DYKs
editTop 10
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. The Italian (1915 film), George Beban (10/5/09) | 14,100 6,002 = 20,102 | 3,350 | ... that the 1915 film The Italian tells the story of an immigrant played by George Beban (pictured) who goes to America in search of fortune but finds a "Darwininan jungle" on New York's Lower East Side? | |
2. Henri Salmide (3/19/10) | 19,654 | 3,276 | ... that Heinz Stahlschmidt was credited with saving 3,500 French lives when he refused to blow up the port of Bordeaux and instead blew up the munitions bunker, killing approximately 50 Germans? | |
3. Vincent Mroz (12/3/12) | 23,000 | 2,875 | ... that United States Secret Service agent Vincent Mroz shot an attempted presidential assassin in the "biggest gunfight in Secret Service history"? | |
4. Millard House (8/28/08) | 21,783 | 2,793 | ... that Frank Lloyd Wright said of the Millard House (pictured) that he "would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome"? | |
5. Charlie Bennett (7/15-7/16/14) | 20,537 | 2,567 | ... that the baseball career of Charlie Bennett (pictured), who reportedly invented the chest protector, ended when both legs were run over by a train? | |
6. LAHCM in SFV (9/30/08) | 13,664 770 = 14,567 | 2,428 | ... that a tower of 2,000 wooden Schlitz beer pallets described as "a rotting vestige of one man's egotism" that festers "like a sore on the community's body" is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument? | |
7. Ernest Allmendinger (2/10/09) | 14,326 | 2,368 | ... that American football player "Aqua" Allmendinger (pictured), once described as "a young giant in perfect physical condition," acquired his nickname after working as a waterboy for railroad building crews? | |
8. Marshall Newell (6/1/09) | 14,200 | 2,367 | ... that "Ma" Newell (pictured), one of the few four-year All-Americans in college football history, was run over by a railroad engine on Christmas Eve 1897? | |
9. Garden Gnome Liberationists (12/17/08) | 14,200 | 2,367 | ... that the leader of the French Garden Gnome Liberation Front was given a suspended sentence after the group "liberated" over 150 garden gnomes in 1997? | |
10. William Wilson Talcott (12/4/10) | 13,247 | 2,283 | ... that ice cream manufacturer William Wilson Talcott (pictured) killed himself by jumping from an excursion steamer into Lake Michigan with rocks in his pockets after he was unable to extricate his wife from a "love cult" in 1922? |
Michigan football
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Vincent Mroz (12/3/12) | 23,000 | 2,875 | ... that United States Secret Service agent Vincent Mroz shot an attempted presidential assassin in the "biggest gunfight in Secret Service history"? | |
2. Ernest Allmendinger (2/10/09) | 14,326 | 2,368 | ... that American football player "Aqua" Allmendinger (pictured), once described as "a young giant in perfect physical condition," acquired his nickname after working as a waterboy for railroad building crews? | |
3. Michigan quarterbacks (12/5/10) | 14,000 | 2,333 | ... that the quarterbacks for the Michigan Wolverines football teams of the 19th century included a Brigadier General decorated for valor in World War I, the brother of a famous novelist, one of the founders of General Motors, the physician at a Kimberly-Clark mill, the son of the Governor of Wyoming, a steamboat builder, a Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias (pictured) and a sheep rancher from Walla Walla? | |
4. William Wilson Talcott (12/4/10) | 13,247 | 2,283 | ... that ice cream manufacturer William Wilson Talcott (pictured) killed himself by jumping from an excursion steamer into Lake Michigan with rocks in his pockets after he was unable to extricate his wife from a "love cult" in 1922? | |
5. Thomas S. Hammond (3/30/10) | 12,500 | 2,083 | ... that American football player Tom Hammond (pictured) always played without protective padding, saying "I want them to feel my bones"? | |
6. 1902 Michigan Wolverines football team (11/5/10) | 12,155 | 2,033 | ... that 10 players from the 1902 "Point-a-Minute" Michigan football team (pictured), which outscored opponents 644–12, became head coaches? | |
7. Walter D. Graham (12/17/10) | 11,800 | 1,967 | ... that Michigan football player "Octy" Graham (pictured) at age 16 was called a "young Hercules" after "gripping machines did not register high enough to show his strength"? | |
8. 1901 Michigan Wolverines football team (3/22/10) | 8,730 | 1,453 | ... that Michigan's 1901 "Point-a-Minute" team (pictured), rated one of the greatest college football teams of all time, outscored its opponents 550–0 and beat Stanford 49–0 in the first Rose Bowl game? | |
9. Horace Greely Prettyman (2/27/09) | 8,713 | 1,452 | ... that Horace Prettyman (pictured) played eight years of "college" football for the University of Michigan from 1882 to 1890, some when he was in his 30s and no longer a student? | |
10. Biff, the Michigan Wolverine (4/2/08) | 7,908 | 1,318 | ...that the Michigan Wolverines' practice of parading their live mascot Biff before matches was stopped as the animal grew larger and more ferocious? | |
11. Curtis Redden (8/8-8/9/09) | 7,457 | 1,243 | ... that Michigan end Curtis Redden (pictured) died in World War I after he had described the night sky over the battlefield as "weird, hideous, fascinating, sublime"? | |
12. Neil Snow (2/10/09) | 6,688 | 1,239 | ... that Neil Snow (pictured), ranked by Grantland Rice as one of the three greatest all-around athletes ever turned out in college sports, died of heart failure at age 34 after a game of squash? | |
13. William Ward (5/20/11) | 9,300 | 1,163 | ... that Michigan football coach William Ward later became a physician who experimented with the surgical creation of artificial vaginas? (16,991 views for artificial vaginas) | |
