Total Trivia

[call_me_Melody]

Women who went to college are more likely to enjoy both the giving and receiving of oral sex than high school dropouts.

I knew I liked college

Random CHRISTMAS facts...
Saint Nicholas of Myra, the original Santa Claus, was the patron saint of children, thieves and pawnbrokers. (This explains a TON about the current retail situation)

Based on previous surveys, 17 percent of you will embarrass yourselves in some way at your work Christmas Party. (This is why I do not attend Christmas parties)

A Mongolian wild ass can run 8 mph faster than a reindeer. (Does anyone have a pic of a Mongolian wild ass to share??)

Christmas Pudding should be stirred from east to west. (Um, ok.)

36 percent of Australians sing holiday carols to their pets. (i want to know who counted.)

1 in 3 men will wait until Christmas Eve to finish their shopping (Really? Do you not know it's going to be here? The date doesn't change, it's not like there aren't reminders... LOL)

A tradtional Christmas dinner in early England was the head of a pig prepared with mustard. (I will stick with my roast beast thank you)

There are 1.76 billion candy canes produced every year.( I Candy Canes!)

Kris Kringel, a man in his 40's, lives in North Pole, Alaska, and delivers pizza for a living. He drives a 1984 Ford. (wow... hmmm..)

 

[smotherman]

Canada declared national beauty contests canceled as of 1992, claiming they were degrading to women.

 

[smotherman]

Christmas became a national holiday in the US in 1890.

 

[smotherman]

From the Middle Ages up until the end of the 19th century, barbers performed a number of medical duties including bloodletting, wound treatment, dentistry, minor operations and bone-setting. The barber's striped red pole originated in the Middle Ages, when it was a staff the patient would grip while the barber bled the patient.

 

[smotherman]

A Mongolian wild ass can run 8 mph faster than a reindeer. (Does anyone have a pic of a Mongolian wild ass to share??))

http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/4/41/Khulan_am_Wasser_Abend.jpg/800px-Khulan_am_Wasser_Abend.jpg

 

[call_me_Melody]

http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/4/41/Khulan_am_Wasser_Abend.jpg/800px-Khulan_am_Wasser_Abend.jpg

AWESOME.. thank you.

 

[Millianthe]

http://static.newworldencyclopedia.org/thumb/4/41/Khulan_am_Wasser_Abend.jpg/800px-Khulan_am_Wasser_Abend.jpg

Wowwwwwwwwwww... nice ass... errr... asses!!!!

 

[smotherman]

Anytime, Melody!



I've a nicer ass Milli, so there LOL

 

[maggiemayipls]

Lollipops are banned in Washington State. (Maybe not as cool as Mongolian asses but still...)

 

[desideratum]

I love reading lil' new tidbits for my trivia mind here....

ahhhhhh what to write for today? ummmmm.....

Ancient Egyptians originally celebrated the New Year with the Feast of Opet around the middle of June, which was when the Nile River usually overflowed its banks. Consequently, people were unable to work and would be free to take part in the festivities.

ummm also, traditions of the season have almost always included the making of New Year's resolutions, which dates back to the early Babylonians. Popular modern resolutions might include the promise to lose weight or quit smoking. The early Babylonian's most popular resolution was to return borrowed farm equipment!!!

*snicker*

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The tradition of the New Year's Resolutions goes all the way back to 153 B.C. Janus, a mythical king of early Rome was placed at the head of the calendar.

With two faces, Janus could look back on past events and forward to the future. Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and many Romans looked for forgiveness from their enemies and also exchanged gifts before the beginning of each year.

The New Year has not always begun on January 1, and it doesn't begin on that date everywhere today. It begins on that date only for cultures that use a 365-day solar calendar. January 1 became the beginning of the New Year in 46 B.C., when Julius Caesar developed a calendar that would more accurately reflect the seasons than previous calendars had.

The Romans named the first month of the year after Janus, the god of beginnings and the guardian of doors and entrances. He was always depicted with two faces, one on the front of his head and one on the back. Thus he could look backward and forward at the same time. At midnight on December 31, the Romans imagined Janus looking back at the old year and forward to the new. The Romans began a tradition of exchanging gifts on New Year's Eve by giving one another branches from sacred trees for good fortune. Later, nuts or coins imprinted with the god Janus became more common New Year's gifts.

