Author Topic: Myths | Famous people |  (Read 571 times)

K A I N

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Myths | Famous people |
« on: January 31, 2006, 01:43:54 AM »
One legend claims stealing someone's shadow (by measuring it against a wall and driving a nail through its head) can turn the victim into a vampire.

Avoid people who talk to themselves. According to Ukrainian legend, that could indicate a dual soul and the second one doesn't die! Also watch out for the seventh son of a seventh son, a person born with a red caul (amniotic membrane covering the head), or a child born with teeth. A vampire can result if a cat or dog walks over a fresh grave, a bat flies over the corpse, or the person has died suddenly as a result of suicide or murder. Unfinished business can also cause a body to rise, as can inadequate burial rites, including a grave that is too shallow.

Most vampires are described in folklore as flushed and ruddy, with swollen bodies and bloated faces. Often, they can be identified because they're sitting up in the grave.

According to folklore, there are a number of ways to protect yourself from vampires, including the ever-popular wearing of garlic or a religious symbol. You can slow a vampire down by giving him something to do, like pick up poppy seeds or unravel a net. (They're quite compulsive.) Cross water and he can't follow. If you can find the body, give it a bottle of whiskey or food so it doesn't have to travel. If that doesn't work, either shoot the corpse (may require a silver bullet) or drive a stake through the heart. And remember, the vampire won't enter your dwelling unless invited.

Trivia is the Roman goddess of sorcery, hounds and the crossroads.

In Dante's "Inferno" the Ninth Circle of Hell is reserved for those who betray family or country. The denizens of this deepest circle, who are frozen in ice, include Judas (betrayer of Christ) and Cassius and Brutus (betrayers of Julius Caesar).

Abe Silverstein, who headed NASA's Space Flight Development Program, proposed the name Apollo for the space exploration programs in the 1960's. He chose that legendary Greek name because the virile Apollo was a god who rode through the skies in a magnificent golden chariot. The precedent of naming manned spacecraft for mythological gods had been set earlier with Project Mercury, also named by Silverstein.

Some people consider the $1 bill unlucky because there are so many 13's on it: 13 stars, 13 stripes, 13 steps, 13 arrows and even an olive branch with 13 leaves on it. Of course the $1 bill is unlucky - if it was lucky it would be a $100 bill.

The name of the legendary Lady Godiva's horse - Aethenoth

An artificial spider and web are often included in the decorations on Ukrainian Christmas trees. A spider web found on Christmas morning is believed to bring good luck.

When visiting Finland, Santa leaves his sleigh behind and rides on a goat named Ukko. Finnish folklore has it that Ukko is made of straw, but is strong enough to carry Santa Claus anyway.

According to legend, if a hare crosses a person's path as he starts out on a journey, the trip will be unlucky and it's best to return home and start again. If a pregnant woman sees a hare, her child may be born with a hare-lip. If a hare runs down the main street of a town, it foretells a fire. Cornish legend says that girls who die of grief after being rejected by a lover turn into white hares and haunt their former beaus.

Ancient Greeks wove marjoram into funeral wreaths and put them on the graves of loved ones. The wreaths served as prayers for the happiness of the deceased in a future life.

Breaking of a glass is traditional in some wedding ceremonies. This custom symbolizes different things. To some its the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, and for some its the represents the fragility of a relationship.

In Greek culture, brides carry a lump of sugar in their wedding glove. It's supposed to bring sweetness to their married life.

Placing a wreath on a grave is part of an ancient belief it was necessary to provide comforts for the dead and give them gifts in order for their spirits to not haunt the mourners. The circular arrangement represents a magic circle which is supposed to keep the spirit within its bounds.

The Sphinx at Giza in Egypt is 240 feet long and carved out of limestone. Built by Pharaoh Khafre to guard the way to his pyramid, it has a lion's body and the ruler's head.

The Vikings believed that the Northern lights which are seen from time to time in the north sky were caused by the flashing armor and spears of Odin's handmaidens as they rode out to collect warriors slain in battle.

One gift-giving taboo in China is the giving of straw sandals, which are associated with funerals, and therefore considered bad luck.

Crossing one's fingers is a way of secretly making the sign of the Cross. It was started by early Christians to ask for divine assistance without attracting the attention of pagans.

One sign of rain that farmers once searched for was for their pigs to pick up sticks and walk around with them in their mouths.

During the Civil War, Gen. Ulysses S. Grant believed that onions would prevent dysentery and other physical ailments. He reportedly sent the following message via wire to the War Department: "I will not move my army without onions." Within a day, the U.S. government sent three trainloads of onions to the front.

