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"Our life is what our thoughts make it."
- Marcus Aurelius

FEB 2011

Previous Archives

2/1/11     After the advent of Christianity, methods of repelling vampires began to include holy water, crucifixes, and Eucharist wafers. These methods were usually not fatal to the vampire, and their effectiveness depended on the belief of the user. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/2/11     Early Roman women were forbidden to drink wine, and a husband who found his wife drinking was at liberty to kill her. Divorce on the same grounds was last recorded in Rome in 194 B.C. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/3/11     While marijuana is still a controlled substance under federal law, 13 U.S. states currently have compassionate use laws in place, which allow for regulated medical marijuana use: AK, CA, CO, HI, ME, MI, MT, NV, NM, OR, RI, VT, and WA. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/4/11     Under certain conditions, wolves can hear as far as six miles away in the forest and ten miles on the open tundra. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/5/11     The average Facebook users spend more than 55 minutes a day on the site. They use the Like button nine times a month and write 25 comments each month. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/6/11     Since the Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937, more than 1,200 people have jumped to their deaths, making it the number one spot in the world for suicides. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/7/11     Cincinnati, Ohio, is named after a great figure of Rome, Cincinnatus (519-438 B.C.). While plowing his fields, he was made dictator and placed in charge of the war against the Vosci and Aequi. He did the job in 16 days, left his powerful position, and went back to the plow. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/8/11     Abraham Lincoln was the first president to ever be photographed at his inauguration. In the photo, he is standing near John Wilkes Booth, his future assassin. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/9/11     That the Great Wall is a single, continuous wall built all at once is a myth. In reality, the wall is a discontinuous network of wall segments built by various dynasties to protect China's northern boundary. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/10/11     Gold is so pliable that it can be made into sewing thread. An ounce of gold can be stretched over 50 miles. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/11/11     President George Washington's original ancestral name was de Wessyngton, from a certain William de Hertburn, a twelfth-century noble knight of the manor and village of Wessyngton who later changed his name to de Wessyngton (which is the Norman spelling of Washington). - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/12/11     Over 40% of married couples in the U.S. include at least one spouse who has been married before. As many as 60% of divorced women and men will marry again, many within just five years. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/13/11     In 1995, Hiroyoki Gotu memorized 42,195 places of pi and is considered the current pi champion. Some scholars speculate that Japanese is better suited than other languages for memorizing sequences of numbers. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/15/11     Because eyebrows are considered intensely alluring in the Orient, historically the bride's eyebrows were shaved entirely, rendering her powerless to attract a man. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/16/11     Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) was the only president to serve in both WWI and WWII. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/17/11     Other ways purported to prevent or cure the Black Death were to be happy and avoid bad thoughts, drink good wine, avoid eating fruit, put fragrant herbs in beverages, avoid lechery, do not abuse the poor, eat and drink in moderation, maintain a household in accordance with a person's status, and so on. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/18/11     The hyper-arousal of the body's stress response system can lead to chronic insomnia. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/19/11     The most lava ever recorded from a single eruption was the 1783 Laki eruption in Iceland. Though there was no single big explosion, this eruption killed one fourth of Iceland's population by producing poisonous gases and clouds of ash that resulted in widespread crop failure and starvation. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/20/11     Common diseases that are caused by nutritional deficiencies include beriberi (vitamin B1-thiamine), pellagra (B3-niacin), anemia (B12-cobalamin), and scurvy (C-ascorbic acid). - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/21/11     "University is a shortening of the Latin 'universitas magistrorum et scholarium' or a community of masters and scholars." - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/23/11     Whales and other cetaceans move through the water by plunging their tails up and down in a vertical motion. This action distinguishes them from fish, which move their tails from side to side when swimming. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/24/11     The average adult male has about 50% more muscle mass and 50% less body fat than the average adult female. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/25/11     WWII ushered in plastic surgery techniques that included rebuilding entire limbs, extensive skin grafts, microsurgery, antibodies, and increased knowledge about tissue health. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/26/11     The first-ever shopping mall was built by the Emperor Trajan in Rome. It consisted of several levels and more than 150 outlets that sold everything ranging from food and spices to clothes. - Provided by RandomHistory.com
2/27/11     In America, TV soap opera weddings attract more viewers than a presidential address. - Provided by RandomHistory.com

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