Tag Archives: Facts

Crosswords

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Crosswords

Think… Think… and think again…

  • Crosswords are word puzzles that generally have a numbered black and white rectangular or square grid with a list of clues, the answer of which get written in the appropriate squares on the grid.
  • Crosswords have different appearances and variations depending on the country and language system, with Hebrew crosswords only using consonants, and Japanese crosswords using one syllable per square, instead of one letter.
  • Crosswords can range in difficulty from easy to hard, and are often set in a square and have 125 (15 by 15) to 425 (25 by 25) squares, to be filled in.
  • The first true crossword is attributed to journalist Arthur Wynne, which was published in the “New York World”, in December 1913, and prior to this, similar word puzzles had been created, most notably, Italian Giuseppe Airoldi’s puzzle published in an Italian magazine in 1890, which had a square grid.
  • There are two main types of clues for crossword puzzles, clues that have answers as simple definitions, known as ‘straight crosswords, ‘quick crosswords’ or simply ‘crosswords’, and clues which are ambiguous and a puzzle themselves, known as ‘cryptic crosswords’.

Crosswords, Two, Old, Empty, Fresh, Grid, Book, Puzzle, word, Ten Random Facts

  • In 1924 in America, the newly formed company Simon & Schuster, started by Richard Simon and Lincoln Schuster, published the first crossword puzzle book, which proved very popular, and the company still holds a prominent place in the United States for the publishing of crossword books.
  • Roger Squires, of the United Kingdom, has designed the most crossword puzzles, starting in the 1960s, having is 66,666th puzzle on May 14, 2007.
  • The longest word ever set in a crossword was Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which is a Welsh town of 58 letters, and was the answer to one of Roger Squire’s clues.
  • Arthur Wynne’s crossword was originally known as ‘word-cross’, and this quickly changed to ‘cross-word’, and after a while the hyphen was removed.
  • Someone who creates crosswords is a ‘cruciverbalist’, although crossword puzzle enthusiasts are also called ‘cruciverbalists’, although the term is not often used, and the creator is more commonly referred to as a ‘setter’, ‘constructor’ or ‘compiler’.
Bibliography:
Crossword, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossword>
The World’s First Crossword, 2010, Thinks.com, <http://thinks.com/crosswords/first1.htm>

Common Grass Yellow Butterfly

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Common Grass Yellow Butterfly

Flutter around, dance around.

  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies are commonly know as ‘Common Grass Yellows’ and are also known as ‘Large Grass Yellows’ or ‘Grass Yellows’.
  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies are small to medium butterflies that are found in Africa, Asia, South Pacific islands and Australia.
  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies are from the family ‘Pieridae’, a family that has mainly white, yellow and orange butterflies, sometimes with black spots.
  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies are bright lemon yellow in colour, and have black markings at the tips and borders of the butterfly’s wings and a narrow black band on the hind wing, and the underside of the wings are paler yellow with brown speckles.
  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies lay tiny white eggs that hatch, and become green caterpillars that grow to 24 – 30 mm (0.95 – 1.2 inches) in length, and then become smooth green pupae.

common Grass Yellow Butterfly, sitting, Closed wings, flower, plant, australia, beautiful, cool, amazing, Ten Random Facts

  • The scientific name of the Common Grass Yellow butterfly is ‘Eurema hecabe’, and they have a wingspan of 35 to 45 mm (1.4 to 1.8 inches).
  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies like to fly quickly, close to the ground, are found in open grassy or bushy terrain, hence their name.
  • Common Grass Yellow butterfly larvae feed on a variety of plants, depending on the region, although they often include plants from Euphorbiaceae, the family of spurges, and Fabaceae, the family of legumes, peas and beans.
  • Common Grass Yellow butterflies have different colouration in their wings depending on the season, known as ‘seasonal polyphenism’, resulting in generally darker wing colours in summer.
  • Common Grass Yellow male butterflies are often seen in large groups, and the females usually fly about by themselves to find nectar from a wide variety of plants.
Bibliography:
Eurema Hecabe, 2012, James Cook University, <http://www-public.jcu.edu.au/discovernature/insects/JCUDEV_005698>
Eurema Hecabe, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurema_hecabe>
Eurema Hecabe Conterbernalis, 2013, Butterfly Circle Checklist, <http://www.butterflycircle.com/checklist%20V2/CI/index.php/start-page/startpage/showbutterfly/25>

Onion

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Onion

Sniff, Sniff – it’s the onions.

