The car is one of the most recognizeable inventions of the modern era. Without cars there would be no suburbs, car trips, endless drop-offs and pick-ups most parents are all to familiar with. Here are some fun facts about cars and their colorful past.
* The first cars did not have steering wheels. Drivers steered with a lever.
* The New York City Police Department used bicycles to pursue speeding motorists in 1898.
* The first speeding ticket was issued in 1902.
* In 1916, 55 percent of the cars in the world were Model T Fords, a record that has never been beaten.
* The first gas gauge appeared in cars in 1922.
* In 1923, 173 new inventions by women for cars had been reported. Among these inventions were a carburetor and an electric engine starter.
* The first car radio was invented in 1929.
* Buick introduced the first electric turn signals in 1938.
* The Peanuts characters were first animated in 1957 for a Ford Fairlaine automobile commercial.
* Most American car horns beep in the key of F.
* The automobile is the most recycled consumer product in the world today
Car fun Facts
Useless Historical facts about life in England
- In Shakespeare's time, mattresses were secured on bed frames by ropes. When you pulled on the ropes the mattress tightened, making the bed firmer to sleep on. Hence the phrase "goodnight, sleep tight".
- It was the accepted practice in Babylon 4,000 years ago that for a month after the wedding, the bride's father would supply his son-in-law with all the mead he could drink. Mead is a honey beer and because their calendar was lunar based, this period was called the honey month or what we know today as the honeymoon.
- In English pubs, ale is ordered by pints and quarts. So in old England, when customers got unruly, the bartender would yell at them to mind their own pints and quarts and settle down. It's where we get the phrase "mind your P's and Q's".
- Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim or handle of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
- In Scotland, a new game was invented entitled: Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden....and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
Important Facts About Alexander the Great
- Born around July 20, 356 B.C.
- Son of King Philip II of Macedon and Olympias, daughter of King Neoptolemus I of Epirus. Olympias was not the only wife of Philip and there was much conflict between Alexander's parents.
- Tutored by Leonidas (possibly his uncle) and the great Greek philosopher Aristotle.
- During his youth, Alexander tamed the wild horse Bucephalus. Later, when his beloved horse died, Alexander renamed a city in India for Bucephalus.
- In 340 B.C., while father Philip went off to fight rebels, Alexander was made regent in Macedonia. During Alexander's regency, the Maedi of northen Macedonia revolted. Alexander put down the revolt and renamed their city Alexandroupolis.
- In 336 B.C. his father Philip was assassinated, and Alexander the Great became ruler of Macedonia.
- Had several rivals executed in order to secure the throne.
- Alexander the Great had three wives: Roxane, Statiera, and Parysatis.
- Children: Herakles, son of Alexander's mistress Barsine, and Alexander IV, son of Roxane. Both children were killed before they reached adulthood.
- One of the legends about Alexander the Great is that when he was in Gordium, in Turkey, in 333 B.C., he undid the Gordian Knot which had been tied by the legendary King Midas. The prophecy about the Gordian knot was that the person who untied it would rule all of Asia. Alexander the Great is said to have undone the knot by slashing through it wilth a sword.
- In 323 B.C. Alexander the Great returned to Babylonia where he became ill suddenly, and died at age 33. The cause of his death is unknown. It could have been disease or posion.
Further Reading:
Kohinoor, World's Best Diamond
Information about the famous Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
Discover some fascinating information about the famous Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
*
Facts and Information about the Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
*
The Curse of the Koh-i-Noor diamond
*
History & Timeline of the Kohinoor Diamond
*
Kohinoor Diamond - one of the World's most famous diamonds the Koh-i-Noor diamonds
Description of the Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
The Kohinoor Diamond is one of the most famous diamonds in the world. The Kohinoor diamond was first mentioned in 1306 when it was taken from a Rajah of Malwa, whose family had held the diamond for centuries. It was described as weighing 186 carats and was an oval cut white diamond - the shape and size of a small hen's egg. The Kohinoor diamond belonged to various Indian and Persian rulers but it became part of the Crown Jewels of England at the time that Queen Victoria was proclaimed empress of India. The Kohinoor was re-cut at this time and now weighs 108.93 carats and is kept in the Tower of London.
Origin / Meaning of the name Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
The Kohinoor (Koh-i-Noor) originated from India in Golconda at the Kollur mine and was specifically mined from the *Rayalaseema diamond mine (meaning *Land of Stones) during the rule of the Kakatiya dynasty. The Kohinoor was then passed from one ruling dynasty to the next. The original name of the diamond was ‘Samantik Mani’ (Prince and leader among diamonds). In 1739 Nadir Shah, the King of Persia, invaded India and was said to refer to the diamond as the "Mountain of Light". The Persian-Arabic words for "Mountain of Light" were Koh-i-Noor. The magnificence of the diamond and its value symbolized the power of an Empire. It was said that "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes." Possession of the Kohinoor led to murder, torture, mutilation and treachery and stories of the Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond...
The Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
The Curse of Kohinoor Diamond dates back to a Hindu text from the time of the first authenticated appearance of the diamond in 1306. The Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond reads:
"He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all
its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity."
The history and lives of the rulers who owned the Koh-i-Noor diamond were filled with violence, murders, mutilations, torture and treachery. Whether or not people believe in the Curse of the Kohinoor Diamond, the history of the stone is undeniable - and the threat of the Koh-i-Noor curse is enough to make people cautious. The British Royal family were obviously aware of the Curse of the Kohinoor and from the reign of Queen Victoria, when the Kohinoor diamond came into their possession, it has always gone to the wife of the male heir to the British throne. The History Timeline details the story of the Kohinoor diamond.
