The story of the Child Jesus born in a manger is fascinating to the little girls of Japan, for they love anything having to do with babies. In the scene of the Nativity they become familiar for the first time with a cradle, for Japanese babies never sleep in cradles.

St. Francis, founder of the Franciscan religious order in 1209, was a layman born rich. When he embarked on a career of charity, his father disowned him.

In 1829, when Mrs. Lydia Child wrote The Frugal Housewife, hair care was a lot different from what it is now. New England rum was considered to be excellent for cleaning the hair and keeping it healthy; brandy was supposed to strengthen the roots.

In the 1850s, Ohio was the nationa (tm)s largest wine producer. Although its remaining 3,000 acres of vineyards are but a fraction of what they once were, Ohio remains the largest wine producer in the Midwest.

During the 1920s, Felix enjoyed sudden, enormous popularity in international popular culture. He got his own comic strip (drawn by Otto Messmer), and his image soon adorned all sorts of merchandise. Jazz singers such as Paul Whiteman sang about him. Nevertheless, the success was short-lived. The arrival of talking cartoons, particularly those of...Read more

In the United States, a barrel of beer contains 31 gallons, which is the equivalent of 13.8 cases of 12-ounce bottles or cans. Depending on the glass type and shape used to serve the beer, a barrel will yield about 200 12-ounce servings.

The largest bird colony in the world is located on the islands off the coast of Peru. Ten million Peruvian boobies and cormorants reside there. Their diet — anchovies — produces the world's finest fertilizer, guano. Because of the value of their droppings, the birds were placed under strict

The White House receives approximately 6,000 visitors a day and has 6 floors (two are basements), 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, 147 windows, 412 doors, 12 chimneys, 3 elevators, and 7 staircases. It takes 570 gallons of white paint to cover the outside.

Scotland is the home of Hogmanay (hog-mah-NAY), the rousing Scottish New Year's celebration (the origins of the name are obscure). One of the traditions is "first-footing." Shortly after midnight on New Year's eve, neighbors pay visits to each other and impart New Year's wishes. Traditionally, First foots used to bring along a gift of coal for ...Read more

Before the enactment of the 1978 law that made it mandatory for dog owners in New York City to clean up after their pets, approximately 40 million pounds of dog excrement were deposited on the streets every year.

When in a movie theater, if there is a balcony, never sit underneath -- that's a low sound frequency trap. According to a Sony Cinema Products Corp. representative, there’s a "sweet" spot, where the sound is better than anyplace else in the movie theater. To find it, you should look for the speakers and position yourself in between them -- ...Read more

The Seven Years' War (1756–1763) involved all of the major European powers of the period. It enveloped both European and colonial theatres -- Prussia, Electorate Brunswick-Lüneburg, and United Kingdom of Great Britain were pitted against Austria, France, the Russian Empire, Sweden, and Saxony. Portugal (on the side of Great Britain) and Spain...Read more

A healthy man who is good physical shape has about 12 to 15 percent body fat. A woman in good shape has between 15 to 18 percent. The models used in most of the advertising for abdominal machines, on the other hand, have less than 10 percent body fat.

In Cape Town, South Africa, a must-see for tourists is the Bo-Kaap Museum. This house, built in the eighteenth century, portrays the lifestyle of a typical Malay family in the nineteenth century. An exhibition of carts and coaches can be seen in the courtyard of the museum.

Irving Berlin was prolific, writing more than 900 songs, 19 musicals, and the scores of 18 movies. Some of his songs that have become beloved classics include "There's No Business Like Show Business," "Easter Parade," and "White Christmas."

The Tarantula nebula is the largest known. It is 160,000 light-years away. If it was as close to us as the Orion nebula, its light would cast shadows on Earth.

The U.S. Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 made it more difficult for black slaves to escape to freedom. Prior to the act passing, slaves were free if they could get to a free state or territory. The Fugitive Slave Act required that slaves be returned to their owners.

Maine is the only state in the United States whose name is just one syllable.

In 1889, the first coin-operated telephone, patented by Hartford, Connecticut inventor William Gray, was installed in the Hartford Bank. Soon, "pay phones" were installed in stores, hotels, saloons, and restaurants, and their use soared. Local calls using a coin-operated phone in the U.S. cost

All the planets in our solar system could be placed inside the planet Jupiter.