  • Most edible onions are from the family Allium cepa, which is from the family of Allium which is the family of onions, leeks, garlic and chives.
  • Onions are a type of bulb with fleshy layers, and are also known as ‘bulb onions’ and ‘common onions’, and range in size from 2.5 – 11.5 cm (1 – 4.5 inches).
  • Onions are a vegetable that are often used in stir-fries, stews, casseroles, soups, pasta dishes, and other main meals, and they can be eaten raw in salads, and can be included in sauces and condiments like gravy, chutney or pickles.
  • Onions have been cultivated and eaten for thousands of years, and it is thought that Ancient Egyptians believed that onions symbolised eternity, or eternal life, and so they were often used in burials, and have even been found in the eye sockets of the pharaoh Ramses IV.
  • Onions were thought to have raised a dog’s, cat’s or cattle’s fertility, however, it is dangerous to let some animals eat onions, including cats, dogs, guinea pigs and monkeys, as they are poisonous to them as they make the animal anemic, which can be fatal.

 Onion, Cut, Halve, Brown, Orange, Skin, Rings, Australia, three, Ten Random Facts

  • Onions are yellow/brown, red/purple or white in colour, and their skins can be used to make a dye, and onion juices can be used to make a repellent against moths.
  • Onions have large cells, so they are sometimes used for scientific purposes as a teaching tool about cell structure.
  • Onions contain approximately 89% water and are a good source of fibre and manganese, and are very high in vitamins C and B6, as well as folic acid.
  • Red onions, known as Spanish onions, generally have a milder flavour than other varieties, and for this reason are often used raw as a garnish or in salads.
  • Onions are said to lower insulin levels in diabetics, help maintain good healthy bones, have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, help protect the body from some common cancers,  have cardiovascular benefits, and reduce cholesterol.
Bibliography:
Onion, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onion>

Nails

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Nails

Don’t bite them!

  • Nails help protect the soft top part of fingers and toes and are found on humans and some animals.
  • Nails are made of keratin, a protein that is also found in hair and skin, and animal horns and hooves.
  • Nails consist of a ‘nail plate’, which is the hardest part of the nail; a ‘nail bed’, which is the softer skin underneath the nail; and the ‘matrix’, which is the soft tissue that the nail protects underneath the base of the nail that contains blood vessels, nerves and lymph (a type of fluid).
  • Nails grow an average of 2 – 3 mm (0.08 – 0.12 inches) per month, and fingernails can double their length (regrow) in three to six months, and toenails, which are slower growing, can double in length (regrow) in twelve to eighteen months.
  • The white half moons on nails that are most visible on thumbs, are called ‘lunula’, and under the lunula is the section of the matrix that you can see.

Nails, Fingers, Girl, Lady, fair skin, Ten Random Facts, Human

  • Nails are said to grow quickest in the summer months, especially when exposed to sunlight because they need vitamin D to grow, but other factors, such as age, gender, and health, can make nails grow quicker.
  • Sometimes nails fall off due to disease or injury, but they generally regrow.
  • Unhealthy nails that look sick in colour, or are brittle and break easily, are usually a sign that your body is lacking in vital nutrients, or that there is an internal health problem.
  • Indian Shridhar Chillal holds the world record for the longest nails on a single hand, with a combined total of 6.15 meters (20 feet 2.25 inches) of fingernails on one hand, and the length of his thumb nail was over 1.20 meters (4 feet) long.
  • There is a theory that white spots on your nails are from a calcium or zinc deficiency, however the spots, called Leukonychia, are generally caused by minor injury to the base of the nail (matrix), and they will normally grow out.
Bibliography:
Nail (Anatomy), 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nail_(anatomy)>
Sentry, S 2013, How Fast do Nails Grow?, Discovery Fit and Health, <http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/nail-care/health/how-fast-do-nails-grow.htm>