14. Hercules Renda (7/28/10) | 6,581 | 1,097 | ... that Hercules Renda was described as a "midget from the hills of West Virginia" who "ran, squirmed and tackled" his way into the hearts of Michigan football fans in the 1930s? | |
15. Denard Robinson (9/15/10) | 6,500 | 1,083 | ... that in his first two games as a starter, Denard "Shoelace" Robinson achieved the two highest single-game total offense totals in Michigan Wolverines history—and did so with his shoes untied? 78,893 views from 9/11-9/19 | |
16. Henry M. Senter (11/29/10) | 6,300 | 1,050 | ... that Mort Senter (pictured), Michigan's 1896 football captain, became involved in a diplomatic incident after Colombian soldiers seized property from his home in 1902? | |
17. William Dennison Clark (11/17-11/18/10) | 6,192 | 1,032 | ... that William Dennison Clark, whose "wretched blunder" in 1905 ended Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak in football, killed himself 27 years later, reportedly expressing the hope to atone for his error? | |
18. Irving Kane Pond (3/16-3/17/10) | 6,054 | 1,009 | ... that Irving Pond (pictured) designed three National Historic Landmarks, performed a backflip on his 80th birthday, and scored the first ever touchdown for the Michigan Wolverines? | |
19. Fred Rehor (3/17-3/18/11) | 7,843 | 980 | ... that Fred Rehor (pictured), a 256-pound pharmacy student from the University of Michigan, helped lead the 1917 Massillon Tigers to the "world's professional football championship" against Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs? | |
20. Archie Weston (4/17/09) | 5,587 | 931 | ... that Michigan's All-American quarterback Archie Weston (pictured) was once tackled during a game by an irate female fan? | |
21. Craig Roh (9/25/10) | 5,329 | 888 | ... that Craig "Death" Roh adopted a diet of six meals and more than 4,000 calories a day because he considered himself "tiny" at 230 pounds (104 kg)? | |
22. Len Ford (10/3/14) | 10,233 | 853 | ... that in his NFL debut season, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Len Ford (pictured) was injured so severely in a game he required plastic surgery to "virtually rebuild" his face? | |
23. Bob Chappuis (1/3-1/4/08) | 4,912 | 819 | ... that, after eluding capture for three months when his B-25 bomber was shot down behind enemy lines in World War II, Bob Chappuis was the MVP of the Rose Bowl 60 years ago? | |
24. James E. Lawrence (8/5/11) | 6,400 | 800 | ... that James E. Lawrence (pictured) was once "considered the greatest place-kicker the University of Michigan ever had"? (20,290 views on 9/12/10) | |
25. John McLean (6/26/09) | 4,600 | 767 | ... that the 1906 firing of John McLean (pictured) for paying an athlete to play college football was called "the biggest scandal in the history of Missouri athletics"? | |
26. Roger Sherman (4/19/10) | 4,600 | 767 | ... that Roger Sherman (pictured in 1890) was accused of offering a football player $600 to play for Michigan and later served as president of the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations? | |
27. James Duffy (4/16/10) | 4,400 | 733 | ... that Michigan's James Duffy (pictured) played seven years of college football and set a world record by drop kicking a football 168 feet, 7-1/2 inches? | |
28. Bob Westfall (8/5/09) | 4,300 | 717 | ... that Michigan's "chunky fullback," "Bullet Bob" Westfall, known for his "spinner play," was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987? | |
29. George Dygert (4/17/10) | 4,200 | 700 | ... that Michigan's 1892/1893 captain George Dygert (pictured) played professional football for a Butte, Montana, team sponsored by mine owners that defeated teams from Denver and San Francisco? | |
30. Irwin Uteritz (8/10/09) | 4,152 | 692 | ... that Irwin Uteritz (pictured), "one of the lightest 'big time' quarterbacks in American football history" at 140 pounds, led Michigan to two undefeated seasons and a national championship? | |
31. Frank Steketee (12/19/07) | 5,512 | 689 | ...that, though records from the era are sketchy, press accounts reported that All-American football player Frank Steketee once kicked a 100-yard punt? | |
32. Paul J. Jones (8/11/09) | 3,900 | 650 | ... that federal judge Paul Jones sentenced a pregnant mother of ten to jail for selling a quart of liquor, lectured her on birth control, and asked, "Doesn't this woman know how to stop it?" | |
33. 1895 Michigan Wolverines football team (1/2-1/3/10) | 3,222 | 644 | ... that the 1895 Michigan football team (player pictured) outscored its opponents 266 to 14 and clinched a claim to the Western championship of American football? | |
34. Allen Steckle (7/2/09) | 5,585 | 621 | ... that medical doctor A.C. Steckle (pictured) gained fame coaching the University of Nevada, a school with only 80 students, to a 1903 victory over the University of California football team? | |
35. Charles S. Mitchell (7/8/11) | 4,700 | 588 | ... that Charles S. Mitchell (pictured), "goal-keeper" on the first Michigan football team, became the editor-in-chief of the Washington Herald? | |
36. John A. Bloomingston (12/19/10) | 3,500 | 583 | ... that Michigan fullback John Bloomingston (pictured), who became one of Chicago's best known trial lawyers, was disbarred in 1896 for playing professional baseball? | |
37. Franklin Cappon (2/19/09) | 3,547 | 572 | ... that "Cappy" Cappon (pictured), known for his "five-man weave" basketball offense, was mentor to Princeton athletes from the 1930s to the 1960s, including Bill Bradley and Frank Deford? | |
38. Brady Hoke (1/20/11) | 3,421 | 570 | ... that it had been said that the new Michigan Wolverines football coach Brady Hoke would "crawl on hot, broken glass to work inside Schembechler Hall as the head coach"? (81,329 views 1/11-12/11) | |
39. Arthur Karpus (3/22/11) | 4,500 | 563 | ... that Michigan's Arthur Karpus (pictured) played for Big Ten championship teams in football, basketball and baseball? | |
