Wikipedia:Did you know/Statistics/Monthly DYK pageview leaders/2013
This DYK STATS/Archive 2013 page is an archive of the monthly DYKSTATS leaders for each month in 2013, recognizing the DYK entries that have received the most page views while being featured on DYK.
On an important note: Please do not see this list as a competition, but rather a celebration of some of the most effective DYK hooks.
- 2013 DYK page view leaders by month (over 5,000 views)
January 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
David González (skateboarder) | 51,032 | 4,253 | ... that skateboarder David González was named Thrasher magazine's 2012 "Skater of the Year"? | |
R v Registrar General ex parte Segerdal | 20,800 + 21,832 = 42,632 | 5,329 | ... that in 1970, the English Court of Appeal found that Scientology does not engage in religious worship? | |
Rollstone Boulder | 28,004 | 2,334 | ... that in order to save the Rollstone Boulder (pictured) from being demolished, it was blown up? | |
Lord's honours boards | 25,034 | 3,129 | ... that Australia's Warren Bardsley and Charles Kellaway were only listed on the Lord's Honours Boards (pictured) 98 years after they had fulfilled the requirements, due to the lack of a neutral board? | |
Borderland (Star Trek: Enterprise) | 21,517 | 2,690 | ... that Bobbi Sue Luther (pictured) claimed that her costume in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Borderland" was skimpier than her normal outfits as a lingerie and bikini model? | |
List of Billboard Social 50 number-one acts | 21,166 | 2,731 | ... that Canadian singer Justin Bieber holds the record for the most consecutive weeks at number-one on the Billboard Social 50 with 24? | |
François Élie Roudaire Sahara Sea Chott Chott el Fejej Invasion of the Sea |
2,261 + 11,223 + 2,425 + 1,307 + 3,308 = 20,524 | 2,566 | ... that François Roudaire (pictured) proposed flooding the Sahara by a channel cut from the Mediterranean to the Chott el Fejej, an event which was portrayed in Jules Verne's last novel, and later was re-imagined with nuclear explosives? | |
James Ferguson (Scottish politician) | 14,264 + 3,813 = 18,077 | 2,260 | ... that James Ferguson was so ugly that his own mother warned him against being mistaken for a rapist? | |
Shi Jianqiao | 17,308 | 2,164 | ... that after assassinating a former warlord, Shi Jianqiao (pictured) distributed pamphlets explaining her deed? | |
Brescia Casket | 16,769 | 2,096 | ... that the 4th-century Brescia Casket (pictured) has been called "among the most formidable and enduring enigmas in the study of early Christian art"? | |
Botik of Peter the Great | 13,183 + 3,003 = 16,186 | 2,023 | ... that the Botik of Peter the Great (pictured) was considered to be the reason Peter the Great built the Russian Navy? | |
Escape from Tomorrow | 13,665 + 2,462 - (869 + 403)/2 = 15,491 | 1,936 | ... that Escape from Tomorrow was covertly filmed on location at Disneyland and Walt Disney World without Disney's permission or knowledge, using iPhones to store scripts and schedules and record sound? | |
Martin's Cave | 13,753 + 1,657 = 15,410 | 1,926 | ... that Martin's Cave (pictured) is named after the man who found it when he fell off the Rock of Gibraltar? | |
Clemente Susini | 14,016 | 1,752 | ... that Clemente Susini's "Little Venus" (pictured) has removable layers that reveal her internal organs, including her pregnancy? | |
O'Hara's Tower | 12,314 + 1,599 = 13,913 | 1,770 | ... that O'Hara's Tower was built in the mistaken belief that it would enable the garrison at Gibraltar to spy on ships massing at Cadiz? | |
Captain America: The Winter Soldier | 9,975 + 7,988 - (4,547 + 5,811)/2 = 12,784 | 1,650 | ... that Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the upcoming sequel to the 2011 film Captain America: The First Avenger, will feature the Falcon, the first African American superhero? | |
Operation Tracer, Gibraltar Lord Airey's Shelter |
(9,920 + 300) + (2,175 + 100) = 12,495 | 1,041 | ... that the top secret, World War II dual observation post of Operation Tracer was constructed in the tunnel system of Lord Airey's Shelter? | |
Alfie Fripp | 11,773 | 1,472 | ... that RAF Squadron Commander Alfie Fripp, the longest-serving and oldest-surviving British prisoner of war of World War II, scrounged tools that were used to excavate the "Great Escape" tunnel? (pictured) | |
Northwest Africa 7034 | 10,439 + 1,284 = 11,723 | 1,465 | ... that Northwest Africa 7034 (pictured) is a type of Martian meteorite never before seen, and has more water in it than any other yet discovered? | |
Minangkabau marriage | 11,707 | 1,463 | ... that customarily, in a Minangkabau marriage (pictured), the bridegroom lives with his sister and visits his wife's house only at night? | |
Affliction (Star Trek: Enterprise) | 11,285 | 1,411 | ... that the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Affliction" explains why Klingons look different in the original series compared to the movies and later series? | |
Fucking Hell | 10,736 | 1,342 | ... that the Fucking Mayor objected to Fucking Hell on the grounds that there was no Fucking brewery? | |
Meat City | 9,963 + 740 = 10,703 | 892 | ... that the single release of John Lennon's "Meat City" has a backwards message to "check the album", on which the song has a vulgar backwards message instead? | |
Sali Aga | 10,445 | 1,306 | ... that Sali Aga was nicknamed Rudnik Bull because of the mass orgies that he organized for himself and his men? | |
Jean Aylwin | 9,577 + 664 = 10,241 | 853 | ... that actress Jean Aylwin (pictured) inspired a new dress style "in crepe and lace"? | |
The Keep, Brighton | 9,998 | 833 | ... that had The Keep (pictured) not been built, 900 years worth of East Sussex's historical records could have been moved from the existing unsuitable building to another part of England? | |
Kankalamurti | 8,084 + 1,497 = 9,581 | 1,198 | that Kankalamurti (pictured) carries a staff on which the bones of the arms and legs of the slain person are tied? | |
Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom | 9,016 + 677 = 9,693 | 808 | ... that Theodore Roosevelt attacked Concealing-Coloration in the Animal Kingdom for "wild absurdities" like the book's depiction of "camouflaged" roseate spoonbills (pictured)? | |
Teresa Perales | 8,605 + 1,059 = 9,664 | 1,208 | ... that Teresa Perales (pictured) is the most decorated Spanish paralympian in history? | |
David Gunness | 6,837 + 2,668 = 9,505 | 1,063 | ... that Dave Gunness (pictured) designed concert loudspeakers used by Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Iron Maiden, Pearl Jam, Usher, and Snoop Dogg? | |
Erika Nordby | 8,223 + 970 | 9,193 | ... that Canada's Miracle Child "captured the world with her smile," according to Stompin' Tom? | |
Lady Henry Somerset | 8,938 | 745 | ... that Lady Henry Somerset scandalised 1870s society by revealing her husband's homosexuality, but was later voted the best choice to be the United Kingdom's first female prime minister? | |
Kiringul | 8,862 | 1,108 | ... that North Korea claims to have found the cave of a mythological beast said to have been ridden by King Dongmyeong of Goguryeo 2000 years ago? | |
Rimac Concept One | 8,789 | 1,099 | ... that the Rimac Concept One (pictured) has been described as the world's first electric supercar? | |
Four Kumaras | 8,603 | 717 | ... that some Hindus believe that the great ancestors of the world roam the universe as four naked five-year-old children? | |
Hair-grooming syncope | 6,442 + 2,051 = 8,493 | 1,062 | ... that brushing your hair can cause fainting or seizures? | |
Labour Isn't Working | 8,064 | 1,008 | ... that the picture in the Labour Isn't Working poster was used by both the UK Conservatives and the US Republicans in their respective 1979 and 2012 election campaigns? | |
Cerro Sechín | (6,549 + 1,190) + (102 + 17) = 7,858 | 943 | ... that it is not known who built the Peruvian site of Cerro Sechin? | |
Xernona Clayton | 6,530 + 1,301 = 7,831 | 979 | ... that African-American civil rights leader Xernona Clayton convinced a Grand Dragon of the Ku Klux Klan to denounce the Klan? | |
Manor House, Chew Magna | 6,779 + 785 = 7,564 | 946 | ... that the British Army requisitioned the Manor House in Chew Magna during World War II until they discovered it had no electricity, running water or modern sanitation? | |
John Russell, Viscount Amberley | 7,533 | 942 | ... that Lord Amberley allowed his wife's sexual partner, Douglas Spalding, to keep chickens in their drawing room and library, which terrified their guests? | |
Dudum siquidem | 6,412 + 992 = 7,404 | 926 | ... that when Pope Alexander VI (pictured) issued his bull Dudum siquidem, the mention in it of India caused consternation in Portugal? | |
AAM-N-4 Oriole AAM-N-5 Meteor |
3,741 + 3,336 = 7,077 | 885 | ... that the United States Navy planned to use Orioles and Meteors to shoot down enemy aircraft? | |
Spur Battery | 6,459 + 729 = 7,188 | 899 | ... that the 9.2-inch gun of Spur Battery, one of fourteen once mounted on Gibraltar, was moved to Imperial War Museum Duxford after its role was taken over by Exocet missiles? | |
Cunningham of Drumquhassle | 6,511 + 593 = 7,104 | 592 | ... that John Cunningham of Drumquhassle escaped one charge of treason, only to be hanged for another? | |
Belva Davis | Belva Davis | 5,971 + 966 = 6,937 | 832 | ... that long-time television journalist Belva Davis (pictured) recalls being chased out of the 1964 Republican National Convention by attendees who yelled racial slurs? |
Varahanatha Temple | 5,115 + 1,789 = 6,904 | 891 | ... that Varahanatha Temple (pictured) has erotic sculptures and amorous couples carved on its outer wall? | |
Cecropia peltata | 6,195 + 635 = 6,830 | 854 | ... that the trumpet tree, a fast-growing tree native to the American tropics, is considered one of the hundred worst invasive alien species in the world? | |
Matsya | 5,793 + 1,252 - (222 + 305)/2 = 6,781 | 848 | ... that the tale of the Great Flood and the Ark is also told in Hinduism? | |
Barcelona Metro 9000 Series | 5,746 + 929 = 6,675 | 847 | ... that the Barcelona Metro 9000 Series (pictured) runs on rapid transit systems in three Spanish-speaking countries? | |
USS Dunderberg | 6,543 | 844 | ... that Napoleon III, Emperor of France, bought the American ironclad Dunderberg in 1867 over the objections of his own navy, which preferred a home-built ship? | |
Resuscitative thoracotomy | 5,841 + 687 = 6,528 | 816 | ... that resuscitative thoracotomy revives only 10% of people with blunt trauma who receive it? | |
Long Live the Queen (video game) | 5,910 + 612 = 6,522 | 544 | ... that in the video game Long Live The Queen, players must keep a princess alive until she turns 15 and can be crowned? | |
Shatrunjaya Palitana temples |
3,098 + 3,383 = 6,481 | 810 | .... that Shatrunjaya is a sacred site for Jains, containing hundreds of Palitana temples (pictured)? | |
Axel Törneman | 5,660 + 755 = 6,415 | 802 | ... that Axel Törneman's friends were able to locate him by following the sketches he left in Paris cafés? | |
HMS Wanderer (D74) | 6,318 | 790 | ... that the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Wanderer sank five U-boats during World War II, more than any other ship of her class? | |
Ice spike | 6,205 | 776 | ... that an ice spike is a rare phenomenon in nature but they can be grown in an ice cube tray in a domestic refrigerator using distilled water? | |
The Splatters | 5,354 + 812 = 6,166 | 771 | ... that in the video game The Splatters players detonate bombs by flinging anthropomorphized globs of goo (pictured) at them? | |
Siege of Zbarazh | 5,445 + 714 = 6,159 | 770 | ... that during the Siege of Zbarazh the Polish-Lithuanian army withstood the assaults of the Cossack and Tatar army, about twenty times its own size? | |
William Neville (poet) | 5,472 + 609 = 6,081 | 507 | ... that poet William Neville made himself a cloak of linen and buckskin which was supposed to render him invisible? | |
Siege of Mecca (683) | 6,028 | 777 | ... that during the Siege of Mecca by the Umayyads in 683, the Kaaba (pictured) caught fire and burned down? | |
Gorce Mountains | 5,237 + 759 = 5,996 | 750 | ... that the Gorce Mountains (pictured) are home to the brown bear, black stork and fire salamander? | |
Tamoya ohboya | 5,904 | 743 | ... that stings from Tamoya ohboya, named for the exclamation "oh boy", cause severe pain and skin damage? | |
Ankarafantsika National Park Furcifer rhinoceratus Greater big-footed mouse |
747 + 2,421 + 2,670 = 5,838 | 730 | ... that Ankarafantsika National Park in Madagascar is home to the rhinoceros chameleon and the greater big-footed mouse? | |
Tracy Thermal Generating Station | 4,982 + 736 = 5,718 | 715 | ... that the 660-megawatt Tracy Thermal Generating Station (pictured), a heavy fuel oil-fired power station in Quebec, will be dismantled by the end of 2013? | |
Kajetan Mühlmann | 5,673 | 473 | ... that Jonathan Petropoulos has stated that Kajetan Mühlmann is "arguably the single most prodigious art plunderer in the history of human civilization"? | |
Greenwood Tunnel | 4,996 + 568 = 5,564 | 696 | ... that the Greenwood Tunnel in Virginia was completed without accident, even though engineer Claudius Crozet described the work as "excessively dangerous"? | |
My Mummy's Dead | 4,881 + 645 = 5,526 | 691 | ... that in "My Mummy's Dead", John Lennon used the tune of the nursery rhyme "Three Blind Mice" and achieved a chilling effect? | |
Hooch maid | 4,420 + 1,105 = 5,525 | 691 | ... that although some hooch maids were known to service servicemen during the Vietnam War, they were also described as being "good Catholics who ... would never date an American soldier"? | |
Venus flytrap sea anemone | 5,265 | 658 | ... that the Venus flytrap sea anemone (pictured) has been found in large numbers near decaying gelatinous carcases on the seabed? | |
