Facts About Pringles:

If Pringles Potato Crisps are one of your favourite snack foods, then you should check out these top interesting facts about Pringles!

Pringles were first sold in America in 1968 but were not popular until the mid 1970’s. The original name of these was Pringle’s Newfangled Potato Chips. They were created by Alexander Liepa. The name ‘Pringles’ came from a Cincinnati telephone book, they found a street name called Pringle Drive in Finneytown, Ohio.

Pringles are packaged in a tubular can with a foil-lined interior and a resealable plastic lid. The packaging was invented by Fredric J Baur. Baur was a food storage and organic chemist technician who dedicated his research and development for Cincinnati-based Procter & Gamble Co. He died on 4th March 2008, making it to the age of 89. As he was proud with his invention, he requested to be cremated and that a part of his ashes would be buried in a Pringles can. His family respected his wishes so that’s what they done.

Pringles are thin saddle-shaped potato crisps (the actual name for the shape of Pringles is a Hyperbolic Paraboloid) which are very popular today; they are sold in over 140 countries and make an annual sale of over 1.4 billion dollars. The reason Pringles are the favourite crisps of many people is because they are neatly packaged which means they don’t come out broken, they are not greasy, they stay fresh for longer than crisps in bags and it is designed for eating some now and some later, where as in a bag, you have to eat them when they are opened soon or they will go soft.

Pringles comes in all the standard flavours: Barbecue, Cheddar Cheese, Cheese & Onion, Hot & Spicy, Original, Salt & Vinegar and Sour Cream & Onion. Sometimes Procter & Gamble produces limited edition flavours, past ones have been Chilli Cheese Dog, Ketchup and Texas BBQ Sauce and Cajun.

In July 2008, Procter & Gamble lawyers successfully argued against Keiron Williams that Pringles are not potato chips, as their actual potato content is only 4%. This excludes Pringles from the 15% Value Added Tax for potato chips.

A Pringles can is useful to make a ‘cantenna’, which is basically an antenna made from a can. Because the inside of a Pringles can is foil, the tube can be used for extending a wireless networks, phone and radio reception.

History Of Credit Cards:

Visa:

Visa was started by Bank Of America under the name Bankamericard. The card slowly expanded to other banks and eventually was renamed Visa International Service Association. Now it is one of the largest financial institutes in the world, accepted on every continent. Visa’s sponsorship of the Olympic Games was considered to be the force behind the cards success. The company has been a sponsor of the Olympic Games since 1988.

MasterCard:

Not long after Bank Of America created the Bankamericard, other banks joined forces to create the MasterCharge which is known today as the MasterCard. It was started under the name Interbank Card Association and became MasterCharge years later. MasterCard’s “Priceless” commercial in the 2004 Super Bowl, featuring The Simpsons is considered one of the best commercial ever aired at the Super Bowl.

Discover Card:

The first card with no annual fees was started by Sears when it was the largest retailer in America. Discover has only recently became an independent company. The first Discover cards had an image of the Sears Tower on the front; it was redesigned after it was sold to Dean Witter Financial Services. MasterCard and Visa has joined together to fight against Discover Card, but their case was lost. Discover Card then turned around and sued both companies.

American Express:

One of the most prestigious credit card you can own was not a credit card at all. AmEx was actually a shipping company for many years, providing their services to banks and other financial institutes. The company went through many changes to become what it is today. Next time you pull out your card, know that the Expressman on the front was a symbol for the one of the first shipping company in America.

The Differences Between Prayer and Meditation:

There have been many discussions over the usefulness of prayer and meditation. But what’s the difference? Are there any similarities between the two?

Let’s look at the definitions to see if we find any similarities or differences:

Prayer: to make a request in a humble manner; to address God or a god with adoration, confession, supplication, or thanksgiving

Meditate: to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one’s breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

They both use the mind. They both are concentrated thoughts. But their goals are different.

In theory, there are 7 billion different types of prayer. There are also 7 billion different types of meditation. Each person has a different goal for their session. Thousands of different prayers exist, as do thousands of meditations. Both can be silent or spoken aloud.

It would be silly to try and generalize, saying that all prayers are a certain way, and all meditations are a certain way.