40. Willie Heston (7/11/10) | 3,346 | 558 | ... that Willie Heston (pictured), rated by Knute Rockne as the greatest back of all time, helped Michigan outscore its opponents 2,326 to 40 in his four years with the team? | |
41. James Baird (4/16/10) | 3,300 | 550 | ... that Michigan quarterback James Baird supervised the construction of the Flatiron Building (video right), the Lincoln Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? | |
42. 1895 Michigan Wolverines football team (1/2/10) | 3,200 | 533 |
... that the 1895 Michigan football team (player pictured) outscored its opponents 266 to 14 and clinched a claim to the Western championship of American football? | |
43. 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team (11/20-11/21/10) | 3,042 | 507 | ... that the 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team (game program pictured), which had its season shortened by a global flu pandemic, was recognized decades later as a co-national champion? | |
44. Wally Weber (2/13-2/14/08) | 3,157 | 493 | ...that Wally Weber, football player, coach and broadcaster at Michigan for 45 years, was renowned for his "polysyllabic fluency" and sounding like an "an educated foghorn"? | |
45. Bob Mann (10/6/10) | 2,904 | 484 | ... that Bob Mann, the first black player for Detroit and Green Bay, claimed he was "railroaded" out of football when he objected to a pay cut after leading the NFL in receiving yards? | |
46. John Brennan (3/8/10) | 2,900 | 483 | ... that John Brennan, a 201-pound football player, was voted "queen" of the University of Michigan ice carnival after challenging the pulchritude of the school's co-eds? | |
47. Derrick Green (9/3/13) | 3,800 | 475 | ... that Derrick Green, rated the No. 1 running back in the college football recruiting Class of 2013, has been described as follows: "Look at him from the back and the side, he's a huge human being"? | |
48. Bob Topp (9/8/10) | 470 | 2,820 | ... that Bob Topp helped the New York Giants defeat the Cleveland Browns in 1956 by intercepting radio signals used to relay plays onto the field from the Browns' bench? | |
49. 1910 Michigan Wolverines football team (4/24/12) | 3,700 | 463 | ... that the undefeated 1910 Michigan football team featured three All-Americans in Albert Benbrook, Stanfield Wells and Joe Magidsohn (pictured)? | |
50. 1884 Michigan Wolverines football team (3/20/12) | 3,600 | 450 | ... that the 1884 Michigan football team's (pictured) first game was part of a "field day" that included heavyweight boxing, "catch-as-catch-can wrestling" and "chasing greased pig"? | |
51. Joe Maddock (8/12/09) | 2,500 | 417 | ... that Joe Maddock (pictured) was one of the biggest ground gainers, and played four positions, for Michigan's 1903 "Point-a-Minute" football team? | |
52. Cliff Sparks (11/17/09) | 2,425 | 404 | ... that Cliff Sparks, hailed in 1916 as "eel-like," a "whirlwind" and "the greatest quarterback Michigan ever has had," punted by forcefully throwing the ball at his uprising foot? | |
53. Forrest M. Hall (4/26/12) | 3,200 | 400 | ... that Forrest Hall (pictured) played for Princeton's 1893 national championship football team, coached Auburn to a 94–0 victory over Georgia Tech in 1894, and set a shot put record at Michigan in 1895? | |
54. 1922 Michigan Wolverines football team (1/30/12) | 3,200 | 400 | ... that the undefeated 1922 Michigan football team held opponents to 1.8 points per game and shut out Vanderbilt and Ohio State at dedication games for their new stadia? | |
55. George W. Gregory (5/30/11) | 3,200 | 400 | ... that Stanford University's president wrote in 1907 that the career of Michigan center George W. Gregory illustrated "the evils of football"? | |
56. Mike Murphy (1/27/09) | 2,313 | 399 | ... that Mike Murphy (pictured) trained heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan, was the first Michigan Wolverines football coach, and has been called the "the father of American track athletics"? | |
57. John Chase | 3,100 | 388 | ... that ophthalmologist John Chase (pictured) commanded the Colorado National Guard in the Colorado Labor Wars, the arrest of Mother Jones, and the Ludlow Massacre? (4,900 hits for Mother Jones; 3,900 hits for Ludlow Massacre; 2,000 hits for Colorado Labor Wars) | |
58. Bernard Kirk (4/10/09) | 2,413 | 377 | ... that Michigan end Bernard Kirk, who Knute Rockne called the "apple of my eye," died of complications from a fractured skull days after being named an All-American in December 1922? | |
59. 1886 Michigan Wolverines football team (2/28/09) | 2,398 | 369 | ... that the 1886 Michigan football team had a "goalkeeper" and played games measured in "innings"? | |
60. Butch Woolfolk (12/12/07) | 2,500 | 357 | ...that college football running back Butch Woolfolk was named MVP of both the Rose Bowl and the Bluebonnet Bowl in the same year? | |
61. Fred Trosko | 2,089 | 348 | ... that Eastern Michigan football coach Fred Trosko suffered a 29-game winless streak after the school refused to follow a conference policy allowing athletic scholarships? | |
62. Dana Coin, 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team (6/3/16) | 4,146 | 346 | .. that a linebacker was the leading scorer on the 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team? | |
63. Henry Hatch (12/19/09) | 2,013 | 336 | ... that University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor inductee Henry Hatch lived with his wife and daughter on the grounds of Michigan Stadium for more than a decade? | |
64. Jim Van Pelt (9/2/10) | 1,944 | 324 | ... that former Michigan quarterback Jim Van Pelt set Canadian Football League records with a 107-yard touchdown pass and seven touchdown passes in one game? | |
65. 1896 Michigan Wolverines football team (1/2/10) | 1,923 | 310 | ... that the 1896 Michigan football team (pictured) appeared in the first college football game played indoors and under electric lights? | |