Contrary to popular belief, there are almost no Buddhists in India, nor have there been for about a thousand years.

On the stone temples of Madura in southern India, there are more than 30 million carved images of gods and goddesses.

One superstition says that if a girl leaves her house early on Valentine's Day and the first person she meets is a man, then she will be married within three months.

Less romantic was the old historical opinion that Valentine's Day is a good day to prepare eels for the purposes of magic. Eating an eel's heart was once believed to enable a person to see into the future.

The reason one wears a wedding ring on the third finger is that (tradition says) there is supposed to be a vein which goes directly from that finger to the heart—i.e., the seat of love. Also, not everyone wears that wedding ring on the third finger of the LEFT hand. In some traditions, such as the Jewish one, it is worn on the right hand. Also, I'm given to understand that nuns ("brides of Christ") wear a wedding ring, again on the right hand.

To prevent evil spirits from entering the bodies of their male children, parents dressed them in blue. Blue was chosen because it's the color of the sky and was therefore associated with heavenly spirits.

Girls weren't dressed in blue, apparently because people didn't think that evil spirits would bother with them. Eventually, however, girls did get their own color: pink. Pink was chosen because of an old English legend which said that girls were born inside of pink roses.

The famous Citgo sign near Fenway Park in Boston is maintained not by Citgo, but by Boston's historical society.

In the 1700's you could purchase insurance against going to hell, in London England.

The Aztec Indians of Mexico believed turquoise would protect them from physical harm, and so warriors used these green and blue stones to decorate their battle shields.

Black cats are considered lucky in England.

Long ago, the people of Nicaragua believed that if they threw beautiful young women into a volcano it would stop erupting.

In medieval times, thunderstorms were believed by some to be the work of demons. So when it stormed, bell ringers would go up into the bell towers to ring the consecrated bells in an effort to stop the storm. This practice didn't always work out well for the bell ringer.

No one knows where the expression "to grin like a Cheshire cat" originated, but it wasn't with Carroll. The Cheshire cat is a well-known character in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but the expression, meaning a sneering smile that shows the gums, existed long before he wrote the book. There is no such breed of cat.

Superstition says that the left side is the wrong side of the bed.

Aphrodite was the Greek goddess of love.

The ace of spades in a playing card deck symbolizes death.

The dove is considered the symbol of peace.

Ra was the sun god of ancient Egypt.

The mythical figure Father Time carries an hourglass and a scythe.

It's a myth that owls don't hunt in the daytime because they can't see in daylight. It's just that rats and mice, the main items on owl menus, are most active after dark.

Many sailors believe a cat on board a ship means a lucky trip.

The mythical Scottish town of Brigadoon appears for one day every 100 years.

January is named for the Roman god Janus.

Influenza got its name from that fact that people believed the disease was because of the evil "influence" of stars.

During the middle ages, it was widely believed that men had one less rib than woman. This is because of the story in the Bible that Eve had been created out of Adam's rib.

The seven deadly sins (sins serious enough to kill one's soul) are currently anger, envy, pride, sloth, lust, gluttony, and covetousness. They haven't always been so, however. Originally, there were eight deadly sins (as proposed by Avagrius of Pontus). The eight (in order of increasing severity) were gluttony, lust, avarice, sadness, anger, apathy, vainglory, and pride. Gregory the Great later decided that vainglory and pride were too much alike to be counted separately and combined them. He added envy. Later still, the Roman Catholic Church decided sadness wasn't a sin, and added sloth. Somewhere along the way, apathy was dropped as well.

Hindu men once believed it to be unluckily to marry a third time. They could avoid misfortune by marrying a tree first. The tree (his third wife) was then burnt, freeing him to marry again.

When christening a ship, instead of using champagne, the Vikings would sacrifice a human being.

The Vikings also thought the spirits of the murdered person would guide and guard the craft.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2006, 01:55:08 AM by K A I N »
 

K A I N

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Re: Myths
« Reply #1 on: January 31, 2006, 01:54:27 AM »
At last check, the governor of Arkansas makes $60,000 a year. His salary is the lowest of all 50 states. A dozen or so states pay their governors more than $100,000 year, generally the more populous states. California pays its governor $131,000. Illinois comes in second at $130,000 and change, with New York, a close third at $130,000 even.

Lyndon B. Johnson was the first president of the United States to wear contact lenses.

President Teddy Roosevelt died from an "infected tooth."

Money man Cornelius Vanderbilt was an insomniac and a believer in the occult. He was not able to fall asleep unless each leg of his bed was planted in a dished filled with salt. He felt this kept out the evil spirits. It also kept out the snails, ants, and anyone with high blood pressure.

