Despite being depicted on California’s flag, the California grizzly bear has been extinct since 1924.

California grizzly bear For the University of California, Berkeley mascot, see California Golden Bears. The California grizzly bear (Ursus arctos californicus) is an extinct population or subspecies of the brown bear, generally known (together with other North American brown bear populations) as the grizzly bear. “Grizzly” could have meant “grizzled” – that is, with golden […]

Despite being depicted on California’s flag, the California grizzly bear has been extinct since 1924. Read More »

Actor John Rhys-Davies played 2 main roles in the Lord of the Rings movies. He played Gimli, the dwarf warrior, but was also the voice actor of Treebeard, the slow moving and slow speaking tree giant.

The Lord of the Rings (film series) See also: Middle-earth in film § Cast The following are the cast members who voiced or portrayed characters appearing in the extended version of the films. Character The Fellowship of the Ring The Two Towers The Return of the King The Fellowship Frodo Baggins Elijah Wood Aragorn Viggo

Actor John Rhys-Davies played 2 main roles in the Lord of the Rings movies. He played Gimli, the dwarf warrior, but was also the voice actor of Treebeard, the slow moving and slow speaking tree giant. Read More »

Argentina has the most pets per capita, with 80% of the population having a pet. Argentineans have the most dogs (66% of pet-owners), Russians have the most cats (57% of pet-owners), Turks have the most birds (20% of the population), and Chinese have the most fish (17% of the population)

Argentina: the Country with the Most Pets Per Capita According to the results of a study conducted by the market research company, GfK, 80 percent of the respondents stated that they had at least one pet. This is a much higher average than the global population, with an estimated 56 percent having pets. Argentinians are

Argentina has the most pets per capita, with 80% of the population having a pet. Argentineans have the most dogs (66% of pet-owners), Russians have the most cats (57% of pet-owners), Turks have the most birds (20% of the population), and Chinese have the most fish (17% of the population) Read More »

When recording a guest spot on The Simpsons, Justin Timberlake took issue with a line in which he said “Word!” saying it felt inauthentic. As a prank, the staff then edited his dialogue in production so every line ended with him saying “Word!”

How Did the Writing Staff of the Simpsons Get “Revenge” on Justin Timberlake? Here is the latest in a series of examinations into urban legends about TV and whether they are true or false. Click here to view an archive of the TV urban legends featured so far. TV URBAN LEGEND: The staff of The

When recording a guest spot on The Simpsons, Justin Timberlake took issue with a line in which he said “Word!” saying it felt inauthentic. As a prank, the staff then edited his dialogue in production so every line ended with him saying “Word!” Read More »

Winchester Cathedral was built on marsh and was on the verge of collapse as it sunk into the earth. A diver named William Walker worked alone in pitch-black water for five years, eventually putting down 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks to save its foundation.

Saving the Cathedral A century ago, Winchester Cathedral was saved by the heroic work of William Walker, a diver who worked tirelessly to shore up the historic foundations and preserve one of England’s greatest buildings. The story goes back to 1905 when experts discovered that parts of Winchester Cathedral were under serious threat of collapse.

Winchester Cathedral was built on marsh and was on the verge of collapse as it sunk into the earth. A diver named William Walker worked alone in pitch-black water for five years, eventually putting down 25,000 bags of concrete, 115,000 concrete blocks, and 900,000 bricks to save its foundation. Read More »

Czechoslovakia split up against the wishes of its people: “only 37% of Slovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured dissolution”

Dissolution of Czechoslovakia Part of a series on the History of Czechoslovakia Origins of Czechoslovakia 1918 First Czechoslovak Republic 1918–1938 Munich Agreement 1938 Second Czechoslovak Republic 1938–1939 German occupation 1939–1945 Bohemia and Moravia 1939–1945 Slovak Republic 1939–1945 Third Czechoslovak Republic 1945–1948 Coup d’état 1948 Czechoslovak Socialist Republic 1948–1989 Prague Spring/Invasion 1968 Velvet Revolution 1989 Post-revolution

Czechoslovakia split up against the wishes of its people: “only 37% of Slovaks and 36% of Czechs favoured dissolution” Read More »

The first character on screen in Super Mario 64 is Lakitu, Mario’s camera operator. Because the 1996 game was the first in the series to have 3D gameplay, the developers needed to teach players that they were controlling both Mario AND the camera.

Super Mario 64 introduced the camera as a friend and foe in video games When the Nintendo 64 launched in the United States in September of 1996, players had just two games to choose from: a flight simulator called Pilotwings 64 and the latest entry in one of the most popular series in video game

The first character on screen in Super Mario 64 is Lakitu, Mario’s camera operator. Because the 1996 game was the first in the series to have 3D gameplay, the developers needed to teach players that they were controlling both Mario AND the camera. Read More »

A Christian sect called “Millerites” believed that Christ would return by Oct. 22, 1844. When that didn’t happen, the “Great Disappointment” caused them to fall into confusion and disband, with some former Millerites reinterpreting their doctrine and forming the Seventh Day Adventists.

Great Disappointment This article is about religious history. For the AFI song of the same name, see Sing the Sorrow. Part of a series on Adventism William Miller show Background show History show Biographies show Theology show Denominations v t e The Great Disappointment in the Millerite movement was the reaction that followed Baptist preacher

A Christian sect called “Millerites” believed that Christ would return by Oct. 22, 1844. When that didn’t happen, the “Great Disappointment” caused them to fall into confusion and disband, with some former Millerites reinterpreting their doctrine and forming the Seventh Day Adventists. Read More »

At an Allied checkpoint during the Battle of the Bulge, US General Omar Bradley was detained as a possible spy when he correctly identified Springfield as the capital of Illinois. The American military police officer who questioned him mistakenly believed the capital was Chicago

Battle of the Bulge This article is about the 1944 German offensive in World War II. For other uses, see Battle of the Bulge (disambiguation). Not to be confused with the 1940 German Army Group A Ardennes offensive in the Battle of France. Map showing the swelling of “the Bulge” as the German offensive progressed

At an Allied checkpoint during the Battle of the Bulge, US General Omar Bradley was detained as a possible spy when he correctly identified Springfield as the capital of Illinois. The American military police officer who questioned him mistakenly believed the capital was Chicago Read More »

During the American Civil War, several divisions of the confederate army had a large snowball fight. It started when a couple of hundred men from Texas plotted a friendly fight with men from Arkansas, which spiralled into a brawl involving 9,000 soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia.

Snowball fight During the American Civil War, on January 29, 1863, the largest military snow exchange occurred in the Rappahannock Valley in Northern Virginia. What began as a few hundred men from Texas plotting a friendly fight against their Arkansas camp mates soon escalated into a brawl that involved 9,000 soldiers of the Army of

During the American Civil War, several divisions of the confederate army had a large snowball fight. It started when a couple of hundred men from Texas plotted a friendly fight with men from Arkansas, which spiralled into a brawl involving 9,000 soldiers of the Army of Northern Virginia. Read More »