The Facts

Prayers are an integral part for monotheistic religions like Christianity, Judaism and Islam. When people sit down to pray, it’s a time for sending thoughts to God (or Yahweh or Allah) and praising Him. There are prayers for the sick and for those less fortunate than the one praying. There are prayers for forgiveness. Most prayers, though, include a part or all of these components. In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus talks about praising God and asking for His blessing and safety.

Meditations are found all over the world, especially in Eastern religions. Most of these meditations come from Buddhism and its founder, Siddhartha Gautama, aka Buddha. Rather than sending thoughts to one God and turning outward, most meditations focus within the person’s soul in order to reach a higher sense of spiritual awareness. Meditations follow a certain formality; sit in silence and put certain thoughts (or no thoughts) in your mind. Mindfulness meditation is the most popular meditation because it’s one of the easiest meditations to learn. You sit there and follow your breath.

These are just a few differences. What does science have to say about both?

Scientific Reasoning

Scientific studies on meditations are much more prevalent, possibly because meditations are secular in nature. Prayers sometimes have a negative connotation, and the prayers for any religion will be different not just from religion to religion, but from denomination to denomination and congregation to congregation.

With the few studies we do have on prayer, here’s what they have to say about prayer:

• Prayer helps with self-control.
• Prayer helps with forgiveness.
• Prayer helps with stress.

Guess what the studies say about meditations?

• Meditation makes you less stressed out.
• Meditation helps with self-control.
• Meditation helps with empathy.
• Meditation helps us forgive ourselves and others.

Other Similarities

At their core, meditations and prayers are the same. Both are ways for people to sit still and reflect. Both are used for good intentions – most of the time. And both meditations and prayers make you a better person. But the results are not the main focus of either prayers or meditations. They come about because we all are more aware of our surroundings. Our actions, not our thoughts alone, will change the world.

The best way to summarize the differences is this: prayers look up, and meditations look in. And no matter if you pray to a higher power or meditate with your soul for strength, it will change your life for the better.

Why We Remember The Fifth Of November:

On the 5th November 1605 there was a person named Guy Fawkes, he was caught in the cellars of the Houses of Parliament with over twenty barrels of gunpowder. Guy Fawkes was then classed as a traitor alongside his people for plotting against the government.

Guy Fawkes was sentenced to death and the form of the execution was one of the most horrific ever accomplished, he was hung, drawn and quartered. This was done to show the seriousness of the crime of treason.

The next year (1606) was the start of an annual tradition for the King and Parliament to give a speech to remember the event. Lancelot Andrewes delivered the first of many Gunpowder Plot speeches. This tradition, alongside the nursery rhyme, made sure that this crime would never be forgotten, hence the words “Remember, remember the 5th of November”.

The poem is sometimes referred to as ‘Please to remember the fifth of November’. The point in having this poem and remembered every year is to warn each new generation that treason will never be forgotten.

In England the 5th November mainly known as bonfire night, and is still remembered each year with fireworks and bonfires finishing with the burning of a Guy Fawkes doll. The dolls are made by children by stuffing old clothes with crumpled newspapers and other stuff to look like a man.

Here’s the full rhyme if you didn’t know it:

Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot…

Facts About Fireworks:

Fireworks were first invented in China over 2000 years ago. The first firecrackers were chunks of green bamboo, when put with fire it causes the bamboo to make loud cracking sounds. Because of the way Bamboo grows, it allows for air pockets to form inside the plant’s segments. Once heated up, the air inside the bamboo expands which causes it to crack through the sides which produces the cracking sound.

The first 4th of July celebration was in 1777, which at the time the U.S. was in the middle of the Revolutionary War and the outcome was still uncertain, however a huge firework display gave everyone a sense of hope and was very successful.

At first, the only colours that could be produced by fireworks was orange and white. However some Italian scientists managed to create more colours by adding different types of salt into it.

The word for firework in Japanese, ‘hanabi’, which actually means “fire-flower”.

A rocket can reach speeds of 150 miles per hour, however the shell can reach as high as 200 metres.

A sparkler burns at a temperature over 15 times the boiling point of water. Three sparklers burning together generate the same heat as a blowtorch. Sparklers alone cause more injuries than any other type of firework.

You see the explosion of a firework before hearing it because sound travels at 761 miles per hour, but light travels at 671 million mph.

