Agio

Agio is a term used in commerce for exchange rate, discount or premium.  In the context of currency exchange, "agio" refers to the premium or fee that is charged when converting one currency into another.  For example, if a bond with a face value of $1,000 is sold for $1,050, the $50 difference is considered the "agios."

Stile

A stile is the vertical component on the outside of the door – on both sides. It's where you will find the lock, latches, and whatever hinges your project requires. Rails are the horizontal sections of the door panel at the top and bottom of the door.

Hilma af Klint

Hilma af Klint was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history.  A considerable body of her work predates the first purely abstract compositions by Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian.  She belonged to a group called "The Five," comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who shared a belief in the importance of trying to contact the so-called "High Masters"—often by way of séances.

Bembe people

The Bembe people are an ethnic group based in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and western Katavi Region of Tanzania.  In 1991, the Bembe population of the DRC was estimated to number 252,000 and around 1.5 million in 2005.

First Best Actress Oscar

The first Academy Award for Best Actress was won by Janet Gaynor in 1929. She was honored for her performances in three films: Seventh Heaven, Street Angel, and Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. The first Oscars ceremony was unique in that it allowed for multiple performances in different films to be recognized with a single award.

Every baseball used in MLB games is made by hand in Costa Rica. All baseballs used in major league games are made by the official producer of baseballs, Rawlings.

SpeedDating was invented in the 1990s by a Los Angeles rabbi named Yaacov Deyo.

A melisma is the singing of a single syllable of text while moving between several different notes in succession.

Siderodromophobia is the fear of trains. The word comes from Greek roots meaning "iron" and "running" (as in dromedary).

Myristicin is an organic compound present in nutmeg that gives it psychoactive properties when ingested in large quantities.

The shamisen, or samisen, also called samsen, is the three-stringed instrument used by geishas.

James Lawrence

James Lawrence was a commander of the USS Chesapeake in the 1812 war famous for his dying command, "Don't give up the ship," during an action against HMS Shannon. This was used in Oliver Hazard Perry's battle flag.

The word "school" derives from the Greek word for "discussion," originally "leisure, spare time." Seems reasonable, as only those with leisure time on their hands would think to fill their days with otiose dialectics and disputations.

Newspapers and other cheap papers turn yellow over time because the lignin, a dark substance found in cardboard, in them gradually reacts to oxygen to reflect a darker color.

Five pillars of Islam

The Five Pillars of Islam are: creed, prayers, fasting, giving alms, and the Hajj. Buddhism has an Eightfold Path.

Himalayan salt, rock salt mined primarily in Pakistan, is noted for its pink color. Large crystals of Himalayan salt are sometimes used as lamps.

Stonewall Jackson's arm

Stonewall Jackson's amputated left arm is buried (probably) at Ellwood, his brother's house, near Chancellorsville, Virginia. His body is buried at a memorial cemetery in Lexington, Virginia.

Mrs. Butterworth, the advertising icon who originated in 1961 and is owned by the syrup brand of the same name, almost never goes by her first name: Joy.

Alabama state constitution

The constitution of the state of Alabama is 340,136 words (including 827 amendments) and is the longest still-operating constitution in the world. This current constitution, adopted in 1901, is the state's sixth.

Vostok 1

Vostok 1 was the first human space flight, in 1961; Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth once during the two-hour mission.

The island of Bermuda has fast food outlets, but chain restaurants are banned by law.

Sailor Jack and Bingo

The logo for the Cracker Jack snack, featuring a boy and his dog, was introduced around 1918. The boy's name is Sailor Jack and his dog is named Bingo.

An iconic sign just south of the Strip in Las Vegas calls the city "fabulous." It is fabulous to be under video surveillance 24 hours a day for the privilege of playing games of chance heavily weighted toward the house!

Amen break

The "Amen break" is a drum break that has been widely sampled in popular music. It comes from the 1969 track "Amen, Brother" by the American soul group the Winstons.  It has been used in thousands of tracks of various genres, making it one of the most sampled recordings in music history. Salt-N-Pepa's 1986 single "I Desire" has one of the earliest uses of the Amen break. A number of releases in 1988 took it into the mainstream, including "Straight Outta Compton" by N.W.A and "Keep It Going Now" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock.

Janet Guthrie

Janet Guthrie is an American race-car driver who in 1977 became the first woman to compete in the Indianapolis 500.  In 1978 she finished ninth, the best placing by a woman until 2005.  She also got a pilot's license at the age of 17.

First African-American MLB manager

Frank Robinson was the first black manager of a major league baseball team, the Cleveland Indians, 1975-77. He played with the Reds, the Orioles, the California Angels, the LA Dodgers and the Indians before becoming manager. He was also the first player to win MVP awards in both leagues and was elected to the baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Gershom

Moses named his firstborn son Gershom, which means traveler in an alien land, because Moses himself had been "a stranger in a strange land" (KJV translation).

Neuschwanstein Castle, in Bavaria, Germany, was the inspiration for Sleeping Beauty's castle in Disneyland.

The three countries of South America that are located entirely within the northern hemisphere are Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela.

By a 1964 Act of Congress, bourbon is known as "America's native spirit." Or, you know, possibly not.

Ian Fleming, an amateur bird watcher, named James Bond after an American ornithologist.