The Grove (Cold Spring, New York) | 5,252 | 438 | ... that the village of Cold Spring, New York, rejected a thousand-dollar offer for the Richard Upjohn-designed The Grove as "insultingly low" despite restoration estimates a thousand times that? | |
Sumangali (child labour) | 5,177 | 647 | ... that bonuses promised to girls for Sumangali work in Tamil Nadu are deducted from their stipends and held until they complete three years of work, a form of debt bondage illegal in India since 1976? | |
Well Well Well (John Lennon song) | 4,928 + 202 = 5,130 | 428 | ... that a line from John Lennon's "Well Well Well" has been interpreted as both a reference to cannibalism and a sexual metaphor? | |
Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity | 3,536 + 1,648 - (122 + 65)/2 = 5,090 | 636 | ... that the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity is the largest Orthodox Christian church in the Western Hemisphere? |
February 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Clinton Romesha | 35,581 + 47,595 - 10,312 + (1,140/2) = 73,434 | 8,955 | ... that Clinton Romesha (pictured), who today is being awarded the Medal of Honor, joined the United States Army after deciding not to be a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? | |
Podoconiosis (Feb. 20, 2013) |
28,976 + 3,352 = 32,328 | 4,041 | ... that an estimated four million people worldwide suffer from podoconiosis? | |
Carmenelectra | 25,090 | 3,136 | ... that Carmenelectra was named after the model (pictured) because both have "splendid" bodies? | |
Fleetwings BQ-1 Fleetwings BQ-2 Fairchild BQ-3 |
(8,071 + 799) + (7,497 + 715) + (6,995 + 719) = 24,796 | 3,100 | ... that the Fleetwings BQ-1, Fleetwings BQ-2 (pictured) and Fairchild BQ-3 were all planned for use by the United States Army Air Forces as remote-controlled flying bombs? | |
Cardboard bicycle | 23,245 | 2,906 | ... that a cardboard bicycle has been made that weighs just 20 pounds (9.1 kg) and can support up to 220 kilograms (490 lb)? | |
Jeanie Buss | 27,048 + 4,550 - 8,882 + 1,581/2 = 23,507 | 2,938 | ... that Los Angeles Lakers executive Jeanie Buss (pictured) was named one of the Top 20 Most Influential Women in Sports by Sporting News? | |
Naked (Glee) | 24,040 + 12,821 - 8,234 -7,319 = 21,308 | 2,664 | ... that in the Glee episode "Naked", when Lea Michele's character Rachel was "Torn" over having to do a topless scene, Michele had to film the song twice so she could duet with herself? | |
Bruce Cooper Gibraltar Caving Group |
(11,495 + 1,088) + (5,615 + 576) = 18,774 | 2,347 | ... that Bruce Cooper was the last surviving member of a six-man team who volunteered to be sealed in a World War II observation post discovered by the Gibraltar Caving Group in 1997? | |
Frances Vane, Viscountess Vane | 18,362 | 2,295 | ... that Lady Fanny (pictured) not only scandalously refused to deny her sexual escapades, but also advertised them in her 1751 memoirs? | |
James Muri | 17,974 | 2,237 | ... that World War II pilot James Muri's only means of escape, after attacking the Japanese aircraft carrier Akagi, was to fly down along the line of her flight deck? | |
Paleontology in 50 states of the United States | 17,052 | 2,152 | ... that within the United States, dinosaur fossils (example pictured) have been found in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming, but not in Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, or Wisconsin? | |
Bertha of Holland | 15,746 | 1,993 | ... that the French queen Bertha of Holland (pictured) was left by her husband because she was "too fat", although he himself was too heavy to ride a horse? | |
Tyrannasorus rex | 15,612 | 1,952 | ... that Tyrannasorus rex had wings and six legs? | |
Breakneck Battery | 15,056 | 1,882 | ... that the 9.2 inch Mark X gun at Breakneck Battery (pictured) was described as one of the "crowning glories" of the defences of Gibraltar? | |
Trial of Thomas Hogg | 14,933 | 1,867 | ... that Thomas Hogg was accused of fathering piglets because they resembled him, which was allegedly proven when the mother sow became aroused by him? | |
The Hole (Scientology) | 15,454 - (589 + 499)/2 = 14,910 | 1,864 | ... that dozens of top Church of Scientology executives have reportedly been confined to The Hole (pictured) and subjected to the Church's "ecclesiastical discipline" system? | |
Justina Vail Evans | 12,802 + 1,403 = 14,205 | 1,776 | ... that Saturn Award-winning actress Justina Vail (pictured) is now a life coach, author and hypnotherapist? | |
Anne St Leger | 10,064 + 2,426 = 12,490 | 1,561 | ... that King Richard III disinherited his niece, Anne St. Leger, whose descendants provided DNA samples necessary for identification of his remains? | |
Throffer | 11,658 | 1,457 | ... that in The Godfather, the "offer" that cannot be refused is not an offer at all, but is instead a throffer? | |
Maria Leopoldine of Austria | 11,329 | 1,373 | ... that 17-year-old Holy Roman Empress Maria Leopoldine (pictured) died giving birth to her cousin's child? | |
United States v. 11 1/4 Dozen Packages of Articles Labeled in Part Mrs. Moffat's Shoo-Fly Powders for Drunkenness | 10,023 + 1,137 = 11,160 | 1,395 | ... that the United States Government brought 11 1/4 Dozen Packages of Mrs. Moffat's Shoo-Fly Powders for Drunkenness to court? | |
List of songs recorded by Fiona Apple Dull Tool |
(4,591 + 4,954) + (606 + 871) = 11,022 | 1,336 | ... that in 2012, Fiona Apple (pictured) recorded "Dull Tool", her first original song written for a film soundtrack, for the comedy film This Is 40? | |
So God Made a Farmer | 9,522 + 2,202 - (1,272 + 1,034)/2 = 10,571 | 1,321 | ... that the speech So God Made a Farmer was featured in a Super Bowl XLVII commercial entitled "Farmer"? | |
Teresa Gil de Vidaure | 9,601 + 1,384 = 10,985 | 1,373 | ... that King James the Conqueror of Aragon (pictured) left his leper wife, Teresa Gil de Vidaure, in order to pursue an incestuous relationship? | |
Albert Stevens | 8,809 + 1,781 = 10,590 | 1,324 | ... that for a Manhattan Project experiment Albert Stevens was secretly injected with what was expected to be a lethal dose of plutonium, and paid for providing samples of his urine and feces? | |
Theory of Phoenician discovery of the Americas | 9,081 + 1,022 = 10,103 | 1,263 | ... that it will probably never be known for sure whether the Phoenicians ever sailed to the Americas? | |
Wikipedian in Residence Sarah Stierch |
3,625 + 6,341 = 9,966 | 1,246 | ... that the Wikipedian in Residence program placed Sarah Stierch (pictured) at the Archives of American Art and Smithsonian Institution Archives? | |
Marie Fox | 8,314 + 1,238 = 9,552 | 1,194 | ... that Marie Fox (pictured), a foundling whose father was unknown, was adopted by a nobleman and became a princess, author and translator? | |
Mochitsura Hashimoto | 8,074 + 1,341 = 9,415 | 1,177 | ... that after commanding submarines during World War II, Mochitsura Hashimoto (pictured) became a Shinto priest? | |
Centerless grinding | 9,282 | 1,155 | ... that in centerless grinding, the workpiece is held in place by nothing more than the friction of both grinding wheels? | |
1 kroon coin (1934) | 8,894 | 1,112 | ... that the 1 kroon coin from 1934 was voted the prettiest coin that has been in circulation in Estonia? | |
Type 26 revolver | 4,708 + 4,159 = 8,867 | 1,073 | ... that the Type 26 revolver was produced until destruction of the Koishikawa Arsenal by the 1923 Great Kantō Earthquake? | |
Three-dollar piece | 8,709 | 1,089 | ... that the American three-dollar coin (pictured) may have been designed to make buying stamps easier? | |
HD 140283 | 8,571 + 1,071 = 9,642 | 1,205 | ... that HD 140283 is thought to be the oldest known star, being nearly as old as the universe itself? | |
Anna Litvinova | 8,519 | 1,033 | ... that Anna Litvinova, the winner of Miss Universe – Russia 2006 contest, died on 22 January 2013 in a hospital in Germany, after suffering from cancer for one year? | |
The Age of Innocence (Hamilton book) | 7,257 + 1,240 = 8,497 | 1,062 | ... that in 2010, a man from England was convicted on child pornography charges for purchasing books, including The Age of Innocence, from a mainstream bookshop? | |
Alfred E. Montgomery | 8,260 | 1,033 | ... that Alfred E. Montgomery (pictured) was in command of the submarine USS F-1 when it collided with its sister ship USS F-3 during maneuvers and sank, after which he became a naval aviator? | |
Ecoregions in Poland | 7,975 | 998 | ... that one of the critical/endangered ecoregions in Poland is home to the heaviest surviving wild land animal in Europe (pictured)? | |
Just This Once | 3,952 + 3,924 = 7,876 | 985 | ... that the 1993 romance novel Just This Once was authored by a computer in collaboration with its programmer? | |
Shit Brook | 7,709 | 989 | ... that there is a Shit Brook in Shropshire? | |
Gunnies | 7,529 | 941 | ... that miners cautiously used a long iron rod when they thought they were near a house of water? | |
Capital punishment in Yemen | 7,310 | 914 | ... that Yemen has one of the highest execution rates in the world? | |
Argentine–Chilean naval arms race | 7,221 | 903 | ... that even before the Argentine–Chilean naval arms race, the Chilean Navy was stronger than the United States Navy? | |
Eleanor Manners, Countess of Rutland | 7,149 | 867 | ... that the Countess of Rutland, mother of 11, had to inform the English queen Anne of Cleves that receiving a goodnight kiss was not enough to conceive a child? | |
New York Central Tugboat 16 | 6,426 + 682 = 7,108 | 889 | ... that a tugboat used to sit at the bottom of the approach to the Bourne Bridge until it was demolished to make way for a parking lot of a pharmacy? | |
Matanaka Farm | 6,132 + 734 = 6,866 | 858 | ... that the Matanaka Farm buildings (pictured) are the oldest farm buildings in New Zealand? | |
Shana Madoff Eric Swanson |
4,711 + 1,939 = 6,650 | 831 | ... that Shana Madoff met her future husband Eric Swanson when he was investigating whether her uncle Bernie Madoff was running a Ponzi scheme? | |
Ernest Gibbins | 6,466 | 808 | ... that the scientist Ernest Gibbins was speared to death by tribesmen who believed he would use their blood samples for "white man's witchcraft"? | |
Ahn Jun | 5,794 + 636 = 6,430 | 804 | ... that South Korean photographer Ahn Jun is best known for her Self Portrait series of pictures showing herself sitting on the edge of skyscrapers? | |
September Eleven 1683 | 5,502 + 879 = 6,381 | 799 | ... that the joint Polish/Italian film September Eleven 1683 used over 10,000 extras and 3,000 horses in the battle scenes? | |
Poitevin horse | 6,132 | 767 | ... that fewer than 75 Poitevin horses were born in 2011? | |
Siege of Algeciras (1342–1344) | 6,100 | 763 | ... that some of the stone balls (pictured) thrown in the 1342–44 Siege of Algeciras were reused in the 1487 Siege of Málaga? | |
Brasília National Park | 5,993 | 749 | ... that Brasília National Park (pictured) is the largest park in the world which is situated in an urbanized area? | |
Cervalces latifrons | 5,096 + 846 = 5,932 | 742 | ... that the broad-fronted moose was probably the largest species of deer that has ever existed? | |
Catherine Courtney, Baroness Courtney of Penwith | 5,414 + 521 = 5,935 | 742 | ... that Lady Courtney (pictured) hosted the first meeting of the committee from which the Save the Children Fund would develop? | |
Oram Nincehelser House | 5,870 | 734 | ... that the Oram Nincehelser House (pictured) was built to impress Nincehelser's new bride, who deserted him just a few years later? | |
Herman Postma | 5,855 | 730 | ... that after graduating from Duke and Harvard, scientist Herman Postma (pictured) returned to high school to learn Russian? | |
Tabo Monastery | 1,375 + 4,447 = 5,822 | 706 | ... that Tabo (pictured) is the oldest continuously operating Buddhist enclave in both India and the Himalayas? | |
Tholing monastery Purang-Guge kingdom Yeshe-Ö |
939 + 2,385 + 1,322 + 1,167 = 5,813 | 727 | ... that the Tholing monastery (pictured) of the Purang-Guge kingdom was built by Yeshe-Ö, the first notable lama-king in Tibet? | |
Grand Quartier Général (1914–1919) | 4,699 + 1,058 = 5,757 | 694 | ... that the French Army general headquarters during the First World War simply assumed that three German soldiers were killed for every two French soldiers? | |
Roy Chaplin | 5,031 + 689 = 5,720 | 715 | ... that Roy Chaplin was awarded an OBE in 1946 for his achievements in the design and development of military aircraft and was working on the jump jet (pictured) in 1962 when he retired? | |
The Girl (2012 HBO film) | 3,943 + 3,303 - (1,155 + 1,968)/2 = 5,684 | 711 | ... that actor Toby Jones underwent 20 minutes of daily vocal warm up exercises to recreate Alfred Hitchcock's distinctive accent for the 2012 film The Girl? | |
Carman Barnes | 4,835 + 838 = 5,673 | 709 | ... that Carman Barnes' scandalous novel Schoolgirl, published when she was only sixteen, led to her being expelled from school? | |
Jacob Little | 5,157 + 551 = 5,608 | 701 | ... that famed speculator Jacob Little, the Great Bear of Wall Street, died a broken man after making and losing several fortunes? | |
Robert Clark (businessman) | 5,548 + 50 = 5,598 | 700 | ... that Sir Robert Clark's teddy bear is thought to have been the only one to have parachuted behind enemy lines and then survive as a prisoner of war? | |
Grave robbery in the United Kingdom | 5,549 | 694 | ... that Joshua Naples, a British grave robber, was unable to sell a corpse deemed putrid? | |
Dorippe frascone Astropyga radiata |
3,700 + 1,787 = 5,487 | 686 | ... that the urchin crab is named for its habit of carrying a sea urchin such as the false fire urchin (pictured) on its back? | |
The Dingo Principle | 5,436 | 646 | ... that sketches on the television comedy series The Dingo Principle resulted in the expulsion of two Australian diplomats from Iran, and a letter of complaint from the Soviet embassy in Canberra? | |
Monroe Doctrine Centennial half dollar | 5,339 | 651 | ... that the Monroe Doctrine Centennial half dollar (pictured) was struck as part of a plan to bring Hollywood good publicity? | |