Most firework related injuries happen at family or private parties and roughly half of all injuries are to children under the age of 16. The most common place for injuries from a firework is to hands, eyes and face.

The first recorded fireworks in England were at the wedding of King Henry VII in 1486. Over 90% of the fireworks sold in Britain still originate from China.

The world record for the most rockets set off all at once was set at the Battle of Flowers Parade in Jersey on 15th August 1997 when 39,210 rockets were launched at the push of one button!

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Three Faces..!!

The Truth Behind Magpies:

There’s always been a number of tales and myths surrounding Magpies… but what started them all? Have magpies always been seen as an omen of bad luck? And where did the famous Magpie Rhyme come from? Read the facts here!

The Magpie used to be seen as a very important and an interesting mythological bird in history, before the Christians came on the scene. It was said that at the Magpie represent the Devil, as when Jesus was crucified on the cross, both a Dove and a Magpie came to sit on the cross. The Dove caught the tears of Christ, where as the Magpie didn’t. The Church also started the famous rumour that the tongue of a Magpie contained a drop of blood from the devil. From this rumour came the idea of cutting the tongue of a Magpie off, to release the drop of the devils blood. It was then said that the Magpie would then be capable of Human speech.

One of the most famous things about Magpies is the rhyme that records the myth that seeing magpies predicts the future. It is not clear whether this myth was actually believed or not. There are many different variations of the rhyme, but the most common version, and the version that I grew up with, is below:

One for Sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret never to be told.

Eight for a wish,

Nine for a kiss,

Ten a surprise you should be careful not to miss.

Eleven for health,

Twelve for wealth,

Thirteen beware it’s the devil himself.

If you know a different version from the one above, please say so in the comments below, and we’ll add it to the post.

Interesting Facts on Poker, Bluffs and Lying:

Poker is definitely one of the most competitive games out there, may it be live or online, as the game heavily requires life, or should I say lying, skills in order to win the game – most of the time. Below are some of the interesting facts about how people may use those skills when competing in the game (and some bonus facts about lying in general).

Classic Poker Tells

1. Leaning forward or backward – generally indicates a strong hand.
2. Suddenly bolt upright – when a player sits slouchy or relaxed and then suddenly sits bolt upright, this could only mean that he has a strong hand like a pair of aces, queens or kings.
3. Being cocky – a player starts talking to you in a hand telling you to fold means he has the nuts.
4. Beware the distracted – when a player seems to be not paying too much attention to the game, like chatting to another player or half-watching the TV, chances are he’s not bluffing.
5. Voice pitch is a reliable tell – a higher than usual voice when speaking implies a strong hand (probably he’s too excited), as does an unnaturally low voice as the player tries to compensate for this and over does it. This aspect of bluffing is pretty hard to control.
6. The eyes can tell – pupil dilation is impossible to control, especially to non-brown colored eyes. This is a strong indication of a strong hand.
7. Bluffers will always try to stare you down.
8. Shaky hands mean the player has something – though this metric is only accurate to beginner-level players.
9. How they stack their chips – pro-poker players do sometimes use this as a technique in fooling their opponents.
10. Sweat – probably the biggest tell ever in the game.
11. In online poker, screen names can tell who are a fish and a shark – Seductive girls name mostly suggests that the user is a good player pretending to be an amateur.
12. Trash talking on chatbox more often than not means a player is bluffing.
13. Pros use time zones to their advantage in Online Poker – for instance, if you’re playing in the US at night, it’ll be the early hours of morning in the Europe. Those guys are more likely to be playing while tired (may also be drunk and very prone to silly bluffs).
14. Auto-raise/bet/check on the flop speaks volumes – auto-raising before the flop is a sign of strength 99% of the time for normal players, given that there’s only little benefit in bluffing this.

Interesting Myths about Lying

15. People are not more likely to break eye contact when lying.
16. People will not touch their face more while lying.
17. The rate of blinking can indicate lying, but only if you know in great detail the person’s base blinking rate.
18. When retelling a version of events, someone who is less chronological and seemingly misses out important details is actually more likely to be telling the truth.

