Sunday, December 9, 2012

5 Interesting Facts About Swiss Explorer and Writer Isabelle Eberhardt

1. Born in the late 1800s, she dressed as a man from an early age to enjoy greater freedom.

2. She spend much of her life in Africa exploring the desert. She married an Algerian soldier, Slimane Ehnni in 1901.

3. Sadly, she died in a flash flood when she was only 27 after a clay home she was staying in collapsed.

4. She was portrayed by Matilda May in the 1991 film "Isabelle Eberhardt."

5. An opera composed by Missy Mazzoli, "Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt", premiered in New York City in 2012.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

5 Interesting Facts About The Goo Goo Dolls

1. The band was formed in the '80s in Buffalo, New York by John Rzeznik and Robby Takac. At first, Rzeznik would not sing due to his shyness.

2. The popular song "Iris" was written for the movie "City of Angels."

3. The name comes from a True Detective ad for a toy called a 'Goo Goo Doll.'

4. Rzeznik has stated that he feels the band may have sold more records if they had a better name.

5. In 2008, Rzeznik received the Hal David Starlight Award at the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

5 Interesting Facts About Kentucky

1. The oldest continuously held horse race in the country is the Kentucky Derby held at Churchill Downs in Louisville.

2. Mammoth Cave in Kentucky is the world's longest cave.

3. The popular song "Happy Birthday To You" was written by two Louisville sisters.

4. Middlesboro, Kentucky, is the only city in the US that is built inside of a meteor crater.

5. Cumberland Falls is the only waterfall in the world to regularly display a moonbow also known as a lunar rainbow.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

5 Interesting Facts About Winnie-the-Pooh Author A.A. Milne

1) One of his childhood teachers was H.G. Wells, who would become a famous author, and has been referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction."

2) The character Christopher Robin in his 'Pooh' books was named after his son Christopher Robin Milne. The other characters were named after his son's stuffed animals.

3) A.A. Milne wrote various plays, having his greatest success with "Mr. Prim Passes By" produced in both London and New York City.

4) A.A. Milne enjoyed playing golf. He quotes as saying, "Golf is so popular simply because it is the best game in the world at which to be bad."

5) Some of Milne's children's poems were set to music by composer Harold Fraser-Simson.