66. Darryl Stonum (9/8/10) | 1,730 | 288 | ... that, after receiving contact lenses in 2010, Michigan wide receiver Darryl Stonum reported, "I could see everything like in HD"? | |
67. M Club banner (10/11/22) | 6,893 | 287 | ... that the Michigan banner survived an attack by uniformed men from Ohio during the Ten Year War? | |
68. 1887 Michigan Wolverines football team (11/24/10) | 2,143 | 268 | ... that the 1887 Michigan Wolverines football team taught the members of the newly formed Notre Dame team how to play the game of football? | |
69. Milan Lazetich (8/4/09) | 1,589 | 265 | ... that All-Pro linebacker Milan "Sheriff" Lazetich, a rodeo rider before joining the NFL, reported that no end or back ever threw a block like a wild pony "when he feels the first touch of a saddle"? | |
70. 1899 Michigan Wolverines football team (1/1/10) | 1,588 | 265 | ... that after taking the 1899 Michigan football team to an 8–2 season, coach Gustave Ferbert (pictured) resigned to participate in the Klondike Gold Rush and became a millionaire? | |
71. Gerald White (10/22/10) | 1,576 | 263 | ... that running back Gerald White played football for Bo Schembechler at Michigan, Tom Landry at Dallas and Don Shula at Miami? | |
72. John Wangler (8/26/10) | 1,561 | 260 | ... that after watching "the greatest single play" in team history, Bob Ufer exclaimed "Johnny Wangler to Anthony Carter will be heard until another 100 years of Michigan football is played!"? | |
73. Mike Lantry (8/7/09) | 1,487 | 248 | ... that Mike Lantry, a Vietnam veteran and walk-on place-kicker, broke the University of Michigan record for the longest field goal twice in the same quarter? | |
74. Boss Weeks (2/11/09) | 1,450 | 246 | ... that Boss Weeks was quarterback of Fielding H. Yost's "Point-a-Minute" University of Michigan football teams in 1901–1902 that outscored opponents 1,211 to 12? | |
75. Dennis Fitzgerald (8/7/10) | 1,458 | 243 | ... that Dennis Fitzgerald won a gold medal in wrestling at the 1963 Pan American Games, and set the Michigan Wolverines football record with a 99-yard kickoff return? | |
76. Robert Kolesar (3/10/10) | 1,457 | 243 | ... that medical student Bob Kolesar was one of Michigan's renowned "Seven Oak Posts" in 1942? | |
77. Tom Beckman (9/11/10) | 1,297 | 220 | ... that Michigan linebacker Tom Beckman worked more than 30 years for General Motors where he was in charge of new vehicle launches? |
Historic sites
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Millard House (8/28/08) | 21,783 | 2,793 | ... that Frank Lloyd Wright said of the Millard House (pictured) that he "would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome"? | |
2. LAHCM in SFV (9/30/08) | 13,664 770 = 14,567 | 2,428 | ... that a tower of 2,000 wooden Schlitz beer pallets described as "a rotting vestige of one man's egotism" that festers "like a sore on the community's body" is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument? | |
3. SS Catalina (7/15/08) | 12,887 | 2,148 | ... that SS Catalina, after reportedly carrying more passengers than any other ship anywhere, has been stuck half-submerged in Ensenada, Mexico for more than ten years? | |
4. Encino Oak Tree (10/6/08) | 11,367 | 1,903 | ... that Los Angeles police were sent to guard the remains of the 1000-year-old Encino Oak Tree, a victim of "slime flux", after it was felled by an El Niño storm in 1998? | |
5. San Dimas Hotel (9/4/08) | 9,549 | 1,611 | ... that the 33-room San Dimas Hotel (pictured) built in 1887 never had a paying guest due to a land boom that never occurred? | |
6. Ralphs Grocery Store (Westwood) (8/8/08) | 9,000 | 1,500 | ... that Ralphs Grocery Store (location pictured), part of a plan to build the "model college town" in 1929, was photographed by Ansel Adams? | |
7. Breakers Hotel (Long Beach) (9/29/09) | 11,500 | 1,438 | ... that the Sky Room atop the Breakers Hotel (pictured) was the local Airwatch headquarters in World War II? | |
Hunter's Hot Springs (12/9/08) | 11,300 | 1,413 | ... that the "Old Perpetual" geyser (pictured) at Hunter's Hot Springs in Lake County, Oregon, releases a plume of near-boiling water 50 to 60 feet (15–18 m) into the air every 90 seconds? (hook only) | |
8. Phillips Mansion, Louis Phillips (9/5/08) | 6,256 1,408 = 7,740 | 1,290 | ... that the Phillips Mansion, described as having been built in the "Classic Haunted Mansion" style, was the home of the richest man in Los Angeles County from 1875 to 1900? | |
9. Ramsay-Durfee Estate (8/12/08) | 7,898 | 1,215 | ... that the widow-owner of the Durfee Mansion died in 1976 at age 99, leaving an untouched wine cellar stocked with vintage wines and whisky dating to the 1890s? | |
10. Hollywood Studio Club (5/31-6/1/08) | 8,630 | 1,151 | ... that Marilyn Monroe posed naked in 1948 to raise US$50 to pay the rent for her room at the Hollywood Studio Club (pictured)? | |
11. Storer House (6/12/08) | 7,353 | 1,050 | ... that Frank Lloyd Wright's textile block work, Storer House, was restored in the 1980s by Joel Silver, producer of the films Die Hard and The Matrix? | |
12. Hacienda Arms Apartments (11/24/08) | 6,104 | 1,017 | ... that Hacienda Arms on the Sunset Strip was the "most famous brothel in California" in the 1930s and now houses a celebrity-owned restaurant described by Newsweek as "so hip it hurts"? | |
13. Highland Park Masonic Temple (8/1/08) | 5,905 | 984 | ... that the old Lodge Room at the Highland Park Masonic Temple (pictured) has been preserved with original anaglyphs and cherry wood paneling? | |
14. El Greco Apartments (6/18/08) | 6,785 | 969 | ... that the El Greco Apartments (pictured), once home to Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, were saved from demolition with fund-raising help from Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy? | |
