Showing posts with label STRANGE BUT TRUE. Show all posts

Thursday, April 3, 2014

International Children's Book Day

International Children's Book Day (ICBD) is a yearly event sponsored by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), an international non-profit organization. Founded in 1967, the day is observed on or around Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, April 2. Activities include writing competitions, announcements of book awards and events with authors of children's literature.

Each year a different National Section of IBBY has the opportunity to be the international sponsor of ICBD. It decides upon a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to the children of the world and a well-known illustrator to design a poster. These materials are used in different ways to promote books and reading. Many IBBY Sections promote ICBD through the media and organize activities in schools and public libraries. Often ICBD is linked to celebrations around children's books and other special events that may include encounters with authors and illustrators, writing competitions or announcements of book awards.

TODAY is International Children’s Book Day, which has been celebrated each year on April 2 since 1967.

Top 10 facts about children's books

1. The date of April 2 was chosen as it was the date of birth, in 1805, of Hans Christian Andersen, Danish author of The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and many other children’s favourites.

2. Hans Andersen once visited Charles Dickens and stayed for five weeks, much to the distress of Dickens’ family.

3. In 1903 Beatrix Potter designed and patented a Peter Rabbit doll – making Peter Rabbit the world’s oldest licensed character.

4. In 1910, she patented Jemima Puddle-Duck.

In 1903 Beatrix Potter designed and patented a Peter Rabbit doll – making Peter Rabbit the world’s oldest licensed character

5. Grimm’s Fairy Tales were not originally written for children but were folk tales for adults.

6. The brothers Grimm removed a number of bad scenes but increased the violence when bringing out an edition for children.

7. JM Barrie gave the rights to Peter Pan to the Great Ormond Street children’s hospital.

8. The first children’s book published in English was Caxton’s edition of Aesop’s Fables in 1484.

9. Alice In Wonderland was banned in Hunan, China, in 1931 because portraying animals as using a human language is an insult to the human race.

10. Dr Seuss’s book, Green Eggs And Ham, uses only 50 different words.

Source: Panorama.am

Monday, February 10, 2014

GUINNESS BOOK OF WORLD RECORD

THE BEST OF EXTRA ORDINARY RECORDS

The longest distance keeping a table lifted with the teeth is 11.80 m (38 ft 8 in) and was achieved by Georges Christen (Luxembourg) who ran this distance holding a 12 kg (26 lb 7 oz) heavy table with a person weighing 50 kg (110 lb 3 oz) sitting on it, on the set of 'Lo show dei record', in Madrid, Spain.

The longest fingernails belonged to Lee Redmond (USA), who started to grow them in 1979 and carefully manicured them to reach a total length of 8.65 m (28 ft 4.5 in) as measured on the set of Lo show dei record in Madrid, Spain.

The fastest time to burst three balloons with the back is 12 seconds, set by Julia Gunthel, aka 'Zlata' (Germany) on the set of Guinness World Records - Die Grossten Weltrekorde in Cologne, Germany.

The heaviest object sword-swallowed is a Dewalt D25980 demolition hammer weighing 38kg (83lb 12 oz). Thomas Blackthorne (UK) swallowed the 24mm (.94 inch) thick drill bit, then held the full weight of the hammer and bit for over 3 seconds, on the set of "Guinness World Records - Die Größten Weltrekorde", in Cologne, Germany.The hammer was switched on.

The record for the longest distance walking over hot plates is 22.90 m (75 ft 1 in) and was achieved by Rolf Iven (Germany) on the set of Lo Show Dei Record, in Milan, Italy.

The longest fingernails on a pair of male hands belonged to Melvin Boothe (USA) whose nails had a combined length of 9.85 m (32 ft 3.8 in), when measured in Troy, Michigan, USA.

THE BEST OF SIZE RECORDS

Chad Fell (USA) blew a bubblegum bubble with a diameter of 50.8 cm (20 in) without using his hands at the Double Springs High School, Winston County, Alabama, USA.

The largest egg on record weighed 2.589 kg (5 lb 11.36 oz) and was laid by an ostrich (Struthio camelus) at a farm owned by Kerstin and Gunnar Sahlin (Sweden) in Borlänge, Sweden.

The largest horn circumference on a steer measured 95.25 cm (37.5 in)

The largest playing card structure was a replica of The Venetian® Macao, The Plaza® Macao and Sands Macao. It measured 10.39 m (34 ft 1.05 in) long, 2.88 m (9 ft 5.39 in) tall and 3.54 m (11 ft 7.37 in) wide, and was created by Bryan Berg (USA) in Macau, China.

