Interesting facts

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10 Festive Facts About Christmas Trees​

10 Festive Facts About Christmas Trees

Christmas trees are arguably the most recognizable symbol of the winter holiday season. Here are 10 facts about them, from their debated origins to how they’re beneficial all year round.

interestingfacts.com

Top 10 Christmas Tree Facts You Didn’t Know

The Christmas tree is a central symbol of the holiday season, but there’s a lot more to these festive evergreens than you might realize. Here are ten surprising facts about Christmas trees that you probably didn’t know. 1. The Origins of the Christmas Tree The tradition of decorating...

christmastree4me.com

History of Christmas Trees ‑ Symbolism, Traditions & Trivia | HISTORY

The history of Christmas trees goes back to the symbolic use of evergreens in ancient Egypt and Rome and continues with the German tradition of candlelit Christmas trees first brought to America in the 1800s.

www.history.com

Christmas Tree Facts

The first decorated Christmas tree was in Riga, Latvia in 1510. The first printed reference to Christmas trees appeared in Germany in 1531. Besides evergreens,

extension.illinois.edu

 

[SteveBrickNJ]

MYSTERIOUS DRONE SIGHTINGS
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Mysterious drone sightings continue to be reported in New Jersey without answers

Mysterious drones continue to be reported flying overhead in New Jersey, as residents remain puzzled as to why there has been an uptick in drone sightings.

www.yahoo.com

 

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Does Blowing on Hot Food Really Cool It Down?​

Blowing On Your Food Really Does Cool It Down — Rowena Jayne

Some time ago, a friend assured me that blowing on hot food didn’t actually cool it down, in fact, the act of blowing on food was more about preparing one’s mouth for taking in something that might burn. I disagreed, and it and it bothered me enough to go researching and find out for sure. I’ve done

www.rowenajayneharris.com

Does Blowing on Hot Food Really Cool It Off?

Hyperventilating over your hot coffee or pizza slice? Here's what's actually happening.

www.mentalfloss.com

Blowing On Your Food Does More Than Cool It Down - Food Republic

Blowing on your hot food can definitely cool it off, but there's more that this habit can do than meets the eye. Here's the science behind it all.

www.foodrepublic.com

 

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There are technically only four (not five) Great Lakes.​

There are technically only four (not five) Great Lakes.

Anyone familiar with the Great Lakes can tell you there are five of them: Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. But actually, there aren’t, quite. Lakes Michigan and Huron are technically one body of water, as the Straits of Mackinac connect them to form a single hydrologic system. At...

interestingfacts.com

How Deep Are the Great Lakes? And Why Are They Great?

The Great Lakes are named so for several reasons. HowStuffWorks looks at why the Great Lakes are so great, including their impressive depths.

science.howstuffworks.com

 

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How the U.S. State Capitals Were Chosen​

How the U.S. State Capitals Were Chosen

From the oldest (Santa Fe) to the youngest (Oklahoma City), here's how the U.S. capital cities came to achieve their prominent status.

interestingfacts.com

https://ballotpedia.org/List_of_capitals_in_the_United_States#:~:text=States%20selected%20their%20capitals%20for,safety%20from%20historical%20military%20threats.​

 

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Humans can tell when someone is watching them.​

Humans can tell when someone is watching them.

“I feel like someone is watching me” is a classic horror film trope, but the idea also taps into a biological fact: Humans are good at sensing when someone is looking at them. While some label this gut feeling a kind of sixth sense, it’s really a biological phenomenon known as gaze detection...

interestingfacts.com

Why Can We Sense When People Are Looking at Us?

Our brains are skilled at sensing when someone is looking our way, but sometimes we think we're being watched even when we're not. Learn why.

www.treehugger.com

A sixth sense? How we can tell that eyes are watching us — Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences

www.ndcn.ox.ac.uk

Why is it you can sense when someone’s staring at you?

A complex biological system must work in concert for gaze detection to occur.

bigthink.com

 

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6 of the Softest Animals on Earth​

6 of the Softest Animals on Earth

The animal kingdom is filled with remarkable textures, from scales to feathers — but these creatures are notable for their extraordinary softness.

interestingfacts.com

 

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A town in Maine built a 122-foot-tall snowperson.​

A town in Maine built a 122-foot-tall snowperson.