Artist Andy Warhol became famous for his painting of Campbell's Soup cans. Before that - he made his living painting shoes for advertisements.

Flamenco dancer Jose Greco took out an insurance policy through Lloyd's of London against his pants splitting during a performance.

President Woodrow Wilson wrote all of his speeches in longhand.

Television horse Mr. Ed was foaled in 1949 in El Monte, California. Mr. Ed's original name was Bamboo Harvester. Raised as a parade and show horse he was once owned by the president of the California Palomino Society. He died in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, on February 28, 1979, at 30 years old. Tahlequah was also the "home office" for "Late Night with David Letterman's Top Ten List" for several years.

President Theodore Roosevelt was the first to announce to the world that Maxwell House coffee is "Good to the last drop."

Lloyd Vernet Bridges III is the birth name of actor Beau Bridges. He was given the nickname "Beau" by his family, reportedly after Ashley Wilkes's son in the classic 1939 film "Gone With the Wind."

On April 14th, 1910, President Howard Taft began a sports tradition by throwing out the first baseball of the season. That happened at an American League game between Washington and Philadelphia. Washington won, 3-0.

Roosevelt was the most superstitious president—he traveled continually but never left on a Friday. He also would not sit at the same table that held thirteen other people.

George Washington was deathly afraid of being buried alive. After he died, he wanted to be laid out for three days just to make sure he was dead.

Richard Nixon's favorite drink was a dry martini.

Julius Caesar was self-conscious about his receding hairline.

James Buchanon is said to have had the neatest handwriting of all the Presidents.

Richard Nixon left instructions for "California, here I come" to be the last piece of music played (slowly and softly) were he to die in office.

The only president to be head of a labor union was Ronald Reagan.

When the Hoovers did not want to be overheard by White House guests, they spoke to each other in Chinese  ;D

Robert Kennedy was killed in the Ambassador Hotel, the same hotel that housed Marilyn Monroe's first modeling agency.

Benjamin Franklin lived at 141 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA.

Theodore Roosevelt was the only U.S. president to deliver an inaugural address without using the word "I". Abraham Lincoln, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower tied for second place, using "I" only once in their inaugural addresses.

A short time before Lincoln's assassination, he dreamed he was going to die, and he related his dream to the Senate.

When John Wilkes Booth leaped onto the stage after shooting the President, he tripped—on the American flag.

Paul Cezanne had a parrot who he taught to say, "Cezanne is a great painter."

George Washington had to borrow money so he could travel to his inauguration.

Lyndon Johnson died one mile from the house he was born in.

Grover Cleveland answered the White House phone, personally.

Calvin Coolidge was sworn into office by his own father.

Theodore Roosevelt was blind in his left eye.

Charlie Chaplin was so popular during the 1920s and 1930s, he received over 73,00 letters in just 2 days during a visit to London.

Warren Harding was the first US president who could drive a car.

George Washington died the last hour of the last day of the last week of the last month of the last year of the 18th century.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to ride in an automobile, fly on a plane, and go underwater in a submarine.

JFK was the first president born in the 20th century.

Thomas Jefferson was once given a 1,235 pound hunk of cheese, giving us the term "the big cheese."

President McKinley was shot while shaking hands with spectators.

Theodore Roosevelt's wife and mother both died on Feb. 14, 1884.

Lincoln was shot on Good Friday.

James Garfield often gave campaign speeches in German.

George Washington died after being bled by leeches.

Leslie Lynch King, Jr. is the birth name of American President Gerald. R. Ford. Ford was the son of Leslie Lynch King and his wife Dorothy Ayer Gardner, who divorced soon after the birth of their only child. When his mother married Gerald R. Ford, Sr. in 1916, he adopted the name Gerald R. Ford, Jr.

Noah Webster was referred to as "the walking question mark" during his student days at Yale.

Ellen DeGeneres was the first stand-up comedian Johnny Carson ever asked to sit on "The Tonight Show" guest couch during a first appearance.

Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla became the first non-Italian pope in 455 years on October 17, 1978. He was inaugurated six days later in a mass at St. Peter's Square, becoming John Paul II.

Entertainers who worked in the pizza business before they became famous include Stephen Baldwin, who was a pizza parlor employee, Bill Murray, who was a pizza maker, and Jean-Claude Van Damme, who delivered pizzas. Many years back, Julia Roberts and Christie Brinkley both sold ice cream. Before she made it as a pop singer, Madonna sold doughnuts at Dunkin' Donuts. And in the burger arena, Jennifer Aniston was a waitress at a burger joint, Queen Latifah worked at Burger King, and Andie McDowell was employed by McDonald's.

