troops, Württemberg, William & Mary College, William Howe, Wilmington

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Hello everyone.

And a very happy Fourth of July to everyone, particularly my American friends.

Independence Day again, and no sign of invading spaceships so I’m assuming its safe to do another number factoid.

And what else could it be today other than 1776, the year America became an independent nation.

Here we go.

Enjoy

And where else to start but with….

American Revolutionary War

On January 1^st, 1776 Gen George Washington hoisted the Continental Union Flag. The same day the town of Norfolk, Virginia, was destroyed by the combined actions of the British Royal Navy and occupying Patriot forces.
On Jan 5^th the Assembly of New Hampshire adopts its 1st state constitution.
On January 10^th Thomas Paine published his pamphlet Common Sense “written by an Englishman” in Philadelphia arguing for independence from British rule in what were then the Thirteen Colonies.

On Jan 16^th the Continental Congress approves enlistment of free blacks.
On February 27^th Scottish North Carolina Loyalists charge across Moore’s Creek bridge near Wilmington to attack what they mistakenly believed to be a small force of rebels. Several loyalist leaders are killed in the ensuing battle. The patriot victory virtually ended all British authority in the province.
On March 2^nd and 3^rd the American Continental Navy and Marines made a successful assault on Nassau, Bahamas, and in the Battle of the Rice Boats, American Patriots resisted the Royal Navy on the Savannah River effectively ending British control over the Province of Georgia.
On March 4^th American Patriots capture Dorchester Heights thereby dominating the port of Boston, Massachusetts. Threatened by the Patriot cannons on Dorchester Heights, the British evacuate Boston on March 17^th.
On April 12^th the Royal Colony of North Carolina produced the Halifax Resolves making it the first British colony officially to authorize its Continental Congress delegates to vote for independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On May 4^th Rhode Island became the first American colony to renounce allegiance to King George III of Great Britain.
On June 7^th Richard Henry Lee of Virginia proposed to the Second Continental Congress (meeting in Philadelphia) that “these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states.”
On June 11^th the Continental Congress appointed a Committee of Five to draft a Declaration of Independence.

On June 12^th the Virginia Declaration of Rights by George Mason was adopted by the Virginia Convention of Delegates and three days later on June 15^th the Delaware General Assembly voted to suspend government under the British Crown.
On July 2^nd the final (despite minor revisions) U.S. Declaration of Independence was written. The Continental Congress passed the Lee Resolution.
And as we all know, on July 4^th the United States Declared Independence: The Continental Congress ratified the declaration by the United States of its independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
On July 8^th the Liberty Bell rang in Philadelphia for the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence and the following day an angry mob in New York City toppled the equestrian statue of George III of Great Britain in Bowling Green.

On August 2^nd most of the American colonies ratify the Declaration of Independence.
On August 15^th the first Hessian troops land on Staten Island to join British forces.
On August 27^th in the Battle of Long Island, Washington’s troops were routed in Brooklyn by British under William Howe.
On September 1^st the Cherokee Nation was invaded by 6,000 patriot troops from Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina begins. The troops destroyed thirty-six Cherokee towns.
On September 7^th saw the world’s first submarine attack when the American submersible craft Turtle attempted to attach a time bomb to the hull of British Admiral Richard Howe’s flagship HMS Eagle in New York Harbor.
On September 11^th an abortive peace conference took place between British and Americans on Staten Island.
On September 15^th British troops landed on Manhattan at Kips Bay.
On September 16^th in the Battle of Harlem Heights, the Continental Army under Washington are victorious against the British on Manhattan.
On September 22^nd the British hanged spy Nathan Hale in New York City for espionage.
The following month, on October 11^th on Lake Champlain near Valcour Island, a British fleet led by Sir Guy Carleton defeated 15 American gunboats commanded by Brigadier General Benedict Arnold. Although nearly all of Arnold’s ships are destroyed, the two day-long battle gave Patriot forces enough time to prepare defenses of New York City.
On October 18^th in the Battle of Pell’s Point, forces of the American Continental Army resisted a British and Hessian force in The Bronx, whilst on October 28 in the Battle of White Plains, British forces attacked and captured Chatterton Hill from the Americans.
On October 26^th Benjamin Franklin departed from America for France on a mission to seek French support for the American Revolution.

