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Tuesday, October 14, 2008

King Richard III Suffered from Cerebral Palsy?

Cerebral Palsy and King Richard III picWhile I was searching on the web for the "oldest person with cerebral palsy", I stumbled across a thread on YAHOO!Answers, where I found out that King Richard III was one of the persons who suffered from cerebral palsy.

There it mentioned:

'King Richard III was probably the oldest person historically to have the description of cerebral palsy documented.

In this case, the cerebral palsy symptom was spastic rigiditiy caused by lack of oxygen or damage from premature birth.

This was described by Shakespeare when he wrote, speaking as the then Duke of Gloucester, proclaming:

I that am curtailed of this fair proportion,
cheated of feature by this dissembling nature
Deformed, unfinished, sent before my time
Into this breathing world, scarce half made up
and that so lamely and unfashionable
That dogs bark at me as I halt by them….'

So now we know... But take note that there is still no accurate evidence on this claim that King Richard III really had cerebral palsy.

Unusual | Interesting Facts About HALLOWEEN!

interesting unusual facts about Halloween pic.Halloween began as the ancient Celtic New Year, known as Samhain, thousands of years ago. The holiday fell on the first of November, and marked the end to the revered “season of the sun.” It was during this time that the ancient Celts believed that the veil between the spirit world and the mortal world was thinnest, and therefore performed rituals to honor the dead, keep evil spirits at bay, and to ensure that the sun could come back in the spring. On the eve of Samhain, October 31st, Celtic villagers would extinguish the fires in their hearths, and all would meet near the local.

The modern name, Halloween comes from "All Hallows' Evening," or in their slang "All Hallow's Even", the eve of All Hallows' Day. "Hallow" is an Old English word for "holy person," and All Hallows' Day is just another name for All Saints' Day, eventually, it became abbreviated to "Hallowe'en" and then "Halloween."

UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HALLOWEEN
- Halloween, referred to as All Hallows Eve, was originally a pagan holiday in which they honored the dead. It was celebrated on October 31 since this was the last day of the Celtic calendar. The celebration dates back some 2,000 years.
- The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts wondered the streets on all Hallows Eve so they began wearing masks and costumes in order to not be recognized as human.
- The jack-o-lantern tradition comes from an old Irish folk tale about a man named Stingy Jack. It was said that he was unable to get into heaven and was turned away from the devil because of his tricky ways. So he set off to wander the world looking for a resting place. For light, Stingy Jack used a burning coal ember in a hollowed out turnip. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S. during the Great Potato Famine of 1845-1850, they found that turnips were not as readily available like they were in the homeland. So they started carving pumpkins as a replacement for their tradition.
- On Halloween, Irish peasants would beg the rich for food. For those that refused, they would play a practical joke. So, in an effort to avoid being tricked, the rich would hand out cookies, candy, and fruit – a practice that morphed into trick-or-treating today.
- Of all the candy sold annually, one quarter of it is sold during Halloween time (September – November 10) making it the sweetest holiday of the year.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America
- The number one candy of choice for Halloween is Snickers
- There are an estimated 106 million potential treat-or-treat stops (i.e., housing units occupied year-round, per the U.S. Census)
- Halloween is the second most commercially successful holiday, beat out only by Christmas
- The U.S. consumer spends upwards of $1.5 billion on Halloween costumes annually and more than $2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia, such as decorations, crafts, etc. More than $100,000 of that is said to be spent online
- Candy sales in the U.S. for Halloween average $2 billion annually
- Halloween is the third biggest party day of the year behind New Year’s and Super Bowl Sunday, respectively
- 86% of Americans decorate their homes at Halloween
- Halloween is the 8th largest card sending holiday. The first Halloween greeting is dated back to early 1900 and today consumers spend around $50 million dollars on Halloween cards each year.
- Of the pumpkins marketed domestically, 99% of them are used as Jack-o-lanterns at Halloween
- Approximately 82% of children and 67% of adults take part in Halloween festivities every year
- The official Orange and Black colors of Halloween came from orange being associated with fall harvest and black symbolizing darkness and death.
- There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with “orange”
- In the movie “Halloween” the mask worn by Michael Meyers is actually the mask of William Shatner painted white
- Magician, Harry Houdini died on Halloween, 1926 in Detroit, MI.
- It is during the Halloween festivity that about 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically, are utilized for the purpose of making Jack O'Lanterns for the Halloween party.
- In America, Halloween is celebrated on a large scale and about 86% of Americans get actively engrossed in the task of doing haunted house Halloween decorations.
It is interesting to know that there is no word in the dictionary that is in rhyme with orange.
- People give the credit of starting the tradition of Trick or Treating to Irish people.
- Jerry Ayers of Baltimore was the one to make a world record of fastest pumpkin carving, by carving out a pumpkin in just 37 seconds.
- Vampires don’t really participate in the night Halloween party celebrations, because they consider Halloween to be tacky.
- People are of the belief that light keeps the monsters away. Thus they prefer lighting a pumpkin lantern with a candle on the Halloween night.
Pumpkins can also be spotted in the colors of white, blue and green.
- Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
- Jack o’ lanterns originated in Ireland where people placed candles in hollowed-out turnips to keep away spirits and ghosts on the Samhain holiday.
- Pumpkins also come in white, blue and green. Great for unique monster carvings!
- Halloween was brought to North America by immigrants from Europe who would celebrate the harvest around a bonfire, share ghost stories, sing, dance and tell fortunes.
- Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.
- The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
- Halloween candy sales average about 2 billion dollars annually in the United States.
- Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters with Snickers #1.
- Halloween is the 2nd most commercially successful holiday, with Christmas being the first.
- Bobbing for apples is thought to have originated from the roman harvest festival that honors Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
- Black cats were once believed to be witch's familiars who protected their powers.
- A majority of us, 48 percent, believe in ghosts.
- Twenty-two percent of Americans say they’ve seen or felt a ghost.
- Women are more likely to say they believe in ghosts than are men.
- More than half of younger Americans aged 18 to 45 believe in ghosts.
- A whopping 78 percent of us believe in life after death.
- Jerry Ayers of Baltimore, Ohio has the record for the fastest pumpkin carver at 37 seconds
- More than 93% of children, under the age of 12, will go out trick-or-treating
- About 50% of adults dress up for Halloween, while 67% take part in the activities, such as parties, decorating the house and trick-or-treating with their children
- 86% of Americans decorate their house for Halloween
- Halloween candy sales average about $2 billion annually in the United States. It is the largest candy-purchasing holiday, bigger than Christmas, Easter and Valentine's Day!
- The first Halloween card was made in the early 1920's. These days, over 28 million Halloween cards are sent each year. U.S. consumers spend about $50 million on Halloween greetings
- Over $1.5 billion is spent on costumes each year and more than $2.5 billion on other Halloween paraphernalia
- About 99% of pumpkins that are marketed domestically are turned into jack-o-lanterns
- The biggest pumpkin in the world tipped the scales at a whopping 1,446 pounds. This gigantic gourd was weighed in October 2004 at a pumpkin festival in Port Elgin, Ontario, Canada.
- More than 35 million pounds of candy corn will be produced this year. That equates to nearly 9 billion pieces - enough to circle the moon nearly 4 times if laid end-to-end.
- Halloween was born. The first Halloween celebration in America took place in Anoka, Minnesota in 1921.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Unusual | Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS II

weird funny strange random unusual interesting facts about elements pic

Elements are simple substances which cannot be decomposed by chemical means. They are made up of atoms which are alike in their peripheral electronic configurations, their chemical properties, and in the number of protons in their nuclei. They may differ in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.
Below is the second (from Gold to Polonium) of the three parts of unusual and interesting facts about elements. Have fun on the listed interesting and unusual facts about elements!

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Gold
A soft, yellow, corrosion-resistant element, the most malleable and ductile metal, occurring in veins and alluvial deposits and recovered by mining or by panning or sluicing. A good thermal and electrical conductor, gold is generally alloyed to increase its strength, and it is used as an international monetary standard, in jewelry, for decoration, and as a plated coating on a wide variety of electrical and mechanical components. The most common uses of Gold are in Currency, Coinage, Jewellery, Tableware, Dental alloys and Electronics
The name originates from the Old English Anglo-Saxon word 'geolo' meaning yellow. The Symbol Origin is from the Latin word 'aurum' meaning gold. Argentina was named for this precious metal.

Common Uses of Gold
Precious metal
Currency
Coinage
Jewelry
Tableware
Dental alloys
Electronics

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Hafnium
A brilliant, silvery, metallic element separated from ores of zirconium and used in nuclear reactor control rods, as a getter for oxygen and nitrogen, and in the manufacture of tungsten filaments. The most common uses of Hafnium are in Nuclear reactors, Hafnium reactor, the Hafnium bomb, used in incandescent lamps and Tungsten filaments
The word Hafnium originates from the Latin Hafnia for "Copenhagen".

