Monday, October 31, 2005

Borley Rectory

The Borley Rectory, a mansion built in 1863 in Essex and burned to the ground in 1939, had a reputation for being haunted by various spirits. Paranormal researcher Harry Price named it "the most haunted house in England" and wrote two books on the subject. Spooky!

Sunday, October 30, 2005

DHL is a international express delivery company, founded in 1969 and purchased by Deutsche Post in 2002. The name comes from the three initials of the last names of the founders.

Saturday, October 29, 2005

The Baby Ruth candy bar was originally named the Kandy Kake when it debuted in 1916. The name was changed in 1921 to Baby Ruth, and the company claimed that this was not in honor of the baseball great but actually for the young daughter of president Grover Cleveland, Ruth Cleveland. However, she had died in 1904, and Babe Ruth was popular then, so draw your own conclusions.

Friday, October 28, 2005

Stonewall Jackson

Thomas Jackson, a Confederate general, got his nickname 'Stonewall' at the first battle of Bull Run, in July, 1861. He was accidentally wounded by Confederate soldiers in 1863, at Chancellorsville.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

The Storting is the parliament of Norway, which was first constituted in 1814.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

The Seychelles are a republic archipelago located north of Madagascar and east of Zanzibar. The capital city is Victoria. It has the smallest population of any African country.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

The Juice Box is a nickname for Houston Astros’ home field, Minute Maid Park. The ballpark was first christened as Enron Field in 1999. After big scandal, the field was renamed Astros Field in 2002 until June 5, when Houston-based Minute Maid acquired the naming rights to the stadium for 28 years at a price exceeding $100 million.