Why did only 15 teams participate in the 1938 FIFA World Cup instead of 16?
Austria qualified, but then Germany took control in the Anschluss, and they were no longer able to compete as an independent nation. Some of their players joined a unified German-Austrian team, others missed out. Nobody was selected to replace them, so their spot in the first round was turned into a bye. It was a straight knockout tournament, so Sweden went through to the second round.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_FIFA_World_Cup#Qualification
(looney_tunes)
1 answer
Today
by pehinhota
To which military operation does the expression in the Portuguese language “a cobra vai fumar” (“the snake will smoke”) refer?
The expression was used to describe the Brazilian army when it entered WW2 -- the infantry division that arrived in Naples in July 1994. The literal translation of "a cobra vai fumar" into English is "when pigs fly": [quote] Yet Brazil's quasi-neutrality would come to a sudden end in the summer of 1942. Earlier that year, Kriegsmarine u-boats sank several Brazilian merchant vessels off the East Coast of the United States. Then, in June, Hitler decided Brazil's pro-U.S. stance constituted an act of war, and launched a "submarine blitz" in retaliation. In August alone, a single long-range submarine, U-507, sank six Brazilian ships over just two days ...
For over a year, the Brazilian Army slowly gathered sufficient numbers of men to fill the ranks of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (Força Expedicionária Brasileira, or FEB). The new force, it was agreed with the United States, would be led by General João Batista Mascarenhas de Morais - at 61 years old, the oldest Allied divisional commander in Europe - and organized to American military standards. But it took so long to recruit, organize, train, and negotiate its deployment overseas that Brazilians began to joke that the FEB would go to fight "a cobra vai fumar" - literally, "when snakes smoke," or in English, "when pigs fly." With its antique equipment, untested reserve officers, and half-learned and out-of-date French military doctrine, the FEB was distinctly unappealing to American officers ... On Sunday, July 16, 1944, the first detachment of 5,000 Brazilian troops reached Naples. Brazilian leaders had envisioned sending an army of 100,000 to participate in Operation Torch. But the North African campaign ended before they could get there, and the force was scaled down to a single large infantry division, the 1st Expeditionary Division (1st DIE), and an air detachment.[/quote] https://historyguild.org/smoking-snakes-brazils-forgotten-ww2-fighting-men
(gtho4)
1 answer
Nov 25 25 by pehinhota
3 answers
Nov 21 25 by geognut
When I was in Spain, I made 3 eggs for breakfast. There were a total of 5 yolks. How rare is this?
To get five yolks from three eggs, you must have two double-yolked eggs (DYE) and one regular egg. The probability of finding a single double-yolk egg varies greatly based on the age of the hen and the size of the egg.
Double-yolk eggs are almost exclusively laid by young hens whose reproductive cycles are not yet fully synchronized. The probability of finding a DYE is roughly 1 in 1,000.
Assuming a random selection from the general commercial supply (1 in 1,000 chance which is 0.1%) the probability of finding two DYE and one regular egg is a question of multiplication:
P = 0.001 x 0.001 x 0.999 = approximately 0.000001. This is one in a million.
You should have gone out to buy a lottery ticket. (LeoDaVinci)
3 answers
Nov 21 25 by geognut
A bust of which national hero stands between a Greek and a US flag in a Michigan city?
A bust Demetrios Ypsilantis, a hero of the Greek War of Independence, stands between a Greek and a US flag in the city of Ypsilantis, Michigan. [quote]Ypsilanti is a city in Michigan named after Demetrios Ypsilantis, a hero in the Greek War of Independence, showing the universal meaning of the Greek uprising against the Ottoman Empire and its values. The city, established in 1825, shows that the revolutionary spirit of Demetrios Ypsilantis was an inspiration far beyond the Balkans. Ypsilanti, commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south and east by Ypsilanti Township.
