Random weekly facts/comments

[kagenotenshi]

It is illegal, in Alabama, to operate a vehicle while blindfolded.

It is also illegal, in Florida, for unmarried women to parachute on Sundays; violators can be arrested.

The united State's government first became debt free in 1835, which was also the last time it was debt free.

In 1999, a Gallup poll revealed that one in five Americans believe the sun revolves around the Earth.  

[kagenotenshi]

A folk remedy to heal cold sores and severely cracked lips is to rub your own earwax on them.

Spiders were once thought to be an effective cure for Malaria and were eaten alive in a pat of butter or a spoonful of syrup. In India, the webs were considered more effective and were rolled into pellets and taken orally.

Fourteen years before the Titanic sank, a novel titled Futility told the story of an ocean liner named Titan that met it's demise one April night when it collided with an iceberg.

Napoleon used a sandbox to construct his battle plans.  

[Sash0]

kagenotenshi

A folk remedy to heal cold sores and severely cracked lips is to rub your own earwax on them.

Spiders were once thought to be an effective cure for Malaria and were eaten alive in a pat of butter or a spoonful of syrup. In India, the webs were considered more effective and were rolled into pellets and taken orally.

Fourteen years before the Titanic sank, a novel titled Futility told the story of an ocean liner named Titan that met it's demise one April night when it collided with an iceberg.

Napoleon used a sandbox to construct his battle plans.

Wow eek sweatdrop  

[Kuroos]

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), the first film featuring the character Indiana Jones, was crawling with four-, eight-, and no-legged creatures:

- Number of boas, cobras and pythons used in the film: 7,500

- Number of tarantulas: 50

- Source of the name "Indiana Jones": it was the name of producer George Lucas' pet Malamute.  

[Kuroos]

Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear pants.  

[Kuroos]

In the Mario Brothers movie, the Princess' first name is Daisy, but in Mario 64, the game, her first name is Peach. Before that, it's Princess Toadstool.

"60 Minutes" is the only show on CBS that doesn’t have a theme song.

Most vampires are described in folklore as flushed and ruddy, with swollen bodies and bloated faces. Often, they can be identified because they're sitting up in the grave.  

[Kuroos]

One legend claims stealing someone's shadow (by measuring it against a wall and driving a nail through its head) can turn the victim into a vampire.

Avoid people who talk to themselves. According to Ukrainian legend, that could indicate a dual soul and the second one doesn't die! Also watch out for the seventh son of a seventh son, a person born with a red caul (amniotic membrane covering the head), or a child born with teeth. A vampire can result if a cat or dog walks over a fresh grave, a bat flies over the corpse, or the person has died suddenly as a result of suicide or murder. Unfinished business can also cause a body to rise, as can inadequate burial rites, including a grave that is too shallow.  

[Kuroos]

According to folklore, there are a number of ways to protect yourself from vampires, including the ever-popular wearing of garlic or a religious symbol. You can slow a vampire down by giving him something to do, like pick up poppy seeds or unravel a net. (They're quite compulsive.) Cross water and he can't follow. If you can find the body, give it a bottle of whiskey or food so it doesn't have to travel. If that doesn't work, either shoot the corpse (may require a silver bullet) or drive a stake through the heart. And remember, the vampire won't enter your dwelling unless invited.

Trivia is the Roman goddess of sorcery, hounds and the crossroads.  

[Kuroos]

The Vikings believed that the Northern lights which are seen from time to time in the north sky were caused by the flashing armor and spears of Odin's handmaidens as they rode out to collect warriors slain in battle.

One gift-giving taboo in China is the giving of straw sandals, which are associated with funerals, and therefore considered bad luck.

Crossing one's fingers is a way of secretly making the sign of the Cross. It was started by early Christians to ask for divine assistance without attracting the attention of pagans.  

[Kuroos]

One sign of rain that farmers once searched for was for their pigs to pick up sticks and walk around with them in their mouths.  

[Kuroos]

During the Civil War, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant believed that onions would prevent dysentery and other physical ailments. He reportedly sent the following message via wire to the War Department: "I will not move my army without onions." Within a day, the U.S. government sent three trainloads of onions to the front.

Contrary to popular belief, there are almost no Buddhists in India, nor have there been for about a thousand years.

On the stone temples of Madura in southern India, there are more than 30 million carved images of gods and goddesses.  

[Kuroos]

The reason one wears a wedding ring on the third finger is that (tradition says) there is supposed to be a vein which goes directly from that finger to the heart—i.e., the seat of love. Also, not everyone wears that wedding ring on the third finger of the LEFT hand. In some traditions, such as the Jewish one, it is worn on the right hand. Also, I'm given to understand that nuns ("brides of Christ") wear a wedding ring, again on the right hand.

To prevent evil spirits from entering the bodies of their male children, parents dressed them in blue. Blue was chosen because it's the color of the sky and was therefore associated with heavenly spirits.  

[Kuroos]

Girls weren't dressed in blue, apparently because people didn't think that evil spirits would bother with them. Eventually, however, girls did get their own color: pink. Pink was chosen because of an old English legend which said that girls were born inside of pink roses.

The famous Citgo sign near Fenway Park in Boston is maintained not by Citgo, but by Boston's historical society.  

[Kuroos]

The Aztec Indians of Mexico believed turquoise would protect them from physical harm, and so warriors used these green and blue stones to decorate their battle shields.

Black cats are considered lucky in England.

Long ago, the people of Nicaragua believed that if they threw beautiful young women into a volcano it would stop erupting. <- FAIL  

[Kuroos]

In medieval times, thunderstorms were believed by some to be the work of demons. So when it stormed, bell ringers would go up into the bell towers to ring the consecrated bells in an effort to stop the storm. This practice didn't always work out well for the bell ringer. <-- LOL LOL ring ring ring -3 days later- OH WTF TIRED -ring ring ring- XD