Lyndon Johnson's First Family all had initials LBJ. Lyndon Baines Johnson, Lady Bird Johnson, Linda Bird Johnson and Lucy Baines Johnson. And his dog, Little Beagle Johnson.

Orson Welles is buried in an olive orchard on a ranch owned by his friend, matador Antonio Ordonez in Sevilla, Spain.

The concerti on the two Voyager probes' information are performed by famed Canadian pianist Glenn Gould.

Jonathan Davids, lead singer for Korn, played in his high school bagpipe band.

John F. Kennedy's rocking chair was auctioned off for $442,000.

David Atchison, as president pro tempore of the Senate in 1849, was U-S president for one day - Sunday, March 4th - pending the inauguration of President-elect Zachary Taylor on Monday, March 5th.

Shangri-la, the presidential hideaway near Thurmont, Maryland, was renamed Camp David in honor of President Dwight D. Eisenhower's father and grandson on May 22, 1953.

Actor Steve McQueen encouraged his karate teacher to pursue a career in acting. The teacher? Chuck Norris. McQueen is quoted as telling Norris, "If you can't do anything else' there's always acting."
Thank McQueen

First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt ate three chocolate-covered garlic balls every morning. Her doctor suggested this to improve her memory.

Rap artist Sean "Puffy" Combs had his first job at age two when he modeled in an ad for Baskin-Robbins ice-cream shops.

One year, Elvis Presley paid 91% of his annual income to the IRS.

Steven Spielberg is Drew Barrymore's godfather. After seeing her nude in Playboy magazine, he sent her a blanket with a note telling her to cover herself up.

Mao Zedong, like many Chinese of his time, refused to brush his teeth. Instead, he rinsed his mouth with tea and chewed the leaves. Why brush? "Does a tiger brush his teeth?" argued Mao. As you can imagine, his teeth were green. Chairman Mao also loved to chain-smoke English cigarettes, when his doctor asked him to cut down, he explained that "smoking is also a form of deep-breathing exercise, don't you think?"

In 1977, the legendary Groucho Marx died three days after Elvis Presley died. Unfortunately, due to the fevered commotion caused by Presley's unanticipated death, the media paid little attention to the passing of this brilliant comic. Groucho, with his talented brothers (Chico, Harpo, and Zeppo), starred in irreverent films in the 1920's through 1940's, including "Duck Soup", "A Night at the Opera", "Love Happy," and "A Day at the Races." For five decades, Groucho had worked in the industry as an actor, comedian, TV game show host, and writer, and he won an Emmy in the early days of television for Outstanding Personality.

U.S. President Millard Fillmore's mother feared he may have been mentally retarded.

Theodore Roosevelt's mother and first wife died on the same day in 1884.

Alexander the Great was tutored by Aristotle.

Galileo became totally blind just before his death. This is probably because of his constant gazing at the sun through his telescope.

O.J. Simpson had a severe case of rickets and wore leg braces when he was a child.

Mark Twain first learned to ride a bicycle at age 55.

Vincent Van Gogh painted his last painting, "Cornfield with Crows," and shot himself at age 37.

Ice Cube's real name is O'Shea Jackson.

Actor Robert De Niro played the part of the Cowardly Lion in his elementary schools production of The Wizard of Oz. De Niro was 10 at the time.

During a stage revival of the musical The King and I, star Yul Brynner reportedly acted like a prima donna, making frustrating demands of the cast and crew. One incident that escalated the friction was the London Palladium's backstage pay phone. Brynner said the phone's ringing woke him during naps, so he requested a private phone be installed in his newly redecorated dressing room (which cost $65,000 to make-over). He then had the public phone disconnected. Reportedly, cast members retaliated by pouring glue on his dressing room doorknob.

I suppose someone should mention that Mae West never said "Come up and see me sometime." She said "Come on up sometime and see me." Cary Grant never said "Judy, Judy, Judy," and Cagney never said "You dirty rat..."

While we're at it, Marie Antoinette never said "Let them eat cake." That callous phrase was originally (falsely) attributed to the wife of Louis XIV, the Sun King, two generations before the Austrian daughter of Maria Theresa ever made the trip to France. It bred a lot of bad feelings, but she never said it. What she DID say, as she walked up the stairs to the guillotine and stepped on the foot of the executioner, was "Forgive me sir. I did not mean to do it."

Mary Todd once dated both Abe Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. She chose Lincoln because he showed more promise, and she was right - he was good at everything but ducking.

Robert E. Lee, of the Confederate Army, remains the only person, to date, to have graduated from the West Point military academy without a single demerit.

