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
4 answers
Oct 23 25 by Lottie1001
How accurately can a wild elephant throw a rock?
It depends on how you'd attempt to define accuracy, but accurate enough to hit moving cars, or hit the hand of a man in a parked truck, or a rhino at a relatively short distance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSORWk1mNW0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEkCpf6Xi7g
So I think I could say far more accurately thank you'd probably think at first blush. (maripp2002)
1 answer
Oct 24 25 by unclerick
What is the value of 2x^4 / x^3 when x = 0?
I think a more correct answer is that the limit of (2x^4/x^3) approaches 0 as x approaches 0, but the actual expression is undefined since it involves division by zero. That is, the response above divided x^4 by x^3 or 0/0. (SixShutouts66)
4 answers
Oct 23 25 by Lottie1001
What is the value of 2x^4 / x^3 when x = 0?
First you have to simplify your expression. x^4 / x^3 = x, so the expression is equivalent to 2x. The value of 2x when x = 0 is just 0. (2 * 0 = 0)
2x^4 / x^3 = 2(x^4 / x^3) = 2(x)
2(0) = 0 (TriviaFan22)
4 answers
Oct 23 25 by Lottie1001
2 answers
Oct 21 25 by pehinhota
In some cultures, it is customary for newly married couples to jointly make the first cut in a 'wedding cake'. What is the origin of this tradition?
One source says it dates back to Victorian times [1], another to the 1950s [2]. But in yet another article that actually explores the history of wedding cakes in Western tradition in great detail with sources, the date is set in the 1930s [3]. This is when couples reportedly began making the first wedding cake cut together as ceremonial act, with the actual cutting and distribution of the cake pieces being done behind the scenes. Prior to this, it may have been the job of the bride to cut and distribute the cake to everyone without the groom's assistance.
Incidentally, the quintessential tiered wedding cake is thought to have been popularised by Queen Victoria's massive three-tiered fruitcake weighing over 100kg and measuring about 1m in diameter. As with any tradition and cultural meme, such traditions would have spread through influential pioneers like this.
This is all to say nothing of other cultures outside the Western white wedding tradition, where cake may play an even more central role with different traditions.
[1] https://www.theknot.com/content/cutting-the-cake
[2] https://www.tenutalavalle.it/en/cutting-the-cake-meanings-history-and-ideas-for-making-it-a-memorable-and-iconic-moment/
[3] https://www.mercatornet.com/the-history-and-significance-of-the-wedding-cake (patrickk)
1 answer
Oct 20 25 by odo5435
1 answer
Oct 19 25 by pehinhota
2 answers
Oct 13 25 by chabenao1
Why was Jadwiga of Poland crowned as King rather than Queen?
Born in 1373 or 1374, Jadwiga was the daughter of Louis I of Hungary and Elisabeth of Bosnia, making her a member of the powerful Angevin dynasty. Her father's death in 1382 left the Kingdom of Poland without a ruler, and at just ten years old, Jadwiga was chosen by the Polish nobility to ascend the throne. To solidify her authority, she was crowned as rex Poloniae (King of Poland) rather than queen, emphasizing her sovereignty in a male-dominated era.
https://polska.fm/poland-s-first-female-ruler-the-legacy-of-jadwiga-of-polandq
(pehinhota)
1 answer
Oct 16 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Who was the first US athlete to win an Olympic medal in ski jumping?
Anders Haugen was born in Norway and emigrated to the United States and competed for the United States team. He has the bronze medal in the long hill ski-jumping event from the 1924 Olympics at Chamonix. Due to a scoring error, he was not awarded the medal at the time of the Olympics. At the 50th reunion of the Norwegian Olympic team in 1974, a Norwegian Olympic historian noticed the scoring error. In September of that year, Haugen was given the original bronze medal by the granddaughter of the original recipient.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anders_Haugen (SixShutouts66)
1 answer
Oct 16 25 by pehinhota
2 answers
Oct 14 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Why is it that in many racing games, the car being viewed spins around its axis while the player is idle?