To be a snowman is to live a life of extreme impermanence. During the coldest parts of the season, these snowy beings take shape on lawns across the world, but by the spring, they’re all but forgotten. However, one snowperson avoided this date with oblivion by entering the history books as the...

interestingfacts.com

Maine still holds the world record for the tallest snowman

There have been more than a few Guinness World Records verified in Maine.

fox23maine.com

Tallest snowperson

www.guinnessworldrecords.com

 

[MinnieM123]

In line with the winter theme, here's a photo of a 40-foot lobster trap, Christmas tree (Gloucester, MA). There are other fishing towns in states on the New England seacoast, that also follow this holiday tradition.



And here's a lobster trap Christmas tree from Rockland, Maine -- 39 feet tall.

 

[trr1]

staying with the season

Eggnog is a descendant of the medieval British drink posset.​

Eggnog is a descendant of the medieval British drink posset.

The next time you take a sip of eggnog, you should know you’re indulging in a centuries-old tradition that traces back to medieval Britain. This sweet concoction — made from milk, cream, sugar, spices, and eggs — is the modern descendent of posset, a fixture of festive gatherings in the Middle...

interestingfacts.com

Eggnog is a descendant of the medieval British drink posset

The next time you take a sip of eggnog, you should know you’re indulging in a centuries-old tradition that traces back to medieval Britain. This sweet concoction — made from milk, cream, sugar, spi…

quadcitiesdaily.com

Eggnog - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

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6 Real Towns Where Hallmark Christmas Movies Were Filmed​

6 Real Towns Where Hallmark Christmas Movies Were Filmed

These towns offer fans a chance to step right into the cozy charm of their favorite Hallmark movies, making them the perfect destinations for anyone looking to experience a bit of holiday magic.

interestingfacts.com

10 Hallmark Christmas Movie Locations You Can Actually Visit

You can visit real-life Hallmark Christmas movie locations, from charming small towns to bustling cities, to experience all the festive magic firsthand.

www.yahoo.com

https://travel.usnews.com/features/hallmark-christmas-movie-towns

 

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Poinsettias were originally cultivated by the Aztecs.​

Poinsettias were originally cultivated by the Aztecs.

Although poinsettias are a multimillion-dollar business in the U.S. today, these fiery plants have ancient roots — they were first cultivated by the Aztecs hundreds of years ago. Native to Mexico and Guatemala, the poinsettia, known to the Aztecs as cuetlaxóchitl (kwet-la-sho-she), was used for...

interestingfacts.com

Cuetlaxochitl: A Cultural History of the Poinsettia — Seattle's Favorite Garden Store Since 1924 - Swansons Nursery

With cheerful red bracts and delicate yellow flowers framed against velvety green leaves, colorful poinsettias are an indisputable symbol of Christmas. In fact, poinsettias are the most commercially important potted plant in the world because of their endearing association with the December holiday

www.swansonsnursery.com

History, Facts, and Care of Poinsettias

In the 14th and 16th centuries the Aztecs used the sap of poinsettias (Cuetlaxochitl in Aztec) to control fevers and used the bracts (modified leaves) to make a reddish dye. The last Aztec king took cuetlaxochitl into what is now Mexico City because they could not grow i

www.ndsu.edu

 

[trr1]

Every planet has a winter solstice.​

Every planet has a winter solstice.

Earth is unique among planets in our solar system in a number of ways — a habitable atmosphere being chief among them. But when it comes to solstices, Earth is just one in a crowd. The winter and summer solstices represent the shortest and longest days of the year, respectively. Because of the...

interestingfacts.com

Solstice

A solstice is an event in which a planet’s poles are most extremely inclined toward or away from the star it orbits.

education.nationalgeographic.org

 

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When Marco Polo saw a rhinoceros, he thought it was a unicorn.​

When Marco Polo saw a rhinoceros, he thought it was a unicorn.

The unicorn is a fanciful being of purity usually depicted in medieval art and literature (and modern fantasy and pop culture) as a dainty white horse or goatlike creature with a majestic horn. So when the famed Venetian explorer Marco Polo, who traveled throughout Asia from around 1271 to 1295...

interestingfacts.com

Encounter
In 1292, the Italian explorer Marco Polo encountered a rhinoceros on Sumatra and thought it was a unicorn

Why Marco Polo Thought He Saw a Unicorn

Exploration of new places involves eyewitness memory; and like other eyewitnesses, great explorers have not always proven to be right about what they've seen.

www.psychologytoday.com

 

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6 Interesting Facts About Kwanzaa​

