Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the US, was a lifelong pacifist; she voted against entering WWI, voted the sole vote against declaring war against Japan after Pearl Harbor, and later led peace activism against US military intervention in Vietnam while in her 80s.
The Frisbee began when a young….
The Frisbee began when a young couple were tossing a 5¢ cake pan on the beach; they were offered 25¢ for it. They started a business called the “Flyin’ Cake Pan.” The design was retooled and name changed several times: “Whirlo-Way,” “Flyin’ Saucer,” “Pluto Platter,” then Frisbee.
Norway hires sherpas from Nepal…
Norway hires sherpas from Nepal to build paths in the Norwegian mountains. They have completed over 300 projects, and their pay for one summer, equals 30 years of work in Nepal.
Taxi Driver (1976) was made with a low…
Taxi Driver (1976) was made with a low budget of only $1.9 million. Robert De Niro & Cybill Shepherd received only $35k for the film while Scorsese received only $65k. Despite the low budget, it went on to receive 4 nominations at the 1977 Academy Awards.
In 1695 the English parliament…
In 1695 the English parliament passed a law to tax all bachelors over the age of 25. The Bachelor Tax was later abolished in 1706.
Dan Grimaldi, who is best known…
Dan Grimaldi, who is best known for playing Patsy Parisi on “The Sopranos”, teaches in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Kingsborough Community College, as he has degrees in mathematics, operations research and data processing.
In 2018, a woman accidentally…
In 2018, a woman accidentally paid a Swiss cafe $7709 for coffee because she entered her PIN number as the dollar amount. When she called to get the money back, nobody answered because the cafe had filed for bankruptcy.
On the last Saturday of every month…
On the last Saturday of every month, all Rwandans are required by law to “come together in common purpose” to clean up their community, in a national holiday called Umuganda.
Vincent Speranza made a beer…
Vincent Speranza made a beer run for a wounded buddy during the Battle of the Bulge that became a legend in Belgium and he did not find out until 65 years later.
Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl…
Norwegian adventurer Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove that ancient Egyptians could have crossed the Atlantic by boat. Thor left Morocco in a papyrus boat which was lost for a time and the subject to a UN search and rescue. However, the Ra II arrived in Barbados 57 days after its launch in 1970.