Total Trivia

[Gaia_Lorraine]

I've missed you too {{}} Doing well, I hope?

pop into Sienna's place?

 

[fire_breeze]

Today, in 1900 archaeologists in Knossos, Crete, discover a large cache of clay tablets with hieroglyphic writing in a script they call Linear B.

Linear B is a syllabic script that was used for writing Mycenaean Greek, an early form of Greek. It pre-dated the Greek alphabet by several centuries (ca. 13th but perhaps as early as 17th century BCE) and seems to have died out with the fall of Mycenaean civilisation. The script appears related to Linear A, an undeciphered earlier script used for writing the Minoan language, and the later Cypriot syllabary, which recorded Greek. Linear B consists of around 87 syllabic signs and a large repertory of semantographic signs. These ideograms or "signifying" signs stand for objects or commodities, but do not have phonetic value and are never used as word signs in writing a sentence. The application of Linear B seems to have been confined to administrative contexts.

 

[fire_breeze]

Minoan palaces (anaktora) are the best known building types to have been excavated on the island. They are monumental buildings serving administrative purposes as evidenced by the large archives unearthed by archaeologists. Each of the palaces excavated to date has its own unique features, but they also share features which set them apart from other structures. The palaces were often multi-storied, with interior and exterior staircases, light wells, massive columns, storage magazines and courtya

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Minoan palaces (anaktora) are the best known building types to have been excavated on the island. They are monumental buildings serving administrative purposes as evidenced by the large archives unearthed by archaeologists. Each of the palaces excavated to date has its own unique features, but they also share features which set them apart from other structures. The palaces were often multi-storied, with interior and exterior staircases, light wells, massive columns, storage magazines and courtya

We went on holiday to Crete shortly after we were married and visited the Palace of Knossos (of which I still have old cellulite photos) and Malia (where we stayed).

The Minoan civilisation was wiped out by a massive volcanic eruption on the island of Santorini to the north which created a tsunami that swamped the coastal plains of what is now modern day Crete.

 

[85Ironman]

Today is the 45th Birthday for Pringles potato chips.

 

[fire_breeze]

On April 10, 1912, the Titanic leaves port in Southampton, England for her first and only voyage.


Also, one year ago today, Polish Air Force Tu-154M crashes near Smolensk, Russia, killing all 96 people on board including President Lech Kaczyński.

 

[RUlookingup]

The first known documented usage of the phrase "Manny Being Manny" is attributed to then-Indians manager Mike Hargrove, quoted in a 1995 Newsday article.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

12th April...

1961: Soviets win space race

The Soviet Union beats the USA in the race to get the first man into space and Yuri Gagarin becomes a national hero.

 

[NorthernPA4U]

Actor Albert Brooks changed his last name because there was already an extremely well-known theoretical physicist named "Albert Einstein."

 

[Aquagal]

Caribou and Reindeer are the same animal

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Caribou and Reindeer are the same animal

Cooking Reindeer

Reindeer meat is fine-fibred, tender and lean. Reindeer roast ought to be cooked over low heat. Reindeer meat is also known for its wild taste which should not be spoilt by too much spice. Boiling is the traditional cooking method.

Reindeer meat is rich in vitamins, containing vitamin A, vitamin E and all vitamins B. Its protein content is 23 %. The fat content is very low. Reindeer fat is very much like fish fat. Especially the winterfeed of reindeer, meat contains a lot of selenium.

Do not put salt in the marinade
Bread the cutlets before cooking.
Do not overcook the meat. Overdone meat is no longer juicy.
Fry the cutlets at a lower temperature than steaks and chops. Do not burn the surface.
Do not spoil the wild taste with too much spice.
Flavour the sauce e.g. with honey, black currant jelly, anchovy juice, sherry, portwine, green or rose pepper or wild herbs.

Cold-smoked, vacuum-packed products are usually high quality

. TRADITIONAL SAUTEED REINDEER

* 50 g of butter or oil
* 400 g of reindeer meat
* 0,5 dl of water or beer
* salt
* black pepper
* (crushed garlic)

Melt the butter in a pot. Put the frozen meat into the pot. Cover the pot with a lid. Let the meat thaw out. Turn it a couple of times. When the liquid has evaporated, add the crushed carlic, salt and pepper. Allow the meat to brown some more. Turn it carefully. Add the liquid. Put the lid on and let the meat simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve the hot meat from the pot with buttered potatoes and cranberries.

(Association of Reindeer Herding Cooperatives, Rovaniemi. Nelita 1999.)

 

[fire_breeze]

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

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Roman Goddesses

Acca Larentia - the Holy Harlot or High Priestess.

Alemona - Roman Goddess Who guards the fetus.

Angerona - Silent Goddess of Rome. Shown holding a finger to Her sealed mouth. goddess of the Winter Solstice.

Anna Perenna - Ancient Etruscan/Roman Goddess of the Year. She had two faces, Prorsa and Postverta, who looked forward and back in time. She ruled both prophecy of the future and history of the past. Ruler of Human and Vegetative reproduction. Her festival of March 15 was one of merrymaking and promiscuity. A fertility festival celebrating the fruitful Earth.