History of the Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
Myths and legends surround the stone. It was of incredible value and described by one of its owners, the Emperor Babur, the Great Mogul, as "Worth the value of one day's food for all the people in the world". The men who fought for it, and the Kingdoms and great Empires that were won and lost, produced many stories of ill-luck that plagued the owners and became part of the history of the Kohinoor diamond.
The History Timeline of the Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
The following timeline & history of the Kohinoor details important historical events and dates:
Dates in History of the Kohinoor Timeline & History of Kohinoor Diamond (aka Koh-i-Noor)
1200 - 1300's
There were many dynasties who owned the Kohinoor diamond including the Slave dynasty (1206-90), the Khilji dynasty (1290-1320), the Tughlaq dynasty (1320-1413), the Sayyid dynasty (1414-51), and the Lodi dynasty (1451-1526)These were all brief reigns ending with war and violence
1306 In 1306 the Rajah of Malwa was forced to give the diamond to the rulers of the Kakatiya Empire
1323
Soon after, in 1323, the Kakatiya Empire fell after a rule stretching from 1083 to 1323. The diamond was taken by Muhammad bin Tughluq who became the Sultan of Delhi from 1325 to 1351
1323 - 1526
The diamond came into the possession of the Delhi Sultanate which consisted of many Muslim dynasties that ruled in India to 1526. During the Delhi Sultanate Muslim armies consisting of Mongol, Turkic, Persian, and Afghan warriors invaded India
1526
In 1526 the Kohinoor Diamond passed to the Mughal Empire when the Timurid Prince Babur defeated Ibrahim Lodi, the last of the Delhi Sultans, at the First Battle of Panipat. Mughal is the Persian word for Mongol
Babur mentions in his memoirs, the Baburnama, that the diamond had belonged to an un-named Rajah of Malwa
The Mughal Empire ruled most of the Indian subcontinent for two hundred years and the Kohinoor passed from one Mughal Emperor to the next. Violence and bloodshed followed these years often marked by the sons of the Emperors rebelling and overtaking their fathers
The Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan (1592 – 1666), who was famous for building the Taj Mahal, had the Kohinoor Diamond placed into his ornate Peacock Throne
1639
The Koh-i-Noor changed ownership several more times until the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan took the throne. In 1639 a struggle for the Empire started between his four sons - Dara Shikoh, Shah Shuja, Aurangzeb and Murad Baksh when brother killed brother. Shah Shuja executed his brother Dara Shikoh and in then 1658 Aurangzeb defeated Shuja and Shuja who was tortured to death together with all his family
1665
In 1665 Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605 – 1689), French traveller and pioneer of jewelry and diamond trade with India, recorded his experiences in which he describes a great Mughal diamond said to be the biggest in the world. It was called the "Great Mogul" by Tavernier
1739
In 1739 the Persian King Nadir Shah invaded the Mughal Empire defeating their Emperor and stole the great Koh-i-Noor diamond (Nadir Shah is credited with giving the diamond the name it is known by today). The Koh-i-Noor Diamond was taken to Persia
1747
In 1747 the empire of Nadir Shah quickly disintegrated after he was assassinated - the Curse of the Kohinoor strikes again? After Nadir Shah's assassination, the diamond passed to his successors, each were dethroned and ritually blinded (Blinding was used to render an enemy powerless and make him a burden on his community.)
1800
1800 - Ranjit Singh took the Empire and possession of the Kohinoor diamond. Rajah Ranjit Singh died in 1839 and his successors lacked his bravery and vision
The Sikh kingdom became weak and the British conquered India which became part of the British Empire and the British Raj or rule gained control of India from 1858 - 1947
The British Governor-General of India, Lord Dalhousie, was responsible for the British acquiring the Koh-i-Noor
1851
1851 - Dalhousie arranged that the Kohinoor diamond should be presented by Ranjit Singh's successor, Duleep Singh, to Queen Victoria, the Empress of India
1851
1851 - The Great Exhibition was staged in Hyde Park in London when the Koh-i-Noor was put on view by the British public
1852
In 1852 Prince Albert ordered that the Koh-i-Noor diamond to be re-cut from 186 carats to its current 105 carats thus increasing its brilliance. The Koh-i-Noor diamond was mounted in a tiara with more than two thousand other diamonds
The Koh-i-Noor diamond was then used as the centre piece of the crowns of the Queen consorts to the British Kings. The Queen Consorts Queen Alexandra and Queen Mary wore the crowns
1936
In 1936, the stone was set into the crown of the wife of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth (later known as the Queen Mother), wife of King George VI
The British Royal family were obviously aware of the Curse of the Kohinoor - "He who owns this diamond will own the world, but will also know all its misfortunes. Only God, or a woman, can wear it with impunity." And from the reign of Queen Victoria the Kohinoor diamond has always gone to the wife of the male heir to the British throne
In 1850, it was given to Queen Victoria in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Oriental India Company. The Queen asked for the stone to be cut again, its 186ct then became 108,93. In 1911, a new crown was made for Queen Mary with the Koh-I-Noor as central stone. In 1937, it was transferred to the crown of Queen Elizabeth for her Crowning.
The diamond is now, along with other famous diamonds, part of the Imperial State Crown of Great Britain. The government of India has repeatedly lobbied the British Government and the British monarchy for the return of this diamond, claiming legitimate ownership. As of 2003, nothing has come of these requests.