In the Middle Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1.

 

[Midnight_Man]

Elvis Presley is the best selling solo artist in the history of popular music, with sales of approximately 1 billion units worldwide. He would have celebrated his 75th birthday January 8th 2010.

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

The celebration of the New Year is the oldest of all holidays. It was first observed in ancient Babylon about 4000 years ago. In the years around 2000 BC, Babylonians celebrated the beginning of a new year on what is now March 23, although they themselves had no written calendar.

Late March actually is a logical choice for the beginning of a new year. It is the time of year that spring begins and new crops are planted. January 1, on the other hand, has no astronomical nor agricultural significance. It is purely arbitrary.

 

[desideratum]

Elvis Presley is the best selling solo artist in the history of popular music, with sales of approximately 1 billion units worldwide. He would have celebrated his 75th birthday January 8th 2010.

75?? *hopes dashed* awwww that sounds so old heheeeeeeee

 

[Gaia_Lorraine]

Elvis Presley is the best selling solo artist in the history of popular music, with sales of approximately 1 billion units worldwide. He would have celebrated his 75th birthday January 8th 2010.

Yes! his birthday is one day after mine, though I hasten to add that I will not be 75

 

[desideratum]

Yes! his birthday is one day after mine, though I hasten to add that I will not be 75

*phewwwwww!* lol

 

[fire_breeze]

Food is a holy thing for Italians. Needless to say that festive tables, especially Christmas and New Year ones, are always subject to careful preparations. A New Year’s table must have dishes made with lentil. Italian believe that lentil brings financial prosperity.

Italian New Year parties always last till dawn. It is their national tradition to see the sunrise on the first day of the new year.

Another Italian tradition is to throw out old junk right out through the windows on the New Year’s night. While they are getting rid of troubles of the old year, some people can get seriously injured as they walking under the windows, since the objects that fly out of the windows vary from old pans to wardrobes and TV sets. To be honest, they don’t do this anymore, but about 60 years it was really so.

 

[fire_breeze]

Spain
Spanish also commonly celebrate New Year till dawn. At the end of the all-night-long party they traditionally eat chocolate doughnuts.

Mexico
The tradition of eating 12 grapes at the New Year midnight is popular in many countries. However, this tradition is cherished particularly carefully in Mexico; in this country it is not a race game but rather an analytical process. At each clock stroke one grape has to be eaten, since each grape symbolizes one of the months. Mexicans examine taste of each grape carefully, as the taste tells them what that month will be like for them.

Venezuela
If a Venezuelan wants to travel a lot in the coming year, then he or she will be carrying a suitcase around the house for the whole December 31 day. Also, New Year has to be met wearing yellow underwear, as it is believed to bring good luck.

Venezuelan’s write down all their wishes and dreams before the New Year night. When midnight is close they gather their wish-notes and burn them.

 

[fire_breeze]

France
The whole Europe likes to make tons of noise on the New Year’s night. However, French honor this tradition most carefully. This tradition is based on an old belief that noise will chase bad spirits away, which are most active on the New Year’s Eve when the coming year replaces the previous one. So, French cities are extremely noisy on New Year’s night.

The French believe that the first person to enter the house on the first day of the new year symbolizes what that year will be like for the owners of the house. The midnight guest must be male in the first place, since he will bring fortune.

Puerto-Rico
People from this warm country traditionally greet the New Year by throwing a bucket full of water out into the street. This way they get rid of everything bad and prepare for the good things to come in the coming year. They also cast a New Year spell for good luck by scattering the house and yard with sugar.

Poland
Bread baking is one of the prime New Year traditions in Poland. Baking doughnuts, which are called paczki in Poland, for the New Year will bring prosperity in the coming year.

Philippines
Children in Philippines have to jump 10 times at the New Year’s midnight if they want to grow tall. Also, Philipinos believe that a table filled with various fruits in various colors and clothes with polka dot or any other round ornament on them will bring prosperity.