So far, nine presidents were elected in years divisible by 20. Six died before their term ended: William Henry Harrison (1840), Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Harding (1920), and Kennedy (1960). Franklin D. Roosevelt was reelected in 1940 but died in 1945, after his 1944 reelection. So that's really seven out of nine. Maybe they should be running from, not for the office this year.

James Garfield, 20th President of the United States, lived in the White House with his mother.

Although John F. Kennedy was reportedly an accomplished yo-yo player, the yo-yo that has commanded the highest price at auction was autographed by President Nixon. This yo-yo was given to "King of Country Music" Roy Acuff onstage at the Grand Ole Opry in 1972, after Nixon introduced Acuff's act. Acuff was famous for yo-yoing on stage and encouraged the President to try. Luckily, the President's awkward performance was captured in a classic news wire photo. The yo-yo fetched $16,029.00 at Acuff's estate auction.

Abraham Lincoln's political experience before he became president was a two year term in the House of Representatives.

After telling the press he was an expert in hand gestures, President George Bush gave the "V-for-Victory" sign as he drove in his armored limousine past demonstrators in Canberra, Australia's capital in January 1992. In Australia, holding up two fingers to form a "V" has the same vulgar meaning as the middle-finger gesture in the United States. The Aussie demonstrators were enraged, and they signaled in the same manner back at the U.S. President. Pres. Bush later apologized for his faux pas.

Alexander Hamilton has been credited with writing George Washington's famous Farewell Address.

Johnny Carson was born in Corning, Iowa and grew up in Norfolk, Nebraska.

Against Army regulations, George Armstrong Custer often wore a blue velvet uniform.

Prince Harry and Prince William are uncircumcised.

Walt Disney named Mickey Mouse after Mickey Rooney, whose mother he dated for some time.

Theodore Roosevelt, a staunch conservationist, banned Christmas trees in his home, even when he lived in the White House. His children, however, smuggled them into their bedrooms.

The first Michelin Man costume (Bidenbum) was worn by none other than Col. Harlan Sanders of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame.

William Howard Taft is the only man ever to be President AND Chief Justice. The US Supreme Court appointment came second and was a job Taft enjoyed much more than the presidency.

W.C. Fields, the great 1930s movie comedian and famous misanthrope, died on Christmas, the holiday he despised. Of all the notable quotes that issued from this notorious curmudgeon, the most often quoted, said to be from his California tombstone, is "All things considered, I'd rather be in Philadelphia."

Did you know that Goofy actually started life as 'Dippy Dawg,' a combination of both Goofy and Pluto.

In January 1950, actor John Wayne placed his hand prints in wet cement at Grumman's Chinese Theatre (now Mann's Chinese Theatre) in Hollywood. Sand used in the cement reportedly was brought from Iwo Jima, in tribute to his performance in the 1949 film "Sands of Iwo Jima". This event marked the 90th such ceremony in the "Forecourt of the Stars" at the famous theater.

Felix the Cat is the first cartoon character to ever have been made into a balloon for a parade.

According to one source, Americans buy about 5 million things that are shaped like Mickey Mouse, or have a picture of Mickey Mouse on them, in the course of one day.

George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams were all avid collectors and players of marbles. In their day, marbles were called "small bowls" and were as popular with adults as with children.

Pepin the Short, King of the Franks from 751 to 768 AD was four feet six inches tall. His wife was known as Bertha of the Big Foot.

George Washington's face was badly scarred from smallpox.

King Alfonso of Spain (1886 to 1931), was so tone-deaf that he had one man in his employ known as the Anthem Man. This man's duty was to tell the king to stand up whenever the Spanish national anthem was played, because the monarch couldn't recognize it.

Gerald Ford was one of the members of the Warren Commission appointed to study the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Bette Davis was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis in Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 5, 1908.

She passed away from cancer October 6, 1989.

Bette Davis appeared in more than 100 films between 1931 and 1989. She made her first film called Way Back Home in 1931.

She was 5' 3 1/2" tall.

Lucille Ball was her classmate at John Murray Anderson's Dramatic School.

In the 1950's she suffered osteomyelitis of the jaw and had to have part of her jaw removed.

Joan Crawford and Davis had feuded for years & during the making of "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Bette had a Coca-Cola machine installed on the set due to Joan Crawford's affiliation with Pepsi. (Joan was the widow of Pepsi's CEO.) Joan got her revenge by putting weights in her pockets when Davis had to drag Crawford across the floor during certain scenes.

On her tombstone is written "She did it the hard way."

Bette was married four times, her last to actor Gary Merrill which lasted ten years, longer than any of the previous three.