The last day of that month, October 31^st saw King George III make his first speech before British Parliament since the Declaration of Independence that summer, in which in perhaps the understatement of the year, told the British Parliament that all was not going well for Britain in the war with the United States.
On November 16^th Hessian mercenaries under Lieutenant General Wilhelm von Knyphausen captured Fort Washington from the American Continentals. The captain of the American navy ship Andrew Doria fired a salute to the Dutch flag on Fort Orange and Johannes de Graaff answers with eleven gun shots.
On December 7^th the Marquis de Lafayette attempted to enter the American military as a major general.
And on December 21^st the Royal Colony of North Carolina reorganizes into the State of North Carolina after adopting its own constitution. Richard Caswell becomes the first governor of the newly formed state.
On December 23^rd Thomas Paine, living with Washington’s troops, began publishing The American Crisis, containing the stirring phrase, “These are the times that try men’s souls.”
At Christmas 1776, Gen. George Washington ordered the first issue of The Crisis to be read to his troops on Christmas Eve, then at 6 p.m. all 2600 of them march to McKonkey’s Ferry, crossed the Delaware River and land on the Jersey bank at 3 a.m.
And finally December 26^th saw the Battle of Trenton, in which Washington’s troops surprised and defeated the 1500 Hessian troops under the command of Col. Johann Rall outside Trenton, taking 948 prisoners while suffering only 5 wounded.

In other things and other places in 1776

The year 1776 was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and a leap year starting on Friday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar.
In Roman Numerals 1776 is written as MDCCLXXVI.
On January 2^nd Austria ended interrogation torture
On February 17^th Edward Gibbon published the first volume of his famous work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.

On March 9^th Scottish economist Adam Smith published The Wealth of Nations in London.
On March 28^th Juan Bautista de Anza found the site for the Presidio of San Francisco.
On April 15^th the Duchess of Kingston was found guilty of bigamy.
On May 1^st Adam Weishaupt founded the Illuminati in Ingolstadt, Bavaria.
On June 17^th Lt. Jose Joaquin Moraga leads a band of colonists from Monterey Presidio, landing on June 29^th and constructing the Mission Dolores of the new Presidio of San Francisco.
On July 12^th Captain James Cook sets off from Plymouth, England, in HMS Resolution on his third voyage, to the Pacific Ocean and Arctic, which would turn out to be fatal.

On July 21^st Mozart’s Serenade No. 7 (the “Haffner”) is first performed in Salzburg, Austria.
On July 29^th Francisco Silvestre Vélez de Escalante, Francisco Atanasio Domínguez, and eight other Spaniards set out from Santa Fe on an eighteen-hundred mile trek through the American Southwest. They were the first Europeans to explore the vast region between the Rockies and the Sierras.
On September 6^th a hurricane hit Guadeloupe, killing more than 6000 people.
On September 24^th the first of the now very famous St Leger horse races were held at Doncaster, England.
On October 7^th Crown Prince Paul of Russia married Sophie Marie Dorothea of Württemberg.
On October 9^th Father Francisco Palou founded the Mission San Francisco de Asis in what is now San Francisco, California.
On October 18^th in a New York bar decorated with a bird tail, a customer orders “cock tail”.
On December 5^th the first US fraternity, Phi Beta Kappa (William & Mary College), is formed.

The Standard Practice for Conditioning and Testing Textiles is Active Standard ASTM D1776
The Standard Specification for Eye Protective Devices for Paintball Sports is Active Standard ASTM F1776.
MTE M-1776 is a Surge Protective Device
P1776 is the code for solenoid stuck in low/reverse which is a fairly common problem and can be prevented most of the time by keeping the fluid clean.
The 1776 Premier Program offers a venue for highly-committed, elite players to receive professional, year-round coaching and to seek competition at the highest levels of US Youth Soccer.

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Did You Know? – Americans, Chinese, French, Greeks, There’s Facts About All Of Them In Here!

June 10, 2014June 4, 2014 fasab Factoids, Unusual $15 watch, a Chinese father, album, all five vowels, Amazon, americans, ancient Greeks, anonymously, aster, bad, billionaire, bird, blue, britain, British parliament, brown eyes, Buffalo Hangman, calamities, cars, Chinese, Chuck Feeney, cover, Des Moines, Did You Know, dis, disaster, discover, Disneyland, distribution centers, donated, education, Entertainment, Erie County, fact, fact feast, factoid, facts, flying coach, fortune, France, free gift to the world, french, George Washington, Greek, Greeks, Grover Cleveland, hanging, highest per capita, hired a bunch of assassins, homes, information, Jello consumption, kill, laid off, lingerie store, Main Street, melanin, mid 1800s, Mr Feng, naked baby, nickname, Nirvana, no recognition, NY, oiseau, online, passed a law condemning lipstick, patent in photography, planetary positions, rest of the world, room with 23 people, same birthday, seducing men into matrimony by a cosmetic means, serving as sheriff, shortest French word, Spencer Eldon, spring the trap, star, surprised, Texas, The Wizard Of Bras, tigers, trivia, unflattering, US, walk, wasting too much time, White, witchcraft, workers, World of Warcraft character

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, today is a bit of a multi-cultural fact feast.

Hope you enjoy.

Brown eyes are actually blue,

under a layer of melanin.