Interesting Lying Facts and Statistics

19. 84% of people think there is such a thing as an acceptable lie.
20. 83% of women feel guilty after lying.
21. 70% of men feel guilty after lying.
22. 71% of people think it is fine to protect someone with a lie.
23. 57% of people are happy to lie if they didn’t like a gift they’ve been given.
24. 10% of people claim they are likely to lie to their partner.

Most Popular Lies made by Males

25. I didn’t have that much to drink.
26. Nothing’s wrong, I’m fine.
27. I had no signal.
28. It wasn’t that expensive.
29. I’m on my way.
30. I’m stuck in traffic.
31. No, your bum doesn’t look big in that.
32. Sorry, I missed your call.
33. You’ve lost weight.
34. It’s just what I’ve always wanted.

Most Popular Lies Made by Female

35. Nothing’s wrong, I’m fine.
36. I don’t know where it is, I haven’t touched it.
37. It wasn’t that expensive.
38. I didn’t have that much to drink.
39. I’ve got a headache.
40. It was in the sale.
41. I’m on my way.
42. Oh, I’ve had this ages.
43. No, I didn’t throw it away.
44. It’s just what I’ve always wanted.

The Biggest Lie that Online Users Make Every day:

45. Clicking on “I agree with the terms and agreement”, when most of them didn’t really take the time to read the entire thing.

Interesting Facts About Chess:

Some are huge fans of this game, obsessing over the tricks of getting the opponent into checkmate in the quickest possible time frame. Others simply couldn’t care less, while there are some who haven’t got a clue how to play this popular board game. Whatever your opinion of chess, there’s no escaping the fact that it has a fascinating history and boasts some pretty interesting facts.

Chess is now played all over the world, but its origins supposedly began in India way back in the 6^th century. Historians don’t actually know exactly where chess came from, but the majority agree that India is the most likely place. The game has changed throughout the years, and it took almost a thousand years to make its way to Southern Europe. By the 15^th century, Spain was slowly but surely becoming a fan of this popular game, and the 19^th century saw the rules of gameplay standardized as chess tournaments began.

London was the home of the first international chess tournament, which took place in 1851. Howard Staunton, an English master of chess, organised the event as a way of bringing together the best chess players in Europe. Adolf Anderssen won the event, beating 15 other players and subsequently becoming champion throughout the 1850’s and 1860’s.

Wilhelm Steinitz is a name you should definitely know when it comes to the world of chess. Born in Austria, he won the first World Championship in 1886, and went on to win 25 chess matches in total and lose just two matches. At the age of 58, he lost his title to Emanuel Lasker, who went on to be the longest reigning champion (26 years and 337 days).

Lasker was also a good friend of Albert Einstein, who stated that he didn’t have time for chess and didn’t want to endure anything which would force his mind to work any further after a hard day. However, Einstein became a fan of the board game in later life, but we don’t know whether or not it was Emanuel Lasker who talked him into it.

However, he never played a game for as many hours as Stepak and Mashian did – this pair beat the world record after 24 hours and 30 minutes of gameplay in 1980. Nine years later, Nikolic and Arsovic beat the record for the most moves played in a chess game, totalling a staggering 269. Perhaps even more amazing is the fact that 5,949 moves are possible in a chess game, which makes it very possible that somebody else might come along and steal their crown in the future.

With 64 squares on a chess board, it’s impossible to imagine more than a couple of thousand outcomes of a game. However, after each player has had four moves, there are more than 318 billion possible positions. As chess players know, pawns can move either one space or two spaces on their first move. This is a rule which was brought about by the Spaniards in 1280.

Over a century before the Spanish brought about this rule, a priest came up with an invention which we still use to this day. It was the year 1125, and the priest knew that he would be in trouble for playing chess, since this was against the rules of the Church. Rather than submit himself to this holy law, he devised the folding chessboard. He designed it to look exactly like two books when it was placed on a bookshelf, so nobody ever found out his little secret.

Alongside Sudoku and other puzzles and games, chess has been named as one of the best ways to improve the mind and the memory. Patients with Alzheimer’s are often encouraged to play chess in their spare time, and it has been introduced in many schools for young students. In some cases, it has been seen to enhance the test results of school children, and scientists have been known to argue that chess can actually increase intelligence levels.

It seems that many people will be able to benefit from playing chess, since an estimated 600 million people around the world know how to play the game. Fans of both chess and Harry Potter will be fascinated to read that the oldest discovered chess set was used during the filming of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. It was found on the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, but was made somewhere in Scandinavia and is thought to date back to pre-12^th century.

