AMAZING AND INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HISTORY

ü  The largest recorded snowflake was 15in wide and 8in thick. It fell in Montana in 1887.

ü  The coldest temperature ever measured on Earth was -129 Fahrenheit (-89 Celsius) at Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983.

ü  A 1960 Chilean earthquake was the strongest earthquake in recent times, which occurred off the coast, had a magnitude of 9.6 and broke a fault more than 1000 miles (1600 kilometers) long.

ü  In 1783 an Icelandic eruption threw up enough dust to temporarily block out the sun over Europe.

ü  The fastest 'regular' wind that's widely agreed upon was 231 mph (372 kph), recorded at Mount Washington, New Hampshire, on April 12, 1934.

ü  The first commercial transatlantic telephone call was between New York City and London and occurred on January 7, 1927.

ü  In the year 1935 the United States Congress announced the first Sunday of August as the National Friendship Day. It was initially declared a holiday in honor of friends.

ü  RT Pointing (Australian Cricketer) is the Youngest Centurions in the World Cup Cricket history, he was 21 years & 76 days old when he made the record in 1995-96 against West Indies at Jaipur (India).

ü  Black-eyed peas brought to the West Indies from West Africa by slaves, by earliest records in 1674.

ü  Norway has won the most medals (263) at the Winter Games & United States has won more medals (2,189) at the Summer Games than any other country.

ü  "The Boston Tea Party" took place in 1773, that was an act of direct action protest by the American colonists against British Government in which they destroyed many crates of tea bricks belonging to the British East India Company on ships in Boston Harbor.

ü  The first coast-to-coast telephone line was established in 1914.

ü  The first mass-produced toothbrush was made by William Addis of Clerkenwald, England, around 1780.

ü  The Olympic Hymn, played when the Olympic Flag is raised, was composed by Spyros Samaras and the words added by Kostis Palamas. The Olympic Hymn was first played at the 1896 Olympic Games in Athens but wasn't declared the official hymn by the IOC until 1957.

ü  On October 2002, Bill Clinton was given an honorary induction into the Arkansas Black Hall of Fame, becoming the first white person in the hall.

ü  The ancient Egyptians were the first to tame the cat (in about 3000 BC), and used them to control pests.

ü  The last Olympic gold medals that were made entirely out of gold were awarded in 1912.

ü  An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over a period of 80 years.

ü  The first Winter Olympic Games were held in Chamonix, France in 1924.

ü  President Calvin Coolidge, in 1924, supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Then in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. President Richard Nixon signed the law which finally made it permanent in 1972.

ü  India (413-5) beat Bermuda (156) on March 19, 2007, its Highest Margins of Victory by 257 runs in World Cup Cricket History.

ü  The earliest cockroach fossils are about 280 million years old.

ü  The early Olympic Games were celebrated as a religious festival from 776 B.C. until 393 A.D., when the games were banned for being a pagan festival (the Olympics celebrated the Greek god Zeus).

ü  Skylab, the first American space station, fell to the earth in thousands of pieces in 1979. Thankfully most over the ocean.

ü  The Olympic flame first appeared in the modern Olympics at the 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam. The flame itself represents a number of things, including purity and the endeavor for perfection.

ü  Up until 1994 the Olympics were held every four years. Since then, the Winter and Summer games have alternated every two years.

ü  In 1921, Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games, borrowed a Latin phrase from his friend, Father Henri Didon, for the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius ("Swifter, Higher, Stronger").

ü  Pierre de Coubertin wrote an oath for the athletes to recite at each Olympic Games. During the opening ceremonies, one athlete recites the oath on behalf of all the athletes.

ü  In 1894, a French educator Baron Pierre de Coubertin, proposed a revival of the ancient tradition, and thus the modern-day Olympic Summer Games were born.

ü  In 1876, Sir Henery Wickham transported 70 000 Rubber tree seeds from Brazil to Kew Gardens in London.

ü  Since 1945, India has been a member of the United Nations.

ü  The Olympic oath was first taken during the 1920 Olympic Games by Belgian fencer Victor Boin.

ü  The India Red Cross Society was established in the year 1920.

ü  The first opening ceremonies were held during the 1908 Olympic Games in London. The first Olympics covered by U.S. television was the 1960 Summer Games in Rome by CBS.

ü  Host Greece won the most medals (47) at the first Olympic Summer Games in 1896.

ü  The textile industry became mechanised in the 18th century. First pioneered with silk at Lombe's Mill in Derby in 1721.

ü  One of our favorite mice is Mickey Mouse who has delighted us since the late 1920's.