St. Joseph's Church, Beijing | 4,608 + 697 = 5,305 | 663 | ... that Beijing's St. Joseph's Church (pictured) has been damaged by an earthquake, burned during the Boxer Rebellion, converted into a school after the Chinese Civil War, and closed during the Cultural Revolution? | |
Halsewell (East Indiaman) | 4,665 + 629 = 5,294 | 687 | ... that in the wreck of the Halsewell there were only 74 survivors out of over 240 passengers and crew? | |
Stanydale Temple | 5,282 | 640 | ... that the discoverer of Scotland's ancient Stanydale Temple (pictured) thought it was patterned after temples in Malta? | |
Gedser wind turbine | 4,691 + 578 = 5,269 | 659 | ... that the design of the Gedser wind turbine was considered seminal for the modern wind industry? | |
USS Ozark (1863) | 4,762 + 500 = 5,262 | 658 | ... that in 1873, the ironclad river monitor Ozark transported Federal troops and New Orleans police attempting to apprehend the perpetrators of the Colfax Massacre? | |
Panchakanya (Hinduism) | 5,242 | 635 | ... that each of the five heroines (pictured) from Hindu epics, venerated as exemplary chaste women, is recorded to have "known" at least one man other than her husband? | |
HTMS Sri Ayudhya | 5,145 | 643 | ... that in 1951, the Thai Army, Police and Air Force sank the Navy's flagship HTMS Sri Ayudhya, despite Prime Minister Plaek Pibulsonggram being held hostage on board? | |
George Ronan | 5,062 | 633 | ... than George Ronan was the firstWest Point graduate to be killed in battle? | |
Landon Carter Haynes | 5,021 | 597 | ... that Landon Carter Haynes (pictured) once shot rival newspaperman and politician William G. "Parson" Brownlow, who later accused him of stealing corn and selling diseased hogs? | |
Highwic | 5,008 | ... that Highwic has been a filming location for both Burger King and Hell Pizza? |
March 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Shane Larkin | 16,776 + 2,308 = 19,084 | 2,726 | ... that Miami Hurricanes point guard Shane Larkin, the son of Barry Larkin, quit baseball after a Little League coach told him the tutoring he had received from Tony Perez and Pete Rose was "all wrong"? | |
Suicide in Greenland | 10,607 + 8,282 - 2,777 = 16,112 | 2,014 | ... that in Greenland, 1 in every 5 people attempt to commit suicide? | |
Gary Connery | 12,721 + 1,768 = 14,499 | 1,812 | ... that Gary Connery is the first skydiver in history to land from a 2,400-foot (730 m) jump without a parachute? | |
Grumpy Cat | 13,182-1,599 + 3,902-2,953 = 12,532 | 1,567 | ... that Grumpy Cat's signature facial expression is permanent and probably caused by feline dwarfism? | |
Holothuria leucospilota Cuvierian tubules |
5,250+601 + 4,901+562 = 11,614 | 1,452 | ... that the black sea cucumber (pictured) can emit a mass of sticky cuvierian tubules to enmesh a potential predator? | |
Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci | 10,255 + 1,203 = 11,458 | 1,432 | ... that the wreck of the Italian battleship Leonardo da Vinci was salvaged upside down and repaired in drydock that way? | |
I-351-class submarine | 11,352 - 116 + 12/2 = 11,242 | 1,405 | ... that the Japanese I-351-class submarine was designed to support up to three flying boats with fuel, ammunition, water, and even replacement aircrew? | |
Penn Symons | 9,352 | 1,207 | ... that although Penn Symons (pictured) was mortally wounded in the stomach at the Battle of Talana Hill he remounted his horse and rode out of sight of his troops before asking for help? | |
Afghan Local Police | 8,352 + 993 = 9,345 | 1,168 | ... that the establishment of the Afghan Local Police (officers pictured) in 2010 was opposed by President Hamid Karzai? | |
Sheiling | 9,069 | 1,134 | ... that isolated sheilings were ideal for "sexual experiment"? | |
Pig Beach | 8,968 | 1,121 | ... that an uninhabited island in the Bahamas is populated by swimming pigs? | |
Gold Base | 9,194 - (259 + 289)/2 = 8,920 | 1,115 | ... that Gold Base (pictured) in Riverside County, California, is the Church of Scientology's closely guarded international headquarters? | |
Papal conclave, 2013 | (16,046 - 10,782) + (15,687 - 12,038) = 8,913 | 1,114 | ... that any Roman Catholic baptised male is eligible for election as pope in March 2013? | |
Stephanie Kopelousos | 8,315 + 492 = 8,807 | 1,101 | ... that Stephanie Kopelousos (pictured) is the youngest person and the first woman to head the $8 billion Florida Department of Transportation? | |
Pope Anastasius II | 8,607 | 1,111 | ... that Pope Anastasius II was sent to the sixth circle of hell as a result of mistaken identity? | |
Washington Harbour | 7,639 + 765 = 8,404 | 1,051 | ... that the postmodern architecture of the mixed-use development Washington Harbour (pictured) has been described as "pop art" and "cartoonish"? | |
Lady Mary Fox | 8,179 | 1,022 | ... that British king William IV's daughter, Lady Mary Fox (pictured), wrote a feminist narrative about a mysterious land now known as Australia? | |
Progeroid syndromes | 8,032 | 1,004 | ... that the main character in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was inspired by a group of rare genetic disorders known as progeroid syndromes? | |
Victor Maghakian | 7,925 | 991 | ... that having been awarded over two dozen medals, Armenian American Marine Victor Maghakian is considered one of the most decorated American soldiers of World War II? | |
John Michael Beaumont | 7,032 + 923 = 7,955 | 994 | ... that in 1990, Michael Beaumont, feudal ruler of Sark, overcame a nuclear physicist's one-man invasion attempt and remains the only inhabitant allowed to keep pigeons and unspayed dogs? | |
Art in Sierra Leone | 7,895 | 987 | ... that the nomoli statues (pictured) discovered in Sierra Leone are of unknown origin? | |
Ingrid Chua-Go | 8,115 - 315 + 23/2 = 7,812 | 977 | ... that Filipino fashion and society blogger Ingrid Chua-Go's (pictured) fascination with writing was sparked by a toy typewriter her mother gave her as a child? | |
Washington Harbour | 7,639 | 961 | ... that the postmodern architecture of the mixed-use development Washington Harbour (pictured) has been described as "pop art" and "cartoonish"? | |
Brock Bond Casey Bond |
3,933+436 + 2,854+342 = 7,565 | 946 | .. that the San Francisco Giants drafted Brock Bond when they meant to draft Casey Bond? | |
Palais Leuchtenberg | 6,518 + 703 = 7,221 | 903 | ... that Palais Leuchtenberg (pictured) in Munich, was built from 1817 to 1821 at a cost of 770,000 guilders, which was almost the annual budget of Bavaria at the time? | |
Wordless novel | 7,445 - (501 + 184)/2 = 7,102 | 888 | ... that in the 1920s, novels with no words were popular in Europe? | |
Lord George Graham Captain Lord George Graham in his Cabin |
2,527 + 4,404 = 6,931 | 866 | ... that after success in a naval battle, Lord George Graham was featured in the portrait Captain Lord George Graham in his Cabin (pictured) by William Hogarth, alongside a dog in a wig? | |
Fingle Bridge | 6,232+636 - (13+37)/2 = 6,843 | 855 | ... that Fingle Bridge (pictured), in a deep Dartmoor gorge, is built on the historic crossing point between the hillforts of Prestonbury Castle and Cranbrook Castle? | |
K. G. Shantha | 6,825 | 853 | ... that Chief Petty Officer K. G. Shantha was killed in a sea battle when he rammed his Arrow-class patrol boat into a Sea Tiger suicide boat to save another navy vessel? | |
Anthony Chenevix-Trench | 6,582 | 823 | ... that Anthony Chenevix-Trench aimed to abolish school uniform completely at Eton, but only succeeded in abolishing the rule requiring smaller boys to wear suits that included a "bumfreezer" (pictured)? | |
Roberta Dodd Crawford | 6,339 | 792 | ... that Texas-born singer Roberta Dodd Crawford was both a princess and a prisoner of the Nazis? | |
Arturo Licata | 6,278 | 785 | ... that 110-year-old Arturo Licata is Italy's and Europe's oldest living man? | |
Dolores Zohrab Liebmann | 6,189 | 774 | ... that philanthropist Dolores Zohrab Liebmann (pictured) was deeply affected by witnessing the arrest and then murder of her father Krikor Zohrab in the Armenian Genocide? | |
Sugath Chandrasiri Bandara | 6,138 | 767 | ... that in 2009, Sergeant Sugath Chandrasiri Bandara fired an RPG-7 at close range against an explosive-laden enemy vehicle, which killed him but saved his unit? | |
Martha Hackett | 5,647 + 436 = 6,073 | 759 | ... that Martha Hackett appeared in thirteen episodes of Star Trek: Voyager as Seska, including two after her character died on screen? | |
Allan Hills A81005 | 5,105 + 908 = 6,013 | 752 | ... that Allan Hills A81005 (pictured) was the first lunar meteorite found on Earth? | |
Stone Mountain Memorial half dollar | 6,007 - 208 + 41/2 = 5,820 | 728 | ... that although the Stone Mountain Memorial half dollar (pictured) was intended in part to honor the deceased US president Warren G. Harding, no mention of him appears on the coin? | |
Boudreaux's Butt Paste | 5,012 + 792 = 5,804 | 726 | ... that after Brad Pitt complained of his children's "horrible diaper rash", responders to a People request for advice overwhelmingly recommended Boudreaux's Butt Paste? | |
NGC 2467 | 5,600 + 201 = 5,801 | 725 | ... that NGC 2467 (pictured) is also known as the "Skull and Crossbones nebula"? | |
Southern Rhodesian involvement in the First World War | 5,020 + 769 = 5,789 | 724 | ... that 40% of Southern Rhodesian white males fought (example platoon pictured) in the First World War? | |
Pathetic dot theory | 5,784 | 723 | ... that Lawrence Lessig's pathetic dot theory stresses the importance of computer code in regulating our behavior? | |
Holocron | 5,773 | 722 | ... that the Holocron is a database of the Star Wars Expanded Universe and Star Wars canon, including its characters, creatures, languages, locations, vehicles, and weapons? | |
Enid Bosworth Lorimer | 5,001 + 569 = 5,570 | 696 | ... that even though Enid Bosworth Lorimer had an acting career spanning 70 years, only six people turned up at her funeral? | |
Two World Wars and One World Cup | 5,533 | ... that according to England fans, England beat Germany in "Two World Wars and One World Cup"? | ||
Bradish Johnson | 5,415 | 677 | ... that American industrialist Bradish Johnson (pictured) was involved in the "swill milk" scandal, in which organic distillery waste was fed to sick old cows and their milk sold as "farm-fresh"? | |
Evacuations of children in Germany during World War II | 4,736 + 667 = 5,403 | 675 | ... that more than 2.8 million children were evacuated from major cities in Germany during World War II? | |
Charlie Getzein | 4,514 + 751 = 5,265 | 679 | ... that Charlie Getzein (pictured), known for his "pretzel curve" pitch, won 59 games in 1886 and 1887, including four games in the 1887 World Series? | |
Tung Chung Battery | 5,259 | 657 | ... that Tung Chung Battery (pictured) was built to protect its eponymous bay from pirates, but now faces towards Hong Kong International Airport? | |
Operation Graffham | 4,692 + 563 = 5,255 | 657 | ... that Operation Graffham was a Second World War political deception intended to convince the Swedish government that the Allied nations were about to invade Norway? | |
Task Force 80 | 4,513 + 594 = 5,107 | 638 | ... that Task Force 80 was the designation of the U.S. naval task force involved in the invasions of Sicily and mainland Italy during World War II? | |
Mykola Melnyk | 4,311 + 730 = 5,041 | 630 | ... that Ukrainian helicopter pilot hero Mykola Melnyk made 46 sorties over the highly-radioactive Chernobyl Power Plant, and then continued firefighting flights into his fifties? | |
Babi Yar in poetry | 4,162 + 865 = 5,027 | ... that most epic poems about the Babi Yar massacres were written by Russian and Ukrainian Jews who managed to survive the Holocaust? | ||
List of sieges of Gibraltar | 5,012 | 626 | ... that there have been fourteen sieges of Gibraltar, making it one of the most fought-over places in Europe? |
April 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Śmigus-Dyngus | 47,095 | 5,887 | ... that Polish girls (pictured) are getting wet and spanked today, but will have their revenge tomorrow? | |
MagiCans | 36,038+2,832 + 555+1,235 = 40,660 | 5,083 | ... that defects in Coca-Cola's MagiCans (pictured) led a child to mistakenly drink foul-tasting liquid used to replace actual cola? | |
Sex for Breakfast | 27,802 + 3,448 = 31,250 | 3,906 | ... that Christina Aguilera had sex for breakfast with slow jam and honey drip? | |
Shooting Star (Glee) | 46,208 - (20,646 + 10,162)/2 = 30,804 | 3,851 | ... that "Shooting Star", the eighteenth episode of the fourth season of Glee, has been characterized as "unsettling" and "harrowing" by pre-broadcast reviewers? | |
Clive Mantle | 24,963 + 2,905 = 27,868 | 3,484 | ... that English actor Clive Mantle (portrait pictured) beat up Clint Eastwood? | |
Ring of Silvianus | 26,227 | 3,278 | ... that the cursed Ring of Silvianus (pictured) may have inspired J. R. R. Tolkien to write The Hobbit? | |
Elvis' Greatest Shit | 23,993 | 2,999 | ... that Elvis' greatest shit was dropped in 1982? | |
John le Fucker | 16,673 + 2,291 = 18,964 | 2,371 | ... that John le Fucker's name probably did not mean what you might think it means? | |
Ezra Meeker | 15,988 + 1,943 = 17,931 | 2,241 | ... that Ezra Meeker (pictured) traveled the Oregon Trail by ox cart in 1852, and crossed the United States by airplane in 1924 at age 93? | |
Death during consensual sex | 15,299 - (423 + 364)/2 = 14,905 | 1,863 | ... that contemporary reports claimed that French President Félix Faure died receiving fellatio and his penis had to be surgically removed from his mistress's locked jaw? | |
Watermelon stereotype | 12,740 + 2,436 = 15,176 | 1,897 | ... that contrary to the racist stereotype that African Americans eat more watermelon than average (1909 illustration pictured), a survey showed that they actually eat less? | |