One Direction

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One Direction

‘That’s what makes you beautiful…’ – One Direction

  • One Direction is a boy band quintet, from England and Ireland, that sings pop style music.
  • One Direction has had a combined total of over 22 million albums and singles sold.
  • One Direction is also written as ‘1D’.
  • One Direction was formed in 2010, when the five teenagers entered the singing British television competition, ‘The X Factor’, as a group, after auditioning as soloists and failing to proceed in the competition.
  • The members of One Direction are Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, who were born in the years between 1991-1994, and are all from England except for Niall Horan, who comes from Ireland.

One Thing, Band, Sydney, Australia, Live, Five, All, Casual, serious, Happy, Boys, Horden Pavilion, Moore Park, Friday 13th 2011, Flickr, Free Digital Photos, Concert, Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson

One Direction
Image courtesy of Eva Rinaldi/Flickr
  • One Direction has won more than 65 awards and has been nominated for many other music awards.
  • One Direction is so popular, that as of the 16 June, 2013, they have more than 16 million Facebook fans and over 12 million Twitter fans.
  • One Direction gained third place in ‘The X Factor’ finals, and their first album was ‘Up All Night’, while the group’s debut single was ‘What Makes You Beautiful’.
  • One Direction have won two BRIT Awards (British Phonographic Industry Awards), similar to the American Grammy Award, and have gained a position in the Guinness World Records for being the first British group to have their debut album go straight to number one on the US Billboard 200 charts.
  • One Direction completed a solo world tour in 2011-12, and embarked on their second world tour in February 2013, and have another planned for 2014.
Bibligraphy:
One Direction, 2013, Wikipedia, <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Direction>
The Boys, 2012, One Direction, <http://www.onedirectionmusic.com/au/biography/entry/the_one_direction_story3

White House

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White House

A very white house.

  • The White House is the home of the United States president in office and his family, in addition to being the work place of the president and his staff, and has been the home of all the presidents, since the second president and its first occupants, John Adams and his wife.
  • The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington DC, United States and sits on over 18 acres (7.3 hectares) of land, and the site was chosen by the first president, George Washington.
  • The White House was designed by Irish architect James Hoban, and building started in 1792 and was not fully completed until the early 1800s, after President John Adams had already moved in.
  • The White House is a neoclassical style mansion that was inspired by the Leinster House in Dublin, Ireland and looks very similar to parts of the Château de Rastignac in France.
  • During its history, the White House has been called the ‘President’s House’, ‘President’s Palace’ and the ‘Executive Mansion’ and was called ‘White House’ by the public due to its white painted stone exterior, which US President Theodore Roosevelt made official, by using the name on his stationery in 1901.

President White House, Front, America, United States, Ten Random Facts, Free Digital Photos

White House
Image courtesy of Damian Brandon/ Free Digital Photos
  • The White House has had numerous renovations during its time, including a major rebuild when the inside was destroyed by fire in 1814, by the British in the ‘War 0f 1812’.
  • The White House has generally been open to the public in one way or another since it was built, and has included self-guided tours attracting nearly 2 million visitors a year, until budget cuts closed the popular tourist destination in March 2013.
  • The White House has taken significant security measures to protect its occupants, which has included the closure and redesign of a portion of Pennsylvania Avenue and other streets surrounding the building, which has been closed to vehicles since the Oklahoma bombing in 1995, and at other times of potential threat, has been temporarily closed to pedestrians.
  • The White House contains 132 rooms, 35 bathrooms, 147 windows, 28 fireplaces, 8 stairs, 3 lifts, 412 doors, 6 levels and 2 wings, a bowling alley and a 42 seat movie theatre, and the grounds contain a swimming pool, a number of gardens, tennis court, basketball court and a putting green.
  • The White House is featured on the back of the US $20 note.
Bibliography:
Inside the White House, n.d., The White House, <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/inside-white-house>
White House, 2013, Wikipedia, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House>
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