I can think of a few reasons:
- idle animations are a long-standing features of many video games, and can be coded to give more personality to characters or the game itself, add to the realism and immersion, or just a fun Easter egg put in by developers. They have been around since at least 1978
- in the case of racing games, it allows the model and design of the car to be showcased more fully, where usually only the rear would be visible during gameplay
- it helps prevent screen burn-in, which was more of an issue with older style TVs
- since racing games that came before had such an animation, it is perhaps just an expected trope that developers feel compelled to include
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idle_animation (patrickk)
2 answers
Oct 14 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Why does Cyprus have no national anthem? They use that of Greece.
Cyprus has had a troubled past as the country has both Greek and Turkish heritage, with Turkey claiming part of the country as its own. Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a de facto state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus, recognised only by Turkey. Cyprus has not had a national anthem because of its long-standing disagreement between the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities. Cyprus gained independence from the United Kingdom on August 16, 1960, which involved a Greek Cypriot guerrilla war against British rule. The subsequent 1960 constitution was created, but there was no inclusion or mention of an anthem, so an instrumental piece was used until 1966, when the Greek anthem was adopted by the Greek Cypriot Council of Ministers at the time. (The "Hymn to Liberty" ). A United Nations intervention with a peace plan in 2004 proposed a new and unified, wordless anthem. This was rejected by voters, leaving the Greek national anthem as the de facto but not official anthem for the Republic of Cyprus.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Cyprus_(1878-present)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymn_to_Liberty
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus
https://cyprus-mail.com/2025/09/07/when-flags-and-anthems-cause-a-spat
(1nn1)
1 answer
Oct 15 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Are there snakes that build nests where they raise young?
The King Cobra ist the only snake that constructs an above-ground nest for its eggs, which are purposefully and meticulously gathered and protected by the female throughout the incubation period.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_cobra
(pehinhota)
2 answers
Oct 13 25 by chabenao1
The first flag of which nominally independent state (1921 - 1944) featured a Kholro, a Buddhist prayer wheel?
The Tuvan People's Republic. Now then, there are a couple of caveats to this answer, the Uryankhay Krai which was a Russian protectorate that immediately preceded Tannu Tuvan People's Republic (1918 - 1921) had a blue flag with a Kholro on it. The first two flags of the Tannu Tuvan People's Republic that also featured a Kholro (1921 - 1926) however both of these were considered "unofficial". The first "official" flag (1926 - 1930) and all subsequent flags do not feature a Kholro.
[quote]On August 12, 1921, the Tannu Tuvan People's Republic came into being and the TPRP took control, immediately recognizing Soviet Russia as its overlord, and only the Soviets and Mongolia recognized its separate existence.
DISGRACEFULLY, the world looked on as Tuva ceased to exist as an independent sovereign state in 1944. The growing dependence of Tuva on the Soviet Union had been displayed after Nazi Germany invaded Russia in Operation Barbarossa in June 1941.[/quote]
https://www.thenational.scot/news/19513472.republic-tannu-tuva-country-voted-independence/
History of Tuvan flags.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Tuva (elburcher)
1 answer
Oct 11 25 by pehinhota
Which word meaning "narrowing" in Spanish applies to a bottle or bottle-shape?
I think word you're looking for is "estrechamiento" which literally means narrowing or tapering and refers to the narrowing at the neck of the bottle.
The neck of the bottle itself is referred to as "cuello", the shoulders as "hombros" and the mouth as "boca"
https://www.spanishdict.com/translate/narrowing
https://dictionary.reverso.net/english-spanish/narrowing
(GoodwinPD)
1 answer
Oct 10 25 by chabenao1
Why did Simon Fraser University, located in Vancouver, Canada, join the U.S. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rather than the similar Canadian organization, U Sports?
In short, it's all about the money.