Finally, chess is a game which has been enjoyed by young and old people for as long as it has been around. Oscar Shapiro became a chess master at the age of 74, and by contrast, the youngest ever chess champion was Jordy Mont-Reynaud at the age of 10.

Beautiful Facts About Butterflies:

Ahh, butterflies… Whether they’re in the pit of our stomachs, floating over lush pastures or as stickers on a colorful notebook,  butterflies are beautiful creatures, they bring feelings of joy & happiness bringing us back to our childhood memories. But could there be more than meets the eye about these wonderful creatures? Well there is actually, and in this article, we’re going to look at 30 interesting facts about butterflies you probably never heard about!

1. There are over 17,500 recorded butterfly species in the whole world. Out of this number, 750 can be found in America.
2. Butterflies belong to the Lepidoptera class of insects which are characterized by their large scaly wings.
3. The Cabbage White specie of butterfly is the most commonly found in the US. While they are called Cabbage White, they are characterized by their two black markings at the top of their wings.
4. Monarch butterflies migrate to escape from the cold, not to procreate contrarily to popular belief.
5. Monarch butterflies are the only insect in the whole world that travels over 2,500 miles on average every winter.
6. However, while the Monarch is the only butterfly to cover this wide a distance, many butterfly species flee weather conditions in the winter, such as the Clouded Skipper, Red Admiral, Cloudless Sulfur and American Lady just to name a few.
7. The North American Monarch is one of the species that has been the most severely impacted by recent climate changes, with their numbers seeing dips and spikes over the last few years.
8. Butterflies don’t taste with taste buds, but rather sensors located under their feet.
9. A group of butterflies is known as a flutter.
10. Butterflies can see beyond the ultraviolet spectrum and their eyes consist of a network of 6000 lenses.
11. Did you know that many adult butterflies do not excrete waste at all? As a matter of fact, many adult butterflies use everything they eat as energy.
12. Contrarily to popular perception, the wings of butterflies are totally clear and the colors we see are the effect of light reflecting on the tiny scales covering them.
13. The wings of butterflies move in a figure 8 motion.
14. Butterflies can vary greatly in size. The biggest butterfly specie has a 12 inch wingspan, while the smallest ever recorded only covers half an inch.
15. Some butterflies can be very picky about where they lay their eggs. As a matter of fact, some butterflies will only lay their eggs in one type of plant.
16. The first thing a caterpillar eats after it hatches from its cocoon is usually the shell of the cocoon itself.
17. In some places, you can find so many caterpillars feeding on plants that you can actually hear them munching.
18. The time it takes a caterpillar to evolve into a butterfly is usually between 10 and 15 days depending on the particular specie.
19. Butterflies are cold blooded creatures for the most part.
20. Some butterfly species are extremely fast. As a matter of fact, the Skipper Butterfly can fly faster than a horse can run.
21. Butterflies have long tongues that are shaped like tubes that gives them the ability to soak up food instead of sipping it.
22. Male butterflies engage in what is called “puddling”. In fact, many male butterflies get nourishment by drinking water from mud puddles, which allows them to extract much needed minerals.
23. A group of butterflies puddling together is referred to as a “puddle club”.
24. Some species of butterflies drink blood coming from open wounds of other animals.
25. Many scientists thought butterflies were completely dead until they first identified butterfly ears in 2012.
26. The Common Buckeye Butterfly is considered as one of the most striking species of butterflies with its wide upper wing bars and big, multicolored eyespots.
27. The Giant Swallowtail Butterfly is one of the biggest butterfly species on the planet, with wings spanning from 4 to 7 inches.
28. The adult butterfly only lives 3 to 4 weeks in average.
29. Many butterfly species are polymorphic and have the ability to blend in with their surrounding environment.
30. Butterflies cannot fly if the air temperature falls under 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Since butterflies are cold blooded animals, they can regulate their body temperature, which renders them completely immobile in cold weather.

So there you have it, 30 great facts about butterflies. So next time you see a larvae munching on leaves, or see them floating around your yard, remember that these little flying flowers are much more than just mere insects. You’ll now be able to appreciate them for what they truly are, tiny little miracles of nature.