Opisthiolepis | 14,787 | 1,848 | ... that drunk rabbits up to 30 m (98 ft) high are found in Queensland rainforests? | |
Smile mask syndrome | 14,193 | 1,774 | ... that smile mask syndrome may affect people whose jobs force them to smile for many hours per day, and is particularly common in Japan and Korea? | |
Sealo | 12,062 + 1,543 = 13,605 | 1,701 | ... that an armless freak had a chimpanzee as his partner? | |
Vallée de Mai | 12,341 + 274 = 12,615 | 1,548 | ... that a Kabbalistic decoding of the Book of Genesis by Charles George Gordon suggested Vallée de Mai (pictured) in Seychelles is the Garden of Eden? | |
Bangui magnetic anomaly | 12,586 | 1,573 | ... that most of the Central African Republic is covered by the Bangui Magnetic Anomaly (pictured as large red anomaly in central Africa), the result of an igneous intrusion or meteorite impact? | |
Mound 72 | 12,363 | 1,517 | ... that Mound 72 (pictured) at Cahokia in pre-Columbian western Illinois was the site of ritual human sacrifice, including a pit burial containing 53 young women? | |
Kalu dodol | 12,268 | 1,534 | ... that making kalu dodol (pictured) is a labour-intensive process that can take up to nine hours? | |
Shitterton | 12,158 | 1,520 | ... that Shitterton has been voted to be worse than Scratchy Bottom or Brokenwind? | |
McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk | 10,630 + 1,388 = 12,018 | 1,502 | ... that ten of the twenty McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk aircraft (pictured) operated by the Royal Australian Navy between 1967 and 1984 were destroyed in accidents? | |
World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map | 11,238 | ... that the World Digital Magnetic Anomaly Map depicts features such as the Richat Structure, Atlantic ridge, Paris Basin and Chicxulub crater (pictured)? | ||
Willy warmer | 11,141 + 1,405 = 12,546 | 1,568 | ... that Faroese girls would test their boyfriends' readiness for marriage by presenting them with woolly willy warmers? | |
Ashoka's Hell | 9,570 + 1,465 = 11,035 | 1,379 | ... that anyone who entered Emperor Ashoka's Hell was not allowed to come out alive? | |
Winsor McCay How a Mosquito Operates The Sinking of the Lusitania |
4,091 - (247+236)/2 + 3,221 + 3,793 = 10,863 | 1,333 | ... that cartoonist Winsor McCay (pictured) created comic strips and animation about explosive sneezes and exploding mosquitoes, the dreams of children and of adults, a dancing dinosaur, and the World War I torpedoing of the RMS Lusitania? | |
Momoiro Clover Z | 10,897 - (479 + 811)/2 = 10,252 | 1,282 | ... that Japanese idol group Momoiro Clover Z (pictured) do not lip-synch in live performances even though their vocals are rendered unstable when coupled with dance moves? | |
Püssi | 9,933 | 1,242 | ... that Siemens is in Püssi? | |
274301 Wikipedia | 9,779 | 1,222 | ... that Wikipedia was discovered in 2008 between Mars and Jupiter? | |
Lewat Djam Malam | 8,515 + 1,041 = 9,556 | 1,195 | ... that a mouldy old film was screened at Cannes? | |
824th Tank Destroyer Battalion | 9,451 | 1,181 | ... that during the six months that the 824th Tank Destroyer Battalion served in the European theater of World War II, its officers and men were awarded six Silver Stars and thirty-one Bronze Stars? | |
Star Trek: Renegades | 9,426 | 1,178 | ... that the creators of the Kickstarter-funded Star Trek: Renegades hope to use it as a pilot for a new series on CBS? | |
Sea | 12,245 - (3,189 + 3,102)/2 = 9,099 | 1,137 | ... that the sea (wave pictured) contains over 97% of Earth's water? | |
Charles O'Rear | 7,576 + 1,397 = 8,973 | 1,122 | ... that when Charles O'Rear took a photograph of a green, lush hillside near Napa Valley, he did not expect it to be "the most viewed image of the world"? | |
Happiness Is Dean Martin | 8,970 | 1,121 | ... that happiness is Dean Martin? | |
Puppy pregnancy syndrome | 7,414 + 1,530 = 8,944 | 1,118 | ... that in India, people suffering from puppy pregnancy syndrome believe a dog bite can impregnate humans, including men? | |
Great Moonbuggy Race | 8,776 | 1,097 | ... that the Great Moonbuggy Race is underway right now? | |
Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar | 8,645 | 1,081 | ... that the Twelfth Siege of Gibraltar ended in defeat for France and Spain, which lost 10,000 men while the English and Dutch defenders lost only 400? | |
King's Bastion | 8,608 | 1,076 | ... that King's Bastion (model pictured), instrumental in defending Gibraltar during its Great Siege, was later used as a generating station and is now a leisure centre? | |
Margot Wölk | 7,337 + 858 = 8,195 | 1,024 | ... that former German secretary Margot Wölk's background as Adolf Hitler's personal food taster was revealed on her 95th birthday? | |
1941 theatre strike in Norway Elisabeth Gording Lillemor von Hanno |
2,557+452 + 1,468+277 + 2,778+482 = 8,014 | 1,002 | ... that actors in Norway went on strike in 1941 after work permits for six actors, including Elisabeth Gording and Lillemor von Hanno (pictured), were revoked for refusal to perform on Nazi-controlled radio? | |
Wildlife of Antarctica | 7,928 | 991 | ... that adaptations of the wildlife of Antarctica (icefish pictured) to survive the cold include growing blubber, having antifreeze in their blood, and digesting themselves into a juvenile state? | |
Soho Pam | 7,869 | 984 | ... that Soho Pam liked to give her patrons a cuddle? | |
Ready for Love (TV series) | 11,900 - (4,248 + 3,936)/2 = 7,808 | 958 | ... that after NBC shuffled its 2012–13 television schedule, Ready for Love was given a two-hour timeslot following The Voice, starting April 9? | |
Majdanek Trials | 6,818 + 757 = 7,575 | 947 | ... that the Majdanek concentration camp trial was the longest Nazi war crimes trial in history, spanning over 30 years? | |
Hundertwasser Toilets | 7,564 | 976 | ... that the Hundertwasser Toilets are the most photographed toilets in New Zealand? | |
James Bond (American football) | 7,538 | 942 | ... that James Bond played briefly in the National Football League after completing his military service? | |
Schmuck v. United States | 7,527 | 941 | ... that some schmuck tried to get the U.S. Supreme Court to let him off for mail fraud because all he did was roll back odometers? | |
De Stem des Bloeds | 7,526 | 941 | ... that the voice of blood is violet and makes no sound? | |
Choiseul Pigeon | 6,652 + 845 = 7,497 | 937 | ... that the extinct Choiseul Pigeon (pictured), which was endemic to the island of Choiseul in the Solomon Islands, was so tame that the indigenous hunters could pick it up off of its roost? | |
Chionodraco rastrospinosus | 6,372 + 1,050 = 7,422 | 928 | ... that ocellated icefish Chionodraco rastrospinosus (pictured) have blood as clear as water? | |
Brown Willy | 7,405 | 926 | ... that the Aetherius Society believes that their sacred 1,375-foot (419 m) Brown Willy is full of holy energy? | |
FL Fart | 7,394 | 924 | ... that a Norwegian organization established a women's fart team? | |
Walter Baxter | 6,535 + 843 = 7,378 | 922 | ... that Walter Baxter wrote about the gay Batman–Kent relationship? | |
Aztec, New Mexico, UFO incident | 7,347 | 901 | ... that the Aztec UFO Crash was faked to sell devices called "doodlebugs"? | |
Margot Wölk | 7,337 | 916 | ... that former German secretary Margot Wölk's background as Adolf Hitler's personal food taster was revealed on her 95th birthday? | |
Exile (Star Trek: Enterprise) | 6,515 + 670 = 7,185 | 898 | ... that the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Exile" was seen as a play on the Beauty and the Beast story, and one critic thought that the new sets reminded her of a Disney Castle? | |
Sam LoPresti | 7,112 | 889 | ... that National Hockey League goaltender Sam LoPresti murdered a dolphin to save 28 men? | |
Gibraltar District School No. 2 | 7,041 | 880 | ... that Norwegians built Gibraltar's first school (pictured) in the 1860s? | |
Israeli breakfast | 6,935 | 867 | ... that at hotels in Israel, the Israeli breakfast is commonly presented as a self-service buffet (pictured)? | |
Mark Koenig | 6,169 + 763 = 6,932 | 867 | ... that Mark Koenig was the last surviving member of the Murderers' Row? | |
Gąsawa massacre | 6,744 | 843 | ... that Grand Duke Leszek the White and a number of other Polish Piast dukes were ambushed in their baths during the 13th-century regicide and massacre at Gąsawa (pictured)? | |
Human sacrifice in Maya culture | 6,727 | 825 | ... that human sacrifice among the pre-Columbian Maya was performed in a number of ways, including decapitation, heart extraction, shooting with bow and arrows and disembowelment? | |
Selfie | 6,723 | 840 | ... that sociologist Ben Aggers has described the trend of selfies as "the male gaze gone viral"? | |
Rudd Concession | 6,723 | 840 | ... that while trying to disavow the Rudd Concession, King Lobengula of Matabeleland (pictured) sent emissaries to meet with Queen Victoria at Windsor Castle? | |
Mars Cheese Castle | 3,498 + 3,184 = 6,682 | 486 | ... that the Mars Cheese Castle, a Wisconsin "cheese landmark", was visited by U.S. Vice-President Joe Biden while he campaigned for the 2012 presidential election? | |
Joan Feynman | 5,656 + 952 - (106 + 197)/2 = 6,456 | 807 | ... that astrophysicist Joan Feynman (pictured), sister of noted physicist Richard Feynman, discovered that auroras are caused by the solar wind's magnetic field interacting with Earth's magnetosphere? | |
The Three Musketeers (Studebaker engineers) | 5,694 + 783 = 6,477 | 810 | ... that The Three Musketeers were the nucleus engineers of the Chrysler Corporation? | |
Ustalic acid Tricholoma ustale |
3,587+516 + 2,046+303 = 6,452 | 807 | ... that when force-fed to mice, the toxin ustalic acid, isolated from the mushroom Tricholoma ustale (pictured), makes them crouch—hesitant to move—before it kills them? | |
Prairie madness | 6,438 | 805 | ... that settlers of the American frontier in the 19th century sometimes fell victim to prairie madness, in which social isolation and other hardships of life on the prairie caused them to develop mental illness? | |
Church of St Luke, Liverpool | 6,334 | 792 | ... that a liver bird survives in the bombed-out Church of St Luke, Liverpool (pictured)? | |
Puits d'amour | 6,320 | 790 | ... that the Puits d'amour pastry caused scandal in 18th century France because of the erotic connotation of its name? | |
I Am Not Spock | 5,552 + 762 = 6,314 | 789 | ... that Leonard Nimoy's 1975 autobiography was entitled I Am Not Spock? | |
The Armada Service | 5,789 + 594 = 6,383 | 798 | ... that the Armada Service, rumoured to have been made from New World silver captured from the Spanish Armada, was buried during the English Civil War and lay hidden until 1827? | |
Eskimo (film) | 5,618 + 617 = 6,235 | 765 | ... that the 1933 film Eskimo (poster pictured) was the first movie with sound in a Native American language? | |
Bachelor's Double | 6,164 | 771 | ... that a Lady twin produced a Bachelor's Double? | |
Girdle of Thomas | 6,025 | 777 | ... that Elizabeth, queen of Henry VII of England, bought a belt that had touched the Girdle of Thomas (legend illustrated) to help her pregnancy? | |
Maria Wodzińska | 5,836 + 136 = 5,972 | 733 | ... that Frédéric Chopin and Napoleon III were both in love with Maria Wodzińska? | |
James Ferguson, Lord Pitfour | 5,961 | 745 | ... that Lord Pitfour used a trick to save many Jacobite rebels from execution? | |
Everett Hughes (general) | 2,912 + 3,026 = 5,938 | 432 | ... that Everett Hughes was General Dwight D. Eisenhower's "right-hand man" during the European campaign of World War II? | |
Zawlbuk | 5,847 | 731 | ... that a boy's eligibility to lodge in a Zawlbûk in a traditional Mizo community depends on the length of his pubic hair? | |
Leona Woods | 5,180 + 624 = 5,804 | 726 | ... that Leona Woods was the only woman present when the world's first nuclear reactor went critical? | |
Mug shot publishing industry | 5,189 + 595 = 5,784 | 723 | ... that the mug shot publishing industry has expanded with 60 new sites in the last two years and multiple state legislatures are seeking to regulate it? | |
Operation Ironside | 5,772 | 722 | ... that Operation Ironside was a Second World War military deception, targeting the Bay of Biscay, in support of the D-Day landings? | |
Paris Codex | 4,812 + 911 = 5,723 | 715 | ... that it is not known how the Paris Codex (pages pictured), one of only three surviving pre-Columbian Maya books, came to be in the collection of the Bibliothèque Imperiale in Paris in the 19th century? | |
Tête nucléaire océanique | 5,048 + 661 = 5,709 | 714 | ... that the Tête nucléaire océanique is a new French thermonuclear warhead that will replace the currently deployed TN 75 warhead beginning in 2015? | |
Stromatinia cepivora Stromatinia cepivora |
4,378+883 + 350+83 = 5,694 | 712 | ... that the fungus Sclerotium cepivorum causes onions to rot in the ground while Stromatinia cepivora causes them to rot during storage? | |
List of sieges of Gibraltar | 5,012 + 664 = 5,666 | 708 | ... that there have been fourteen sieges of Gibraltar, making it one of the most fought-over places in Europe? | |
Sheng nu | 5,601 | 700 | ... that sheng nu is a pejorative term promoted by the Government of China to pressure unwed women into marriage in response to the gender imbalance caused by the one-child policy? | |
Safety-valve institution | 5,573 | 697 | ... that the function of safety-valve institutions such as gambling or pornography is to reduce the tensions in the society? | |
T. W. Wood | 2,627 + 2,875 = 5,502 | 400 | ... that T. W. Wood told Darwin that the Argus pheasant he was illustrating for him (pictured) could not be explained by Darwin's theory? | |
Eisenhower dollar | 5,119 - 467 + 1,293 - 573 = 5,372 | 672 | ... that the Eisenhower dollar (pictured) was the first U.S. dollar coin produced in over 35 years? | |
Steps of Cincinnati | 5,362 | 670 | ... that the Steps of Cincinnati once stretched over 30 miles (48 km)? | |
