J.K. Rowling Revealed the Hidden Meaning Behind the Hogwarts House Colors

If anything has become 100% clear in the decades following the publication of the Harry Potter books, it’s that author J.K. Rowling didn’t do anything by accident. Her website Pottermore is a testament to how many details are just there waiting to be discovered – outside the already-rich text – so it should come as no surprise for true Potterheads that the house colors were chosen for very specific reasons.

So why did the author choose blue (Ravenclaw), red (Gryffindor), green (Slytherin), and yellow (Hufflepuff) to color the fluttering house banners?

View this post on Instagram

A kuku! Jak spędzacie sobotę? Czytacie coś? ? Ja sobie pomalutku ogarniam hacjendę ? Choć rekwizyty zdjęciowe i tak walają się na wszystkich wolnych powierzchniach. Chyba muszę załatwić na nie jakiś magazyn, czy coś ? Wreszcie i ja mam potterowy album z kartami ? Wiedziałam, że nie będzie okazji, by połazić po kioskach, więc zamówiłam sobie na @aros.pl. Przysłali mi to w takim pudle wielkim, że mój mąż aż uznał, że to szafa do złożenia ? Tak czy siak- mam i ja i się tym jaram ? Korzystając z okazji i zgapiając pomysł od @shinart_91 chciałam pokazać wszystkich swoich Harrych ☺ A Wy zbieracie różne popowe wersje tego samego bohatera, czy wystarczy Wam jedna odsłona? ? __________________________________________ #cardcollectors #bloomsbury #harrypotter20 #harrypotterhouses #gryffindor #slytherin #hufflepuff #ravenclaw #hedwig #owl #ronweasley #hermionegranger #goldentrio #harrypotterbooks #harrypotterandthephilosophersstone #figurki #funkocollector #funkoeurope #toyscollector #polishbookstagram #harrypotterbooks #bookmerch #beautifulcover #booksforlife #harrypotterlife #potterhead #bookstagramfeatures #zdjeciedlaksiazki @bloomsburypublishing @stworkipotworki.pl @emp_pl @geekuppl @dystryktzero

A post shared by Monika (@papaveryna.czyta) on

Well, as she explained on Pottermore, it has to do with the elements.

“The four Hogwarts houses have a loose association with the four elements, and their colors were chosen accordingly.”

So Gryffindor, with its red and gold, is connected with fire while Slytherin’s greens and silvers represent a connection to water. Hufflepuff to earth (yellow and black), with Ravenclaws blues and bronzes connect it to the sky.

Fans, of course, have taken the symbolism even further, and you can find all sorts of expanded theories on mugglenet.com.  One suggested that the gold, silver, bronze represent the order of the points at the end of the first book, with Gryffindor winning the House Cup, Slytherin coming in second, Ravenclaw third. etc.

Another theory is that Hufflepuff’s association with the earth and plants could mean its home to the “stoners” of Hogwarts (which could also explain how they’re always so easy-going and friendly) and mean there’s a second reason the head of house teaches herbology.

Rowling hasn’t commented on anything above and beyond the connection to the elements, but at this point, Hogwarts and its mythology belong as much to popular culture as they do to her – so theorize away, Potterheads!

I’m right there with you.

The post J.K. Rowling Revealed the Hidden Meaning Behind the Hogwarts House Colors appeared first on UberFacts.

15 People Remember the Conversations They’ve Had with Famous People

Have you ever had a real conversation with a celebrity? I’m talking about a talk that, while brief, wasn’t just you bumping into them randomly on the street? Or just posing with them for a photo?

AskReddit users shared their celebrity stories and some of them might even make you jealous.

Do you have your own celebrity encounter story? Share it in the comments!

1. Dave Chappelle

“Dave Chappelle. I was working Night Audit(overnight) at a Mid Luxury hotel in Napa. He and 6-7 friends rode up on motorcycles at like 2am and asked to get rooms for 2 nights. Apparently, they were in a road trip to nowhere and would just stop each night where they stopped. They had a few people following them in a truck and trailer.

He is a pretty legit insomniac and would sit in the front steps for 5-6 hours each night on his phone smoking. They decided to extend and ended up staying a total of 6 nights. On night 2, I went out and asked for a light and we ended up chatting a few hours. It repeated for 3 nights and I got to hang out with him about 10 hours total. Smart, thoughtful, articulate, and genuine person. The humor is just him. I was actually blown away with how precise his natural whit and timing was.

Saw him at a show in SF last year and he recognized me. Shouted out from stage “Yo… I know you… You still working nights?”

Great human.”