The only role she didn't get that she wanted in 1939 was Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind." Warners wouldn't loan her to David O. Selznick unless he hired Errol Flynn to play Rhett Butler, which both Selznick and Davis thought was a terrible choice.

Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

Charlie Chaplin once won third prize in a Charlie Chaplin look alike contest.

Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokesmodel.

Tennis pro Evonne Goolagong's last name means "kangaroo's nose" in Australia's aboriginal language.

When he was a child, Blaise Pascal once locked himself in his room for several days and would not allow anyone to enter. When he emerged, he had figured out all of Euclid's geometrical propositions totally on his own.

Meg Ryan turned down plum lead parts in the films "Steel Magnolias," "Pretty Woman," and "Silence of the Lambs." A few years after her rejection of "Silence of the Lambs," which earned Jodie Foster a Best Actress Oscar, Ryan disclosed to Barbara Walters in a television interview that she had felt the role "was dangerous and a little ugly. I felt it was too dark - for me."

By age 16, Andre the Giant (who's real name is Andre Russimof) was 6'10' tall. He had a rare glandular disorder that made his body continue to grow. Even as he died, his body was still growing.

The first U.S. president to use a telephone was James Garfield.

Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky was financed by a wealthy widow for thirteen years. She stipulated that they never meet and they didn't.

In her entire lifetime, Spain's Queen Isabella (1451-1504) bathed twice.

Abigail Adams was the wife of John Adams, second president of the US, and mother of John Quincy Adams, who became the sixth US president in 1825. Her grandson, Charles Adam, also aimed to be president, but failed to get his party's nomination.

Before he pursued his acting career, Jack Nicholson worked as an office boy in MGM's cartoon department.

Charles Dickens worked in a shoe polish factory at age 12.

Marvin Hamlisch became the youngest pupil ever at the Julliard School of Music - at age 7.

At age 13, Carl Sandburg quit school to work as a day laborer.

Herman Melville shipped aboard the whaler "Acushnet," at age 21. He later wrote a book from the experience.

Mother Teresa, who devoted her life to the poor in India, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.

When 7-year-old Shirley Temple’s life was insured with Lloyd’s, the contract stipulated that no benefits would be paid if the child film star met with death or injury while intoxicated.

Noah Webster was referred to as "the walking question mark" during his student days at Yale.

Frank Sinatra was once quoted as saying rock 'n' roll was only played by 'cretinous goons'.

Grover Cleveland, the 24th president of the US, worked briefly as an executioner before becoming president. He hung at least two convicted criminals.

The music hall entertainer Nosmo King derived his stage name from a 'No Smoking' sign.

Humphrey Bogart was related to Princess Diana.

Winston Churchill, prime minister of England during World War II, superstitiously feared January 24 because he was certain it was destined to be the day of his death. Churchill's father had died on that date. Churchill did indeed die on January 24, 1965.

Hitler was claustrophobic. They had to install a mirror in an elevator just to keep him from being scared.

Desi Arnaz's (Ricky Ricardo from "I Love Lucy") father was mayor of Santiago, Cuba, and his mother the daughter of one of the founders of Bacardi Rum. His family went into exile after the coup that brought Fulgencio Batista to power in 1934. The family made its new home in Miami, Florida. Desi's best friend in high school - Al Capone, Jr.

More than 100 descendants of Johann Sebastian Bach have been cathedral organists.

Seattle Seahawk quarterback, Matt Hasselbeck, has been struck by lightning twice in his life.


"I'm not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I'm not dumb... and I also know I'm not blonde." -Dolly Parton

"You see a lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy."—Erica Jong

Writer Director Actor Albert Brooks real name is Albert Einstein.

The Taco Bell dog is a girl. Her name is Gidget.

Howard Hughes once made half a billion dollars in one day. In 1966, he received a bank draft for $546,549,171.00 in return for his 75% holdings in TWA.

Before they became famous, many entertainers worked in sales. Among them, Johnny Cash sold appliances, Rue McClanahan sold blouses, Boris Karloff sold real estate, Leonard Nimoy sold vacuum cleaners, and George Takei sold men's ties.

Thomas Marshall (1854-1925), U.S. vice-president, once remarked "What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar."

William Shatner went to Balfour Collegiate (Regina, Saskatchewan) during his high school years.

President John Tyler had fifteen children.

March 2 is Dr. Seuss' birthday.

Attila the Hun was a dwarf. Pepin the Short, Aesop, Gregory the Tours, Charles 3 of Naples, and the Pasha Hussein were all less than 3.5 feet tall.

President Grover Cleveland was a draft dodger. He hired someone to enter the service in his place, for which he was ridiculed by his political opponent, James G. Blaine. It was soon discovered, however, that Blaine had done the same thing himself.