Common Uses of Hafnium
Nuclear reactors
Hafnium reactor
The Hafnium bomb
Used in incandescent lamps
Tungsten filaments

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Hassium
An artificially produced radioactive element with atomic number 108 whose most long-lived isotopes have mass numbers of 264 and 265 with half-lives of 0.08 milliseconds and 2 milliseconds, respectively. Other Names: Unniloctium (Uno), Hahnium (Hn).
The name originates from the Latin name for the German state of Hessen.

Common Uses of Hassium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Helium
A colorless, odorless, inert gaseous element constituting approximately one percent of Earth's atmosphere, from which it is commercially obtained by fractionation for use in electric light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and radio vacuum tubes and as an inert gas shield in arc welding.
The name originates from the Greek word 'helios' meaning the sun.

Common Uses of Helium
Component of artificial atmospheres and laser media
Refrigerant
Lifting gas for balloons
Superfluid in cryogenic research
Deep sea diving
Helium balloons, tanks, neon laser

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Holmium
A relatively soft, malleable, stable rare-earth element occurring in gadolinite, monazite, and other rare-earth minerals. The most common uses of Holmium are in Nuclear reactors.
The name originates from the Latin word Holmia meaning Stockholm.

Common Uses of Holmium
Nuclear reactors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Hydrogen
A colorless, highly flammable gaseous element, the lightest of all gases and the most abundant element in the universe. Used in the production of synthetic ammonia and methanol, in petroleum refining, in the hydrogenation of organic materials, as a reducing atmosphere, in oxy-hydrogen torches, and in rocket fuels. The most common uses of Hydrogen are in Hydrogen Peroxide, H Bomb, Fuel Cells, Fuel, Hydrogen Generators, Hydrogen Powered Cars.
Hydrogen is French for water-maker, from the Greek word hudor meaning "water" and gennen meaning to "generate".

Common Uses of Hydrogen
Hydrogen Peroxide, H Bomb, Fuel Cells, Fuel, Hydrogen Generators, Hydrogen Powered Cars.

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Indium
A soft, malleable, silvery-white metallic element found primarily in ores of zinc and tin, used as a plating over silver in making mirrors, in plating aircraft bearings, and in compounds for making transistors.
The name originates from the color Indigo in its atomic spectrum.

Common Uses of Indium
Coating of high-speed bearings
Indium-tin-oxide thin films for liquid crystal displays (LCD)
Making mirrors
Making transistors
Photoconductors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Iodine
A lustrous, violet-black, corrosive, poisonous halogen element having radioactive isotopes, especially I 131, used as a medical tracer and in thyroid disease diagnosis and therapy. Iodine compounds are used as germicides, antiseptics, and dyes.
The name originates from the Greek word Iodes meaning "violet".

Common Uses of Iodine
Germicides
Antiseptics
Dyes
Table salt
Organic chemistry
Photography

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Iridium
A very hard and brittle, exceptionally corrosion-resistant, whitish-yellow metallic element occurring in platinum ores and used principally to harden platinum and in high-temperature materials, electrical contacts, and wear-resistant bearings.
The name "iridium" originates from the Latin word meaning "of rainbows".

Common Uses of Iridium
Hardening agent in platinum alloys
Fountain pen nibs
Making crucibles
Electrical contacts
Spark plugs
Phones
Goggles
Denso iridium

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Iron
A heavy malleable ductile magnetic silver-white metallic element that readily rusts in moist air, occurs native in meteorites and combined in most igneous rocks, is the most used of metals, and is vital to biological processes as in transport of oxygen in the body.
The name originates from from the Latin word ferrum meaning iron. Its symbol 'Fe' is an abbreviation of ferrum.

Production of steel - the best known alloy of iron

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Krypton
A whitish, largely inert gaseous element used chiefly in gas discharge lamps and fluorescent lamps.
The name originates from the Greek word 'kryptos' meaning hidden.

Common Uses of Krypton
Photographic flash lamps
Gas discharge lamps
Fluorescent lamps

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lanthanum
A soft, silvery-white, malleable, ductile, metallic rare-earth element, obtained chiefly from monazite and bastnaesite and used in glass manufacture and with other rare earths in carbon lights for movie and television studio lighting.
The name originates from the Greek word lanthanein meaning 'to lie hidden'.

Common Uses of Lanthanum
Glass manufacture
Carbon lights for movie and television studio lighting
Camera lenses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lawrencium
A radioactive transuranic element synthesized from californium.
Named in honour of Ernest O. Lawrence the inventor of the cyclotron.

Common Uses of Lawrencium
No Known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lead
A soft, malleable, ductile, bluish-white, dense metallic element, extracted chiefly from galena and used in containers and pipes for corrosives, solder and type metal, bullets, radiation shielding, paints, and antiknock compounds.
The name originates from the the Greek word protos meaning 'first' and the Symbol Origin 'Pb' from the Latin word plumbum meaning 'lead'. Plumbism is the medical term for lead poisoning

Common Uses of Lead
Plumbing
Solder
Shielding against radiation
Batteries

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lithium
A soft, silvery, highly reactive metallic element that is used as a heat transfer medium, in thermo-nuclear weapons, and in various alloys, ceramics, and optical forms of glass.
Lithium comes from the Greek word lithos which means "stone".

Common Uses of Lithium
Lithium batteries
Lithium orotate, carbonate, polymer & bromide
Lithium ion battery

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Lutetium
A silvery-white rare-earth element that is exceptionally difficult to separate from the other rare-earth elements, used in nuclear technology.
The name originates from the Latin word Lutetia meaning Paris.

Common Uses of Lutetium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Magnesium
A light, silvery-white, moderately hard metallic element that in ribbon or powder form burns with a brilliant white flame. It is used in structural alloys, pyrotechnics, flash photography, and incendiary bombs.
The name originates from a Greek district in Thessaly called Magnesia.

Common Uses of Magnesium
Dead-burned magnesite is used as brick and liners in furnaces and converters
Photography - old type flash powder and flash bulbs
Flares
Pyrotechnics
Incendiary bombs
Airplanes
Missiles
Magnesium chloride, citrate, sulfate, oxide , hydroxide, stearate, taurate , sulphate and glycinate

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Manganese
A gray-white or silvery brittle metallic element, occurring in several allotropic forms, found worldwide, especially in the ores pyrolusite and rhodochrosite and in nodules on the ocean floor. It is alloyed with steel to increase strength, hardness, wear resistance, and other properties and with other metals to form highly ferromagnetic materials.
The Name Originates from the Latin word mangnes meaning magnet

Common Uses of Manganese
Batteries
Ceramics
Steel
Glass making

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Meitnerium
A short-lived radioactive element that is artificially produced. Other Name - Unnilennium (Une)
Named in honour of Lise Meitner the Austrian physicist and mathematician.

Common Uses of Meitnerium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Mendelevium
A radioactive transuranic element synthesized by bombarding einsteinium with alpha particles.
Named in honour of Dmitri Mendeleev

Common Uses of Mendelevium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Mercury
A silvery-white poisonous metallic element, liquid at room temperature and used in thermometers, barometers, vapor lamps, and batteries and in the preparation of chemical pesticides.
It was named after the Roman god Mercury. Its symbol (Hg) comes from hydrargyrum from the Greek word hydrargyros meaning 'water' and 'silver'.

Common Uses of Mercury
Thermometers
Barometers
Fluorescent lamps
Batteries
Chemical pesticides

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Molybdenum
A hard, silvery-white metallic element used to toughen alloy steels and soften tungsten alloy. An essential trace element in plant nutrition, it is used in fertilizers, dyes, enamels, and reagents.
The name Molybdenum originates from the Greek word molubdos meaning "lead-like".

Common Uses of Molybdenum
High strength alloys
High temperature steels
Aircraft parts
Missile parts

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Neodymium
A bright, silvery rare-earth metal element, found in monazite and bastnaesite and used for coloring glass and for doping some glass lasers.
The name originates from the Greek words neos meaning new and 'didymos' meaning twin.

Common Uses of Neodymium
Coloring glass
Coloring ceramics
Infra-red radiation filtering

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Neon
A rare, inert gaseous element occurring in the atmosphere to the extent of 18 parts per million and obtained by fractional distillation of liquid air. It is colorless but glows reddish orange in an electric discharge and is used in displays and indicators.
The name originates from the Greek word 'neos' meaning new.

Common Uses of Neon
Neon lights / signs
High-voltage indicators,
Gas discharge Lightning arrestors,
Television tubes.