Max Weber (artist) | 5,292 | 662 | ... that a 1911 show of paintings by Max Weber (1916 painting pictured) resulted in "one of the most merciless critical whippings that any artist has received in America"? | |
Transcriptor | 5,087 + 201 = 5,288 | 649 | ... that the BIL gates technology recently entered into the public domain? | |
Cape Nome | 5,228 | 654 | ... that a draftsman may have misinterpreted the notation "? Name" as "C. Nome"? | |
Leona Woods | 5,180 | 648 | ... that Leona Woods was the only woman present when the world's first nuclear reactor went critical? | |
Battle of Anglesey Sound | 5,155 | 644 | ... that the Norwegian king Magnus Barefoot may have shot Hugh of Montgomery dead with an arrow through his eye in the Battle of Anglesey Sound? | |
Parole camp | 4,691 + 457 = 5,148 | 644 | ... that a parole camp was a place where soldiers were housed by their own army after being granted parole and pledging not to engage in combat? | |
Operation Fish | 5,124 | 641 | ... that in World War II's top-secret Operation Fish, the United Kingdom shipped more than a billion dollars in gold and securities to Canada, and not one ship was lost? | |
Kali the Mother (poem) | 5,123 | 640 | ... that in the poem Kali the Mother written by Swami Vivekananda in 1898, the poet worshipped the terrible form of Hindu goddess Kali (pictured)? | |
Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 Fernhill, West Sussex |
4,362+133 + 558+22 = 5,075 | 623 | ... that 50 people died when a Boeing 727 crashed into a house at Fernhill on its approach to Gatwick Airport in 1969, but a baby in the house survived? | |
Mérens horse | 5,046 | 631 | ... that the Mérens horse was saved from extinction by hippies in the 1970s? |
May 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mining in North Korea | 2,969 + 49,136 - 379 = 51,726 | 6,347 | ... that while North Korea is abundant in natural resources worth trillions of dollars, most of these often cannot be mined due to the acute shortage of electricity in the country? | |
Devil's Cigarette Lighter | 20,923 + 2,126 = 23,049 | 2,881 | ... that John Glenn saw the Devil's Cigarette Lighter from orbit? | |
Hal Markarian | 19,816 + 2,064 = 21,880 | 2,735 | ... that Hal Markarian produced a sketch that has been a recognizable ancestor of the modern B-2 Spirit (pictured)? | |
Hunterwali | 15,825 | 1,978 | ... that in Hunterwali (poster pictured), Fearless Nadia appears as a swashbuckling princess in disguise wearing hot pants, "with her big breasts and bare white thighs" setting things right with a scowl? | |
LIM-49 Nike Zeus | 15,028 - 241 = 14,787 | 1,848 | ... that the US Army's Nike Zeus (pictured) was cancelled when serious questions arose over its costs and ability to shoot down the enemy ICBM warheads it was designed to attack? | |
The Skywhale | 15,674 - (1,412 + 1,725)/2 = 14,105 | 1,731 | ...that the hot air balloon The Skywhale has been described as "massive and wondrous", "a great achievement", "an embarrassing indulgence" and "terrifyingly nipply"? | |
Meriam Bellina | 14,795 | 1,909 | ... that Indonesian "sex bomb" Meriam Bellina has been called "the fantasy girl come true for the movie-going public"? | |
Slutdrop | 12,853 + 1,828 = 14,681 | 1,835 | ... that the origins of the dance move slutdrop can be traced back to music videos such as Dirrty by Christina Aguilera? | |
Oscar Wilde's tomb | 12,808 | 1,653 | ... that Oscar Wilde's tomb had controversial testicles? | |
Siege of Paris (845) | 12,282 | 1,535 | ... that Danish Vikings sacked Paris in 845 (pictured), and did not leave until being paid a ransom of 7,000 pounds (3,200 kg) of gold and silver? | |
George Juskalian | 11,837 | 1,420 | ... that George Juskalian (pictured) had honors that are amongst the highest given to any U.S. military personnel? | |
Gentleman (Psy song) | 19,119 - 7,757 + 9,076 - 8,090 = 12,348 | 1,544 | ... that the music video for "Gentleman", the latest single by PSY (pictured), has set a world record with over 38 million single-day page views? | |
Vatican Historical Museum | 10,959 + 214 = 11,173 | 756 | ... that the Vatican Historical Museum contains a collection of decorated carriages (pictured), saddles, sedans, wagons and the first cars used by the Popes? | |
Norman Leslie Smith | 10,602 | 1,368 | ... that the Wizard beat Iron Man? | |
Gibbet of Montfaucon | 7,424 + 3,146 = 10,570 | 1,364 | ... that executed bodies could be left on the Gibbet of Montfaucon (illustrated) outside the walls of Paris for as long as three years? | |
Coconut Religion | 8,965 + 1,501 = 10,466 | 1,308 | ... that followers of the Coconut Religion ate only coconuts and drank only coconut milk? | |
Treasure voyages | 10,363 - 276 = 10,087 | 1,302 | ... that Ming China's treasure voyages were undertaken by Admiral Zheng He's expeditionary fleet (ship model pictured), even though the 15th-century Portuguese thought that the unknown ships belonged to white Christians? | |
Shagging (baseball) | 9,030 + 901 = 9,931 | 1,241 | ... that a year ago, Mariano Rivera (pictured) shagged a baseball and tore his anterior cruciate ligament as a result? | |
Wawel Dragon (statue) | 9,878 | 1,235 | ... that the Wawel Dragon statue (pictured) in Kraków, Poland, breathes fire? | |
Sulu Bleeding-heart | 9,789 | 1,224 | ... that though the Sulu Bleeding-heart has not been definitively seen since 1891, there is still hope that it is not extinct? | |
INS Satpura(F48) | 9,211 - (73 + 113)/2 = 9,118 | 1,021 | ... that the Indian Navy's Satpura (pictured) participated in the Malabar 2012 exercise with the United States Navy? | |
Rock Drill (Jacob Epstein) | 9,017 | 896 | ... that Epstein's Rock Drill (pictured), a "vivid illustration of the greatest function of life", was destroyed and recreated? | |
Tikal Temple 33 | 8,964 | 1,121 | ... that the final version of the 33-metre-high (108 ft) Temple 33 at the ancient Maya city of Tikal in Guatemala was completely destroyed by archaeologists in 1965? | |
Mount Elbert | 9,307 - (411 + 467)/2 = 8,868 | 925 | ... that to ensure Mount Elbert (pictured) remained the highest of the Rockies, its supporters tore the top off another mountain? | |
Rockhouse Cliffs Rockshelters | 8,510 - 119 = 8,391 | 1,083 | ... that this rockshelter (pictured) may have been inhabited more than ten thousand years ago? | |
Krake | 8,389 | 1,082 | ... that Krake (pictured) was Germany's first ever Dive Coaster? | |
St Kilda field mouse | 6,919 + 1,467 = 8,386 | 1,082 | ... that the St Kilda field mouse (pictured) lives 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Scotland, and is twice the size of mainland mice? | |
2013 FA Cup Final | 17,560 - 9,238 = 8,322 | 993 | that Wigan Athletic have already qualified for the Europa League regardless of the result against Manchester City in the 2013 FA Cup Final today? | |
Oslo breakfast | 7,407 + 820 = 8,227 | 1,028 | ... that the Oslo breakfast was provided free of charge to all primary school children in Oslo from 1932? | |
Ivan Mackerle | 7,997 | 975 | ... that Ivan Mackerle hunted the Mongolian death worm (pictured), the Loch Ness monster, the Tasmanian tiger, and the elephant bird? | |
Heavy Petting Zoo | 7,985 | 1,030 | ... that the controversial album art on NOFX's album Heavy Petting Zoo features a man and sheep sixty-nining, which led to the LP version being confiscated in Germany? | |
Poniatowa camp | 7,235 + 735 = 7,970 | 996 | ... that the inmates of Poniatowa camp dug their own graves as fake air-raid trenches? | |
Selworthy Beacon | 6,823 + 1,107 = 7,930 | 1,023 | ... that in the sixteenth century, Selworthy Beacon (pictured) in Somerset was used as a beacon location to warn of impending invasions? | |
Bad Astronomy | 6,289 + 1,544 = 7,833 | 1,011 | ... that Phil Plait, the author of Bad Astronomy, attempts to explore common fallacies and popular misunderstandings within the field of astronomy? | |
Gasherbrum II | 7,547 | 943 | ... that Gasherbrum II (pictured) is the 13th-highest mountain on Earth? | |
Mary Scrope | 6,730 + 795 - 176 - 29 = 7,320 | 915 | ... that Mary Scrope was among those who walked with Anne Boleyn to the scaffold? | |
Pinemere Camp | 7,178 | 926 | ... that when German teenagers attended Pinemere Camp (sign pictured) in Pennsylvania, they were shocked at sharing living quarters with their counselors? | |
Adventure Galley | 6,325 + 839 = 7,164 | 924 | ... that Captain Kidd's pirate ship Adventure Galley was rediscovered off the coast of Madagascar by a Discovery Channel expedition? | |
No. 84 Wing RAAF | 5,428 + 1,634 = 7,062 | 911 | ... that No. 84 Wing RAAF (Boeing 707 tanker pictured) received a Meritorious Unit Citation for its part in the war in Afghanistan? | |
Peter Cross (rugby union) | 6,960 | 898 | ... that Mr England became the official mascot of the England rugby union team because the Rugby Football Union noticed his costume? | |
James Chadwick | 7,268 - (439 + 257)/2 = 6,920 | 893 | ... that James Chadwick (pictured), who was later to win the Nobel Prize in Physics for his discovery of the neutron, experimented with radioactive toothpaste during World War I? | |
Crurifarcimen | 5,719 + 941 = 6,660 | 832 | ... that the wandering leg sausage was one of the International Institute for Species Exploration's Top 10 new species of 2012? | |
Sorrow (Van Gogh) | 6,628 | 829 | ... that van Gogh used his Sorrow (pictured) to "express something of life's struggle"? | |
List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have struck out three batters on nine pitches | 6,591 | 850 | ... that Nolan Ryan is the only player to pitch an immaculate inning in both the American League and National League? | |
Acanthogobius flavimanus | 5,858 + 659 = 6,517 | 815 | ... that the possession or sale of the Japanese river goby, the largest species of goby found in estuaries of California, is illegal in New South Wales? | |
Battle of Florvåg | 3,133 + 3,244 = 6,377 | 758 | ... that the Battle of Florvåg may have been the deadliest naval battle in Norwegian history? | |
Via fence | 6,105 + 119 = 6,224 | 778 | ... that via fences (pictured), used to shield printed circuit lines, can also be used to form waveguides? | |
History of breakfast | 6,199 | 775 | ... that as part of the history of breakfast, in the 1700s fashionable people in Great Britain adopted coffee and chocolate as breakfast drinks? | |
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Hong Kong) | 5,448 + 729 = 6,177 | 797 | ... that Hong Kong's Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (pictured) was founded, officially opened, consecrated and bombed by the Japanese on December 8? | |
Kazunori Nozawa | 6,154 | 739 | ... that Japanese sushi chef Kazunori Nozawa, whose strict demeanor inspired comparisons to Seinfeld's "Soup Nazi" character, once ejected actress Charlize Theron from his restaurant? | |
William Post | 6,040 | 755 | ... that William Post, who won $16.2 million in the Pennsylvania Lottery, was successfully sued by his ex-girlfriend for a third of his winnings? | |
Yankeetown Site | 5,350 + 559 = 5,909 | 739 | ... that much of the Yankeetown Site (pictured) was flooded by the construction of a new dam on the Ohio River? | |
HMS Magnanime (1744) | 2,757 + 3,052 = 5,809 | 690 | ... that when she was nine years old, Magnanime returned to the place of her origin to launch an attack upon it? | |
1975 LaGuardia Airport bombing | 5,665 | 708 | ... that the 1975 LaGuardia Airport Bombing, which killed 11 people, remains unsolved? | |
Wildlife of Mongolia | 4,997 + 647 = 5,644 | 676 | ... that some of the wildlife of Mongolia is found in the Gobi desert (pictured), the fifth largest desert in the world? | |
For sale: baby shoes, never worn | 5,876 - (242 + 216)/2 = 5,647 | 806 | ... that, although Ernest Hemingway wrote many words, he probably didn't write "For sale: baby shoes, never worn"? | |
Kaboom: The Suicide Bombing Game | 4,926 + 609 = 5,535 | 692 | ... that the aim of the computer game Kaboom: The Suicide Bombing Game is to kill and injure as many men, women and children as possible? | |
Louis-André de Grimaldi | 4,862 + 664 = 5,526 | 691 | ... that nobleman Louis-André de Grimaldi (pictured) introduced unpopular improvements, such as dismissing the high altar and selling the Medieval and Renaissance silver, during his term as bishop of Le Mans? | |
Erwin Arnada | 5,473 | 684 | ... that Erwin Arnada's nudity-free edition of Playboy led to his imprisonment for indecency? | |
Harry Kizirian | 5,430 | 679 | ... that Harry Kizirian was awarded the Navy Cross for killing 12 Japanese soldiers while being unable to walk? | |
Arlington Memorial Amphitheater | 4,528 + 994 - (239 + 235)/2 = 5,285 | 661 | ... that 87,000 cubic feet (2,500 m3) of Mountain White marble from Danby, Vermont were used in the construction of the Memorial Amphitheater (pictured) in the U.S. National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia? | |
Turquoise Parrot | 4,457 + 814 = 5,271 | 659 | ... that the Turquoise Parrot (female pictured) was formerly used as pie-filling? | |
Satanic Panic (South Africa) | 4,665 + 711 - (195 + 146)/2 = 5,205 | 672 | ... that in 2007, South African journalist Deon Maas was dismissed after advocating religious tolerance in his Rapport column, as a result of the ongoing Satanic Panic in South Africa? | |
The Idea (book) The Idea (1932 film) |
2,926 + 2,194 = 5,120 | 640 | ... that Frans Masereel's 1920 wordless novel The Idea and its 1932 animated adaptation feature a naked woman who runs rampant through a city, thereby disrupting the social order? | |
Public Vault at the Congressional Cemetery | 5,086 | 610 | ... that First Lady Dolley Madison and Senator John C. Calhoun spent three weeks together in the Public Vault at public expense? | |
Gold glass | 4,986 + 153 - (73 + 56)/2 = 5,074 | 655 | ... that ancient Romans marked and decorated their graves in the Catacombs of Rome with the broken-off bottoms of drinking cups with designs in gold sandwich glass (example pictured)? |