Billionaire Chuck Feeney donated most of his fortune

anonymously and with no recognition,

while flying coach, owning a $15 watch,

and having no cars or homes.

George Washington was surprised to discover

that the Chinese were not white.

(I wonder how surprised they were to find out he was?)

When it first opened in 1955 Disneyland had

a lingerie store on Main Street called The Wizard Of Bras

In the mid 1800s France gave a crucial patent

in photography as a free gift to the world…

except for Britain who had to pay for it!

Disaster comes from the Greek

“dis” meaning bad,

and “aster”, meaning star.

The ancient Greeks used to blame calamities

on unfavorable planetary positions.

If you are in a room with 23 people,

there’s more than a 50% chance that

two of the people have the same birthday.

There are more tigers living in Texas

than in the rest of the world.

While serving as sheriff of Erie County, N.Y.,

Grover Cleveland had to spring the trap

at a hanging on two occassions.

This earned him the unflattering nickname

“Buffalo Hangman.”

Workers at Amazon’s distribution centers

can be expected to walk up to 11 miles per shift,

picking an order every 33 seconds.

The shortest French word with all

five vowels is “oiseau” meaning bird.

Des Moines has the highest per capita0

Jello consumption in the U.S

In 1770 the British parliament passed a law

condemning lipstick, stating that

” women found guilty of seducing men

into matrimony by a cosmetic means”

could be tried for witchcraft.

Mr Feng, a Chinese father, hired a bunch of assassins

to kill his son’s online World of Warcraft character.

Apparently his son was wasting too much time after being laid off.

Spencer Eldon was the name of the naked baby

on the cover of Nirvana’s album

============================================

Did You Know? – I Bet You Didn’t.

May 20, 2014May 19, 2014 fasab Factoids 2-inch nail, 40, Africa, Anderson Shipp Truman, arriving in port, astronauts, atoms on Earth, Beethoven, body, breathe, British music group, China, cricket chirps, education, Entertainment, fact, factoid, facts, football team, founded, France, french, George Washington, girlfriend, Harry S. Truman, impossible to hum while holding your nose, India, infected, information, iron, mackerel, Manchester United, Match.com, maternal grandfather, Norway, Ohio, paternal grandfather, Penguin, politics, qarante, quarantine, Random, red home strip, ship, shuffle a deck of cards, Simply Red, Solomon Young, spain, swallow, temperature, trivia, United States, US state, Wombat poop is square

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Hello folks. Thanks for stopping by.

Here are today’s factoid offerings.

Hope you enjoy.

You can’t breathe and swallow at the same time.

There are more ways to shuffle a deck of cards

than there are atoms on Earth.

Africa is bigger than the United States, China, India, Spain, France,

and several other countries combined.

Norway once knighted a penguin.

You can get a rough estimate of the temperature by

counting the number of times a cricket chirps in 13 seconds,

then adding 40.

It’s impossible to hum while holding your nose.

Quarantine comes from the French “qarante” for 40.

Whenever a ship arriving in port was suspected of being infected

it had to forego contact with the shore for a period of about 40 days.

On average, astronauts are two inches taller in space.

Ohio is the only U.S. state that doesn’t share

any letters with the word “mackerel.”

(I have no idea who figured that one out,

but they clearly had too much free time on their hands!)

Wombat poop is square.

(Ouch!!!)

There is enough iron in your body to make a 2-inch nail.

The “S” in Harry S. Truman’s full name doesn’t stand for anything.

His parents couldn’t decide on a middle name for over a month,

so they settled on the letter “S” in honor of his maternal grandfather, Solomon Young,

and his paternal grandfather, Anderson Shipp Truman.

The girlfriend of the guy who founded Match.com

left him for a man she met on Match.com.

(So that’s why he did it!)

George Washington was 48 years old

when Beethoven was born.

The British music group ‘Simply Red’

is named because of its love for the football team,

Manchester United, who have a red home strip.

Okay, so who tried to hum while holding their nose, come on?

=====================================

These Quizzes Might Not Quite Be Legend, But Today One Of The Questions Is!

March 10, 2014March 9, 2014 fasab Questions, Tests 25th President of the USA, actors, adaptation, American, American writer, Asia, barbie, board game, British actress, capital city, cocaine smuggling, Colombian city, Communist partisans, ding-a-ling, drug cartel, education, Entertainment, epic movie, Europe, explored, facts, famous singer, first heart transplant operation, foreign occupation forces, fresh raw meat or fish, general knowledge, Geography, George Washington, Gone with the Wind, guitarist, highest peak in North America, history, hit, hot spice, I Am Legend", invade, island, Japanese delicacy, Josip Broz, Ken, kitchen, Mikhail Gorbachev, monopoly, movie, movies, music, national airline of Belgium, news, North Atlantic islands, notorious, novel, Philippines, played, players, policy, politicians, politics, President of the United States of America, questions, quiz, quizzes, raided, Random, Richard Matheson, Russian word, safe, Scandinavia, science, seafaring people, second highest mountain in the world, Second World War, settled, six tokens, sliced, songwriter, South African surgeon, Soviet life, Speaking Aloud, sport, starred, starring, test, tests, traded, Turkish troops, Ukraine, virus, We shall, Will Smith, world, World War II general, Yugoslavia

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes indeed, today one of the questions is legend.