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Neptunium
A radioactive metallic element that is chemically similar to uranium and is obtained in nuclear reactors as a by-product in the production of plutonium
Neptunium was named after the planet Neptune

Common Uses of Neptunium
Neutron detection equipment

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Nickel
A silvery, hard, ductile, ferromagnetic metallic element used in alloys, in corrosion-resistant surfaces and batteries, and for electroplating.
Name Originates from the German word 'kupfernickel' meaning false copper from the deceptive copper color of the ore

Common Uses of Nickel
Coinage in the United States and Canada
Stainless steel
Corrosion-resistant alloys
Nickel plating
Burglar-proof vaults
Nickel-cadmium batteries

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Niobium
A silvery, soft, ductile metallic element that occurs chiefly in columbite-tantalite and is used in steel alloys, arc welding, and superconductivity research. This element is still widely referred to by its original name - Columbium.
Name Origin - Columbium was the name originally given to this element by Hatchet but IUPAC officially adopted "niobium" as the name originally given by Heinrich Rose in 1846. The word Niobium originates from Niobe, daughter of mythical Greek king Tantalus.

Common Uses of Niobium
Tantalum capacitor
Steel alloys
Tantalum plating
Hot metal spraying
Arc welding
Super-conductivity research

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Nitrogen
A non-metallic element that constitutes nearly four-fifths of the air by volume, occurring as a colorless, odorless, almost inert diatomic gas, N2, in various minerals and in all proteins and used in a wide variety of important manufactures, including ammonia, nitric acid, TNT, and fertilizers.
The name originates from the Greek Nitron and the Latin word nitrum meaning "genes" and "forming".

Common Uses of Nitrogen
Used as a coolant for the immersion freezing
Gunpowder
Fertilizer
Rocket fuels
Liquid nitrogen
Nitrogen dioxide, oxide
Nitrogen Generators

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Nobelium
A Radioactive metallic transuranic element, belonging to the actinoids. Also known as unnilbium.
Named in honour of Alfred Nobel

Common Uses of Nobelium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Osmium
A bluish-white, hard metallic element, found in small amounts in osmiridium, nickel, and platinum ores. It is used as a platinum hardener and in making pen points, phonograph needles, and instrument pivots.
The name originates from the Greek word 'osme' meaning odor

Common Uses of Osmium
Alloyed with other metals
Fountain pen points
Phonograph needles
Light filaments
Instrument pivots
Electrical contacts
Jewelry
Osmium tetroxide - tetraoxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Oxygen
A colorless tasteless odourless gaseous element that constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere and is found in water, in most rocks and minerals, and in numerous organic compounds, that is capable of combining with all elements except the inert gases, that is active in physiological processes, and that is involved especially in combustion processes. The most common uses of Oxygen are in Oxidizer, Rocket propulsion, Medicine, Welding, Sensors, Mask and Concentrators.
The name originates from the Greek words gennan meaning 'generate' and oxus meaning 'acid' - so named because it was believed that all acids contained oxygen.

Common Uses of Oxygen
Oxidizer
Rocket propulsion
Medicine
Welding
Oxygen sensors
Oxygen mask
Oxygen concentrator

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Palladium
A soft, ductile, steel-white, tarnish-resistant, metallic element occurring naturally with platinum, especially in gold, nickel, and copper ores. Because it can absorb large amounts of hydrogen, it is used as a purification filter for hydrogen and a catalyst in hydrogenation. It is alloyed for use in electric contacts, jewelry, nonmagnetic watch parts, and surgical instruments. The element played an essential role in the Fleischmann-Pons experiment, also known as cold fusion.
Named after the asteroid Pallas which was discovered two years before in 1801.

Common Uses of Palladium
Electric contacts
Jewelry
Nonmagnetic watch parts
Surgical instruments
Similar to gold, palladium can be beaten into a thin leaf form
Telecommunications switching-system equipment

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Phosphorus
A highly reactive, poisonous, non-metallic element occurring naturally in phosphates, especially apatite, and existing in three allotropic forms, white (or sometimes yellow), red, violet and black. An essential constituent of protoplasm, it is used in safety matches, pyrotechnics, incendiary shells, and fertilizers and to protect metal surfaces from corrosion.
The name originates from the Greek words phos meaning light and phoros meaning bearer.

Common Uses of Phosphorus
Safety matches
Pyrotechnics
Incendiary shells
Fertilizers
Steel production
Incendiary bombs
Pyrotechnics
Pesticides

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Platinum
A silver-white metallic element occurring worldwide, usually mixed with other metals such as iridium, osmium, or nickel. It is ductile and malleable, does not oxidize in air, and is used as a catalyst and in electrical components, jewelry, dentistry, and electroplating.
The name originates from the Spanish word platina meaning 'little silver'

Common Uses of Platinum
Used in catalytic converters for automobiles
Making crucibles
Coating missile nose cones
Jet engine fuel nozzles
Medical treatments of cancer

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Plutonium
A radioactive metallic element similar chemically to uranium that is formed as the isotope 239 by decay of neptunium and found in minute quantities in pitchblende, that undergoes slow disintegration with the emission of an alpha particle to form uranium 235, and that is fissionable with slow neutrons to yield atomic energy.
The name originates from the the planet Pluto.

Common Uses of Plutonium
Radiological weapons
Poison
Electrical power generation

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Polonium
A radioactive metallic element that is similar chemically to tellurium and bismuth, occurs especially in pitchblende and radium-lead residues, and emits an alpha particle to form an isotope of lead. Also called Radium F.
The name originates from Poland the home of Marie Curie. Madame Curie was born Maria Sklodowski in Warsaw, Poland in 1867.

Common Uses of Polonium
Thermoelectric power in space satellites
To eliminate static charges
Removes dust from photographic films

Source: http://www.facts-about.org.uk/index-elements.htm
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part I
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part III



Interesting and Unusual Facts: Elements on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Interesting Facts About PERU

fun weird strange unusual interesting facts about PERU picPERU? Well, before we go to the interesting facts about PERU, just a bit of introduction of PERU to add some spice. Peru, country in west central South America, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Peru is a land of sharp contrasts, of barren deserts and green oases, snowcapped mountains, high bleak plateaus, and deep valleys. The Andes mountains cross the country from northwest to southeast. Beyond the Andes, in the interior of the country, is a thinly settled area covered with dense tropical forests. Lima, situated along the Pacific coast, is the country’s capital and chief commercial center.

Peru was once the center of an extensive South American empire ruled by the Inca. This empire fell to conquerors from Spain in the 16th century. Attracted by the gold and silver mines of the Andes, the Spaniards quickly converted Peru into the seat of their wealth and power in South America. Peru remained a Spanish colony until the early 19th century.

Mining has remained the basis of Peru’s wealth, although agriculture, fishing, and tourism also contribute. Many tourists visit Peru to see the remains of the Inca empire, especially the Inca stronghold at Machu Picchu high in the Andes.

Many of Peru’s people are descended from the Inca or other Native American groups. Quechua, the language of the Inca, and Aymara, a related Indian language, rank with Spanish as official languages of the country. However, sharp class and ethnic divisions that developed during the colonial period persist to this day. In this divided society a wealthy elite of largely Spanish descent has long dominated Peru’s larger population of Native Americans and mestizos—people of mixed European and Native American ancestry. (1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation)

Now for the interesting facts about PERU. Some facts may not be new to you, and some may be. Just enjoy the list of interesting facts about PERU compiled below.

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT PERU
* If you are from Peru then your nationality is Peruvian.
* The life expectancy at birth for people in Peru is 69.84. This is due to the poverty in the country and the lack of doctors.
* The largest ethnic group in Peru is the Amerindian, followed closely by the Mestizo and white.
* 90% of people in Peru belong to the Roman Catholic religion.
* The literacy rate in Peru is 90.9% which is impressive for a country with so much poverty.
* Peru was the homeland of the Inca Empire until 1533 when it was taken over by Spanish conquistadores.
* Peru ranked 79 out of 177 countries in the UN Human Development Index in 2005. This was an improvement of 6 places since 2004’s ranking of 85.
* Peru’s most famous sport is Soccer, but they also enjoy tennis, surfing, beach volleyball, and sailing.
* In west Peru there are some desert lands, where in the east it is a very tropical climate
* Peru’s natural resources are silver, gold, copper, timber, fish, petroleum, coal, iron, ore, phosphate, potash, hydropower, and natural gas.
* Peru has to deal with natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, flooding, volcanic activity, and mudslides.
* Peru has 246 airports. That’s more than it has ever had before. This is a good sign for the economy.
* Unfortunately, the country only has 1 heliport.
* Peru features over of 3000 kilometers of railway.
* Peru is home to the famous Lake Titicaca. (http://www.factsaboutperu.com/)