June 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wesley Warren Jr. | 15,657 + 4,193 = 19,650 | 2,481 | ... that a man with a scrotum estimated to weigh over 160 pounds (73 kg) is the subject of a Channel 4 documentary titled The Man with the 10-Stone Testicles? | |
Upshot-Knothole Encore | 19,260 | 2,408 | ... that for the Encore shot, 145 ponderosa pines were transported to the Nevada Test Site, set in concrete, and subjected to an atomic blast (pictured)? | |
Koehler Depressing Carriage | 16,405 + 1,795 = 18,200 | 2,275 | ... that the Koehler Depressing Carriage (pictured), which allowed cannon to be fired downwards, included a forerunner of the recoil systems that are standard features of modern artillery pieces? | |
Lucky Guy (play) The Assembled Parties The Testament of Mary (play) Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike |
4,733 + 1,867 + 1,232 + 10,195 = 18,027 | 2,253 | ... that recently deceased Nora Ephron's last play and Tom Hanks' (pictured) Broadway theatre debut, Lucky Guy, is, along with The Assembled Parties, The Testament of Mary and Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, a 67th Tony Awards Best Play nominee? | |
Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill | 15,994 | 2,064 | ... that Texas-based Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill (Austin location pictured) has trademarked the term "breastaurant"? | |
Abortion in Latvia | 15,446 | 1,931 | ... that in 1991 there were 34,633 births and 44,886 abortions in Latvia? | |
Umami Burger | 13,767 - 305 + 2,023 - 107 = 15,378 | 1,922 | ... that the hamburgers at Umami Burger (product pictured) earned the restaurant chain Burger of the Year honors from Alan Richman of GQ? | |
Petroleum Warfare Department | 15,024 | ... that in World War II, Britain's Petroleum Warfare Department threatened to set the sea on fire (demonstration pictured)? | ||
Prince Leopold Clement of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha | 14,086 | 1,760 | ... that Prince Leopold Clement's failure to marry his girlfriend led her to burn his face with acid and commit suicide after fatally wounding him? | |
Baby Doe Tabor | 13,796 | 1,780 | ... that Colorado mining magnate Horace Tabor's wife, Baby Doe Tabor (pictured), went from being one of the best dressed women in the West to freezing to death in a mining shack? | |
Surfers Paradise Meter Maids | 12,369 | 1,649 | ... that the meter maids in Surfers Paradise top up the parking meter rather than issuing fines? | |
Danny Wylde | 10,350 + 1,832 = 12,182 | 1,523 | ... that porn star Danny Wylde and his girlfriend contributed a film of themselves having sex to a website that aims to provide more realistic representations of sex than are found in hardcore pornography? | |
Coronation of Queen Victoria | 9,598 + 2,459 = 12,057 | 1,556 | ... that the Coronation of Queen Victoria (illustrated) in 1838 was described by the writer Harriet Martineau, who was present, as "highly barbaric"? | |
Haoui Montaug | 6,630 + 5,519 = 12,149 | 1,568 | ... that Haoui Montaug celebrated killing himself with twenty guests and Madonna on the phone from Los Angeles? | |
Potato production in North Korea | 8,087 + 3,620 = 11,707 | 1,511 | ... that after the famine in North Korea, a potato revolution (potato mound pictured) began? | |
Gunfire (drink) | 11,131 | ... that British Army soldiers traditionally drink Gunfire in their beds on Christmas? | ||
Henry Ince | 10,832 | 1,354 | ... that when a French general saw the tunnels (pictured) excavated by British Army Sergeant-Major Henry Ince, he is said to have exclaimed, "These works are worthy of the Romans"? | |
Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410 | 5,329 + 4,868 + 565 = 10,762 | 1,345 | ... that the crash of Pennsylvania Central Airlines Flight 410 led the Civil Aeronautics Board to establish national minimum flight altitudes? | |
McAfrika | 10,670 | 1,377 | ... that the McAfrika burger was sold by McDonald's in Norway for a limited time, just as a major famine was happening in Africa, creating a public relations disaster? | |
List of Major League Baseball pitchers who have struck out four batters in one inning | 9,866 | 1,233 | ... that Orval Overall (pictured) is the only Major League Baseball player to strike out four batters in one inning in the World Series? | |
Gun harmonisation | 9,783 | 1,223 | ... that British Air Chief Marshall Hugh Dowding initially instructed his Spitfire and Hurricane groups to use a gun harmonisation scheme that aimed eight guns at a 12-foot-wide (3.7 m) rectangle? | |
A Christmas Story: The Musical The Trip to Bountiful (play) |
558 + 4,404 + 399 + 3,484 = 8,847 | 1,106 | ... that 67th Tony Awards Best Musical nominee A Christmas Story: The Musical was adapted from a 1980s film and Best Revival of a Play nominee The Trip to Bountiful had been adapted into a 1980s film? | |
1813 crossing of the Blue Mountains | 8,798 | 1,100 | ... that on this day 200 years ago, Australian explorers returned from the first successful colonial expedition to cross the Blue Mountains (pictured)? | |
Cross dyke | 7,400 + 658 = 8,058 | ... that English Heritage considers cross dykes (example pictured), earthwork barriers built throughout upland Britain, to be Bronze Age territorial boundaries of national importance? | ||
face-to-face interaction Mediated communication |
861 + 7,067 = 7,928 | 991 | ... that face-to-face interaction has been steadily supplemented by mediated interaction since the invention of the printing press in 15th century Europe? | |
Chinaman (porcelain) | 7,871 | 984 | ... that chinamen (card pictured) formed a ring at the auctions of the East India Company? | |
Sue Sarafian Jehl | 7,727 | 997 | ... that Sue Sarafian Jehl (pictured), who served as Dwight Eisenhower's personal assistant, said the famous general believed women made efficient officers? | |
Transocean Air Lines Flight 512 | 7,417 | 927 | ... that the Pacific Ocean crash of Transocean Air Lines Flight 512 mobilized 19 United States Navy ships from Pearl Harbor, as well as 12 US Navy P2V Neptune aircraft? | |
Kuiu Wilderness and Tebenkof Bay Wilderness | 7,158 | 895 | ... that Kuiu Wilderness and Tebenkof Bay Wilderness (pictured) are accessible only by boat or floatplane? | |
Kabang | 7,029 | 879 | ... that Kabang, who was hailed as "hero dog" for saving two girls from a traffic accident, received donations from 47 countries to repair her badly injured face? | |
Hans Bothmann | 7,015 | 877 | ... that SS-Hauptsturmführer Hans Bothmann was one of at least a dozen high-ranking Nazi functionaries and Holocaust perpetrators who committed suicide? | |
Zamorano Eighty | 5,959 + 938 = 6,897 | 862 | ... that the Zamorano Eighty list contains a book so rare, only two copies are known to exist, and one collector planned a burglary to obtain it? | |
Triboniophorus aff. graeffei | 5,921 + 809 = 6,730 | 841 | ... that Triboniophorus aff. graeffei, a giant, hot pink slug, is specific to a single mountaintop in southeast Australia? | |
Bliss-Leavitt torpedo | 6,558 | 820 | ... that the Bliss-Leavitt torpedo remained in service for 41 years, until the end of World War II? | |
Dinkey Creek Bridge | 6,317 | 789 | ... that the Dinkey Creek Bridge (pictured) is named after a dog? | |
Ulrich Steinhilper | 6,264 | 783 | ... that World War II Luftwaffe ace Ulrich Steinhilper was credited by later employer IBM with the concept of word processing? | |
USS Maine Mast Memorial | 5,388 + 756 = 6,144 | 768 | ... that a British ambassador, a Polish pianist and a Filipino president were once entombed at the USS Maine Mast Memorial (pictured), though none of them died when the ship exploded and sank? | |
INS Aridhaman | 5,849 | 780 | ... that Aridhaman is the second nuclear-powered Ballistic Missile submarine being built by India? | |
No. 41 Squadron RNZAF | 5,833 | 729 | ... that No. 41 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force operated the "slowest military aircraft in South-east Asia" during the early 1960s? | |
MIM-4 Nike Ajax | 4,485 + 1,088 + 42 + 95 = 5,710 | 737 | ... that the US Army's Nike Ajax was the world's first operational surface-to-air missile? | |
Karl Streibel | 4,950 + 548 = 5,498 | 687 | ... that Hauptsturmführer Karl Streibel, who took part in the Nazi extermination of Jews as storm leader of SS Battalion Streibel, was acquitted of any wrongdoing in 1976? | |
St. Augustin, Coburg | 5,441 | 680 | ... that the vault of St. Augustin (pictured) holds the remains of a Brazilian princess, a Bulgarian tsar, a French princess and twelve more royal Coburgers? | |
En Canot, Im Boot (Metzinger) | 4,718 + 570 = 5,288 | 661 | ... that Jean Metzinger's painting En Canot (pictured in black and white) appeared in the Nazi Degenerate Art catalogue with the notation "Even this was once taken seriously and bought for good money!"? | |
Wangjing SOHO | 5,273 | 659 | ... that the design of the Wangjing SOHO towers in Beijing has been pirated? | |
Hotel Danieli | 5,257 | 478 | ... that in the 2010 film The Tourist, Johnny Depp (pictured) walked across the roof of Hotel Danieli in Venice in his pajamas? | |
Flag of the Republic of the Congo | 5,247 | 477 | ... that the symbolism behind the red in the Flag of the Republic of the Congo was left unexplained? | |
Lina Ron | 5,184 | 669 | ... that Lina Ron was very aggressive and volatile in her radical political life when Chávez called her "uncontrollable", and she even called herself an "ugly part" of the revolution? | |
Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret | 5,125 | ... that for the film Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret, principle filming began as the trial was underway and its courtroom scenes were shot two days after the trial's conclusion? | ||
Wibault 9 | 5,037 + 87 = 5,124 | 641 | ... that the Wib 9 fighter aircraft never went into production, although testing suggested it was faster than the model that preceded it? | |
Prince Christian of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld | 4,509 + 558 = 5,067 | 633 | ... that in 1925 Prince Christian of Hesse became the first person of German origin post-World War I to dine with King George V and Queen Mary at Buckingham Palace? | |
Mary Jane Russell | 5,045 | 631 | ... that leading 1950s New York model Mary Jane Russell won damages after an altered photograph of her reading in bed was used to advertise bed sheets? |
July 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Elsa Hosk | 20,474 | 2560 | ... that Victoria's Secret model Elsa Hosk (pictured) was formerly a professional basketball player? | |
Men's parking space | 20,077 | 2,509 | ... that the two men's parking spaces in Triberg, Germany, have drawn accusations of sexism? | |
25 Luglio | 14,851 + 873 = 15,724 | 1,966 | ... that on 25 July 1943, the Gran Consiglio del Fascismo asked the king to reassume power, provoking the fall of Italian Fascism and the arrest of Mussolini? | |
Sharknado | 15,258 (28,590 - 13,332) | 1,272 | ... that, in case of a Sharknado, a National Weather Service representative recommended staying indoors "whether sharks are raining down or not"? | |
Jasmine Kara | 12,407 + 1,272 = 13,679 | 1,100 | ... that Swedish singer Jasmine Kara (pictured) has performed in front of singers Beyoncé Knowles and Jay-Z? | |
Dog and Duck (tavern) | 12,792 | 1599 |
... that the Dog and Duck (pictured) lost its licence after becoming "a house in which gangs of both whores and rogues were constantly associated"? | |
Simone Wilkie | 12,389 | 1032 |
... that Australian Brigadier Simone Wilkie (pictured) was Assistant Chief of Staff to General David Petraeus during the Iraq War troop surge of 2007? | |
The Ruins of Holyrood Chapel | 11,329 + 602 = 11,931 | ... that in addition to painting The Ruins of Holyrood Chapel (pictured), Louis Daguerre built a 70-ft (21 m) wide diorama of the painting's subject? | ||
Lucy Islands | 11,738 | ... that a storm on Lucy Island (pictured) unearthed 5,500-year-old remains of a woman whose DNA has been directly linked to a modern-day descendent, a Tsimshian woman living near Prince Rupert? | ||
Murray Korman | 9,790 | 816 | ... that New York photographer Murray Korman was known for his portraits of strippers and socialites? | |
Germanic bodyguard | 7,931 + 1,024 = 8,955 | 1,111 | ... that the Germanic bodyguard were the Roman Emperor's personal guards recruited from distant parts of the Empire, so they had no political or personal connexions with Rome or the provinces? | |
Dale D. Myers | 8,857 | 1,107 | ... that Dale D. Myers (pictured) refused to accept the position of Deputy Administrator at NASA until president Ronald Reagan made a personal request? | |
Asana Asana River Osmore River | 5,931 + 1,426 + 1,316 = 8,763 | 1,095 | ... that the Asana archaeological site, occupied over the course of 8,000 years, is located by the Asana River, a tributary of the Osmore River (river valley pictured)? | |
Oxus Treasure | 8,593 | 1,074 | ... that the Ancient Persian Oxus Treasure (armlet pictured) "has passed through places of evil repute and cannot have come out quite unscathed"? | |
Miriam Battista | 8,002 | 1000 |
... that child star Miriam Battista (pictured) was often called upon to cry on camera? | |
Petroleum County | 7,764 | 969 | ... that Petroleum County (pictured) in Montana is the seventh least populous county in the United States? | |
The Avengers: Age of Ultron | 7,675 | ... that The Avengers: Age of Ultron, the upcoming sequel to the 2012 film The Avengers, is not based on the comic book series, Age of Ultron? | ||
John Rocque's Map of London, 1746 | 7,393 | 924 |
... that John Rocque's Map of London, 1746, has been considered "one of the greatest and most handsome plans of any city"? | |
Roksan Xerxes | 6,722+627 = 7,349 | 612 |
... that that Inspector Morse listened to a Xerxes | |
Ostindustrie | 7,263 | 605 |
... that the SS manager of Ostindustrie complained about his businesses becoming valueless through the "withdrawal" of Jewish slave labor in 1943 | |
