News, Entertainment, Enlightenment
The largest artillery pieces ever made were the Little David mortar made by the United States in 1945 and Mallet’s Mortar made by Britain in 1857. Both had a caliber of 914 mm, which is about three feet. Neither were ever used in combat.
The first computer virus was the Creeper which was released on ARPANET in 1971 by Bob Thomas of BBN Technologies as a game. It displayed the message “I’m the creeper, catch me if you can!”. The Reaper program was created to catch and delete it.
The famed Colossus of Rome was about 108 feet high, which is about 30 feet shorter than the Statue of Liberty or about 200 feet shorter if you count the base.
The dog days of summer are not named for canines sleeping in air conditioned rooms because outside is too hot. It comes from the appearance of the star Sirius i.e the “Dog Star” in mid-July and the hot, muggy weather traditional at the time in the Northern Hemisphere. The dog days traditionally are considered to end when the hints of autumn start arriving in September.
Ushuaia, Argentina is the southernmost city in the world. People in Chile argue that it is Puerto William. Sorry Chile, a population of less than 3,000 does not make for a city.
Always read the expiration date. Dynamite has a shelf life of one year.
Cows have compasses. They almost invariably graze either facing north or south and rarely east or west.
Building the Great Pyramid of Giza today would cost about $5 billion and take about five years.
There are 29 states that allow those under 21 to imbibe on non-alcohol selling premises with parental consent while six other allow drinking on non-alcohol selling premises even if your parents don’t approve. There are 26 states — with much overlap with the other 36 — that allow minors to drink during a church ceremony.
Pennsylvania is not in any of those categories. Some can interpret that as it illegal in Pa to drink communion wine.
Who was Helen of Bikini? It was not a who but a what, namely an atomic bomb detonated 90 feet beneath the surface of the Bikini lagoon on July 25, 1946 to test the effect nuclear weapons had on surface vessels. It sank 10 ships — including two battleships and an aircraft carrier. Radioactive spray permanently contaminated most of the others involved.