2. Buzz

“Buzz Aldrin. Just my family and I got to spend a few days with him touring around the Kennedy Space Center. I was 12 and had no idea what kinds of questions to ask him. So all I could think of was “Were you scared during launch?” and, “What does Moon ground feel like?”

I got back in contact with him l a few years back when I called to notify him that my Dad had passed away. He said that he remembered my father and was proud that I followed in his footsteps by majoring in Aerospace Engineering for my Bachelor’s.”

3. Two comedy legends

“Jim Carrey and Robin Williams. They visited the St Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis TN. They both were incredibly nice and hilarious. This small kid fell into the floor and was crying and kicking his legs so Jim Carrey (in a very expensive suit) dropped to the floor and did the same just to stop him from crying. Robin Williams wore the nose from Patch Adams and much more hairy than he looked in the movies.”

4. Crocodile Hunter

“Steve Irwin in an elevator when I was 11. He asked me where I was from and if there was any crocodiles in the pool and I told him I went to his zoo and how cool it was. He was exactly how you think he’d be, just a really nice guy and a great dude.”

5. Ripley!

“Sigourney Weaver, just after Aliens was released on VHS. A buddy of mine and I were riding up the gondola at the mountain where we were on the ski team, she was in the singles line, and we didn’t know who she was until the end of the ride up (~10 mins), when she said something, and he and I (both being about 12, so we had both obviously seen Aliens, as good children of the 80’s) were both like… “Ripley?”

She was kind enough to repeat “get away from her, you bitch!” for us.”

6. A nice guy

“Jason Mamoa. Bumped into him when I went rock climbing with my girlfriends. He liked my Batman shirt hahaha.”

7. Dolly

“Dolly Parton. My grandpa is good friends with her. She’s a peach.”

8. That is amazing

“Played a round of golf with Bill Murray, was awesome.”

9. Swayze

“Patrick Swayze! Dude was super nice!

I used to work at a small airport in Van Nuys, CA. Mr. Swayze and his wife owned an older King Air that they flew themselves. My very first day on the job, while I was standing on a ladder fueling his plane, Mr. Swayze was inspecting his plane before a flight. He found a small puddle of fluid (left behind by a previous aircraft) on the ground under one of his engines and dipped his middle finger in it, held it up to me and asked, “Hey what the fuck is this?”

He clarified that he was just joking when he saw me internally freaking out. He usually tipped really really well whenever I helped with his bags and pulled his truck around (especially when his goldendoodle clawed me in the face once) and I remember his wife coming to an older, unused hangar once to pull a litter of kittens out from under a car to take them to the vet.

This was all before he got his cancer diagnosis, and I left the job before he died. I do remember being legitimately sad for his wife when I read he had passed. The guy didn’t really take too much time to know me, but he was always very friendly, very polite, and made it a point to treat us like people. I met a handful of famous (and not famous, but connected and wealthy) people while I worked there – but he was the one I’ll always remember. Dude was awesome.”

10. The Boss

“Bruce Springsteen stayed at the hotel I used to work at in college and I got to carry the band’s guitars from the hotel to the stage which was cool( he was playing before a speech from President Obama).

When I was grabbing them from his room his wife was nagging him about his hair and he just laughed and came out in the hallway with me and chatted for a minute or so. Asked me if I was married(I wasn’t) and told me to expect the nagging if I were to get married.”

11. This is great

“Samuel L. Jackson. Even got to end the conversation on him calling me a motherfucker. I put that shit on my resume.

Was in an IHOP at like 2 am. Went to check out and the cashier was all smiles and anxiously said, “There’s a celebrity behind you.” Rolled my eyes and figured it was gonna be someone like Jimmy Fallon or Joe Rogan. Turn around and there in all his glory is Samuel L. Jackson. In a pink plaid golf outfit. Hat and all. His friend was in the same but it was baby blue. I was legit star struck, mouth agape.

SLJ proceeds to channel some Jules Winfield on me and my friend, “DAAAAAAAAAAAAMN. You two acting like I held you up at gunpoint or some shit. Tell me, do I……… intimidate you? ”

Without missing a beat, and the only time I’ll ever think of anything remotely this witty, I tell him, “We’re not intimidated by anyone that can get their ass kicked by Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall with a mop handle.”

SLJ is caught flat footed for a split second and starts laughing his ass off. We get to chill with him for a bit and chat him up. When he says he’s gotta bounce, I ask for a favor. “Now, I don’t do autographs,” he starts. “Ain’t no one gonna believe me with some napkin or something anyways. Could you call me a motherfucker? ”

He laughs uproariously and stone faces us mid laugh, “you’re a motherfucker.”

I’m a six foot three dude and I melted on the spot, shivers running up my spine.”

