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==Did you know...==

=== 31 December 2008 ===
*'''''23:30, 31 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Church of Transfiguration Mount Tabor200704.JPG|100x100px|Church of the Transfiguration]]
</div>
*... that the [[Transfiguration of Christ|Transfiguration of Jesus]], described in the [[Synoptic Gospels]], is believed to have taken place where the '''[[Church of the Transfiguration]]''' ''(pictured)'' now is located?
*... that '''''[[Chronotron]]''''', the only [[Adobe Flash|flash]]-based [[video game]] out of ten games nominated for the 2008 [[Penny Arcade Expo]]'s prestigious "PAX 10," was developed by only one person?
*... that the 1811 '''[[comet vintages|comet vintage]]''' of [[Veuve Clicquot]] has been described as one of the first modern [[Champagnes (wine)|Champagnes]] made according to the ''[[méthode champenoise]]''?
*... that in February 1962, ''[[Motor Cycling (magazine)|Motor Cycling]]'' magazine achieved a best one-way speed for the '''[[Norton 650SS]]''' of 119.5&nbsp;mph—more than 10&nbsp;mph faster than the rival [[Triumph Bonneville]]?
*... that [[Japan]]'s '''[[entomological warfare]]''' program in [[China]] during [[World War II]] used [[plague]]-infected fleas and [[cholera]]-coated flies to kill nearly 500,000 people?
*... that ''[[American Idol]]'' host [[Simon Cowell]] felt it was a mistake that '''[[Josiah Leming]]''' did not advance to the semifinals of the program's seventh season?
*... that the inspiration for the character [[Judy Ann Santos]] played in the film '''''[[Ploning]]''''' was based on a [[Cuyonon language|Cuyonon]] [[folk song]] from the [[Palawan]] town of [[Cuyo, Palawan|Cuyo]]?
*... that [[East Germany|East German]] politician '''[[Erich Mückenberger]]''' led four district organizations of the [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany]] during his political career?
*... that [[A&M Records]] released three versions of [[Phil Ochs]]' "'''[[Outside of a Small Circle of Friends]]'''" because of the song's reference to [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]]?


*'''''17:25, 31 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Afon Teifi a Cors Caron, Ceredigion.jpg|100x100px|Cors Caron]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Cors Caron]]''' ''(pictured)'' represents the most intact surviving example of a [[Bog#Raised bog|raised bog]] landscape in the [[United Kingdom]]?
*... that [[Canada|Canadian]] [[martial artist]] '''[[Tomasz Kucharzewski]]''', who fought in an estimated 300 fights, was described as "happy-go-lucky" by his trainer due to his friendly demeanor?
*... that in the early 20th century, growers in the [[Champagne (wine region)|Champagne]] region '''[[Champagne Riots|rioted]]''' and burned down the city of [[Ay, Marne|Aÿ]] over [[Champagne producers|producers]] using grapes from the [[Loire Valley (wine)|Loire Valley]], [[Germany (wine)|Germany]] and [[Spain (wine)|Spain]] to make [[Champagne (wine)|champagne]]?
*... that [[South Africa]]n [[ANC]] activist '''[[Kate Molale]]''' organised a [[pioneer movement]] in the struggle against the 1953 [[Bantu Education Act]]?
*... that '''[[William Cowper Alexander]]''' lost the 1856  [[election]] for the [[Governor of New Jersey]] by less than 3,000 votes?
*... that the '''[[Gray-handed Night Monkey]]''' is [[nocturnal]] and [[monogamous]]?
*... that ''[[Sports Illustrated]]'' described [[high school]] player '''[[Kevin Laue]]''' as "the most exciting player in [[basketball]]" because of his playing skill with only one hand?
*... that '''[[Robert Brandon]]''', [[goldsmith]] to [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]] and later [[Chamberlain]] of [[City of London|London]], was the father-in-law of the [[artist]] [[Nicholas Hilliard]] and of [[John Martin (Jamestown)|Captain John Martin]] of the [[Jamestown Colony]]?
*... that [[James J. Hill]] of the [[Great Northern Railway (US)|Great Northern Railway]] built the '''[[Great Northern Depot (Wayzata, Minnesota)|Great Northern Depot]]''' in [[Wayzata, Minnesota]], in 1906 after moving the former stop a mile east of town 12 years earlier in a dispute with town residents?


*'''''11:22, 31 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Narcissus poeticus.jpg|100x100px|Poet's Daffodil]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Narcissus poeticus|Poet's Daffodil]]''' ''(pictured)'' is a source for Narcissus oil, one of the most popular fragrances used in high quality [[perfumes]]?
*... that '''[[Augustus Louis Chetlain]]''' was said to have been the first man in [[Illinois]] to volunteer for the [[American Civil War]]?
*... that unlike [[Bordeaux (wine)|Bordeaux]] and [[Burgundy (wine)|Burgundy]], vineyards in [[Champagne (wine region)|Champagne]] are '''[[Classification of Champagne vineyards|classified]]''' according to what village they are in?
*... that out of 300 entries for the Honor Award from the [[United States Department of Transportation]] and the [[National Endowment for the Arts]], '''[[Wallace Roberts & Todd]]''' was one of eleven who won the award?
*... that the '''[[1989 Valvettiturai massacre]]''' was called "India's [[My Lai massacre|My Lai]]" by the [[India]]n politician [[George Fernandes]]?
*... that [[Patriarch]] '''[[Gregory II Youssef]]''' of the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church]] spoke against the proposed doctrine of [[papal infallibility]] at the [[First Vatican Council]]?
*... that unlike its modern-day relative the [[gharial]], the [[extinct]] [[crocodilia]]n '''''[[Aktiogavialis]]''''' lived in saltwater?
*... that the 21st Chancellor of the [[University of Toronto]], '''[[Samuel Beatty (mathematician)|Samuel Beatty]]''', was the first person to receive a PhD in mathematics from a Canadian university?
*... that the [[freshwater]] '''[[turbellaria]]n''' ''Microstomum caudatum'' can swallow prey about as large as itself?


*'''''04:46, 31 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Koni crop.jpg|100x100px|Koni]]
</div>
*... that when [[Vladimir Putin]] introduced [[George W. Bush]] to his dog [[Koni (dog)|'''Koni''']] ''(pictured)'', Putin is reported to have said she is "Bigger, tougher, stronger, faster, meaner—than [[Barney (dog)|Barney]]"?
*... that [[African American]] singer Cora Green performed the [[Yiddish]] tune ''[[Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen]]'' in the 1938 [[race film]] '''''[[Swing! (film)|Swing!]]'''''?
*... that devotees across faiths swarmed '''[[St. Michael's Church (Mumbai)|St. Michael's Church]]''', [[Mumbai]], as news of a reported "bleeding" [[Jesus]] picture spread in June 2008?
*... that [[List of World War I flying aces|World War I flying ace]] '''[[Frank Linke-Crawford]]''' completed a reconnaissance mission in 1917, despite having his [[Hansa-Brandenburg C.I]] biplane riddled with 68 bullet holes?
*... that U.S. singer-songwriter [[Phil Ochs]] recorded "'''[[Bwatue]]'''" with African musicians more than ten years before [[Paul Simon]] famously did the same thing for his ''[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]'' album?
*... that the scientific-technical journal '''''[[Oil Shale (journal)|Oil Shale]]''''' is the only journal in the world that focuses on [[oil shale]] as a main subject?
*... that '''[[Alcohol in Oregon|Oregon banned alcohol twice]]''' before the rest of America: once prior to statehood (from 1844 to 1845) and then again in 1915, four years before passage of the [[Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|18th Amendment]]?
*... that [[J-pop]] band [[Round Table (band)|Round Table]] provided the song "Nagareboshi" as the closing theme of the '''[[List of Yozakura Quartet episodes|episodes]]''' of the ''[[Yozakura Quartet]]'' anime?
*... that the [[extinct]] [[arachnid]] '''''[[Attercopus]]''''' was once considered as the world's oldest [[spider]]?

=== 30 December 2008 ===
*'''''21:44, 30 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Dublin four courts.JPG|100x100px|Four Courts]]
</div>
*... that following the '''[[death of Brian Rossiter]]''', his father took [[High Court (Ireland)|High Court]] action ''([[Four Courts]] pictured)'' against [[Garda Síochána|An Garda Síochána]]?
*... that [[Mayor of New York City]] [[Ed Koch]] was sworn into office on New Year's Eve 1977 in the [[Manhattan]] home of '''[[David Margolis]]''', president of Colt Industries, a firm founded in 1836 by [[Samuel Colt]]?
*... that as little as five milligrams of the [[chemical agent]] '''[[phenyldichloroarsine]]''' can induce severe [[vomiting]]?
*... that '''[[Charles Douglas Fox|Sir Douglas Fox]]''' was, with [[James Henry Greathead|James Greathead]], joint engineer of the [[Liverpool Overhead Railway]] – the first electric elevated city railway in the world?
*... that although the [[Nationalist Congress Party]] and the [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] belong to opposing alliances in national [[India]]n politics, they are both partners in the '''[[Meghalaya Progressive Alliance|governing coalition]]''' in [[Meghalaya]]?
*... that payments made by [[Lockheed]] president '''[[Carl Kotchian]]''' to encourage purchases of his company's [[Lockheed L-1011|L-1011]] aircraft led to the arrest and conviction of [[Prime Minister of Japan]] [[Kakuei Tanaka]]?
*... that two of the 48 episodes of '''''[[Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse]]''''' served as pilots for the 1960s television shows ''[[The Twilight Zone]]'' and ''[[The Untouchables]]''?
*... that the [[Israeli Air Force]]'s first heavy [[bomber]]s were three [[B-17 Flying Fortress]]es [[Smuggling|smuggled]] to [[Israel]] in the late 1940s by '''[[Charles Winters]]''' and his associates?
*... that [[Adolf Hitler]] lived in a '''[[Meldemannstraße dormitory|public dormitory in Vienna]]''' from 1910 to 1913?


*'''''15:30, 30 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:2001 Goodwood Festival of Speed Brabham BT46B Fan car.jpg|100x100px|Brabham BT46B "fan car"]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Formula one rule changes since 1950|changes in Formula One car racing rules]]''' introduced in 1978 banned the use of the [[Brabham BT46#Brabham BT46B – the "Fan car"|Brabham BT46B]] "fan car" ''(pictured)'' after it won its first—and only—race at the [[Swedish Grand Prix]]?
*... that blind [[blues]] musician '''[[Cortelia Clark]]''' won a [[Grammy Awards of 1967|Grammy]] for his 1966 album recorded live on a sidewalk in [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]], [[Tennessee]]?
*... that '''[[Bartlett's bisection theorem]]''' can be used in the design of [[quartz]] [[crystal filter]] circuits to overcome drawbacks of traditional [[ladder topology]]?
*... that [[eunuch]] admiral '''[[Yishiha]]''' is credited with constructing the only two [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] [[Buddhist temple]]s ever built in modern-day [[Russia]]?
*... that the laboratory of Dr. '''[[Wade Regehr]]''' conducts research on '''[[axon terminal]]s''' in the [[brain]] to further understanding of disorders such as [[epilepsy]], [[schizophrenia]], and [[clinical depression]]?
*... that a '''[[Anglo Irish Bank hidden loans controversy|controversy over hidden loans]]''' led to the resignation of three executives from [[Anglo Irish Bank]] within twenty-four hours in December 2008?
*... that '''''[[Bless You Boys: Diary of the Detroit Tigers' 1984 Season|Bless You Boys]]''''' is [[Sparky Anderson]]'s diary as manager of the first [[American League]] [[Major League Baseball|baseball]] team since the 1927 Yankees to "lead the race from wire-to-wire" and win the [[World Series]]?
*... that '''[[banana production in Brazil|bananas grown in Brazil]]''' account for approximately ten&nbsp;percent of the entire world's [[banana]] production?


*'''''09:25, 30 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Old Albany Post Road.jpg|100x100px|Old Albany Post Road]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Old Albany Post Road]]''' ''(pictured)'' in [[Philipstown, New York]], is one of the oldest [[dirt road]]s still in use in the United States?
*... that '''[[Robert Bent Knox|Archbishop Robert Knox]]''', father of [[Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom)|Lieutenant-General]] [[Knight|Sir]] '''[[Charles Edmond Knox]]''', founded the Belfast Church Extension Society?
*... that the [[U.S. Army]] continued production of [[staphylococcus|staphylococcus enterotoxin type B]] for several months after '''[[Statement on Chemical and Biological Defense Policies and Programs|a 1969 policy statement]]''' ended the [[U.S. biological weapons program|biological warfare program]]?
*... that [[Russia|Russia]]n [[cello|cellist]] '''[[Valentin Berlinsky]]''' played for the [[Borodin Quartet]] for 60 years, the longest-serving member of what was described as "the longest continuously playing" [[string quartet]] in the world?
*... that '''[[Temple House of Israel (Staunton, Virginia)|Temple House of Israel]]''' in [[Staunton, Virginia]], was founded in 1876 by [[Alexander Hart]], a former [[major]] in the [[Confederate States Army]]?
*... that a '''[[bootstrapping node]]''' is a [[Node_(networking)|node]] in an [[overlay network]] that provides initial configuration information to newly joining computer nodes so that they may successfully join the overlay network?
*... that '''[[Wu Cheng'en]]''' is thought to have written the [[China|Chinese]] classic novel ''[[Journey to the West]]'' anonymously, because writing in the [[vernacular]] language was considered vulgar?
*... that '''[[Burnt Hair Records]]''' was part of [[Michigan]]'s [[space rock]] music scene in the 1990s?


*'''''03:20, 30 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Chaunax stigmaeus.jpg|100x100px|Redeye gaper]]
</div>
*... that when threatened, the '''[[redeye gaper]]''' ''(pictured)'' rapidly takes in water to swell its body?
*... that a design competition for a '''[[Future Routemaster|New Routemaster]]''' bus received 225 entries in the "Design" category and 475 entries in the "Imagine" category?
*... that in 2005, the '''[[fishing industry in China]]''' reported 32.4 million tons of fish from [[aquaculture]]s, more than 10 times that of the second-ranked country, [[Fishing in India|India]]?
*... that when '''[[Frank Fitzsimmons]]''' was named acting president of the [[Teamsters]] in 1967, a [[trade union|union]] insider said, "He's just a peanut butter sandwich; he'll melt in no time"?
*... that the [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese Army]] used '''[[320 mm mortar|320 mm mortars]]''' to frighten [[US Marine Corp|American Marines]] during the [[Battle of Iwo Jima]]?
*... that '''''[[Mech Platoon]]''''' was the first [[real-time strategy]] [[video game]] released for the [[Game Boy Advance]]?
*... that the 1921 [[Oscar Micheaux]]-directed [[race film]] '''''[[The Gunsaulus Mystery]]''''' was inspired by the 1913 murder of [[Mary Phagan]]?
*... that it took 59 years and a legal battle through the [[High Court of Australia]] for the '''[[Warumungu]]''', a group of [[Indigenous Australians]], to regain their [[land claim]]?
*... that '''[[Alliance for Labor Action]]''' launched a [[United States dollar|$]]4 million [[union organizer|organizing]] drive targeting [[African American]] workers in [[Atlanta, Georgia]], in the fall of 1969?

=== 29 December 2008 ===
*'''''21:15, 29 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Trincheiras La Lys.jpg|100x100px|Portuguese Expeditionary Corps]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Portuguese Expeditionary Corps]]''' in the [[First World War]] ''(pictured)'' took 14,000 casualties out of a strength of 60,000 men?
*... that the [[Red Army invasion of Georgia]] in 1920 prevented the '''[[Polish&ndash;Georgian alliance]]''' from being fully implemented?
*... that when the '''''[[USS Wildwood (PC-1181)|Wildwood]]''''' was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] she was named USS ''PC-1181'', and was only renamed the ''Wildwood'' after she was [[ship decommissioning|decommissioned]]?
*... that the '''[[Marine Corps Test Unit]]''' along with the 3rd Marine Corps Provisional Atomic Exercise Brigade carried out mock maneuvers 3,500 yards away from the detonation site of a [[nuclear bomb]]?
*... that '''[[Nolan Reimold]]''' led the [[Mid-American Conference]] (MAC) in [[home run]]s (20), [[run batted in|runs batted in]] (60), [[total bases]] (137), [[on-base percentage|on-base %]] (.496), and [[slugging percentage|slugging %]] (.770) throughout the [[baseball]] [[season (sports)|regular season]]?
*... that the Irish TV show '''''[[Hanging with Hector]]''''' was criticised for being "about as original as washing your teeth each morning"?
*... that after serving as a [[Union Army]] [[General officer|general]] during the [[American Civil War]], '''[[George Henry Chapman]]''' served as a judge in the Indiana Criminal Court, and later a state legislator in the [[Indiana Senate]]?
*... that '''[[William Kaufmann]]''' developed the [[counterforce]] approach in the 1950s, in which a [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] invasion of [[Western Europe]] would be met by a sequence of escalating responses, not by [[massive retaliation]]?
*... that Polish writer '''[[Franciszek Karpiński]]''' is best remembered through his [[hymn]]s and [[carols]]?


*'''''15:10, 29 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Annadurai CM.jpg|100x100px|C. N. Annadurai]]
</div>
*... that the funeral of '''[[C. N. Annadurai]]''' ''(pictured)'', who held the post of [[Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu]] for just two years, was the most attended until that time making it a [[Guinness record]]?
*... that '''[[Joseph Kahn (shipping executive)|Joseph Kahn]]''' and '''[[Howard Pack]]''' had both been in the [[fur trade]] before entering the shipping business, culminating with their 1965 purchase of [[Seatrain Lines]]?
*... that out of three [[partitions of Poland]], the '''[[Austrian partition]]''' had the most local autonomy, but was also the poorest?
*... that [[Barack Obama]] biographer [[Christoph von Marschall]] compares '''[[Barack Obama - Der schwarze Kennedy|his life story]]''' with the [[American Dream]]?
*... that a 1930 proposal in the [[Czechoslovakia|Czechoslovak]] parliament for greater autonomy for [[Carpathian Ruthenia|Transcarpathia]], presented by the '''[[Autonomous Agrarian Union]]''', gained support from the [[German National Socialist Workers' Party (Czechoslovakia)|German National Socialists]]?
*... that '''[[Royce Howes]]''' won the [[Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing|Pulitzer Prize]] for an editorial on the shared responsibility of labor and management for an unauthorized strike that put 45,000 [[Chrysler Corporation|Chrysler]] workers out of work?
*... that [[Norwegian resistance movement|Norwegian resistance]] fighter '''[[Gregers Gram]]''' conducted several [[sabotage]] missions together with [[Max Manus]], before being killed in an ambuscade in 1944?
*... that '''[[vascular myelopathy]]''' refers to an abnormality of the [[spinal cord]] in regards to its [[blood supply]]?
*... that, according to the modern historian [[Bo Yang]], the large body of petitions written by [[Tang Dynasty]] [[chancellor of Tang Dynasty|chancellor]] '''[[Lu Zhi (Tang Dynasty)|Lu Zhi]]''' was important to understanding mid-Tang life?


*'''''09:05, 29 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Stavenn Saguinus geoffroyi 00.jpg|100x100px|Geoffroy's Tamarin]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Geoffroy's Tamarin]]''' ''(pictured)'' engages in both  [[polyandrous]] and [[polygynous]] mating?
*... that [[India]]n revolutionary poet '''[[Jwalamukhi]]''' was arrested for his writings in 1971?
*... that [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] '''[[Joan Huffman]]''', a former [[Houston, Texas|Houston]] [[judge]] who won a [[special election]] to the [[Texas State Senate]] on December 16, 2008, became the sixth woman in the 31-member chamber, a legislative record?
*... that the [[Tang Dynasty]] general '''[[Li Shigu]]''', in his illness, refused to endorse his brother Li Shidao as his successor because Li Shidao spent too much time painting and playing the [[guan (instrument)|bili]]?
*... that [[Order of Australia]] Medal recipient '''[[Bill Scott (author)|Bill Scott]]''' began writing poetry while serving in the [[Royal Australian Navy]] during [[World War II]]?
*... that the army career of the [[Tang Dynasty]] general '''[[Wu Shaocheng]]''' was launched when the general [[Li Xilie]] adopted his suggestions in the campaign against [[Liang Chongyi]]?
*... that '''[[Jones Hewson]]''' played leading roles with the [[D'Oyly Carte Opera Company]] from 1896 to 1901 but died in 1902 at the age of 27?
*... that although '''[[Frede Castberg]]''' retired as a [[professor]] of [[jurisprudence]] at the age of seventy, he continued to preside over the [[Hague Academy of International Law]] for thirteen years?


*'''''03:00, 29 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Jean Malouel 001.jpg|100x100px|A possible work of Jean Malouel]]
</div>
*... that though it is generally agreed that paintings by '''[[Jean Malouel]]''' survive ''(possible work pictured)'', no one work is universally accepted as his?
*... that [[broadcasting]] brothers James R. Doss, Jr. and James L. Doss named Alabama [[radio station]]s '''[[WJRD]]''' and [[WJLD]] after themselves?
*... that out of three [[partitions of Poland]], the '''[[Russian partition]]''' was the largest and most populous?
*... that as [[Texas Attorney General]] from 1957 to 1963, '''[[Will Wilson]]''' cracked down on [[prostitution]] rings operating in such [[Texas|Texan]] cities as [[Galveston, Texas|Galveston]], [[Beaumont, Texas|Beaumont]], [[Texarkana, Texas|Texarkana]] and [[Victoria, Texas|Victoria]]?
*... that the [[China|Chinese]] beverage '''''[[suanmeitang]]''''' is made with ingredients such as [[sour plum]]s, [[Osmanthus fragrans|sweet osmanthus]], [[licorice root]], [[rock sugar]], and [[rose]] petals?
*... that the '''[[705th Tank Destroyer Battalion]]''' of the [[U.S. Army]] received a [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] for its role in the [[Siege of Bastogne]]?
*... that '''[[Dorje Pakmo]]''' ('The Diamond Sow') is the highest female [[incarnation]] in Tibet, and the third-highest ranking person in the [[lama]]ist hierarchy after the [[Dalai Lama]] and the [[Panchen Lama]]?
*... that the [[Lost (season 5)|fifth season]] premiere of the television show ''[[Lost (TV series)|Lost]]'', titled "'''[[Because You Left]]'''", was the first [[List of Lost episodes|episode]] of the series to be both shot and edited in [[High-definition video|high-definition]]?

=== 28 December 2008 ===
*'''''20:55, 28 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Tuscany6.jpg|100x100px|A 4-crazie stamp from Tuscany, 1851]]
</div>
*... that when [[Grand Duchy of Tuscany|Tuscany]] issued its first '''[[Postage stamps and postal history of Tuscany|postage stamps]]''' ''(example pictured)'' in 1851, [[Donatello]]'s heraldic '''''[[Marzocco]]''''' of [[Florence]] was featured?
*... that '''[[Lisa Rossbacher]]''', president of [[Southern Polytechnic State University]], is the first female [[geologist]] to become a university president?
*... that an '''[[Suicide bag|exit bag]]''', consisting of a large, clear plastic bag with a drawstring, is a commercially available device for committing [[suicide]]?
*... that '''[[Katrina Mumaw]]''' became the youngest person to break the [[sound barrier]] when she piloted a [[MIG-29]] [[fighter jet]] at [[Mach]] 1.3 on July 12, 1994 at the age of eleven?
*... that the '''[[Konovalyuk Commission]]''' has claimed that [[Ukraine]]'s [[arms industry|arms sales]] to [[Georgia]] before and during the [[2008 South Ossetia War]] adversely affected the country's defense capabilities?
*... that five former members of the '''[[Portland Trail Blazers accomplishments and records|Portland Trail Blazers]]''' have been inducted into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]?
*... that '''[[Olav Ulleren]]''', who in 1999 left his position as [[mayor]] of [[Tinn|Tinn, Norway]] to become a [[State Secretary (Norway)|State Secretary]], lost his new position after less than one year?
*... that the 1930 [[silent film]] '''''[[A Daughter of the Congo]]''''' was billed as a “talking, singing, dancing picture” although it only contained a single short sound sequence?


*'''''14:50, 28 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Araucaria araucana1.jpg|100x100px|Monkey puzzle tree ''(Araucaria araucana)'']]
</div>
*... that  '''[[William Lobb]]''' earned the [[sobriquet]] ''"messenger of the big tree"'' for introducing the Chilean ''[[Araucaria araucana|"monkey puzzle" tree]]'' ''(pictured)'' and the massive North American ''"[[Sequoiadendron giganteum|Wellingtonia]]"'' to English commerce?
*... that '''[[Merrill Connally]]''', a [[county judge]], played a part in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s [[1977 in film|1977 film]] ''[[Close Encounters of the Third Kind]]''?
*... that '''[[New South Greenland]]''' was a [[phantom island]] near [[Antarctica]], described in 1832 by Benjamin Morrell, who was called "the biggest liar in the [[Southern Ocean]]"?
*... that '''[[Bill Johnston with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948|Bill Johnston]]''' was the last [[Australia]]n to take 100 [[wicket]]s on an [[The Ashes|Ashes tour of England]], being the leading wicket-taker during the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|1948 ''Invincibles'' tour]]?
*... that the [[U.S. state]] of [[New York]] offers a '''[[New York State School Tax Relief Program|school tax rebate program]]''' that saves homeowners money by reducing the assessed value of a home when calculating the [[property tax]]?
*... that a principal work of mathematician '''[[Wilhelm Cauer]]''' was twice destroyed during [[World War II]] and was only published after his death by his family, who reconstructed it from the table of contents?
*... that '''[[Freedom House (Roxbury, Massachusetts)|Freedom House]]''', founded in 1949, raised money to support Operation Exodus, a voluntary [[Desegregation busing in the United States|desegregation and busing]] project in [[Boston]] before court-ordered desegregation?
*... that the history of the ancient [[Maya civilization|Mayan]] city of '''[[Dos Pilas]]''' has been reconstructed in more detail than almost any other Mayan site?
*... that '''[[Ramon Vila Capdevila]]''' continued to fight against the [[Spain under Franco|government]] of [[Francisco Franco]] for 24 years after the end of the [[Spanish Civil War]]?