* Peru borders the South Pacific Ocean, between Chile and Ecuador.
* Peru is roughly the size of Alaska.
* Peru has roughly 1,500 miles of coastline on the Pacific Ocean.
* The city of Caral has pyramid remains dated to between 2000 and 2600 B.C. This means Caral may be the oldest city on Earth.
* Peru is home of the Nazca Lines, football field sized drawings built for unknown purposes. Most of the drawing weren’t even discovered until viewed from the air.
* The Incan Empire was based in Peru, with the famous Machu Picchu in the Andes being the best known location. It was discovered in 1911.
* Spain ruled Peru for nearly three hundred years starting in the early 16th century.
* Spain introduced Christianity to Peru and forced locals to take Spanish names.
* Peru was the last Spanish colony in South America.
* Peru is now a constitutional republic.
* Lima is the capital of Peru.
* Peru achieved independence from Spain on July 28, 1821.
* Members of the military and national police may not vote in elections.
* Leftist guerrilla groups including Shining Path and Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement tried to overthrow the government for 20 years from 1980 to 2000.
* Roughly 70,000 people were killed by both the government and rebel groups during the fighting.
* Beatriz Merino became Peru's first female Prime Minister in 2003.
* The climate varies from tropical in the east to dry desert in the west and temperate to frigid in the Andes.
* Natural resources include copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash, hydropower and natural gas.
* Peru shares control of Lake Titicaca, the world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia.
* A remote slope of Nevado Mismi, a 5,316 m peak, is the ultimate source of the Amazon River.
* As of 2005, the population of Peru was 27,925,628 people.
* Peruvians have the following ethnic breakdown: Amerindian 45%, mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese, Chinese, and other 3%.
From a faith perspective, Peruvians are Roman Catholic 81%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.4%, other Christian 0.7%, other 0.6%, unspecified or none 16.3%
* The Flag of Peru consists of three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a vicuna, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath.
* Peru's coastal waters provide excellent fishing grounds.
* Abundant mineral resources are found in the mountainous areas.
* After several years of inconsistent economic performance, the Peruvian economy grew by more than 4 percent per year during the period 2002-2005.
* The average Peruvian earns the equivalent of $6,000 a year.
* Peru's main agricultural crops are coffee, cotton, sugarcane, rice, potatoes, corn, plantains, grapes, oranges, coca; poultry, beef, dairy products and fish.
* Peru has major mining and refining of minerals and metals, petroleum extraction and refining, natural gas, fishing and fish processing, textiles, clothing, food processing, steel and metal fabrication industries.
* In 1995, Peru was the biggest cocaine producer in the world. Production rates have dropped, but opium production is on the rise.
* 54 percent of people in Peru live below the poverty line.
* The literacy rate in Peru is 87.7 percent, with women primarily lacking in the skill. (http://www.factsmonk.com/facts_about_peru)

* Peru has had many famous visitors: Rosalynn Carter (ex-First Lady of the United States); Neil Armstrong (astronaut); Edwin Aldrin (astronaut); Michael Collins (astronaut); John Wayne (actor); Dennis Hopper (actor);Shirley MacLaine (actress); Yasuhiro Nakasone (Prime Minister of Japan);George W.Bush (President of the United States); Charles de Gaulle (President of France); Claudia Schiffer (supermodel); Mohammed Mahatthir (Prime Minister of Malaysia);Kim Young-sam (President of South Korea);Ernest Hemingway (writer); Gloria Estefan (singer); Julio Iglesias (singer); and Mother Theresa (religious)
* The Hawaiian Hiram Bingham (1875-1956) discovered Machu Picchu, one of the wonders of the world.
* Miss Peru, Gladys Rosa Zender Urbina, was supported by the artist Alberto Joaquin Vargas y Chavez, who was international judge at the Miss Universe pageant in 1957. Gladys Zender became the first Latin-American to win the Miss Universe…
* Writer Ciro Alegria (1909-1967) was born in Trujillo, a city in the north of Peru. His best seller was "The Golden Serpent".
* Different from Venezuela and Cuba, Peru is a democratic country in the Third World. Alan García Perez is one of the most popular presidents in South America.
* Peru maintains good relations with France, Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Canada, Spain, Italy, China, and the United States.
* Mario Vargas Llosa is one of the most important writers in the world. He has written several novels and essays. Beginning the 1980s Vargas Llosa attracted international attention when he wrote perhaps his most famous novel "The War of the End of the World".
* Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa was born on March 28, 1936, in Arequipa, Peru. He was educated in Lima at the National University of San Marcos, where he studied literature. Literary recognition came gradually. His novels included: "The Green House" (1966), "Conversation in the Cathedral" (1969), "Captain Pantoja and the Special Service" (1972), "Aunt Julia & the Scriptwriter" (1977), "The War of End of the World" (1981),"The Real Life of Alejandro Mayta" (1984), "Who Killed Palomino Molero?" (1986), "Notebooks of Don Rigoberto" (1997), and "Feast of the Goat" (2000).Vargas Llosa’s latest work "The Way to Paradise" was published in 2003.He received Spain’s Miguel Cervantes Prize in 1994.
* Since 1976 he became a spokesman for the democracy in Cuba. From 1987 to 1990 Vargas Llosa became active in the Peruvian democracy movement. During the 1990s, he was an outspoken critic of Alberto Kenya Fujimori’s dictatorship, as well as ardent supporter of the democratic revolution that brought Alejandro Toledo to power. During the Fujimori’s regime, Vargas Llosa went to exile in Spain.
* Peru has many famous people in Latin America: Bernardo Fort-Brescia (architect); Luis Dunker Lavalle (composer); Juan Giha (sportsman); Francisco Boza (sportsman);Luisa Fuentes (sportwoman); Madeleine Hartog-Bell (Miss World 1967); María Julia "Maju" Mantilla (Miss World 2004);Alberto Joaquín Vargas y Chávez (painter); Miguel Hart- Bedoya ( singer and composer); Boris Vallejo (painter); Luis Llosa (film maker); Phil Uriarte (entrepreneur); Carlos Baca Flor (painter).
* The City of Cuzco is considered a Cultural Heritage for Humanity by UNESCO. Like Mexico and China, Peru has many World Heritages Sites:
-Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu (1983)
-Chavin Ruins (1985)
-Huascaran National Park (1985)
-Chan Chan Archaelogical Zone (1986)
-Manú National Park (1987)
-Historic Centre of Lima (1988/1992)
-Lines Geoglyphs of Nasca and Pampas de Jumana (1994)
-Historical centre of the City of Arequipa (2000)
* The soccer is the most popular sport in Peru. Peru qualified for the 1970 FIFA Soccer World Championship.
* Lima, Peru’s capital, hosted the 1982 FIVB Volleyball World Championship. Under the leadership of Cecilia Tait Villacorta, Peru beat USA 3-0 in the semi-finals. Peru won the silver medal in the FIVB World Cup. The United States was the favorite until last second. The American Flora Hyman was elected the best player. The final ranking was: 1-China, 2-Peru, 3-USA, 4-Japan, 5-Cuba. In 1982, Cecilia Tait was considered one of the best athletes in Latin America. (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/fun-facts-about-peru.html)

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

The World's Fattest Giraffe?

Too weird and strange to be true? Well I don't know what to believe either. Some say yes and some say it's obviously edited. I saw this thread on my friends blog, and it's quite an unusual and interesting topic so I decided to put it here also. So, what's your call? Is this for real? Me, nah too tired to dig this up. More pictures below. Enjoy!

The World's Fattest Giraffe pic
Fattest Giraffe photoYes, this is what will happen when McDonald's reaches Africa...


Unusual | Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS

element unusual interesting facts pic

Elements are simple substances which cannot be decomposed by chemical means. They are made up of atoms which are alike in their peripheral electronic configurations, their chemical properties, and in the number of protons in their nuclei. They may differ in the number of neutrons in their nuclei.
Below is the first (from Actinium to Germanium) of the three parts of unusual and interesting facts about elements. Have fun on the listed interesting and unusual facts about elements!

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Actinium
A radioactive element found in uranium ores, used in equilibrium with its decay products as a source of alpha rays.
The name originates from the Greek word 'aktinos' meaning ray or beam.

Associated Uses of the element Actinium
A neutron source
Medicine

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Aluminum
A silvery-white, ductile metallic element, the most abundant in the earth's crust but found only in combination, chiefly in bauxite. Having good conductive and thermal properties, it is used to form many hard, light, corrosion-resistant alloys.
The name originates from the Latin word 'alumen'

Associated Uses of Aluminum
Airplanes
Soda cans
Aluminium recycling
Statues including Eros in Piccadilly Circus in London
Abrasive as an oxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Americium
A radioactive metallic element produced by bombardment of plutonium with high-energy neutrons.
Named in honour of America

Common Uses of Americium
Smoke detectors
Radiography

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Antimony
A metallic element having four allotropic forms, the most common of which is a hard, extremely brittle, lustrous, silver-white, crystalline material. It is used in a wide variety of alloys, especially with lead in battery plates, and in the manufacture of flame-proofing compounds, paint, semiconductor devices, and ceramic products.
The name originates from the Greek words anti and monos meaning "opposed to solitude".

