On December 23, 1750, Benjamin Franklin decided to entertain guests at his Christmas party by electrocuting a turkey (as one does) but by accident “I inadvertently took the whole [current] thro’ my own Arms and Body.” The turkey survived without a feather ruffled but Ben was thrown several feet and took a while to regain composure.
William Franklin, the last Royal Governor of New Jersey, was the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. Benjamin Franklin publicly acknowledged him and helped him through his life, but the two were at odds about the Independence of the Colonies. William was a loyalist.
Rear-Admiral Sir John Franklin was a Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) from 1837 to 1843. He was also an arctic explorer. His final expedition was an attempt to chart and navigate a section of the Northwest Passage in the Canadian Arctic. He and his entire crew perished.
Stan Rogers’ song, Northwest Passage, celebrating the exploration of the northern parts of Canada, has been called Canada’s unofficial anthem. The first two lines of the chorus refer to the Franklin expedition:
“Ah, for just one time I would take the Northwest Passage
To find the hand of Franklin reaching for the Beaufort Sea”
The Beaufort scale is a measure of wind speed. It was devised by Rear Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort, an Irish naval officer.
Beaufort wrote a personal diary in a cypher. From entries in the diary, it appears that in his sixties, he may have had incestuous relations with his sister.
The sport of badminton takes its name from Badminton House, the seat of the Dukes of Beaufort.
Prime Minister Kim Campbell lost her seat in the 1993 Canadian federal election, a debacle for the governing Progressive Conservatives.
In April 1992 a group of meteorological workers were swimming at Campbell Island, a New Zealand territory in the Southern Ocean. One of the workers was attacked by a great white shark. This resulted in the longest ever single-engine helicopter rescue, with the craft flying from Taupo in the North Island.
Helicopter rescue from on Mt. Everest may be possible in some circumstances, but is also expensive. In 2012, it took a dedicated team of seven Sherpas two days to retrieve the body of Shirya Shah-Klorfine after she died between the South Col (Camp 4) and the Balcony. She was helicoptered back to Kathmandu from Camp 2 at a reported cost of $25,000.
Kathmandu lies at an elevation of 1,400 m.
According to National Geographic magazine (May 2003) the highest permanent year around settlement in the world is La Rinconada, in Puno state, Peru.
It lies at an altitude of 5,100m or 16,728 feet and had a population then of approximately 30,000.
Of all of the nations of the Americas, Peru is the one whose name dates back the furthest in Colonial history. Nearly all of South America was known as the Spanish province of Peru from 1529.
Of Wikipedia’s list of the highest large cities in the world (population greater than 100,000 ), Juliaca, Peru (population 225,146) is the 4th highest at an elevation of 12,549 feet (3,825 m). The two highest are in Bolivia: El Alto (population 888,840) at an elevation of 13,615 feet (4,150 m); and Potosí (population 170,000) at an elevation of 13,420 feet (4,090 m). The 3rd highest is Shigatse, China (population 100,000) at an elevation of 12,585 feet (3,836 m).
Bill Murray made a guest appearance on Square Pegs playing a substitute teacher. After he finishes the sub position he claims he will do an ad for the Bolivian Tourism Board.
Dollar Bill was a character used in Australia during the run-up to decimalisation of the currency on 14 February 1966. He appeared in television ads and brochures explaining the new notes and coins.
YouTube was launched by a group of college students on February 14, 2005. It eventually became the largest video sharing website in the world and a main source for viral videos.
February 14, Valentine’s Day, is named for a Christian martyr and dates back to the 5th century.
If Ash Wednesday falls on St Valentine’s Day, Easter will be on 1 April if it is a non leap year, and on 31 March if it is a leap year.
April, who died in 2013 at the age of 30, at the Belize Zoo, was the longest living captive Tapir, which is the national animal of Belize.