Total Trivia

[desideratum]

It kinda puts it in perspective doesn't it, just how small we are?

*sighing* ohh yeahhhhh

 

[Daizie]

I just finished the World's Largest Crossword Puzzle last night.

 

[Daizie]

In ancient days, ships were christened with human blood as an offering to the sea gods, so that they would have this offering and spare the blood, actually the lives, of the men on board the ship.

As men became more civilized, the blood of animals was used, and later, red wine and champagne.

Even today, the future of the ship is in doubt if the bottle of champagne doesn't break over the bow during the launching and christening ceremonies.

 

[NymphGoddess]

BORing facts

Ever come across a useful fact that absolutely no one is interested in but yourself? Then get it off your chest and share it...

hi folks, dunno if these two have been shared...

#1 there was only one pres. elected twice but NOT in succession...Grover Cleveland

#2 every president elected in a year ending in "0" had either been assasinated or had someone attempt to. The only one NOT asasinated in good ol' Ronnie boy

 

[desideratum]

serious? whose blood? how would they choose that? eek! lol

love champagne though!

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

trying to work out how many times a week that is!
I think I have some catching up to do lmao

OMG! Looks like I'm gonna have to go walking the streets

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

In ancient days, ships were christened with human blood as an offering to the sea gods, so that they would have this offering and spare the blood, actually the lives, of the men on board the ship.

As men became more civilized, the blood of animals was used, and later, red wine and champagne.

Even today, the future of the ship is in doubt if the bottle of champagne doesn't break over the bow during the launching and christening ceremonies.

Earth and ship are the only two inanimate nouns that I'm aware of that bear a gender. Both are referred to as "She" and both can carry the prefix 'Mother'.
I would be interested to hear if there are others.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The actress and model Farah Fawcett was born on 1947-02-02 at Corpus Christi and christened Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett.

 

[desideratum]

OMG! Looks like I'm gonna have to go walking the streets

hehehe

Earth and ship are the only two inanimate nouns that I'm aware of that bear a gender. Both are referred to as "She" and both can carry the prefix 'Mother'.
I would be interested to hear if there are others.

I have thought about that for hours now Lorraine! It's doing my head in a little lol (that's ok though, I love to think!)

Well I know 'thine husband' calls cars "she" -- and I know meteorologists call every second hurricane/cyclone a woman's name (with a man's name inbetween)

and then oh I Googled . . . couldn't help it, was rather interesting too lol
Read this exerpt from an 'American Speech' article titled "The feminine gender for inanimate things in Anglo-American"
http://www.jstor.org/pss/451510

that's all I know! (which was more than when I started -- so a good thing hehe)

 

[southerntierguy]

Switzerland is the only country in the world to recycle more than 50% of its refuse.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

hehehe



I have thought about that for hours now Lorraine! It's doing my head in a little lol (that's ok though, I love to think!)

Well I know 'thine husband' calls cars "she" -- and I know meteorologists call every second hurricane/cyclone a woman's name (with a man's name inbetween)

and then oh I Googled . . . couldn't help it, was rather interesting too lol
Read this exerpt from an 'American Speech' article titled "The feminine gender for inanimate things in Anglo-American"
http://www.jstor.org/pss/451510

that's all I know! (which was more than when I started -- so a good thing hehe)

Thanks for the link, very informative

I came across a paradoxical one...
We say Fatherland and Mother country, crazy

 

[smotherman]

Humans and dolphins are the only species that have sex for pleasure.

 

[smotherman]

Males, on average, think about sex every 7 seconds.

Females, on average, think about sex every 15 seconds

 

[smotherman]

In a life time. The average amount spent for kissing is 20,160 minutes that is 336 hours which makes 14 days.

 

[smotherman]

Sexual act is costly as it burn about 70-120 calories for a 130 pound woman, and 77 to 155 calories for a 170 pound man every hour.

 

[smotherman]

Impotence is grounds for divorce in 26 U.S. States.

 

[smotherman]

Thank you!

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Sexual act is costly as it burn about 70-120 calories for a 130 pound woman, and 77 to 155 calories for a 170 pound man every hour.

Better than dieting and a great way to lose weight, but it only becomes costly when you fornicate to procreate

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Emily Dickinson wrote more than nine hundred poems, of which only four were published during her lifetime.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The average age at which America's presidents have taken office is 54.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

In England, murder is murder. There are no degrees of murder, as in the United States.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

2009 has been officially designated the International Year of Astronomy, the International Year of Reconciliation... and the International Year of Natural Fibres.

So rejoice – finally, the long-running Flax Wars with the Andromeda galaxy might just be coming to a peaceful end.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The word 'blurb' (the promotional guff on the back of a book) was coined by the US humorist Gelett Burgess.

It featured in his 1914 book Burgess Unabridged – a dictionary full of invented words. It was the only new word in the book to catch on - sadly for his other suggestions, including 'alibosh' ('A glaringly obvious falsehood; something not meant to be actually believed; a picturesque overstatement'); 'huzzlecoo' ('An intimate talk; a 'heart-to-heart conversation; a private confidential chat'); and 'kripsle' ('A worrying physical sensation, an invisible annoyance absorbing one's attention')

 

[desideratum]

I love that word blurb! it even sounds good when you say it outloud hehe

The word "news" was supposedly taken from the first letters of the words north, east, west, south -- representing information being gathered in all directions.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

I love that word blurb! it even sounds good when you say it outloud hehe

The word "news" was supposedly taken from the first letters of the words north, east, west, south -- representing information being gathered in all directions.

I never considered that news could be an acronym, thank you for posting that 'news'

The word "Posh" is of the same ilk, meaning Port Out Starboard Home.
When ships sailed from England to the Indian colonies (before the Suez Canal was built), the coast of Africa is on the port (left side) and upon returning is on the starboard.
The 'upper class' passengers would pay extra for the privilege to see the coast as they sailed, hence the acronym came to exist in our language as an actual word.