History ~ things you might not know

[Waks]

Thomas Cook, the world's first travel agency in the world, was founded in 1850.


A dog was the first in space and a sheep, a duck and a rooster the first to fly in a hot air balloon.


Playing-cards were known in Persia and India as far back as the 12th century. A pack then consisted of 48 instead of 52 cards.


Excavations from Egyptian tombs dating to 5,000 BC show that the ancient Egyptian kids played with toy hedgehogs.


Accounts from Holland and Spain suggest that during the 1500s and 1600s urine was commonly used as a tooth-cleaning agent.



Julius Caesar was the first to encode communications, using what has become known as the Caesar Cipher.


The first mention of soap was on Sumerian clay tablets dating about 2,500 BC. The soap was made of water, alkali and cassia oil.



The first animal in space was the female Samoyed husky named Laika, launched by the Soviets in 1957.


In 1958 the US sent two mice called Laska and Benjy into space.


In 1969 the US launched a male chimpanzee called Ham into space.


In 1963 the French launched a cat called Feliette into space.


Great Britain was the first county to issue postage stamps, on 1 May 1840. Hence, UK stamps are the only stamps in the world not to bear the name of the country of origin.


John Rolfe married Pocahontas the Red Indian Princess in 1613.


Only one of the Seven wonders of the World still survives: the Great Pyramid of Giza.


The first parachute jump from an airplane was made by Captain Berry at St. Louis, Missouri, in 1912.


On 21 June 1913, over Los Angeles, Georgia Broadwick became the first women to parachute from an airplane.


The first written account of the Loch Ness Monster, or Nessie, was made in 565AD.


The world's first skyscraper was the 10-storey Home Insurance office, built in Chicago in 1885. (During Roman times buildings were up to 8 storeys high.)


In ancient times, it was believed that certain colours could combat the evil spirits that lingered over nurseries. Because blue was associated with the heavenly spirits, boys were clothed in that colour, boys then being considered the most valuable resource to parents. Although baby girls did not have a colour associated with them, they were mostly clothed in black. It was only in the Middle Ages when pink became associated with baby girls.

[Flood]

Helen, that's really interesting. The one about urine being used as tooth cleaning agent nearly made me barf!!!

[Waks]

Pmsl.....I know, that's what I thought!!! Minging!!!