Page 109 - The 'X' Zone Book of Triviology

o The Netherlands is one of the few countries where the seat of government is not also the capital. Its capital is Amsterdam, and the seat of government is The Hague. o Amsterdam’s Homomonument is a memorial to persecuted gays and lesbians. o Josephine’s divorce from Napoleon was the first under the Napoleonic Code. o The first wax figure made by Marie Tussaud was of Jean Jacques Rousseau, in 1778. o Madame Tussaud established her first wax exhibition in London’s Baker Street in 1835. o Suspected of royalist sympathies, Madame Tussaud was scheduled to die on the Guillotine. She was spared because of her talent in wax work. o Only ocean fish are used raw in sushi; freshwater fish, which may harbor parasites, are cooked. o Roman invaders in 52 B.C. called the city Lutetia, meaning “marshy place.” It is now called Paris. o A smaller version of the Statue of Liberty stands on the River Seine, in Paris. It was given to the French people in 1889 by the American community in Paris. o Going into the catacombs of Paris has been illegal since November 2, 1955. o The name Montparnasse stems from the “Mount Parnassus” of Greek mythology. It was given to the Paris neighborhood by students who recited poetry there. o 100 B.S.: In ancient Egypt 12 jurors were brought to one location to decide issues. There were 6 jurors from each side of the Nile River. o Roman superstition included belief in Lamia, a spirit who looked for stray children to eat. o Dante’s Divine Comedy established Tuscan dialects as the basis of modern Italian language. o The core of the Cherokee Nation is the Keetoowah Nighthawk Society. The Cherokee name for them is Aniyunwiya. o Superman made his first flight in a DC comic in 1938. o In 1966, purist British fans booed Bob Dylan when he used an electric guitar for the first time. o The first sponsored “walk” inside a prison occurred in an Oregon prison in 1998. The prisoners were raising money for organ transplants and walked 3,400 miles. o In late June, a phenomenon known as “white lights” can be seen in parts of Russia. The night remains bright because the sun doesn’t sink below the horizon. th o June 10 is Time Observance Day in Japan, when people are supposed to be especially punctual. o In 1823, Charles Macintosh patented the waterproof cloth he was to use in making raincoats. o The letter “p” in “ptarmigan” has no etymological justification whatsoever, say linguists. o The Eiffel Tower, now a beloved symbol, was once lambasted by critics as ugly or unsafe, or both. o The White House and the Kremlin set up a direct hotline on August 20, 1963. Its purpose to reduce the chance of an accidental nuclear war. o Wimbledon play was televised for the first time on June 21, 1937. o Rationing didn’t end in Britain until 1954, nearly nine years after the end of World War II. o Box numbers were first used in newspaper classified ads in Britain’s Daily Telegraph in 1886. o London’s last tram made its final journey on July 7, 1952. o About 540 peanuts make up a 12-ounce jar of peanut butter. o George Washington Carver made more than 300 products from peanuts during the early 1900s. o Paul Bunyan’s cook was named Hot Biscuit Sam. th o The term “encyclopedia” came into use during the 16 century. o As early as 200 B.C. the Romans had directions for how to grow asparagus. o Run DMC was the first rap group to perform on TV’s “American Bandstand.” o Iguassu Falls in Brazil/Argentina has about nine times the water volume of Niagara Falls. o Brazil/Paraguay’s Itapúa Dam is the largest hydroelectric complex in the world.