fifty factoids
Created on: July 25th, 2010
true story bro
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The word assassin is derived from the Arabic word Hashshashin[2], referred to the Persian designation of the Nizari branch of the Ismā'īlī Shia under the instruction of Hassan aṣ-Ṣabbaḥ during the Middle Ages. They were active in the fort of Alamut in Iran from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries. This group killed members of the Arab Abbasid, Seljuq and crusaders élite for political and religious reasons, but mostly targeted the knights Templar and the ruling Sunni kings[3] in the name of the Fatimid Shia Sultans of Egypt.[citation needed] Later, after Egypt became Sunni during the campaigns of Saladin, Assassins continued on their own account.[citation needed]
Although commonly believed that assassins were under the influence of hashish during their killings or during their indoctrination, there is continued debate within the historical community whether these claims have any merit, as direct evidence from any contemporary source, Nizari or otherwise, is non-existent. Marco Polo and subsequent European visitors to the area received from rivals of the Nizarai, what were to these opponents, derogatory names for the Nizarai Ismaili, and significantly embroidered stories about them. Polo, Henry II, Count of Champagne, William Marsden, an envoy of Frederick Barbarossa, William, Archbishop of Tyre and others following, popularized the names and stories in Europe, oblivious to their origin in factional propaganda.[4]
The earliest known literary use of the word assassination is in Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1605)
Although commonly believed that assassins were under the influence of hashish during their killings or during their indoctrination, there is continued debate within the historical community whether these claims have any merit, as direct evidence from any contemporary source, Nizari or otherwise, is non-existent. Marco Polo and subsequent European visitors to the area received from rivals of the Nizarai, what were to these opponents, derogatory names for the Nizarai Ismaili, and significantly embroidered stories about them. Polo, Henry II, Count of Champagne, William Marsden, an envoy of Frederick Barbarossa, William, Archbishop of Tyre and others following, popularized the names and stories in Europe, oblivious to their origin in factional propaganda.[4]
The earliest known literary use of the word assassination is in Macbeth by William Shakespeare (1605)
Testify comes from Latin for "Witness". Testicle thus means "Little Witness". Nobody seems quite sure why the Romans called them that, but they are sure they never swore on them.
The plural of octopus is octopuses. The plural of anything ending in "-us" is "-uses" because we are speaking ENGLISH not LATIN. Even if you wanted to be an ultra-pretentious douchebag, octopus has Greek roots, not Latin, so to achieve proper douchbaggary you should use the Greek plural, Octopodes.
Drains flow in a random direction depending on their angle and imperfections, regardless of hemisphere. However, all northern hemisphere toilets flush clockwise, and all southern toilets flush counter-clockwise. This is because designers mistakenly thought that the Coriolis effect would disrupt flow if it flushed the wrong way. However, they got it backwards, as Coriolis makes things move counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere.
The plural of octopus is octopuses. The plural of anything ending in "-us" is "-uses" because we are speaking ENGLISH not LATIN. Even if you wanted to be an ultra-pretentious douchebag, octopus has Greek roots, not Latin, so to achieve proper douchbaggary you should use the Greek plural, Octopodes.
Drains flow in a random direction depending on their angle and imperfections, regardless of hemisphere. However, all northern hemisphere toilets flush clockwise, and all southern toilets flush counter-clockwise. This is because designers mistakenly thought that the Coriolis effect would disrupt flow if it flushed the wrong way. However, they got it backwards, as Coriolis makes things move counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere.
Also, Trivialis, meaning in Latin "Three roads" literally, actually meant "Street Corner". Trivialis also came to mean "Street Knowledge" in the same sense that we use that phrase now. So, something trivial was something common. This eventually changed to something that is so easy anybody can do it. Things would be dismissed as trivial (and thus not worth discussing). Trivia is the plural of trivial. So, it's a collection of things that have little or no point in talking about.
"It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States than it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to and from the New World."
The government of Spain financed those journeys for the most part rather than Columbus himself, I think, (feel free to correct that) so that could technically be true. But I don't think that's what the creator intended here. How much did the journeys cost total in 2010 dollars? After ships, men, equipment and the like? Surely it must've come up more than $30,000ish.
The government of Spain financed those journeys for the most part rather than Columbus himself, I think, (feel free to correct that) so that could technically be true. But I don't think that's what the creator intended here. How much did the journeys cost total in 2010 dollars? After ships, men, equipment and the like? Surely it must've come up more than $30,000ish.
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