Szebnie concentration camp | 6,503 + 719 = 7,222 | ... that the 30-year-old heiress of the Szebnie estate (pictured) died of typhus contracted while caring for sick prisoners at the Szebnie concentration camp in 1942? | ||
Circle Limit III | 6,881 | 860 | ... that M. C. Escher's woodcut Circle Limit III was inspired by an illustration of a hyperbolic tessellation (example pictured) in a paper by H. S. M. Coxeter? | |
Prosecution of Marte Dalelv | 6,242 | 916 | ... that Marte Dalelv, a Norwegian woman, received a prison sentence of sixteen months in Dubai after she reported a man to the police for rape? | |
North-Eastern Area Command (RAAF) | 6,126 | 766 | ... that the concrete bunker housing RAAF North-Eastern Area Command's operational headquarters during World War II was topped with a suburban house to mislead enemy aircraft? | |
Roberto Pannunzi | 6,020 | 753 | ... that Roberto Pannunzi, the "biggest cocaine trafficker in the world", was caught on July 6? | |
Bramshill House | 5,986 | 748 | ... that the Jacobean mansion Bramshill House (south façade pictured) is reportedly inhabited by 14 ghosts, including one of a bride who locked herself in a chest on her wedding night and wasn't found for 50 years? | |
Nell Donnelly Reed | 5,776 | ... that when house dress designer Nell Donnelly was kidnapped in 1931, she was reportedly rescued by gangsters and taken to a candy shop? | ||
78-year-old bachelor mansion | 3,713 + 1,923 = 5,636 | 704 | ... that a 78-year-old bachelor had a 53-room mansion built for him in Christchurch, New Zealand? | |
Rokel River | 5,542 | 691 | ... that the Rokel River estuary (pictured), which extends over an area of 2,950 square kilometres (1,140 sq mi), became a Ramsar wetland site of importance in 1999? | |
Death of Sarah Guyard-Guillot | 5,281 (5,518 - 237) | 660 | ... that the death of Sarah Guyard-Guillot was the first on-stage fatality in the 30-year history of the Cirque du Soleil? | |
Little Chapel | 5,195 | 649 | ... that the Little Chapel is believed to be the world's smallest consecrated church? | |
Franz Kafka works | 5,142 | 643 | ... that that translators of Franz Kafka's works must cope with ambiguous words like Verkehr, which refers both to traffic and sexual intercourse? | |
Al Khawalid | 5,084 | 423 | ... that the hardline faction Al Khawalid was so empowered during the reign of King Hamad of Bahrain (pictured) that they were considered a "new royal family"? |
August 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
The Negro Motorist Green Book | 36,617 + 29,882 = 66,439 | 3,051 | ... that The Negro Motorist Green Book provided advice on how African-American drivers could avoid dangers and discrimination on the road in Jim Crow-era America? | |
Pricasso | 24,612 | 2,051 | ... that Pricasso (pictured), an Australian artist who paints with his genitals and buttocks, studied furniture design after failing to get an art degree? | |
INS Chakra | 23,512 | 1,959 | ... that while on its way to India from the Soviet Union, the nuclear submarine INS Chakra (pictured) was tracked by Australian and American P-3 Orion aircraft? | |
Hypoalgesic effect of swearing | 17,186 | 1,432 | ... that you should swear when you hurt yourself? | |
Rajiin | 14,090 | 1761 | ... that one reviewer for TrekNation complained about the gratuitous female sexuality seen in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Rajiin"? | |
Carmelo Flores Laura | 12,108 (= 11,951 + 1,093 - 669 - 267) | 1,009 | ... that if his longevity claim is proven true, Carmelo Flores Laura will have the longest verified lifespan in human history? | |
Joseph Backler | 11,085 | 1,386 | ... that at the age of 18, Joseph Backler was sentenced to death for forgery, but lived as a convict and then painter to age 82? | |
Hahn/Cock | 10,240 | 1,280 | ... that a giant blue cock standing 4.7 metres (15 ft) high has been erected in Trafalgar Square? | |
Sergeant Reckless | 10,236 | 1,280 | ... that a Korean war horse named Sergeant Reckless (pictured) was awarded two Purple Hearts and promoted to Staff Sergeant of the United States Marine Corps in 1959? | |
An American Hippie in Israel | 9,428 | 785 | ... that the 1972 film An American Hippie in Israel has been screened monthly in Tel Aviv since its rediscovery in 2007? | |
Government House, New York | 9,080 | 757 | ... that the Government House (pictured) in New York, built in 1790 by the state, was intended to be the executive mansion of President George Washington, but he never occupied it? | |
Henry Hadley (died 1914) | 8,380 | 698 | ... that the first British victim of World War I, Henry Hadley, was shot by a Prussian officer before the United Kingdom entered the war? | |
Krishna Prem | 8,048 | 685 | ... that former British fighter pilot Ronald Nixon became widely revered as a Hindu saint and was hailed as a "great soul" by Indian President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan? | |
Duchy Home Farm | 7,634 | ... that Prince Charles had to close his fruit and vegetable shop this year because it was no longer profitable? | ||
Rufus the Hawk | 7,575 | ... that Rufus the Hawk was named "the world's most notable bird" after being stolen in 2012? | ||
Time (xkcd) | 7,087 (= 6,724 + 806 - 207 - 254) | 591 | ... that xkcd creator Randall Munroe recently finished a self-updating webcomic strip that spanned 3,099 frames over 123 days? | |
Die Berg Komt Er | 7,042 | ... that there are proposals to build a 2 km tall mountain in The Netherlands? | ||
Chacmool | 6,773 | ... that the Mesoamerican sculptures known as chacmools held receptacles to receive sacrificed human hearts? | ||
HMS Superb (1710) | 6,057 + 710 = 6,767 | 564 | ... that HMS Superb played a pivotal role in the Battle of Cape Passero (pictured), tracking the enemy through the night, then forcing the surrender of the Spanish flagship the following day? | |
Olate Dogs | 6,204 + 888 - (348 + 231) = 6,513 | 543 | ... that tricks performed by Olate Dogs include a back flipping dog, a dog jumping rope, and a dog riding a scooter (pictured)? | |
K2 (board game) | 6,494 | ... that the board game K2 gives players a realistic simulation of climbing a mountain? | ||
Shpitalny_Sh-37 | 5,972 | 747 | ... that only 240 Soviet Shpitalny Sh-37 aircraft cannons were produced? | |
Tomb of Safdarjung | 5,883 | 501 | ... that the Tomb of Safdarjung (pictured) built in 1754 in the late Mughal Empire style was described as "the last flicker in the lamp of Mughal architecture"? | |
Toruń Castle | 5,575 + 348 - (41+22) = 5,860 | 488 | ... that the Toruń Castle, one of the first castles of the Teutonic Knights, was demolished by rebellious burghers a century or so after its construction, at the beginning of the Thirteen Years' War? | |
Mattersey Priory | 5,773 | ... that Mattersey Priory's (pictured) church was destroyed by fire and was never rebuilt?? | ||
Mini Lisa | 5,635 | 480 | ... that the Mini Lisa is a replica of the Mona Lisa that is smaller than the width of a human hair?" | |
William Cantelo | 5,676 | ... that William Cantelo invented an early machine gun, then mysteriously disappeared? | ||
Salustiano Sanchez | 5,574 | 697 | ... that 112-year-old Salustiano Sanchez is the world's oldest living man? | |
Hollinwell incident | 5,461 | ... that 259 people were hospitalised because of an incident at a marching band competition? | ||
Ben Gunn (campaigner) | 5,406 | 675 | ... that Ben Gunn, imprisoned 32 years for killing a friend when he was 14, earned a Master of Arts degree in peace and reconciliation? | |
Lufthansa Flight 615 | 5,124 | 641 | ... that West German authorities were accused of having tolerated the hijacking of a Lufthansa jet in order to "get rid of three murderers"? | |
Pocahontas (Neil Young song) | 5,099 | 424 | ... that in what has been described as a "surrealistic twist", Neil Young's "Pocahontas" brings Marlon Brando and Pocahontas together in the Astrodome following an Indian massacre? | |
Linnea Henriksson | 5,049 | 580 | ... that Swedish singer Linnea Henriksson's (pictured) song "Enastående" was part of the soundtrack to the Swedish movie Once Upon a Time in Phuket?? |
September 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Merkel-Raute | 17,264 + 5,992 = 23,256 | 2,907 | ... that the Merkel-Raute (pictured) has been described as "probably one of the most recognisable hand gestures in the world"? | |
Nina Davuluri | 16,660 + 5,917 = 22,577 | ... that Nina Davuluri (pictured) is the first Indian American to win the Miss America beauty pageant? | ||
Water supply and sanitation in Gibraltar | 12,944 | 1,618 | ... that in a bid to improve the water supply in Gibraltar, much of the east side of the Rock of Gibraltar was covered with giant metal catchments (pictured) to trap rainwater? | |
Udny Castle | 2,616 + 9,995 = 12,511 | 1,516 | ... that the construction of the keep at Udny Castle (pictured) reportedly spanned more than 100 years and ruined three consecutive Lairds? | |
Niggers in the White House | 10,307 | 1,288 | ... that "Niggers in the White House" (1902) was written after President Roosevelt invited Booker T. Washington to the White House? | |
Claire Lademacher | 8,810 + 1,213 = 10,023 | 1,253 | ... that the German bioethicist Claire Lademacher, a visiting scholar at the Kennedy Institute of Ethics (building pictured), is set to become a Princess of Luxembourg upon her marriage today? | |
Buurtpoes Bledder | 8,317 + 1,563 = 9,880 | 938 | ... that the death of the cat Buurtpoes Bledder (pictured) was covered in national news, including SBS 6 and De Telegraaf? | |
Butt fumble | 8,970 | 1,121 | ... that the butt fumble, an infamous play in American football, was retired as an undefeated champion of SportsCenter's "Worst of the Worst" poll, having won a record-breaking 40 weeks in a row? | |
Shangguan Yunzhu | 8,427 | 1,053 | ... that actress Shangguan Yunzhu (pictured) was said to have had an affair with Mao Zedong, for which she was persecuted during the Cultural Revolution, leading to her suicide? | |
Pindakaasvloer | 4,047 + 3,882 = 7,929 | 991 | ... that Dutch artist Wim T. Schippers is responsible for Pindakaasvloer, a 4-by-12-metre (13 ft × 39 ft) floor covered in peanut butter, and Torentje van Drienerlo (pictured), a church spire sticking up from a pond? | |
Visionary Heads | 7,435 | 929 | ... that William Blake sketched a series of portraits of historical individuals (example pictured), including ancient Greeks, medieval royalty and characters of folklore, who appeared to him in late night visions? | |
The Thinker: Portrait of Louis N. Kenton | 6,434 + 772 = 7,206 | 901 | ... that, while a portrait by Thomas Eakins of his brother-in-law (pictured) was described as ugly and awkward, a critic later singled it out as "the most restrained, most classical of all the Eakins canvases"? | |
Meral Tasbas | 6,215 + 875 = 7,090 | 886 | ... that Meral Tasbas (pictured) has participated in both the Swedish and the Turkish versions of the reality show The Bar? | |
Goaribari Island | 6,794 | 849 | ... that, in 1901, missionaries to Goaribari Island were killed and cannibalised? | |
U Bein Bridge | 6,678 | 835 | ... that U Bein Bridge is believed to be the oldest and longest teak wood bridge in the world? | |
Ahu Akivi | 6,668 | 832 | ... that in 1960, at Ahu Akivi (pictured) on Easter Island, archeologists took a month to raise the first moai, but less than a week to raise the seventh? | |
John Worsley (artist) | 6,636 | 830 | ... that John Worsley helped another British officer escape their POW camp by making a dummy to replace him at roll call, with blinking ping-pong ball eyes powered by a pendulum made from a sardine tin? | |
Paul Tibbets | 6,260 | 782 | ... that Paul Tibbets (pictured), the pilot who carried out the Bombing of Hiroshima, was once George S. Patton's personal pilot? | |
Picture for Women | 6,087 | 761 | ... that Picture for Women by Canadian artist Jeff Wall is a photographic response to Édouard Manet's last major painting, A Bar at the Folies-Bergère (pictured)? | |
Lawrence H. Johnston | 5,866 | 733 | ... that Lawrence H. Johnston was the only man to witness the Trinity nuclear test, the bombing of Hiroshima, and the bombing of Nagasaki? | |
Sun Cruise Resort & Yacht | 5,532 | 692 | ... that a hotel built to resemble a cruise ship sits on top of a cliff in South Korea? | |
Chirlane McCray | 5,510 | 689 | ... that Chirlane McCray, who wrote the "groundbreaking" 1979 essay "I Am a Lesbian" for Essence, later married Bill de Blasio? | |
Corral de comedias de Almagro | 5,132 | 641 | ... that the Corral de comedias de Almagro was discovered in 1953 during renovation of the Plaza Mayor (both pictured)? | |
Charles Budd Robinson | 5,177 | 647 | ... that botanist Charles Budd Robinson may have been murdered by natives when he mistook the words "coconut" and "head"? | |
Samuel Willenberg | 5,103 | 642 | ... that Samuel Willenberg (pictured) is the last living survivor of the prisoner uprising at the Nazis' Treblinka extermination camp during the Holocaust in Poland? |
October 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
German Wine Queen, Julia Klöckner | 6,986 + 9,839 = 16,825 | 2,103 | ... that after being voted as the German Wine Queen in 1995, Julia Klöckner (pictured) went on to lead the Christian Democratic Union party in her native state of Rhineland-Palatinate? | |
Wim T. Schippers | 3,846 + 610 + 727 + 11,614 = 16,797 | 2,100 | ... that in 1967 Wim T. Schippers (pictured), with Gied Jaspars and Wim van der Linden, wrote and directed Hoepla, the first Dutch TV show to display full nudity, leading to questions in parliament and censure for the broadcaster? | |
Crimonmogate | 12,777 + 1,369 = 14,146 | 1,768 | that Crimonmogate (mansion pictured) reportedly had to be sold to pay the prize money after a puzzle was solved in 2000? | |
Merry company | 11,396 + 1,254 = 12,650 | 1,581 | ... that art historians often find it difficult to judge whether 17th-century merry company paintings (example illustrated) show scenes of prostitution? | |