*'''''08:45, 28 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Ray Lindwall, late 1940s.jpg|100x100px|Ray Lindwall]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Ray Lindwall with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948|Ray Lindwall]]''' ''(pictured)'' was [[Australia]]'s equal-leading Test wicket-taker on the [[Australian cricket team in England in 1948|1948 ''Invincibles'' tour of England]]?
*... that the '''[[SS Empire Advocate|SS ''Empire Advocate'']]''' was seized twice by [[United Kingdom|Britain]]—from [[Germany]] after the [[First World War]], and then from [[Italy]] during the [[Second World War]]?
*... that [[Iraq]]i lawyer '''[[Dheyaa al-Saadi]]''' was elected president of the [[Iraqi Bar Association]] in 2006, but his election was annulled because he was once a member of [[Saddam Hussein]]'s [[Baath Party]]?
*... that in the '''[[Prussian partition]]''' of [[Poland]], [[Germanization]] policies had the opposite effect of strengthening Polish national consciousness?
*... that '''[[Wayne Connally]]''', a brother of former [[Texas]] governor [[John Connally]], was honored as "Governor for a Day" on October 7, 1971?
*... that '''[[Ole Georg Gjøsteen]]'''—supported by his brother '''[[Johan Gjøstein|Johan]]'''—is considered the "[[List of persons considered father or mother of a field|father]]"  of [[Norway]]'s [[comprehensive school]] system?
*... that the '''[[Abbott-Holloway Farm]]''' has two of the only four pre-1840 buildings in '''[[Bethlehem, Indiana]]''', that were not destroyed by fire or tornado?
*... that  '''[[Oleg Bogayev]]''' was honored for his absurdist play about an impoverished [[Russia]]n pensioner who engages in fanciful correspondence with [[Queen Elizabeth II]], [[Vladimir Lenin]], and [[Robinson Crusoe]]?


*'''''02:40, 28 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Lake View.jpg|100x100px|Berijam Lake]]
</div>
*... that a study at '''[[Berijam Lake]]''' ''(pictured)'' by the '''[[Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History]]''' indicates that the [[near threatened]] '''[[Grey-breasted Laughingthrush]]''' has suffered from [[habitat degradation]]?
*... that before being used by [[United States of America|American]] soldiers in the [[Vietnam War]], the [[racial slur]] "'''[[gook]]'''" was originally directed towards [[Filipino people|Filipino]]s?
*... that North Audley Street in [[Mayfair]], [[London]], is named after the English moneylender '''[[Hugh Audley]]'''?
*... that the '''[[Frazier–Lemke Farm Bankruptcy Act]]''' was struck down by the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] in May 1935 as violating the [[Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution|Fifth Amendment]]?
*... that the '''[[German Social Democratic Party of Poland|German Social Democratic Party in Poland]]''' was formed in 1922 by the merger of [[Silesia]]n branches of the [[SPD|German SPD]], [[USPD]] and the [[SPÖ|Austrian SDAP]]?
*... that the [[Chicago Transit Authority]] closed its '''[[Kostner (CTA Congress Line)|Kostner]]''' station only eleven years after it opened, making it one of the city's shortest-lived train stations?
*... that [[Canada|Canadian]] authorities used the academic enrollment list of a [[diploma mill]] to arrest 24 students they wrongly accused of being an "al-Qaeda sleeper cell" in '''[[Project Thread]]'''?
*... that [[Oregon]] politician '''[[Ralph Carey Geer]]'s''' grandson, [[Homer Davenport]], was a [[Editorial cartoonist|political cartoonist]]?

=== 27 December 2008 ===
*'''''20:35, 27 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Smellie 32.jpg|100x100px|Medical drawing of a shoulder presentation during childbirth]]
</div>
*... that an '''[[shoulder presentation|impacted shoulder presentation]]''' during [[childbirth]] (''pictured'') can lead to both the [[perinatal mortality|death of the baby]] and [[maternal mortality|of the mother]]?
*... that while serving in the [[elite]] [[Russia]]n [[Preobrazhensky Lifeguard regiment|Preobrazhensky regiment]], '''[[Fyodor Ivanovich Tolstoy]]''' served with the future literary critic [[Faddei Bulgarin]]?
*... that U.S. testing during '''[[Operation Big Itch]]''' successfully dispersed [[rat flea]]s from an aircraft?
*... that due to a bureaucratic error Sir '''[[Curtis Keeble]]''' was placed in charge of 2000 Russian refugees despite not speaking fluent [[Russian language|Russian]]?
*... that [[Israel]]'s '''[[2008 Israeli bus crash|deadliest traffic accident]]''' took place in December 2008 when a [[Tourism|tourists]]' [[Coach (vehicle)|coach]] en route to the [[resort]] town of [[Eilat]] plunged into a [[ravine]]?
*... that [[quarterback]] '''[[Scott McBrien]]''' transferred from [[West Virginia Mountaineers football|West Virginia]] to the [[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland]] and led Maryland to a 41–7 win over his former alma mater in the [[2004 Gator Bowl]]?
*... that '''[[Water supply and sanitation in Senegal|Senegal]]''' pumps 1.4 billion cubic meters of water per year, 92% of which is for agriculture?
*... that [[United States District Court for the Southern District of New York|U.S. Judge]] '''[[John E. Sprizzo|John Sprizzo]]''' refused to [[extradition|extradite]] [[Provisional Irish Republican Army|Provisional IRA]] member [[Joe Doherty]] in the 1981 killing of a British soldier, citing the ambush as a "political act"?


*'''''14:30, 27 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:ComponentsofERP.svg|100x100px|Graph of an event-related potential including a peak characteristic of an ELAN response]]
</div>
*... that [[Grammaticality|grammatically incorrect]] phrases such as *"''the pizza was in the eaten''" can elicit an '''[[early left anterior negativity]]''' (ELAN) ''(pictured, first peak)'' in the [[Human brain|brain]]?
*... that [[English]] dramatist '''[[Edward Rose]]''' published ''The Rose Reader'', "a new way of teaching to read," that only used words that were spelled as they sounded?
*... that the '''[[Isaac Agree Downtown Synagogue]]''' is the only functioning [[synagogue]] building in the city of [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]]?
*... that '''[[Kisbarnaki Ferenc Farkas]]''' became the [[Chief Scout (The Scout Association)|Chief Scout]] of the [[Külföldi Magyar Cserkészszövetség|Hungarian Scouts-in-Exile]] when [[Magyar Cserkészszövetség|scouting]] was banned by the [[Communism|Communist]] government after [[World War II]]?
*... that the May 1938 '''[[interception of the Rex|interception of the ''Rex'']]''' was the largest training exercise conducted up to that time by the [[United States Army Air Corps]]?
*... that the former [[Arab]] village of '''[[Majdal Yaba]]''' with its large fortress was the center of power of a clan that controlled up to 25 villages in [[Sanjak Nablus]]?
*... that '''[[Wang Shizhen (Tang Dynasty)|Wang Shizhen]]''', then a guard commander for his brother-in-law, the [[Tang Dynasty]] warlord [[Li Weiyue]], turned against Li Weiyue to allow his father [[Wang Wujun]] to kill Li?
*... that the '''[[Magnolia Grove (Greensboro, Alabama)|childhood home]]''' of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Richmond Pearson Hobson|Richmond P. Hobson]] was dedicated as an [[Alabama]] state shrine in 1947?


*'''''08:25, 27 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Saxtuba.jpg|100x100px|A saxtuba]]
</div>
*... that [[Music of Belgium|Belgian musician]] [[Adolphe Sax]], who invented the  [[saxophone]], also devised the [[brass instrument]] '''[[saxtuba]]''' ''(pictured)''?
*... that a [[Saudi Arabia|Saudi]] businessman offered US$10 million to buy the [[Shoeing|shoes thrown]] by '''[[al-Baghdadia TV]]''' correspondent '''[[Muntadhar al-Zaidi]]''' at U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] during a recent press conference?
*... that the '''[[Monarchy of Denmark|Danish Monarchy's]]''' status was changed from [[Absolute monarchy|absolute]] to [[Constitutional monarchy|constitutional]] on 5 June 1849?
*... that the '''[[Jordan Valley Unified Water Plan]]''' was developed by a U.S. ambassador in 1955 to reduce conflict between [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], and their neighbors?
*... that after [[United States Navy SEAL]] '''[[Erik S. Kristensen|Erik Kristensen]]''' died in [[Afghanistan]] in 2005 [[Governor of California|California Governor]] [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] called for flags at the [[California State Capitol|state Capitol]] to be flown at [[half-staff]]?
*... that the [[fishery|fisheries]] of '''[[Chilka Lake]]''' in [[India]] sustain more than 150,000 fisherfolk living in 132 villages?
*... that there is suspicion that the death in prison of '''[[Kenneth Michael Trentadue]]''' was related to the [[Oklahoma City bombing]]?
*... that '''[[Daniel Hoevels]]''''s work has been described as "helping critics rediscover [[Hamburg]]'s theater"?


*'''''02:20, 27 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Votes for Women lapel pin (Nancy).jpg|100x100px|A Votes for Women lapel pin]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Flora Drummond]]''' was known as "The General" for her habit of leading [[Suffrage|Women's Suffrage]] processions ''(lapel pin pictured)'' wearing an officer's cap and [[epaulette]]s whilst riding a large horse?
*... that the '''[[Lola T93/30]]''' [[Formula 1]] car was described as "virtually undriveable" by [[BMS Scuderia Italia|the team]]'s drivers after its first race, [[1993 South African Grand Prix]], because of its aerodynamic deficiencies?
*... that author [[Jacqueline Wilson]] described '''''[[Dustbin Baby (film)|Dustbin Baby]]''''', the [[BBC]] dramatisation of her [[Dustbin Baby|novel of the same name]], as the best ever film adaptation of her work?
*... that [[Swedish-speaking Finns|Finnish Swede]] '''[[Gustav Orreus]]''' was the first [[Doctor of Medicine]] ever commissioned in [[Russia]]?
*... that there have been nine [[head coach]]es who have spent their entire [[National Hockey League]] '''[[List of Montreal Canadiens head coaches|head coaching careers with the Montreal Canadiens]]''', a [[Canada|Canadian]] professional [[ice hockey]] franchise?
*... that '''''[[The Golden Age (American Music Club album)|The Golden Age]]''''' is the ninth [[studio album]] by [[sadcore]] band [[American Music Club]]?
*... that prior to the [[Polish legislative election, 1930|1930 election]] the Polish government declared the candidacy of Heinrich Scheibler, the leader of the '''[[German Socialist Labour Party in Poland - Left]]''', to be invalid?
*... that 19th-century [[California]] [[bandit]] '''[[Procopio]]''', also known as Red-Handed Dick, was said to "love the feel and the color of warm blood," and his name was used by mothers to frighten their children?

=== 26 December 2008 ===
*'''''21:30, 26 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Swaledale Cheese cowsmilk.jpg|100x100px|Swaledale cheese]]
</div>
* ... that the production of '''[[Swaledale (cheese)|Swaledale cheese]]''' ''(pictured)'' includes soaking the [[Cheese#Making cheese|cheese wheel]] in 85&nbsp;percent [[brine]] for 24 hours?
* ... that the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] ruled in '''''[[Sears, Roebuck & Co. v. Stiffel Co.|Sears v. Stiffel]]''''' that companies can make and sell exact copies of other companies' inventions if they are not [[patent]]ed?
*... that the [[Early Cretaceous]] [[turtle]] '''''[[Caririemys]]''''' was the fifth such turtle [[genus]] to have been discovered in [[Brazil]]'s [[Santana Formation]]?
*... that ''[[The New York Times]]'' called [[CBS News]] executive '''[[Robert Chandler (network executive)|Robert Chandler]]''' the "creator of the ''[[60 Minutes]]'' format" of television newsmagazines?
*... that a '''[[march fracture]]''' is a fracture of [[metatarsal]]s mostly occurring in soldiers who need to do a lot of [[marching]]?
*... that the [[Tigris|Tigris River]]'s tributary, the '''[[Botan River|Botan]]''' in southeastern [[Turkey]], looks during times of peak discharge much bigger than the Tigris?
*... that '''[[Evald Rygh]]''', a former [[Minister of Finance (Norway)|Norwegian Minister of Finance and Customs]], helped establish the [[Holmenkollen ski jump]]?
*... that, during the team's first official season, a '''[[Maryland Terrapins football: 1856–1946|Maryland Terrapins football]]''' player was accused of "unaccreditable ignorance of football" after running the wrong way for 30 yards (27 metres)?


*'''''15:02, 26 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Onthemorningtbutts1.jpg|100x100px|Watercolor Illustration to Milton's On the Morning of Christ's Nativity, by William Blake]]
</div>
*... that [[William Blake]] sought in '''[[William Blake's illustrations of On the Morning of Christ's Nativity|his illustrations of Milton's ''Nativity Ode'']]''' ''(example pictured)'' to depict the [[Nativity|rebirth]] of [[John Milton]]'s poetry into the creative imagination of [[Christ]]?
*... that the '''[[Little Blitzen River]]''' is a tributary of [[Oregon]]'s [[Donner und Blitzen River]] and part of the first [[redband trout]] reserve in the [[United States]]?
*... that the '''[[Westminster Retable]]''', a 13th-century [[panel painting]] at [[Westminster Abbey]], is the oldest known [[altarpiece]] in [[England]]?
*... that in [[Doris Lessing]]'s 1983 novel, '''''[[The Sentimental Agents in the Volyen Empire]]''''', language becomes so distorted that some of the characters succumb to a condition called "undulant rhetoric"?
*... that the ''[[Naked Camera]]'' character '''[[Jake Stevens]]''' released the [[Christmas]] single "'''[[Merry Christmas Jakey Boy]]'''" in 2006?
*... that the species name '''''[[Symphurus thermophilus]]''''' means "heat lover", referring to the organism's association with [[hydrothermal vent]]s?
*... that to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of [[Christmas]] lights and decorations on Summer Street in [[Duboistown, Pennsylvania]], the mayor proclaimed "[[December]] as '''[[Candy Cane Lane]]''' month forever more"?


*'''''06:05, 26 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Migros-Tirggel.jpg|100x100px|Tirggel]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Tirggel]]''', traditional [[Christmas]] [[cookie|cookies]] from [[Switzerland]], are said to have originated as [[pagan]] [[offertory]] cakes, cut in the shape of [[Animal sacrifice|sacrificial animals]]?
*... that ''[[The Irish Times]]'' referred to a single by the band '''[[The Kinetiks]]''' as "‘Kin brilliant"?
*... that a [[plant pathology|plant pathologist]] conducted research on '''[[Christmas tree stand]]s''' that showed just 6 of 22 had adequate water capacity for large [[Christmas trees]]?
*... that the novel '''''[[Uncle Daddy]]''''' by [[Ralph Fletcher]] was awarded a 2002 [[The Christophers#The Christopher Awards|Christopher Medal]] in the books for ages 10–12 category?
*... that presenter [[Pat Kenny]] tore up two tickets for '''''[[The Late Late Toy Show]]''''' live on air in 2008?
*... that the interior vaulting of the '''[[wooden synagogue]]''' of Wolpa is considered to have been "the most magnificent of all known wooden ceilings" in Europe?
*... that in the town of '''[[Santa Claus, Arizona]]''', visitors could once purchase Dasher and Dancer [[omelette]]s and Santa burgers?
*... that in 1599, English bookseller '''[[William Barley]]''' helped publish [[Anthony Holborne]]'s ''Pavans, Galliards, Almains'', the first instrumental (rather than vocal) music to be printed in England?


*'''''01:55, 26 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Berner Haselnusslebkuchen von Beck Glatz.png|100x100px|Berner Haselnusslebkuchen]]
</div>
*... that the '''''[[Berner Haselnusslebkuchen]]''''' ''(pictured)'', a traditional [[Christmas]] cookie from [[Switzerland]], is a ''[[lebkuchen]]'' made from ground [[hazelnut]]s?
*... that [[California]]'s '''[[Sierra Nevada Conservancy]]''' is the largest state [[conservation (ethic)|conservation]] effort of its kind in the [[United States]]?
*... that "'''[[the boy Jones]]'''" repeatedly broke into [[Buckingham Palace]] in the early years of [[Queen Victoria]]'s reign?
*... that the 2002 album '''''[[Happy Clucking Holidays]]''''' consists of [[Christmas song]]s performed by Dirk Keysser clucking like a chicken?
*... that '''[[WKKR]]''' and [[WZMG]] (now known as '''[[WTLM]]''') were the first [[radio station]]s in [[Alabama]] to win '''[[NAB Crystal Radio Awards]]''' for outstanding commitment to [[community service]]?
*... that [[Paul Lynde]], who played the lead role in the 1977 [[United States|U.S.]] [[television special]] '''''[['Twas the Night Before Christmas (1977 TV special)|'Twas the Night Before Christmas]]''''', was responsible for [[Casting (performing arts)|casting]] fellow actor [[Martha Raye]] as his character's mother-in-law?
*... that '''''[[Kellogg Co. v. National Biscuit Co.|Kellogg v. Nabisco]]''''', a court case about [[Shredded Wheat]] [[breakfast cereal]], "may be the [[U.S. Supreme Court|<nowiki>[</nowiki>U.S.<nowiki>]</nowiki> Supreme Court's]] most ... influential [[trademark]] decision"?''
*... that the computer game "'''[[Attack of the Mutant Artificial Christmas Trees]]'''" invites players to stop mutant [[Artificial Christmas tree|fake trees]] from sucking the spirit out of Christmas?

=== 25 December 2008 ===
*'''''13:55, 25 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Aluminum Christmas tree2.jpg|100x100px|Aluminum Christmas tree]]
</div>
*... that the 1965 broadcast of "[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]" is credited with ending the era of the '''[[aluminum Christmas tree]]''' ''(pictured)''?
*... that '''[[Bill May]]''', an international champion in [[synchronized swimming]], was barred from competing in the [[Olympic Games|Olympics]] because of his gender?
*... that '''[[Robert Wells (songwriter)|Robert Wells]]''' and [[Mel Tormé]] wrote "[[The Christmas Song]]" in the sweltering July heat as a means of keeping themselves cool?
*... that the '''[[Hooded Butcherbird]]''' of [[New Guinea]] mimics other birds such as the [[Rusty Pitohui]], [[Spangled Drongo]], and [[Helmeted Friarbird]]?
*... that the forger who wrote an extra verse to the [[Norway|Norwegian]] Christmas song '''''[[Musevisa]]''''' claimed to have been inspired by the [[Hitler Diaries]]?
*... that '''[[Samira Hill Gold Mine]]''' is the first commercial [[gold mine]] in [[Niger]]?
*... that '''[[Bóg się rodzi]]''', a [[Poland|Polish]] [[Christmas carol]], has been called "one of the most beloved Polish Christmas carols"?
*... that '''[[Million Fax on Washington]]''' is a petition to the [[Presidential transition|transition administration]] of [[Barack Obama]] organized by the [[Ufology|UFO community]] to put the [[Extraterrestrial life|extraterrestrial issue]] on the new U.S. administration's agenda?


*'''''05:50, 25 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Edward Burne-Jones Star of Bethlehem detail.jpg|100x100px|Star of Bethlehem]]
</div>
*... that the '''''[[Star of Bethlehem (painting)|Star of Bethlehem]]''''' ''(detail pictured)'' by [[Edward Burne-Jones]], the largest [[watercolour painting]] of the 19th century, is based on his 1887 [[tapestry]] design depicting the [[Adoration of the Magi]]?
*... that '''[[Henrik Anker Bjerregaard]]''' wrote [[Norway]]'s first [[national anthem]]?
*... that '''[[Christmas in the American Civil War|American Civil War soldiers celebrated Christmas]]''' by using [[salt pork]] and [[hardtack]] as ornaments on [[Christmas tree]]s?
*... that houses in the [[India]]n village '''[[Shani Shingnapur]]''' do not have doors?
*... that in 1937, '''[[Harry Osman]]''' was the last [[association football|footballer]] to score a goal on [[Christmas Day]] at [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]'s [[The Dell (Southampton)|The Dell]] stadium?
*... that the village of '''[[Christmas Common]]''' was the home of [[Philology|philologist]] and [[Lexicography|lexicographer]] [[William Craigie]]?
*... that '''[[Bill Guckeyson]]''', the first [[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland football]] player selected in the [[National Football League]]'s [[NFL Draft|Draft]], attended [[United States Military Academy|West Point]] and was later shot down as a fighter pilot in [[World War II]]?
*... that '''[[Christmas Island National Park]]''' hosts the world's largest population of the world's largest land [[invertebrate]], the [[Coconut crab]]?

=== 24 December 2008 ===
*'''''21:45, 24 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Adoration of the Magi Tapestry detail.png|100x100px|Adoration of the Magi Tapestry]]
</div>
*... that '''[[John Prideaux Lightfoot]]''' commissioned the '''''[[Adoration of the Magi (tapestry)|Adoration of the Magi]]''''' [[tapestry]] ''(detail pictured)'' from [[Morris & Co.]] for the [[Gothic revival]] [[chapel]] at [[Exeter College, Oxford|Exeter College]], but died before it was completed?
*... that celebrity [[solicitor]] '''[[Gerald Kean]]''' was featured in a number of Sunday newspapers when he bought a [[Jet aircraft|jet]] for his wife?
*... that some of the earliest '''[[artificial Christmas trees]]''' were made of [[feathers]]?
*... that '''[[Guri Hjeltnes]]''', though a [[professor]] of [[journalism]], has mainly concentrated on [[Norway during World War II|Norwegian World War II history]] during her academic career?
*... that the annual '''[[Christmas on the River]]''' festival in [[Demopolis, Alabama]], features a parade with [[Float (parade)|float]]s on boats?
*... that [[Jack Armstrong (baseball)|Jack Armstrong]] '''[[List of Nashville Sounds no-hitters|pitched a no-hitter for the Nashville Sounds]]''' against the [[Indianapolis Indians]] a day after [[Randy Johnson]] and [[Pat Pacillo]] of the Indians combined for a no-hitter against the Sounds?
*... that [[Shakin' Stevens]] recently launched '''[[Christmas FM]]''', [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]'s first [[radio station]] dedicated to the festival?
*... that '''[[Trina Belamide]]''', who has written songs for most of the [[Philippines]]' top recording artists, also writes custom [[theme songs]] for [[weddings]]?


*'''''13:40, 24 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Dopamine-3d-CPK.png|100x100px|Three-dimensional model of the structure of a dopamine molecule]]
</div>
*... that '''[[dopamine dysregulation syndrome]]''' ''(dopamine molecular model pictured)'' is characterized by self-control problems such as [[addiction]] to medication, [[gambling]], or [[hypersexuality]]?
*... that [[lexicography|lexicographer]] '''[[Henry Cockeram]]''' wrote the first known [[English language]] [[dictionary]] to contain "dictionary" in the title?
*... that despite being described as "one of the strongest [[fortification]]s in the [[Atlantic Wall]]", the fortress of [[Le Havre]] fell after only three days of attacks by British and Canadian forces in '''[[Operation Astonia]]'''?
*... that as President of the [[Professional Golfers' Association of America]], '''[[Max Elbin]]''' oversaw the departure of tournament professionals led by [[Jack Nicklaus]] and [[Arnold Palmer]] to form the [[PGA Tour]]?
*... that '''''[[Peloroplites]]''''' was one of the largest [[nodosauridae|nodosaurid]] [[dinosaur]]s, and came from a time when [[ankylosauria|armored dinosaurs]] in general were attaining large sizes?
*... that composer '''[[William Furst]]''' died of a [[blood clot]] in his brain after injuring his foot while gardening?
*... that after the [[Treaty of Brest-Litovsk]], the '''[[Polish II Corps in Russia]]''' refused to surrender to the [[German Empire|Germans]]?
*... that it took the publisher's lawyers 14 months to approve the publication of '''''[[You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again]]''''', [[Julia Phillips]]' scandalous autobiography?


