Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Okay, so I decided to make a totally random trivia thread for our newest phorum. Please post any trivial knowledge you have and wish to share. I'll start. The word [i]trivia[/i] originated from ancient times in which people would gather at public plazas where three roads ([i]via[/i] or [i]viae[/i], in the plural) would meet to discuss everyday issues and relatively unimportant things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 Johnny Unitas, one of the America's most famous football player, has his last name mispronounced. When his family immigrated from Scandanavia, the immigration dept. failed to spell it out correctly as far as phonics go. In his family's native land, the name would be pronounced [b]Joon-eye-tis[/b]. Instead, as we pronounce it now, it much more closely sounds like the Latin [i]unitas[/i], which means [i]unity[/i], an all American name for an all American athlete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 The legendary Old West gunslinger Doc Holiday, known for his part in the shootout at the OK Coral, really was a doctor. He practiced dentistry in the town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 Kissing was not introduced to the Orient until Western soldiers arrived and were seen kissing with women. The Japanese considered it very offensive and completely contradictory to hygiene. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 The word [i]pretzel[/i] comes from Latin. A German monk wanted a way to reward his young students and so concocted a plan to bake little knots of dough made to look like praying hands. He gave them as presents to his young charges for learning their prayers correctly. Where does the Latin come in? The Latin word for rewards is [i]pretia[/i], the diminutive was [i]pretiola[/i]...pretzel... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 All of the roles in Shakespeare's plays were originally acted by men and boys. In England at that time, it wasn't proper for females to appear on stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 Apple Computers founder Steve Jobs had his plans for the PC rejected by Atari (whose parts he used to make it) because he hadn't graduated college yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thy Geekdom Come Posted September 16, 2004 Author Share Posted September 16, 2004 In 1859, Edwin L. Drake was rejected by drillers who scoffed at his proposals to drill for oil underground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published March 20, 1852. It was the first American novel to sell one million copies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 67 million pounds of pesticides and about 3 million tons of fertilizer are used annually on lawns in the US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 In 1889, the 1st coin-operated telephone, patented by Hartford, Connecticut inventor William Gray, was installed in the Hartford Bank. Local calls using a coin-operated phone in the U.S. cost only 5 cents everywhere until 1951. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 Kikkoman soy sauce was originated in 1630 in Japan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theculturewarrior Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 [quote name='Raphael' date='Sep 16 2004, 11:51 AM'] Okay, so I decided to make a totally random trivia thread for our newest phorum. Please post any trivial knowledge you have and wish to share. I'll start. The word [i]trivia[/i] originated from ancient times in which people would gather at public plazas where three roads ([i]via[/i] or [i]viae[/i], in the plural) would meet to discuss everyday issues and relatively unimportant things. [/quote] I thought "trivia" came from the Trivium in medieval universities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 The word vaccine comes from the Latin word "vacca," which means cow. This name was chosen because the first vaccination was derived from cowpox which was given to a boy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sojourner Posted September 16, 2004 Share Posted September 16, 2004 A healthy individual releases 3.5 oz. of gas in a single flatulent emission, or about 17 oz. in a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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