12. Spike

“I once shot a movie with Spike Lee. Very low budget, independent thing with a tiny crew and tinier cast. We were together everyday for a week but he never said a word to me beyond some notes. Anyway, on the last day of filming we were coming back from lunch and I was standing outside having a cigarette when he comes walking by.

He says something like “Ahh, so this is where the smokers all hang, huh?” and I just kind of laugh and say Yeah. He looks at my beat up sneakers and goes “What kind of shoes are those?” I tell him I don’t actually know, and he looks at me like I just took a dump on the sidewalk and says “You don’t know?” and I tell him I’d run a 5k three years earlier and had needed some running shoes, so I bought the cheapest ones.

This dude reaches into the cargo pocket of his pants and pulls out a fat envelope. He opens the envelope and I see that it’s full of Nike gift cards. Like, a hundred Nike gift cards. He pulls out two, hands them to me, and says “There’s two gift cards, $75 a piece. Get yourself some new Jordans” and walks away.”

13. Full Metal Jacket!

“R. Lee Ermey, The Gunny. Just an all-around down to earth badass dude. Met him at WWII Weekend here in PA years ago, along with my younger brother who got inspired to become an US Marine. It was a honor to meet him.”

14. Tom Hanks

“Tom Hanks. He was the host for the national christmas tree lighting, and I volunteer with the decorations every year. He was looking at some and talking to his wife about them. As I was facing away at first I just kept thinking that sounds like woody from Toy Story.

I turn around and low and behold it was. The nicest couple you could imagine, just pleasent conversation for a few minutes and they were called off to do something. Both pleased and disappointed I didn’t ask for a selfie, but I was geeking out nonetheless.”

15. Rock star

“Steven Tyler came into my car dealership. One of the managers came up to me and said, “I need you to help a VERY special client.” I joking asked who and said, “it isn’t another footballer player, is it?”

He didn’t think it was funny. Walk to where Steven was and my jaw dropped. Hard to maintain professionalism when you have music royalty in front of you. After he had left, one of my coworkers came up to me and said, “whoa! That was the dude from American idol!” I wanted to slap him.”

The post 15 People Remember the Conversations They’ve Had with Famous People appeared first on UberFacts.

A “Harry Potter” Beer Festival Might Be Coming to Your City

Have you been to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Florida? If so, then you know exactly how delicious butterbeer is in real life.

It’s like…cream soda but buttery and frothy and just an all-around delight. Get a load of this…

Adding alcohol seems like it would be the cherry on the butterbeer cake, and if you agree, you’re going to want to check out one of these Harry Potter inspired beer festivals when they wander close to your hometown.

Posted by Eventbrite for Organizers on Monday, May 20, 2019

The event is being organized by Rock Star Beer Festivals, and, according to the website, everyone who pays the toll will get access to samples of 20+ beers – including that adult butterbeer that is sure to knock your socks off.

Another option will be Snape’s Lair of Secret Cider Potions, which they claim is a cider, but I don’t know…Snape’s name is attached, so it could be polyjuice potion or something.

Make sure there aren’t any cats in the immediate area, is all I’m saying.

The venues will be “transformed into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter” for the event, with guests being transported to the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, and the Leaky Cauldron for the price of just $40 or $45 a ticket on Eventbrite.

You’ll also meet performers dressed as Hagrid and be able to dance the night away to the sweet sounds of the Sorceress Sisters and DJ Dumbledore, so it sounds like a magical event worthy of the Harry Potter name.

If you live in or near Fresno, CA (June 21), New Orleans (June 29), Philadelphia (July 13), or Boston (July 20), well…the rest of us are super jealous!

The post A “Harry Potter” Beer Festival Might Be Coming to Your City appeared first on UberFacts.

A “Harry Potter” Beer Festival Might Be Coming to Your City

Have you been to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios in Florida? If so, then you know exactly how delicious butterbeer is in real life.

It’s like…cream soda but buttery and frothy and just an all-around delight. Get a load of this…

Adding alcohol seems like it would be the cherry on the butterbeer cake, and if you agree, you’re going to want to check out one of these Harry Potter inspired beer festivals when they wander close to your hometown.

Posted by Eventbrite for Organizers on Monday, May 20, 2019

The event is being organized by Rock Star Beer Festivals, and, according to the website, everyone who pays the toll will get access to samples of 20+ beers – including that adult butterbeer that is sure to knock your socks off.

Another option will be Snape’s Lair of Secret Cider Potions, which they claim is a cider, but I don’t know…Snape’s name is attached, so it could be polyjuice potion or something.

Make sure there aren’t any cats in the immediate area, is all I’m saying.

