Fact: In a day, kids in the U.S. that are between the ages of 2 - 8 spend 28 minutes of their time coloring
Fact: Native Indians have been known to paint their doors blue, which they believe keeps the bad spirits out
Fact: The hydra, which is related to the jellyfish, can grow its body back in a couple of days if it is cut in half
On this day: 12/01/475
Byzantine Emperor Zeno is forced to flee his capital at Constantinople, and his general, Basiliscus gains control of the empire.
On this day: 12/01/1528
Gustav I of Sweden is crowned King of Sweden, having already reigned since his election in June 1523.
On this day: 12/01/1554
Bayinnaung, who would go on to assemble the largest empire in the history of Southeast Asia, is crowned King of Burma.
On this day: 12/01/1616
The city of Belém, Brazil is founded on the Amazon River delta, by Portuguese captain Francisco Caldeira Castelo Branco.
On this day: 12/01/1792
Federalist Thomas Pinckney appointed first U.S. minister to Britain.
On this day: 12/01/1808
John Rennie's scheme to defend St Mary's Church, Reculver, founded in 669, from coastal erosion is abandoned in favour of demolition, despite the church being an exemplar of Anglo-Saxon architecture and sculpture.
On this day: 12/01/1808
The organizational meeting leading to the creation of the Wernerian Natural History Society, a former Scottish learned society, is held in Edinburgh.
On this day: 12/01/1848
The Palermo rising takes place in Sicily against the Bourbon Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.
On this day: 12/01/1866
The Royal Aeronautical Society is formed in London.
On this day: 12/01/1872
Yohannes IV is crowned Emperor of Ethiopia in Axum, the first imperial coronation in that city in over 200 years.
Fact: The expression cooked "al dente" means "to the tooth." What this means is that the pasta should be somewhat firm, and offer some resistance to the tooth, but should also be tender
Fact: The cross bow was invented by the Chinese and records of its usage goes back to as far as the Three Kingdom Period (220 a.d.-280 a.d.).
Fact: A meteor has only destroyed one satellite, which was the European Space Agency's Olympus in 1993.
Fact: Five thousandths of a millimeter is the tolerance of accuracy at the LEGO mould factories
Fact: Baskin Robbins plain vanilla ice cream is the number one selling flavour and accounts for a quarter of their sales
On this day: 11/01/532
Nika riots in Constantinople: A quarrel between supporters of different chariot teams—the Blues and the Greens—in the Hippodrome escalates into violence.
On this day: 11/01/630
Conquest of Mecca: The prophet Muhammad and his followers conquer the city, Quraysh surrender.
On this day: 11/01/947
Emperor Tai Zong of the Khitan-led Liao Dynasty invades the Later Jin, resulting in the destruction of the Later Jin.
On this day: 11/01/1055
Theodora is crowned empress of the Byzantine Empire.
On this day: 11/01/1158
Vladislaus II, Duke of Bohemia becomes King of Bohemia.
On this day: 11/01/1569
First recorded lottery in England.
On this day: 11/01/1654
Arauco War: A Spanish army is defeated by local Mapuche-Huilliches as it tries to cross Bueno River in Southern Chile.
On this day: 11/01/1693
A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.
On this day: 11/01/1759
The first American life insurance company, the Corporation for Relief of Poor and Distressed Presbyterian Ministers and of the Poor and Distressed Widows and Children of the Presbyterian Ministers (now part of Unum Group), is incorporated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
On this day: 11/01/1779
Ching-Thang Khomba is crowned King of Manipur.
Fact: The second best selling game of all time is Jenga. Jenga is a Swahili word, meaning "to build."
Fact: In 1865, the U.S. Secret Service was first established for the specific purpose to combat the counterfeiting of money
Fact: The reason why hair turns gray as we age is because the pigment cells in the hair follicle start to die, which is responsible for producing "melanin" which gives the hair colour