The original SFU athletic program, dating back to the university's founding in 1965, competed against American schools. SFU initially played in the American-based National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) for decades. When many of its NAIA rivals moved to the NCAA in the late 1990s, SFU considered the move to the NCAA to maintain them. Being part of the NCAA also has its monetary benefits, in terms of exposure, endorsements, and funding.
The NCAA allows member schools to offer "full-ride" scholarships that cover tuition, housing, and other university costs. U Sports has stricter limitations on athletic scholarship value (which only allow them to cover tuition), making the NCAA a major recruiting advantage for SFU to attract top Canadian and international athletes who might otherwise go to American schools. Again, more students means more money.
https://archives.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/canadian-varsity-teams-barred-from-joining-us-leagues/#:~:text=In%201997%2C%20however%2C%20many%20of,interest%20in%20joining%20that%20body.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/sfu-ncaa-2017-1.4267951#:~:text=SFU%20played%20in%20the%20National,for%20its%20first%2036%20years. (LeoDaVinci)
1 answer
Oct 08 25 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Oct 07 25 by gmackematix
1 answer
Oct 06 25 by pehinhota
Why was Lennox Lewis stripped of his IBF belt?
According to Wikipedia, in 2002 he declined to face his mandatory challenger and retired the following year in 2003, after wins against Tyson and Klitschko.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lennox_Lewis (TriviaFan22)
1 answer
Oct 06 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Do people born in the Philippines while it was still under U.S. control still have American citizenship?
As a side note, Filipino's could and still can gain citizenship by serving in the US military. This avenue was a bit easier while the US maintained bases in the Philippines.
[quote]Under the Nationality Act of 1940, aliens who served honorably in the armed forces for three years or more could be naturalized as US citizens without having to meet certain normal requirements of naturalization such as lawful admission into the United States for permanent residence. The Nationality Act of 1940, however, was repealed on 27 June 1952, effective 24 December 1952 by the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 (8 USC 1101 et seq) which contains many provisions similar to those of the 1940 Act, but in the case of an alien who served honorably in the armed forces for three years requires that he shall have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence. Under this law, aliens are normally admitted for permanent residence under the quota system.[/quote]
https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/f/filipinos-in-the-united-states-navy.html (elburcher)
2 answers
Oct 05 25 by Thesuperyoshi
Do people born in the Philippines while it was still under U.S. control still have American citizenship?
They lost automatic citizenship in 1946, and it became necessary to apply for naturalization. Not that there are a lot of people to whom this applies!
[quote]As the U.S. State Department explains: "Filipinos continued as non-citizen U.S. nationals until July 4, 1946 when, through Presidential Proclamation 2695, the United States recognized the Philippines as an independent nation."
The Luce-Celler Bill, passed on July 2, 1946, granted both Filipinos and Indian immigrants the access to naturalization. More than 10,000 Filipinos who were in the United States before 1934 were able to receive naturalization as a direct result.[/quote]
https://www.studycountry.com/wiki/are-filipinos-considered-us-citizens#google_vignette (looney_tunes)
2 answers
Oct 05 25 by Thesuperyoshi
1 answer
Oct 04 25 by chabenao1
What is the difference between "auto da fe" and "bonfire of the vanities"?
The difference between an Auto de Fe and the Bonfire of the Vanities is the Bonfire was an actual bonfire for the purpose of burning objects deemed sinful, while the Auto de Fe (Act of Faith) is the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish or Portuguese Inquisitions had decided their punishments.
[quote]The bonfires
Savonarola started to encourage his followers to destroy anything which could be considered luxuries - books, works of art, musical instruments, jewellery, silks and manuscripts were burnt during the period of carnival around Shrove Tuesday.
These events became known as the 'bonfire of the vanities': the biggest of these happened on 7 February 1497, when more than one thousand children scoured the city for luxuries to be burned. The items were thrown on to a huge fire while women, crowned with olive branches, danced around it.