20 Surprising Facts About Malta:

When I think of Malta, thoughts flood into my head of sitting in the baking sun, slurping ice-cream on St Paul’s Bay and watching the ships out on the Mediterranean. There’s something for everyone in Malta, and here we’re going to look at 20 surprising facts about this beautiful little island!

1. There are 365 churches in Malta, one for each day of the year!
2. On the 1^st May, 2004 Malta joined the EU.
3. Malta actually has their own language but the majority of the population also speak English.
4. Malta is around 179 miles (288 km) north of Africa and around 58 miles (93 km) south of Sicily.
5. The population is 400,000, the 3 islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino only equate to 122 sq. miles (316 sq. km).
6. Paul was shipwrecked on the island in 60 A.D. while on his way to Rome bringing Christianity to Malta.
7. The country held the record for the biggest gathering of people dressed as storybook characters. This was done by 453 people in March 2011 at Chiswick High School. This record was trumped in 2014 in Singapore with 1560 people.
8. Whilst on his way to Egypt, Napoleon took over Malta in 1798 from the Knights.
9. Malta became independent from the British in 1964.
10. Malta has their own Marmite-esque product, Kinnie. A bitter-orange-and-herb flavoured soft drink that’s been popular since 1952. Personally, I don’t like it!
11. Malta has a range of endemic Maltease wildlife including Maltese Ruby Tiger Moth, Schembri’s Spider Fly and Maltese Field Beetle.
12. Favourite local desserts include kannoli’s (fried pastry filled with ricotta) and Helwa tat-Tork (sweet mix of whole and broken almonds)
13. There are a plethora of famous faces born on this beautiful little island including 24 producer Jon Cassar, RED 2’s Emma Heming and Game of Thrones hunk Andrei Claude.
14. A 330-feet deep submerged land bridge used to connect Malta to Sicily.
15. Malta once belonged to Britain, but as of 1964 Malta is now its own independent country.
16. Valetta, Malta’s capital, is often known as the first planned European city, being sketched in 1565 during the order of St. John.
17. Evidence, including 11 Megalithic monuments, suggests people have lived on the island since around 5000BC.
18. Malta took their biggest footballing defeat in 1983, losing 12-1 to Spain, a game many claim was fixed to allow Spain to progress in the 1984 Euros.
19. As of November 2016, Malta stand at 156^th in the Olympic ranking. In the 2016 Olympics, Malta had 7 participants but zero medals.
20. The largest Catherine wheel, built by Lily Fireworks Factory on 18^th June 2011, in Mqabba, Malta, had a diameter of just over 105 ft (32 meters).

So there we have it, the beautiful island really does a range of mind-blowing trivia to satisfy everyone’s fact-finding love. Speaking as someone who’s visited the island numerous times, there really is something mesmerizing about the country and I strongly urge everyone to visit. Whether you like it or hate it, you can’t deny the ever-impressive historical significance of the island, or the stunning geographical areas.

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Facts about Game of Thrones Series:

If you’re a fan of Game of Thrones, check out the most interesting facts about this television series.