Common Uses of Antimony
Flame-proofing compounds
Matches
Batteries
Paint
Semi-conductors
Ceramic products
Antimony trioxide and dithiocarbamate

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Argon
A colorless, odorless, inert gaseous element constituting approximately one percent of Earth's atmosphere, from which it is commercially obtained by fractionation for use in electric light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, and radio vacuum tubes and as an inert gas shield in arc welding.
The name originates from the Greek word 'argos' meaning inactive.

Common Uses of Argon
Electric light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Arsenic
A highly poisonous metallic element having three allotropic forms, yellow, black, and gray, of which the brittle, crystalline gray is the most common. Arsenic and its compounds are used in insecticides, weed killers, solid-state doping agents, and various alloys.
The name originates from Greek word 'arsenikos'.

Common Uses of Arsenic
Insecticides
Poison
Weed killers
Various alloys
Medical Treatments
Semi-conductors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Astatine
A highly unstable radioactive element, the heaviest of the halogen series, that resembles iodine in solution.
The name originates from the Greek word 'astatos' meaning unstable.

Common Uses of Astatine
None. Astatine is studied by nuclear scientists. Its high radioactivity requires special handling techniques and precautions. Its toxicity is similar to that of iodine.

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Barium
A soft, silvery-white alkaline-earth metal, used to deoxidize copper and in various alloys.
The name originates from the Greek word 'barys' meaning heavy. The oxide was at first called barote, by Guyton de Morveau, which was changed by Antoine Lavoisier to baryta, which was modified to "barium".

Common Uses of Barium
Sparkplugs
Vacuum tubes
Fireworks
Fluorescent lamps
Paint
Rat poison
Medical Uses - Given orally as a barium meal or as an enema (enima) , to increase the contrast of medical X-rays of the digestive system
Barium sulfate, hydroxide octahydrate, nitrate, carbonate

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Beryllium
A high-melting, lightweight, corrosion-resistant, rigid, steel-gray metallic element used as an aerospace structural material, as a moderator and reflector in nuclear reactors, and in a copper alloy used for springs, electrical contacts, and non-sparking tools.
The name originates from the Greek word beryllos meaning beryl.

Common Uses of Beryllium
Electric light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Bismuth
A white, crystalline, brittle, highly diamagnetic metallic element used in alloys to form sharp castings for objects sensitive to high temperatures and in various low-melting alloys for fire-safety devices. The most common uses of Interesting are in Pharmaceuticals, Fuses, Fire detection, Magnets and Bismuth oxychloride.
The name originates from the German word 'wissmuth' meaning white mass and the Latin word bisemutum.

Common Uses of Bismuth
Pharmaceuticals
Fuses
Fire detection
Magnets
Bismuth oxychloride

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Bohrium
A short-lived radioactive element that is artificially produced.
The name originates in honour of Niels Bohr the Danish physicist . Other Names: Unnilseptium (Uns) and Nielsbohrium (Ns)

Common Uses of Bohrium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Boron
A soft, brown, amorphous or crystalline nonmetallic element, extracted chiefly from kernite and borax and used in flares, propellant mixtures, nuclear reactor control elements, abrasives, and hard metallic alloys. The most common uses of Boron are in heat resistant alloys.
The name originates from a combination of words taken from borax and carbon

Common Uses of Boron
Heat resistant alloys

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Bromine
A heavy, volatile, corrosive, reddish-brown, nonmetallic liquid element, having a highly irritating vapor. It is used in producing gasoline antiknock mixtures, fumigants, dyes, and photographic chemicals. The most common uses of Bromine are in Gasoline anti-knock mixtures, Fumigants, Poisons, Dyes, Photographic chemicals, Medicines and Brominated vegetable oil.
The name originates from the Greek word 'Bromos' meaning "stench"

Common Uses of Bromine
Gasoline antiknock mixtures
Fumigants
Poisons
Dyes
Photographic chemicals
Medicinals
Brominated vegetable oil

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cadmium
A soft, bluish-white metallic element occurring primarily in zinc, copper, and lead ores, that is easily cut with a knife and is used in low-friction, fatigue-resistant alloys, solders, dental amalgams, nickel-cadmium storage batteries, nuclear reactor shields, and in rustproof electroplating. The most common uses of Cadmium are in Batteries - Nickel Cadmium, Pigments, Coating and plating, Barrier to control nuclear fission, Televisions and Nickel cadmium batteries.
The name originates from the Greek word kadmeia and from the Latin word cadmia

Common Uses of Cadmium
Batteries - Nickel Cadmium
Pigments
Coatings and platings
Barrier to control nuclear fission
Televisions
Nickel cadmium batteries

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cesium
A soft, silvery-white ductile metal, liquid at room temperature, the most electropositive and alkaline of the elements, used in photoelectric cells and to catalyze hydrogenation of some organic compounds. The most common uses of Cesium are in Atomic clocks, Removes air traces in vacuum tubes, Ion propulsion systems, Medical, Photoelectric cells, Cesium vapor and the Magnetometer.
The word Caesium originates from the Latin word 'caesius' which means "sky blue" from the bright blue lines in its spectrum.

Common Uses of Cesium
Atomic clocks
Removes air traces in vacuum tubes
Ion propulsion systems
Medical
Photoelectric cells
Cesium vapor
Magnetometer

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Calcium
A silvery, moderately hard metallic element that constitutes approximately 3.5% of the earth's crust and is a basic component of most animals and plants. It occurs naturally in limestone, gypsum, and fluorite, and its compounds are used to make plaster, quicklime, Portland cement, and metallurgic and electronic materials. The most common uses of Calcium are in Dairy products ( deficiency can affect bone and teeth formation - Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium ), Reducing agent and an Alloying agent used in the production of alloys.
Originates from the latin word 'calcis' meaning lime.

Common Uses of Calcium
Dairy products are an excellent source of calcium. Deficiency can affect bone and teeth formation
Vitamin D is needed to absorb calcium
Reducing agent
Alloying agent used in the production of alloys
Coral calcium , calcium carbonate, chloride, citrate, carbide, hydroxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Californium
A synthetic element produced in trace quantities by helium isotope bombardment of curium. All isotopes are radioactive, chiefly by emission of alpha particles. The most common uses of Californium are in Neutron moisture gauges and Portable neutron source in gold and silver prospecting.
Named in honour of the U.S. state of California and for the University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Common Uses of Californium
Neutron moisture gauges
Portable neutron source in gold and silver prospecting

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Carbon
A naturally abundant non-metallic element that occurs in many inorganic and in all organic compounds, exists freely as graphite and diamond and as a constituent of coal, limestone, and petroleum, and is capable of chemical self-bonding to form an enormous number of chemically, biologically, and commercially important molecules. One of the hardest (diamond) substances known to man. The most common uses of Carbon are in Fossil fuels - methane gas, Diamonds, Crude oil (petroleum), Radiocarbon dating, Smoke detectors, Graphite carbon used as charcoal for cooking & artwork, Gasoline, Kerosene, Carbon monoxide - dioxide and Carbon Fiber.
The name originates from the Latin word carbo meaning "charcoal"

Common Uses of Carbon
Fossil fuels - methane gas
Diamonds
Crude oil (petroleum)
Radiocarbon dating
Smoke detectors
Graphite carbon used as charcoal for cooking & artwork
Gasoline
Kerosene
Carbon monoxide - dioxide
Carbon Fiber

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cerium
A lustrous, iron-gray, malleable metallic rare-earth element that occurs chiefly in the minerals monazite and bastnaesite, exists in four allotropic states, is a constituent of lighter flint alloys, and is used in various metallurgical and nuclear applications. The most common uses of Cerium are in Making aluminium alloys, Cigarette lighters, Incandescent gas mantles, Petroleum refining and Arc lighting.
The name originates from the asteroid Ceres after which it was named.

Common Uses of Cerium
Making aluminium alloys
Cigarette lighters
Incandescent gas mantles
Petroleum refining
Arc lighting

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Chlorine
A highly irritating, greenish-yellow gaseous halogen, capable of combining with nearly all other elements, produced principally by electrolysis of sodium chloride and used widely to purify water, as a disinfectant and bleaching agent, and in the manufacture of many important compounds including chloroform and carbon tetrachloride. The most common uses of Chlorine are in Bleaches, Mustard gas, Water purification, Production of chlorates, Paper production, Antiseptic, Insecticides, Paint, Plastics and Medicines.
The name originates from the Greek word 'khloros' meaning green referring to the color of the gas.