*'''''07:35, 24 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Plumbbob Smoky.jpg|100x100px|Plumbbob]]
</div>
*... that the population of '''[[Grasshopper Junction, Arizona|Grasshopper Junction]]''' in [[Arizona]], [[USA]], received the same estimated [[radiation]] dose pre-[[Operation Plumbbob|Plumbbob]] ''(pictured)'' as they did afterward?
*... that tree moss, [[lichen]] species '''''[[Pseudevernia furfuracea]]''''', was used in [[ancient Egypt]]ian [[embalming]]?
*... that the land that became '''[[Quail Hollow State Park]]''' was owned by only two families between 1820 and its sale to [[Ohio]] as a park in 1975?
*... that under current '''[[Mongolian nationality law]]''',  [[dual citizenship]] is not accepted?
*... that although the '''[[Ironton Railroad]]''' was built to haul [[iron ore]], it was used to deliver [[white-tailed deer|deer]] and [[American Bison|buffalo]] to the Trexler Game Preserve in 1911?
*... that [[Walter Sisulu]] considered '''[[Moses Kotane]]''' to be a "giant of the struggle" because of his logical and non-dogmatic approach against [[South Africa under apartheid|apartheid]]?
*... that the first draft of the script for '''''[[Remember Last Night?]]''''' was rejected by the [[Production Code Administration]] for its depiction of excessive drinking?
*... that in the [[Latin]]  poem '''[[De vetula]]''', its supposed author [[Ovid]] renounces [[Adultery|adultery]]?


*'''''01:30, 24 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Korean.Dance-03.jpg|100x100px|The Ganggangsullae]]
</div>
*... that the [[Korea]]n women's dance '''[[Ganggangsullae]]''' ''(pictured)'' was used by Admiral [[Yi Sun-sin]] to intimidate the Japanese army during their [[Japanese invasions of Korea (1592–1598)|invasion of Korea]]?
*... that the '''[[Barack Obama 2009 presidential inauguration]]''' is scheduled for four days of celebration, with [[Washington, D.C.]] [[Drinking establishment|bars]] authorized to stay open until 5:00&nbsp;a.m.?
*... that [[Norway|Norwegian]] historian '''[[Tore Pryser]]''' has criticised the perceived importance of [[Norwegian resistance movement|Norwegian resistance]] members during [[World War II]]?
*... that '''[[Pennsylvania Route 343]]''' underwent numerous realignments until 1970?
*... that a '''[[murder conviction without a body]]''' was considered impossible in [[English law]] for nearly 300 years?
*... that '''[[Julius Fast]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s first novel, ''Watchful at Night'', won the first award presented at the inaugural [[Edgar Award|Edgar Allan Poe Award]] ceremonies in 1946 as Best First Novel by an American author?
*... that [[tenor]] '''[[Albert Reiss]]''' sang in 1,070 performances at the [[Metropolitan Opera]]?
*... that the [[Captain (naval)|captain]] of the [[Regia Marina|Italian]] [[submarine]] who misidentified patrol boat '''[[USS PC-496|USS ''PC-496'']]''' for a [[destroyer]] and [[torpedo]]ed her was [[court-martial]]ed for "wasting" a torpedo on such a small ship?

=== 23 December 2008 ===
*'''''19:25, 23 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Location «Max Manus», Stortinget cropped.jpg|100x100px|Nazi flag on the Norwegian parliament]]
</div>
*... that for the filming of '''''[[Max Manus (film)|Max Manus]]''''' ''(filming location pictured)'', the [[Flag of Germany#Nazi Germany|flag of Nazi Germany]] was flown atop the [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Stortinget|parliament building]] for the first time in over 60&nbsp;years?
*... that [[John Tortorella]] is the only [[United States|American]] to be the '''[[List of Tampa Bay Lightning head coaches|head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning]]''', a professional [[ice hockey]] team based in the [[USA]]?
*... that although '''[[Melchior Broederlam]]''' is regarded as being key in the emergence of [[Early Netherlandish painting]], only two of his paintings survive today?
*... that the '''[[Reformed Church of Beacon]]''' has the only [[tracker action|manual-tracker]] [[pipe organ]] in the [[Hudson Valley]]?
*... that in 1908, Maypole [[Colliery]] in '''[[Abram, Greater Manchester]]''', [[England]], was the site of an underground explosion that killed 75 miners?
*... that the '''[[USS PGM-18|USS ''PGM-18'']]''' was blown five feet (1.5&nbsp;m) out of the water after striking a [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] mine off the coast during the [[Battle of Okinawa]]?
*... that [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] writer [[Edna O'Brien]] made her screen debut as an [[Extra (actor)|extra]] in an  adaptation of her novel, '''''[[Wild Decembers]]'''''?
*... that '''[[Charles S. Moore]]''' served as [[county judge]] for [[Klamath County, Oregon|Klamath, Oregon]], [[USA]], after his father had served as the first judge there?


*'''''13:20, 23 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Gill Coliseum.jpg|100x100px|Gill Coliseum, in 2007]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Oregon State Beavers men's basketball]]''' team ''([[Gill Coliseum]] pictured)'' is coached by [[Craig Robinson (basketball coach)|Craig Robinson]], brother-in-law of US President-elect [[Barack Obama]]?
*... that the privately-held phone call switch company '''[[TouchWave]]''' was purchased for US$46&nbsp;million two years after its 1997 founding?
*... that the [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[quiz show]] series '''''[[Brendan O'Carroll's Hot Milk and Pepper]]''''' was named after a [[constipation]] cure?
*... that [[linguist]] '''[[Carol Chomsky]]''' developed the technique of repeated reading, in which children gain fluency by reading along with a recording of a text until they can do so on their own?
* ... that the '''[[Scotch Professors]]''', a group of 19th-century [[Scottish people|Scottish]] [[Football (soccer)|footballers]], are credited with inventing the [[Combination Game|passing style]] of the modern game and spreading the sport globally?
*... that [[English language|English]] once had a four-form '''[[yes and no]]''' system, employed by [[Shakespeare]] and others, instead of the two-form system that it has today?
*... that Major-General '''[[Richard Hutton Davies]]''', the first [[New Zealand]] officer to command a division in [[World War I]], committed suicide in 1918?
*... that the '''[[1981 Rose Bowl]]''' was the first bowl victory for [[Michigan Wolverines football]] Coach [[Bo Schembechler]] – after seven prior bowl game losses?


*'''''06:45, 23 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:USS Supply 1873.jpg|100x100px|USS ''Supply'', formerly the SS ''Illinois'']]
</div>
* ... that the '''[[Pennsylvania class steamship|''Pennsylvania'' class]]''' [[ocean liner]]s—'''[[SS Pennsylvania (1872)|''Pennsylvania'']]''', '''[[SS Ohio (1872)|''Ohio'']]''', '''[[SS Indiana (1873)|''Indiana'']]''' and '''[[SS Illinois|''Illinois'']]''' ''(later '''''[[USS Supply (1873)|USS ''Supply'']]''''', pictured)''—were the largest iron ships built in the [[United States]] upon their completion in 1874?
*... that "'''[[Albino Ballerina]]'''", the final single by [[indie rock]] band [[Sweet Jesus]], gained extensive critical acclaim before the band's commercial success dwindled and they soon disbanded?
*... that the '''[[history of netball]]''' is linked to that of [[basketball]], and that [[netball]] was primarily developed as a [[women's sport]]?
*... that [[Charles Darwin]] frequently visited '''[[Osmaston Hall]]''' in [[Derby]], [[England]]?
*... that [[Silesia]]n [[socialism|socialist]] politician '''[[Józef Biniszkiewicz]]''' died at [[Buchenwald concentration camp]] during [[World War II]]?
*... that the '''[[Everett Railroad]]''' is named after its former location near [[Everett, Pennsylvania]], [[USA]]?
*... that '''''[[Handling Ships]]''''', the first [[animated film|animated]] [[Cinema of the United Kingdom|British]] [[Technicolor]] [[feature film]], was never meant to be released to theatres but was an "Official Selection" at [[Cannes Film Festival|Cannes]] in 1946?
*... that the first road in [[Alaska]] was built on '''[[Woody Island (Alaska)|Woody Island]]''' for horses, brought in by the [[Russian-American Company]] to cut ice blocks, to exercise?


*'''''00:55, 23 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Central American Squirrel Monkey 3.jpeg|100x100px|The Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Grey-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey]]''' ''(pictured)'' and '''[[Black-crowned Central American Squirrel Monkey]]''' are both [[endangered]] due to small, fragmented ranges and [[habitat loss]]?
*... that at a fantasy [[basketball]] camp, '''[[John W. Rogers, Jr.]]''' defeated [[Michael Jordan]] in a game of one-on-one, witnessed by [[John Thompson (basketball)|John Thompson, Jr.]], [[Mike Krzyzewski]] and [[Damon Wayans]]?
*... that the gardens of '''[[St George's Square]]''', [[Pimlico]], [[London]], contain a statue of [[William Huskisson]] MP, the first person ever to be run over and killed by a [[Locomotive|railway engine]]?
*... that [[country music]] songwriter '''[[Tim Nichols]]''' once worked in a factory, manufacturing buckets for [[KFC]]?
* ... that one of the specimens used to describe the [[extinct]] [[turtle]] '''''[[Cearachelys]]''''' was actually procured eight years prior to it being formally described in 2001?
*... that [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[ballerina]] '''[[Monica Loughman]]''', aged 14, was the first [[Western world|Westerner]] to dance for the State Theatre of Opera and Ballet in [[Perm]], [[Russia]]?
*... that the 1987 '''[[Jaffna hospital massacre|hospital massacre]]''' in [[Jaffna]], [[Sri Lanka]], took place on [[Diwali]], a major [[Hinduism|Hindu]] holiday?
*... that '''[[Mildred Constantine]]''' organized the 1968 exhibition ''Word and Image'' of 300 posters at the [[Museum of Modern Art]] called "so handsome that for a minute you wonder why billboards are disfigurements"?

=== 22 December 2008 ===
*'''''18:50, 22 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:John William Lambert 1909.png|100x100px|John William Lambert, in 1909]]
</div>
*... that '''[[John William Lambert|John W. Lambert]]''' ''(pictured)'' in 1891 made the '''[[Buckeye gasoline buggy|first U.S. car for sale]]''' as well as '''[[Union (automobile)|Union cars]]''' and '''[[Lambert (automobile)|Lambert cars]]''' using his '''[[Lambert Gas and Gasoline Engine Company|gasoline engines]]''' and '''[[Lambert friction gearing disk drive transmission|gearless transmissions]]''' for the '''[[Union Automobile Company|Union car company]]''' and '''[[Lambert Automobile Company|Lambert car company]]''' as [[subsidiaries]] of the '''[[Buckeye Manufacturing Company]]'''?
*... that '''[[Rangzieb Ahmed]]''' was the first [[Al-Qaeda]] operative to be convicted of directing [[terrorism in the United Kingdom]]?
*... that [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]'s '''[[Rosedale Park Historic District|Rosedale Park]]''', containing 1,533 properties, is the largest district in [[Michigan]] to be listed on the U.S. [[National Register of Historic Places]]?
*... that two carved wood [[altarpiece]]s of 1399 by '''[[Jacques de Baerze]]''' have no comparable [[Netherlandish]] survivals for another 80 years?
*... that in 1973, [[Oregon]] became the '''[[Cannabis in Oregon|first state to decriminalize]]''' the possession of small amounts of [[marijuana]] in the [[United States]]?
*... that [[American Basketball Association]] player '''[[Al Smith (basketball)|Al Smith]]''' was a standout in three different sports during his high school days?
*... that the "lung [[lichen]]", species '''''[[Lobaria pulmonaria]]''''', has been used for [[dyeing]], [[tanning]], [[perfume]] manufacturing, and [[brewing]]?
*... that '''[[Gale Benson]]''' was not a [[spy]] according to her brother, even though the 2008 film ''[[The Bank Job]]'' depicted her as one?


*'''''12:45, 22 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Danebury encircling ditch 2007.jpg|100x100px|Inside the ditch surrounding Danebury]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Danebury]]''' ''(pictured)'', an [[Iron Age]] [[hillfort]] in [[Hampshire]], [[England]], was occupied from about 550&nbsp;BC until 100&nbsp;BC when the gates were burnt down, probably in an attack?
*... that 14th-century [[Turkey|Turkish]] [[polymath]] '''[[Al-Taftazani]]''' completed one of his best-known works at the age of 16?
*... that the '''[[December 2008 ice storm of New England and Upstate New York|recent ice storm]]''' in the [[Northeastern United States]] was the [[North American ice storm of 1998|worst in over a decade]], resulting in at least four deaths and more than a&nbsp;million utility customers left without [[electric power|power]]?
*... that 18th–19th century [[British people|British]] [[fur trader]] '''[[John Johnston (fur trader)|John Johnston]]''' was a leader in the [[Ojibwa]] tribe near [[Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan]], [[USA]]?
*... that '''[[tropical ulcer]]s''' are [[lesion]]s occurring on the ankles of those who often go barefoot?
*... that '''[[Francis A. Chenoweth]]''' served as speaker of both the [[Oregon House of Representatives]] and the [[Washington House of Representatives]]?
*... that a [[species]] of the 80-million&nbsp;year-old [[sea turtle]] '''''[[Terlinguachelys fischbecki]]''''' was actually named after a school teacher?
*... that [[Tang Dynasty]] general '''[[Tian Ji'an]]''', in anger, buried his staff member Qiu Jiang alive?


*'''''06:35, 22 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">

</div>
*... that [[Australia]]n [[cricketer]] '''[[Arthur Morris with the Australian cricket team in England in 1948|Arthur Morris]]''' ''(pictured)'' was the [[batsman]] at the other end when [[Don Bradman]] was [[bowled]] for a [[duck (cricket)|duck]] in his last Test innings?
*... that the first themed '''[[Lego Modular Houses Theme|Lego Modular Houses]]''' set, released in April 2007, was designed for people aged 16 and older and meant to be "toys for adults"?
*... that '''[[Hanan Porat]]''', who was evacuated as an infant from the [[Jew]]ish village of [[Kfar Etzion]] in the [[Judean Mountains]], later founded the first [[Israeli settlement]] in the [[West Bank]]?
*... that '''''[[Holy Deadlock]]''''', a 1934 novel by [[A. P. Herbert]], was credited with helping create a more favourable attitude toward reform of English [[divorce law]]?
*... that teenage [[aviator|aviatrix]] '''[[Elinor Smith]]''', the "Flying [[Flapper]] of [[Freeport, New York|Freeport]]", had her pilot's license suspended for 15 days for flying under [[New York City]]'s four [[East River]] bridges in 1928?
*... that the '''[[Bayeux War Cemetery]]''', the largest for [[World War II]] [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] soldiers, includes the Bayeux Memorial, honoring more than 1,800&nbsp;soldiers killed in the [[Normandy Landings]] with no known grave?
*... that the [[Palestinian Arab]] village of '''[[Abil al-Qamh]]''' near [[Safad]] was established on a site that had been inhabited since 2900&nbsp;BCE?
*... that [[screenwriter]] '''[[Dana Fox]]''' works with [[Diablo Cody]] and [[Lorene Scafaria]] in a writing group they call "The Fempire"?


*'''''00:30, 22 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Luzhkov Yury cropped.jpg|100x100px|Yuri Luzhkov]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Moscow Pride|Moscow Gay Pride]]''' has been described as "[[satan]]ic" and likely to increase the spread of [[HIV]]/[[AIDS]] by [[List of mayors of Moscow|Moscow Mayor]] [[Yuri Luzhkov]] ''(pictured)''?
*... that 1949 [[Michigan Wolverines football|Michigan football]] [[Most Valuable Player|MVP]] '''[[Dick Kempthorn]]''' later flew more than 100 missions as a jet fighter pilot in the [[Korean War]] and received the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]?
*... that the '''[[SS Empire Adur|''Griffdu'']]''' was the 37th and final ship built by [[J. F. Duthie & Company]]?
*... that '''[[Johanna Wokalek]]''' portrayed [[Red Army Faction]] terrorist [[Gudrun Ensslin]] in the [[Golden Globe]]-nominated film ''[[The Baader Meinhof Complex]]''?
*... that the '''[[Matchless G12]]''' ''CSR'' [[motorcycle]] designation officially stood for ''Competition, Sport, Road'', but was dubbed the ''Coffee Shop Racer'' by its rivals?
*... that '''[[Ron Carey (labor leader)|Ron Carey]]''' was the first [[Teamsters]] General President elected by a direct vote of the membership?
*... that during the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], 105 [[Israel]]is were taken prisoner by [[Egypt]] in the '''[[Battle of Nitzanim]]''', which was viewed as humiliating in Israel?
*... that the [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]]' hype of '''[[Andy Cohen (baseball)|Andy Cohen]]'''  was called "the most efficient job of ballyhoo that has been performed in the sport industry", with "ice cream Cohens" sold to fans at the [[Polo Grounds]]?

=== 21 December 2008 ===
*'''''18:25, 21 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Civil Ensign of Singapore.svg|100x100px|Civil Ensign of Singapore]]
</div>
*... that [[Captain (nautical)|masters]] of [[Singapore]]-registered ships are subject to a fine of [[S$]]1,000 if they do not hoist the '''[[Red Ensign of Singapore|Red Ensign]]''' ''(pictured)'' before entering or leaving port?
*... that the designation of [[Rahm Emanuel]] as [[White House Chief of Staff]] will necessitate at least one '''[[United States House of Representatives special elections in Illinois, 2009|2009 United States House of Representatives special election in Illinois]]'''?
*... that in 1976, [[Japanese people|Japanese]] [[pink film]] actor '''[[Mitsuyasu Maeno]]''' carried out a [[kamikaze]] attack on multi-millionaire and [[Japanese nationalism|ultra-nationalist]] leader [[Yoshio Kodama]]?
*... that during the '''[[1975 Morris earthquake|1975 earthquake]]''' in [[Morris, Minnesota]], [[USA]], one man thought the loud bangs he heard came from a nearby gas plant that he thought exploded?
*... that [[Dutch Republic|Dutch]] [[baroque]] [[painter]] '''[[Jan Wyck]]''' spent most of his career in [[England]], where he influenced the development of British [[military art]]?
*... that the '''[[1980 Michigan Wolverines football team]]''' did not give up a touchdown in the final 22 quarters of the season?
*... that '''[[Denzil Onslow (of Pyrford)|Denzil Onslow]]''' was [[Member of Parliament]] for [[Guildford]] after his nephew Foot Onslow, and was then succeeded by another nephew, [[Richard Onslow, 1st Baron Onslow]]?
*... that [[Norman Mailer]] claimed his 1968 [[experimental film]] '''''[[Wild 90]]''''' "has the most repetitive, pervasive [[obscenity]] of any film ever made"?


*'''''12:20, 21 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Ashikaga Takauji.JPG|100x100px|Ashikaga Takauji]]
</div>
*... that 14th-century [[shogun]] [[Ashikaga Takauji]] ''(pictured)'' sent his son Motouji to [[Kamakura, Kanagawa|Kamakura]] to consolidate his rule there, but ended up creating a rival shogunate because Motouji started calling himself '''[[Kantō kubō|Kubō]]'''?
*... that '''[[Bruce Hilkene]]''' was captain of the [[1947 Michigan Wolverines football team|1947 Wolverines]] who were selected as the greatest [[Michigan]] [[American football|football]] team of all time?
*... that a screening of the [[documentary film]] '''''[[Rebellion: the Litvinenko Case]]''''' may have led to the [[St Petersburg]] branch of the human rights charity [[Memorial (society)|Memorial]] being raided by the [[Russia]]n authorities?
*... that the '''[[Audubon Society of Portland]]''', [[Oregon]], [[USA]], rehabilitates 3,500&nbsp;animals and has over 20,000&nbsp;hours volunteered each year?
*... that the only surviving '''[[Brough Superior Golden Dream]]''', on display at the [[UK|British]] [[National Motorcycle Museum (UK)|National Motorcycle Museum]] has never run, as there are no internals in the engine or [[gearbox]]?
*... that the '''''[[USS PGM-17]]''''' received no enemy damage while stranded on a coral reef for over a month during intense [[kamikaze]] attacks in the region during the [[Battle of Okinawa]]?
*... that '''[[Matthias Dolderer]]''' finished second at the 2008 World Aerobatics Cup's "Unlimited" Category in the [[Czech Republic]] and in doing so he qualified for the 2009 [[Red Bull Air Race]]?
*... that '''''[[BodyLove]]''''' is an [[Alabama]]-based radio [[soap opera]] that uses drama to reach [[African American]] listeners with messages that promote [[diabetes]] awareness and healthy lifestyles?


*'''''06:15, 21 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Manor House, 21 Soho Square (nancy) cropped.JPG|100x100px|Manor House, 21 Soho Square]]
</div>
*... that between 1778 and 1801, '''[[Manor House, 21 Soho Square]]''', [[London]], ''(pictured)'' was a high-class [[Magic (illusion)|magic]] [[brothel]] called ''The White House'', described by [[Henry Mayhew]] as a "notorious place of ill-fame"?
*... that [[Russia]]n [[ski jumper]] '''[[Valery Kobelev]]'''{{'}}s 1999 crash in [[Planica]], [[Slovenia]], has been called one of the worst ski jumping crashes ever?
*... that [[Washington, D.C.]]'s location as the [[United States|U.S.]] capital on the [[Potomac River]] was decided by [[United States Congress|Congress]], with passage of the '''[[Residence Act]]''' of 1790?
*... that [[Benin]]ese physician '''[[Basile Adjou Moumouni]]''' won his country's 1968 presidential election with 80&nbsp;percent of the vote only to have the results annulled by incumbent [[Alphonse Amadou Alley]]?
*... that the recently-discovered [[dinosaur]] '''''[[Austroraptor]]''''' is the largest [[dromaeosaur]] to have been found in the [[Southern Hemisphere]]?
*... that the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s '''[[John P. McCormick|John McCormick]]''' received the 2002 Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing for his work on [[September 11 attacks|9/11]], [[War in Afghanistan (2001-present)|Afghanistan]], and the sale of naming rights for [[Soldier Field]]?
*... that '''[[No. 410 Squadron RCAF|410 Squadron RCAF]]''' was the top-scoring night-fighter unit in [[RAF Second Tactical Air Force|2nd Tactical Air Force]] in the period between [[D-Day]] and [[VE Day]]?
*... that the phrase "It's your Wally" refers to [[Queensland]]'s [[test cricket]]er '''[[Wally Grout]]''' and typically means that it is the listener's turn to buy a round of drinks?


*'''''00:10, 21 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:WhiteHouseSouthFacade.JPG|100x100px|The White House]]
</div>
*... that [[silversmith]] '''[[Caleb Bentley]]''' made the [[brass]] [[cornerstone]] for the [[White House]] ''(pictured)'' in 1792 and provided refuge to [[U.S. President]] [[James Madison]] when the British burned the building in 1814?
*... that not a single woman in the village of Kunan Poshpora in [[Jammu and Kashmir|Kashmir]] received a [[Proposal of marriage|marriage proposal]] within three years after the [[Indian Army]] launched a '''[[Kunan Poshpora incident|search and interrogation operation]]''' there in 1991?
*... that member of the [[Order of Canada]] '''[[Carlo Cattarello]]''' received his [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree from [[Laurentian University]] in [[Greater Sudbury|Sudbury]], [[Ontario]], after he turned 80?
*... that the origins of the '''[[Church of Caucasian Albania]]''' date to Saint Eliseus' efforts in the first century&nbsp;AD to spread [[Christianity]] to the area?
*... that the unincorporated community of '''[[Oatmeal, Texas]]''', was inhabited by a colony of [[freedman|former slaves]] after the [[American Civil War]]?
*... that the style of [[Republic of Ireland|Irish]] [[investigative journalism|investigative journalist]] '''[[Philip Boucher-Hayes]]''' has been compared to that of fictional detective [[Hercule Poirot]]?
*... that '''[[Julia's House]]''' is the first and only [[Children's hospice|hospice]] in [[Dorset]], [[England]], for children with life-limiting conditions?
*... that '''[[William Stevens]]''' wrote a [[law review]] article, ''The [[Common Law]] Origins of the [[Infield Fly Rule]]'', which treated the development of one of [[baseball]]'s most-misunderstood rules as if it were a legal matter?

=== 20 December 2008 ===
*'''''18:05, 20 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Łucja Frey-Gottesman, 1919.jpg|100x100px|Łucja Frey]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Łucja Frey]]''' ''(pictured)'' is considered to be one of the first female academic [[neurology|neurologists]] in Europe?
*... that [[millipede]]s in the genus '''''[[Desmoxytes]]''''' give off an [[almond]]-like smell as they produce [[hydrogen cyanide]] to ward off [[predator]]s?
*... that in an incident he described as the highlight of his career, [[Phil Ochs]] sang "'''[[I Ain't Marching Anymore (song)|I Ain't Marching Anymore]]'''" and inspired hundreds of young men to burn their [[draft card]]s?
*... that the [[Nazi German]] Reich Office for Economic Expansion got the nickname ''Office for the Expansion of [[IG Farben]]'', because its head '''[[Carl Krauch]]''' was also the chairman of that company?
*... that in 1996, over a dozen university professors documented the [[oral history]] of the '''[[Quindaro Townsite]]''' by interviewing [[Kansas City]] residents?
*... that [[Pakistan]]'s newly created '''[[Ministry of Human Rights]]''' has announced a law which will assist in uncovering the fate of thousands who have disappeared since the [[War on Terror]] began?
*... that in the first day of sales, the tickets sold by the [[Cincinnati Bearcats]] for the '''[[2009 Orange Bowl]]''' netted an estimated US$500,000 for the [[University of Cincinnati]]?
*... that [[Filipino people|Filipino]] actor of [[Igorot]] descent, '''[[Marky Cielo]]''', is one of four recent [[Cinema of the Philippines|Philippine]] young celebrities who died unexpectedly, after [[Julie Vega]], [[Rico Yan]], and [[Miko Sotto]]?
*... that '''[[Van Buren State Park (Ohio)|Van Buren State Park]]''' in [[Ohio]] has family, large group, and [[equestrianism|equestrian]] camping areas, the latter with [[manure]] bins and [[picket line]]s?