So get your thinking caps on and have a go.

And remember if you get stuck you can find all the answers waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below, but please NO cheating!

Enjoy and good luck.

Q. 1: George Washington was the first President of the United States of America, who was the second?

Q. 2: Barbie’s friend Ken has a last name, what is it?

Q. 3: Most of us have played the board game “Monopoly”, but can you name the six tokens available to the players? (And yes, you get a point for each correct answer.)

Q. 4: Which capital city is also the name of a very hot spice used in the kitchen?

Q. 5: American writer Richard Matheson’s 1954 novel called “I Am Legend” was adapted for a movie of the same name in 2007 starring Will Smith. But this was the third adaptation of the novel, what were the first two and what were the names of the actors in the starring roles? (A point for the name of each movie and further points if you can name the starring actors.)

Q. 6: The world was declared safe from which virus in 1979, after it had killed more than one billion people?

Q. 7: What is the second highest mountain in the world?

Q. 8: Which famous World War II general, who just before retreating from the Philippines in 1942 said, “We shall return”?

Q. 9: Which Colombian city was notorious for being the center of the cocaine smuggling business, the drug cartel responsible even taking the name?

Q. 10: Which island did Turkish troops invade in 1974?

Q. 11: The 25th President of the USA had the highest peak in North America named after him, what was his name?

Q. 12: Who was the British actress who starred in the epic movie “Gone With The Wind” and what part did she play? (A point for each correct answer.)

Q. 13: What was the name of the national airline of Belgium that operated from 1923 until bankruptcy forced its cessation in 2001?

Q. 14: Much in the news currently, what is the capital city of Ukraine?

Q. 15: Josip Broz led the Communist partisans to victory against foreign occupation forces in Yugoslavia during the Second World War. By what name was he later better known?

Q. 16: What was the name of the seafaring people based in Scandinavia, who raided, traded, explored, and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia, and the North Atlantic islands, from the late 8th to the mid-11th centuries?

Q. 17: What is the name of the Japanese delicacy consisting of very fresh raw meat or fish sliced into thin pieces?

Q. 18: Which Russian word meaning “Speaking Aloud” was a policy of Mikhail Gorbachev in order to liberalize various aspects of Soviet life?

Q. 19: Who was the South African surgeon who carried out the first heart transplant operation?

Q. 20: Which famous singer songwriter and guitarist from the 1950s had his most famous hit, and only number one recording, in the 1970s with his ding-a-ling?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: George Washington was the first President of the United States of America, who was the second?

A. 1: John Adams.

Q. 2: Barbie’s friend Ken has a last name, what is it?

A. 2: It’s Carson, the little dude’s full name is Ken Carson!

Q. 3: Most of us have played the board game “Monopoly”, but can you name the six tokens available to the players? (And yes, you get a point for each correct answer.)

A. 3: The Monopoly tokens are a Battleship, a Boot, a Dog, a Flat Iron, a Racing Car, and a Top Hat.

Q. 4: Which capital city is also the name of a very hot spice used in the kitchen?

A. 4: Cayenne (French Guyana).

A. 5: The first big screen adaptation of the novel was “The Last Man on Earth” (1964) which starred Vincent Price, and the second adaptation was “The Omega Man” (1971) starring Charlton Heston.

Q. 6: The world was declared safe from which virus in 1979, after it had killed more than one billion people?

A. 6: Smallpox.

Q. 7: What is the second highest mountain in the world?

A. 7: Located Pakistan, “K2” (also known as Chhogori/Qogir, Ketu/Kechu, and Mount Godwin-Austen) is the second-highest mountain in the world with a peak elevation of 6,811 meters (28,251 feet).

Q. 8: Which famous World War II general, who just before retreating from the Philippines in 1942 said, “We shall return”?

A. 8: General Douglas MacArthur.

Q. 9: Which Colombian city was notorious for being the center of the cocaine smuggling business, the drug cartel responsible even taking the name?

A. 9: Medellin, now thankfully a much more peaceful place.

Q. 10: Which island did Turkish troops invade in 1974?

A. 10: Cyprus.

Q. 11: The 25th President of the USA had the highest peak in North America named after him, what was his name?

A. 11: William McKinley.

Q. 12: Who was the British actress who starred in the epic movie “Gone With The Wind” and what part did she play? (A point for each correct answer.)