Common Uses of Chlorine
Bleaches
Mustard gas
Water purification
Production of chlorates
Paper production
Antiseptic
Insecticides
Paint
Plastics
Medicines
Hypochlorous acid
Chlorine dioxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Chromium
A lustrous, hard, steel-gray metallic element, resistant to tarnish and corrosion and found primarily in chromite. It is used in the hardening of steel alloys and the production of stainless steels, in corrosion-resistant decorative platings, and as a pigment in glass. The most common uses of Chromium are in Dyes and paints, Stainless steel, Metallurgy, Chrome plating, Green rouge metal polish and Magnetic tape.
The name originates from the Greek word chroma meaning color

Common Uses of Chromium
Dyes and paints
Stainless steel
Metallurgy
Chrome plating
Green rouge metal polish
Magnetic tape
Hexavalent chromium
Chromium trioxide

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Cobalt
A hard, brittle metallic element, found associated with nickel, silver, lead, copper, and iron ores and resembling nickel and iron in appearance. It is used chiefly for magnetic alloys, high-temperature alloys, and in the form of its salts for blue glass and ceramic pigments. The most common uses of Cobalt are in Magnets, Ceramics, Magnetic alloys, Cobalt boats, Glassware, Catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries, Steel-belted radial tires and it is also used in radiotherapy
The name cobalt comes from the German word kobalt , meaning evil spirit, the metal being so called by miners because it was poisonous.

Common Uses of Cobalt
Magnets
Ceramics
Magnetic alloys
Cobalt boats
Glassware
Catalysts for the petroleum and chemical industries
Steel-belted radial tires
Used in radiotherapy

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Copper
A ductile, malleable, reddish-brown metallic element that is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity and is widely used for electrical wiring, water piping, and corrosion-resistant parts, either pure or in alloys such as brass and bronze. The most common uses of Copper are in Copper sulfate, Hammered copper, Tubing, pipes - Plumbing, Wire, Electromagnets, Statues, Watt's steam engine, Vacuum tubes, Musical instruments, Component of coins, Cookware and Cutlery.
The name originates from the Latin word cyprium, after the island of Cyprus. Copper was associated with the goddess named Aphrodite / Venus in Greek and Roman mythology. The island of Cyprus was sacred to the goddess. In alchemy, the symbol for copper was also the symbol for the planet Venus. In Greek times, the metal was known by the name Chalkos. In Roman times, it became known as Cyprium because so much of it was mined in Cyprus.

Common Uses of Copper
Copper sulfate
Hammered copper
Tubing, pipes - Plumbing
Wire
Sheets
Electromagnets
Statues
Watt's steam engine
Vacuum tubes
Musical instruments
Component of coins
Cookware
Cutlery

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Curium
A radioactive transuranic metallic element; produced by bombarding plutonium with helium nuclei. The most common uses of Curium are in Pacemakers, Remote navigational buoys and in Space missions.
The name originates from the word 'Curie' as it was amed in honour of Marie Curie and her husband Pierre Curie.

Common Uses of Curium
Pacemakers
Remote navigational buoys
Space missions

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Darmstadtium
Darmstadtium (formerly known as Ununnilium) is a chemical element in the periodic table that has the symbol Ds and atomic number 110. It has an atomic weight of 281 making it one of the super-heavy atoms. It is a synthetic element and decays in thousandths of a second. Due to its presence in Group 10 it is believed to likely be metallic and solid.
The name originates from its place of discovery in Darmstadt, Germany

Common Uses of Darmstadtium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Dubnium
An artificially produced radioactive element with atomic number 105 whose most long-lived isotopes have mass numbers of 258, 261, 262, and 263 with half-lives of 4.2, 1.8. 34, and 30 seconds, respectively.
The name Dubnium originates from its place of origin in Dubna, in Russia where it was was first synthesized at the Joint Nuclear Research Institute in 1964

Common Uses of Dubnium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Dysprosium
A soft, silvery rare-earth element used in nuclear research. The most common uses of Dysprosium are in Nuclear research / reactors.
The name originates from the Greek word 'dysprositos' meaning hard to get at.

Common Uses of Dysprosium
Nuclear research / reactors

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Einsteinium
A synthetic transuranic element first produced by neutron irradiation of uranium in a thermonuclear explosion and now usually produced in the laboratory by irradiating plutonium and other elements.
Named in honour of Albert Einstein

Common Uses of Einsteinium
No known uses

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Erbium
A soft, malleable, silvery rare-earth element, used in metallurgy and nuclear research and to color glass and porcelain. The most common uses of Erbium are in metallurgy, Nuclear research, Color glass, Color porcelain and Photographic filters.
Carl Gustaf Mosander was able to separate gadolinite into three materials, which he named yttria, erbia and terbia.

Common Uses of Erbium
Used in metallurgy
Nuclear research
Color glass
Color porcelain
Photographic filter

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Europium
A silvery-white, soft, rare-earth element occurring in monazite and bastnaesite and used to dope lasers and to absorb neutrons in research. The most common uses of Europium are in Color televisions
The name originates as it was named after the continent of Europe

Common Uses of Europium
Color televisions

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Fermium
A radioactive metallic element artificially produced, as by bombardment of plutonium with neutrons. The most common use of Fermium is for research.
Named in honour of Enrico Fermi, Professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Rome and Nobel Prize winner whose work resulted in the discovery of slow neutrons leading to the discovery of nuclear fission and the production of elements lying beyond what was until 1938 the Periodic Table.

Common Uses of Fermium
No known uses of fermium outside of basic research

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Fluorine
A pale-yellow, highly corrosive, poisonous, gaseous halogen element, the most electronegative and most reactive of all the elements, used in a wide variety of industrially important compounds. The most common uses of Fluorine are in the Production of uranium, Air conditioning, Refrigeration, Insecticide, Toothpaste, Added to municipal water supplies and Teflon.
The name originates from the Latin word 'fluo' meaning flow.

Common Uses of Fluorine
Production of uranium
Air conditioning
Refrigeration
Insecticide
Toothpaste
Added to municipal water supplies
Teflon

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Francium
An extremely unstable radioactive element of the alkali metals, produced artificially from actinum or thorium, having approximately 19 isotopes, the most stable of which is Fr 223 with a half-life of 21 minutes.
The name originates from its country of origin - France

Common Uses of Francium
No known use

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Gadolinium
A silvery-white, malleable, ductile, metallic rare-earth element obtained from monazite and bastnaesite and used in improving high-temperature characteristics of iron, chromium, and related alloys. The most common uses of Gadolinium are in Gadolinium yttrium garnets, Phosphors for colour TV tubes, Compact discs and Computer memory.
Gadolinium is named after the Finnish chemist and geologist Johan Gadolin

Common Uses of Gadolinium
Electric light bulbs
Fluorescent tubes

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Gallium
A rare metallic element that is liquid near room temperature, expands on solidifying, and is found as a trace element in coal, bauxite, and other minerals. It is used in semiconductor technology and as a component of various low-melting alloys.
Gallium was discovered by Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran. The name originates from the Latin word Gallia meaning France also gallus, meaning "rooster"after himself 'Lecoq' .

Common Uses of Gallium
Semi-conductors
Component of various low-melting alloys

Interesting|Unusual Facts About Germanium
A brittle, crystalline, gray-white metalloid element, widely used as a semiconductor, as an alloying agent and catalyst, and in certain optical glasses. The most common uses of Germanium are in Electric guitar amplifiers, Semi-conductors, an alloying agent, Infra-red spectroscopes and optical equipment,
Camera and microscope lenses and for Medical purposes.
The name originates from the the Latin word Germania meaning 'Germany'

Common Uses of Germanium
Electric guitar amplifiers
Semi-conductor
An alloying agent
Infra-red spectroscopes and optical equipment
Camera and microscope lenses
Medical

Source: http://www.facts-about.org.uk/index-elements.htm
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part II
Unusual|Interesting Facts About ELEMENTS part III


Interesting and Unusual Facts: Elements on UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT ALL

Friday, October 03, 2008

Interesting Facts: Food

weird odd strange foods|unusual interesting facts food picFood... Since the very first day we were given life, it has been going in and out - from mouth to anus nonstop till now. For some, it's what they live for. Others, it what makes their world go round... I just ate a 8x8 - 12 inches thick lasagna and then an idea about posting an unusual and interesting facts about food came up. So here's the result. Enjoy the long list of unusual and interesting facts about food.

UNUSUAL|INTERESTING FACTS FOOD

The average kid in America eats about 46 slices of pizza a year. In the U.S. pepperoni is the number one favorite topping and anchovies are last. In Japan the favorite topping is squid!

Wisconsin is the state that grows the most cranberries. Each year cranberry producers grow more than 300 million pounds of cranberries.

Raisins are made from grapes that have dried in the sun for two to three weeks. Most of the raisins eaten in the United States come from California - and about three quarters of all raisins are eaten with breakfast.

It takes about 10 pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. The average cow produces 2,100 pounds of milk in a month or 210 pounds of cheese. By the way, that same cow can produce about 46,000 glasses of milk in a year.

6 out of every 10 apples that get eaten every day in the U.S. were grown in Washington State. The most popular varieties are Red Delicious, Gala, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Fuji.

Pumpkins are fruits, not vegetables. The average pumpkin weighs between 10 and 30 pounds. The winner of the 2003 biggest pumpkin contest weighed 1,140 pounds.