*'''''12:00, 20 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:E P Chapin UA ACW.JPG|100x100px|Edward Payson Chapin]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Edward Payson Chapin]]''' ''(pictured)'' was wounded twice in the [[American Civil War]] and promoted to [[Brigadier general (United States)|brigadier general]] four months after being [[Killed in Action|killed in action]]?
*... that the '''[[Black-faced Antbird]]''' [[ant-follower|follows]] columns of [[army ant]]s in order to catch insects flushed by the swarms?
*... that according to ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'', '''[[Chanda Kochhar]]''', soon to be CEO of [[ICICI Bank|India's largest private bank]], is the 25th most powerful woman in business?
*... that pioneering [[African American]] [[aviator]] [[Hubert Julian]] was an associate producer for the 1940 [[race film]] '''''[[The Notorious Elinor Lee]]'''''?
*... that '''[[Newark Park]]''', a [[Tudor style architecture|Tudor]] hunting lodge in [[Gloucestershire]], was built in 1544 for a [[Groom of the Bedchamber]] to [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]?
*... that women outnumber men 69% to 31% among students at '''[[Ozarka College]]''' in [[Melbourne, Arkansas]]?
*... that '''[[Table to Table]]''' is an [[Israel]]i [[Charitable organization|charity]] that collects leftover and surplus food, gathering enough each week to provide 12,000 to 14,000&nbsp;meals and 40 to 50&nbsp;tons of produce?
*... that '''[[James Whitfield Williamson]]''', a [[politician]] from [[Vivian, Louisiana|Vivian]], [[Louisiana]], won a [[silver medal]] in 1987 at his state's seniors [[tennis]] tournament?


*'''''05:56, 20 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Swimming hole.jpg|100x100px|The Swimming Hole]]
</div>
*... that artist [[Thomas Eakins]] was fired shortly after the exhibition of '''''[[The Swimming Hole]]''''' ''(pictured)'', cited as a prime example of [[homoeroticism]] in [[American art]]?
*... that [[cricket]]er '''[[Johnny Lawrence]]''' refused to allow Sunday matches or [[raffle]]s to be used to raise money for his [[benefit (sports)|benefit season]] because he was a staunch [[Methodist]]?
*... that the tendency of the '''[[Weteye bomb]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[aluminum]] casing and liquid [[nerve agent]] to interact and explode made disposal of the weapon difficult?
*... that '''[[Robin Toner]]''' was the first woman to be national political correspondent for ''[[The New York Times]]''?
*... that the 1999 hit song "'''[[Tomber la chemise]]'''" ("Take Off Your Shirt") was part of a sudden popularity trend by [[Hip hop music|rappers]] of [[Beur|North African immigrant origins]] in [[France]]?
*... that of the four [[United States Marine Corps|Marines]] charged in the 2008 execution-style murders of California-based [[Sergeant#U.S._Marine_Corps|U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant]] '''[[Murder of Jan Pawel Pietrzak|Jan Pawel Pietrzak]]''' and his wife, two were under Pietrzak's command?
*... that '''[[Tiv Ta'am]]''' is the largest supermarket chain in [[Israel]] to sell non-[[kosher]] food?
*... that '''[[Brett Leonhardt]]''', [[Washington Capitals]] web site producer, was called upon to be a backup [[goaltender]] for nine minutes?

=== 19 December 2008 ===
*'''''23:51, 19 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Patrick Fitzgerald.jpg|100x100px|United States Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald]]
</div>
*... that [[United States Attorney]] [[Patrick Fitzgerald]] ''(pictured)'' indicted thirteen individuals as part of the '''[[Operation Board Games]]''' federal investigation before the [[Rod Blagojevich federal fraud cases]]?
*... that when [[Royal Navy]] Captain '''[[Robert Corbet]]''' was [[killed in action]] in September 1810, rumours were spread that he had been [[fragging|murdered by his own crew]]?
*... that it is proposed to assist the conservation of the '''[[Canarian Egyptian Vulture]]''' by the establishment of "vulture restaurants"?
*... that '''[[Shanty Hogan]]''', a [[catcher]] with the [[San Francisco Giants|New York Giants]], joined with teammate [[Andy Cohen (baseball)|Andy Cohen]] to form a [[vaudeville]] duo billed as "Cohen and Hogan", except in [[Boston]], where they performed as "Hogan and Cohen"?
*... that the 1883 [[Utopian and dystopian fiction|utopian novel]] '''''[[The Diothas]]''''' has been called "the second most important American nineteenth-century ideal society"?
*... that '''[[Harriet Holter]]''', an [[economist]] by education, has been described as a pioneer of [[women's studies]] in the [[Nordic countries]]?
*... that when [[The Mighty Diamonds]]' album '''''[[Right Time]]''''' was released in 1976, [[Record chart|music charts]] were banned in [[Jamaica]] because of violence within the music industry?
*... that [[rocket scientist]] '''[[Daniel Jubb]]''' claims to have built his first rocket at age five?


*'''''17:46, 19 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Heteropoda maxima 1.jpg|100x100px|The Giant huntsman spider]]
</div>
*... that with a leg-span of 30&nbsp;centimetres (12&nbsp;inches), the '''[[Giant huntsman spider|giant huntsman]]''' ''(pictured)'' is one of the world's largest [[spider]]s?
*... that [[University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor]] inductee '''[[Henry Hatch]]''' lived with his wife and daughter on the grounds of [[Michigan Stadium]] for more than a decade?
*... that the '''[[Lebanese Commando Regiment]]''', established in 1966, was the first [[special forces]] regiment to be established in the [[Lebanese Armed Forces]]?
*... that on the debut episode of '''''[[Man v. Food]]''''', host Adam Richman completed the {{convert|72|oz|kg|adj=on|0}} Big Texan challenge at [[The Big Texan Steak Ranch]] in [[Amarillo, Texas]]?
*... that '''[[Paul-Émile de Souza]]''' was installed head of [[Benin]] because the military did not recognise [[Maurice Kouandété]] as the official leader?
*... that the [[pub rock (UK)|British pub rock]] music genre was started by American band '''[[Eggs over Easy]]''', who were in [[England]] for less than a year?
*... that the early [[pre-Columbian]] site of '''[[Xochitecatl]]''' in [[Mexico]] was abandoned for centuries after the [[Popocatepetl]] volcano erupted around 150&nbsp;AD?
*... that former [[Calgary Flames]] trainer '''[[Bearcat Murray]]''' was famously on the ice tending to fallen [[goaltender]] [[Mike Vernon (ice hockey)|Mike Vernon]] as the Flames scored a goal in the [[1989 Stanley Cup Playoffs]]?


*'''''11:41, 19 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Berner Honiglebkuchen.jpg|100x100px|Berner Honiglebkuchen]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Berner Honiglebkuchen]]''' ''(pictured)'', specialty ''[[lebkuchen]]'' from [[Berne]], [[Switzerland]], are recommended to be taken with [[coffee]]?
*... that the 2008 '''[[NYPD subway sodomy incident]]''' has been compared to the 1997 assault of [[Abner Louima]] in [[New York City]]?
*... that '''[[Yuzuru Hiraga]]''' was a [[Japan]]ese [[naval architect]], noted for work on innovative warships such as the [[cruiser]] [[Japanese cruiser Yubari|''Yubari'']] and [[Japanese battleship Yamato|''Yamato'']] for the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]]?
*... that the '''[[WJBE]]''' [[call letter]]s now used by a radio station in [[Five Points, Alabama]], were used by singer [[James Brown]] for his James Brown Enterprises radio station?
*... that parts of the 2008 [[Dutch film]] '''''[[White Light (2008 film)|White Light]]''''' were shot in [[Ugandese]] refugee camps?
*... that the '''[[Ifield Friends Meeting House|Friends Meeting House at Ifield]]''', [[England]], built in 1676, is one of the oldest purpose-built [[Friends meeting house]]s in the world?
*... that in 2002, a [[Trotskyism|Trotskyist]] became the general secretary of the [[trade union]] centre '''[[Confédération générale du travail de Guadeloupe|C.G.T.G]]''' in the [[France|French]] [[overseas department]] of [[Guadeloupe]]?
*... that the visitor's [[locker room]] at the [[Alabama Crimson Tide football]] [[Bryant-Denny Stadium|stadium]] was recently named "The Fail Room" after alumnus contributor '''[[James M. Fail]]'''?


*'''''05:36, 19 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:St Luke's Episcopal Church, Beacon, NY.jpg|100x100px|St. Luke's Episcopal Church]]
</div>
*... that as the architect of the '''[[St. Luke's Episcopal Church (Beacon, New York)|St. Luke's Episcopal Church]]''' ''(pictured)'' in [[Beacon, New York]], [[Frederick Clarke Withers]] designed everything down to the [[altar cloth]]?
*... that after the inexplicable sinking of four identical [[fishing trawler|trawler]]s in [[Acadia]], the [[Canada|Canadian]] government took possession of the "cursed ship" '''''[[Marc Guylaine]]''''' in 1972, simply changed its name and re-sold it?
*... that in 1978, '''[[Pueblo Community College]]''' became part of the [[Colorado Community College System]] after having been a branch campus of [[Southern Colorado State College]]?
*... that ''A Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem at Easter A.D. 1697'', based on the diary of '''[[Henry Maundrell]]''', was translated into [[French language|French]], [[Dutch (language)|Dutch]] and [[German (language)|German]] by 1792?
*... that the '''[[Laogai Museum]]''', which showcases [[People's Republic of China|China]]'s [[laogai]] prison system, was financed by the same company that once turned a dissident, [[Shi Tao]], in to the Chinese authorities?
*... that [[American Basketball Association]] player '''[[Lee Davis]]''' appeared in the [[1970 ABA All-Star Game]] despite playing in only sixteen games all season?
*... that from 1945 until 1978, cars in [[Okinawa Prefecture]] drove on the right side of the road until a switch to [[Right- and left-hand traffic|left-hand drive]] as part of the '''[[730 (transport)|730 Conversion Plan]]''', to match the rest of [[Japan]]?
*... that in the 1962 film '''''[[Invasion of the Star Creatures]]''''', extra-terrestrial monsters were played by actors wearing [[carrot]] costumes?

=== 18 December 2008 ===
*'''''23:31, 18 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Huttonite unit cell Th green Si grey O red.png|100x100px|Unit cell of Huttonite (monoclinic ThSiO4). Thorium is shown in green, silicon in grey, and oxygen in red.]]
</div>
*... that the uncommon [[thorium]] [[nesosilicate]] [[mineral]] '''[[Huttonite]]''' ''(unit cell pictured)'' was first discovered in 1950 in [[New Zealand]]?
*... that [[Filipino people|Filipina]] singer and actress '''[[Didith Reyes]]''' was one of the "Jukebox Queens" of the 1970s [[Music_of_the_Philippines|Philippine music scene]] along with her friends [[Imelda Papin]] and [[Claire dela Fuente]]?
*... that the '''[[Cal State Fullerton Titans football]]''' team holds [[NCAA]] records for both most [[fumble]]s and most fumbles lost for a single season with 73 and 41 respectively?
*... that the 1980 novel '''''[[One Day of Life]]''''' was banned in [[El Salvador]] for its portrayal of [[human rights]] violations by the government's [[paramilitary]] organization, [[Organización Democrática Nacionalista]]?
*... that due to his blindness, it took '''[[John Wall (judge)|Sir John Wall]]''', the first visually impaired judge of the 20th-century [[High Court of Justice]], over 400 applications and 53 interviews before he was offered a job?
*... that the [[Agent 15|BZ]]-laden white smoke produced by the '''[[M44 generator cluster|M44 generator cluster bomb]]''' was problematic because BZ is easily defeated with a few layers of cloth?
*... that the '''[[Goode-Hall House]]''' near [[Town Creek, Alabama]], is a [[vernacular architecture|vernacular]] interpretation of [[Palladian architecture]]?
*... that '''[[Ron Ben-Yishai]]''', the first journalist to inform [[Ariel Sharon]] of the [[Sabra and Shatila massacre]], was later cast in ''[[Waltz with Bashir]]'', an [[animated film]] about the incident?


*'''''17:26, 18 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:H. J. S. Landon portrait cropped.jpg|100x100px|A portrait of Herman Landon]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Herman Landon]]''' ''(pictured)'' commanded five different [[British Army]] divisions during the [[First World War]]?
*... that there have been 16 '''[[List of San Diego Padres managers|managers for the San Diego Padres]]''', a [[Major League Baseball]] franchise?
*... that in December 2008, '''[[Anibal dos Santos]]''', convicted murderer of [[Mozambique|Mozambican]] journalist [[Carlos Cardoso]], has escaped maximum security jail for a third time?
*... that the first [[Seigneurial system of New France|seigneur]] of '''[[Beloeil, Quebec]]''', participated in the [[1704 Raid on Deerfield]]?
*... that '''[[Sid Bernstein]]''' helped start the [[British Invasion]] by getting [[The Beatles]] to play at [[Carnegie Hall]]?
*... that the 14th-century '''[[Tree House, Crawley|Tree House]]''', the former [[manor house]] of [[Crawley]], [[England]], was named after an ancient [[elm]] whose trunk was hollowed out to form a room in which travellers stayed overnight?
*... that '''[[Hussniya Jabara]]''' was the first [[Israeli Arab]] woman to be elected to the [[Knesset]]?
*... that [[James Bond (ornithologist)|James Bond]] attributed the [[extinction]] of the '''[[Puerto Rican Conure]]''' to pigeon hunters visiting [[Mona Island]]?


*'''''11:21, 18 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Royal Enfield Bullet 350 1955.JPG|100x100px|Royal Enfield Bullet 350]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Royal Enfield Bullet]]''' ''(pictured)'' has the longest production run of any [[motorcycle]], having remained continuously in production since 1948?
*... that the '''[[Gal Oya riots]]''' were the first ethnic [[riots]] that targeted the minority [[Sri Lankan Tamils]] in post-independent [[Sri Lanka]]?
*... that '''[[William Buchan, 3rd Baron Tweedsmuir]]''' was once barred from a nightclub near [[Ottawa]], [[Canada]], because [[Prime Minister of Canada]] [[Mackenzie King]] disapproved of [[John Buchan, 1st Baron Tweedsmuir|his father]]?
*... that the '''[[M43 BZ cluster bomb|M43 cluster bomb]]''', designed to hold three stacks of 19 [[3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate|BZ-containing]] '''[[M138 bomblet]]s''', was unattractive to military planners in part because [[paranoia]] and [[mania]] were common symptoms of casualties?
*... that the [[English folklore|English folkloric story]] '''''[[Dick Whittington and His Cat]]''''' is based on the real [[Richard Whittington]], but there is no historical evidence that he ever had a cat?
*... that one of the factors threatening the '''[[Canarian Houbara]]''' is disturbance by [[Truffle (fungi)|truffle]] collectors?
*... that the 2003 film '''''[[Scorched (film)|Scorched]]''''' cost [[United States dollar|US$]]7&nbsp;million to make but only earned US$8,000 at the [[box office]], approximately 0.1% of its initial cost?
*... that although his crew were merely taking geological observations, the [[British Government]] believed '''[[Cyrille Pierre Théodore Laplace]]''' had claimed [[New Zealand]] for [[France]]?


*'''''05:16, 18 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:German garden gnome cropped.jpg|100x100px|A garden gnome]]
</div>
*... that the leader of the [[France|French]] '''[[Garden Gnome Liberationists|Garden Gnome Liberation Front]]''' was given a [[suspended sentence]] after the group "liberated" over 150 garden gnomes ''(example pictured)'' in 1997?
*... that '''[[Tommy Dunderdale]]''' is the only [[Australia]]n-born player to be inducted into the [[Hockey Hall of Fame]] in [[Canada]]?
*... that the '''[[M34 cluster bomb]]''' was the first major [[List of U.S. chemical weapons topics|U.S. chemical weapon]] designed to deliver [[sarin]] [[nerve agent]]?
*... that the [[Dravidian parties]] '''[[Tamil cinema and Dravidian politics|extensively used Tamil cinema]]''' for their [[propaganda]]?
*... that '''[[Olav Rytter]]''', a [[Slavic languages|Slavic]] [[philology|philologist]] who fled [[Operation Weserübung|German-invaded Norway]] in 1940, returned in 1944 to participate in the liberation of [[Northern Norway]]?
*... that the '''[[Monumento al Ahogado]]''', a [[Uruguay]]an landmark, was completed in only six days, even though the sculptor was given an entire summer to work on it?
*... that [[Music of Greece|Greek]] singer [[Katy Garbi]]'s new album '''''[[Kainourgia Ego]]''''' is the last release on her current contract with [[Sony BMG]], which has in total lasted almost 20 years?
*... that [[Poland]]'s only "official" [[ghost town]], '''[[K%C5%82omino]]''', used to be a base of both the [[Wehrmacht]] and the [[Soviet Army]]?

=== 17 December 2008 ===
*'''''23:11, 17 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:LordHoweIslandPigeonByGeorgeRaper.jpg|100x100px|A painting of the Lord Howe Island Pigeon by George Raper]]
</div>
*... that no [[type specimen]] of the '''[[Lord Howe Island Pigeon]]''' exists, as it was described from a painting ''(pictured)'' by [[George Raper]]?
*... that during the trial for the '''[[Toa Payoh ritual murders]]''' in [[Singapore]], Howard Cashin received death threats for defending the accused, Adrian Lim?
*... that the '''[[Philadelphia Phillies (NFL)|Philadelphia Phillies]]''' was the name of a football team in the '''[[National Football League (1902)|first National Football League]]'''?
*... that [[opera|operatic]] [[soprano]] '''[[Romilda Pantaleoni]]''' sang the role of Desdemona in the original 1887 production of [[Giuseppe Verdi]]'s ''[[Otello]]''?
*... that '''[[Charter 08]]''', a declaration signed by hundreds of Chinese intellectuals, was modeled on [[Czechoslovakia]]n [[Charter 77]]?
*... that '''[[Charles D'Arcy|Archbishop D'Arcy]]''' of [[Diocese of Armagh (Church of Ireland)|Armagh]] was a member of the [[Senate of Southern Ireland]] and a supporter of the [[Eugenics]] movement?
*... that [[Gene Krupa]] was asked to be in the 1947 [[race film]] '''''[[Boy! What a Girl!]]''''' when he stopped by to visit cast member [[Sid Catlett]] on the film's set?
*... that [[Norway|Norwegian]] jurist and peace activist '''[[Fredrik Heffermehl]]''' claimed that 45&nbsp;percent of [[Nobel Peace Prize]] awards after 1945 are "illegal"?


*'''''17:06, 17 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Berlin sculpture, Gedachtniskirche.jpg|100x100px|The Berlin sculpture]]
</div>
*... that the sculpture '''''[[Berlin (sculpture)|Berlin]]''''' ''(pictured)'', created as a testament to [[East Berlin|East]] and [[West Berlin]] being close yet separate, was commissioned for the city's 750th anniversary?
*... that ''[[The New York Times]]'' [[obituary]] for actor/filmmaker '''[[Spencer Williams (actor)|Spencer Williams]]''' made no mention of his work as a film director?
*... that the [[Regia Marina|Italian Royal Navy]]'s '''{{sclass|Indomito|destroyer|4}}''' of [[destroyer]]s were the first large Italian destroyers and the first to be equipped with [[steam turbine]]s?
*... that [[Tang Dynasty]] general '''[[Liu Ji (general)|Liu Ji]]''' was poisoned to death by his son Liu Zong while campaigning against the rebel general Wang Chengzong?
*... that '''[[WEPS]]''' in [[Elgin Area School District U46]] is the oldest educational [[radio station]] in [[Illinois]], [[USA]]?
*... that over a ten-year period, '''[[Olaus Michael Schmidt]]''' served as [[Minister of Justice and the Police (Norway)|Norwegian Minister of Justice]] for four non-consecutive terms?
*... that according to a legend, the Eliseyevs hid their treasures in the walls of '''[[Chicherin House]]''' before they fled [[Russia]] after the [[October Revolution]] in 1917, but this treasure was never found?
*... that '''[[Mangaloreans]]''' hold a [[Guinness World Records|Guinness]] world record for non-stop singing for 40 hours?


*'''''11:01, 17 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Cochlear implant.jpg|100x100px|Illustration of the internal parts of a cochlear implant]]
</div>
*... that '''[[List of Australian inventions|Australian inventions]]''' include the [[boomerang]], [[didgeridoo]], [[Flight data recorder|black box flight data recorder]], [[Vegemite]], [[spray-on skin]], and [[bionic ear]] ''(pictured)''?
*... that "Johnny Mac" McDonald was elected mayor of [[Thomasville, Alabama]], in 1976 while working at [[radio station]] '''[[WJDB-FM]]''' as [[announcer]] and [[account executive]]?
*... that [[Namibia]]n Deputy [[Defence Minister]] '''[[Victor Simunja]]''' received military training in both the [[United States]] and [[Soviet Union]]?
*... that '''[[United States Conference of Mayors]]''' was founded at the [[Mayflower Hotel]] on the eve of the [[inauguration]] of [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]] as [[U.S. President]] in 1933?
*... that '''[[Peter Harboe Castberg (banker)|Peter Harboe Castberg]]''' is credited with building [[Christiania Bank|Christiania Bank og Kreditkasse]] into one of the leading [[List of banks in Norway|banks in Norway]]?
*... that '''''[[Froudacity]]''''' was an 1889 [[polemic]] which argued for [[self-government]] in the [[British West Indies]]?
*... that '''[[John W. Fuller|John Fuller]]''', who led a [[Union Army]] [[Division (military)|division]] at the [[Battle of Atlanta]] and participated in [[Sherman's March to the Sea]], was one of the few foreign-born generals in the [[American Civil War]]?
*... that a technician at the Beijing Film Laboratory refused to print the film or return the negatives for sex scenes from '''''[[Curiosity Kills the Cat (film)|Curiosity Kills the Cat]]''''', having been [[Censorship in the People's Republic of China|punished]] over a similar matter?


*'''''04:56, 17 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Tunki Tanpupata cropped.jpg|100x100px|Andean Cocks-of-the-rock]]
</div>
*... that male '''[[Andean Cock-of-the-rock|Andean Cocks-of-the-rock]]''' ''(pictured)'' gather in a [[Lek (mating arena)|lek]] to put on a competitive [[mating]] performance?
*... that [[James Mill]] spent twelve years writing '''''[[The History of British India]]''''' from 1806 to 1818, but never visited the country?
*... that in 1799, the [[distillery]] adjacent to '''[[George Washington's Gristmill]]''' produced 11,000&nbsp;gallons of [[whiskey]] along with apple, peach, and persimmon [[brandy]]?
*... that the term "no waris" in the [[Papua New Guinea]]n language [[Tok Pisin]] is derived from the [[Australian English]] "'''[[no worries]]'''"?
*... that because he had no family, Judge '''[[George Muter]]''' was invited to live with [[Thomas Todd]], his fellow justice on the [[Kentucky Court of Appeals]], following Muter's retirement from the bench?
*... that construction of '''[[Mughal Road]]''' in the [[India]]n state of [[Jammu and Kashmir]] was opposed because it impeded the movement of the [[Markhor goat]]?
*... that protests by the '''[[New York Board of Rabbis]]''' and others led to changes in [[Alec Guinness]]'s portrayal of [[Fagin]] in the U.S. version of the 1948 film ''[[Oliver Twist (1948 film)|Oliver Twist]]'', which was not released there until 1951?
*... that in 2008, almost 100 illegal [[fish cage]]s were removed from the '''[[Pansipit River]]''' in the [[Philippines]]?

=== 16 December 2008 ===
*'''''22:51, 16 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Blagojevich cropped.jpg|100x100px|Rod Blagojevich]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Rod Blagojevich federal fraud cases|Rod Blagojevich fraud cases]]''' ''(Blagojevich pictured)'' caused the [[Illinois General Assembly]] to consider erasing the [[Illinois Governor]]'s statutory power to appoint a [[United States Senate]] replacement for [[Barack Obama]]?
*... that after being deposed by his brother [[Abdul Hamid II]], [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] sultan [[Murad V]] was detained in the '''[[Malta Pavilion]]'''?
*... that, at 73 years old, '''[[Ken Mink]]''' became the oldest person ever to score in a [[college basketball]] game?
*... that in 2018, when the '''[[Follo Line]]''' is completed in [[Norway]], it will reduce travel time between [[Oslo Central Station|Oslo]] and [[Ski, Norway|Ski]] from 22 to 11&nbsp;minutes?
*... that [[Hiberno-Latin]] poet '''[[Colman nepos Cracavist]]''' wrote the first known poem about [[Saint Brigid]]?
*... that the '''[[Vanity Ballroom Building|Vanity Ballroom]]''', an intact dance hall that hosted the popular big bands of the [[Swing Era]], billed itself as "[[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]'s most beautiful dance rendezvous"?
*... that male and female '''''[[Sternarchogiton nattereri]]''''' [[knifefish]] are [[Sexual dimorphism|so different]] that males were thought to be members of a different [[genus]] for 40 years?
*... that American painter '''[[Leon Dabo]]''' was a [[Espionage|spy]] in [[World War I]]?