6 Interesting Facts About Kwanzaa

Let’s light the kinara and find out why Kwanzaa is a holiday unlike any other.

interestingfacts.com

5 Things You May Not Know About Kwanzaa | HISTORY

The pan‑African holiday is celebrated by millions around the world.

www.history.com

https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-12-18/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-kwanzaa

17 Kwanzaa Facts Everyone Should Know

Meet me at the Karamu!

www.weareteachers.com

 

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The Origins of 4 Favorite Holiday Treats​

The Origins of 4 Favorite Holiday Treats

If you’ve ever wondered why we eat cakes shaped like Yule logs or who first came up with fruitcake, read on — these are the origins of four favorite holiday treats.

interestingfacts.com

The origin stories behind your favourite Christmas desserts

From the lofty Panettone to the sweet-and-spicy Pfeffernüsse, here's a look at the origin behind some of your favourite Christmas desserts.

firstclasse.com.my

The Stories Behind Traditional Holiday Treats

Martyrdom, secret romance, minced mutton, and the bonfires of winter solstice—some of the world’s most beloved Christmas desserts have unexpected origins, indeed.

nuvomagazine.com

The Origins of 15 Holiday Foods and Drinks

From cranberry sauce to corned beef and cabbage, here's how we got 15 (sometimes polarizing) classics.

www.mentalfloss.com

 

[Bullseye1967]

The Origins of 4 Favorite Holiday Treats​

The Origins of 4 Favorite Holiday Treats

If you’ve ever wondered why we eat cakes shaped like Yule logs or who first came up with fruitcake, read on — these are the origins of four favorite holiday treats.

interestingfacts.com

The origin stories behind your favourite Christmas desserts

From the lofty Panettone to the sweet-and-spicy Pfeffernüsse, here's a look at the origin behind some of your favourite Christmas desserts.

firstclasse.com.my

The Stories Behind Traditional Holiday Treats

Martyrdom, secret romance, minced mutton, and the bonfires of winter solstice—some of the world’s most beloved Christmas desserts have unexpected origins, indeed.

nuvomagazine.com

The Origins of 15 Holiday Foods and Drinks

From cranberry sauce to corned beef and cabbage, here's how we got 15 (sometimes polarizing) classics.

www.mentalfloss.com

Hey @trr1 this is again my end or year Thank You for doing this post. You dig up some great stuff and I am a bit off a trivia bug. Maybe 1 or 2 a week of yours I know already. Thanks for it.

 

[MinnieM123]

Hey @trr1 this is again my end or year Thank You for doing this post. You dig up some great stuff and I am a bit off a trivia bug. Maybe 1 or 2 a week of yours I know already. Thanks for it.

@trr1 -- THIS!!! Thank you, and Happy New Year.

 

[trr1]

It’s illegal to play the lotto in five U.S. states.​

It’s illegal to play the lotto in five U.S. states.

In 1964, New Hampshire unveiled a statewide lottery, which remains the oldest legal lottery in the U.S. While 44 additional states have since debuted lottos of their own, there are still five states where playing the lottery is illegal: Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Nevada, and Utah. For Alabama and...

interestingfacts.com

https://thehill.com/homenews/nexstar_media_wire/4544658-why-cant-buy-mega-millions-powerball-in-five-states/#:~:text=But%20five%20%E2%80%94%20Alabama%2C%20Alaska%2C,or%20multi%2Dstate%20lottery%20programs.&text=That%20doesn't%20stop%20people%20from%20playing%2C%20of%20course.

5 States Where You Can’t Play the Lottery

While the allure of winning big draws millions to play lotteries across the United States, there are still a handful of states that have resisted the siren call of state-sponsored lotto games. $10,000 Quarter: This 1999 Georgia Coin Is Worth Big Money Because of an ErrorAlso: 3 Things You Must...

www.gobankingrates.com

 

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The first ball drops were designed for ship captains, not New Year’s Eve.​

The first ball drops were designed for ship captains, not New Year’s Eve.

Whether at home on the couch or among the crowds in Times Square, watching the New Year’s Eve ball drop symbolizes a fresh start. But as the ball descends to mark another year gone by, it also harkens back to an era when knowing the exact time was much more difficult. Before the 20th century, […]

interestingfacts.com

NYC's New Year's Eve Time Ball Has a Maritime Beginning

The ball drop in Times Square is not an original idea. In fact, the idea was copied from ball drops used by ship captains.

catamaranguru.com