The venues will be “transformed into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter” for the event, with guests being transported to the Great Hall, Diagon Alley, and the Leaky Cauldron for the price of just $40 or $45 a ticket on Eventbrite.

You’ll also meet performers dressed as Hagrid and be able to dance the night away to the sweet sounds of the Sorceress Sisters and DJ Dumbledore, so it sounds like a magical event worthy of the Harry Potter name.

If you live in or near Fresno, CA (June 21), New Orleans (June 29), Philadelphia (July 13), or Boston (July 20), well…the rest of us are super jealous!

The post A “Harry Potter” Beer Festival Might Be Coming to Your City appeared first on UberFacts.

Kids Cry After Theater Plays a Horror Film Instead of “Detective Pikachu”

Uh oh. This does not sound good.

It all started out simply enough.

A guy went to go see Detective Pikachu because it’s 2019 and we can watch what we want. We’re adults!

But then, the trailers weren’t exactly lining up with the adorable kids movie to follow…

Not at all..

No no no… this isn’t good…

And, guess what? Somebody seriously screwed up.

Because La Llorona is a legit scary horror film.

I mean, just look at this footage!

AND. IT. KEPT. PLAYING.

But somebody must have finally told somebody, because…

And all is right with the world.

Kind of.

Whew!

The post Kids Cry After Theater Plays a Horror Film Instead of “Detective Pikachu” appeared first on UberFacts.

10 Totally Awesome Facts About Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves has been in a lot of great movies over the years: Point Break, River’s EdgeSpeed, and Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure to name a few. But it seems he’s more popular than ever right now because of the huge success of the John Wick movies.

And now that there’s a new Bill and Ted movie slated for release in 2021, people are even more pumped on Keanu!

Here are 10 facts about the man, the myth, the legend.

1. Hockey player

Reeves grew up in Canada and was a goalie when he played ice hockey. He appeared as a goalie in the 1986 movie Youngblood and was even offered a tryout by the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League. Reeves decided to pursue acting instead.

2. International man

Reeves grew up in Canada but not many people know he was actually born in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1964. He also spent some of his early years in Australia and New York City before he ended up in Toronto.

3. Declined

Reeves was on board to make a sequel to the hit movie Speed until he read the script and saw how bad it was. He apparently turned down between $11 million and $12 million to return and make the sequel.

4. Other interests

Reeves played bass in a grunge band called Dogstar from 1991 until 2002. The band released two albums and one EP.

5. Odd jobs

Before he moved to Los Angeles at the age of 19, Reeves worked at a hockey rink and at an Italian food store in Canada.

6. Pay cuts

He’s taken major pay cuts over the years to work with legendary actors, including Al Pacino in The Devil’s Advocate and Gene Hackman in The Replacements.

7. Riding high

Reeves is a motorcycle enthusiast and he’s paid the price over the years. Various accidents have resulted in a ruptured spleen, a broken ankle, and lost teeth, among other injuries.

8. Bummin’ around

Even though he became a big star in the 1990s, Reeves didn’t buy a permanent place to live in Los Angeles until 2008. He lived in hotels and even in on-set trailers for a long time.

9. A team player

Reeves is known as a lovely, generous person and here’s at least some of the proof. He made a fortune acting in The Matrix films, but he gave away $75 million to the special effects and costume teams, and he bought the entire stunt team Harley Davidson motorcycles.

10. The meaning of the name

In case you didn’t know, Keanu means “cool breeze over the mountains” in Hawaiian. Seems like a fitting name for Mr. Reeves.

The post 10 Totally Awesome Facts About Keanu Reeves appeared first on UberFacts.

10 Righteous Facts About ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’

It seems like only yesterday I saw Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure at Oak Park Mall in my hometown in Kansas. It was glorious…and I still quote the movie to this day.

The film celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019, and in honor of this most excellent piece of cinema, we’d like to present you with 10 facts about the movie.

But first, check out the original trailer for a refresher.

1. The duo were born in an improv class

Classmates Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson formed an improv workshop at UCLA. Solomon recalled, “One day, we decided to do a couple of guys who knew nothing about history, talking about history. The initial improv was them studying history, while Ted’s father kept coming up to ask them to turn their music down.”

2. There was originally another character, Bob

Bill, Bob, & Ted? When the skit originated, the guy who played “Bob” wasn’t crazy about it, so Solomon and Matheson got rid of him and stuck with Bill and Ted.

3. Opposite auditions

Photo Credit: Orion Pictures

We all know Keanu Reeves plays Ted and Alex Winter plays Bill, but both actors originally auditioned for the opposite roles. Keanu Reeves remembered, “I got a call saying that I got the part. So I went to the wardrobe fitting… assuming I was playing Bill, and I get there and Alex Winter, who eventually played Bill, went to the wardrobe fitting thinking he was playing Ted. Then we were informed that that wasn’t the case.”