Originally a trading post established in 1809 by a French-Canadian fur trader from Montreal, a permanent settlement was established on the east side of the Huron River in 1823 by Major Thomas Woodruff. It was incorporated into the Territory of Michigan as the village Woodruff's Grove. A separate community a short distance away on the west side of the river was established in 1825 under the name "Ypsilanti," after Demetrios Ypsilantis. Woodruff's Grove changed its name to Ypsilanti in 1829, the year its namesake effectively won the war for Greek Independence at the Battle of Petra, with the two communities eventually merging.[/quote] https://greekreporter.com/2025/03/05/ypsilanti-michigan-hero-greek-war-independence
https://cosmosphilly.com/this-date-in-history-the-american-city-of-a-greek-general
(gtho4)
1 answer
Nov 22 25 by pehinhota
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Nov 21 25 by geognut
Annette Kellerman (multiple world record swimmer, vaudeville artiste, star of the first film to cost US$1m and arrested in Boston for public indecency for wearing a swimming costume) was born in Australia with what infectious disease, now eradicated thanks to a vaccine?
Sadly, I must note that polio is not completely eradicated. It was considered eliminated in North and South America in the 1990s, but persisted in other parts of the world (especially Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan), and a tendency to complacency over its supposed eradication has led an increasing number of people to decide that the (small, but real) risks associated with vaccination have become more significant than the risk of acquiring polio. As a consequence, outbreaks have started to appear even in areas where it had been considered to be no longer a risk. They remain confined, due to the widespread uptake of vaccines that still persists, but epidemiologists consider the disease still a potential threat.
https://www.poliohealth.org.au/polio-epidemics/
(looney_tunes)
3 answers
Nov 21 25 by odo5435
3 answers
Nov 21 25 by odo5435
Annette Kellerman (multiple world record swimmer, vaudeville artiste, star of the first film to cost US$1m and arrested in Boston for public indecency for wearing a swimming costume) was born in Australia with what infectious disease, now eradicated thanks to a vaccine?
She was born with Polio (Poliomyelitis).
[quote]Born on July 6, 1886, in Sydney, Australia, Annette Kellerman is said to have suffered from bowleggedness as a child, supposedly as a result of having been encouraged to walk too early. By age nine, she had been taught to swim as a therapeutic means of overcoming this condition. It now appears from Australian sources that her childhood ailment was actually a case of Poliomyelitis that had left her partially crippled, and that the braces she wore and the swimming lessons she took were designed to correct the results of this disease. On the other hand, there is no truth to the exaggerated stories that occasionally appeared in the press, that she was declared "a hopeless cripple" as a child, that she was forced to wear "an iron brace up to her hips," that the calisthenics required of her were "pure torture," or that at the age of five she was forced to swim by her father even though she was "deathly afraid of the water." Whatever the exact degree of her condition, her legs were normal by the time she was 13, and she was soon swimming first one, then two, then ten miles at a stretch.[/quote]
https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/kellerman-annette-1886-1975 (elburcher)
3 answers
Nov 21 25 by odo5435
1 answer
Nov 21 25 by odo5435
What is the deepest trench in the Atlantic Ocean?
The deepest point in the Atlantic Ocean is the Milwaukee Deep, located within the Puerto Rico Trench. This abyss plunges to a staggering depth of approximately 8,408 meters (27,585 feet) below sea level.
https://iere.org/what-is-the-deepest-point-in-the-atlantic-ocean/
(pehinhota)
1 answer
Nov 20 25 by chabenao1
In spite of having very different alphabets are the Hebrew and Arabic languages related to any degree?
Hebrew and Arabic belong to the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family. Both originated from a common ancient proto-language of the region, so they can be called related. Historically, Hebrew belongs to the group of Canaanite (North-West Semitic) languages spoken in the ancient Levant, while Arabic belongs to the Central Semitic languages of the Arabian Peninsula. They diverged thousands of years ago, developing in different directions. Interestingly, modern Hebrew was actually revived from ancient Hebrew at the end of the 19th century, while Arabic never ceased to be used, evolving from classical Arabic (the language of the Koran) to modern dialects.
https://hebrewerry.com/en/blog/hebrew-vs-arabic
(pehinhota)
1 answer
Nov 19 25 by unclerick
How did the Arizona town of Show Low get its name?
Show Low was named after a marathon poker game played between two early settlers. They decided there wasn't enough room for both of them in the community and agreed to let a game of cards decide who was to get the 100,000 acre ranch and who was to move on. According to the story, one of them said, "If you can show low, you win." The other one turned up the deuce of clubs and replied, "show low it is." Show Low got its name from that card game and Show Low's main street is named "Deuce of Clubs" in remembrance.
https://www.showlowaz.gov/page/history/ (pehinhota)
1 answer
Nov 19 25 by unclerick
Is Niue considered an independent country and is it a member of the U.N.?