Antevorta - Goddess of Prophecy.

Aurora - Goddess of Dawn.

Bona Dea - Good Goddess. She was worshipped only by women and only in utter secrecy at rites in early December. Conducted by the Vestal priestesses, these celebrations were held at the home of a high-ranking matron, decorated with vine branches and freely flowing wine in honor of this Goddess of Abundance and Prophecy.

Candelifera - Goddess Who assists at births.

Carmenta - Goddess of writing and the alphabet, Prophecy and Midwifery.

Carna - Goddess of food assimilation and survival.

Carya - pre-hellenic goddess of walnut trees.

Ceres - Goddess of the harvest.

Cotys - Thracian Moon Goddess.

Coventina - Mother of Covens, Celtic Goddess as patroness of healing wells and springs.

Diana - Goddess of Wild Creatures. Goddess of hunting, the moon, and wild natural places. Forests and woodlands are sacred to Her, especially oak groves. Strong, athletic Goddess who ran with a pack of dogs.


Feronia - Wolf Mother worshipped by the Sabines before the foundation of Rome.

Flora - Goddess of Spring. The Flourishing One, honored annually on May Day. Lady of Pleasure.

Juno - Great Mother, Queen of Heaven. Roman ruling goddess, Optima Maxima (best and greatest). Protector of all women, from birth to death. She was the soul of all Roman women. Patroness of marriage. Protector of all newborn children. Peacocks are associated with her.

Lara - Shortened form for the Roman Goddess Acca Larentia, Mother of the Lares or household spirits.

Lat - Eponymous, milk-giving Lunar Goddess, Mother of Pre-Roman Latium, Mother of the World Egg and the Sun. From the Moon came water, milk, blood, plant sap and all life-supporting fluids.

Lucina - Goddess of Childbirth.

Luna - Latin Moon Goddess. Creatress Who first drifted alone on the primal ocean of Chaos until She decided to bring orderly forms out of elemental formlessness. aka Mana - ruled archaic Scandinavia, Arabia and central Asia.

Lupa - The Great Wolf Bitch. Sacred Roman She Wolf, nurse of the foundling twins Romulus and Remus. Lupa's temple harlots were lupae, sometimes called Queens or High Priestesses. Her greatest festival was the annual Lupercalia, celebrated in the Grotto of the She-Wolf, with orgiastic rites to insure the year's fertility.

Marica - She gave birth to the god-king Latinus, ancestor of all Latin tribes.

Mensa - Goddess of Measurement, numbers, calendars, calculations, tables and record keeping.

Minerva - Goddess of Wisdom and the Moon. Her totem animal was the owl. Scales of Judgment. Celestial virgin dispensing the fates of men.

Pomona - Apple Mother. Goddess of fruit trees. Roman banquets ended with apples, as an invocation of Her good will. Protectress of orchards and gardens.

Proserpina - Queen the the Underworld. Roman version of Persephone.

Tellus - Earth Goddess.

Venus - Goddess of Love, Star of the Sea, Queen of Pleasure, Mother of the Roman people. Goddess of spring. Protectress of Venice.

 

[fire_breeze]

Today, May 2, is election day in Canada. Joy.

This clip succinctly explains everything you needed to know about Canada but were afraid to ask.

And it's funny too

 

[fire_breeze]

Some very strange laws:

In Miami, it is forbidden to imitate an animal.

It is against the law to mispronounce the name of the State of Arkansas in that State.

In Missouri, a man must have a permit to shave.

In Texas, it's against the law for anyone to have a pair of pliers in his or her possession.

In Philadelphia, you can't put pretzels in bags based on an Act of 1760.

Alaska law says that you can't look at a moose from an airplane.

In Corpus Christie, Texas, it is illegal to raise alligators in your home.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Today, May 2, is election day in Canada. Joy.

This clip succinctly explains everything you needed to know about Canada but were afraid to ask.

And it's funny too

To see it from another perspective, from someone else's eyes is truly a revelation to someone open-minded. Thank You fire_breeze

And in return.... some BBC Canada facts

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2ap3CJM9jQ&NR=1&feature=fvwp

 

[fire_breeze]

Today, in 1997, Deep Blue, a chess-playing supercomputer, defeats Garry Kasparov in the last game of the rematch, becoming the first computer to beat a world-champion chess player in a classic match format.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays to observe the classical unities. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

 

[fire_breeze]

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays to observe the classical unities. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

I love this play!

 

[fire_breeze]

Today is Friday the 13th.

Some random facts.

~ Any month's 13th day will fall on a Friday if the month starts on a Sunday.

~ No one knows the origins of the superstition. Some believe it's from Norse mythology, others believe it's due to Jesus being betrayed by Judas (his 13th apostle) whereas some believe it's because of the assassination of the Knoghts Templar on this date (no basis in fact).