Rita Moreno is the first and only entertainer to have received all 4 of America's top entertainment industry awards: the Oscar, the Emmy, the Tony and the Grammy.

Sharon Stone was the first Star Search spokesmodel.

James Doohan, who plays Lt. Commander Montgomery Scott on Star Trek, is missing his entire middle finger on his right hand.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger paid $772,500 for President John F. Kennedy's golf clubs at a 1996 auction.

The author of Roberts' Rules of Order, Col. Roberts of the U. S. Corps of Engineers, is also famous as the engineer in charge of designing the Seawall in Galveston, Texas. This Seawall was constructed after the famous hurricane of 1900 which hit Galveston, killing thousands.

The founder of JC Penny had the name of James Cash Penny.

Michael Jackson was black. :)

Dick Clark of American Bandstand fame is the host of the CBS trivia game show "Winning Lines". Clark is also the producer of rival network Fox's game show "Greed".

Whoopi Goldberg was a mortuary cosmetologist and a bricklayer before becoming an actress.

Before he became famous for his TV comedy work, the late Phil Hartman worked as a talented and respected graphic designer. In fact, he was the designer of the logo for Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

The famous Impressionist painter Claude Monet won 100,000 francs in the state lottery. The money made him financially independent.

Talk show host Montel Williams had a nose job.

Arnold Schwarzenegger began his transition from Austrian bodybuilder into an American film star when he made his screen debut in 1970 under the name "Arnold Strong" in "Hercules Goes Bananas."

At the 1970 Oscar ceremonies, buxom Raquel Welch presented the award for best "special visual effects."

At age 16 Confucius was a corn inspector.

When Franklin D. Roosevelt died on April 12, 1945, Harry Truman became the first U.S. President to take office in the midst of a war.

Robert Redford attended the University of Colorado on a baseball scholarship.

Salvador Dali once arrived to an art exhibition in a limousine filled with turnips.

Thomas Jefferson anonymously submitted design plans for the White House. They were rejected.

During World War II, W.C. Fields kept US $50,000 in Germany 'in case the little bastard wins'.

For a while Frederic Chopin, the composer and pianist, wore a beard on only one side of his face. 'It does not matter,' he explained. 'My audience sees only my right side.'

Clark Gable used to shower more than 4 times a day.

Charles Dickens kept the head of his bed aligned with the North Pole. He believed that the earth's magnetic field would pass longitudinal through his body and ensure him a good night rest.

Grace Bedell, age 11, wrote Abe Lincoln with a suggestion. She urged Lincoln to grow a beard. If he did, she'd try to get her four brothers to vote for him as president. Lincoln won the election in November - then grew a beard.

Mae West was once dubbed 'The statue of Libido'.

Jimmy Carter is a speed reader (2000 wpm).

Adam Sandler and Bill Gates rank number 1 and 2 among the most popular role models with male college freshmen.

Aldous Huxley, author of Brave New World, learned Braille so that he could rest his eyes and still read. Huxley's eyes pained him when he read too much and his eyesight was failing. One of the benefits of learning Braille, Huxley said, was being able to read in the bed in the dark.

When young and impoverished, Pablo Picasso kept warm by burning his own paintings.

In 1996, Ringo Starr appeared in a Japanese advertisement for applesauce, which coincidentally is what his name means in Japanese.

Bob Dole is 10 years older than the Empire State Building.

Before coming to the White House, Nancy and Ronald Reagan were actors. During their earlier careers each was involved in a performance that foreshadowed their later lives. In 1939, the then Nancy Davis had one line in a high school play called, eerily enough, "First Lady." It was, "They ought to elect the First Lady and then let her husband be president." She and her future husband also appeared in an episode of the "General Electric TV Theater" called "A Turkey for the President".

John Lennon's middle name was Winston.

The opera singer Enrico Caruso practiced in the bath, while accompanied by a pianist in a nearby room.

Before beginning his movie career, Keanu Reeves managed a pasta shop in Toronto, Canada.

Anthea Turner, Walt Disney, Tom Cruise, Susan Hampshire, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Edison, Henry Winkler, Cher, Brian Conley, and Leonardo DaVinci are, or were, dyslexic.

Early in his career, William F. Buckley, Jr. was employed as a Spanish teacher at Yale.

While at Harvard University, Edward Kennedy was suspended for cheating on a Spanish exam.

George Washington grew marijuana in his garden.

Lillian Gish has the longest movie career of any actress, having debuted as a 19 year old in An Unseen Enemy (1912), and making her last appearance in Whales of August (1987). Miss Gish was born in 1893.