A. 12: Vivien Leigh, who played Scarlett O’Hara.

Q. 13: What was the name of the national airline of Belgium that operated from 1923 until bankruptcy forced its cessation in 2001?

A. 13: Best known internationally by the acronym Sabena (SABENA), which is the answer I’m looking for, it was The Societé Anonyme Belge d’Exploitation de la Navigation Aérienne, or Belgian Corporation for Air Navigation Services.

Q. 14: Much in the news currently, what is the capital city of Ukraine?

A. 14: Kiev.

Q. 15: Josip Broz led the Communist partisans to victory against foreign occupation forces in Yugoslavia during the Second World War. By what name was he later better known?

A. 15: President Tito.

A. 16: They were called Vikings or Norsemen, take a point if you gave either answer.

Q. 17: What is the name of the Japanese delicacy consisting of very fresh raw meat or fish sliced into thin pieces?

A. 17: Sashimi. (Not Sushi, which includes cooked vinegared rice.)

Q. 18: Which Russian word meaning “Speaking Aloud” was a policy of Mikhail Gorbachev in order to liberalize various aspects of Soviet life?

A. 18: Glasnost.

Q. 19: Who was the South African surgeon who carried out the first heart transplant operation.

A. 19: Dr Christian Barnard.

Q. 20: Which famous singer songwriter and guitarist from the 1950s had his most famous hit, and only number one recording, in the 1970s with his ding-a-ling?

A. 20: Chuck Berry, have a listen….

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If It’s Facts You Want Here They Are!

January 15, 2014January 14, 2014 fasab Factoids, Unusual Alaska, Alfred Hitchcock, Aliens: Resurrection, allergic to humans, american civil war, Australia, bartenders, bikini, bikini designer, Bob, British tanks, canada, cats, Chinese, cleanest air in the inhabited world, Code of Hammurabi, Continental Army, courtrooms, daily rations, Disneyland, education, educational, Entertainment, fact, facts, females, film of JFK's assassination, general knowledge, George Washington, Gertrude Janeway, good luck, impossible basketball shot, information, Japan, John Janeway, Judges, largest flag, last widow of a Civil War soldier, Louis Reard, make your baby cry, males, military pension, Misc, Miscellaneous, movie, New Jerseys, Northwest Territories, Psycho, quart of beer, Random, renaming, Romania, Sigourney Weaver, sumo wrestler, sun, sunglasses, Tasmania, trivia, US Government, Veterans Administration, Walt Disney, WWI, Zapruder family

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, here they are.

Fifteen more fabulous facts for you.

Hope you find something of interest in this selection.

Enjoy.

When Canada’s Northwest Territories considered renaming itself

in the 1990s, one name that gained support was “Bob.”

Some cats are allergic to humans.

The largest flag ever made was unveiled in Romania on May 27th 2013;

it weighed 5 tons and used 44 miles of thread.

Walt Disney refused to allow Alfred Hitchcock to film at Disneyland

in the early 1960s because he had made “that disgusting movie Psycho.”

George Washington insisted his continental army be permitted

a quart of beer as part of their daily rations.

In Japan,

letting a sumo wrestler make your baby cry

is considered good luck.

Alaska is so big you could fit 75 New Jerseys in it.

Sunglasses were actually invented by the Chinese but not to block the sun.

They were used by judges in courtrooms to hide their emotions.

In 1999, the U.S. government paid the Zapruder family

$16 million for the film of JFK’s assassination.

The last widow of a Civil War soldier died in 2003.

Gertrude Janeway was 18 when she married 81 year old John Janeway in 1927.

When she died she was still receiving a monthly check for $70

from the Veterans Administration for a military pension

earned by her late husband on the Union side of the American Civil War.

The amount spanned three centuries.

Tasmania, Australia has the cleanest air in the inhabited world.

The Code of Hammurabi decreed that bartenders

who watered down beer would be executed.

(And quite right too.)

During WWI, British tanks were initially categorized into “males” and “females.”

Male tanks had cannons, while females had heavy machine guns.

Bikini designer Louis Reard said

a two-piece bathing suit couldn’t be called a bikini

“unless it could be pulled through a wedding ring.”

Sigourney Weaver actually made that

‘impossible’ basketball shot in, Aliens: Resurrection.

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Good Luck, It’s Quiz Day!