Guess how many honeybees it takes to produce a tablespoon of honey? If you said 12, then you are right!

How many turkeys do Americans eat at Thanksgiving? Americans gobble up 45 million turkeys each year on Thanksgiving - about one for every seven people.

Hawaii is the only state that grows pineapples. You can grow your own by cutting (or screwing) the top off a fruit and planting it in a pot in a warm place. In 3 to 4 years fruits develop from tiny, lavender flowers that grow from the center of the leaves.

Which vegetable do Americans eat the most? Potatoes. The average person in the United States eats 140 pounds of potatoes every year. Bet you didn't realize that the potato was the first vegetable to be grown in space!

Three quarters of all raisins are eaten with breakfast. California is the heart of the world's largest raisin producing state because of ideal weather conditions for drying freshly picked California grapes into sun-dried raisins.

Sheep raised in North Dakota produce more than 800,000 pounds of wool each year. That is enough wool to knit more than 600,000 sweaters.

The biggest hamburger ever served weighed 8,266 lbs. It was cooked in 2001 at the Burger Fest in Seymour, Wisconsin. Hungry hamburger fans can visit Seymour, the "Home of the Hamburger" and site of the Hamburger Hall of Fame, paying tribute to hamburger inventor Charles Nagreen. According to local legend, Nagreen served the first burger in 1885 at the Outagamie County Fair.

Why do fresh apples float? Fresh apples float because 25% (or ¼ ) of their volume is air.

Maine produces almost all of the nation's wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are smaller and sweeter than "commercial blueberries", and they hold their shape, texture and deep-blue color through a variety of baking and manufacturing processes.

Each American eats approximately 22 pounds of tomatoes yearly. Over 1/2 of the tomato consumption is in the form of catsup and tomato sauce. Florida is the number one tomato producing state, closely followed by California.

Did you know there are over 40,000 varieties of rice grown worldwide? Rice has been produced in the United States for more than 300 years. The major rice-producing states are Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, and Missouri. In the winter the flooded rice fields provide safe places for migrating birds, ducks and other animals.

Did you know that in Japan, the most popular topping for pizza is squid? In the United States the most popular pizza topping is pepperoni. Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second. October is Pizza Month!

The first olive trees were planted in California at the San Diego Mission by Franciscan monks in 1769. Today, over 1,200 growers grow olives on on 35,000 acres in the warm inland valleys of California.

It takes between four and five pounds of grapes to make one pound of raisins. Most raisins are made from the Thompson Seedless variety of grapes. Because you can keep them indefinitely without having them spoil, raisins are a good choice for long trips.

During the Alaskan Klondike gold rush, (1897-1898) potatoes were practically worth their weight in gold ? Potatoes were so valued for their vitamin C content that miners traded gold for potatoes. In fact, there is even a potato called Yukon Gold. These potatoes are slightly flat and oval in shape with light gold, thin skin and light yellow flesh.

Almonds are actually stone fruits related to cherries, plums and peaches ? California produces 80% of the world's supply of almonds. The world's largest almond factory is in Sacramento, California. It processes 2 million pounds of almonds a day. Chocolate manufacturers currently use 40% of the world's almonds and 20% of the world's peanuts. Japanese teenagers enjoy snacking on a mixture of dried sardines and slivered almonds.

Not all carrots are orange ? The first carrots originated some 5,000 years ago and were white, purple, red, yellow, green and black. The orange carrots we find in the supermarket come from a variety bred in the 1700's by the Dutch. And did you also know that three carrots give you enough energy to walk three miles...if cows eat too many carrots their milk tastes bitter.... all brides should be given carrots because it supposedly brings luck in the kitchen.

Alfalfa is supposedly the oldest know plant used for livestock feed ? Records of its use date as early as 1,000 BC in the Middle East. Alfalfa is very drought resistant and one of the most nutritious crops to feed to animals. Alfalfa sprouts are used in salads, and the leaves may also be used raw or cooked as a vegetable.

More than 87,000,000,000.00 (87 billion) eggs are produced in the U.S. each year ? The average person eats the equivalent of 254 eggs yearly. Eggs will age more in one day at room temperature than in one week in the refrigerator. To test eggs for freshness, place two teaspoonfuls of salt in a cup of water, then put in the egg. A fresh egg sinks; a doubter will float.

Lemons contain more sugar than strawberries

The onion is named after a Latin word meaning large pearl

Half of the world's population live on a staple diet of rice

The remains of fast-food shops have been found in ancient ruins! Even ancient Greeks enjoyed take-out. The only thing that is new is the mass production, standard menus and recipes of fast-food "chains." Wow! fast.gif (4964 bytes)

Potato crisps were invented by a North American Indian called George Crum

During a lifetime the average person eats about 35 tonnes of food

Ice Cream Is Chinese Food!

When the famous explorer Marco Polo returned to his homeland of Italy, from China in 1295, he brought back a recipe (among other things). The recipe, was a Chinese recipe for a desert called "Milk Ice." However, Europeans substituted cream for the milk, and voila..."Ice Cream." Ice cream has been a hit ever since!

The founder of McDonald's has a Bachelor degree in Hamburgerology

In France, people eat approximately 500,000,000 snails per year

Carrots Really Can Help You See In The Dark!

Vitamin A is known to prevent "night blindness," and carrots are loaded with Vitamin A. So, why not load-up today!

The first breakfast cereal ever produced was Shredded Wheat

There are about 100,000 bacteria in one litre of drinking water

The Word "Salary" Comes From "Salt!"
Salt, our oldest preservative, was extremely rare in the past. So rare, in fact, that it was often used as pay. Imagine...earning a couple of tablespoons of salt for a hard-days work. Today, salt is so common that restaurants give it away for free, and packaged food contains so much that it's far too easy to eat too much salt (salt is also known as "sodium")

Cream is lighter than milk

Over 1,000 litres of beer are drunk in the House of Commons each week

Sometimes frozen fruits And vegetables are more nutritious than fresh fruits!
The longer that fruits or vegetables sit around waiting to be sold or eaten, the more nutrients they lose. But fruits and vegetables grown for freezing are usually frozen right after they're picked. Therefore, they have less time to lose their nutrients.

Instant coffee has been in existence since the middle of the eighteenth century

The dish chop-suey does not come from China. It was created by Chinese immigrants in California

You're more likely to be hungry if you're cold! Temperature can affect your appetite.

Frankfurter sausages were first created in China

Within 2 hours of standing in daylight, milk loses between half and two-thirds of its vitamin B content

Have A Tomato With Your Burger! When a source of Vitamin C (orange, lemon, grapefruit, strawberry, tomato, potato, etc.) is eaten with meat or cooked dry beans, the body makes better use of the iron in the protein food.

A portion of the water you drink has already been drunk by someone else, maybe several times over

Bakers used to be fined if their loaves were under weight, so they used to add an extra loaf to every dozen, just in case -- hence, the expression "baker's dozen"

It Takes 3500 Calories To Make A Pound Of Fat!
So, as long as you're active, and burning of calories, calories shouldn't have too much of a chance to turn into fat.

Peanuts are used in the manufacture of dynamite

It has been traditional to serve fish with a slice of lemon since the Middle Ages, when people believed that the fruit's juice would dissolve any bones accidentally swallowed

The Average Person Eats Almost 1500. Pounds Of Food A Year!
On average, that can be thought of as 150 pounds of meat, 290 pounds of milk and cream, 35 pounds of eggs, 48 pounds of chicken, 68 pounds of bread, 125 pounds of potatoes, and 80 pounds of fruit. That should be enough to fill your stomach.

almonds are a member of the peach family.

americans eat approximately 10kg of tomatoes yearly, over half of which is in the form of catsup and tomato sauce.

apple is made of 25% air, that is why they float.

apples, onions, and potatoes all have the same taste? Try the test: Pinch your nose and take a bite out of each.

avocado has the highest protein and oil content of all fruits, but most of this is the healthier unsaturated type.

barbecue comes from barbacoa, a Caribbean "rude framework for sleeping or drying meat over a fire".

beer drunk with dinner works better than drinking red wine, gin or sparkling mineral water in controlling homocysteine, a blood factor that promotes heart disease by boosting blood levels of vitamin B6.

beer is a popular ingredient in batter for deep fried foods since the protein in beer provides browning and produces a light, crisp, dry batter when cooked.

beer of 375mL has fewer calories than two slices of bread and contains no fat.

birds eat half their own body weight in food each day! So, why do people say that a poor eater "eats like a bird"?

biscuit is a word derived from Latin via Middle French and means "twice cooked".

black-eyed peas are really beans.

blenders were invented by Stephen Poplawski when in 1922 he became the first person to put a spinning blade at the bottom of a small electric appliance to make Horlick's malted milk shakes.

brown sugar is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar with some residual molasses or produced by the addition of molasses to refined white sugar.