The largest hiking boot measures 7.14 m (23 ft 5 in) long, 2.50 m (8 ft 2 in) wide and 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) tall and was made by Schuh Marke (Germany). It was presented in Hauenstein, Germany.

The highest height a human was catapulted using a reverse bungee system is 54.25 m (178 ft) and was achieved by Ben Shephard (UK) on the set of Guinness World Records - Smashed, in London, UK.

THE BEST OF DEDICATION RECORDS

Charlotte Lee (USA) has 5,631 different rubber ducks, which she has been collecting since 1996.

Kevin Fast (Canada) pulled a CC-177 Globemaster III, weighing 188.83 tonnes (416,299 lb), a distance of 8.8 m (28 ft 10.46 in) at Canadian Forces Base in Trenton, Ontario, Canada

The greatest distance travelled with a pool cue on the chin is 1,668 m (5,472 ft 9 in) set by Ashrita Furman (USA) at the Joe Austin Playground in Jamaica, New York, USA

Jake Lonsway of Bay City, Michigan, USA, created the largest ball of cling film, which measured 351 cm (138 in) in circumference and weighed 127.7 kg (281 lb 8 oz).

The highest bunny hop on a bicycle is 1.42 m (4 ft 8 in) and was achieved by Benito Ros (Spain) at the 2009 "bike the rock" festival, Heubach, Germany.

The only male gurner to win the world title an amazing 12 times is Tommy Mattinson (UK), whose flexible face took the top prize at the annual Gurning World Championship at Egremont Crab Fair, Cumbria, UK, in 1986-87 and then 10 times between 1999 and 2010.

ANVITA BHATIA

VI-A

BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL,BRIJ VIHAR,GHAZIABAD

Sunday, February 9, 2014

UNKNOWN PEOPLE WHO CONTRIBUTED FOR THE WORLD.........

1.Ibn al-Haytham

Born in Basra, al-Haytham was a preeminent thinker of his age. He made valuable contributions in maths, anatomy, astronomy, engineering, medicine, philosophy, physics, and he also introduced a scientific methodology of experimentation and observation. Most important was his work on optics, and his text, The Book of Optics is regarded as being responsible for a revolution in the study of optics and visual perception. His was the first description of acamera obscura (dark chamber), and he also laid foundations for the development of the microscope, the telescope and establishing optical principles of Renaissance art.

2.Tim Berners-Lee

If it weren't for Tim Berners-Lee, you would not be able to read this article. He is the man responsible for the introduction of the World Wide Web, having developed it as a communication utility while working at CERN, the European Particle Physics Laboratory. Remarkably, he refused to patent his invention, giving it as a gift to the world instead. The internet has since revolutionized the way people communicate, as well as their ability to acquire information and the speed and efficiency with which global commerce operates. His invention was a truly revolutionary moment in communication, with the potential to surpass the discoveries of Marconi and Alexander Graham-Bell.

3.Avicenna

One of the most influential of all Islamic scientists, Avicenna, like many of his peers, worked on many aspects of science including medicine, maths, logic, and geology to name but a few. He wrote almost 450 texts on a wide variety of subjects, his two most famous being The Canon of Medicine and The Book of Healing. These were used as standard university textbooks across Europe for hundreds of years. However, his influence extended farther, as he is also considered responsible for the introduction of quarantine to avoid spreading infections, as well as introducing clinical trials and systematic experimentation

4.Thomas Midgley

Thomas Midgley is a man who has made a massive contribution to the modern world. Sadly, his contribution was not a positive one. First, Midgley discovered that the addition of lead to petrol stopped the "knocking" effect incar engines. However, this also caused massive health problems globally. Subsequently, he was the man responsible for the development of CFCs, one of the most destructive compounds in our atmosphere today, and a major contributor to global warming. It has been remarked that Midgley “had a greater impact on the atmosphere than any other organism in history.” Sadly for him, but possibly good for the fate of mankind, he contracted polio, and after devising an elaborate pulley system to help him get out of bed, he inadvertently tangled himself up in the strings and strangled himself.

5.James Clerk Maxwell

Acclaimed by some as the father of modern physics, James Clerk Maxwell is a hugely influential figure in the fields of electricity, thermodynamics, photography, nuclear energy, and others. His discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum led to the development of television, radio, microwaves, as well as aiding in the development of radio and infrared telescopes. His equations on the electromagnetic field were essential for the Special Theory of Relativity, by one Albert Einstein. He also produced the first color photograph, a picture of a tartan ribbon. His work actually marked a departure from the work of another great scientist, Isaac Newton, and helped to inform the science behind many of the great technological developments of the modern era.

ANVITA BHATIA

VI-A

BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL, BRIJ VIHAR, GHAZIABAD