*'''''16:46, 16 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:L amphirhamphus.jpg|100x100px|Lasiognathus amphirhampus]]
</div>
*... that the name of the '''''[[Lasiognathus]]''''' [[genus]] of [[anglerfish]] ''(L. amphirhampus pictured)'', distinctive for its huge upper jaw, derives from the [[Ancient Greek|Greek]] for "hairy jaw"?
*... that '''[[Charlie Bowman]]''' was a major influence on the distinctive [[fiddle]] sound that helped shape and develop early [[country music]] in the 1920s and 1930s?
*... that the [[Royal Navy]] [[Auxiliary ship|repair ship]] '''[[HMS Artifex (F28)|HMS ''Artifex'']]''' previously served as a [[ocean liner|liner]] for [[Cunard Line|Cunard]] and as an [[armed merchant cruiser]]?
*... that during construction of the church that now houses the '''[[Glenn & Viola Walters Cultural Arts Center|Walters Cultural Arts Center]]''' in [[Hillsboro, Oregon]], the church was given all the rock they needed for US$1,000 as long as they hauled it away?
*... that '''[[Baruch Steinberg]]''' was the Chief [[Rabbi]] of the [[Polish Army]] during the [[German invasion of Poland]] in 1939, and died a year later as a [[Soviet]] prisoner of war in the [[Katyn massacre]]?
*... that although it was the tallest building in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia]], for most of the 1960s, '''[[Citibank House]]''' is now only the 26th tallest in the city?
*... that after '''[[Frederick Gottwald]]''' lost his position as director of the [[Cleveland Institute of Art]], he got into a fistfight with his successor?


*'''''10:41, 16 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Chimpanzee congo painting.jpg|100x100px|Painting by Congo the chimp]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Congo (chimpanzee)|Congo]]''', a [[chimpanzee]] who made over 400 paintings ''(example pictured)'', would scream if a painting was taken away from him before he was finished?
*... that American general '''[[Robert S. Beightler]]'''  was the only [[World War II]] [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] general to have commanded his [[37th Infantry Division (United States)|division]] for the length of the war?
*... that [[Music of Australia|Australian]] [[pop music|pop]]/[[rock music|rock]] band '''[[1927 (band)|1927]]''', whose debut album ''[[...ish (album)|...ish]]'' sold [[multi-platinum]], tried for a year to get a recording contract?
*... that '''[[Mark Rosenberg]]''', described as "one of Hollywood's baby moguls", was only 35 years old when he succeeded '''[[Robert Shapiro (film producer)|Robert Shapiro]]''' as President of Worldwide Theatrical Production at [[Warner Bros.]]?
*... that '''[[Ryszard Reiff]]''' was the only member of the [[Polish Council of State]] to vote against the implementation of [[martial law in Poland]] in 1981?
*... that since the 1920s, the '''[[Whittier Hotel]]''' in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], has hosted [[Horace Dodge]], [[Eleanor Roosevelt]], [[Mae West]], [[Frank Sinatra]], and [[The Beatles]]?
*... that [[Communist Party of India (Marxist)|communist]] politician '''[[K. Ramani]]''' became the speaker of the [[Vidhan Sabha|Legislative Assembly]] of the [[India]]n state [[Tamil Nadu]] in 1989?


*'''''04:36, 16 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Toxic gas set (CAIS) bottle containing sulfur mustard (HD).jpg|100x100px|A typical glass bottle from a type of Chemical Agent Identification Set known as a "toxic gas set". This one contains [[sulfur mustard]].]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Chemical Agent Identification Set]]s''' formerly used by the [[U.S. military]] included bottles of [[sulfur mustard]] ''(pictured)'' used to purposely contaminate terrain and [[military equipment|equipment]] for training?
*... that of over 1,000 stone Buddha statues that once existed at the [[Korean Buddhist temple]] '''[[Unjusa]]''', only 91 remain intact?
*... that '''[[stick candy]]''', a form of [[hard candy]] with a colorful, [[barber pole]]-like spiral design, has a long history in the United States, dating to at least as early as 1837?
*... that English businessman '''[[David Ross (businessman)|David Ross]]''' was named one of the 100 richest people in the [[United Kingdom]] by ''[[The Sunday Times]]''?
*... that the '''[[14"/50 caliber gun]]''' was slated to be the main armament for the {{Sclass|Lexington|battlecruiser}}, but that [[Ship class|class]] was redesigned in 1917?
*... that Keizō Tsukamoto set a [[Guinness Book of World Records|Guinness World Record]] by creating the cover art for more than 1,900 issues of '''''[[Weekly Manga Times]]''''' starting in 1970?
*... that '''[[Birket Israel]]''', once the largest [[reservoir]] in [[Jerusalem]], is now a parking lot?
*... that while filming 1991's '''''[[Barton Fink]]''''', the [[Coen brothers]] were contacted by an animal-rights group concerned about their treatment of [[mosquito]]es?

=== 15 December 2008 ===
*'''''22:31, 15 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Jamie Oliver cropped.png|100x100px|Jamie Oliver]]
</div>
*... that celebrity chef [[Jamie Oliver]] ''(pictured)'' narrates the [[Nintendo DS]] cooking video game '''''[[What's Cooking? with Jamie Oliver]]'''''?
*... that the design of the U.S. [[biological warfare#Anti-agriculture BW|anti-crop]] '''[[E77 balloon bomb]]''' was based on the design of the [[World War II]] [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] [[fire balloon]]?
*... that wood infected by the "green elfcup" [[fungus]], species '''''[[Chlorociboria aeruginascens]]''''', is used in the manufacture of decorative inlaid woodwork like [[Tunbridge ware]] and [[parquetry]]?
*... that in January 1939, '''[[William Rosenwald]]''' and Rabbis [[Abba Hillel Silver]] and '''[[Jonah Wise]]''' combined the organizations they each led to form the '''[[United Jewish Appeal|United Jewish Appeal for Refugees and Overseas Needs]]'''?
*... that children's book illustrator [[Walter Crane]] was the first President of the '''[[Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society]]''', founded in 1887 to showcase the [[decorative arts]]?
*... that [[Cromemco]]'s '''[[Cromemco Dazzler|Dazzler]]''' was the first commercial [[graphics card]] for [[microcomputer]]s, and was widely used for displaying [[weather forecasting|weather forecasts]] in the early 1980s?
*... that '''[[Fairview Creek]]''' in [[Oregon]] was once a [[tributary]] of the [[Columbia River]], but was diverted to the [[Columbia Slough]] in the early 20th century?
*... that the '''[[Battle of the Severn]]''' in 1655 in [[Annapolis]], [[Maryland]], was closely related to the conflicts of the [[English Civil War]], which had concluded four years earlier in [[England]]?


*'''''16:26, 15 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Woodside Plaza, Perth.jpg|100x100px|Woodside Plaza]]
</div>
*... that when the '''[[Woodside Plaza]]''' ''(pictured)'' opened in 2004, it was the first [[high-rise]] office building to be constructed in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia]], in eight years?
*... that '''[[Peyton Short]]''' may have been responsible for the break-up of the first marriage of U.S. President [[Andrew Jackson]]'s wife [[Rachel Jackson|Rachel]]?
*... that [[Coroner's jury|coroners' juries]] in [[Inquest (England and Wales)|English inquests]] can bring in an '''[[open verdict]]''' that confirms a death is suspicious without specifying how it came about?
*... that '''[[Bill Paparian]]''', who visited [[Cuba]] while mayor of [[Pasadena, California]], was reported to admire both [[Che Guevara]] and the [[U.S. Marine Corps]]?
*... that the '''[[John Milton's relationships|failed marriage]]''' of [[John Milton]] inspired his [[Milton's divorce tracts|divorce tracts]]: '''''[[Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce]]''''', '''''[[Judgement of Martin Bucer Concerning Divorce|Judgement of Martin Bucer]]''''', '''''[[Tetrachordon]]''''', and '''''[[Colasterion]]'''''?
*... that in [[Joliet, Illinois]], population declined during the decade before '''[[Arthur Schultz]]''' became mayor and has nearly doubled since?
*... that the '''[[Khedive Palace]]''' in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]], once a mansion for [[Ottoman]] governors, now serves as an upscale restaurant?
*... that English [[violin]]ist '''[[John Lenton]]''' wrote one of the earliest extant treatises on violin playing?


*'''''10:21, 15 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:SpiralGalaxyNCG6118-2004.PNG|100x100px|NGC 6118 Galaxy]]
</div>
*... that "[[Grand design spiral galaxy|grand design]]" [[spiral galaxy]] '''[[NGC 6118]]''' ''(pictured)'' containing Supernova 2004dk is nicknamed the "Blinking Galaxy" for its tendency to flick in and out of view with different eye positions?
*... that the chance purchase of a $15 [[Yoruba people|Yoruba]] carving in [[Hamburg]] by '''[[Warren M. Robbins]]''' led to the establishment of the [[Smithsonian Institution]]'s [[National Museum of African Art]]?
*... that '''[[live-line working]]''' involves making contact with a [[power line]] that may be energized up to 1,150,000&nbsp;[[volt]]s?
*... that award-winning television editor '''[[Walter Balderson]]''' was the only TV cameraman inside the [[White House]] for the 1953 [[United States presidential inauguration|Inauguration Day]] meeting between U.S. President [[Harry S. Truman|Truman]] and President-elect [[Dwight D. Eisenhower|Eisenhower]]?
*... that the [[Africa]]n city of '''[[Careysburg, Liberia]]''', hosted a large transmitter for [[Voice of America]], the official external broadcasting service of the [[United States federal government]]?
*... that the '''[[Taping River|Taping river]]''' is the first [[tributary]] of [[Myanmar]]'s chief river, the [[Ayeyarwady River|Irrawaddy]]?
*... that '''[[Executive Order 13128]]''' led to [[U.S. State Department]] rules outlining criminal penalties for violations of the [[Chemical Weapons Convention]]?


*'''''04:16, 15 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:RomanianFlag-withHole.jpg|100x100px|The Romanian Revolution of 1989]]
</div>
*... that, among the '''[[History of the flags of Romania|flags of Romania]]''', the flag of the [[Romanian Revolution of 1989]] ''(pictured)'' has been called "the flag with the hole"?
*... that Sharif el-Mashad, the named petitioner in the [[habeas corpus]] case of '''''[[El Mashad v. Bush]]''''', was in the clothing trade before being sent to the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]]?
*... that '''[[Humphrey Bate]]''' was the first to play [[old-time music]] on [[Nashville, Tennessee|Nashville]] radio, and his "Possum Hunters" records are considered some of the most complex string band compositions in the genre?
*... that the '''[[Nāradasmṛti]]''' [[Indian literature]] is the only [[Dharmaśāstra]] text to not cover areas such as righteous conduct and penance?
*... that the [[Jewish Theological Seminary of America]] produced the [[NBC]] radio and TV program '''''[[The Eternal Light]]''''' commercial-free for 45&nbsp;years, with the show's producer saying "God needs no sponsor"?
*... that, when a person explosively jumps up from a squat position, stabilization through '''[[Preflexes|preflex]]''' happens with zero time delay?
*... that '''[[Maurice Garin]]''', nicknamed "The Little Chimney-sweep", won the first-ever [[Tour de France]] in 1903?
*... that the '''[[California Avocado Commission]]''' is responsible for 90&nbsp;percent of the United States' harvest of [[avocado]]?

=== 14 December 2008 ===
*'''''22:10, 14 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:St Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Parish Detroit MI.jpg|100x100px|St. Charles Borromeo Church in Detroit]]
</div>
*... that the [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] '''[[St. Charles Borromeo Roman Catholic Church (Detroit, Michigan)|St. Charles Borromeo Church]]''' ''(pictured)'' in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], serves a parish that was established to minister to [[Belgium|Belgian]] immigrants to the city?
*... that the '''[[Australian plague locust]]''' can form [[swarm]]s infesting areas up to {{convert|50|km2}}?
*... that '''[[S. A. K. Durga]]''' is the first [[Asian people|Asian]] to have written a book on [[ethnomusicology]]?
*... that the 1948 [[Oscar Micheaux]]-directed film '''''[[The Betrayal (film)|The Betrayal]]''''' was the first [[race film]] to have its premiere in a [[Broadway theatre]] in [[New York City]]?
*... that British motorcycle pioneer '''[[Eugene Goodman]]''' joined his family's business, [[Velocette|Velocette motorcycles]], only after his car-making business failed in 1916?
*... that in 1979, '''[[ColorGraphics Weather Systems]]''' pioneered the use of color [[computer graphics]] in television [[weather forecasting|weather forecast]]s, using the [[Apple II]] computer?
*... that Greek singer [[Paschalis Terzis]]'s most recent album '''''[[Mia Nihta Zoriki]]''''' was certified [[gold certification|gold]] the day it was released?
*... that '''[[Jim Foster (activist)|Jim Foster]]''' and [[Madeline D. Davis]] were the first openly [[LGBT]] people to address a major U.S. national political convention when they spoke to the [[1972 Democratic National Convention]]?


*'''''16:05, 14 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Paulbrown.jpg|100x100px|Paul Brown]]
</div>
*... that the first '''[[List of Cleveland Browns head coaches|head coach of Cleveland Browns]]''', [[Paul Brown]] ''(pictured)'', coached the team for 17 complete seasons?
*... that production of the [[French Army|French]] '''[[AMX-30]]''' and its variants amounted to a total of 3,571 units?
*... that U.S. minister '''[[Ashley Day Leavitt]]''' received an [[honorary degree|honorary]] [[Doctor of Divinity]] degree during [[World_war_I#1917.E2.80.931918|World War I]] for teaching that "only the righteous nation that keepeth truth may enter in the gates of the Kingdom?"
*... that the [[left-wing politics|leftist]] '''[[Chemical Workers' Union (Czechoslovakia)|Czechoslovak Chemical Workers' Union]]''' was expelled from the [[Odborové sdružení československé|''OSČ'' trade union centre]] in 1922?
*... that '''[[Thomas Leavitt (inventor)|Thomas Leavitt]]''' and his brother Martin [[patent|patented]] the first practical device in the United States to [[machine postmark]] letters?
*... that a '''[[twist lifts|twist lift]]''' in [[pair skating|pair figure skating]] involves catching a falling woman by her waist as she twists in the air?
*... that American entrepreneur '''[[Tom Krieglstein]]''' was the first person in line for President-elect [[Barack Obama]]'s election night rally?
*... that although the '''[[Norfolk Island Pigeon]]''' was hunted to [[extinction]] by humans, its first hunters disappeared from [[Norfolk Island]] before it did?


*'''''10:00, 14 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Princess Sophia (steamship) ca 1912) cropped.jpg|100x100px|SS ''Princess Sophia'']]
</div>
*... that at least 343 persons on the  '''[[SS Princess Sophia|SS ''Princess Sophia'']]''' ''(pictured)'' died in 1918 when the ship was grounded near [[Juneau, Alaska]], the captain decided not to evacuate, and the ship sank?
*... that '''''[[Biochimica et Biophysica Acta]]''''' was the first international [[academic journal|journal]] launched by publishing giant [[Elsevier]]?
*... that [[Pennsylvania]]'s longest cave extends from [[Harlansburg, Pennsylvania|Harlansburg]] to '''[[Rose Point, Pennsylvania|Rose Point]]''', over {{convert|11|mi}} away?
*... that after producing a booklet on the [[Zulu language]], '''[[Harcourt Mortimer Bengough]]''' would go on to command at the 1879 [[Battle of Ulundi|battle of the Zulu capital Ulundi]]?
*... that a '''[[trading halt]]''' stops [[stock trader|stock trading]] in the U.S. when there is significant order imbalance between buyers and sellers in a [[Security (finance)|security]]?
*... that the '''[[Galoter process]]''' is an [[Oil shale extraction|oil shale retorting technology]] that uses hot [[oil shale]] ash to heat other oil shale?
*... that '''[[Linda Greenlaw]]''', the swordfishing boat captain portrayed in the book and film ''[[The Perfect Storm]]'', is now a best-selling author?
*... that in the '''[[Elections in England and Wales, 1949|1949 England and Wales county council elections ]]''' for the boroughs outside London the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] had a 96% gain and the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]] an 87% seat loss?


*'''''03:55, 14 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Holy Land postcard.jpg|100x100px|Holy Land USA]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Holy Land USA]]''' ''(pictured)'', a [[Connecticut]] theme park intended to replicate [[Bethlehem]] and [[Jerusalem]] of the biblical era, once attracted more than 40,000 visitors annually?
*... that the '''[[Velocette LE]]''' motorcycle was used by over fifty [[British police]] forces and the police riders became known as "Noddys" because they were required to nod to senior officers?
*... that the '''[[Mianus River Gorge]]''' in [[Westchester County, New York]], was the first land preservation purchase by the [[Nature Conservancy]]?
*... that during the '''[[history of Pulicat]]''' between 1621 and 1665, over 38,000  [[Slavery in India#Slavery under early European colonial powers|Indian slave]]s were obtained by [[Dutch East India Company|Dutch]] slave traders and shipped from the [[Coromandel Coast]], mostly to the [[Malay Archipelago|East Indies]]?
*... that '''[[A. Bernard Ackerman]]''', called "a founding figure in the field of [[dermatopathology]]", was skeptical of the notion that exposure to sun causes [[melanoma]], saying the link had not been proven?
*... that '''''[[Duranta erecta]]''''', a widely cultivated [[ornamental plant]], has been identified as an [[invasive species]] in [[Fiji]], [[French Polynesia]] and [[Hawaii]]?
*... that '''[[Thompson Pond]]''' and nearby Stissing Mountain were inspiration for the New York State Environment exhibit at the [[American Museum of Natural History]]?
*... that like the [[RMS Titanic|''Titanic'']], the '''[[MS Hans Hedtoft|''Hans Hedtoft'']]''' struck an [[iceberg]] and sank on her maiden voyage?

=== 13 December 2008 ===
*'''''20:15, 13 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Thaumatichthys1 cropped.JPG|100x100px|Thaumatichthys pagidostomus, ventral (above) and dorsal (below) view]]
</div>
*... that the deep-sea [[anglerfish]] '''''[[Thaumatichthys]]''''' ''(pictured)'' has been called "one of the oddest creatures in the teeming variety of the fish world"?
*... that the works of [[landscape architect]] '''[[Charles Wellford Leavitt|Charles Leavitt]]''' include gardens for [[Walter P. Chrysler]] and [[William C. Whitney]], the [[grandstand]]s at [[Forbes Field]], and racetracks at [[Saratoga Race Course|Saratoga]] and [[Belmont Park|Belmont]]?
*... that 1998's '''[[Hurricane Karl (1998)|Hurricane Karl]]''' was one of four simultaneous [[hurricane]]s in the [[Atlantic Ocean]] at one time, the first such occurrence since 1893?
*... that '''[[Collin Mooney]]''' beat the [[Army Black Knights football|Army football]] single-season [[rush (American football)|rushing]] record by one yard in the last play of his last college game, the 2008 U.S. [[Army-Navy Game]]?
*... that the '''[[Main Synagogue of Barcelona]]''' may be the oldest [[synagogue]] building still standing in Europe?
*... that '''[[Enos Lowe]]''' was a founder of [[Omaha, Nebraska]], and an early resident of [[Iowa]]'s [[Black Hawk Purchase]]?
*... that '''[[Henry Frederick Stephenson]]''' was the First and principal [[Royal Navy|Naval]] [[Aide-de-camp#United_Kingdom|Aide-de-camp]] to [[Edward VII of the United Kingdom|King Edward VII]]?
*... that after a kitten named Lucky survived a fall from the 65-foot-high (20&nbsp;m) '''[[Granada Bridge (Ormond Beach)|Granada Bridge]]''' at [[Ormond Beach, Florida]], Lucky's owners changed her name to Timmy?


*'''''14:10, 13 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Elisabeth_roses_cropped.jpg|100x100px|Miracle of the roses]]
</div>
*... that, in the [[hagiography|lives of saints]], the appearance of '''[[Miracle of the roses|roses]]''' ''(example pictured)'' sometimes announces the presence or activity of [[God in Christianity|God]]?
*... that at '''[[No Mercy (2002)]]''', [[Kurt Angle]] and [[Chris Benoit]] became the first ever [[WWE Tag Team Championship|WWE Tag Team Champion]]s by defeating [[Rey Mysterio, Jr.|Rey Mysterio]] and [[Adam Copeland|Edge]]?
*... that '''[[William Gordon Harris]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s tenure as Director-General of Highways at the [[United Kingdom|British]] [[Department for Transport|Ministry of Transport]] saw the construction of {{convert|650|mi}} of [[motorway]]s?
*... that '''[[Clay-Ashland]]''', a town in [[Liberia]], is named after [[Slavery in the United States|American slave owner]] [[Henry Clay]]?
*... that '''[[Erasmus Ommanney]]''' entered the [[Royal Navy]] at age 12 in August 1826 and went on to discover in 1850 the first traces of the [[Arctic Archipelago|Canadian Arctic Archipelago]] fate of [[John Franklin|Sir John Franklin]]?
*... that the '''[[State Street Bridge (Harrisburg, Pennsylvania)|State Street Bridge]]''' in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]], is flanked by two {{convert|145|ft|adj=on}} pylons representing the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] and [[United States Navy|Navy]]?
*... that the former main jewel on the [[Crown of Bavaria|Bavarian crown]], the '''[[Wittelsbach Diamond]]''', was almost cut into several smaller [[diamond]]s?
*... that '''[[Thomas Allin]]''', an early settler of [[Kentucky]], [[USA]], laid out the cities of [[Lexington, Kentucky|Lexington]], [[Harrodsburg, Kentucky|Harrodsburg]], and [[Henderson, Kentucky|Henderson]]?


*'''''08:05, 13 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:John Franklin by Derby.jpg|100x100px|John Franklin]]
</div>
*...  that the '''[[Coppermine Expedition of 1819–1822]]''' made [[John Franklin]] ''(pictured)'' famous as "the man who ate his boots"?
*... that in exchange for US$50,000 from two undercover agents posing as representatives of a fictitious Arab [[Sheikh|sheik]] in the [[Abscam]] investigation, [[U.S. Congressman]] '''[[Raymond F. Lederer]]''' told the agents "I can give you me"?
*... that during the '''[[Ottoman–Venetian War (1570–1573)|Ottoman–Venetian War of 1570–1573]]''', the 8,500-strong [[Republic of Venice|Venetian]] garrison of [[Famagusta]] in [[Cyprus]] held out for eleven months against an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] army of 200,000 men?
*... that a medical patient's failure to maintain a fluid restriction, diet, or medication could result in '''[[acute decompensated heart failure]]'''?
*... that the '''''[[Balance (Lexus)|Balance]]''''' and '''''[[Ball Bearing (Lexus)|Ball Bearing]]''''' [[television advertisement]]s for the [[Lexus]] [[Lexus LS 400|LS 400]] and [[Lexus ES 300|ES 300]], were highly honored and subsequently referenced by its competitors in their own [[advertising campaign]]s?
*... that '''[[Jonathan Leavitt (publisher)|Jonathan Leavitt]]''' was the leading publisher of theological and religious books in [[New York City]] during the early 1800s?
*... that the high-profile recalls in 2007 and 2008 of [[China]]-manufactured toys led the U.S. to '''[[Consumer Protection Safety Improvement Act|enact stricter limits]]''' on the amount of [[lead]] in paint on children's products?
*... that '''[[John Barbato|"Johnny Sausage" Barbato]]''', charged with being a "capo" or "captain" in the [[Genovese crime family]], was released from prison in July 2008 at age 74?


*'''''02:00, 13 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:MedinaPL11.jpg|100x100px|Medina's illustration to Book 11 of Paradise Lost]]
</div>
*... that Sir '''[[John Baptist Medina]]''' became the first illustrator of [[John Milton]]'s ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' ''(example pictured)'' in 1688?
*... that the '''[[beech-maple forest]]''' is a [[climax community|climax plant community]] in the eastern [[United States]] and [[Canada]]?
*... that the non-payment of debts is the [[archetype]] for the seventeen other '''[[Hindu Titles of Law|Hindu titles of law]]''', including the sexual crimes against women?
*... that [[Leavitt Peak]] is named after early [[California]] settler and innkeeper '''[[Hiram Leavitt]]'''?
*... that species '''''[[Fuligo septica]]''''', called the "dog-vomit slime mold", can tolerate unusually high levels of the metal [[zinc]]?
*... that after a [[professional wrestling]] match between [[The Undertaker]] and [[Brock Lesnar]] at '''[[Unforgiven (2002)]]''', The Undertaker attacked Lesnar by throwing him through the wall of a set?
*... that the [[Celtic Christianity|ancient]], but lost, '''[[Nendrum Monastery]]''' was found in 1844, when a visitor recognized the remains of a [[Irish round tower|round tower]]?
*... that [[Mayor]] '''[[Tom Weisner]]''' once considered outlawing untimely holiday decorations, when citizens of [[Aurora, Illinois]], complained of [[Christmas]] decorations abounding during the summer?