15. John Sowden House (6/08) | 5,700 | 950 | ... that the Lloyd Wright-designed John Sowden House (pictured) is known as the "Jaws House" because its facade resembles the open mouth of a shark? (9,800 photo views) | |
16. Walter L. Dodge House (1/8/09) | 6,607 | 943 | ... that the 1916 Early Modern Dodge House in West Hollywood, California, called one of the fifteen most significant houses in the United States, was demolished in 1970 to make way for apartments? | |
17. Garbutt House (7/7/08) | 5,624 | 937 | ... that the 20-room Garbutt House in Los Angeles, California was built with concrete walls and ceilings, steel-reinforced doors and no fireplaces due to the owner's intense fear of fire? | |
18. Frederick Mitchell Mooers House (7/30/08) | 5,170 | 861 | ... that Mooers House (pictured), an example of West Coast Victorian architecture, is named for its owner who struck gold after years of prospecting in the Mojave Desert? | |
19. Adamson House (9/7/08) | 5,153 | 859 | ... that Adamson House, called the "Taj Mahal of Tile", has an elaborately tiled dog bath (pictured)? | |
20. Kappe Residence (1/9/09) | 5,039 | 840 | ... that the Kappe Residence, described as "a virtual tree house poised over a steep hillside", was named one of the top ten houses in Los Angeles by an expert panel selected by the Los Angeles Times? | |
21. Hollywood Masonic Temple (5/29/08) | 5,037 | 840 | ... that the Neoclassical Hollywood Masonic Temple (pictured) has been used as a Masonic Lodge, opera house, and nightclub, and is now the home of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! television show? | |
22. Hale House | 5,007 | 835 | ... that the 1880s Victorian Hale House (pictured), with its exuberant ornamentation and color scheme, has been called "the most photographed house" in Los Angeles? (7,800 DYK photo views) | |
23. Broadway Theater District (Los Angeles) (7/7/08) | 4,638 | 773 | ... that the Broadway Theater District, with 12 movie palaces (example pictured) in six blocks, is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places? (5,000 photo views) | |
24. Golden Gate Theater (5/14/08) | 5,511 | 765 | ... that the historic Golden Gate Theater was saved by a stop-work order after demolition crews had begun to dismantle the walls? | |
25. Drum Barracks (8/31/08) | 4,100 | 759 | ... that Drum Barracks were built in 1862 and 1863 at a cost of US$1 million to quell pro-Confederacy sentiments in Los Angeles? | |
26. The Manor (5/19/09) | 4,200 | 724 | ... that Aaron Spelling's 56,500-square-foot mansion, known as The Manor, is the largest house in Los Angeles County? | |
27. Sunset Tower (9/1/08) | 3,600 | 706 | ... that the Sunset Tower (pictured) in West Hollywood, California was home to Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and gangster Bugsy Siegel, who was asked to leave after being charged with running a bookmaking operation there? | |
28. Louden Machinery Company (10/11/12) | 5,600 | 700 | ... that Louden Machinery Co. designed more than 25,000 barns (catalog pictured) as well as monorail devices used in manufacturing the first atomic bomb and at a B-29 bomber plant? | |
29. Harold Lloyd Estate (9/1/08) | 4,200 | 677 | ... that Harold Lloyd's Estate, called "the most impressive movie star's estate ever created," included a golf course and a 900-foot canoe stream? | |
30. Stimson House (5/10/08) | 4,624 | 661 | ... that after surviving a dynamite attack in 1896, fraternity parties in the 1940s, and an earthquake in 1994, Stimson House (pictured) is now a convent for Catholic nuns? | |
31. Ebell of Los Angeles (6/18/08) | 4,988 | 648 | ... that young Judy Garland was discovered, and Amelia Earhart made her last public appearance, at Ebell of Los Angeles (pictured)? | |
32. Santa Fe Freight Depot (7/23/08) | 3,885 | 648 | ... that Sci-Arc architecture school built its Los Angeles campus from the 1907 Santa Fe Freight Depot (pictured), a concrete structure with 120 bays stretching as long as the Empire State Building is tall? | |
33. Watts Station (7/15/08) | 4,525 | 646 | ... that Watts Station was the only structure to remain intact along "Charcoal Alley" during the Watts Riots? | |
34. Burro Flats Painted Cave (9/23/08) | 3,800 | 633 | ... that some believe the pictographs in Burro Flats Painted Cave were drawn by Native American maidens who slept in the cave as part of a puberty ritual? | |
35. Hillcrest Country Club (4/2/08) | 5,400 | 621 | ...that Groucho Marx joined Hillcrest Country Club even though it was willing to have him as a member? | |
36. Jardinette Apartments (5/28/08) | 4,010 | 617 | ... that Richard Neutra's Jardinette Apartments in Hollywood is considered one of the first Modernist buildings in America? | |
37. South Park Lofts (7/10/08) | 3,700 | 617 | ... that South Park Lofts in Los Angeles, originally an eight-story parking garage, was converted to lofts, whereupon residents complained about a lack of parking? | |
38. The Rock Hotel (10/24/12) | 4,600 | 575 | ... that John Lennon married Yoko Ono at The Rock Hotel? | |
39. Wilshire Boulevard Temple (4/29/08) | 4,497 | 562 | ... that Wilshire Boulevard Temple, with its landmark Byzantine dome (pictured), is the oldest Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles? | |
40. Centinela Adobe (6/9/08) | 3,200 | 533 | ... that the builder of Centinela Adobe traded his 2,200-acre (880 ha) ranch encompassing the modern city of Inglewood for a keg of whisky and a small home in Los Angeles? | |
41. Montecito Apartments | 3,156 | 526 | ... that the Art Deco Montecito Apartments (pictured) had been the home of Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Montgomery Clift, and George C. Scott before becoming a senior citizens' housing project? | |
