Category Fun Facts

WHAT WAS THE FIRST VIRAL MEME IN MODERN HISTORY?

Kilroy was the loved mascot of the American GIs and one of the first viral memes in modern history. For nearly a decade wherever the American troops went the simple doodle of a big-nosed, bald man, peering over a wall, accompanied by the inscription “Kilroy was here” followed.

In the latter half of the Second World War, Kilroy was everywhere. Chalked or drawn into every surface imaginable. He became the universal symbol of the American GI tracing the movement of the American armed forces from North Africa to Italy, from France to Germany, and across the vast Pacific ocean to the heart of the Japanese Empire.

Kilroy was so ubiquitous on the allied artillery shells and bombs that Adolf Hitler actually believed him to be an actual secret agent and ordered his security forces to track him down and eliminate him.

A symbol of Rebellion

World War II veterans described Kilroy as an integral symbol for maintaining troop morale. To them, this simple doodle was comfort and a little bit of rebellion, because the soldiers were strictly told to stop drawing the military graffito nonetheless, the cartoon spread all across the world.

Soldiers recalled that no matter how bad it got crawling out of the foxhole every day when they found a Kilroy sketch they would know someone had been there before and survived.

Kilroy survived the war

Kilroy survived well past the end of the war continuously popping up in the most unexpected places. Throughout the 1940s and the 1950s, it was an indispensable part of American culture. It was even incorporated in a classic 1948 loony toons film titled Haredevil Hare, where bugs bunny who believes himself to be the first creature to land on the moon is utterly shocked when he stumbles across a boulder with the iconic doodle and the words ‘Kilroy was here.

Where did Kilroy come from?

The true origin story behind the meme has been a topic of discussion ever since Kilroy became a cultural symbol. However, there is no singular story behind the icon or its creator.

One of the most widely accepted accounts on the subject leads us to the narrative of James J. Kilroy, a shipyard inspector who tracked his inspected work by marking it with the words ‘Kilroy was here. According to the legend, as the parts travelled the world, Gls paired it with a funny cartoon and the military graffito was born.

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WHY DO BIRDS FLY IN A V FORMATION?

Many large birds such as geese, ducks, and swan fly in well-defined V formations, especially during migrations. It is their method of conserving energy so that they can fly long distances without taking a break. The V formation also helps birds maintain visual contact with one another. As each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift at the tip of its wing. This reduces the air resistance for the bird flying behind. Thus the bird at the lead position works the hardest to break through the air. Therefore, after some time another bird takes over the position.

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WHY DO FORMULA ONE (F1) DRIVERS USUALLY HAVE THICK NECKS?

While turning corners at high speeds, F1 drivers experience up to four times the normal force of gravity. This means that if a drivers head weighs about four kg, it will momentarily become as heavy as 16 kg while he is turning the corner. “I know of no other sport that places such high demands on the neck muscles,” says Riccardo Ceccarelli, F1 doctor. The head and F1 helmet together weigh about six kg. Therefore, while turning a corner in a Grand Prix race, the neck has to support about 24 kg, he explains. Racing car drivers spend hours strengthening neck muscles with gym equipment designed specifically for the neck.

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WHY IS THE BALLPOINT PEN CALLED SO?

The ballpoint pen has a hollow body in which an ink refill is inserted. The tip of the refill has a tiny ball made of brass, steel, or tungsten carbide, a part of which is in contact with the ink. The pen derives its name from this tiny metallic ball. As we write on paper, the side of the ball which is in contact with the ink touches the paper and leaves an ink impression. As the ball is fitted into a socket it can rotate freely as the pen slides over the paper enabling us to write smoothly. Most ballpoint pens depend on gravity to pull the thick ink to the ball. That is why it is difficult to write with a ballpoint pen when its point is higher than its bottom.

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HOW DO YOU SEPARATE A MIXTURE OF THE TWO?

My friend put a little salt (the coarse variety) on the table, and then mixed some pepper in it. He asked me if I could separate the two.

I said it was impossible. He rubbed a plastic spoon with a piece of woollen cloth, and held it an inch or so above the mixture. The pepper jumped up to the spoon and stuck to it. In this way, he separated the pepper from the mixture.

Why did this happen?

The spoon had got negatively charged when he rubbed it with the wool. When my friend held it above the mixture, both the pepper and the salt were attracted to it, as they were uncharged bodies. The pepper being lighter flew up and got stuck to the spoon. If he had further lowered the spoon the salt too would have been pulled up to it.

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WHY IS BLACK FOREST CAKE CALLED BLACK FOREST CAKE?

The Black Forest cake is so called because it originated in the Black Forest region in Germany. The cake topped with shavings of chocolate and cherries is made up of layers of chocolate sponge cake, whipped cream and sour cherry brandy of the region.

Typically, Black Forest gateau consists of several layers of chocolate sponge cake sandwiched with whipped cream and cherries. It is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. In some European traditions, sour cherries are used both between the layers and for decorating the top. Traditionally, kirschwasser, a clear spirit made from sour cherries, is added to the cake. Other spirits are sometimes used, such as rum, which is common in Austrian recipes. German law mandates that any dessert labeled Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte must have kirschwasser.

The dessert is not directly named after the Black Forest mountain range in southwestern Germany.

According to one school of thought, the name is derived from the specialty liquor of that region, known as Schwarzwälder Kirsch(wasser), which is distilled from tart cherries. This is the ingredient that gives the dessert its distinctive cherry pit flavor and alcoholic content flavor.

Some sources claim that the name of the cake is inspired by the traditional costume of the women of the Black Forest region, with a characteristic hat with big, red pom-poms on top, called Bollenhut.

The confectioner Josef Keller [de] (1887–1981) claimed to have invented Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte in its present form in 1915 at the prominent Café Agner in Bad Godesberg, now a suburb of Bonn about 500 km (310 mi) north of the Black Forest. This claim, however, has never been substantiated.  A long time ago, cherries, cream, and Kirschwasser were combined in the form of a dessert in which cooked cherries were served with cream and Kirschwasser, originated in Black forest region famous for its cherry trees.

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte was first mentioned in writing in 1934.  At the time it was particularly associated with Berlin but was also available from high-class confectioners in other German, Austrian, and Swiss cities. In 1949 it took 13th place in a list of best-known German cakes.

Credit : Wikipedia 

Picture Credit : Google