=== 12 December 2008 ===
*'''''18:05, 12 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Jacob's Well 20th century.jpg|100x100px|Jacob's Well]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Jacob's Well]]''' ''(pictured)'' in [[Nablus]] is a site associated with [[Jacob]] in [[Judaism|Jewish]], [[Samaritan]], [[Christian]] and [[Islam|Muslim]] tradition?
*... that the community of '''[[Half Acre, Alabama]]''', once contained half an [[acre]] of land that was deeded to The [[Devil]]?
*... that the '''[[Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus]]''' was a short-lived state founded in March 1914 by [[Greeks]] living in southern [[Albania]]?
*... that [[Liz Heaston]] was the first woman to score points in a [[College football|college football game]] when she kicked two extra points for the '''[[Willamette Bearcats]]''' in 1997?
*... that '''[[Samuel Frederick Henry Thompson]]''', a [[British people|British]] [[flying ace]] of [[World War I]], scored 30 kills in five months of service and won both the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|DFC]] and [[Military Cross|MC]]?
*... that the first ever [[Hell in a Cell]] match to feature six [[professional wrestling|professional wrestlers]] was held at the '''''[[Armageddon (2000)|Armageddon]]''''' [[pay-per-view]] event?
*... that due to standing among corpses in his coat and rubber gloves while holding a [[syringe]], [[Schutzstaffel|SS]]-''[[Oberscharführer]]'' '''[[Josef Klehr]]''' has been described as the ultimate caricature of the omnipotent [[Auschwitz concentration camp|Auschwitz]] doctor?
*... that none of the '''[[List of Dallas Mavericks head coaches|Dallas Mavericks head coaches]]''' have been elected into the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]] as a [[Coach (basketball)|coach]]?


*'''''12:00, 12 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:MHV Mercury Monterey 1960 01.jpg|100x100px|Mercury Monterey, 1960]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Mercury Monterey]]''' ''(1960s model pictured)'' was the only [[Mercury (automobile)|Mercury]] vehicle to be in continuous production throughout the 1960s?
*... that the meaning and significance of '''[[Monarchy in Ancient India|kingship]]''' changed dramatically over time in [[India]] between the [[2nd millennium BC|2nd millennium&nbsp;BCE]] and ca. [[509–500 BC|500&nbsp;BCE]]?
*... that in 1883, a dozen years before [[Oscar Wilde]] was convicted for [[sodomy law|Gross Indecency]], the '''''[[Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic News]]''''' published a cartoon showing him in [[convict dress]]?
*... that the morph of [[protein]]s that function as '''[[morpheeins]]''' can be explained by a dice analogy where the one spot must contact the die face with four spots?
*... that after being unified with the [[World Heavyweight Championship (WWE)|World Heavyweight Championship]] in October 2002, the [[WWE Intercontinental Championship]] returned in May 2003 at the '''''[[Judgment Day (2003)|Judgment Day]]''''' [[pay-per-view]] event?
*... that members of the '''[[Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve]]''' during [[World War I]] were described by [[Sir Winston Churchill]] as "the best small boat men in the world"?
*... that '''[[Gerald Ford Supreme Court candidates|Gerald Ford's decision]]''' to appoint [[John Paul Stevens]] to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] was largely influenced by his [[United States Attorney General|attorney general]] [[Edward H. Levi]]?
*... that [[Italy|Italian]] noblewoman '''[[Bianca Riario]]''' acted as a substitute mother in the early 1500s to her half-brother, the celebrated [[Giovanni dalle Bande Nere]], while her own mother was in prison?


*'''''05:55, 12 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Henry Reuterdahl.jpg|100x100px|Henry Reuterdahl]]
</div>
*... that self-taught [[Swedish American]] artist '''[[Henry Reuterdahl]]''' ''(pictured)'' was also an editor of ''[[Jane's Fighting Ships]]''?
*... that '''[[White City Amusement Park]]''' is where the first [[Goodyear Blimp]]s were assembled?
*... that [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[Socialist Left Party (Norway)|Socialist]] politician '''[[Rolf Ketil Bjørn]]''' was nicknamed "the red millionaire" due to his background in the business sector?
*... that, of the approximately 40 total '''[[U-101 class submarine|U-101 class submarines]]''' and '''[[U-107 class submarine|U-107 class submarines]]''' planned for the WWI [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]], all remained uncompleted and only five were [[Keel|laid down]]?
*... that [[Ohio]] [[Northwest_Territory#Officials|Territorial Governor]] '''[[Charles Willing Byrd]]''' once worked for [[American Revolutionary War]] financier [[Robert Morris (financier)|Robert Morris]]?
*... that '''[[John Milton's poetic style|Miltonic verse]]''', a style which influenced centuries of poetry, is found within the final three poetic works of [[John Milton]], ''[[Paradise Lost]]'', ''[[Paradise Regained]]'', and ''[[Samson Agonistes]]''?
*... that the body of Fr. [[Solanus Casey]], a candidate for sainthood, was exhumed and reinterred at [[Detroit, Michigan|Detroit]]'s '''[[St. Bonaventure Monastery]]''' where he had comforted and fed the hungry during the [[Great Depression]]?
*... that despite being laughed off stage at a music contest as a young boy, [[mugham]] singer '''[[Alim Qasimov]]''' went on to win the International [[International Music Council|IMC]]–[[UNESCO]] Music Prize?

=== 11 December 2008 ===
*'''''23:50, 11 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Book of Armagh.jpg|100x100px|Book of Armagh]]
</div>
*... that in 1853, the [[Ireland|Irish]] [[clergy]]man '''[[William Reeves (bishop)|William Reeves]]''' bought the 9th-century [[Book of Armagh]] ''(pictured)'' for three hundred [[pound sterling|pounds]]?
*... that actor '''[[Justice Leak]]''' and his sister Liberty were named for their father's love of the [[criminal justice]] system?
*... that under '''[[Hindu dietary law]]''', a man is not allowed to eat while facing south if his mother is still alive?
*... that though they had lost all strategically and economically important locations of [[Luzon]] in the '''[[Battle of Luzon]]''', pockets of [[Imperial Japanese Army|Japanese forces]] held out until [[Victory over Japan Day|Japan surrendered]] in [[World War II]]?
*... that [[mountaineering|mountaineer]] '''[[Barry Bishop (mountaineer)|Barry Bishop]]''', a member of the first [[United States|American]] team to summit [[Mount Everest]], lost all his toes to [[frostbite]] during the ascent?
*... that the [[Fen River]] was used to flood the city of modern-day [[Taiyuan]] in the '''[[Battle of Jinyang]]''', and was later used to defeat the besieging army?
*... that in '''''[[People v. Salem]]''''' (1870), the [[Michigan Supreme Court]] ruled that public money could not be used to finance private railroad construction?
*... that '''[[Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis|Sir Charles Cornwallis]]''', 2nd Baron Cornwallis of Eye, served at one point as a [[groom of the Stool]]?


*'''''17:45, 11 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:New Gallery London Central Hall 1888.jpg|100x100px|New Gallery London Central Hall]]
</div>
*... that to turn an old [[London]] fruit market into the '''[[New Gallery (London)|New Gallery]]''' ''(pictured)'' in only three months, '''[[Edward Robert Robson]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s builders encased existing [[cast-iron]] [[column]]s in [[marble]] and topped them with gilded [[Capital (architecture)|Greek capitals]]?
*... that '''[[Castle Crags Wilderness]]''' in [[California]] contains the site of the [[Modoc War]]'s 1855 Battle of Castle Crags?
*... that [[Swiss]] [[patron]] of composers and writers '''[[Werner Reinhart]]''' is memorialized in an [[Alice Bailly]] 1920 portrait as "The Man with the Golden Heart"?
*... that large amounts of [[α-Parinaric acid]] have been found in the seeds of an '''''[[Impatiens]]''''' species and an unrelated tree species?
*... that '''[[Sue K. Hicks]]''', a prosecutor in the [[Scopes Trial|Scopes Monkey Trial]] who later became a judge in [[Tennessee]], may have been the inspiration for the song, "[[A Boy Named Sue]]," popularized by singer [[Johnny Cash]] in 1969?
*... that, rather being used to diagnose [[Major depressive disorder|depression]], '''[[List of rating scales for depression|depression rating scales]]''' provide an indication of the severity of symptoms for a time period?
*... that [[Church of England]] clergyman '''[[William Wayte]]''' also was a minor [[Great Britain|British]] [[chess]] [[master (chess)|master]] in the late 1800s?
*... that [[hypnotherapy|hypnotherapist]], [[occult#occultism|occultist]] and alleged [[Nazi]] sympathiser '''[[Alexander Cannon (psychiatrist)|Alexander Cannon]]''', who was known as the "Yorkshire Yogi", counselled British [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|King Edward VIII]] shortly before his [[Edward VIII abdication crisis|abdication]] in 1936?


*'''''11:40, 11 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Olterra.jpg|100x100px|Italian tanker ''Olterra'']]
</div>
*... that [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italian]] [[WWII]] [[frogmen]] set up a secret [[Human torpedo|manned torpedo]] base in the previously sunken Italian tanker '''''[[Auxiliary ship Olterra|Olterra]]''''' ''(pictured)''?
*... that '''[[Moduin]]''', a poet of the [[Carolingian Renaissance]], characterises his era as a rebirth of "[[Roman Empire|Golden Rome]]"?
*... that by the time he returned to [[England]] in 1878 after [[plant collecting|collecting plants]] in [[Colombia]], [[Germany|German]] plant collector '''[[Guillermo Kalbreyer]]''' had lost more than half of his collection?
*... that the positive-stop foot [[gear]] change first used on the '''[[Velocette KTT]]''' [[motorcycle]] in 1928 has become the standard for motorcycles today?
*... that [[Jay Roach]] recommended that '''[[Jon Poll]]''' direct [[teen film]] ''[[Charlie Bartlett]]'' when Roach had to back out of the job himself?
*... that the village of '''[[Lambley, Northumberland|Lamberley]]''' in [[Northumberland]], England has on display a bell from a small convent of [[Benedictine]] nuns that was devastated by [[William Wallace]] in 1296?
*... that [[Vanessa Redgrave]]'s portrayal of [[transsexualism|transsexual]] [[Renée Richards]] in the 1986 [[biopic]] '''''[[Second Serve]]''''' was praised as embodying "every internal contradiction of the [[Polymorphous perversity|polymorphously perverse]]"?


*'''''05:35, 11 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Giant Forest Cabin A.jpg|100x100px|A Giant Forest Lodge cabin]]
</div>
*... that most of the buildings in the '''[[Giant Forest Lodge Historic District]]''' ''(cabin pictured)'', listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]], were demolished by the [[National Park Service]] to protect [[giant sequoia]] trees in [[Sequoia National Park]]?
*... that '''[[Toto of Nepi|Toto]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s seizure of power in [[Rome]], [[Italy]], in 767 is one of the first indications that the military aristocracy believed that supreme power in Rome rested with the [[Pope|papal office]]?
*... that the human '''[[Embryological origins of the mouth and anus|mouth forms]]''' when the [[blastopore|opening]] that becomes the anus tunnels through the [[embryo]] and comes out the other side?
*... that the identity of the '''[[Second mole in Toronto terrorism case|second police mole]]''' in the [[2006 Toronto terrorism arrests]] has never been revealed?
*... that actor '''[[Scott Thompson Baker]]''' has had notable roles in each of the long-running [[soap opera]]s ''[[General Hospital]]'', ''[[All My Children]]'', and ''[[The Bold and the Beautiful]]''?
*... that a [[Wards of the United Kingdom|council ward]] in the [[East End of London]] was renamed "[[Spitalfields|Spitalfields and Banglatown]]" in 2001 to reflect the '''[[History of Bangladeshis in the United Kingdom|history of Bangladeshi immigration to that area]]'''?
*... that at a 1972 re-election rally before a crowd of 15,000 at the [[Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum|Nassau Coliseum]], [[Richard Nixon]]'s opening words were "This is the biggest and best rally, '''[[Joseph Margiotta|Joe Margiotta]]''', I have ever seen"?

=== 10 December 2008 ===
*'''''23:30, 10 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Velika planina 9.JPG|100x100px|Roofs of huts in Velika Planina]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Velika Planina]]''' is a high-altitude settlement in [[Slovenia]] having huts whose oval roofs ''(pictured)'' have [[roof shingle|wooden shingles]] that extend nearly to ground level to accommodate [[cattle]]?
*... that the former [[Rabbi]] of [[New York City]]'s '''[[Fifth Avenue Synagogue]]''', '''[[Emanuel Rackman]]''', came under fire for helping [[agunah|agunot]] women obtain [[annulment|marriage annulments]]?
*... that the band '''[[Fleet Foxes]]''' received over a quarter of a million [[MySpace]] plays in two months despite having never released any of their work?
*... that [[B-17 Flying Fortress]] [[tailgunner]] '''[[Lincoln "Babe" Broyhill|"Babe" Broyhill]]''' set a record by destroying two [[Messerschmitt Me 262|Messerschmitt ME-262]] jet fighters in a mission over [[Berlin]] in March 1945?
*... that approximately 10,000 [[Communist Party of Czechoslovakia|communist]] miners left the '''[[Miners' Union in the Czechoslovak Republic|Czechoslovak Miners' Union]]''' in 1923, after the union had accepted 9–13&nbsp;percent cuts in salaries?
*... that [[Estonia]]n chemist '''[[Paul Kogerman]]''', known for his study of [[oil shale|oil-bearing shales]], was deported by [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] authorities with his family in 1941 to a prisoner camp in [[Sverdlovsk Oblast]]?
*... that the director of '''''[[Afghan Muscles]]''''' ignored the role of [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] women in [[bodybuilding]], noting "It's men looking at men," and "60% [of men] have their first sexual experience with another man"?


*'''''14:40, 10 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:ArthurConanDoyle AStudyInScarlet annual.jpg|100x100px|Cover of ''Beeton's Christmas Annual'' for 1887, featuring ''A Study in Scarlet'']]
</div>
*... that in 1887, '''[[David Henry Friston|D. H. Friston]]''' became the first illustrator to depict [[Sherlock Holmes]] ''(cover art pictured)''?
*... that the [[radio station]] '''[[WHOS]]''' in [[Decatur, Alabama]], aired an all-[[Elvis Presley]] format from October 1988 to April 1989?
*... that the German submarine '''[[German submarine U-558|''U-558'']]''' sank ships as far north as [[Ireland]] and as far south as [[Trinidad]] during [[World War II]]?
*...  that former [[Maryland Terrapins football|Maryland Terrapins]] wide receiver '''[[Steve Suter]]''' set three [[NCAA]] and five [[Atlantic Coast Conference]] football records for kick returns despite his small stature and recurring injuries?
*... that from November to April every year '''[[Jammu (city)|Jammu]]''' is the capital of [[Jammu and Kashmir]], the northernmost [[India]]n state, and that during the summer [[Srinagar]] is the capital?
*... that '''''[[Abyssobrotula galatheae]]''''' lives deeper in the ocean than any other known fish?
*... that a portion of [[Virginia]]'s {{convert|71|mi|adj=on}} '''[[Massanutten Trail]]''' was built on orders from [[George Washington]] as a route of retreat should the [[Continental Army]] be defeated at [[Siege_of_Yorktown|Yorktown]]?
* ... that [[pianist]] '''[[Kathryn Stott]]''' first met long-term collaborator [[Yo-Yo Ma]] playing the [[cello]] in her flat in his underpants?


*'''''06:35, 10 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:AH-1Z NAWCWD.jpg|100x100px|AH-1Z Viper]]
</div>
*... that the [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] '''[[H-1 upgrade program]]''' is replacing the aging [[AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1W SuperCobra]] and [[UH-1N Twin Huey]] helicopters with the [[AH-1Z Viper]] ''(pictured)'' and [[UH-1Y Venom]], respectively?
*... that the best-selling 1975 memoir '''''[[The Education of Lev Navrozov]]''''' established [[Lev Navrozov|its author]] as a prominent [[Soviet dissident]]?
*... that '''[[Barry Tabobondung]]''' was so excited to be drafted by the [[Philadelphia Flyers]] in the [[1981 NHL Entry Draft]] that he climbed over seats to get to the stage, and became stuck in a seat for two hours?
*... that [[Qatar]] was the first country on the [[Persian Gulf]] to '''[[Human rights in Qatar|allow women the right to vote]]'''?
*... that the '''[[Helaeomyia petrolei|Petroleum fly]]''', ''Helaeomyia petrolei'', is the only known insect that develops in naturally occurring [[petroleum|crude oil]]?
*... that the 1986 children's picture book '''''[[Juma and the Magic Jinn]]''''' was awarded Honor Book in the illustrations category of the [[Golden Kite Award#1986|1986 Golden Kite Awards]]?
*... that the appointment of '''[[Sever Voinescu]]''' as [[Romania]]n ambassador to the [[United States]] was rejected by a [[Senate of Romania|Senate]] committee on grounds that he was too close to [[President of Romania|President]] [[Traian Băsescu]]?
*... that the folklorist '''[[Laurence Gomme|Sir Laurence Gomme]]''', who persuaded [[London County Council]] to take on the [[blue plaque]] commemorative scheme, was himself honoured with the 800th blue plaque?

=== 9 December 2008 ===
*'''''22:30, 9 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Old Perpetual geyser.jpg|100x100px|"Old Perpetual" geyser]]
</div>
*... that the "Old Perpetual" geyser ''(pictured)'' at '''[[Hunter's Hot Springs (Oregon)|Hunter's Hot Springs]]''' in [[Lake County, Oregon|Lake County]], [[Oregon]], releases a plume of near-boiling water 50 to 60&nbsp;feet (15–18&nbsp;m) into the air every 90&nbsp;seconds?
*... that the '''[[Zoia Horn]]''' Intellectual Freedom Award is named for a librarian who was jailed for refusing to testify in the 1972 trial of the [[Harrisburg Seven]] anti-war activists?
*... that the [[John Milton's early life|early poetry of John Milton]] (born 400 years ago today), including "'''[[On the Morning of Christ's Nativity|Christ's Nativity]]'''", "'''[[The Passion (Milton)|The Passion]]'''", "'''[[Upon the Circumcision]]'''", "'''[[Arcades (Milton)|Arcades]]'''", "'''[[L'Allegro]]'''", and "'''[[Il Penseroso]]'''", was written as early as 1624 but not published until 1645?
*... that '''[[George Hardy (labor leader)|George Hardy]]''', who headed the [[Service Employees International Union]] from 1971 to 1980, did his first [[union organizer|union organizing]] among [[janitor]]s in [[San Francisco]]?
*... that the  '''[[Cornish jack]]''', a [[weakly electric fish]], uses electricity to communicate with other members of its group?
*... that [[Romania]]n  [[Symbolism (arts)|Symbolist]] poet, novelist, and critic '''[[Alexandru Macedonski]]''' sat on a throne during meetings of his [[Esotericism|esoteric]] circle?
*... that attorney '''[[Rachel Hirschfeld (attorney)|Rachel Hirschfeld]]''' works in the field of pet rights, including the creation of pet trusts allowing pets to inherit property?


*'''''14:25, 9 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Mount_Elliott_Cemetery.jpg|100x100px|Mount Elliott Cemetary]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Eastside Historic Cemetery District]]''' ''(pictured)'' in [[Detroit]], [[Michigan]], contains the graves of 29 Detroit mayors, at least 6 governors, 11 senators, and a dozen cabinet members?
*... that '''[[White Tights]]''' are mysterious blonde female [[snipers]] from the [[Baltic states]] who have supposedly fought against the [[Armed Forces of the Russian Federation|Russian Army]] in various conflicts?
*... that the '''[[John Milton's politics|later political works]]''' of [[John Milton]] (born 400 years ago today), including '''''[[The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates|Tenure of Kings]]''''', '''''[[Eikonoklastes]]''''', '''''[[Defensio Secunda]]''''', '''''[[A Treatise of Civil Power|Civil Power]]''''', and '''''[[The Ready and Easy Way to Establish a Free Commonwealth|Ready and Easy Way]]''''', were '''[[John Milton's reception history|controversial but still sold well]]'''?
*... that '''[[Kunz von Kaufungen]]''' kidnapped [[Frederick II, Elector of Saxony]]'s two sons, [[Ernest, Elector of Saxony|Ernest]] and [[Albert, Duke of Saxony|Albert]], just four years after he commanded Frederick II's forces during the [[Saxon Fratricidal War]]?
*... that while working on '''''[[The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon]]''''', painter [[Edward Burne-Jones]] identified so strongly with [[King Arthur]] that he even assumed Arthur's pose when he slept?
*...  that the "noble polypore" (mushroom species '''''[[Bridgeoporus nobilissimus]]''''') was the first fungus to be listed as [[endangered]] by any private or public agency in the United States?
*... that two of the three character designers of the [[Japanese popular culture|Japanese]] [[visual novel]] '''''[[Flyable Heart]]''''' have illustrated the ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]'' [[light novel]]s and [[manga]] series, respectively?
*... that '''[[Scott Smith (mayor)|Scott Smith]]''' is the first person since 1966 to be elected [[Mayor]] of [[Mesa, Arizona]] without having first served on its City Council?


*'''''06:20, 9 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Mauritius Ferber.PNG|100x100px|Mauritius Ferber]]
</div>
*... that bishop '''[[Mauritius Ferber]]''' of [[Warmia]] ''(pictured)'' was treated for illness several times by the physician-astronomer [[Nicolaus Copernicus]]?
*... that [[Terry Murray]] replaced his brother [[Bryan Murray (ice hockey)|Bryan]] as '''[[List of Washington Capitals head coaches|head coach of the Washington Capitals]]''' in the [[1989–90 NHL season]], and as '''[[List of Florida Panthers head coaches|head coach of the Florida Panthers]]''' in the [[1998–99 NHL season|1998–99 season]]?
*... that [[John Milton]] (born 400 years ago today) discusses '''[[John Milton's religion|his religious views]]''' in numerous '''[[Milton's antiprelatical tracts|antiprelatical tracts]]''', including '''''[[Of Reformation]]''''', '''''[[Of Prelatical Episcopacy]]''''', '''''[[Animadversions]]''''', '''''[[The Reason of Church-Government Urged against Prelaty|Reason of Church-Government]]''''', and '''''[[Apology for Smectymnuus]]'''''?
*... that, as a [[All India Students Federation|student activist]] in the 1940s, [[India]]n politician '''[[Gangadhar Appa Burande]]''' was one of the founders of the [[Communist Party of India|Communist Party]] in the [[Marathwada]] region?
*... that the Indian Paint fungus (''[[Echinodontium tinctorium]]''), a member of the fungal family '''[[Echinodontiaceae]]''', was used by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native Americans]] to make red [[pigment]]s?
*... that, during the '''[[British Mount Everest Expedition 1924|1924 British Mount Everest Expedition]]''', [[Edward Felix Norton|Edward Norton]] set a world record for climbing height that stood until 1952?
*... that [[Jeremy Camp]] said his highest-debuting album to date '''''[[Speaking Louder Than Before]]''''' was "really aimed at" youth?
*... that during the [[Great Depression]], [[Wisconsin]] [[dairy farming|dairy farmers]] conducted a '''[[1933 Wisconsin milk strike|series of strike actions]]''' aimed at increasing the prices paid to [[milk]] producers?

=== 8 December 2008 ===
*'''''22:15, 8 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:St Margaret's Church, Ifield (IoE Code 363397).jpg|100x100px|St. Margaret's Church]]
</div>
*... that the 14th-century life-size stone [[Effigy|effigies]] of a [[knight]] and his wife in '''[[St Margaret's Church, Ifield]]''' ''(pictured)'', [[England]], have been said to have an "inimitable sideways sway"?
*... that Captain '''[[Ivan Castro (soldier)|Ivan Castro]]''' is the only blind officer serving in the [[Special Forces (United States Army)|United States Army Special Forces]]?
*... that many of [[Kentucky]]'s early political leaders were part of the '''[[Danville Political Club]]''', a debating society whose existence was not known publicly until a century later?
*... that [[History of Polish intelligence services#1939&ndash;45|Polish Military Intelligence]] chief '''[[Tadeusz Pełczyński]]''' suggested before 1939 that, if war approached, Poland share her [[Enigma machine|Enigma-cipher]]-breaking techniques with [[France]] and [[United Kingdom|Britain]]?
*... that before [[Dick Vitale]] began his [[Basketball Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] career as a [[basketball]] broadcaster, he was a '''[[List of Detroit Pistons head coaches|head coach]]''' of the [[Detroit Pistons]] in the 1970s?
*... that the '''[[Soldiers and Sailors Monument (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)|Soldiers and Sailors Monument]]''' in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania]], stands on the site of a 1777 [[Second Continental Congress]] meeting?
*... that '''[[Eivind Reiten]]''' was [[chairman|chair]] of [[StatoilHydro]], [[Norway]]'s largest company, for four days?


