Interesting & Amazing Facts
History
Aircraft
Orville Wright, a pilot, was involved in the first aircraft accident. His passenger, a Frenchman, was killed.
Alaska
The Russian Czar Alexander II sold Alaska for about $7.2 million to the USA, to pay off his gambling debts. At the time, most folks considered this to be a really bad deal for America.
American Colonies
The population of the American Colonies in 1610 was 350.
Bagpipes
Bagpipes were invented in Iran and brought to Scotland by the Romans.
Cannibals
In the 17th century, Sawney Beane, his wife, eight sons, six daughters, eighteen grandsons, and fourteen granddaughters, who were all born in incest, were a family of cannibals that lived in caves in Scotland. They murdered hundreds of men, women and children and then ate them. The entire family was executed in Edinburgh without a trial.
Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase was a battle that took place on the english-Scottish border in 1388.
Christmas
The practice of exchanging presents at Christmas originated with the Romans.
Civil War (U.S.)
After the U.S Civil War, about 33%-50% of all U.S. paper currency in circulation was counterfeit.
Baths
Bread
Cost Of Living
In 1926
One pound of steaks: $0.37
One dozen eggs: $0.45
New Chevrolet" $625.00
New Refrigerator: $395.00
RCA Radio: $150.00
In 1946
One pound of round steak: $0.41
One Year tuition at Yale: $600.00
Annual salary of a Registered Nurse: $2400.00
Average hourly wage at Ford Motors: $1.38
1966
U.S.A. Federal minimum wage: $1.25
One day in hospital: $42.00
One Year tuition at Yale: $1,950.00
New Ford Mustang: $2,129.00
Detroit
In the spring of 1975, a baby in Detroit fell 14 stories and landed on Joseph Figlock, who was walking below. A few years later it happened again. Figlock and both babies survived.
Egypt
* Ramses II, a pharaoh of Egypt died in 1225 B.C. At the time of his death, he had fathered 96 sons and 60 daughters.
* If a surgeon in Ancient Egypt lost a patient while performing an operation, his hands were cut off.
England
During the 1600's, boys and girls in England wore dresses until they were about seven years old.
Flags
The oldest national flag still in existence, that of Denmark, dates back to the 13th century.
Gulf War
During the Gulf War of 1990 more tons of bombs were dropped than by all sides during WW II, and the direct cost was estimated at around 65 billion dollars - two thirds of a billion dollars an hour for 100 hours.
Hitler, Adolph
Hitler was voted Time Magazines man of the year in 1938.
Italy
The national flag of Italy was designed by Napoleon Bonaparte.
King Of Siam
By the time the King of Siam died in 1910 he had fathered 370 children.
Mayan Empire
The Mayan Empire lasted six times as long as the Roman Empire.
New World
It is estimated that a few years after Columbus discovered the New World, the Spaniards killed off 1.5 million Indians.
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace prize was first awarded in 1901 to Jean Henry Dunant, who was the founder of the Swiss Red Cross.
Panama Canal
Approximately 25,000 workers died during the building of the Panama Canal, and approximately 20,000 of them contracted malaria and yellow fever.
Persia
Abdul Kassem Ismael, Grand Vizier of Persia in the tenth century, carried his library with him wherever he went. The 117,000 volumes were carried by 400 camels which were trained to walk in alphabetical order.
Queen Berengaria
In her entire lifetime Queen Berengaria of England never once visited England.
Revolution
The first recorded revolution took place at around 2800 BC when people from the Sumerian city of Lagash overthrew bureaucrats who were lining their own pockets but kept raising taxes.
Secret Service (U.S.)
In 1865, the U.S. Secret Service was first established for the specific purpose to combat the counterfeiting of money.
Slavery
In 1801, 20 percent of the people in the U.S. were slaves.
Sparta
* At the height of its power, in 400 BC, the Greek city of Sparta had 25,000 citizens and 500,000 slaves.
* In ancient Sparta, the only way women could get their names on a tombstone was to die in childbirth.
Stewardess
In 1930, Ellen Church became the world's first airline stewardess.
Telephone Operators
In the year 1900, for a women to be a telephone operator she had to be between the ages of 17 and 26 and not be married.
Titanic
There were 13 couples celebrating their honeymoon on the Titanic.
Voting
New Zealand was the first country to extend the vote to women, in 1893. Second was Australia in 1902. In third place was Finland in 1906.
War
* The shortest war in history was between Zanzibar and England in 1896. Zanzibar surrendered after 38 minutes.
* Chemical and biological warfare have been used long before World War 1. During the Peloponnesian War in the 5th century BC, Spartans used sulphur and pitch to overcome the enemy. During ancient and medieval times, soldiers sometimes threw bodies of plague victims over the walls of besieged cities, or into water wells. During the French and Indian wars in North America (1689-1763), blankets used by smallpox victims were given to American Indians in the hope they would carry the disease.
Witches
When medieval Europeans burned witches, the witches' family had to pay for the firewood.
World War II
It is estimated that over fifty-four million people died in World War II, which was the bloodiest war in history.
World War I
At the outbreak of World War I, the American air force consisted of only fifty men.