Total Trivia

[Daizie]

California was once a great gold-mining area, but today the largest gold- producing region on earth is in South Africa, near the city of Johannesburg.

This area now produces about half of the world's supply of gold, and production in some years has been over 1,000 tons!

The largest single group of mines in South Africa, called the East Rand Mines, covers an area of 12,000 acres. The largest mine in this group has tunnels that stretch for more than 2,500 miles!

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

California was once a great gold-mining area, but today the largest gold- producing region on earth is in South Africa, near the city of Johannesburg.

This area now produces about half of the world's supply of gold, and production in some years has been over 1,000 tons!

The largest single group of mines in South Africa, called the East Rand Mines, covers an area of 12,000 acres. The largest mine in this group has tunnels that stretch for more than 2,500 miles!

More iron ore is mined each day than all the gold since civilisation began !

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Honey is used as a center for golf balls and in antifreeze mixtures.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Small differences in height can make a difference to the weather. Security guards on the top of the Empire State Building, New York, were able to make snowballs on November 3,1958 while rain fell on 34th Street 1,250 feet below.

 

[fire_breeze]

Ruby was said to be the most precious of the twelve stones God created when he created all things, and this "lord of gems" was placed on Aaron's neck by God's command.
In the Bible, Job says that “wisdom is more precious than rubies”
In the ancient language of Sanskrit, ruby is called « ratnaraj », or « king of precious stones » and also «ratnanayaka», «leader of precious stones».

 

[fire_breeze]

It was thought that the wearer of a ruby was blessed with health, wealth, wisdom and outstanding success in « heart affairs ».
Furthermore, the wearer acquired the ability to live in peace with his enemies. In some places ruby was even thought to confer invulnerability.

 

[fire_breeze]

Ruby is the birthstone for July but on some ancient lists it can be the birthstone for December.
Ruby is also the gemstone for the astrological sign Capricorn

 

[Daizie]

We sometimes say "jade green" to mean a certain kind of green color, and indeed most jade is green. But not all. Pure jade is actually white!

Jade is found in two different minerals, jadeite and nephrite. Pure jade in either form is white, but other substances mixed into the mineral give it its color — in jadeite, it's chromium, while in nephrite, it's iron.

The Chinese have treasured jade for thousands of years, and developed jade carving to a fine art. But strangely enough, there is no jade at all in China! All the jade carved in China has come from Burma and other nearby countries.

 

[Daizie]

The largest piece of jade ever mined was a boulder weighing more than 63,300 pounds!

 

[Daizie]

Many early people believed that certain gems had strange and mysterious powers, that gems could bring good luck to a person and influence his personality.

Fortune-tellers in the Middle Ages, eager to strengthen their influence over superstitious people, chose a gemstone for each month of the year and told people that if they wore the stone that symbolized the month of their birth, no harm would come to them and they would be strengthened by the trait associated with each stone.

 

[Daizie]

Even though most people today do not believe that their birthstones will affect their lives, they still choose to have their birthstones set into jewelry.

The stones and traits for the twelve months are:

January: Garnet - Firm and Steadfast

February: Amethyst - Sincere

March : Aquamarine - Courageous

April : Diamond - Innocent

May : Emerald Loving and - Successful

June : Pearl or Alexandrite - Healthy

July : Ruby - Contented

August : Periot or Sardonyx - Happily Married

September : Sapphire - Clear Thinker

October : Opal or Tourmaline - Hopeful

November : Topaz - Faithful

December : Turquoise or Zircon - Prosperous

 

[smotherman]

Iguanas can recognize their human handlers and greet them differently, compared with strangers.

 

[smotherman]

A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

 

[smotherman]

owners of cats and dogs indicate that 21% of dogs and 7% of cats snore.

 

[smotherman]

A turtle can breathe through its butt.

 

[smotherman]

The Rainbow Bridge is the world's largest natural bridge. It is located at the base of Navajo Mountain, Utah and is as long as a football field.

 

[smotherman]

The Sea of Tranquility on the moon is deeper than the highest mountain on Earth.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

There is no synonym for thesaurus. The word is from Greek and means “a treasure.”

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

There are 19 buildings in the landmark Rockefeller Center Complex in New York City.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

On August 12, 1990, Typhoon Winona, combined with the summer holiday rush, created the longest traffic jam in Japan's history, an 84-mile-long chaotic mess. About 15,000 vehicles were involved.

 

[fire_breeze]

A sheep, a duck and a rooster were the first passengers in a hot air balloon.

It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke...

"So a sheep, a duck and a rooster were in a hot air balloon, and the sheep turned to the duck and said, "We're already in hot air - why did you bring that cock?"


See? I told you. Bad joke.




*goes off to put a quarter in the bad joke jar*

 

[fire_breeze]

A pig's orgasm lasts 30 minutes long.

 

[fire_breeze]

Astrologia was the job title for both astronomers and astrologers until 700 AD. Astrology and astronomy were virtually the same until 300 years ago.

 

[fire_breeze]

The Zodiac was originally a natural agricultural calendar that dated the sowing of crops, and all important activities, by the rising and setting of the stars (especially Sirius), and the Pleiades or other recognizable constellations

 

[fire_breeze]

Newspaper daily horoscopes were created 70 years ago for the express purpose of selling newspapers: In 1930, the London Sunday Express published an astrological article on the birth of Princess Margaret. The public response was enormous, leading to a commission for astrologer R.H. Naylor to write a series. Circulation soared and newspapers in England, France, Germany, and America began publishing columns of astrological predictions.