Such was Savonarola's influence that he even managed to get contemporary Florentine artists like Sandro Botticelli and Lorenzo di Credi to destroy some of their own works on the bonfires. Anyone who tried to resist was set upon by Savonarola's ardent supporters, known as piagnoni (weepers).[/quote]
https://www.historyhit.com/1497-bonfire-vanities/
[quote]The phrase auto de fe (Act of Faith) refers to the ritual of public penance of condemned heretics and apostates that took place when the Spanish Inquisition or the Portuguese Inquisition had decided their punishment (that is, after the trial). The phrase also commonly occurs in English in its Portuguese form auto da fé.[/quote]
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/auto-de-fe (elburcher)
1 answer
Oct 02 25 by chabenao1
Are there countries that ban the number 88 on sport shirts?
Yes, in Italy, due antisemitic references, the number 88 cannot be worn (The 88 is in fact used in neo-Nazi groups to symbolize the Heil Hitler salute (h is the eighth letter of the alphabet).
[quote]A declaration of intent for fight against anti-Semitism in football was signed today at Interior Ministry between the Minister of the Interior Matteo Planting yourself, the Minister for Sport and Youth Andrea Abodi, the National Coordinator for the fight against anti-Semitism Giuseppe Shepherd and the president of the FIGC Gabriele Gravina. "Today - explained Piantedosi - we are finalizing an objective that we set ourselves some time ago. There is a lot to do on the topic and we also aim to dispel the doubt that there may be some resistance on these issues in the world of sport."
The number 88 is prohibited on shirts, that's why
In the document there is the prohibition for the footballers of wear shirt number 88. The 88 is in fact used in neo-Nazi groups to symbolize the Heil Hitler salute (h is the eighth letter of the alphabet). Furthermore, Pientedosi continued, "the reference to the international definition of anti-Semitism is incorporated into the companies' code of ethics. There is therefore a ban on the use by fans of symbols that may recall Nazism; the responsibility of members to hold a non-discriminatory language in all public events; the definition of the methods for interrupting matches in the event of incidents of discrimination. The proactive attitude of companies in this field will also be positively evaluated."[/quote]
https://sport.quotidiano.net/en/calcio/perche-vietato-numero-88-antisemitismo-t8jlzz7o
[quote]From the 2023/24 season on, no player in Serie A will be seen wearing the no.88 on the back of their shirt, as per a decision taken by the Italian Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Sport and the FIGC - the Italian football association. There is now a ban on the No.88 being worn by players in Italian football.
The ban comes as part of a bigger movement seeking to eliminate anti-Semitism from Italian football, and there will now also be a protocol to follow that could see games be stopped in the event of anti-Semitic chants or displays. The move had been rumoured for some time, but was confirmed on June 27, as reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport.[/quote]
https://total-italianfootball.com/serie-a-ban-number-88-anti-semitism-neo-nazi/ (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 30 25 by chabenao1
Who were the only two journalists murdered while working during the Northern Ireland conflict?
Lyra McKee and Martin O'Hagan
[quote]Lyra McKee, 29
Derry, Northern Ireland
18 April 2019
Freelance journalist McKee was shot while reporting on rioting in Derry. The New IRA has since admitted to being behind the killing. McKee had tweeted from the scene and spoken to journalist colleagues just minutes before she was shot.
Martin O'Hagan, 51
Lurgan, Co Armagh, Northern Ireland
28 September 2001
O'Hagan was an investigative journalist who worked for the Dublin and Belfast-based Sunday World. He was shot while walking home from his local pub after refusing to bow to pressure to stop publishing stories about the activities of Loyalist gangsters. The Loyalist Volunteer Force claimed responsibility for his murder but nobody has been prosecuted.[/quote]
https://pressgazette.co.uk/news/uk-journalists-who-lost-their-lives-covering-conflict-2000/ (elburcher)
1 answer
Sep 29 25 by pehinhota
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