1. HBO’s T.V. Show Game of Thrones is based on a series of books by author George R. R. Martin known as the Song of Ice and Fire series.
2. When making an ideal cast, Martin and producers David Benioff and Dan Weiss had only two definite actors in mind. These being Peter Dinklage (Tyrion) and Sean Bean (Eddard).
3. In the original pilot “Winter is Coming” for Game of Thrones there are several actors who were replaced later on, including those that originally played Catelyn Stark and Daenerys Stormborn.
4. MagistarIllyrio’s manse across the Narrow Sea is actually the summer palace of Malta’s president. Although camera crews were not permitted to film inside, the palace was also used as the Red Keep’s gardens in King’s Landing.
5. All of the snow and ice that is seen on-set is created for the use of Game of Thrones.
6. After the filming of the third episode, Sophie Turner (Sansa) adopted the dog that played Sansa’s direwolf Lady.
7. The first season of Game of Thrones premiered on April the 17th, Sean Bean’s birthday!
8. Shortly after the filming of the Dothraki wedding was completed, Malta was hit by one of the worst storms in their history, causing many of the props to be lost at sea!
9. HBO commissioned the Dothraki tongue through the Language Creation Society and created by linguistics expert David Peterson. At the start of filming there were approximately 1700 words, and there are now 3000.
10. Actor Liam Burke was cast as Aerys II Targaryen, the ‘Mad King’, in flashback scenes but these scenes were cut from filming.
11. Actress Maisie Williams is right-handed, although her character Arya is left-handed, so she learnt all her fight scenes with Syrio left-handedly.
12. In his audition tape, Jason Momoa (KhalDrogo) performed the Haka dance, an ancestral war-cry, dance or challenge of the Maori people from New Zealand.
13. Most cast members haven’t read the books that the series is based on so as not to find out their characters’ fate as some think this will affect their acting.
14. In a letter to actor Jack Gleeson (Joffrey), author Martin complemented him on his acting saying “Congratulations on your marvellous performance, everyone hates you.”
15. There are more words within the Dothraki tongue for ‘kill’ than there are for ‘love’.
16. The part when Ser Hugh of the Vale dies – including the falling horse, the spurting blood and other effects – was kept as a secret from the likes of Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams (Sansa& Arya) to create a genuine reaction.
17. The crypts beneath Winterfell and the dungeon beneath the Red Keep in King’s Landing are the same set.
18. During the scene where Daenerys eats the horse’s heart, actress Emilia Clarke was chewing for filming all day – her retch at the end of the scene was genuine!
19. During the scene in which Ned is seen in a fever dream after his clash with Jamie Lannister, actor Sean Bean caught the flu in order to look as feverish as possible for this scene.
20. Winterfell’s courtyard may look realistic enough but it is actually set within a car-park to allow for 360 degree shots.
21. Actress Carice van Houten was previously asked to audition for a role within season one, but couldn’t due to schedule conflicts. She was asked to audition for a different role within season two and was later cast as Melissandre.
22. The pool within the godswood of Winterfell is actually filled with black paint in order to make it as reflective as possible.
23. The armourer seen crafting the sword Needle for Jon Snow in the T.V. show is Tommy Dunn, and he is the smith who creates all the weapons used in the show.
24. One of the production artists who helped design Pandora within Avatar also worked on Game of Thrones, with their influence seen especially through the Vale of Arryn and the Eyrie.
25. Jon Snow’s night-time chase towards the end of season one lead to a stunt-woman needing eight stitches after the set’s generators crashed and she ran into a tree.
26. The sky-cell of the Eyrie where Tyrion is kept was in the parking lot facing the trailers of the rest of the cast. It also over-looked the same place where James Cameron built his gigantic replica of the Titanic.
27. The actor who plays the character Theon Greyjoy is Alfie Allen, Lily Allen’s younger brother who her song ‘Alfie’ is wrote about.
28. The dead stag at the opening of season one on the road is no prop – in fact it was killed by local hunters and gutted by an animal handler Kenny after being left for a few days to ripen.
29. After the pilot episode many people believed the girl nailed to the tree was a doll and it was criticised for this. The facts are that it was actually a 19 year-old actress, Claire Wright.
30. The title sequence, by Angus Wall of E52 Elastic, was based on the notion of a raven flying over a map. Martin said that “because geography is very important, getting in the map was a good idea” and was pleased with Wall’s opening title sequence.

“When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.”

Interesting Facts About The Lord of the Rings:

We’ve read the books and we’ve seen the films, but what are some interesting facts that you might not already know about The Lord of the Rings? Well here’s the top 25 facts we could find!

