When boredom strikes, we strike back.

What is called a “French kiss” in the English speaking world is known as an “English kiss” in France?

Commonly mistaken for Shoe Mart, SM actually stands for Sy-Mendiola who were partners in building the mall empire that SM is today.

…Ben and Jerry’s send the waste from making ice cream to local pig farmers to use as feed. Pigs love the stuff, except for one flavor: Mint Oreo?

ohyeahfacts:

The first mention in literature of XXX for kisses at the bottom of a letter was in 1901, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. The X itself is very old.

The custom goes back to the early Christian era, when a cross mark or “X” was the same as a sworn oath. The cross referred to the cross of Calvary and the first letter of the Greek word for Christ, Xristos.

Even as little as a hundred and fifty years ago, not many people could read or write. The “X” at the bottom of a document took the place of a signature. They would kiss the “X” as a crucifix or bible was kissed to emphasize the importance of the mark. It was this practice that lead to the “X” representing a kiss.

There isn’t much known about the beginnings of the “O”. It is a North American custom. The “O” represents the arms in a circle around another person. Arms crossed in front of you do not mean the “X” as a hug! The “O” is the hug.

(source)

Asked by ashleyoverdrive

…grapes explode when you put them in the microwave?

Who wants to try?

…when two words are combined to form a single word (e.g., motor + hotel = motel, breakfast + lunch = brunch) the new word is called a “portmanteau”?

…an eyelash lives about 5 months?

…the longest place name still in use is:

Krung thep maha nakorn amorn ratana kosin­mahintar ayutthay amaha dilok phop noppa ratrajathani burirom udom rajaniwes­mahasat harn amorn phimarn avatarn sathit sakkattiya visanukamprasit?

It has 155 letters and translates to:

“The land of angels, the great city of immortality, of devine gems, the great angelic land unconquerable land of nine nobel gems, the royal city, a pleasant capital place of the Royal Palace, eternal land of angels and reincarnated spirits predestined and created by the highest Devas.”

What’s more amazing is that it is a rather famous city.  It is known to the world as…Bangkok.

“The name of the city was given by King Rama 1, the founder of the city, to celebrate the new capital, 219 years ago, after Sukhothai, Ayudhaya, and Thonburi. He moved the capital of the country from Thonburi to a place called Bangkok at that time, and named the new capital as rungthepmahanakhorn. The name has been changed a little by King Rama 4 (King Mongkut) which has been used until now.

“The name Bangkok is still used in international context because it was more familiar to foreigners in the past. In Thai, the city is called Krungthep in short, and is written with an abbreviation sign after it.

“It may be pronounced as Krungthepmahanakorn in some formal occasions. But when we refer to the full name, it’s the one with hundreds letters as mentioned. If you want to get some formal evidence of the name, you may have to ask some governmental offices, or the Royal Palace.The old name Bangkok is only used in foreign languages, or it becomes informal in Thai.”

More info here.

…Spiral staircases in medieval castles are running clockwise?

This is because all knights used to be right-handed. When the intruding army would climb the stairs they would not be able to use their right hand which was holding the sword because of the difficulties of climbing the stairs. Left-handed knights would have had no troubles, except left-handed people could never become knights because it was assumed that they were descendants of the devil.

…the “pound” key on your keyboard (#) is called an octotroph?

Meryl Streep holds the record for the most Academy Award nominations of any actor, having been nominated 15 times since her first nomination in 1979 for The Deer Hunter (12 for Best Actress and 3 for Best Supporting Actress). She is the most nominated performer for a Golden Globe Award (23 nominations) and is also tied with Jack Nicholson and Angela Lansbury for most Golden Globes overall by an actor or actress (6 wins).

… Elvis’ hair color was originally blonde?

He dyed it black because he was a big fan of Roy Orbison.

Somehow, I can’t imagine a blonde Elvis..

The Mass of Requiem of Pope John Paul II on April 8 2005 was said to have set world records both for attendance and number of heads of state present at a funeral. (List of Dignitaries) It was the single largest gathering of heads of state in history, surpassing the funerals of Winston Churchill (1965) and Josip Broz Tito (1980). Four kings, five queens, at least 70 presidents and prime ministers, and more than 14 leaders of other religions were attending alongside the faithful. It is also likely to have been the largest single pilgrimage of Christianity in history, with numbers estimated in excess of four million mourners gathering in Rome.

… Bob Dylan’s real name is Robert Allen Zimmerman?