Feast of the Gods (art) | 12,528 | 1,566 | ... that painting a feast of the Gods (example illustrated) allowed artists to display their virtuosity by showing a generous range of nude figures in complicated poses? | |
Boss (2013 Hindi film) | 49,600-(27,015+50,805)/2=10,656 | 1332 | ... that the upcoming film Boss will mark actor Ronit Roy's first role as an antagonist and second consecutive one as a police officer after Shootout at Wadala? | |
Zeinodin Caravanserai | 9,779 | 1,222 | ... that the recent renovation of the Zeinodin Caravanserai (pictured) in Iran took three years and included the use of 13,000 pumice stones to remove the grime on the interior walls? | |
Martin Laurello | 9,308 | 1,164 | ... that Bobby the Boy with the Revolving Head could swivel his head 180 degrees? | |
Lina Beecher Flip Flap Railway Loop the Loop (Coney Island) Loop the Loop (Young's Million Dollar Pier) Loop the Loop (Olentangy Park) |
(1,080 + 162) + (4,688 + 708) + (967 + 190) + (594 + 88) + (624 + 107 = 9,208 | 1,151 | ... that Lina Beecher's Flip Flap Railway (pictured) was tested with monkeys and sandbags but still produced injuries because of its circular loop, an issue which was corrected with later looping coasters at Coney Island, Atlantic City, and Olentangy Park? | |
Comodoro Rivadavia Cathedral | 9,202 | 1,150 | ... that the publisher Lonely Planet called the Comodoro Rivadavia Cathedral (pictured) the "ugliest cathedral you'll ever see"? | |
Knobstick wedding | 8,868 | 1,109 | ... that the groom was not always a willing participant in a knobstick wedding? | |
United States v. Vampire Nation | 7,628 + 1,028 = 8,656 | 1,236 | ... that the United States vanquished Vampire Nation in a Pennsylvania courthouse? | |
Reich Bride Schools | 8,319 | 1,039 | ... that the Reich Bride Schools of Nazi Germany were intended to teach young women how to be "perfect Nazi brides"? | |
Black Cat (bomber) | 7,887 | 986 | ... that the B-24 Liberator bomber Black Cat was the last American bomber to be shot down over Germany in World War II? | |
Operation Crimson | 7,751 | 969 | ... that the WWII Allies used thirty-four Vought F4U Corsairs, two aircraft carriers, four battleships, six cruisers, and ten destroyers in Operation Crimson? | |
Jamie Fleeman | 7,369 | 921 | ... that Jamie Fleeman (pictured), the last Scottish family jester, was better known than the laird who employed him? | |
Wukang Mansion | 7,204 | 900 | ... that the Wukang Mansion (pictured) is reputedly haunted by the ghosts of the many people who committed suicide there, such as movie star Shangguan Yunzhu? | |
Balderschwang Yew | 6,860 | 857 | ... that the Balderschwang Yew is possibly the oldest tree in Germany? | |
Gerda Munsinger | 6,825 | 853 | ... that Gerda Munsinger, the Mata Hari of the Cold War, caused Canada's first national sex scandal? | |
Pius XII and the German Resistance | 5,724 + 785 = 6,509 | 813 | ... that despite officially being impartial, Pope Pius XII (pictured) acted as an intermediary between the German Resistance and the Allies during World War II? | |
Nakhal Fort | 6,454 | 806 | ... that in November 2003, Prince Charles visited the restored Nakhal Fort (pictured) during an official visit to Oman? | |
Pneumatic tube mail in New York City | 6433 | 804 | ... that one of the first items posted through the New York pneumatic tube mail in 1897 was a live cat? | |
Verbrennungskommando Warschau | 5,835 + 541 = 6,376 | 797 | ... that the purpose of Verbrennungskommando Warschau was to dispose of the evidence of a systematic campaign of mass murder after an uprising? | |
Tachikawa air disaster | 6,107 | 509 | ...that the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II involved in the Tachikawa air disaster crashed into a watermelon patch, with all hands lost? | |
Adelaide Crescent | 6,037 | 755 | ... that on census day in 1861, the 29 occupied houses in Adelaide Crescent, Hove (east side pictured), had 182 servants between them? | |
Rejtan (painting) | 5,791 | 724 | ... that Jan Matejko's painting Rejtan (pictured) caused a scandal, won a gold medal in Paris, was purchased by Emperor Franz Joseph I, and looted by Nazis? | |
Jharokha Darshan | 5,730 | 716 | ... that Emperor Jahangir (pictured) held the practice of Jharokha Darshan in Agra Fort? | |
Momčilo Gavrić (military) | 4,990 + 659 = 5,649 | 706 | ... that Momčilo Gavrić was the youngest soldier-participant in World War I, and the youngest lance sergeant in the world? | |
GISHWHES | 5,628 | 704 | ... that according to its creator, GISHWHES is "the ugliest acronym the world has ever seen"? | |
Danny Trejo filmography | 5,479 | 685 | ... that after receiving his first credited role in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, Danny Trejo went on to star in two hundred-odd more films, including Desperado, Con Air, Grindhouse, and Machete? | |
Zombie Hunter (film) | 5,416 | 677 | ... that Zombie Hunter (2013), starring Danny Trejo as Jesus, premiered at the 2013 Fantasia Festival? | |
World landscape | 4,387 + 654 = 5,041 | 630 | ... that 16th-century world landscape paintings (example pictured) showed "an idealized composite of the world taken in at a single Olympian glance", according to Simon Schama? |
November 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jahrhundertring | 7,247 + 5,046 = 12,293 | 1,536 | ... that a French team created the Jahrhundertring (scene pictured) of Wagner's Ring Cycle at the centenary Bayreuth Festival in 1976, causing "a near-riot"? | |
Berek Lajcher + Treblinka extermination camp | 6,789 + 4,013 = 10,802 | 1,543 | ... that Berek Lajcher (pictured) chose a hot summer day to launch a prisoner revolt at the Treblinka death camp while German and Ukrainian guards went swimming in the nearby Bug River? | |
Marine Gate | 9,389 (Original title) + 133 (Present title) = 9,622 | 1,203 | ... that Marine Gate (pictured) was the most bombed building in Brighton during World War II, but only one resident—a Hollywood child star—died? | |
Revenge porn | 7,387 + 1,703 = 9,090 | 1,136 | ... that only two states, New Jersey and California, have laws criminalizing revenge porn? | |
Wellington Suspension Bridge | 8,959 | 1,120 | ... that the Wellington Suspension Bridge (pictured), in Aberdeen, still has the original main chains from when it was opened in 1831? | |
Willi Mentz | 8,713 | ... that Willi Mentz was the "Frankenstein" of Treblinka extermination camp, with the number of Jews he killed single-handedly running into thousands? | ||
Duladeo Temple | 8,043 | 1,005 | ... that the walls of the Duladeo Temple (pictured) have a display of carved apsaras (celestial dancers) in erotic postures? | |
Dayana Kirillova | 6,347 + 1,575 = 7,922 | ... that 11-year-old Dayana Kirillova (pictured) is representing Russia in the 2013 Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Kiev today? | ||
Xin Zhui | 7,650 | 956 | ... that more than 2,100 years after Lady Dai died, an autopsy revealed the cause of her death? | |
Rou Shi | 7,027 | ... that according to Frank Moraes, Rou Shi was executed by being buried alive? | ||
Shanghai Manhua | 6,369 | 796 | ... that Shanghai Manhua, one of the earliest and most influential manhua magazines, was known for its provocative cover art (example pictured)? | |
Larabanga Mosque | 6,296 | 767 | ... that Larabanga Mosque (pictured) is one of the eight ancient mosques in Ghana, and is considered the "Mecca of West Africa"? | |
Situ Qiao | 6,186 | 773 | ... that artist Situ Qiao was imprisoned and deported by the U.S. government for trying to sell his own paintings (example pictured)? | |
Yodle | 5,655 | 707 | ... that Yodle went from "not going well" to making $132.2 million in a year? | |
Ffordd Pen Llech | 5,622 | 703 | ... that Ffordd Pen Llech (pictured) in the Snowdonia National Park is the steepest signed road in the United Kingdom? | |
Elisa Lindström | 5,301 | ... that singer Elisa Lindström (pictured) and her dansband Elisa's won the reality show Dansbandskampen in 2010? | ||
Swami Vivekananda | 5,237 | 654 | ... that Swami Vivekananda is credited with raising interfaith awareness and bringing Hinduism to the status of a major world religion during the late 19th century? | |
Elmer Flick | 4,555 + 552 = 5,107 | 638 | ... that Elmer Flick (pictured) made his own baseball bat with his father's lathe? |
December 2013
edit- Note: "Views / hour" = "DYK views" divided by the number of hours on the Main page (6, 8 or 12)
Article | Image | DYK views | Views / hour | DYK hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
Statue of Tara | 41,411 + 12,377 = 53,789 | 4,482 | ... that the Statue of Tara from Sri Lanka (partly pictured) was kept hidden for 30 years in the British Museum because it was considered too erotic? | |
The Great Train Robbery (TV series) | 12,346 + 13,581 = 25,927 | 2,160 | ... that the BBC filmed The Great Train Robbery in Yorkshire, as it was the "most cost-effective and realistic alternative" to filming in 1960s England? | |
Old Fortress, Corfu | 15,085 + 5,407 + 224 = 20,716 | ... that in 1718 lightning struck the powder magazine at the Old Fortress of Corfu (pictured) causing "one of the greatest catastrophes" in the island's history? | ||
Kaiser Wilhelm (baseball) | 13,176 + 4,647 = 17,823 | 1,485 | ... that Kaiser Wilhelm (pictured) set a record in minor league baseball that was not fully confirmed for almost a hundred years? | |
Proper right | 13,044 + 2,223 = 15,267 | 1,272 | ... that the statue illustrated holds a sword in its proper right hand? | |
Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist, Bartholomeus Strobel | 8,811 + 3,535 + Strobel 731 + 387 = 13,464 | 1,123 | ... that the 9.5-metre (31 ft) wide Feast of Herod with the Beheading of St John the Baptist (detail pictured) by Bartholomeus Strobel is also an allegory of the Thirty Years War, with portraits of many leading figures? | |
Kassiopi Castle | 9,859 + 2,432 + 307 = 12,598 | ... that Kassiopi Castle in Corfu is considered one of the most imposing architectural remains in the Ionian Islands? | ||
Bronze Head from Ife | 11,084+1,091=12,175 | 1014 | ... that when the Bronze Heads from Ife (example pictured) were found in Nigeria in 1938, Leo Frobenius said they were Ancient Greek and explained the Atlantis myth? | |
Sperlonga sculptures | 10,098 + 1,520 = 11,678 | 1,460 | ... that in 26 AD, the Emperor Tiberius was nearly killed when viewing the Sperlonga sculptures (detail pictured), which he may have commissioned? | |
Youngest British soldier in World War I | 9,861 + 32 = 9,893 | 824 | ... that according to the Imperial War Museum, the youngest authenticated British soldier in World War I was a 13-year-old machine gunner at the Somme who had enlisted at age 12? | |
SS Anselm | 7,078 + 2,497 = 9,575 | 798 | ... that SS Anselm was overloaded with about 1,200 Royal Marines and Royal Air Force personnel when torpedoed by a German submarine, killing 250? | |
Schwester Selma | 8,106 | 685 | ... that in 1975 TIME magazine named Schwester Selma (pictured), head nurse at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, as one of the world's "living saints", alongside Mother Teresa and Sister Annie? | |
Brand | 1,666 + 6,252 = 7,918 | 659 | ... that despite the Norwegian torpedo boat Brand having "exceptionally good" chances at scoring a hit against a group of invading German warships, her commander refrained from opening fire? | |
SS Oropesa | 6,273 + 1,591 = 7,864 | 655 | ... that SS Oropesa sank after being hit with a torpedo by German submarine U-96? | |
Tang Dynasty tomb figures of Liu Tingxun | 7,821 | 651 | ... that the thirteen figures (example pictured) who guarded the tomb of General Liu Tingxun in 728 AD are now in London?? | |
Billy Bates (baseball) | 7,672 | ... that Billy Bates raced against an unchained cheetah – and won?? | ||
Murder of Sherri Rasmussen | 7,544 | 629 | ... ... that, in 2009, Los Angeles police detectives investigating a 23-year-old murder found that the killer was a fellow detective? | |
Kayung totem pole | 5,444 + 1,781 = 7,225 | 602 | ... that the totem pole (pictured) in the Great Court of the British Museum is 39 feet (12 m) high?? | |
NAD 3020 | 4,518 + 2,403 = 6921 | 576 | ... that the NAD 3020 amplifier sold a record 1.1 million units in its lifetime, excluding sales of designs derived from it? | |
Vildmarksvägen | 5,574 + 1,316 = 6,890 | ... that Hällingsåfallet, a waterfall along the Vildmarksvägen route (pictured), has been described as "Sweden's answer to Niagara Falls"? | ||
WikiHouse | 6,876 | 585 | ... that the frame of a WikiHouse can be assembled in less than a day by people with no formal training in construction? | |
Johnny Jebsen | 6,814 | 567 | ... that Johnny Jebsen was a WWII artist whose kidnap by the Gestapo put at risk the Allied deception cover for D-Day? | |
Udny Mort House | 6,501 + 156 = 6,657 | 832 | ... that bodies were kept in Udny Mort House (pictured) in Aberdeenshire until they started to decompose? | |
Er ist wieder da | 5,600 | 466 | ... that Er ist wieder da was priced at €19.33, a deliberate reference to Hitler's ascent to power in that year? | |
Gingerbread house | 5,422 | 452 | ... that the world's largest gingerbread house (example pictured) had edible walls and measured 2,520 square feet (234 m2)? | |
Dobrilovina Monastery | 5,414 | ... that the Dobrilovina Monastery (pictured) was "the centre of the spiritual and political life and aspirations for freedom" in the Tara River region? | ||
Theodor van Eupen | 4,674 + 694 = 5,368 | ... that according to Franciszek Ząbecki, the SS-Sturmbannführer Theodor van Eupen executed prisoners of the Treblinka Arbeitslager by "taking shots at them, as if they were partridges"? | ||
Wilhelm Zahn | 6849 + 66-1870=5045 | ... that Wilhelm Zahn was one of the commanding officers during the sinking of MV Wilhelm Gustloff (pictured), which has been described as "Adolf Hitler's Titanic"? |