*'''''10:10, 8 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:AkutanZero1.jpg|100x100px|The Akutan Zero]]
</div>
*... that the [[United States|U.S.]] devised tactics to defeat [[Imperial Japan|Japan's]] [[Mitsubishi]] [[A6M Zero]] [[fighter plane]] from the 1942 capture of an intact example dubbed the '''[[Akutan Zero]]''' ''(pictured)''?
*... that '''[[Jane Couch]]''' [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]], nicknamed ''The Fleetwood Assassin'', became the first female boxer to be granted a professional licence by the [[British Boxing Board of Control]]?
*... that "ghost buster" '''[[Robert A. Baker]]''' was named one of the most outstanding [[scientific skepticism|scientific skeptic]]s of the 20th century for his work on [[hypnosis]], [[ghost]]s, [[alien abduction]]s and [[false memory syndrome]]?
*... that the '''''[[Aquarama (Marine Star)|Aquarama]]''''', built in 1945 as a [[Liberty ship]], was converted into the largest passenger ship ever to operate on the [[Great Lakes]]?
*... that '''[[Samuel McDowell]]''' fought in three wars and later presided over nine of the ten constitutional conventions needed to draft the first [[Kentucky Constitution]]?
*... that filamentous [[fungi]] of genus '''''[[Geomyces]]''''' have been implicated in [[White-nose syndrome]], a fungal disease causing high mortality in [[bat]]s?
*... that '''[[Davin Meggett]]''', the [[Maryland Terrapins]]' second-leading [[running back]], is the son of [[Super Bowl]] champion and two-time [[Pro Bowl]] selection, [[David Meggett]]?
*... that [[Westside Express Service|commuter rail]] stop '''[[Hall/Nimbus Station]]''' in [[Oregon]] includes artwork that features movable heads shaped like a pumpkin and a blue-colored skull?

=== 7 December 2008 ===
*'''''22:05, 7 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Tenayuca01.jpg|100x100px|Tenayuca]]
</div>
*... that the innovative design of the [[pre-Columbian]] twin pyramid of '''[[Tenayuca]]''' ''(pictured)'' in [[Mexico]] was later used as a model for the temples of the [[Aztecs]]?
*... that the [[chemical element|element]] [[promethium]] was discovered in 1945 by [[Manhattan Project]] [[chemistry|chemists]] [[Jacob A. Marinsky]], '''[[Lawrence E. Glendenin]]''' and '''[[Charles D. Coryell]]'''?
*... that the '''''[[Magosternarchus]]''''' [[genus]] of [[knifefish]] eats the tails of other knifefish, and many specimens have been found with [[Regeneration (biology)|regenerated]] tails?
*... that in [[World War II]], '''[[David M. Jones]]''', later a [[U.S. Air Force]] [[Major General]], participated in events that formed the basis for two [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood movies]]: ''[[Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo]]'' and ''[[The Great Escape (film)|The Great Escape]]''?
*... that the most common symptoms in '''[[impingement syndrome]]''' are pain, weakness and a loss of strength at the [[shoulder]]?
*... that [[Rabbi]] '''[[Tobias Geffen]]''' convinced the makers of [[Coca-Cola]] to change its [[Coca-Cola formula|secret formula]] in 1935 so he could certify that the beverage was [[Kashrut|kosher]]?
*... that '''[[Lac-Simon, Outaouais, Quebec|Lac-Simon]]''', in [[Quebec]], [[Canada]], is named after Marie-Louise Cimon, the wife of an early settler?
*... that after '''[[Helmut Friedlaender]]''' sold most of his [[book collecting|rare-book collection]] at auction in 2001, he bought back some of the books on the open market to give them a good home?


*'''''16:00, 7 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Confidential Magazine cover July 1957 - Liberace.jpg|100x100px|Cover of ''Confidential'' magazine]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Robert Harrison (publisher)|Robert Harrison]]''', publisher of the gossip magazine [[Confidential (magazine)|''Confidential'']] ''(cover pictured)'', was once arrested for allegedly taking [[pornography|pornographic]] photos at a [[golf course]]?
*... that although construction of two [[submarine]]s each from the '''[[U-48 class submarine|''U-48'']]''', '''[[U-50 class submarine|''U-50'']]''', and '''[[U-52 class submarine|''U-52'' classes]]''' of the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] began in 1916, none were completed by the end of [[World War I]] two years later?
*... that the [[Jew]]s of [[Massena (village), New York|Massena, New York]], were falsely accused of the kidnap and [[Human sacrifice|ritual murder]] of a [[Christian]] girl in September 1928 in an incident known as the '''[[Massena blood libel]]'''?
*... that [[Sri Lanka Army]] officer [[Lieutenant Colonel|Lt. Col.]] '''[[Lalith Jayasinghe]]''' was killed while leading a [[Sri Lanka Army Special Forces|special forces]] team on a [[reconnaissance]] mission behind [[Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam|enemy]] lines?
*... that '''[[Unverricht-Lundborg disease]]''' is the most common form of an uncommon group of genetic epilepsy disorders called [[progressive myoclonic epilepsy]]?
*... that one of the most gifted portrait painters of the 17th century is known as '''[[Cornelis Janssens van Ceulen|Cornelis Janssens]]''', although he never used that name to sign his paintings?
*... that the '''[[Woodland Public Library]]''' is the oldest, and one of the last functioning [[Andrew Carnegie|Carnegie]]-funded [[library|libraries]] in [[California]]?
*... that [[association football|footballer]] '''[[Johnny Warsap]]''' was signed by [[Gillingham F.C.]] after he played against the club for a team representing the [[Royal Berkshire Regiment]]?


*'''''09:55, 7 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Old and Young Tom Morris.png|100x100px|Old Tom and Young Tom Morris, two of the pioneers of professional golf in Scotland]]
</div>
*... that '''[[golf in Scotland]]''' ''(example pictured)'' flourished despite "the fut bal ande the golf" ([[Medieval football|football]] and [[golf]]) being "vtterly criyt done" (utterly condemned) by a 1457 [[List of Acts of the Parliament of Scotland|Act]] of the [[Parliament of Scotland]]?
*... that the [[Code of Federal Regulations|regulations]] issued by an outgoing [[President of the United States|U.S. president]]'s administration got the name '''[[midnight regulations]]''' when a record quantity of new rules was issued during [[Jimmy Carter]]'s last months in office?
*... that the [[Anglo-Norman]] [[Medieval Latin|Latin]] text '''''[[De obsessione Dunelmi]]''''' is the first-known history of an [[Kingdom of England|English]] [[earldom]]?
*... that secondary students can take [[Yup'ik]] studies in the '''[[Yupiit School District]]''', which is located in the [[Bethel Census Area, Alaska|Bethel Census Area]] of [[Alaska]]?
*... that '''[[Tytus Filipowicz]]''', nominally the first [[Poland|Polish]] ambassador to [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], was captured during the [[Soviet invasion of Georgia|Soviet invasion]] and ultimately organized the first Polish embassy to the [[Soviet Union]]?
*... that the '''[[Harvey Milk Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Democratic Club|Harvey Milk LGBT Democratic Club]]''' developed some of the earliest [[safe sex]] education material in the [[United States]]?
*... that the '''[[Valley of Mexico]]''' has been one of the most heavily populated places on the planet for almost two millennia?
*... that the ideal length of a '''[[train melody]]''' is seven seconds?


*'''''03:50, 7 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Davidson armored vehicle 1915.jpg|100x100px|Davidson armoured vehicle]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Royal Page Davidson]]''', son of [[Northwestern Military and Naval Academy|Northwestern Military Academy]] founder '''[[Harlan Page Davidson]]''', invented the first U.S. '''[[Davidson-Duryea gun carriage|military car]]''' and '''[[Davidson-Cadillac armored car|fully armored car]]''' ''(pictured)'' as well as a '''[[Davidson Auto Battery armored car|lightly armored car]]'''?
*... that '''[[Edwin Donayre]]''', commander of the [[Peruvian Army]], sparked an international controversy when a video surfaced in the media showing him making anti-Chilean remarks?
*... that the '''[[Gewerkschaftsbund|Central Commission of German Trade Unions]]''' organized 75&nbsp;percent of unionized [[Germans in Czechoslovakia (1918–1938)|German]] workers in [[Czechoslovakia]] in 1921?
*... that [[Spain|Spanish]] [[association football|footballer]] '''[[Paco Bienzobas]]''' was the first person to win the [[Pichichi Trophy]], awarded to the top scorer in [[La Liga]]?
*... that recent restoration efforts were said to have "breathed new life" into Ulsoor Lake, one of the largest '''[[lakes in Bangalore]]'''?
*... that [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[illustrator]] '''[[Harald Damsleth]]''' was convicted for treason in 1950, for having drawn [[Nazi propaganda]] posters during [[World War II]]?
*... that '''[[Kamilo Beach]]''' on the island of [[Hawaii (island)|Hawaii]], along with {{convert|2.8|mi|km|sp=us|1}} of adjacent shoreline, is considered one of the dirtiest beaches in the world because of accumulated [[marine debris]] from the [[Great Pacific Garbage Patch]]?

=== 6 December 2008 ===
*'''''21:45, 6 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:WebleyBulldogReplica.JPG|100x100px|British Bulldog revolver]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[British Bulldog revolver]]''' ''(replica pictured)'' was first produced by [[Webley & Scott]] in [[England]] and later copied by gunmakers in [[Continental Europe]] and the [[United States]]?
*... that '''[[David Rubinger]]''' was the first [[photographer]] to receive the [[Israel Prize]]?
*... that the '''[[Moonlight Brewing Company]]''' sells its product only in [[keg]]s because the brewmaster believes the process of bottling [[beer]] "is cruel for the beer and a logistical nightmare"?
*... that '''[[Ian Chapman]]''' was the first former pupil of [[The Football Association]]'s School of Excellence to play in [[The Football League]]?
*... that [[Aleksandr Pushkin]]'s 1827 poem '''''[[The Gypsies (poem)|The Gypsies]]''''' inspired some eighteen [[opera|operas]] and six [[ballet|ballets]], including [[Sergei Rachmaninoff|Rachmaninoff]]'s ''[[Aleko (opera)|Aleko]]''?
*... that [[Radio broadcasting|radio station]] '''[[WHAL (AM)|WHAL]]''' in [[Phenix City, Alabama]], used to broadcast from a defunct [[airport terminal]]?
*... that so many people became '''[[custom harvesting|custom harvesters]]''' in [[People's Republic of China|China]] in the late 20th century that it was no longer possible for them to generate a profit?
*... that during the '''[[Dead Rabbits Riot]]''' of 1857, residents of [[Mulberry Street (Manhattan)|Mulberry Street]] in [[New York City]] were forced to barricade themselves in their homes?


*'''''15:41, 6 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Włodawa Great Synagogue 12.jpg|100x100px|Torah Ark in Włodawa Synagogue]]
</div>
*... that the three-story tall [[Torah Ark]]  ''(pictured)'' of the '''[[Włodawa Synagogue|Great Synagogue]]''' in [[Włodawa]], [[Poland]], is decorated with carvings of 18th-century musical instruments to illustrate one of the [[Psalms]]?
*... that '''[[Emerson Rodwell]]''', a former [[Tasmanian cricket captains|captain]] of the [[Tasmanian Tigers|Tasmanian]] [[cricket]] team, scored 11,542 runs and took 331 wickets in his club career, as well as earning the [[Military Medal]] in [[Borneo campaign (1945)|Borneo]] during [[World War II]]?
*... that when reporter [[George Crile III|George Crile]] compared [[San Francisco]] to [[Sodom and Gomorrah]] when interviewing [[Dianne Feinstein]] for the [[CBS]] documentary '''''[[Gay Power, Gay Politics]]''''', she threw him out of her office?
*... that the '''[[19th Golden Melody Awards]]''' ceremony in [[Taiwan]] featured [[Canada|Canadian]] recording artist [[Daniel Powter]] as a guest presenter?
*... that [[Confederate States Army|Confederate General]] '''[[John W. Frazer]]''' surrendered the [[Cumberland Gap]] during the [[American Civil War]] without a [[Battle of the Cumberland Gap (1863)|fight]]?
*... that although only 170 cars were carried between '''[[Lympne Airport|Lympne]]''' and [[Le Touquet - Côte d'Opale Airport|Le Touquet]] airfields in 1948, by 1951 the [[air ferry]] service was so successful that over 13,000 vehicles were carried that year?
*... that the [[Israel]]i government is considering recognizing [[Indian people|Indian]] [[nanny]] '''[[Sandra Samuel]]''' as a [[Righteous among the Nations]]?
*... that the '''[[Ulster cherry]]''' is named after [[Ulster County, New York]], a region where sweet [[cherry|cherries]] are produced commercially?


*'''''09:35, 6 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Publius Ovidius Naso in the Nuremberg chronicle XCIIIv.jpg|100x100px|Publius Ovidius Naso in the Nuremberg chronicle XCIIIv]]
</div>
*... that the ingredients for facials recommended in '''''[[Medicamina Faciei Femineae]]''''' by [[Ovid]] ''(pictured)'' more than 2,000 years ago, are still used in the production of modern [[cosmetics]]?
*... that '''[[Midnight Madness (basketball)|Midnight Madness]]''' is an annual [[pep rally]]-like event that celebrates the first day that U.S. [[college basketball]] teams are allowed to practice?
*... that the 1971 restoration of '''[[Westbury Court Garden]]''', a 17th-century [[water garden]] in [[Gloucestershire]], only used plants that had been introduced to the [[British Isles]] before 1700?
*... that at 700 days, [[Rob Van Dam]] had the longest '''[[List of ECW Television Champions|ECW Television Championship reign]]'''?
*... that '''[[Jose C. Abriol]]''' was the first person to translate the [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Bible]] into [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]]?
*... that the [[Austria-Hungary|Austro-Hungarian]] '''[[U-27 class submarine (Austria-Hungary)|''U-27'' class]]''' of [[submarine]]s had more members than any other [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] submarine [[ship class|class]]?
*... that after retiring as a [[Association football|footballer]], '''[[Mike Trusson]]''' worked as [[marketing management|marketing manager]] for a football-themed restaurant in [[London]]?
*... that one [[Strain_(biology)#Microbiology/Virology|bacterial strain]] of '''''[[Streptomyces griseus]]''''' has the capacity to produce up to 34 different [[secondary metabolite]]s including [[antibiotic]]s?
*... that one of the Roman soldiers in the '''[[Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant|Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant ''Jesus the Christ'']]''' was played by [[National Football League|NFL]] [[American football positions|offensive lineman]] [[Deuce Lutui]]?


*'''''03:30, 6 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Plymouth Barbican and harbour.jpg|100x100px|Plymouth Harbour]]
</div>
*... that the city of [[Plymouth]] ''(pictured)'' is the '''[[List of towns and cities in Devon by population|largest settlement in Devon]]''', [[England]], with a population of 240,720 in the [[United Kingdom Census 2001|2001 census]]?
*... that using the [[pseudonym]] "Tanta", '''[[Doris Dungey]]''' blogged on ''[[Calculated Risk]]'' about the [[United States housing bubble|U.S. housing bubble]], including a 13-article series on the [[mortgage]] industry called ''The Compleat ÜberNerd''?
*... that '''[[ideational apraxia]]''' causes people to lose the ability to use everyday objects correctly, as they can no longer relate the object's purpose to the actions required to perform a task?
*... that '''[[Loyal B. Stearns]]''' served in the [[Oregon House of Representatives]] after his father served there, but before his father served in the [[Oregon State Senate]]?
*... that '''[[Clewer Mill Stream]]''', a backwater of the [[River Thames]], used to be out of bounds to boys from nearby [[Eton College]] and a punishment of 100 lines could be handed down for going there?
*... that after the French city of [[Metz]] was captured by the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]] in the [[World War II]] '''[[Battle of Metz]]''', [[Wehrmacht|German units]] in nearby isolated forts continued to hold out?
*... that historical structures in '''[[Yellagonga Regional Park]]''' include the [[City of Wanneroo]]'s oldest residence and an early [[winery]]?
*... that the 1947 film '''''[[Juke Joint (1947 film)|Juke Joint]]''''' was considered a [[lost film]] until a print was located in [[Tyler, Texas]], in 1983?

=== 5 December 2008 ===
*'''''21:25, 5 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Undervandsbåden Havmanden 1914 gs.jpg|100x100px|Danish submarine "Havmanden"]]
</div>
*... that plans for the [[Royal Danish Navy]]'s 1911 '''[[Havmanden class submarine (1911)|''Havmanden''-class submarines]]''' ''(pictured)'' were seized by the [[Austro-Hungarian Navy]] during the [[World War I|First World War]] and used as the basis for their own {{sclass|U-20|submarine|1}}s?
*... that '''[[Charles Ranken]]''' and [[Lord Randolph Churchill]] founded the [[Oxford University Chess Club]] in April 1869, with Ranken becoming its first president?
*... that typical symptoms of '''[[Urbach-Wiethe disease]]''', a rare [[autosomal recessive]] disease, are a hoarse voice and beaded [[papule]]s around the eyelids?
*... that what became [[Monster Worldwide]], the parent company of the [[Monster (website)|Monster.com]] jobs website, was started by '''[[Andrew McKelvey]]''' in 1967 as a [[Yellow Pages]] advertising company?
*... that although its design and construction are now appreciated for being modern and futuristic, the '''[[Westland Dreadnought]]''' [[monoplane]] crashed and was crippled on its inaugural flight?
*... that the '''[[Alberta and Great Waterways Railway Scandal]]''' forced the resignation of [[Alberta]]'s first Premier, [[Alexander Cameron Rutherford]]?
*... that [[Singapore]]an [[backstroke]] [[swimmer]] '''[[Yip Pin Xiu]]''', who has [[muscular dystrophy]], won a gold and a silver medal at the [[2008 Summer Paralympics]], setting two world records in the process?


*'''''15:20, 5 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:HaBonim-S-06-se.jpg|100x100px|Kfar Lam fortress]]
</div>
*... that during the [[Crusader states|Crusader era]] in [[Palestine]], the village of '''[[Kafr Lam]]''' ''(fortress pictured)'' was sold to the [[Knights Hospitaller|Hospitallers]] by the lord of [[Caesarea]] for 16,000 [[Bezant|besant]]s?
*... that '''[[Imero Fiorentino]]''' has served as a [[lighting designer]] for every [[President of the United States|U.S. President]] since [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]?
*... that the '''[[Barony of Ladyland]]''' was established by a poet and fervent [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] who was imprisoned for plotting to re-establish the [[Roman Catholicism in Scotland|Catholic faith in Scotland]] through a [[Habsburg Spain|Habsburg Spanish]] invasion?
*... that '''[[Tadeusz Pyka]]''' was appointed in 1980 to lead a [[Poland|Polish]] [[government]] [[commission]] to negotiate with [[Strike action|strikers]] at [[Gdańsk]], despite vowing that he would have "nothing to do" with the strikers' [[Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee|main representative body]]?
*... that when the '''[[Worcester Common Outlets]]''' shopping mall was completed in 1971, it had the world's largest [[Multi-storey car park|parking garage]]?
*... that '''[[Cyril Pullin]]''' designed the first successful [[UK|British]] [[helicopter]] and his son was the pilot for its first flight in June 1938?
*... that '''[[gemstone irradiation]]''' processes enable the creation of certain [[gemstone]] colors that do not exist or are extremely rare in nature?
*... that [[Charles II of England|King Charles II]] rewarded [[Captain (Royal Navy)|Captain]] '''[[Richard Haddock]]''' for his actions in the [[Battle of Solebay]] by giving him a hat?


*'''''09:15, 5 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Odontoglossum crispum.jpg|100x100px|''Odontoglossum crispum'']]
</div>
*... that the [[Orchidaceae|orchid]] '''''[[Odontoglossum crispum]]''''' ''(pictured)'', first discovered in the [[Andes|Andes Mountains]] in 1841, was highly sought after in [[Victorian era|Victorian England]], when [[Variety (botany)|varieties]] sold at [[auction]] for more than 150 [[Guinea (British coin)|guineas]]?
*... that '''[[Hurricane Holly (1969)|Hurricane Holly]]''' was the first [[Atlantic hurricane]] by this name, having replaced [[Hurricane Hattie-Simone|Hattie]] after the 1961 season?
*... that [[Antonín Dvořák]] arranged his '''[[Romantic Pieces (Dvořák)|Romantic Pieces]]''' from a trio he originally wrote to play with one of his mother's tenants?
*... that the [[Hawaii Legislature|Hawaii State Legislature]] declared October 29, 2005, "'''[[Samuel Kamakau]]''' Day," in recognition of the [[Native Hawaiians|Hawaiian]] scholar who wrote over 200 articles about Hawaiian history?
*... that the [[Prague]] [[trade union]] centre '''''[[Odborové sdružení československé|Odborové sdružení českoslovanské]]''''' was founded in 1897, as [[Czechs|Czech]] unionists considered that the [[Reichsgewerkschaftskommission|Austrian unions]] were neglecting them?
*... that the '''[[USS Timbalier (AVP-54)|USS ''Timbalier'']]''', a '''[[Barnegat class seaplane tender|''Barnegat'' class]]''' [[seaplane tender]], served as a postwar [[cruise ship]] until 1989?
*... that the first two steamboats on the '''[[Steamboats of the upper Columbia and Kootenay Rivers|Kootenay River]]''' sank when they were overloaded with supplies by the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police|Northwest Mounted Police]] en route to quell an uprising?
*... that [[Japan]]ese [[judo|jūdōka]] '''[[Shokichi Natsui]]''' became the first [[World Judo Championships|World Judo Champion]] in [[1956 World Judo Championships|1956]]?


*'''''03:10, 5 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:The Mill-1645 1648-Rembrandt van Rijn.jpg|100x100px|Rembrandt, ''The Mill'']]
</div>
*... that the core group of paintings in the '''[[Orleans Collection]]''' ''(a [[Rembrandt]] pictured)'' remained together for two centuries in Prague, Stockholm, Rome, Paris and London?
*... that the body of '''[[Spence Broughton]]''' remained hanging in a [[gibbet]] on [[Attercliffe]] [[Common land|Common]], near [[Sheffield]], for 36 years after his execution for robbery in 1792?
*... that the oak mazegill [[fungus]] '''''[[Daedalea quercina]]''''' has been used as a horse-comb and as a bee anesthetic?
*... that [[Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi|Mahatma Gandhi]] was imprisoned at '''[[Sitabuldi Fort]]''' in [[Nagpur]] from April 10 to May 15 in 1923?
*... that '''[[Anne-Lise Seip]]''' was appointed at the Institute of History, [[University of Oslo]] in 1975, the same year as her husband '''[[Jens Arup Seip]]''' retired from his [[professor]]ship there?
*... that [[Rajendra Prasad]] was the first [[President of India]] and the '''[[List of Presidents of India|only one to have held the office for two terms]]'''?
*... that after [[California Institute of Technology|Caltech]] eliminated its [[meteorology]] department, which was founded and led by '''[[Irving P. Krick]]''',  most of the staff left to join Krick's private weather business?
*... that '''[[overchoice]]''' refers to the situation where when faced with too many [[choice]]s, people become indecisive and unhappy?

=== 4 December 2008 ===
*'''''20:45, 4 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Alexandre Benois 004.jpg|100x100px|Alexandre Benois's illustration to the poem "The Bronze Horseman"]]
</div>
*... that [[Alexander Pushkin]]'s '''''[[The Bronze Horseman (poem)|The Bronze Horseman]]''''' ''(illustration pictured)'' has been described as "the best poem written anywhere in the 19th century"?
*... that before becoming a professor of the [[sociology of law]], '''[[Vilhelm Aubert]]''' was a member of the [[Norwegian resistance movement|Norwegian anti-Nazi resistance]] group [[XU]]?
*... that '''[[Serenity High School]]''', the oldest public substance-abuse recovery high school in [[Texas]], has served students from over 25 area high schools since opening in 1999?
*... that the '''[[National Hunger March, 1932|1932 National Hunger March]]''', the largest hunger march in the 1920s and 1930s, led to days of widespread violence in central [[London]]?
*... that the '''[[bǎ construction|''bǎ'' construction]]''' in [[Chinese grammar]] has been used to perform [[neuroimaging]] studies of language processing and to evaluate theories of [[construction grammar]]?
*... that '''[[William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden|William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux]]'''  was imprisoned and fined £1,000 by [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth]] for harbouring the [[Jesuit]] [[Edmund Campion]]?
*... that [[Paul McCartney]]'s condition for guest starring in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "'''[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]'''" was that [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]], who becomes a [[vegetarian]] in the episode, remain one for the rest of the series?
*... that in 1865, Dr '''[[Edward William Pritchard]]''', who poisoned his wife and mother-in-law, became the last person to be publicly [[Capital punishment|executed]] in [[Glasgow]]?


*'''''14:40, 4 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Erie Land Lighthouse.jpg|100x100px|Erie Land Light]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Erie Land Light]]''' ''(pictured)'' was the first [[lighthouse]] built by the [[Federal government of the United States|United States Government]] on the [[Great Lakes]]?
*... that '''[[Adam Stanisław Grabowski]]''', [[Prince-Bishop of Warmia]], was a patron of the arts and a representative of the [[Catholic Enlightenment]] in the [[Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth]]?
*... that the '''[[Durham Performing Arts Center]]''' opened in November 2008 as the largest performing arts center in the [[Carolinas]], at a cost of US$48&nbsp;million?
*... that the exoperidium of the '''''[[Bovista plumbea]]''''' peels off at [[maturity|maturation]] in hot, dry conditions?
*... that before serving in the [[Union Army]] during the [[American Civil War]], Brigadier General '''[[Stephen Gardner Champlin]]''' had his own law practice in [[Albany, New York]]?
*... that the '''[[Camp of Great Poland]]''' was an [[interwar]] [[fascist]]-influenced [[right-wing]] organization that aimed at toppling the [[Sanacja]]-dominated Polish government?
*... that '''[[Bob Blake (ice hockey)|Bob Blake]]''' was voted the most popular [[ice hockey]] player in [[Buffalo, New York]], in 1941?
*... that '''[[Ingrid Semmingsen]]''' was the first female professor of history in [[Norway]]?


