Nugget of Knowledge

If New Zealand is new, where is Zealand?!

pawlieg — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:12:15 +0000

Another interesting fact to follow up on the ‘real Australian discoverers’, Able Tasman actually discovered New Zealand. He named it New Zeeland after a province consisting of a row of islands above Holland called co-incidentally…….’Zeeland’, meaning ‘Sea Land’. Once captain Cook re-discovered the region, he renamed New Holland to Australia, and anglicised New Zeeland to Zealand, the english word for province of Zeeland. Next time you meet a Kiwi, ask them the heritage of their country name. Most of them are unaware.

Captain Cook

pawlieg — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 23:05:47 +0000

It is commonly believed in Australia that the English explorer Captain Cook discovered Australia. In reality Captain Cook navigated Australia using a map of the continent created by several Dutch explorers who discovered and circumnavigated most of the land mass nearly 80 years earlier. So the facts are he already knew New Holland existed, and the actual ‘Great Southern Land’ Captain cook was seeking was never Australia at all, but another land mass he never found, because it didn’t exist.

The song Happy Birthday is Copyright!

pawlieg — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 22:59:19 +0000

Did you know the song Happy Birthday is copyright? This means all public resistributions of the song are liable to pay royalties. Pay attention next time to how little you see it sung on television. Awesome…

Advent Calendars

justincavery — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 08:37:15 +0000

As I eat number 3, a frosty snow man, someone asks why is it called an advent calendar.

The advent calendar is the count down to the coming of Christmas. Advent is from a latin word meaning “coming”.

It is also supposed to serve as a reminder for the second coming of Christ.

Tagged: Advent Calendars

How much water should you drink each day?

justincavery — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 16:55:19 +0000

Approximately 2.5 litres a day, but that should vary based on climate and amount of physical activity.

Tagged: How much water should you drink each day

Kings ..

stoddy — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 23:07:17 +0000

Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history:

Spades – King David
Hearts – Charlemagne
Clubs -Alexander, the Great
Diamonds – Julius Caesar

freaky …

stoddy — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:15:44 +0000

111,111,111 x
111,111,111 =
12,345,678,987,654,321

Sleep Tight

stoddy — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 22:13:37 +0000

In Shakespeare’s time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes.

When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened,
making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase………. ‘goodnight, sleep tight.’

Tire Fire

justincavery — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:58:00 +0000

By putting a flammable gas around the rim of the tire and then lighting the gas, you create a vacuum that sucks up the air around it.

This in turn will suck the tire onto the rim.

You now have a tire stuck to the rim through a vacuum, however there is not pressure in the tire. As soon as the seal is broken the tire returns to its previous position……………. off the rim.

Tagged: tire fire

Snow in London

justincavery — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:28:52 +0000

On the 2nd February 2009 London had the heaviest snow fall since 1991.

Tagged: Snow in London