~ The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia (Frigga being the name of the Norse goddess for whom "Friday" is named and triskaidekaphobia meaning fear of the number thirteen), or paraskevidekatriaphobia a concatenation of the Greek words Paraskeví (Παρασκευή, meaning "Friday"), and dekatreís (δεκατρείς, meaning "thirteen") attached to phobía (φοβία, from phóbos, φόβος, meaning "fear"). The latter word was derived in 1911.

~ According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, North Carolina, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the United States are affected by a fear of this day. Some people are so paralyzed by fear that they avoid their normal routines in doing business, taking flights or even getting out of bed. "It's been estimated that [US]$800 or $900 million is lost in business on this day".

 

[m_anew1]

The Comedy of Errors is one of William Shakespeare's earliest plays. It is his shortest and one of his most farcical comedies, with a major part of the humour coming from slapstick and mistaken identity, in addition to puns and word play. The Comedy of Errors (along with The Tempest) is one of only two of Shakespeare's plays to observe the classical unities. It has been adapted for opera, stage, screen and musical theatre.

The Comedy of Errors tells the story of two sets of identical twins that were accidentally separated at birth. Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, arrive in Ephesus, which turns out to be the home of their twin brothers, Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant, Dromio of Ephesus. When the Syracusans encounter the friends and families of their twins, a series of wild mishaps based on mistaken identities lead to wrongful beatings, a near-seduction, the arrest of Antipholus of Ephesus, and accusations of infidelity, theft, madness, and demonic possession.

Remember that play vividly. Clever writing...

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Les Misérables has been translated into 21 different languages

English, Japanese, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, German, Polish, Swedish, Dutch, Danish, French, Czech, Castillian, Mauritian Creole, Flemish, Finnish, Argentinian, Portuguese, Estonian and Mexican Spanish.

Productions have played in 42 countries and 291 cities
The countries include:

England, United States Of America, Japan, Israel, Hungary, Australia, Iceland, Norway, Austria, Canada, Poland, Sweden, Holland, Denmark, New Zealand, France, The Czech Republic, Spain, Northern Ireland, Eire, Scotland, Wales, Bermuda, Malta, Philippines, Mauritius, Singapore, Germany, Hong Kong, Korea, South Africa, Belgium, Finland, Argentina, Brazil, Estonia, China, Mexico, Switzerland, Serbia & The Channel Islands.

The production has played over 43,000 professional performances worldwide giving a total audience figure of more than 55 million people.

The biggest single live audience for Les Misérables to date was 125,000 at the 1989 Australia Day concert in Sydney. The biggest broadcast audience was when 250 Les Misérables cast members sang at the 1996 European Football Championship, televised to 400 million viewers in 197 countries.

The longest running production is in London where it played 7,602 performances at the Palace Theatre before transferring to the Queen's Theatre where it opened on 3th April 2004. It is now the world's longest running musical.

In October of 2008 it celebrated its 23rd Birthday and its 9,000th performance was on 10th August 2007.
There are approximately 101 cast and crew directly involved in every performance, not including front of house staff, and the huge back-up services including ticket sales, wardrobe staff, set contractors, maintenance, office staff, advertising and publicity.
Each performance entails some 392 complete costumes consisting of some 1,782 items of clothing and 31 wigs.

Les Misérables has won over 70 major theatre awards; the most recent were four John Kraaijkamp Musical Awards for the Rotterdam production.

There have been 33 cast recordings of Les Misérables (including albums, singles and the symphonic). Both the original Broadway cast album and the symphonic recordings won Grammy awards.

In Broadway history Les Misérables is the third longest running show after The Phantom of the Opera and Cats, both of which are Cameron Mackintosh productions.

The Les Misérables Schools' Edition was launched in the USA on 10th May 2001 at Holy Trinity High School, Hicksville, New York and in the UK on 14th October 2002 at Stanwell School, Cardiff. Since then there have been over 2,000 schools' productions in the UK, US and Australia making it the most successful musical ever produced in schools.

Les Misérables celebrated the 10th Anniversary of its world premiere on 8th October 1995 with a gala concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London. The concert starred the original 'Jean Valjean', Colm Wilkinson, who led a company of 250 artists and 100 musicians. The specifically arranged finale featured 17 different Jean Valjeans from around the world singing in many of the languages in which the show has been performed.

The 10th Anniversary Concert was filmed for television and has since been seen by over 4 million viewers in the UK. The video has gone on to sell over 1.7 million copies worldwide. A special double disc collector's edition DVD was released in the UK in November 2005.

On 18th November 2004 a special concert performance was given at Windsor Castle in honour of the President of the French Republic and Jacques Chirac to celebrate the centenary of the Entente Cordiale.

To celebrate its 21st Birthday a special 90 minute version of the show was recorded with the BBC Concert Orchestra and broadcast on BBC Radio 2.

 

[VanGogh66]

I love playing trivia so I am going to have to remember some of this stuff.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

I love playing trivia so I am going to have to remember some of this stuff.

It's just fun no need to remember it, it's all instantly forgettable
Post your own crap, please do

 

[VanGogh66]

It's just fun no need to remember it, it's all instantly forgettable
Post your own crap, please do

There are over 200 pages here and I just found the thread. I would probably post stuff that was already added here.