42. Camarillo Ranch House (9/17/08) | 4,200 | 525 | ... that Camarillo Ranch House (pictured), headquarters for "the largest bean ranch in the world", was renowned for its Arabian stallions that led the Rose Parade? | |
43. Minnie Hill Palmer House (8/27/08) | 3,100 | 517 | ... that the namesake of the Minnie Hill Palmer House was born there in 1886 and remained in the 1970s, still tending her garden, then located adjacent to a golf course, with an antique hand plow? | |
44. Punta Gorda Fish Co. (10/10/12) | 4,000 | 500 | ... that ten Florida fish cabins and icehouses built by the Punta Gorda Fish Co. have been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places? | |
45. LAHCM Harbor Powder Magazine (10/6/08) | 3,000 | 500 | ... that the historic monuments in the Los Angeles Harbor area include a Civil War Powder Magazine, a World War I coastal artillery battery, and the bridge of a World War II heavy cruiser? | |
46. Albert C. Martin Sr. (9/12/08) | 2,756 | 492 | ... that architect Albert C. Martin successfully defended his design of the 28-story Los Angeles City Hall (pictured) against those who argued the city government could fit into the first four floors? (7,800 views for LA City Hall, 5,200 DYK photo views) | |
47. Mary Andrews Clark Memorial Home (7/17-7/18/08) | 3,165 | 480 | ... that the Clark Memorial Home, built in 1913 as a home for single working women, has been a shooting location for Rocketeer, Twins, and Mr. Saturday Night? | |
48. Avenel Cooperative Housing Project (7/3/08) | 2,800 | 467 | ... that units in LA's Avenel Cooperative Housing Project, reportedly built as "a cooperative living experiment for a group of communists", were selling for US$300,000 in 2002? | |
49. The Salt Box (3/2/09) | 2,825 | 457 | ... that The Salt Box, one of the first Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments, was razed by fire seven months after being relocated to make room for a $500 million skyscraper development? | |
50. Neutra VDL Studio and Residences (5/21/05/22/09) | 2,705 | 451 | ... that architect Richard Neutra used mirrors and reflecting pools to provide spaciousness for his home on a small lot, the Neutra VDL Studio and Residences, on Silver Lake in Los Angeles? | |
51. Olson House (8/8/11) | 3,400 | 425 | ... that Olson House, made famous by its depiction in Christina's World, was designated a National Historic Landmark in June 2011? | |
52. Pico Canyon Oilfield (8/4/08) | 3,800 | 422 | ... that Well No. 4 in the Pico Canyon Oilfield was the first commercially successful oil well in the Western United States and the longest producing oil well in the world at 114 years? | |
53. U.S. Post Office - Los Angeles Terminal Annex (8/11/08) | 3,100 | 419 | ... that the Terminal Annex Post Office was LA's central mail processing facility for 50 years and became a filming location when it closed? | |
54. Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center (10/4/08) | 2,500 | 417 | ... that the main house on the grounds of the city-owned Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center in Los Angeles incorporates swastikas in its architecture? | |
55. Breed Street Shul (5/3/08) | 2,500 | 417 | ... that Breed Street Shul, now vacant in a Hispanic part of Los Angeles, was the largest Orthodox synagogue in the western United States from 1915 to 1951? | |
56. Cooper Arms Apartments (9/25/09) | 3,300 | 413 | ... that when Cooper Arms opened in Long Beach, California, it boasted the latest amenities, including "disappearing beds" and "dustless roller screens"? | |
57. List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles (10/15-10/16/08) | 2,555 | 406 | ... that the Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles include Ray Charles' recording studio, a stadium that hosted two Summer Olympics (pictured), and an early home of the Oscar ceremonies? | |
58. Smith Estate (8/1/08) | 2,700 | 403 | ... that the Smith Estate was the home of a writer on occultism, the head of a railroad, and a deputy mayor, and the shooting location for the cult film Spider Baby? | |
59. El Cortez Apartment Hotel (5/15/08) | 2,500 | 397 | ... that San Diego's El Cortez Hotel, site of the world's first outdoor glass elevator and moving sidewalk, became a school for evangelists in the 1970s? | |
60. List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles (5/21/08) | 2,728 | 390 | ... that the City of Los Angeles has 186 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places? | |
61. De Mores Packing Plant (7/12/12) | 3,100 | 388 | ... that a pretender to the French throne built the De Mores Packing Plant in the Dakota Territory in 1883? | |
62. Pisgah Home Historic District (7/23/08) | 2,745] | 381 | ... that the Pisgah Home (pictured) was the centre of a controversial movement in the early 1900s by a Pentecostal faith healer to care for the poor and downtrodden? | |
63. Opa-locka Thematic Resource Area (10/24/12) | 2,950 | 369 | ... that the Opa-Locka Thematic Resource Area includes 20 buildings developed by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss using an "Arabian Nights" theme? | |
64. Highland Park Police Station (8/4/08) | 2,300 | 369 | ... that the Highland Park Police Station, where the radical Symbionese Liberation Army once planted a bomb that proved to be a dud, is now the Los Angeles Police Museum? | |
65. El Cabrillo (7/6/08) | 2,300 | 365 | ... that El Cabrillo courtyard apartments, built in 1928 by Cecil B. DeMille and later home to transvestite actor Divine, are said to be "steeped in old Hollywood lore"? | |
66. List of Registered Historic Places in Pasadena (9/15/08) | 2,200 | 361 | ... that there are nearly 100 Registered Historic Places in Pasadena, California, including a 25-foot Space Simulator and the JPL Space Flight Operations Facility (pictured)? (3,400 photo views, 1,300 for Space Flight Operations Center) | |