November 18, 2013November 16, 2013 fasab Questions, Tests 6th century BC, Academy Award for best actor, Acropolis, American, American town, Athens, Baron von Richthofen, Boris Becker, celestial equator, Charles Laughton, city, Clark Gable, country, cover of the Rolling Stone, Coward of the County, Dr Hook, education, educational, Elvis, Entertainment, fighter squadron, general knowledge, Geoffrey Chaucer, Geography, George Washington, history, James Stewart, John Lennon, knowledge, leader, letter, Ludwig van Beethoven, Mick Jagger, Misc, Miscellaneous, movie, movies, music, National Velvet, nationality, nickname, no apprehension, North America, Northern Exposure, Ozzy Osbourne, Perfect Day, pilgrims, poet, President Kaudu, Prince Guatama Siddhartha, question, questions, quiz, quizzes, Rastafari, religion, Sitting Bull, Soul Man, Spencer Tracy, sport, spring, sun, synonym, tales, television, Temple, tennis player, test, tests, The Lion of Judah, tribe, trivia, tv, TV series, Walk On The Wild Side, William Wordsworth, World War I, Zorba

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Another Monday, another quiz to start the week.

As usual the answers are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down below – but NO cheating!

Enjoy, and good luck!

Q. 1: Who sang ‘Coward of the County’ in 1980?

Q. 2: Of which Native American tribe was Sitting Bull a member?

Q. 3: Which temple stands on the Acropolis in Athens?

Q. 4: Who was the first man to win the Academy Award for best actor two years in a row?

a) Clark Gable

b) James Stewart

c) Charles Laughton

d) Spencer Tracy

Q. 5: What nickname was given to Baron von Richthofen’s fighter squadron in World War I?

Q. 6: Of which country has President Kenneth Kaudu been the leader?

Q. 7: In which fictional American town or city was the TV series Northern Exposure set?

Q. 8: What nationality is tennis player Boris Becker?

Q. 9: Which religion was founded by Prince Guatama Siddhartha in the 6th century BC?

Q. 10: What was the nationality of Zorba in the movie and who played him?

Q. 11: What is the name of Ozzy Osbourne’s wife?

Q. 12: Where were Geoffrey Chaucer’s pilgrims going as they told their tales?

Q. 13: In Rastafari, who is known as ‘The Lion of Judah’?

Q. 14: What term is given to the point in spring when the sun’s path crosses the celestial equator, so that day and night are of approximately equal length?

Q. 15: The composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the poet William Wordsworth were both born in the same year. Which year was it?

Q. 16: On the 7th of January 1785, George Washington became the first man in North America to send which kind of letter?

Q. 17: Who was the young star of ‘National Velvet’ in 1945?

Q. 18: Although its name is a synonym for ‘no apprehension’, which massive revolutionary invention, first introduced in 1906, instilled fear all over the world?

Q. 19: Who was the first person to appear on the cover of the Rolling Stone?

a) Dr Hook

b) Elvis

c) John Lennon

d) Mick Jagger

Q. 20: This ‘Soul Man’ took a ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ and then had a ‘Perfect Day’. Who was he?

ANSWERS

Q. 1: Who sang ‘Coward of the County’ in 1980?

A. 1: Kenny Rogers

Q. 2: Of which American tribe was Sitting Bull a member?

A. 2: Lakota Sioux.

Q. 3: Which temple stands on the Acropolis in Athens?

A. 3: The Parthenon.

Q. 4: Who was the first man to win the Academy Award for best actor two years in a row?

a) Clark Gable

b) James Stewart

c) Charles Laughton

d) Spencer Tracy

A. 4: d) Spencer Tracy (1937 for Captains Courageous and 1938 for Boys Town)

Q. 5: What nickname was given to Baron von Richthofen’s fighter squadron in World War I?

A. 5: ‘Flying Circus’ or ‘Richthofen’s Circus’.

Q. 6: Of which country has President Kaudu been the leader?

A. 6: Zambia.

Q. 7: In which fictional American town or city was the TV series Northern Exposure set?

A. 7: Cicely, Alaska.

Q. 8: What nationality is tennis player Boris Becker?

A. 8: German.

Q. 9: Which religion was founded by Prince Guatama Siddhartha in the 6th century BC?

A. 9: Buddhism.

Q. 10: What was the nationality of Zorba in the movie and who played him?

A. 10: Greek, and he was played by Anthony Quinn.

Q. 11: What is the name of Ozzy Osbourne’s wife?

A. 11: Sharon.

Q. 12: Where were Geoffrey Chaucer’s pilgrims going as they told their tales?

A. 12: Canterbury.

Q. 13: In Rastafari, who is known as ‘The Lion of Judah’?

A. 13: Haile Selassie (the First).

Q. 14: What term is given to the point in spring when the sun’s path crosses the celestial equator, so that day and night are of approximately equal length?

A. 14: The vernal equinox.

Q. 15: The composer Ludwig van Beethoven and the poet William Wordsworth were both born in the same year. Which year was it?

A. 15: 1770.

Q. 16: On the 7th of January 1785, George Washington became the first man in North America to send which kind of letter?

A. 16: An ‘Air Mail’. Using a balloon. The letter was addressed to no one but was to be given to the owner of the property on which the balloon landed.

