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Random Fact – Halloween

Halloween, celebrated on October 31, can be traced back to Samhain, the ancient Celtic harvest festival honoring the Lord of the Dead. Observed on November 1 in the British Isles and parts of France, Samhain also marked the beginning of the Celtic New Year. Because it was a time of transition between the old and the new, the Celts believed that the souls of those who had died during the previous year gathered to travel together to the land of the dead. It was also a time when those who had died in years past returned to visit their homes. November 1 was considered the end of the summer period, the date on which the herds were returned from pasture and land tenures were renewed. People lit bonfires to scare away evil spirits and “sacrificed” fruits and vegetables, hoping to appease the spirits of the deceased. Sometimes people disguised themselves in masks and costumes so that the visiting spirits would not recognize them. Charms, spells, and predictions of the future were all part of the eve of Samhain. In the old Celtic calendar, that last evening of October was “old-year’s night,” the night of all witches.

Random Fact

An awe-inspiring image was sent back to earth on this day in 1995. In its exploration of our universe, the Hubble Space Telescope sighted and photographed the birth of a star. The image of the Eagle Nebula’s towering mass expanding and taking shape forever reminds us of the power and majestic life of the universe.

Random Fact

Biceps are muscles that have two heads—the large flexor muscle of the front of the upper arm and the large flexor muscle of the back of the upper leg. The first is called the biceps brachii and the second is the biceps femoris, both parts of the human muscular system. The action of the biceps brachii flexes the arm at the elbow and shoulder and supinates the forearm—turns the palm forward or upward. To raise your hand, the biceps in the front of your upper arm contracts and pulls up the bones of your forearm. The biceps femoris is one of the hamstring muscles at the back of the thigh. This muscle extends the thigh, rotates it outward, and flexes the leg at the knee. The term biceps is from Latin bis, “two,” and caput, “head”.

Random Fact

Until 1883, every locality in America set its own time preference. Standard Time was adopted in the United States and Canada on this day, and the resulting time zone system made life a lot simpler for everyone who would eventually travel from coast to coast, by telephone or airplane.

Random Fact

Betelgeuse is a reddish star in the constellation Orion — on the eastern shoulder of the hunter — and one of the brightest stars in space. It is a cool red supergiant and it changes in brightness and size. Its name is derived from the Arabic word bat al-shauzâ, which means “the giant’s shoulder.” The star is approximately 310 light-years from Earth. Betelgeuse is one of the largest stars known and its diameter varies between 430 and 625 times the diameter of the Sun. Betelgeuse was the first star to have its diameter measured by an interferometer.

Random Fact

On this day in 1806, a young Army officer named Zebulon Montgomery Pike sighted a high mountain and decided to climb it. He had to abandon his attempt however, because of extreme weather conditions and the lack of suitable supplies for his men. Pikes Peak in Colorado, however, still bears his name.

Random Fact

The Bible, meaning “books” (Greek) is the sacred book of Judaism and Christianity. The Bible has two parts: the Old Testament, a record of the Jewish people and prophets before Jesus’ birth, and the New Testament, the story of Jesus and his disciples. The Old Testament was originally written in Hebrew (with some Aramaic) and has 39 books. It contains histories, hymns, laws, legends, myths, poetry, and stories. The second half was first written in Greek and has 27 books. The New Testament was written in the century following the death of Jesus. The Bible is the bestseller of all time and has been translated into about 2,100 languages. The latest versions are the New American Bible, Today’s English Version, and the Revised Standard Version. No other book has influenced all of history and every culture.

Random Fact

On this day in 1927, the Holland Tunnel was officially opened. This major throughway between New York City and New Jersey runs under the Hudson River. Before it was built, the only way to get across in an automobile was by ferry. There was an earlier railroad tunnel, but the Lincoln Tunnel and modern-day George Washington Bridge were yet to come.