 

[fire_breeze]

Japan
Traditionally on New Year’s Eve house facades are decorated with straw garlands in Japan. Those garlands chase evil spirits away and symbolize luck and happiness. Once the new year arrives, Japanese laugh out loud as laughter is believed to bring good luck as well.

Denmark
Denmark has a well-cherished tradition to have a pile of broken dishes at the front door. The Danish collect dishes for the whole year and then throw them at their friends’ and neighbor’s doors. If a Dane finds a lot of broken plates at his door on the new year morning he is happy as his life is good and he has a lot of friends.

The Netherlands
In the Netherlands branches of juniper are brought into the house before the New Year’s Eve. Those branches are first carried around the house and are then burnt. Through this tradition they rid the house of diseases.

Brazil
The New Year will be filled with luck and peace for a Brazilian if he or she celebrates the New Year’s Eve wearing white clothes. Candles are lit on the New Year night. There is a belief that the marine goddess will see those candles and grant wishes.

 

[fire_breeze]

New Year Traditions in Hungary are not things of the past. They are still observed by the common people with lots of enthusiasm and devotion. Most of the New Year Traditions in Hungary are meant to usher in good luck and happiness to the household.

There is a unique tradition in Hungary to burn effigies of a model person who is known as Jack Straw . Jack Straw is believed to be an embodiment of evil and misfortune of the past year. Jack Straw is burnt on New Year's Eve. It is carried around the village before being burnt. New Year's Eve in Hungary is known as Szilveszter (Sylvester). It's named so because 31st December is the feast day of Saint Sylvester who is believed to live in the fourth century.

Some other New Year traditions of Hungary make real fun. It is said that it should be only men who could wish Happy New Year to anyone to bring him or her good luck.

Women should not sew on New Year's Day otherwise she may sew chicken's eggs up. Lentils should be eaten to enhance beauty and glow.

Some traditional dishes of Hungarian New Year are cold pork in aspic, wienerwurst with horseradish and nut roll. In the New Year morning after a heavy drinking people eat cabbage soup. Roasted pig and cabbage is meant to bring good luck for the coming year.

New Year celebrations are just as much fun in Finland as they are in other parts of the world. At midnight on New Year's Eve, the mayor of Helsinki wishes a Happy New Year to the citizens of Finland. Firework displays and rockets launched around the city add color and splendor to the occasion.

Many people indulge in sheer hedonism with bottles of champagne in midnight parties. Have a look at some of the long cherished New Year Traditions in Finland Remarkable among the various New Year Traditions in Finland is the custom of pnavyicting the future by casting molten tin into a container of water and interpreting the shape the metal takes after hardening. A heart or ring shape means a wedding, a ship foretells of a travel and a pig shape signifies plenty of food.

The habit of taking a bath in the sauna is a very old and important New Year's Eve tradition of Finland. There is a custom to go to the sauna on New Year's Eve after preparing the house for the New Year's Day. This was probably practiced to clean and purify oneself before beginning the new moments of the New Year.

Noisemaking and fireworks on New Year's Eve is believed to have originated in ancient times, when noise and fire were thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck. Kissing the beloved in midnight New Years Eve parties is a very common tradition. It is practiced not only to share the New Year moment with the love but also to ensure that the love and affection remains steadfast all through the year.

 

[call_me_Melody]

A crocodile can't stick its tongue out

 

[PenforPrez]

The "murder capital" of Canada (meaning the major city with the highest murder rate) in 2008 was Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, which had a rate of 3.6 homicides per 100,000 people. Saskatoon had nine homicides (I'm pretty sure) in 2009.

That rate of 3.6 is almost 95% lower than the 2008 U.S. murder capital, New Orleans, Louisiana, which had a rate of 67 homicides per 100,000 people.

 

[Mrs.H]

It's reported that more than 10,000 marriages a year now are directly traceable to romances which begin during coffee breaks.

 

[fire_breeze]

Murder Capitals of the World:

Honduras 154.02/100 000

South Africa 121.91

Swaziland 93.32

Colombia 69.98

Lesotho 50.41

Rwanda 45.08

Jamaica 37.21

El. Salvador 36.88

Venezuela 33.20

Bolivia 31.98