Q. 17: Who was the young star of ‘National Velvet’ in 1945?

A. 17: Elizabeth Taylor.

Q. 18: Although its name is a synonym for ‘no apprehension’, which massive revolutionary invention, first introduced in 1906, instilled fear all over the world?

A. 18: The Dreadnought battleship.

Q. 19: Who was the first person to appear on the cover of the Rolling Stone?

a) Dr Hook

b) Elvis

c) John Lennon

d) Mick Jagger

A. 19: c) John Lennon.

Q. 20: This ‘Soul Man’ took a ‘Walk On The Wild Side’ and then had a ‘Perfect Day’. Who was he?

A. 20: Lou Reed, those are the names of his songs that made it in the charts.

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It’s July 4th, You Know What Day That Is?

July 4, 2013July 4, 2013 fasab comedy, Current Events, Factoids, Humour, Politics, Puns, War American colonists, American national bird, American settlers, americans, amusing, ants, atlantic, bad jokes, bald beagle, battle, Battle of Bonkers Hill, battle of Bunker Hill, Boston Flea Party, Boston Tea Party, British, cartoonist, cattle feed, chopping mall, colonies, colonists, Comedy, Continental Army, country, cracked, cracked me up, curly-haired dog, Current Events, dance, Declaration of Independence signed, dessert, dry skin, Ducklaration of Independence, education, Entertainment, feathers, fodder, funny, General Washington, George Washington, hatchet, history, Humor, Humour, inalienable rights, Indepen-dance, Independence, independence day, infantry, joke, jokes, july 4th, King George, Lafayette, Laughayette, Liber-Tea, liberty, Liberty Bell, Misc, Miscellaneous, Monti jello, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Mt. Vermin, patriot, play on words, politics, pun, pun day, puns, Punsylvanians, revo-lotion, revolting, Revolution, Revolutionary War, sense of humor, silly jokes, Snoopy, Stamp Act, stupid jokes, tea, Thomas Jefferson, tree, Virginia, Washington's home, webbed feet, word play, word plays, Yankee Doodle, Yankee doodler, Yankee Poodle

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Yes, you got it, it’s Pun Day.

And because Pun Day this year happens to fall on July 4th, here’s a special Independence word play edition.

Enjoy this festive edition!

What happened as a result of the Stamp Act?

The Americans licked the British!

Why did the British cross the Atlantic?

To get to the other tide!

What would you get if you crossed a patriot with a small curly-haired dog?

A Yankee Poodle Dandy!

Did you hear the one about the Liberty Bell?

Yeah, it cracked me up!

What would Americans get if they crossed George Washington with cattle feed?

The fodder of their Country!

Where did George Washington buy his hatchet?

At the chopping mall!

What was General Washington’s favorite tree?

The infantry!

What kind of tea did the American colonists thirst for?

Liber-Tea!

Which colonists told the most jokes?

Punsylvanians!

What did a patriot put on his dry skin?

Revo-lotion!

What dance was very popular in 1776?

Indepen-dance!

Which one of Washington’s officers had the best sense of humor?

Laughayette!

lafayette — Marquis de La Fayette served as a major-general in the Continental Army under George Washington and was a leader of the Garde nationale during the French Revolution.

What was Thomas Jefferson’s favourite dessert?

Monti jello!

Thomas_Jefferson's_Monticello_Estate — Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello Estate

What did King George think of the American colonists?

He thought they were revolting!

Why were the early American settlers like ants?

Because they lived in colonies.

What has feathers, webbed feet, and certain inalienable rights?

The Ducklaration of Independence!

What would you get if you crossed the American national bird with Snoopy?

A bald beagle!

What was the craziest battle of the Revolutionary War?

The Battle of Bonkers Hill.

Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?

On the bottom!

Did you hear about the cartoonist in the Continental Army?

He was a Yankee doodler!

What protest by a group of dogs occurred in 1773?

The Boston Flea Party!

What would you get if you crossed Washington’s home with nasty insects?

Mt. Vermin!

Which son of old Virginia wrote the Declaration of Independence?

I think it was Thomas Jeffer’s son.

Thomas Jefferson’s words and hopes. How far have the present leaders of America strayed from those lofty and laudable goals?

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Nowhere Is Safe!

February 12, 2013 fasab comedy, Humour, Questions, Uncategorized, Unusual amusing, author, basement, books, Christopher Columbus, Civil War battles, color photograph, Comedy, cookbook, depositories of knowledge, education, English language, Entertainment, famous civil war battles, fools, funny, George Washington, globe of the earth, hairdryer, Humor, Humour, idiots, information, intellectually challenged, King Arthur, laws, librarians, libraries, life-size, Misc, Miscellaneous, morons, Moses, National Park sites, People, photographs of dinosaurs, questions, Random, reference desk, robert james waller, Socrates, stupid, stupid people, stupid questions, stupidity, title

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

One would hope that libraries, being depositories of knowledge, would be a place relatively safe from the intellectually challenged.