The first president to appear on television was Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was seen by U.S. viewers at the opening of the New York World's Fair on April 30, 1939.

Mystery writer Agatha Christie acquired her extensive knowledge of poisons while working in a hospital dispensary during World War I.

Howard Hughes' original fortune came from his father's invention of an oil drill bit capable of boring through subterranean rock.

The first U.S. president to use a telephone was James Garfield.

Recording star Vanilla Ice's real name is Robert Van Winkle.

Shirley Temple made $1 million by the age of 10.

The first U.S. president to visit Moscow was Richard Nixon.

King Kong was Adolf Hitler's favorite movie.

Mickey Mouse was the first non-human to win an Oscar.

James Dean died in a Porsche Spider. [Webmaster's Note: James Dean died outside of Paso Robles, California, about a half an hour north of my home.]

Napoleon was terrified of cats.

Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger bought the first Hummer manufactured for civilian use in 1992. The vehicle weighed in at 6,300 lbs and was 7 feet wide.

When asked to name his favorite among all his paintings, Pablo Picasso replied "the next one."

The godfather of actress Winona Ryder was the late Dr. Timothy Leary, LSD guru of the 1960s. Winona’s father, Michael Horowitz, served at one time as Leary’s archivist and ran a bookstore called Flashback Books. Additionally, her parents were politically active intellectuals, and Beat poet Allen Ginsberg was a good family friend.

Reportedly, Virginia Woolf wrote all her books while standing.

When Errol Flynn appeared as a contestant on the mid-1950s TV quiz show The Big Surprise, he was questioned about sailing and won $30,000.

Before he catapulted to fame, Bob Dylan was paid $50 in 1960 for playing the harmonica on a Harry Belafonte album.

John F. Kennedy and Warren Harding were the only United States presidents to be survived by their fathers.

Ignce Paderewski, one of the greatest concert pianists of all time, was also premier of Poland.

Richard M. Nixon, as a young naval officer in World War II, set up the only hamburger stand in the South Pacific. Nixon's Snack Shack served free burgers and Australian beer to flight crews.

On "forever-39" Jack Benny's 80th birthday, Frank Sinatra gave him two copies of the book "Life Begins at Forty."

When Yul Brynner had hair, it was dark brown.

Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great, and Dostoyevsky were all epileptics.

President Theodore Roosevelt wrote 37 books.

Vincent Van Gogh shot and killed himself while painting "Wheatfield with Crows."

Bill Cosby was the first black to win a best actor Emmy.

Ronald Reagan's first wife was Jane Wyman.

Abraham Lincoln had a wart on his face.

Princess Grace was once on the board of 20th Century-Fox.
« Last Edit: January 31, 2006, 02:26:52 AM by K A I N »
 

nibs

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Re: Myths | Famous people |
« Reply #2 on: January 31, 2006, 04:02:33 PM »

Some people consider the $1 bill unlucky because there are so many 13's on it: 13 stars, 13 stripes, 13 steps, 13 arrows and even an olive branch with 13 leaves on it. Of course the $1 bill is unlucky - if it was lucky it would be a $100 bill.

does that mean the whole u.s. is unlucky as it began with 13 colonies?

The name of the legendary Lady Godiva's horse - Aethenoth

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Ancient Greeks wove marjoram into funeral wreaths and put them on the graves of loved ones. The wreaths served as prayers for the happiness of the deceased in a future life.

nothing strange about that...

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The Vikings believed that the Northern lights which are seen from time to time in the north sky were caused by the flashing armor and spears of Odin's handmaidens as they rode out to collect warriors slain in battle.

has this ever been disproven?

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Theodore Roosevelt's wife and mother both died on Feb. 14, 1884.

was his wife and mother the same person?

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So far, nine presidents were elected in years divisible by 20. Six died before their term ended: William Henry Harrison (1840), Lincoln (1860), Garfield (1880), McKinley (1900), Harding (1920), and Kennedy (1960). Franklin D. Roosevelt was reelected in 1940 but died in 1945, after his 1944 reelection. So that's really seven out of nine. Maybe they should be running from, not for the office this year.

hopefully george w bush (2000) will make it 8 out of 10, ronald reagan (1980) was shot, so the hope remains...

"a four letter word is going out to every single enemy" - kam
 

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Re: Myths | Famous people |
« Reply #3 on: January 31, 2006, 11:27:23 PM »
ronald regan is a beast, that guy had so many diseases, i guess the curse is falling off a little, because reagan was unhelathy as fucc and bush isnt having much lucc as is
 

akaDRooPY

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Re: Myths | Famous people |
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2006, 12:07:22 AM »
good shit