*'''''08:35, 4 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Mermin-Peres magic square.png|100x100px|Mermin-Peres magic square]]
</div>
*... that due to the subtly non-local nature of [[quantum mechanics|quantum reality]], '''[[quantum pseudo-telepathy|apparent telepathy]]''' can be achieved in [[Quantum game theory|games]] between separated players ''(example pictured)''?
*... that [[Poland|Polish]] sculptor '''[[Maria Albin Boniecki]]''' practiced his craft even when imprisoned in the [[Nazi]] [[Majdanek]] [[concentration camp]]?
*... that the mid-19th century [[stone arch]] '''[[Plunketts Creek Bridge No. 3|Bridge No. 3]]''' over [[Plunketts Creek (Loyalsock Creek)|Plunketts Creek]] in [[Pennsylvania]], [[USA]], is listed on the [[Historic American Engineering Record]] even though it was destroyed in a 1996 flood?
*... that '''[[James Godkin]]''' was simultaneously the chief editor of the ''[[Daily Express (Dublin)|Daily Express]]'' newspaper and the Dublin correspondent of ''[[The Times]]'' of [[London]]?
*... that although [[Chuck Daly]] is a [[Basketball Hall of Fame]]r now, when he served as '''[[List of Cleveland Cavaliers head coaches|head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers]]''' he had a 9&ndash;32 record and was fired mid-season?
*... that '''[[Edward Vaux, 4th Baron Vaux of Harrowden]]''' did not marry Elizabeth, daughter of [[Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk|Thomas Howard]], until 27 years after plans for their marriage were abandoned in the wake of the [[Gunpowder Plot]]?
*... that in 1954, [[Israel]] walked out of the Israel-[[Jordan]] Mixed Armistice Commission after the commission failed to condemn Jordan for the '''[[Scorpion Pass Massacre]]'''?
*... that mathematician '''[[Karen Vogtmann]]''' co-authored a paper which produced a method for quantifying the difference and computing the distance between two [[phylogenetic tree]]s?


*'''''02:30, 4 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Anchovy closeup.jpg|100x100px|Anchovy]]
</div>
*... that '''[[forage fish]]''' ''(anchovy pictured)'', which feed the world's great [[marine (ocean)|marine]] [[predation|predator]]s, are now being removed from the oceans on an [[Fishing industry|industrial scale]] and fed instead to [[Fish farming|farmed fish]], pigs, and poultry?
*... that it now requires 250 employees and costs US$5-9&nbsp;million to open a new location of the six-year-old '''[[America's Incredible Pizza Company]]'''?
*... that after executing [[Caesar (title)|Caesar]] [[Constantius Gallus|Gallus]], officer '''[[Apodemius]]''' grabbed his shoes, ran quickly from [[Pula]] to [[Mediolanum]], and threw them at the feet of Roman Emperor [[Constantius II]] to prove his cousin's death?
*... that as a result of the '''[[Saxon Brother War]]''' and the subsequent divisions of land, [[Saxony]] was no longer one of the most powerful [[List of states in the Holy Roman Empire|German states]]?
*... that '''[[Wessagusset Colony]]''' was the site of [[Myles Standish|Miles Standish]]'s real-life attack against [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]] as depicted in [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow|Longfellow]]'s poem ''[[The Courtship of Miles Standish]]''?
*... that each country who participated in '''[[MGP Nordic 2008]]''' entered two songs, rather than one, to make the contest bigger?
*... that the '''[[National Waterways Museum, Ellesmere Port]]''', in [[Cheshire]], [[England]], contains the largest collection of canal boats in the world?
*... that the campus of the now-defunct '''[[University of Plano]]''' included a [[pagoda]] that had been the [[Malaysia]]n pavilion at the [[1964 New York World's Fair]]?

=== 3 December 2008 ===
*'''''20:25, 3 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Panamanian night monkey.jpg|100x100px|Panamanian Night Monkey]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Panamanian Night Monkey]]''' ''(pictured)'' is one of the few [[monogamy|monogamous]] monkey species?
*... that [[Albert Einstein]], according to writer '''[[Illana Katz]]''', may have had [[autism]]?
*... that the title of the 1944 [[race movie|race film]] '''''[[Go Down Death]]''''' derives from a poem by the [[African American]] writer [[James Weldon Johnson]]?
*... that '''[[Shigeko Higashikuni]]''' was the elder sister of [[Akihito]], the reigning [[Emperor of Japan]]?
*... that the [[Germany|German]] [[association football|football]] club '''[[DGF Flensborg|Dansk Gymnastik Forening Flensborg]]''', founded in 1923, is a club of the [[Danish minority of Southern Schleswig]]?
*... that the career of [[Tang Dynasty]] official '''[[Zhao Jing (Tang Dynasty)|Zhao Jing]]''' was launched after he was praised for his petition for frugality in the funerals of [[Emperor Xuanzong of Tang|Emperors Xuanzong]] and [[Emperor Suzong of Tang|Suzong]]?
*... that the [[Royal Navy]] [[ship of the line]] '''{{HMS|Agamemnon|1781|6}}''' ran aground in both the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|first]] and [[Battle of Copenhagen (1807)|second Battles of Copenhagen]], in 1801 and 1807, respectively?
*... that '''[[John F. Kelly]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 2003 promotion to [[Brigadier General|brigadier general]] while in [[Iraq]] was the first promotion of a [[United States Marine Corps|U.S. Marine Corps]] colonel in a combat zone since [[Chesty Puller]]'s 1951 [[Korean War]] promotion?


*'''''14:20, 3 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Stamp Austria1850 3Kr.jpg|100x100px|St. Andrew's cross in 1850]]
</div>
*... that a '''[[St. Andrew's cross (philately)|St. Andrew's cross]]''' ''(pictured)'' was printed in four positions in place of a stamp on each sheet of the 1850 [[Postage stamps and postal history of Austria|Austrian stamps]] so that the price would be an even number of [[Austro-Hungarian gulden|Gulden]]?
*... that the [[pre-Columbian]] ruins of '''[[Teopanzolco]]''' in [[Mexico]] are said to have been rediscovered during the [[Mexican Revolution]] when an artillery emplacement shook loose some dirt from the stonework?
*... that [[Lord Byron|Byron]]'s 1819 poem '''''[[Mazeppa (Byron)|Mazeppa]]''''' inspired paintings by the French artists [[Eugène Delacroix]], [[Claude-Joseph Vernet]], and [[Théodore Géricault]]?
*... that, due to his considerable oratory skill,  [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] '''[[Richard Menefee]]''' of [[Kentucky]] was called "the young [[Patrick Henry]] of the West"?
*... that south [[Bulgarians|Bulgarian]] builders, bricklayers, and masons once spoke '''[[Meshterski]]''', a [[cant (language)|secret language]] that includes many [[loanword]]s and [[metaphor]]s?
*... that the military career of [[Australia]]n [[Air Marshal]] Sir '''[[Alister Murdoch]]''' spanned 40 years, including [[seaplane]] flying in the 1930s and a tenure as Chief of the Air Staff during the [[Vietnam War]]?
*... that '''[[Wahsatch, Utah]]''', established in 1868, was the first of many camps set up in [[Utah]] by the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] in the construction of the [[First Transcontinental Railroad]]?


*'''''08:15, 3 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Battle flag of the Confederate States of America (1-1).svg|100x100px|Battle flag of the Confederate States of America]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Kasim Reed]]''', a 2009 [[Atlanta mayor]]al candidate, is known for keeping the battle emblem of the [[Confederate States of America]] ''(pictured)'' from being considered for inclusion on the [[Flag of Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia State Flag]]?
*... that the '''[[Fountain of Qayt Bay]]''', built by the [[Mamluk]]s in the fifteenth century, has a large reservoir beneath it?
*... that '''[[Robert Howlett]]''', photographer of the iconic picture of [[Isambard Kingdom Brunel]], died from exposure to the [[arsenic]] and [[mercury (element)|mercury]] used in the [[Photography|photographic]] process?
*... that '''[[Congregation Beth Israel (Scottsdale, Arizona)|Congregation Beth Israel]]''', the planned site of a [[Jew]]ish heritage [[museum]] in [[Scottsdale, Arizona]], had been used as the First [[Chinese American|Chinese]] [[Baptist]] Church and the Central Baptist Church?
*... that despite their names, the [[revolver]] [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] '''[[.476 Enfield]]''', [[.455 Webley]], [[.476 Enfield|.476 Eley]], and [[.455 Webley|.455 Colt]] all interchange?
*... that [[Diana Mitford]] had an [[appendectomy]] on the spare-bedroom table of the [[Mitford family|Mitford sisters]]' childhood home, '''[[Asthall Manor]]''' near [[Burford]] in [[Oxfordshire]], [[England]]?
*... that '''[[French weapons in the American Civil War|French-designed cannons]]''', manufactured in both the [[Union (American Civil War)|North]] and the [[Confederate States of America|South]], were the primary [[artillery]] weapons of the [[American Civil War]]?
*... that '''[[MV Biscaglia|MV ''Biscaglia'']]''' was the 97th ship to be [[Piracy in Somalia|hijacked by pirates]] off the coast of [[Somalia]] this year?


*'''''02:10, 3 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Haileybury 1922.jpg|100x100px|Haileybury, Ontario, Canada, after its destruction in the Great Fire of 1922]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Great Fire of 1922]]''' in the [[Timiskaming District, Ontario]] ''(aftermath pictured)'', was called one of the ten worst natural disasters in [[Canada|Canadian]] history?
*... that [[English draughts|checkers]] champion '''[[Richard Fortman]]''' learned the game from his father, a [[telegraphist]] who would play the game with other operators by memorizing the board to avoid detection?
*... that '''[[2001 Jos riots|rioting in 2001]]''' involving [[Religion in Nigeria#Christianity|Christians]] and [[Islam in Nigeria|Muslim]]s in [[Jos]], [[Nigeria]], caused over 1,000 deaths along with many buildings, cars, and people being burned?
*... that the '''[[Fremont Canning Company]]''', owned by '''[[Frank Daniel Gerber]]''' and '''[[Daniel Frank Gerber]]''' and known for its '''[[Gerber Baby]]''' logo, pioneered the commercial [[baby food]] industry in the U.S.?
*...  that three years after the '''[[Battle of Marcelae (756)|Battle of Marcelae in 756&nbsp;AD]]''', [[Constantine V]] invaded [[Bulgaria]] once more but suffered a crushing defeat in the [[Battle of the Rishki Pass]]?
*... that '''[[Pat Austin]]''' was the first [[drag racing|drag racer]] to win two eliminators at an [[National Hot Rod Association|NHRA]] event?
*... that the '''[[medical simulation|simulation of medical procedures]]''' was first used by [[anaesthetist]]s to reduce the rate of accidents?

=== 2 December 2008 ===
*'''''20:06, 2 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:GrandesJorasses.jpg|100x100px|Grandes Jorasses]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Riccardo Cassin]]''' made the [[first ascent]] of the Walker Spur of the [[Grandes Jorasses]] ''(pictured)'' without initially knowing exactly where the mountain was?
*... that the first guidebook to the [[Lake District|English Lake District]] was written in 1778 by [[Catholic]] priest '''[[Thomas West (clergyman)|Thomas West]]'''?
*... that [[1. FC Nuremberg]] reached every [[Final (competition)|final]] of the '''[[Under 19 Bayernliga|Bavarian under 19 football championship]]''' from 1967 to 1994?
*... that '''[[Robert J. Morris]]''' lost a bid for the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nomination for [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]] from [[New Jersey]] in 1958, and then ran for the Senate in [[Texas]] in 1964 and 1970, losing both times to [[George H. W. Bush]]?
*... that [[England|English]] [[landscape architect]] '''[[Edward Milner]]''' designed three public parks in [[Preston]], [[Lancashire]], as a scheme for relieving unemployment caused by the [[Lancashire Cotton Famine|cotton famine]] in the 1860s?
*... that during the [[Battle of Missionary Ridge]], [[Confederate States Army|Confederate General]] '''[[James Argyle Smith]]''' was shot through both thighs and survived?
*... that '''[[Women For Sobriety]]''', a group founded in 1976 as an alternative to [[Twelve-step program|twelve-step]] addiction recovery groups such as [[Alcoholics Anonymous]], had over 200 chapters as of 1998?
*... that [[Air Marshal]] '''[[Charles Read (RAAF officer)|Charles Read]]''' broke with tradition by refusing to sit for the usual portrait painted of retiring [[Royal Australian Air Force|RAAF]] [[Chief of Air Force (Australia)|Chiefs of the Air Staff]]?


*'''''14:01, 2 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:CowbodyBearChair.jpg|100x100px|Seth Kinman]]
</div>
*... that [[California]] hunter '''[[Seth Kinman]]''' ''(pictured)'', who claimed to have killed over 800 [[grizzly bear]]s, gave several [[List of Presidents of the United States|U.S. Presidents]] chairs made from grizzly bears and [[elk]]horns?
*... that [[Hindi]] is the language used for educational and official matters in '''[[Bihari culture]]'''?
*... that the '''[[Westchester Tornado of July 2006]]''' was the strongest [[tornado]] recorded in [[Westchester County, New York]]?
*... that '''[[Nicolas Sarrabat]]''', a [[France|French]] scientist and [[Jesuit]], conducted experiments on the circulation of plants, argued that [[magnetism]] was caused by a fire at the Earth's centre, and discovered the [[Comet of 1729|largest comet ever recorded]]?
*... that the winning cup for the '''[[List of combined European club champions|European club champion]]''' of [[association football|football]] is now kept by the final winners?
*... that Rabbi '''[[Asher Lopatin]]''' supported a [[Chicago]] ban on [[foie gras]] on the grounds that the [[Torah]] [[Jewish_ethics#Animals_and_the_environment|prohibits cruelty to animals]], noting that "[[chopped liver]] is good, but foie gras is bad"?
*... that the [[Royal Navy]] [[ship of the line]] '''{{HMS|Edgar|1779|6}}''' was forced to fight unsupported for a time during the [[Battle of Copenhagen (1801)|Battle of Copenhagen]] after the next ship in line, {{HMS|Agamemnon|1781|6}}, ran aground?
*... that '''[[Gershom Sizomu]]''' of [[Uganda]] is the first native-born black [[rabbi]] in [[Africa]]?


*'''''07:50, 2 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Ueli Maurer (Nationalrat, 2007).jpg|100x100px|Ueli Maurer]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Ueli Maurer]]''' ''(pictured)'', the former president of the nationalist [[Swiss People's Party]], is the frontrunner in the [[Swiss Federal Council election, 2008|upcoming Swiss governmental election]]?
*... that the first [[Pilgrim]] settlement in [[Massachusetts]] was on the site of a former '''[[Patuxet|Patuxet Indian]]''' village, all of whose residents had died in epidemics before the Pilgrims arrived?
*... that the '''[[Nariman House]]''', which was home to a [[Chabad house]], was a [[Mumbai]] landmark prior to falling victim to the [[November 2008 Mumbai attacks]]?
*... that in 2006, '''[[National Park Community College]]''' received the largest cash donation in the history of [[Arkansas]] [[community college]]s?
*... that when it was completed in 1959, the '''[[Narrows Bridge (Perth)|Narrows Bridge]]''' in [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], [[Western Australia]], was the largest [[precast concrete|precast]] [[prestressed concrete]] bridge in the world?
*... that [[Norman Lear]]'s 1977 [[soap opera]] spoof '''''[[All That Glitters (TV series)|All That Glitters]]''''' featured [[Linda Gray]] as the first recurring [[transgender]] character on American television?
*... that species of "cannonball fungi" (genus '''''[[Sphaerobolus]]''''') may forcibly eject their spores a horizontal distance of {{convert|6|m|sp=us}}?
*... that the '''[[Ineligibility Clause]]''' of the [[United States Constitution|U.S. Constitution]] places limitations upon the ability of members of the [[United States Congress|U.S. Congress]] to serve in other branches of the [[Federal government of the United States|U.S. Federal Government]]?


*'''''01:46, 2 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Michael Attree.jpg|100x100px|Michael Attree - Member of the Handelbar Club]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Handlebar Club]]''' ''(member pictured)'', a [[gentleman's club]] for those with [[handlebar moustache]]s, considers itself at war with a society that demands people choose "the bland, the boring and the generic"?
*... that '''[[St. Paul's Episcopal Church (Alexandria, Virginia)|St. Paul’s Episcopal Church]]''' in the Old Town area of [[Alexandria, Virginia]], was designed by [[Benjamin Latrobe]], the second architect of the United States Capitol?
*... that [[Mount Hermon]] was '''[[First Battle of Mount Hermon|captured]]''' by [[Syria]] on the first day of the [[Yom Kippur War]] and '''[[Second Battle of Mount Hermon|recaptured]]''' by [[Israel]] fifteen days later?
*... that the '''[[Beverly Hills Diet]]''', which starts with ten days of eating nothing but fruit, was labeled by doctors in 1981 as "perhaps the worst entry in the diet-fad derby"?
*... that the '''[[Rahul Raj encounter|police shooting of Rahul Raj]]''', a [[Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport|BEST]] bus [[hijacking|hijacker]] in [[Mumbai]], [[India]], sparked nationwide protests and discussions?
*... that 13 [[baseball]] players '''[[Fred McAlister]]''' [[Scout (sport)|scouted]] for the [[St. Louis Cardinals]] became the team's first-round [[Major League Baseball Draft|draft]] picks, and 12 made the [[Major League Baseball|major leagues]]?
*... that after [[organ (music)|organist]] '''[[Dudley Savage]]'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s radio request programme was cancelled in 1968, the [[BBC]] faced a protest described as "perhaps the biggest demonstration of its kind"?
*... that four former '''[[List of Washington Wizards head coaches|head coaches]]''' of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] franchise currently known as the [[Washington Wizards]] are members of the [[Basketball Hall of Fame]] as players?

=== 1 December 2008 ===
*'''''19:32, 1 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Esma Sultan Yalısı.JPG|100x100px|<!-- THE ROLLOVER CAPTION GOES HERE -->]]
</div>
*... that the '''[[Esma Sultana Mansion]]''' ''(pictured)'', a multipurpose event venue in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]], looks ruined because only its interior was reconstructed after a 1975 fire?
*... that [[puffball]]s of fungal genus '''''[[Bovista]]''''' have been used in [[homeopathic medicine]] to treat a wide variety of ailments?
*... that U.S. journalist '''[[John Thompson Whitaker|John Whitaker]]''' received the [[Croce di Guerra|Italian War Cross]] for his coverage of the [[Italian conquest of Ethiopia]] but was expelled from [[Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)|Italy]] in 1941 for critical reports on the [[Italian Fascism|fascist regime]]?
*... that '''[[Kirby Laing|Sir Kirby Laing]]''' served as [[Deputy Lieutenant]] of both [[London]] and [[Hertfordshire]]?
*... that the '''[[Sunburst community]]''', a Southern California [[Commune (intentional community)|commune]] combining elements of [[mysticism]], [[Christianity]] and [[Hopi]] rituals, was once one of the largest shippers of [[organic products]] in the [[United States|U.S.]]?
*... that '''[[Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard]]''' was an explorer, adventurer, [[big-game hunter]], international [[cricket]]er, novelist and [[marksman]] who founded the [[British Army]]'s [[sniper|sniping]] school during the [[World War I|First World War]]?
*... that [[Mount Silverheels]] was named after a popular dance-hall girl in the now-deserted [[ghost town]] '''[[Buckskin Joe, Colorado]]'''?
*... that in spite of her great reputation in Europe, [[Opera|operatic]] [[soprano]] '''[[Lucienne Bréval]]''' had limited success in America as critics thought her singing lacked polish?


*'''''13:26, 1 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Florizel von Reuter.jpg|100x100px|Florizel von Reuter]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Florizel von Reuter]]''' ''(pictured)'', a [[child prodigy]] on the [[violin]], later developed [[psychic]] interests and wrote books describing communications with dead composers, including [[Paganini]] and [[Rimsky-Korsakov]]?
*... that '''[[Holy Trinity Church, Guildford]]''' served as [[pro-cathedral]] of the [[Diocese of Guildford]] until the consecration of the [[Guildford Cathedral|current cathedral]]?
*... that photographer '''[[Karl Bissinger]]''' took his first test photos with cameras and a studio loaned to him by [[Richard Avedon]]?
*... that the [[Royal Australian Navy]] auxiliary [[patrol boat]] '''[[HMAS Vigilant|HMAS ''Vigilant'']]''' was the first [[aluminium]] ship built in [[Australia]]?
*... that the home of [[Massachusetts]] [[Abolitionism|abolitionist]] '''[[Roger Hooker Leavitt]]''' was a sanctuary for escaped [[Slavery in the United States|slaves]] and is now included in the National [[Underground Railroad]] Network to Freedom?
*... that both the [[Prime Minister of Pakistan|Prime Minister]] and [[President of Pakistan|President]] of [[Pakistan]] resigned in order for the '''[[Pakistani general election, 1993|1993 Pakistani general election]]''' to be held, after a power struggle between them?
*... that the names of the two main characters of [[Nicholas Sparks (author)|Nicholas Sparks]]<nowiki>'</nowiki> 2002 novel '''''[[Nights in Rodanthe (novel)|Nights in Rodanthe]]''''' are a Christmas present to his in-laws?
*... that '''[[John Marius Trana]]''' went from being an illegal [[trade union]] leader during the [[occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany|German occupation of Norway]] to being chairman of the [[Norwegian Union of Railway Workers]]?


*'''''07:20, 1 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:General Henry C. Wayne.jpg|100x100px|General Henry C. Wayne]]
</div>
*... that '''[[Henry C. Wayne|Confederate General Henry C. Wayne]]''' ''(pictured)'' gained a ''First Class Medal of Mammal Division by the Société impériale zoologique d'acclimatation'' for his introduction of the [[camel]] to the [[United States]]?
*... that '''[[Tropical Storm Olivia (2006)|Tropical Storm Olivia]]''' in 2006 was the eighth [[tropical cyclone]] to receive the name ''Olivia'' in the Eastern [[Pacific ocean]]?
*... that the diaries of '''[[Claus Pavels]]''' from 1812–1822 are an important source for [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[cultural history|cultural]] and biographical history?
*... that the plant [[genus]] '''''[[Regelia]]''''' is named after the 19th-century [[Russia]]n [[botany|botanist]] [[Eduard August von Regel]] and is found only in [[Fauna of Australia|Australia]]?
*... that the '''[[.44 Colt]]''' [[revolver]] [[Cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]] was used in both [[Caplock mechanism|percussion]] and [[Centerfire ammunition|centerfire]] and both [[black powder| black]] and [[smokeless powder|smokeless powder]] loadings?
*... that '''[[Lucie Skeaping]]''', a leading exponent and broadcaster on [[early music]], has also worked with contemporary composer [[Michael Nyman]], historian [[Simon Schama]] and comedian [[Ken Dodd]]?
*... that employees at [[radio station]] '''[[WIXI]]''' in [[Jasper, Alabama]], reported that for more than 30 years their [[radio studio]]s were [[Haunted house|haunted]]?
*... that the oldest known [[turtle]] is the 220&nbsp;million year-old '''[[Odontochelys]]''', a prehistoric turtle with [[teeth]] and possessing only half a shell?


*'''''01:10, 1 December 2008 (UTC)'''''
<div style="float:right;margin-left:0.5em">
[[File:Swiss Post Rayon I stamp 1850.jpg|100x100px|''Rayon I'' postage stamp of 1850]]
</div>
*... that a blue '''[[Local mail and rayon stamps of Switzerland|''Rayon I'' postage stamp of 1850]]''' ''(pictured)'' is the most expensive [[Postage stamps and postal history of Switzerland|Swiss stamp]] ever sold at auction?
*... that when '''[[Kjell Almskog]]''' left his job as CEO of [[Kværner]] in 2001, he became known for receiving a [[golden parachute]] worth {{NOK|78 million}}?
*... that the [[nematode]] '''''[[Capillaria aerophila]]''''' is a [[parasite]] that infests the [[respiratory system]] of [[carnivore|carnivorous]] mammals, including [[dog]]s and [[fox]]es?
*... that [[Sean Payton]] is the only '''[[List of New Orleans Saints head coaches|head coach of the New Orleans Saints]]''' to lead the team to a [[NFC Championship Game|National Football Conference (NFC) Championship Game]]?
*... that the [[radiator]] layout of the '''[[McLaren M20]]''' was initially intended to increase driver comfort, but also led to a more [[aerodynamics|aerodynamically efficient]] bodywork design?
*... that the '''[[Convincing Ground massacre]]''' of [[Gunditjmara]] people in 1833 or 1834 was caused by a dispute over a [[beached whale]]?
*... that [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[trade union]]ist '''[[Ludvik Buland]]''', sentenced to death by the [[occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany|Nazi authorities]] in 1941, was later [[Pardon|reprieved]], only to die in a [[Nacht und Nebel]] camp four years later?
*... that the '''[[Williamsport and North Branch Railroad|Muncy Creek Railroad]]''' tried to save money by using wooden rails in 1875, but found they were too light to support its trains?