The German word *Kaiser *and the Russian word Tsar both derive from Caesar.
Kaiser Wilhelm II ruled the German Empire from June 1888 to November 1918, when he abdicated at the end of World War I. He was the eldest grandson of the British Queen Victoria and related to many monarchs and princes of Europe.
At the end of WWI, after abdicating his titles to both the German Emperor and the Throne of Prussia (held by the Holenzollerns for over 400 years), he went into exile in the Netherlands, which refused to extradite him to the Allies. He purchased a country house in the municipality of Doorn, known as Huis Doorn and moved in on 15 May 1920, where he lived until his death in June 1941.
Knuckleball pitcher Hoyt Wilhelm, who played in the majors until he was nearly 50 in 1972, was the first relief pitcher to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. He was the first pitcher to appear in 1000 games and the first to save 200 games. Ray Katt, the first of three catchers who hold the record for most passed balls in an inning, with four, did it catching him with the 1954 New York Giants.
Renowned sf author Isaac Asimov complained that the filming of Ghostbusters in New York City severely disrupted traffic around his apartment building.
Bill Murray will reprise his role as Dr. Peter Venkman in the upcoming remake of *Ghostbusters *with a female cast: Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, and Kate McKinnon are the lead characters, with Leslie Jones as the token black one.
Bill Murray is an avid Chicago Cubs fan who recently referred to St. Louis Cardinals fans as “Satan’s messengers”.
Bill Murray and Tom Hanks have both appeared in movies in which their characters, as young soldiers during the Vietnam War, received a medal from President Lyndon B. Johnson - Murray in St. Vincent, and Hanks in Forrest Gump.
Richard Johnson is the only person to date elected Vice-President by the Senate pursuant to Amendment XII.
Richard Nixon resigned from the Presidency 41 years ago last Sunday, on 09 Aug 1974. In 1960, in the closest election in US history, he lost to JFK by 113,000 votes. In 1970, Nixon established the EPA.
113,000 glass kettles manufactured in China and sold over the past 3 years by Epoca International (based in Boca Raton) via Target, Amazon and other retailers, were recalled last month. The kettles (with “not for dishwasher” printed in raised letters underneath the lid) can break when heated.
China produces 66% of the world’s garlic. California is the nation’s top produce of garlic.
Apotropaics, items able to ward off revenants, are common in vampire folklore. Garlic is a common example, a branch of wild rose and hawthorn plant are said to harm vampires, and in Europe, sprinkling mustard seeds on the roof of a house was said to keep them away. Other apotropaics include sacred items, for example a crucifix, rosary, or holy water. Vampires are said to be unable to walk on consecrated ground, such as that of churches or temples, or cross running water. Although not traditionally regarded as an apotropaic, mirrors have been used to ward off vampires when placed, facing outwards, on a door (in some cultures, vampires do not have a reflection and sometimes do not cast a shadow, perhaps as a manifestation of the vampire’s lack of a soul). This attribute, although not universal (the Greek vrykolakas/tympanios was capable of both reflection and shadow), was used by Bram Stoker in Dracula and has remained popular with subsequent authors and filmmakers
Roman Polanski’s The Fearless Vampire Killers included a Jewish vampire, who was unfazed by a crucifix, saying, “Boy have you got the wrong vampire.”
Execution by crucifixion remains in rare use in some countries. The punishment of crucifixion (șalb) imposed in Islamic law is variously interpreted as exposure of the body after execution, crucifixion followed by stabbing in the chest, or crucifixion for three days, survivors of which are allowed to live.
Crucifixion has been used recently in Burma, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, an Sudan. According to Wikipedia it is currently a legal form of punishment in the United Arab Emirates.
The title character in the 1979 Monty Python Bible-themed comedy Life of Brian, alluding to the harshness of Roman law, had this exchange with a fellow prisoner:
Brian: “What will they do to me?”
Prisoner: “Oh you’ll probably get away with crucifixion.”
Brian: “Crucifixion?!”
Prisoner: “Yeah, first offense.”
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” was released by BÖC, Blue Öyster Cult in 1976. It was written by BÖC guitarist Donald Brian (“Buck Dharma”) Roeser. Roeser explains, “I was thinking about my own mortality. I wrote the guitar riff, the first two lines of lyric sprung into my head, then the rest of it came as I formed a story about a love affair that transcends death. I was thinking about my wife, and that maybe we’d get together after I was gone.”
About his own eventual death, Roeser said "When I go, I don’t want ‘Amazing Grace’ as the musical centerpiece of my funeral. I want ‘(Don’t Fear) The Reaper.’”
Cite: The Story Behind (Don’t Fear) The Reaper, The Story Behind Blue Oyster Cult's Don't Fear the Reaper
On the actual recording of “Don’t Fear the Reaper”, the cowbell was played by David Lucas, the band’s producer. Only in the SNL sketch with Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell were *The *Bruce Dickinson (not the Iron Maiden lead singer) the producer and Gene Frenkle the cowbellist.
“The Chanukah Song” was originally performed by Adam Sandler on Saturday Night Live 's Weekend Update on December 3, 1994. Sandler subsequently performed the song as part of his stand-up act, later updating it with new lyrics. All variations center on the theme of Jewish children feeling alienated during the Christmas season, and Sandler’s listing of Jewish celebrities (both real and fictional) as a way of sympathizing with their situation. It would also be performed by the original Broadway cast of Soul Doctor on the 2013 Carols for a Cure, with altered lyrics for Broadway people who are Jewish. click here
Adam Selene, handsome, avuncular leader of the resistance in Robert Heinlein’s tale of lunar rebellion The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, is actually a projection of the Moon’s mainframe computer, which achieves artificial intelligence and sides with the rebels against the oppressive Earth government.
As of October 2008, there are 176 known natural moons orbiting planets in our Solar System. 168 moons orbit the “full-size” planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune), while 8 moons orbit the smaller “dwarf planets” (Ceres, Pluto, Haumea, Makemake, and Eris).