4. Pauly Shore in the mix

Shore, along with hundreds of other actors, auditioned for the role of Ted. Hey, don’t feel too bad for him, he got to be in Encino Man.

5. Not nerdy enough

Photo Credit: Orion Pictures

Reeves and Winter weren’t nerdy enough for the roles, according to co-writer Ed Solomon. He said,

“Bill and Ted were conceived in our minds as these 14-year-old skinny guys, with low-rider bellbottoms and heavy metal T-shirts. We actually had a scene that was even shot, with Bill and Ted walking past a group of popular kids who hate them. But once you cast Alex and Keanu, who look like pretty cool guys, that was hard to believe.”

6. Hard to picture this one

We all know Bill and Ted travel through time in a phone booth, but it was originally supposed to be a van: a 1969 Chevy van to be precise. Warner Bros. showed early interest in the script and folks there thought a time-traveling van sounded too close to the hit Back to the Future. Director Stephen Herek suggested a phone booth because he thought the visuals would be impressive.

Plus, Doctor Who hadn’t really made it in the States yet.

7. A happy accident

Alex Winter called the casting of the legendary George Carlin “a very happy accident.” Winter added they were originally looking for serious actors at first, “like Sean Connery. And someone had the idea, way after we started shooting, of George. That whole movie was a happy accident. No one thought it would ever see the light of day.”

8. The booth is out there

As part of a promotion when the Bill & Ted’s Excellent Video Game Adventure came out in 1991, one lucky winner received the actual phone booth from the film. Reddit tracked down the winner, Kenneth Grayson, in 2011 and he participated in an “Ask Me Anything” Q&A.

9. They’re coming back!

Rumors have been floating around for years that there will be a third film in the series (after 1991’s Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey) and now it’s official.

Excellent!

10. The script was written in four days

Photo Credit: Orion Pictures

Solomon and Matheson wrote the script in four days…by hand, during meetings at various coffee shops.

The post 10 Righteous Facts About ‘Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure’ appeared first on UberFacts.

10+ Entirely Wholesome Stories Involving Keanu Reeves

Keanu Reeves is undeniably America’s sweetheart these days. Not content with being the star of blockbuster franchises like John Wick and The Matrix, Keanu has apparently also been on a decades-long secret campaign to quietly establish himself as one of the nicest guys in showbiz.

And here are 11 more stories that prove what everyone already knows by now: Keanu is the man.

1. A true gentleman

2. Tour guide

View this post on Instagram

Hey everyone- There’s been a lot of attention about a recent story I posted about an “adventure“ on a minibus with one of the great humanitarians (and fav actors) of our time. I don’t have anything to add other than that all the passengers were incredibly kind and lovely people, including the folks who took care of us in Bakersfield, CA. Perhaps though, with all this attention we can do some good. In the spirit of what a generous person Mr. Reeves is here are a few charities that you might consider donating to (if you don’t already). If you do have copies of the video (news outlets:), please attach links to these charities alongside them. Maybe we do a little good. ? I posted links to charities in stories so you can easily click to each of these. ???? Song: It’s Such a Pretty World Today / Wynn Stewart #itssuchaprettyworldtoday www.sickkidsfoundation.com www.standuptocancer.org www.scorefund.org www.wildlifewaystation.org www.coachart.org/get-involved www.coachart.org www.stjude.org www.cityofhope.org/giving

A post shared by Brian Rea (@freebrianrea) on

3. A memory he’ll never forget

4. Nice guy

5. A long chat

6. Call in advance

7. Excellent!

8. For the kids

After filming a scene for John Wick 3 with a bunch of child actors, Keanu stuck around to meet and take pictures with all the kids. from KeanuBeingAwesome

9. In the crowd

Went to see John Wick 3 tonight and this guy happened to be in the audience too! from KeanuBeingAwesome

10. Wow

Fans trespassed on Keanu’s property back in the 1990s. Instead of calling the police, he had a beer with them. from KeanuBeingAwesome

11. That is amazing

A friend of mine told me that she was once stranded on the side of a highway outside LA when her jalopy broke down. She had no cell phone (that was before most people had cell phones) and no way to call for help. Then a nice black porsche pulls over and as you can guess, it was Keanu. He tried to help her jump start the car and when it didn’t work, he called AAA for her.

When they towed her car, he offered her to drive her home, which she accepted. He drove about 50 miles out of his destination just to drive her home. She told me she hoped he would hit on her but he didn’t, he was just a gentleman, dropped her at her house, gave her his phone number and told her to call him if she needed further help.”

