Facts

1. The very first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin during World War II killed the only elephant in the Berlin Zoo.
2. Celtic warriors sometimes fought their battles naked, their bodies dyed blue from head to toe.
3. King Charles the Second often rubbed dust from the mummies of pharaohs so he could "absorb their ancient greatness".
4. In the 1400's a law was set forth that a man was not allowed to beat his wife with a stick no thicker than his thumb. Hence we have "the rule of thumb".
5. Acupuncture was first used as a medical treatment in 2700 BC by Chinese emperor Shen-Nung.
6. In ancient Egypt, people shaved eyebrows as a mourning symbol when their cats died.
7. Abdul Kassam Ismael, Grand Vizier of Persia in the tenth century, carried his library with him wherever he went. Four hundred camels carried the 117,000 volumes.
8. The Black Death reduced the population of Europe by one third in the period from 1347 to 1351.
9. Coca-Cola was originally green.
10. The 1st 20 African slaves were brought to the US, to the colony of Virginia in 1619, by a Dutch ship.
11. Of the 262 men who have held the title of pope, 33 have died by violence.
12. Many years ago in England, pub frequenters had a whistle baked into the rim, or handle, of their ceramic cups. When they needed a refill, they used the whistle to get some service. "Wet your whistle" is the phrase inspired by this practice.
13. Roman Emperor Caligula was so upset by the death of his sister Drusila that he imposed a year of mourning. During this time, everyone in the empire was forbidden to dine with his family, laugh or take a bath. The penalty for transgression was death.
14. The name of the first airplane flown at Kitty Hawk by the Wright Brothers, on December 17, 1903, was Bird of Prey.
15. The worldwide "Spanish Flu" epidemic which broke out in 1918 killed more than 30 million people in less than a year's time.