5 FACTS YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN (PART 2)

Here's some fun for the day............


RANDOM TRIVIA:  (Answer at bottom)
Due to its shape, which European country refers to itself as 'The Hexagon'?

BRAIN TEASER:  (Answer at bottom)
Amaze your friends by telling them the score of a baseball game before it starts.   How can you do this?

JOKE:
Q:  If April showers bring May flowers, what do May flowers bring?
A:  Pilgrims.



QUESTION OF THE DAY:
Why is vanilla ice cream white when vanilla extract is brown?

COMIC FUN:

TRICIA'S TWEET OF THE DAY:
For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.  (Hebrews 13:14)

5 RANDOM FACTS YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN

Here’s part two at a look at some random facts.  I always love gathering new information and hope you enjoy learning something new or reading something you already knew.   Here’s some random facts you may or may not have known.

(aerial view of St. Patrick's Cathedral in NYC)

1.  MOST CATHEDRALS ARE BUILT IN THE SHAPE OF A CROSS

I didn't know this until a recent trip to New York City.    This may be common knowledge, but it was a new tidbit to me.   

The main entrance of cathedrals is at the West end at the bottom of the cross.   There is a long central aisle called the nave and two side aisles.   The arms of the cross are the transepts and meet the nave at the crossing.

Bottom line.....that's pretty cool.

2.  LEONARDO DA VINCI WROTE MOST OF HIS NOTES USING 'MIRROR WRITING'

Mirror writing is formed by writing in the direction that is the reverse of  the natural way for a given language.

Leonardo's studies in science and engineering are as impressive and as innovative as his artwork.   He had one of the most curious and creative minds in history.   Not only did he create lovely works of are like "The Last Supper" and the "Mona Lisa", but Leonardo also dreamed of things never before imagined:  a flying machine, a parachute, an extendable ladder, the bicycle, an adjustable monkey wrench, hydraulic jacks, a water-powered alarm clock and the world's first revolving stage.    

It is said that Da Vinci left over 13,000 pages of notes and most of these were using the mirror-image cursive.    Some school of thought was that he did this for secrecy so that no one could steal his ideas and that the Catholic Church could not read his scientific ideas.   Others believe it was because he was left-handed and it was easier to write from right to left.   

3.  THE MEANING BEHIND 'WHITE ELEPHANT' GIFT.

During the Christmas season many people often get together and have 'white elephant' gift exchanges.   This is where people give gifts that most people would not want.    The history behind this term comes from Ancient times in Thailand and other Asian countries.    

White elephants in these times were considered holy and keeping one was a very expensive undertaking.   The owner of the white elephant would have to provide special food and provide access for people who wanted to worship it.    If a Thai King became dissatisfied with a subordinate, he would give him a white elephant.   The gift, in most cases, would ruin the recipient   

4.  MOST BIRD BONES ARE SO HOLLOW, THIER FEATHERS WEIGH MORE THAN THE SKELETON

As a result of their winged capabilities, the rest of a bird's body has adapted to making itself as light as possible.    Sometimes, the birds feathers are heavier than the bones inside the bird.    

Another tidbit - pigeon feathers make noise if you swing them through the air, while if you swing a hawk's feather through the air it is almost silent.   This is because pigeons don't hunt and don't need to be quiet whereas hawks do.     Tidbits like this put me in such awe of God and His amazing creations.   

5.   THE HISTORY BEHIND THE TERM 'HYPOCRITE'

The word 'hypocrite' and its derivatives trace back to the Greek.   In classical Greek the word 'hypocrite' means someone who is pretending to be or acting as someone else.   It can be negative, as in the case of fraud, or neutral, as in the case of stage actors.


In Athens in the 4th century BC, the great orator Demosthenes ridiculed his rival Aeschines, who had been a successful actor before taking up politics, as a ‘hypocrites’ whose skill at impersonating characters on stage made him an untrustworthy politician.  This negative view of the word, combined with the Romans disdain for actors, is thought to have led to a less neutral connotation of the word.   The modern word ‘hypocrisy’ now has a negative meaning which associates a hypocritical person with a counterfeit persona.


There's some random facts for the day.   Here's to learning new things and since I'm always on the quest for new knowledge, a random facts part three will definitely be in  a future post.


TRIVIA ANSWER:
France

BRAIN TEASER:
Tell them 0 - 0.   That's the score of the game before it starts.

Until next time..........