Sadly, stupid people invade every space, libraries included.

To prove the point here is a short selection of actual stupid questions asked of librarians.

Enjoy.

“Do you have books here?”

“Do you have a list of all the books written in the English language?”

“Do you have a list of all the books I’ve ever read?”

“I’m looking for Robert James Waller’s book, ‘Waltzing through Grand Rapids.”

(The actual title is “Slow Waltz In Cedar Bend.”)

“Where is the reference desk?”

(Asked of a worker sitting at a desk, over which was a sign saying ‘REFERENCE DESK’.)

“Can you tell me why so many famous Civil War battles were fought on National Park sites?”

“Which outlets in the library are appropriate for my hairdryer?”

“I was here about three weeks ago looking at a cookbook that cost $39.95. Do you know which one it is?”

“I need a color photograph of George Washington.”

(Other individuals asked for, by other patrons, are Christopher Columbus, King Arthur, Moses, Socrates, and more.)

“Do you have any books with photographs of dinosaurs?”

“I’m looking for information on carpal tunnel syndrome. I think I’m having trouble with it in my neck.”

“Is the basement upstairs?”

“I am looking for a list of laws that I can break that would send me back to jail for a couple of months.”

“I got a quote from a book I turned in last week but I forgot to write down the author and title. It’s big and red, and I found it on the top shelf. Can you find it for me?”

“Do you have anything good to read?”

The response was,

“No, ma’am. I’m afraid we have 75,000 books, and they’re all duds.”

Dumbass: “I am looking for a globe of the earth.”

Librarian: “We have a table-top model over here.”

Dumbass: “No, that’s not good enough. Don’t you have a life-size?”

Librarian: (pause) “Yes, but it’s in use right now.”

And finally a joke.

Man goes up to the library reference desk and asks the assistant,

“Do you have a copy of that new book for men with small penises?”

The librarian replies,

“I don’t think it’s in yet.”

“Yes,” the man says. “That’s the one!”

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Intelligence Seems To Be The Only Thing In Jeopardy

February 4, 2013 fasab Bloopers, comedy, Humour, Quiz Show Answers, Uncategorized, Unusual 4th century AD, American flag, amusing, ASDF, Bourbon, Bourbon County, cheddar crackers, chocolate bar, city, Comedy, continental United States, England, Entertainment, fools, funny, gardening tool, George Washington, god of war, Hedda Tesman, Helen Alving, hoe, Humor, Humour, idiots, immoral pleasure seeker, India, intelligence, Jeopardy, Knut Brovik, long handled, Misc, Miscellaneous, morons, New York City, oreos, People, Pepperidge Farm, public toilets, quiz, quiz show, quiz show answers, quiz show contestants, Random, rolls of papyrus, Roman, Rome, Snickers, southernmost, stripes, stupid, stupid people, stupidity, Summer Olympics, tavern, television, trapezoid, tv, United States, West Virginia, whiskey

“Fight Against Stupidity And Bureaucracy”

Intelligence seems to be the only thing in jeopardy as far as these quiz show contestants are concerned!

Another array of dumb answers to look at.

Enjoy.

Q: On December 4, 1783, George Washington bade his officers farewell at this New York City tavern.

A: What is the Whiskey-A-Go-Go?

Q: This term for a long handled gardening tool can also mean an immoral pleasure seeker.

A: What is a hoe?

Q: By the 4th century AD, Rome had 28 public ones stacked with rolls of papyrus

A: What are public toilets?

Q: It’s the southernmost city of the continental United States.

A: What is West Virginia?

Q: He was born in India in 1841.

A: Who is Alex Trebek?

Q: Hedda Tesman, Helen Alving, Knut Brovik

A: Who are three people that have never been in my kitchen?

Q: In which of the three daily meals are you most likely to eat fatty foods?

A: Meat

Q: Bourbon whiskey is named after Bourbon County, located in what state?

A: England

Q: Prior to 1984, what was the last year the United States participated in the Summer Olympics?

A: 1936

Q: On the middle row of a standard keyboard, what key should your left pinky rest on?

A: ASDF

Q: What chocolate bar is named after the Roman god of war?

A: Snickers

Q: What ‘G’ is a brand of animal shaped cheddar crackers introduced by Pepperidge Farm in 1962?

A: Oreos

Q: How many red stripes are there on the American flag?

A: 50

Q: What ‘H’ is the general term for a six-sided two-dimensional shape?

A: Trapezoid

Q: According to the proverb, the daily consumption of what piece of fruit keeps the doctor away?

A: Banana

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