butter and margarine are similar in calories, the difference is that butter is higher in saturated fats, while margarine generally has more unsaturated fats.

butterflies taste with their feet.

canola is derived from "Canadian oil, low acid".

cabbage is 91% water.

capers are the unopened green flower buds of a wild and cultivated bush which is related to the cabbage family.

capsaicin, which makes hot peppers "hot" to the human mouth, is best neutralized by casein, the main protein found in milk.

carrots were originally purple in colour, changing in the 17th Century to orange with newer varieties.

celery requires more calories to eat and digest than it contains.

cereal as a word is derived from the name of the Roman goddess Ceres, protector of crops.

champagne contains 49 million bubbles in a bottle and has a pressure 3 times that of a car tyre.

cherries are a member of the rose family.

chewing gum may keep you slim by boosting the metabolic rate by about 20%.

chewing gum stimulates signals in the learning center of the brain and thus help save memory as you age.

chicken is one of the few things that we eat before it's born and after it's dead.

chili heat is measured in Scoville units, named after the pharmacist Thomas Scoville.

chocolate bloom occurs when the cocoa butter has separated causing it to rise to the surface of the chocolate and is a result of the chocolate being stored in too humid or too warm a temperature.

chocolate is a particularly good source of magnesium, potassium and calcium. It also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. On the down side it contains caffeine and has a high fat level.

chocolate may have its romantic effect due to the effects on the brain of a naturally occurring substance called phenylethylamine which enhances endorphin levels, increase libido and act a natural antidepressant.

coca-cola was originally green.

coffee is the most recognized smell in the world.

coffee originated from the Arabic word “qahwah”.

corn always has an even number of ears.

corn
makes up about 8% of the weight in a box of corn flakes.

cranberries are sorted for ripeness by bouncing them; a fully ripened cranberry can be dribbled like a basketball.

doughnuts were orginally made of raised dough with a nut in the centre.

eggs contain most of the recognised vitamins with the exception of vitamin C. egg spills can be fixed by sprinkling a generous amount of salt on the egg and let it dry. Then sweep the egg up with a broom.

eggplants are actually fruits, and classified botanically as berries.

fish consumption may be more than brain food but also help protect your eyes from age-related macular degeneration, a potential cause of blindness.

flamingos owe their pink or reddish colour to the rich sources of carotenoid pigments in the algae and small crustaceans that the birds eat.

fortune cookies are not Chinese, they were invented in Los Angeles around 1920.

gelato comes from the Italian word gelare which means to freeze; it is made from cow milk and its rich taste comes from being denser (30% air whereas ice cream is around 50%).

Gerber's top selling baby food in Japan is sardine dish.

Guinness beer, after pouring, produces bubbles that sink to the bottom. The bubbles go up more easily in the centre of the beer glass than on the sides because of drag from the walls. As the bubbles go up, they raise the beer, and the beer has to spill back, and it does. It runs down the sides of the glass carrying the bubbles - particularly little bubbles - with it, downward to the bottom of the glass

hamburgers were invented in 1900 by Louis Lassen. He ground beef, broiled it, and served it between two pieces of toast.

Heinz Catsup leaves the bottle traveling at 40 kilometers per year.

himalayan gogi berry contains, weight for weight, more iron than steak, more beta carotene than carrots, more vitamin C than oranges.

honey is the only edible food for humans that will never go bad.

horseradish was the first product sold by Heinz in 1869.

humble pie comes from the food "umble pie", a pie consisting of the innards of deer, which very poor people in Medieval England ate.

Kopi Luwa from Indonesia is the world's costliest coffee, at US$350 a kilgram, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of droppings of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat, which eats ripe robusta coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal. Plantation workers track them and scoop their precious poop.

lemons contain more sugar than strawberries.

lettuce is the only vegetable or fruit which is never sold frozen, canned, processed, cooked, or in any other form but fresh.

lobster was so common in Maine in the 18th Century that it was used as fertiliser.

margarine was first called Butterine in England when it was introduced.

mayonnaise will kill lice and also condition your hair.

Mel Blanc (voice of Bugs Bunny) was allergic to carrots.

milk from reindeer has more fat than cow milk.

milk is the new diet drink since low-fat, high-calcium dairy foods may burn off fat since extra calcium increases metabolism.

nutmeg is extremely poisonous if injected intravenously.

olive oil has lots of anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory activity to fight rheumatoid arthritis.

olive oil is an oil extracted from the fruit of the olive tree.

olive oil is the only vegetable oil that can be created simply by pressing the raw material.

orange does not rhyme with any other word.

organ meats were known as garbage in the 16th Century, the term then used for the innards of an animal.

parmigiano is a natural source of and has a high concentration of Monosodium glutamate (MSG), giving it the unami taste, found as small white crystals formed during maturation.

peanuts are legumes and not a tree nut.

peanuts are one of the ingredients in dynamite.

pear is a fruit that ripens from the inside out.

Pepsi-Cola was invented by Caleb Bradham in 1898. Originally called "Brad's Drink," the beverage was first marketed as a digestive aid and energy booster. It was renamed Pepsi-Cola because of its pepsin and kola nut content.

percentage alcohol in a bottle of liquor is estimated by dividing the proof by two.

pineapple is the international symbol of hospitality.

pizza originated in the early 1700's in Naples, Italy.

pizza toppings of squid are the most popular variety in Japan.

Popsicle were invented by an 11 year old, Frank Epperson when he left his soda water drink with a stirring stick overnight on his porch.

pound cake was so named because of its original proportions of 1 lb (500g) each of butter, sugar, and flour.

puffed grain were invented by Alexander Anderson in 1902. Unlike popcorn, a type of corn that naturally pops or puffs up with heat, puffed cereal or snacks are formed by exploding whole grain kernels under high pressure and steam.

raisin in a glass of champagne will keep floating to the top and sinking to the bottom.

refried beans aren't really what they seem. Although their name seems like a reasonable translation of Spanish frijoles refritos, the fact is that these beans aren't fried twice. In Spanish, refritos literally means "well-fried," not "re-fried."

rice paper does not contain one grain of rice - its made from either Rice straw, Bamboo, Hemp, Mulberry leaves, Wingceltis or Gampi.

sandwiches are named after John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich (1718-92), for whom beef was placed between 2 sliced pieces of bread so that he could stay at the gambling table without interruptions for meals.

shredded wheat was the first breakfast cereal to ever be produced.

sliced bread was introduced by Otto Frederick Rohwedder who invented the bread slicer, which he started working on in 1912. At first, Rohwedder came up with the idea of a device that held the slices together with hat pins (not a success). In 1928, he designed a machine 1.52m long by 0.90m high that sliced and wrapped the bread in waxed paper to prevent the sliced bread from going stale. On July 7, 1928, the first loaves of sliced bread were made by the near bankrupt baker Frank Bench.

soup has its origin as a word from 'sop' or 'sup', meaning the slice of bread on which the broth was poured.

soy flour and soya flour are richer in calcium and iron than wheat flour, gluten-free and high in protein. Soy flour is ground from raw soybeans; soya flour from lightly toasted soybeans.
spilling salt is considered good luck in Japan.

strawberries are the only fruit which has its seeds on its outer skin.
swiss cheese ferments with bacteria generating gas which bubbles through the cheese leaving holes; cheese-makers call them "eyes."

tea strengthens bones because isoflavonoid chemicals in tea may have a weak estrogenic effect, reducing bone deterioration and osteoporosis risk.

ten gallon hats only hold about 6 pints or 2.8 Litres.

thyme's most active ingredient is thymol, the antibacterial ingredient found in mouthwashes and Vicks Vaporub.

toasters for bread using electricity were invented by Crompton and Company, Leeds, England in 1893; the first automatic pop-up electric toaster was designed in 1919 by Charles Strite.

tomato used to be considered poisonous.

Tootsie Rolls were the first wrapped penny candy in America.

traditional italian food is an anagram of radiation, toil, fat and oil.

TV dinners were introduced in 1954 by Omaha-based C.A. Swanson and Sons featuring roast turkey with stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes and peas, selling for 98 cents.

Vegemite is an Australian icon which was developed in 1922 by Dr. Cyril Callister. He took used brewer's yeast and blended the yeast extract with ingredients like celery, onion, salt, and a few secret ingredients to make this paste rich in B vitamins; it was developed for the Fred Walker Company which is now Kraft Foods.

white chocolate is not a true chocolate because it contains no chocolate liquor, instead its made of sugar, cocoa butter, milk solids, lecithin and vanilla.

white shelled eggs are produced by hens with white feathers and earlobes while brown eggs are produced by hens with red feathers and earlobes; the colour has no relationship to the nutritional quality or taste of the eggs.

Wrigley's gum was the first product to have a bar code.

yelling for 8 years, 7 months and 6 days produces enough sound energy to heat one cup of coffee.


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