He just keeps getting better and better, doesn’t he?

The post 10+ Entirely Wholesome Stories Involving Keanu Reeves appeared first on UberFacts.

America’s Most Decorated Female Spy Finally Gets the Recognition She Deserves

There are many great heroes of WWII who have become household names by now, their exploits immortalized in movies, TV shows, and books. One name most people haven’t heard, however, is Virginia Hall.

Today, that changes, though Virginia herself might not be too happy about becoming a household name. As she liked to say, “Many of my friends were killed for talking too much.”

Since it’s been over 70 years since she worked as a wartime spy, and she’s no longer living, it’s probably safe – and high time – to talk about her contributions.

View this post on Instagram

Unsung Hero of #DDay , #virginiahall , the only American woman to win the Distinguished Service Cross ? : “for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as an American Civilian Intelligence Officer in the employ of the Special Operations Branch, Office of Strategic Services, who entered voluntarily and served in enemy-occupied France from March to September 1944. Despite the fact that she was well known to the Gestapo because of previous activities, Miss Hall established and maintained radio communications with London headquarters, supplying valuable operational and intelligence information. With the help of a Jedburgh team, she organized, armed, and trained three battalions of French resistance forces in the Department of the Haute Loire. Working in a region infested with enemy troops and continually at the risk of capture, torture, and death, she directed the resistance forces with extraordinary success in acts of sabotage and guerrilla warfare against enemy troops, installations, and communications. Miss Hall displayed rare courage, perseverance, and ingenuity. Her efforts contributed materially to the successful operations of the resistance forces in support of the Allied Expeditionary Forces in the liberation of France.” ?

A post shared by Erika Robuck, Author (@erobuckauthor) on

Hall was born in 1906 to a wealthy Baltimore family who expected her to educate herself and then marry into more money. She had other ideas, wearing bracelets of (live) snakes to school, becoming an avid hunter, and taking pride in being “capricious and cantankerous.”

She was educated at Radcliffe and Barnard before traveling to Paris and falling in love with France, a love that would change the course of her life. Once she’d gone overseas, Hall became set on becoming a diplomat, said Sonia Purnell, the author of a forthcoming book on Hall.

“She wanted to be an ambassador. She got pushed back by the State Department. She applied several times.”

While working in a secretarial capacity at a U.S. consulate in Turkey, Hall had a hunting accident that cost her her left leg below the knee. She persevered through a long and painful recovery, and learned to maneuver on a wooden leg.

View this post on Instagram

With the anniversary of D-Day (officially known as Operation Overlord) approaching, we at the MI Library would like to acknowledge Virginia Hall. Virginia Hall established the Cosne resistance in the weeks preceeding D-Day overcoming reluctance from others to work for a woman! She had overseen coordination of airdrops that supplied explosives, weapons and other forms of support equipment. This resistance set about destroying railroad lines, bridges and disrupting communications. Virginia's force grew to more than 1,500 men by the 4th of June 1944 and after D-Day. Hall died at the age of 77 in July 1982. She committed to the cause, placed the mission above accolades, practiced sound operational security and effectively used the resources available. Hall routinely overcame hurdles, often in the face of life threatening circumstances. —————– To receive or renew a remote user account: Navigate to our website at https://www.ikn.army.mil/apps/milibrary Click on the ‘Remote Registration’ button in the left column Open the form and enter all requested information Using your Enterprise Email account, send the completed registration form to us at the address provided on the bottom of the form. You can also come into the MI Library at Building 62723, Hatfield St, Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613 and our phone number is (520)-533-4100! —————– Christopher G. Nason Military Intelligence Library and Museum where, "Intelligent action leads to peak performance and proper planning!" —————— #dday #operationoverlord #virginiahall

A post shared by Military Intelligence Library (@mi.library) on

Another Hall biographer and ex-CIA officer, Craig Gralley, believes that losing her leg was a turning point in her life.

“She had been given a second chance at life and wasn’t going to waste it. And her injury, in fact, might have kind of bolstered her or reawakened her resilience so that she was in fact able to do great things.”

She was living in France when WWII broke out, and immediately jumped into the fray, volunteering to drive a French ambulance. As her beloved France was overrun, Hall fled to Britain and quickly fell in with British intelligence. After a bit of training, she found herself back on French soil and working as a British spy in 1941.

Hall posed as a reporter for The New York Post and saw many in her network arrested and even killed. The Gestapo had her number and knew they were in search of a woman with a limp, but Hall was a natural at the spy game – like many women who were an active part of the resistance, she exploited her female-ness and her “cripple-ness” to fly under the radar.

