Month: October 2019

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The name “Robin Hood” was a common…

The name “Robin Hood” was a common alias for criminals in Medieval England. It was first used as an alias in 1262. This suggests that either an early version of the Robin Hood legend was well established, or that the Robin Hood legend developed from the alias itself.

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The Vatican has a single pharmacy…

The Vatican has a single pharmacy. The Vatican claims it is the busiest pharmacy in the world with 2,000 daily visitors. Due to complicated Italian laws, the pharmacy has medicines available years before Italian pharmacies. People often visit to buy them.

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Jules Verne’s wrote a novel in 1863….

Jules Verne’s wrote a novel in 1863 which predicted gas-powered cars, fax machines, wind power, missiles, electric street lighting, maglev trains, the record industry, the internet, and feminism. It was lost for over 100 years after his publisher deemed it too unbelievable to publish.

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The Kublai Khan invaded Japan…

The Kublai Khan invaded Japan in 1274 with 33,000 troops but failed due to weather. Kublai Khan again invaded Japan in 1279 with 140,000 troops & made it 15 km away from the city of Fukuoka but again failed due to a typhoon. It was here the term kamikaze (divine wind) was born.

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The civilian model for Hummer was…

The civilian model for Hummer was made because of the persistence of Arnold Schwarzenegger, who saw an Army convoy while filming Kindergarden Cop and began to campaign for a civilian version to be available on the market.

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433 Men Named ‘Nigel’ Gathered in a British Pub to Honor Their First Name

This is one of my favorite stories of 2019 so far.

Is there any more British name than Nigel? My favorite Nigel is Nigel Planer, who played Neil on the great British TV show The Young Ones.

Recently, 433 men named Nigel came together at a pub called The Fleece Inn in the middle of England to celebrate the heritage of that incredible first name.

Nigels from all over the UK came to the small village of Bretforton for the big bash. One Nigel flew in from Cyprus and one from Texas even crowdfunded a ticket to be able to make it to the event.

The idea was the brainchild of Nigel Smith, the landlord of The Fleece Inn where the festivities took place. Smith said it started off as “a slightly mad idea” and that he thought maybe a couple dozen Nigels would show up to have a few beers.

Smith added, “Nigels were kind of dying out. Those of us who are still around ought to celebrate the fact we are still around and very much comfortable with our Nigelness.”

The night features not only 433 chaps named Nigel, but also special drinks, including the Mad Nigel, Nige Ale, and a cider called Narky Nige.

Even the local MP showed up that night. His name: Nigel Huddleston. Of course.

And Smith is right: the very British name is dying out. Apparently, there were only two British babies named Nigel born in 2016.

I’ve decided I’m going to do my part. If I have a child (or a dog, a cat, or a goldfish), I’m going to name them Nigel. That’s a guarantee!

The post 433 Men Named ‘Nigel’ Gathered in a British Pub to Honor Their First Name appeared first on UberFacts.

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Little Rock Is Paying Homeless People $9.25 an Hour to Pick up Litter

The folks in Little Rock, Arkansas, might be on to something. In April 2019, the city launched its Bridge to Work program, paying homeless people $9.25 an hour to pick up litter off city streets.

Paul Atkins is a Pastor at the Canvas Community Church in Little Rock, and he’s been impressed with how successful the program has been so far. Atkins said 380 people have worked through the program, receiving paychecks and mental health and medical services. Some have even landed job interviews.

Atkins said, “We want to work with them on their next step. There are a lot of barriers that our people experience to go from homelessness and panhandling to full-time work. There’s a lot of steps in between.”

The people in the program work in groups of eight, but they usually leave one space open in case they encounter a panhandler or other homeless person who wants to join up and work with them.

One of the team leaders in the program, Felecia Cooks, was initially worried it wouldn’t be entirely successful. She said:

“When I first started, from Day One, I couldn’t catch the vision, nor could I travel the journey. But, you know, we’ve taken out over 400-and-something persons. And let me tell you, that has been the most exciting thing that I’ve done in my life. The energy, just the positive (energy), the vision that Canvas Community Church has. You know, it’s just wonderful.

The program was only supposed to last six months, but Little Rock’s mayor, Frank Scott Jr., said he will draft a resolution to extend the program through the end of September 2020 because it has been such a success.

Great idea! I’d like to see this in other cities across the country!

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