Niue's political situation is quite interesting, but not without precedent (see the Cook Islands, for example). It is a self-governing state in free association with New Zealand, an arrangement set up back in 1974. Although it has full constitutional independence and manages its own domestic affairs, it maintains close ties with New Zealand, which provides assistance with foreign affairs and defence, but only when Niue asks for it. More importantly, all Niueans are automatically New Zealand citizens. While this free association exists, Niue operates like an independent country internationally, even establishing diplomatic relations with various sovereign nations like the United States (being the latest in a growing list).
However, despite functioning independently, Niue is definitely not a full member of the United Nations. Nevertheless, the UN organizations treat Niue's status as equivalent to independence under international law, and it is a full member of several key UN specialized agencies, such as UNESCO and the World Health Organization. The reason Niue hasn't pursued full UN membership is largely practical since achieving full status might risk the crucial automatic right for all Niueans to hold New Zealand citizenship, which grants them essential freedom of movement.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niue
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_status_of_the_Cook_Islands_and_Niue (LeoDaVinci)
1 answer
Nov 19 25 by chabenao1
Why was 'Van Diemen's Land' renamed 'Tasmania'?
Link for above: [quote]The name "Van Diemen's Land" was changed to "Tasmania" in 1856. The change was initiated by the British colonial authorities and ultimately approved by Queen Victoria. The name change was brought about through an act of the British Parliament known as the "Van Diemen's Land Name Act 1856." The act received royal assent on 1st January 1856, and that's when the name officially changed. However, the usage of the new name took some time to become widespread. The initiative for the name change came from the colonial authorities in Van Diemen's Land. The decision was likely influenced by various political, social, and economic factors of the time.
The name change was primarily motivated by a desire to disassociate the island from the stigma of its convict past. Van Diemen's Land had been established as a British penal colony in 1803, and its name had become synonymous with convict transportation and harsh penal conditions. By renaming the island to Tasmania, the authorities aimed to create a fresh identity for the colony.[/quote] https://dutchaustralianculturalcentre.com.au/archive/dutch-australian-history/van-diemens-land-became-tasmania-1642-1856/
(gtho4)
2 answers
Nov 12 25 by odo5435
Why was 'Van Diemen's Land' renamed 'Tasmania'?
It used to be called Van Diemen's Land after a Dutch governor named Anthony van Diemen, because the Dutch explorer Abel Tasman named it that in 1642 to honour his boss.
But later, when the British took over, the name got a bad reputation because the island became known for its harsh convict prisons. So in 1856, they decided to change the name to Tasmania, after Abel Tasman himself, the guy who first spotted it, to give the place a fresh start and a better image.
Basically: same island, new name, less baggage. (Hesting_horts)
2 answers
Nov 12 25 by odo5435
What is the difference between Richter and Mercalli scales?
The Richter Scale, the more widely known of the two, is a measure of the earthquake's size at its source, determined objectively by instruments. It tells you how big the earthquake was. It uses a logarithmic scale to measure. It was developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter and Beno Gutenberg at Caltech to measure the magnitude of shallow, local earthquakes in Southern California based on the maximum amplitude recorded by a specific type of seismometer. It is now pretty obsolete, having been replaced by the Moment Magnitude Scale, though this is erroneously quoted in its measurements as "Richter".
The Mercalli Scale, on the other hand, is a measure of the earthquake's effect at a specific location, determined by observations. It tells you how strong the shaking was and how much damage it caused there. It's rated using Roman numerals (I to XII). It originated in the late 19th century with Italian volcanologist Giuseppe Mercalli, who created a simple ten-degree intensity scale based purely on observations of ground shaking effects. This scale was later expanded, notably by Harry O. Wood and Frank Neumann in the United States, to become the twelve-level Modified Mercalli Intensity (MMI) scale.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modified_Mercalli_intensity_scale
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richter_scale (LeoDaVinci)
1 answer
Nov 10 25 by chabenao1
Which part of the human body contains the most sweat glands?
Eccrine sweat glands cover the entire body but are the densest in the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
[quote]Eccrine glands are the main sweat glands responsible for cooling you down when you get too hot. They make sweat and send it to your skin's surface, where it evaporates to disperse heat and lower your body temperature. Common conditions affecting these glands include hyperhidrosis (sweating too much) and anhidrosis (not sweating enough).