“Virginia Hall, to a certain extent, was invisible,” says Gralley. “She was able to play on the chauvinism of the Gestapo at the time. None of the Germans early in the war necessarily thought that a woman was capable of being a spy.”

Hall operated largely in Lyon, which put her in the path of Klaus Barbie, otherwise known as “the Butcher of Lyon,” but thankfully she was never counted among the thousands tortured and killed by his forces. He was aware of her, however, posting signs around the city that featured a drawing of her and the words “The Enemy’s Most Dangerous Spy – We Must Find And Destroy Her!”

While there, she recruited everyone she could, from nuns at the convent where she was staying to a local brothel owner who helped by passing along information the prostitutes gathered from German troops. She organized the resistance in Lyon, providing safe houses and intelligence that altered the course of the war on French soil.

Even though she constantly changed her appearance, the Nazis got close enough in 1942 to send her into hiding in Spain. To get there, she walked 50 miles a day for 3 days in heavy snow, over the Pyrenees Mountains.

With a wooden leg. Remember?

Gralley, who considers himself in good shape, tried making the trek and found it exhausting.

“I could only imagine the kind of will and the kind of perseverance that Virginia Hall had by making this trek. Not on a beautiful day, but in the dead of winter and with a prosthetic leg she had to drag behind her.”

A snafu with her passport had her wasting 6 weeks in a Spanish jail before being released back to Britain. All Virginia wanted to do was to return to her work in France but the British refused her request, fearing her life.

The American OSS, however, had no such qualms – though Purnell points out that Hall did take precautions before returning to occupied soil.

“She got some makeup artist to teach her how to draw wrinkles on her face. She also got a fierce, a rather sort of scary London dentist to grind down her lovely, white American teeth so that she looked like a French milkmaid.”

View this post on Instagram

Observances of the 75th anniversary of D-Day are properly focusing on the troops and the architect of Operation Overlord, Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower, who freed Europe from Hitler and his Nazi hordes. One person—a woman—has not received the credit she deserves for her efforts with the French Resistance. Without her daring and heroism, the war would most assuredly have been prolonged and many more lives would have been lost. Her name was Virginia Hall and her story is told in a new book by Sonia Purnell titled “A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II.” The title does not exaggerate Virginia’s contributions to the Allied victory. Never have I read anything like it. Every page is compelling and demands not just to be read, but absorbed. Every act reflects incredible bravery. This is what heroism looks like. Virginia’s actions, along with the men who gave their lives for the freedoms that France, the rest of Europe, and America enjoy today, should never be forgotten. Sonia Purnell has ensured Virginia Hall’s place in that great pantheon. Tap our stories to see more stories from #DDAY75 and read Cal Thomas’ full book review.

A post shared by The Daily Signal (@thedailysignal) on

Back in France, she worked with resistance fighters to blow up bridges, sabotage trains, and reclaim villages ahead of advancing Allied troops.

The war ended and Virginia Hall, like all of the fighters abroad, returned home. She brought with her a French-American soldier (now her husband) and a penchant for keeping her mouth shut.

Her niece, Lorna Catling, recalled meeting her aunt after the war in a conversation with NPR.

“She came home when I was 16, and she was pale and had white hair and crappy clothes.”

And as for the war?

“She never talked about it.”

Both the British and the French recognize Hall’s contributions, though only in private. She declined public accolades in the States, too, claiming she’d rather remain undercover.

William Donovan, the OSS chief, bestowed the Distinguished Service Cross on Hall – the only civilian to receive such an honor during WWII – and only her mother witnessed the ceremony.

She joined the CIA and worked there for 15 years, though she did not thrive and wasn’t happy being stuck behind a desk, CIA historian Randy Burkett tells NPR.

“As you get higher in rank, now it’s all about money and personnel and plans and policy and that sort of bureaucratic stuff. …Was she treated properly? Well, by today’s standards, absolutely not.”

She retired in 1966 without ever having spoken publicly about her experiences as a WWII spy, and died in 1982 without the public realizing who she was or what she had contributed to the successful war effort.