67. Old Warner Brothers Studio(8/28/08) | 2,756] | 349 | ... that the Old Warner Brothers Studio, where the first "talkie" was filmed in 1927, has recently been the location for Judge Judy and Hannah Montana? | |
68. Villa Riviera (9/20/09) | 1,964 | 327 | ... that the luxurious Villa Riviera was the second tallest building in Southern California from the time of its completion in 1929 through the mid-1950s? | |
69. Palm Court (Alexandria Hotel) (3/1/09) | 1,919 | 320 | ... that the Palm Court, called "the most beautiful room in Los Angeles," has been the site of speeches by Presidents Taft and Wilson and balls where Rudolph Valentino danced with starlets? | |
70. Thompson-Starrett Co. (10/11/12) | 2,142 | 268 | ... that Thompson-Starrett Co. built six National Historic Landmarks in the U.S., including the Rockefeller Estate and the tallest skyscraper in the world from 1913 to 1930 (pictured)? | |
71. Sportsmen's Lodge (4/8/08) | 1,600 | 267 | ...that Robert Kennedy stayed at the Sportsmen's Lodge (sign pictured) (formerly the "Hollywood Trout Farms") in Studio City, California the night before his assassination? |
Other football
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Marshall Newell (6/1/09) | 14,200 | 2,367 | ... that "Ma" Newell (pictured), one of the few four-year All-Americans in college football history, was run over by a railroad engine on Christmas Eve 1897? | |
2. Laurens Shull (6/22/09) | 9,460 | 1,577 | ... that University of Chicago football star Laurens "Spike" Shull died of wounds suffered rushing a machine gun nest at the Battle of Château-Thierry (pictured)? | |
3. 1906 All-America team (2/28/10) | 7,400 total | 1,233 | ... that the 1906 College Football All-America Team included Princeton quarterback Eddie Dillon, Harvard guard Francis Burr, Yale end Bob Forbes, Cornell center Bill Newman, a midshipman who was the strongest man in the U.S. Naval Academy, and a guard who was described as "one of the largest men who ever played on a college gridiron"? (2,700 for Elmer Thompson, 2,400 for Percy Northcroft) | |
4. Franklin Morse (7/10-7/11/09 | 6,188 | 1,031 | ... that American football halfback Franklin Morse (pictured) was the model for a drawing, prints of which reportedly "hung in most college rooms throughout the country" during the 1890s? | |
5. James Bond (4/1/13) | 7,600 | 950 | ... that James Bond played briefly in the National Football League after completing his military service? | |
6. Yale Bulldogs football (11/2-11/3/10) | 5,335 | 889 | ... that the Yale Bulldogs football team (mascot pictured) has won 27 national championships and ranks second in wins in college football history? | |
7. Herb Treat (4/7/09) | 4,007] | 691 | ... that Herb Treat, unanimously selected as a 1922 College Football All-American, was hit by a car in 1943 and plunged nine stories from a hotel window in 1947? | |
8. Harvard Crimson football (11/6/10) | 4,037 | 673 | ... that the Harvard Crimson football team (home stadium pictured) has won 12 national championships and is the eighth winningest team in NCAA Division I football history? | |
9. George Crowther | 3,366 | 673 | ... that Brown's All-American 135-pound quarterback "Kid" Crowther played with an elastic band around his head in lieu of a helmet? | |
10. Paul Bunker (7/15/09) | 3,977 | 663 | ... that Paul Bunker died in a Japanese POW camp in 1943 but kept hidden a remnant of the U.S. flag from Corregidor now displayed at the West Point Museum? | |
11. Mel Groomes (9/4/13) | 5,266 | 658 | ... that in April 1947, halfback Mel Groomes (pictured) became the first African-American player signed by the Detroit Lions? | |
12. 1889 College Football All-America Team (4/29/09) | 3,874 | 635 | ... that the quarterback for the first College Football All-America Team in 1889 was Edgar Allan Poe? | |
13. Tom Shevlin (6/18/09) | 3,707 | 618 | ... that four-time All-American football end and millionaire lumberman Tom Shevlin (pictured) died of pneumonia after contracting a cold while training the Yale football team? | |
14. Arthur Matsu (8/19/11) | 4,671 | 584 | ... that Arthur Matsu was the first Asian American student at The College of William & Mary, the first Asian American quarterback in the NFL and the first Japanese coach in American football? | |
15. 1912 Army Cadets football team (1/11/22) | 6,944 | 579 | ... that a future president of the United States played halfback for the 1912 Army Cadets football team? | |
16. William Shakespeare (4/1/10) | 3,200 | 533 | ... that William Shakespeare was nicknamed "The Merchant of Menace"? | |
17. Charley Barrett (3/11/10) | 3,100 | 517 | ... that Hall of Fame quarterback Charley Barrett died of an illness contracted in an explosion on the USS Brooklyn in Yokohama Harbor during World War I? | |
18. Ted Coy (6/21/09) | 3,020 | 503 | ... that Yale All-American Ted Coy (pictured), who played football with "his long blonde hair held back by a white sweatband," was the basis for a character in a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald? | |
19. Vernon Prichard (3/17/10) | 2,970 | 495 | ... that General Vernon Prichard, commander of the "Old Ironsides" armored division during the Italian Campaign in World War II, was Dwight Eisenhower's quarterback at West Point? | |
20. Stan Pennock (3/11/10) | 2,879 | 480 | ... that College Football Hall of Fame inductee Stan "Bags" Pennock was killed in an explosion that wrecked the chemical plant he opened in an abandoned New Jersey slaughterhouse? | |
21. Don Doll (10/9/10) | 2,885 | 481 | ... that Don Doll, the only player in NFL history to register 10 or more interceptions in 3 separate seasons, changed his surname to "Doll" after being discharged from the Marines? | |
22. Irby Curry (11/24-11/25/09) | 2,756 | 459 | ... that Vanderbilt's 130-pound quarterback Irby "Rabbit" Curry, an elusive runner who "only needed the suspicion of an opening to wriggle through," was killed in aerial combat in 1918? | |