Eccrine glands are located in your skin, and are spread out all across your body. Some eccrine glands are in dense clusters, while others are farther apart. They're most tightly packed together on the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet. In these areas, you have anywhere from 250 to 500 glands per square centimeter (smaller than a postage stamp).[/quote]
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/eccrine-glands (elburcher)
1 answer
Nov 09 25 by odo5435
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Nov 09 25 by pehinhota
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Nov 09 25 by odo5435
Why did the Porsche 901 have its name changed to the now-iconic 911 name?
Porsche changed the name of the 901 to the 911because Peugeot claimed the right to all three-digit car model names with a zero in the middle. Since Porsche had already produced around 80 cars with the 901 nameplate, the company quickly and easily modified the existing badges by replacing the "0" with a "1" to create the "911".
[quote]The Porsche 911 was first unveiled to the public on 12 September 1963 when it was launched at the Frankfurt International Motor Show. (...) The second production model to be made by the company after the Porsche 356, interestingly the 911 was originally called the 901. However, by the time the model went on sale it had become the 911 after a claim about naming rights from French car manufacturer, Peugeot.[/quote]
https://www.porsche.com/stories/innovation/a-brief-history-of-the-porsche-911/ (wellenbrecher)
1 answer
Nov 08 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Why do some vehicle wheels look like they're rotating in the opposite direction to their vehicle's motion?
Basically, the human brain isn't quite fast enough to capture things when they're in motion, even if we're picking up the light at a rate that we can comprehend.
This illusion is known as the 'wagon wheel effect' and it all comes down to the function of the human eye and the way in which our brain manages to interpret and process the images it is presented with. The human eye is capable of operating at frame rates upwards of 200 frames per second (FPS) when processing light but things work differently when it comes to detecting motion. Studies have shown that the human visual system can detect changes in motion - like a wheel spinning - up to only 13 FPS.
Although your eyes can detect frame rates higher than that, the brain can generally only compute and react to 10-15 images per second, although this figure can be increased with specific brain training and depending on which part of the eye is reporting back the information.
https://www.carthrottle.com/news/why-do-wheels-look-they-rotate-backwards-certain-speed (maripp2002)
1 answer
Nov 07 25 by odo5435
According to legend, Pope Julius II was one of the many owners of which famous diamond, cut in the 15th century by a Flemish jeweler for a Burgundian duke?
The Florentine Diamond
[quote]Florentine diamond, clear, pale-yellow stone weighing 137 carats; of Indian origin, it was cut as a double rose with 126 facets. Once owned by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, who lost it when he fell in battle in 1477, the stone came into the possession of Pope Julius II and the Medici family early in the 16th century. Maria Theresa of Austria acquired it through her marriage (1736) to the Duke of Tuscany, and it subsequently became part of the Austrian crown jewels. Seized by the Germans when they took over Austria just before World War II, it was recovered by the U.S. 3rd Army and returned to the Viennese by Gen. Mark Clark.[/quote]
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Florentine-Diamond (elburcher)
1 answer
Nov 06 25 by pehinhota
1 answer
Nov 06 25 by odo5435
Before becoming an umbrella term for all music produced in the Philippines, what did OPM (Original Pilipino Music) *specifically* refer to?
The term OPM was originally used to distinguish locally composed music from foreign imports and referred to songs written and performed in the Philippines in Filipino (Tagalog) or other local languages. Popular genres included ballads and love songs, which were particularly prevalent in the 1970s.
[quote]Original Pilipino Music (...) originally referred only to the pop genre of music from the Philippines, predominantly ballads and novelty numbers, that became popular after the wane of its direct 1970s commercial predecessor, Manila sound. The term "OPM" became a catch-all description for all popular music of any genre composed, performed and recorded by Filipinos in the Philippines, originating from the Philippines.[/quote]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_the_Philippines?utm_source=chatgpt.com#Popular_music (wellenbrecher)
1 answer
Nov 05 25 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Nov 05 25 by pehinhota
2 answers
Nov 03 25 by GBfan
What high school did Prince attend in Minneapolis?