1. The role of Gandalf was offered to Sean Connery, but he didn’t understand the script after reading it and turned it down.
2. J.R.R. Tolkien used just two fingers to type a whopping 1,200 pages of text for the books.
3. The character Merry was named Marmaduke Brandybuck when Tolkien first wrote the books, but he later changed her name. What a relief!
4. The Beatles tried to make a film of Lord of the Rings starring themselves, but Tolkien wasn’t keen on the idea and it was put to a speedy end.
5. Christopher Lee had not met J.R.R. Tolkien until he bumped into him unexpected while having a drink in an Oxford bar.
6. Elijah Wood and Ian McKellen didn’t film any scenes together.
7. Around 18,000 costumes were made for the filming of all three Lord of the Rings films. In some cases, as many of 40 clones of the same costume needed to be made.
8. The two Hobbit films had a huge budget – twice as much as for all three LotR films.
9. Due to a phobia, Sean Bean would not get in a helicopter to fly to one of the New Zealand mountains used for filming. As a result, he had to climb up there every single time instead.
10. Christopher Tolkien, son of J.R.R. Tolkien, does not like the Lord of the Rings books written by his father.
11. Viggo Mortensen, the actor who played Aragorn, ended up buying two of the horses used in the films.
12. ‘The Return of the King‘ won an Academy Award in the ‘Best Picture’ category. This made it the first fantasy film to win this award.
13. More than 2,000 weapons and 10,000 arrows were created for the filming of the LotR trilogy.
14. Viggo Mortensen learnt how to speak Elvish for the purpose of the films. He also speaks five other languages, including Danish and Italian.
15. Christopher Lee was successful in getting the role of Saruman, but his real ambition was to play Gandalf. The producers thought his age would interfere with the fighting scenes.
16. Peter Jackson, the director of the trilogy, had a cameo role in each of the three films. His children also had cameo appearances.
17. Cast members from ‘The Fellowship of the Ring‘, including Elijah Wood, Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen, had the number nine in Elvish tattooed onto them after filming had ended.
18. Christopher Lee had read the Lord of the Rings books every year for more than 40 years before he was cast as Saruman.
19. Ian McKellen kept some items from his time playing Gandalf, including the staff, sword and wizard’s hat.
20. Sean Astin and Orlando Bloom were just two of the actors who sustained injuries while on set, and Viggo Mortensen broke two of his toes!
21. Cate Blanchett loved her costume while playing Galadriel, and when filming had finished, the prosthetic elf ears were given to her as a gift.
22. It takes Frodo 17 years to start his adventure. Although it doesn’t seem like that in the films, it is years after finding the ring that he actually sets out on his venture.
23. Legolas is known for his white-blond hair in the films, but the books don’t actually specify his hair colour.
24. While Tolkien admitted that the books can be seen as being a reference to historical events, he did not intend them to be allegorical.
25. ‘The Return of the King‘ broke the record for the film with the highest amount of people featured in it.

Interesting Facts About Monopoly:

Are you one of the billion people who has played Monopoly? Check out these fun and interesting facts about the world’s number one board game!

1. Monopoly was created by the Parker Brothers and is subtitled as ‘The Fast-Dealing Property Trading Game’.
2. Simply out, the aim of the game is to dominate the market as a single entity.
3. The earliest game can be traced back to 1903.
4. This version was created by Elizabeth Maggie, who wanted a game to understand tax.
5. Two famous characters are Jake the Jailbird, and Officer Edgar Mallory.
6. Mr Monopoly’s true name is Rich Uncle Pennybags.
7. Over 275 million games have been sold worldwide in over 111 different countries, and has been translated into 43 languages.
8. It has been played by over a billion people with the longest running game lasted for 70 days straight.
9. Tokens have included elephants and purses.
10. Between 1940 and 1960, it was voted America’s number one game.
11. Escape maps, compasses, files and money were smuggled in Monopoly cases during World War II.
12. During the 1970’s, a Braille version was created for those who are visually impaired.
13. In 1972, the Commissioner of the Public Works wanted to rename places on the board, but the public stopped him.
14. In 1978, the Neiman Marcus Christmas catalogue offered a chocolate Monopoly game at $600.
15. Icons have been featured on postage stamps.
16. Monopoly at McDonalds encourages you to save tokens from your meals to win big prizes like a car, on an instant win like an apple pie.
17. More than six billion houses, and 2.25 billion hotels have been made.
18. Many editions are available, including Disney, Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and many more.
19. There are many world tournaments for the game. They have taken place in: Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Singapore, United Kingdom, and, United States.
20. The most expensive game board was made by designer, Sidney Mabell. It had a 23 carat board, and a diamond studded dice, and cost over $2,000,000!
21. It has been on over seven media platforms, in twenty languages. Since the launch, it has been downloaded over 10 million times.
22. A board game was sent to space in 2007.
23. In 2008, 3000 people passed “Go” online, in a world record attempt.
24. It was awarded the Best Mobile App Award in 2008.
25. In One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975), a heated game of Monopoly occurs, after which cold water is thrown on the patients.