.._

Did you know...

... that today is Spitball Ban Day? In 1920, baseball

organizers outlawed all pitches involving any tampering with

the ball, including using sandpaper, emery boards, or spit.

The spitball was banned because pitchers could not control it.

The spit would alter the center of gravity of the ball and it

would be hard to hit, but it almost never made it in the

strike zone.

Pearls melt in vinegar.

February 11, 1990

South African black activist Nelson Mandela was freed after 27 years in captivity.

 

February 12, 1915

The cornerstone for the Lincoln Memorial was laid in Washington, D.C.

 

did you know...

... that today is Abraham Lincoln's Birthday? Abraham Lincoln,

one of America's greatest presidents, was born on February 12,

1809, in present-day Larue County, Kentucky. His birthday was

declared a holiday in 1892.

February 13, 1635
The Boston Public Latin School, the first public school in what is now the United States, was founded.

Did you know...

... that today, besides being Valentine's Day in the U.S.

(Happy Valentine's Day!) is White House TV Tour Day? In 1962,

first lady Jacqueline Kennedy conducted the first tour of the

White House on television. The telecast gave most Americans

their first in-depth look at the home of the presidents, and

helped personalize the office in ways that have affected every

presidential administration since. Trivia fans: Jacqueline

Kennedy won an Emmy for her performance as White House tour

guide.

The Greeting Card Association estimates that 85% of all Valentine cards are purchased by women.

Play-Doh was first marketed as a wallpaper cleaner to remove dust.

In 1822, John Cadbury opened a tea and coffee shop in Birmingham, England. He soon expanded into chocolate manufacturing, and in 1861 his son Richard greatly increased sales by packaging Cadbury chocolates in the world's first heart shaped candy box for Valentine’s Day.

.

The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

 

The greatest number of children born to one woman is 69. The 'lucky' lady was a Russian peasant who gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets between 1725 and 1765

 ."

Debra Winger was the voice of E.T.

   Today, more than 44 million Americans claim Irish descent. That's more than 7 times the current population of Ireland, 6 million.

Founded in 1551, the Royal University of Mexico was the first institution of higher education in the Americas, opening 85 years before Harvard University.