Prince (Prince Rogers Nelson) attended Minneapolis Central High School, which closed in 1982 - about 6 years after Prince graduated from it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_High_School_(Minneapolis,_Minnesota) (SixShutouts66)
2 answers
Nov 03 25 by GBfan
2 answers
Oct 31 25 by odo5435
In the animal world, which male marine mammal has the largest testicles, each weighing 500 kg, or 2% of the body weight?
[quote]Testes come in all shapes and sizes in the animal kingdom. However, nothing can compare in size to the southern right whale's testes. Each testicle can weigh up to 500kg- 900kg. Each! That's about as heavy as a newborn gray whale or an adult horse! This weight also accounts for about 2% of an adult male southern right whale's body weight. So why on earth would they need such massive testes? Scientists think it has to do with how southern right whales mate. [/quote]
https://whalescientists.com/southern-right-whale-males/
(wellenbrecher)
2 answers
Oct 21 25 by pehinhota
2 answers
Oct 31 25 by odo5435
In how many countries does an absolute monarchy still exist today?
If refereeing to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), there are conflicting references. I did find one that says the UAE essentially functions as an absolute monarchy despite having a Federal Systema with both a Prime Minister and a President. That said the vast majority of references I scoured, don't list it as such.
[quote]The United Arab Emirates and absolute monarchy
The United Arab Emirates is a despotic monarchy despite having a federal system with a president and prime minister.
The UAE's federal system comprises seven different monarchies comprising those of the Emirates of Dubai, Fujairah, Ajman, Umm al-Quwain, Abu Dhabi, and Ras al-Khaimah.
Despite seeming to be a constitutional, democratic nation, going by the information above, nothing could be further from the truth. The UAE has been called autocratic by many people.
The UAE is an autocracy that has the appearance of a modern contemporary state, but it is actually a tribal autocracy governed autocratically by the tribal rulers of each of the seven monarchies in the UAE's federation.
Democratically elected institutions do not exist, nor does freedom of speech.[/quote]
https://journeyz.co/countries-absolute-monarchy/ (elburcher)
3 answers
Oct 26 25 by pehinhota
3 answers
Oct 26 25 by pehinhota
Who was the first living Australian to appear on an Australian postage stamp?
Gwoya Tjungurrayi also known as One Pound Jimmy was an aboriginal elder and lawman of his people and died in 1965 at age of 70. He was photographed in 1935 and the image was used in September 1936 issue of a tourism magazine called "Walkabout". The image was subsequently used on a 8 1/2 pence stamp and a half crown stamp in 1950 making him the first aboriginal and living Australian to be featured on a postage stamp. It is to be noted that his name was not used with the image on the stamp.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwoya_Tjungurrayi
(sam388)
1 answer
Oct 28 25 by pehinhota
After the Danube Delta where is the second largest contiguous reed area in Europe?
Lake Neusiedl which is located on the border of Austria and Hungry.
[quote]Located directly at the Austrian-Hungarian border, the westernmost steppe lake in Europe can be found, Lake Neusiedl. The vast reed belt surrounding the shallow endorheic lake (around 180 km² in total, 100 km2 are located on the Austrian side), represents the second largest contiguous reed belt in Europe and provides a habitat especially for invertebrates, amphibians and birds.[/quote]
https://alfawetlands.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/CFS_Austria_English_final.pdf (elburcher)
1 answer
Oct 26 25 by pehinhota
3 answers
Oct 26 25 by pehinhota
1 answer
Oct 26 25 by serpa
1 answer
Oct 26 25 by pehinhota
What is the value of 2x^4 / x^3 when x = 0?
This is a nice example of a discontinuous function, meaning it does not exist for all possible values of x. When x has any value other than x=0, the expression is equivalent to 2x. A graph would look like a straight line, gradient 2, passing through the origin - but with a hole at the exact point where it should go through the origin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuous_function#Examples_of_discontinuous_functions (looney_tunes)
4 answers
Oct 23 25 by Lottie1001
Is it true that President Obama once wore a "Belgian suit" (costume belge)?
Quite possibly, but more famously he wore a 'costume beige' - a tan suit that was the talk of the media as an inappropriate colour for a serious meeting. The 'tan suit incident' has gotten a fair bit of mileage over the years.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affaire_du_costume_beige_de_Barack_Obama
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_tan_suit_controversy (looney_tunes)
1 answer
Oct 25 25 by chabenao1
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