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Random facts

Medical fact: Taurine, an amino acid linked to multiple functions in the human body, including muscle repair, mood regulation, etc., got its name from first being extracted and isolated from the bile duct of bulls (Taurus being the greek word for bull).
 
Movie fact: In the movie "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", when John Corbett's character reveals he is a vegetarian, the reaction & bewilderment of Toula's family is quite accurate, since vegetarianism in any form is a virtually unknown concept in Greek culture.
 
Science fact: The reason why ice floats is because water is one of the few molecules in nature where the solid form (ice) has a lower density than when it's a liquid. Most every other molecule, it's usually the other way around. The molecule is also coincidentally in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, and because of that shape, the bonds when water freezes, make ice bear a resemblance (on the molecular level) to the inside of a beehive.

Plutonium is another material which increases in density when it melts.
 
Music fact: The music video for Tone Loc's breakout hit "Wild Thang" reportedly cost only $340 to make. Due to his distinctively gravelly voice, he has since diversified into doing voice-over work, as well as movie and TV work, though he does continue to periodically rap on stage.
 
The fear of long words is Hippopotomonstrosesquipedaliophobia
Arachibutyrophobia is the fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of your mouth
Paraskavedekatriaphobia is the fear of friday the 13th
if you fear only the number 13, well that would be Triskaidekaphobia
For those of us that have kids I think we all have this Ephebiphobia or the fear of teenagers LOL
 
Religious fact: The God Janus was worshipped by Romans as the god of beginnings and transitions, and the first month of the year is named January in his honor. He is also the god of doorways and time, and as such is protrayed as having two faces back-to-back, one which always looks to the future and one which always looks to the past.
 
Another religious fact: Saint Maurice, a devout Christian, became the first Christian General in the Roman Army, and commanded the first all-Christian legion. He was rumored to be in possession of the Spear of Destiny, the spear the pierced the side of Jesus when he was on the Cross, and was eventually martyred in Switzerland along with his Legion in a series of decimations (the killing of every 10th soldier) for refusing orders to kill their fellow Christians, and as punishment for refusing to worship the Emperor as a living god. Despite being the patron saint of many European countries (Germany, Austria), kingdoms (The Merovingian Dynasty, The Carolingian Dynasty, The Holy Roman Empire and it's Emperors) and holy orders (Swiss Guards, etc.), he was in fact born and raised in Africa, and many early depictions of him, judged to be the most accurate (especially the painted carving of him made in 1284 in Madgeburg Cathedral), show him the be of sub-Saharan, Black African, descent. He was also known as the model for knightly chivalry in the Middle Ages.
 
Music Fact: The "Happy Birthday" song was written, and first published, in 1893. It was first written as a classroom greeting by two Louisville teachers, one of whom had composed the melody in 1859, and was titled "Good Morning To All".

So, on that note..... :bday: elcap!!!!!!! :)
 
Thanks! Much appreciated!
 
Movie fact: The scene in Wayne's World where Wayne's ditzy ex-girlfriend, Stacy, gives him a gunrack as a present, is based on a real event from Mike Myers' past. When he was just beginning to break into the comedy scene, his girlfriend at the time broke up with him because she felt he was devoting too much time to comedy, but later reconsidered, so she bought him a gunrack as a gag to try to make him laugh at such a pointless and out-of-the-blue gift. The "joke" fell completely flat with Myers, and he didn't take her back. When she went to go see the movie years later, she was mortified to find the event with the gunrack had made it into the movie.
 
Historical fact: The phrase "For Pete's sake" most likely originated in a letter Michaelangelo sent to the pope while he was working on the Sistine Chapel, pleading with the pope "for the sake of Saint Peter" to give him the needed money to pay the back-wages owed the workers and to complete the chapel.
 
Comic book fact: Originally, Wolverine was envisioned as an actual wolverine cub that was artificially mutated by another character called the High Evolutionary into a more humanoid form, which initially explained his more pronounced canine teeth, bone claws, relentless aggression, and more animalistic appearance. This was eventually changed to his current mutation of being a human with a vastly more rapid healing ability than most, with the bone claws and pronounced canines being a side effect of said mutation.
 
Chemistry fact: Osmium tetraoxide, a highly toxic compound that can be fatal even if put onto someone's skin, can be easily & rapidly rendered inert by anything high in polyunsaturated fats (eg: most vegetable oils)
 
Acting fact: Tim Curry was on the short-list for both the Joker in both the live-action Batman (the one with Michael Keaton) as well as the Batman animated series, and also Judge Doom in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but was eventually rejected because in all three instances, he was deemed far too terrifying.
 
TV fact: Babylon 5 was one of the few sci-fi shows that portrayed Newtownian physics accurately in outer space. In addition, over the show's run, the producers and writers received informal advice and technical support from scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
 
Liechtenstein and Uzbekistan are the only two countries on Earth considered "double landlocked", that is, they're the only two landlocked countries surrounded exclusively by other landlocked countries....
 
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