* In 2006, an Athens court ordered the worship of the 12 gods of ancient Greece — including Zeus, Hera, Hermes, Athena and others — to be unbanned.
* Vikings fed their wounded soldiers a strong onion soup to help gauge the depth of a stomach wound. After a few minutes, they would smell the wound and if they could smell the onion soup, they knew the wound was too deep and the soldier could not be saved.
* The “artificial strawberry flavor” in a McDonald’s milkshake is made up of around 45 chemicals.
* “Jeopardy!” contestants stand on adjustable platforms so that they all appear to be the same height on camera.
* On the last Sunday of November in Lopburi, Thailand, an annual Monkey Buffet Festival is held that provides food and drink to more than 2,000 local monkeys, as a thank you for drawing tourists to the town.
* The role of U.S. first lady isn’t reserved solely for the president’s wife. Historically, some first ladies have included nieces, sisters or daughters-in-law of the sitting president.
* The word “and” and the ampersand symbol (&) mean different things in movie credits. Two writers’ names joined with an ampersand means they collaborated, while “and” means they worked on the script at different times.
* Researchers have discovered that the Fritillaria delavayi plant, which has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for 2,000 years, has evolved camouflage in heavily harvested areas.
* In 1355, a dispute between two students from Oxford University and a local tavern owner over the quality of its wine grew so heated that it resulted in a three-day-long riot, which left 63 students and 30 locals dead.
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Thought for the Day: “Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.” — Alice Walker
(c) 2022 King Features Synd., Inc.
Photo by cottonbro