View this post on Instagram

??‍♀️ A Woman of No Importance. ??‍♀️ . . ??‍♀️ Here's the thing. Virginia Hall deserves WAY more credit than what she received. . . ??‍♀️ This woman pretty much single handedly dove into enemy territory, built a resistance empire, and TORE SHIT UP on the Nazis. All the while being disregarded and disrespected by many of her male counterparts (shocker). That didn't stop her though, she refused to give a crap about any of them. She disregarded them right back, straight up left them and refused to work with them. Why put herself and others in danger because of chauvinistic nonsense? . . ??‍♀️ This woman was a badass in the most incredible way and I'm disappointed that I haven't read more about her before now. A beautiful person, changing her name and appearance numerous times (see what I did there), an amputee, crossed the Pyrenees during winter and survived!? She was THE most wanted woman in Europe by the Nazis AND NEVER GOT CAUGHT! . . ??‍♀️ After all that, she came back and joined the CIA (no small feat despite her experience) and was STILL underutilized. — "In its own secret report on her career, the CIA admitted that her fellow officers 'felt she had been sidelined — shunted into backwater accounts — because she had so much experience that she overshadowed her male colleagues, who felt threatened by her.'" ??? . . ??‍♀️ So much more to say but I'll let you pick it up and read it. Sonia Purnell has done incredible research and truly put together this fascinating and eye-opening book about one of the most important women in history. Virginia paved the way for so many others that came after her, even in indirect ways. Not only for women, but the government, the CIA, secret service and more should all be eternally grateful. . . ??‍♀️ Anyway, this week's #sundaywiththeselftimer is my appreciation for this book and me wishing and dreaming I was half the badass Virginia was. ? #powerfulwomenrepresent . . #awomanofnoimportance #soniapurnell #virginiahall #bookreview #bookrecommendation #readingwanderwoman #readingww2019 #readingwanderreviews #badasswomen #womeninhistory #sundayselfieshelfie

A post shared by Kimberlee (@reading.wanderwoman) on

Recently, her public moment has arrived: three books have been published and two movies are in the works, so Americans are finally going to know Virginia Hall in the way she deserves (if not the way she would have wanted).

As Sonia Purnell muses, “Through a lot of her life, the early life, she was constantly rejected and belittled. She was constantly just being dismissed as someone not very important of of no importance.”

Just one more example of “a woman of no importance” putting her head down and managing to change the world for the better, anyway.

Nevertheless, she persisted.

The post America’s Most Decorated Female Spy Finally Gets the Recognition She Deserves appeared first on UberFacts.

7 Actors Who Admitted to Drinking On the Job

Let’s just all raise our hands here and admit it: we’ve all had days on the job where we could’ve used a good, stiff drink… not after the day is done, but right smack in the middle of it. It’s just the way of work – there are days where it gets boring or just plain annoying (if you’re in customer service).

While actors certainly have one of the most exciting professions out there, it’s still a job, Sometimes, they need to have a few drinks too! Maybe they are bored, maybe they’re nervous, maybe they just want to relieve the tension of their job and their life for a little while.

These actors all admitted that they drank while filming some blockbuster movies, which makes the movies just a bit more interesting.

Maybe you need to go back and revisit some of these movies and pay closer attention to these actors, hmmmm?

1. Shia Lebeouf

View this post on Instagram

#Lawless

A post shared by Shia Labeouf (@shialabeoufsource) on

Labeouf drank moonshine to get into character for his role in the film Lawless, where he played a bootlegger during the Prohibition years. It’s called dedication to the role.

2. Margot Robbie

Robbie admitted she was pretty nervous to do a sex scene with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street, so she pounded three shots of tequila at 9 a.m. before filming the scene.

3. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis

Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis had a pretty racy sex scene in Black Swan, and director Darren Aronofsky said the two women had a few drinks before the camera started rolling.

4. Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe admitted he had a drinking problem earlier in his film career. He admitted to showing up drunk on set while making the Harry Potter film series. Radcliffe told the Daily Mail, “I went into work still drunk. I can point to many scenes where I’m just gone. Dead behind the eyes. I have a very addictive personality. It was a problem.”

5. Anna Kendrick

Anna Kendrick was given a real beer instead of non-alcoholic beer during the making of Drinking Buddies and she admitted she got pretty drunk. She said, “I was pounding beer, and I didn’t realize it was real until halfway through the take. I was like, I’m super drunk right now!”

6. Jennifer Lawrence

View this post on Instagram

NEW // wig = snatched

A post shared by Jennifer Lawrence (@jlawthequeen) on

Lawrence admitted to David Letterman that she got bored while filming The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and she’d drink pina coladas in her trailer. Gotta kill the boredom somehow.

7. Brad Pitt and Edward Norton

View this post on Instagram

#bradpitt #fightclub #fightclubmovie

A post shared by ʙʀᴀᴅ (@braddpiittt) on

Pitt and Norton starred in the now-iconic film Fight Club together, and they shared many memorable scenes. Remember the one where they drunkenly hit golf balls together? Director David Fincher decided to film that scene because the two actors were drunk and he wanted to catch some of their antics on film.

…I did not know that.

The post 7 Actors Who Admitted to Drinking On the Job appeared first on UberFacts.