23. Eddie Mahan (9/3/09) | 2,689 | 448 | ... that three-time All-American Eddie Mahan was named by Jim Thorpe as the greatest football player of all time? | |
24. Walter S. Kennedy (4/29/10) | 3,500 | 438 | ... that quarterback Walter Kennedy's amateur status became a national media story in 1898 after his mother said he was receiving $500 a year to play football at the University of Chicago? | |
25. Clarence Herschberger (6/29/09) | 2,557 | 426 | ... that University of Chicago fullback Clarence Herschberger (pictured) has been credited as the first player to run the Statue of Liberty play? | |
26. 1955 Hillsdale Dales football team, Nate Clark | 10,041 (7,189 2,858) | 418.4 | ... that the undefeated 1955 Hillsdale Dales football team declined a Tangerine Bowl bid because the bowl insisted that four black players—including national scoring leader Nate Clark—stay home? | |
27. Dudley Dean (5/25/09) | 2,315 | 386 | ... that Harvard's All-American football quarterback Dudley Dean was cited by Theodore Roosevelt for bravery after the Rough Riders' charge of San Juan Hill (pictured)? | |
28. Bryant Moniz (11/2-11/3/10) | 2,301 | 384 | ... that American football player Bryant Moniz, who began the 2009 season as a walk-on for Hawaii delivering pizzas to pay his expenses, currently leads the NCAA in both passing yards and total offense? | |
29. Truman Spain (7/23/09) | 2,306 | 384 | ... that SMU All-American Truman "Big Dog" Spain, known for his "rumba king" good looks, was described as "hard as ship's steel and as torrid as a foundry furnace"? | |
30. Ernie Caddel (12/21/10) | 2,300 | 383 | ... that Stanford and Detroit Lions running back Ernie Caddel, known as the "Blond Antelope," led the NFL in average yards gained per rushing carry for three consecutive years? | |
Lynn Bomar (8/29/14) | 9,013 | 376 | ... that "The Blonde Bear" supervised the ransacking of black households in the 1946 Columbia Race Riot? (nom) | |
31. Cleo A. O'Donnell (5/2/10) | 2,150 | 358 | .. that Cleo O'Donnell coached the 1914 Everett team that outscored opponents 600 to 0 and was rated by Sports Illustrated as the greatest high school football team of all time? | |
32. Henry Torney (4/26/10) | 2,812 | 352 | ... that Army All-American Henry Torney, who later became a millionaire, was arrested at a 1910 Shirtwaist Strikers protest that led the New York Mayor to rebuke the "police dictators"? | |
33. Mike Koken (3/18/22) | 4,220 | 352 | ... that after surviving D-Day, former quarterback Mike Koken wrote that playing American football for Notre Dame left one "prepared for the toughest stuff the Jerries can throw at you"? | |
34. Mally Nydahl (1/5/22) | 4,189 | 349 | ... that Mally Nydahl, "one of the greatest backs ever to come out of the Middle West", used his football earnings to pay for medical school and became a professor of orthopedic surgery? | |
35. Art Murakowski (4/20/10) | 1,994 | 332 | ... that East Chicago native Art Murakowski survived a kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa and was named the most valuable football player in the Big Ten Conference in 1948? | |
36. Frank Hudson (1/25/13) | 2,592 | 324 | ... that in 1898, Frank Hudson, a five-foot, three-inch quarterback from the Laguna Pueblo tribe, became the first Native American to be selected as an All-American football player? | |
37. Johnny Gilroy (6/23/09) | 1,920 | 320 | ... that "The Great Gilroy", the leading scorer in college football in 1916, was charged in 1940 with stealing 35 shoe stitching machines from a Massachusetts factory? | |
38. Francis Bacon (1/7/22) | 3,796 | 316 | ... that Francis Bacon played in the first National Football League game and became the first NFL player to return a punt for a touchdown? | |
39. Peter Hauser (8/27/14) | 3,700 | 308 | ... that Native American football player Peter Hauser has been credited with throwing the first spiral pass? | |
40. 1970 Wichita State Shockers football team (9/12/20) | 3,517 | 293 | ... that 14 players and the coach of the 1970 Wichita State Shockers football team died when its "Gold" plane crashed in the Colorado mountains? | |
41. Manny Martin (9/27/10) | 1,727 | 288 | ... that former American football player Manny Martin made the Buffalo Bills team in 1996, despite being considered by media as "the longest of long shots"? | |
42. Tootie Perry (11/24/14) | 3,360 | 285 | ... that the American football players inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as "Gator Greats" include "All-American Waterboy" Tootie Perry, attorney Goldy Goldstein, and halfbacks Red Bethea and Larry Dupree? (stats for Perry only) | |
43. Carson Steele (11/17/22) | 6,764 | 282 | ... that Carson Steele, known as the "Man of Steele", has a pet alligator named Crocky-J and has been called "the most interesting man" in college football? | |
44. Edward Leonard King (3/16/10) | 1,684 | 281 | ... that footballer Edward King was honored for heroism in the Philippines and tactical skill in France and later became Commandant of the Army Command and General Staff College? | |
44. Lloyd Brazil (9/15/09) | 1,679 | 280 | ... that Lloyd Brazil, once called "the ideal football player," averaged more than eight yards per carry and gained 5,861 yards in three years at the University of Detroit? | |
45. Pudge Wyman (11/22/09) | 1,672 | 278 | ... that Minnesota's Pudge Wyman scored the first kickoff return for a touchdown, the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and the first passing touchdown in the history of the NFL? | |
46. Ivy Williamson (7/31/10) | 1,658 | 276 | ... that less than six weeks after being fired from his 20-year career as the University of Wisconsin's football coach and athletic director, Ivy Williamson died from falling down a staircase? | |
47. Harold Ballin (3/15/10) | 1,650 | 275 | ... that Hall of Fame tackle Harold Ballin was "the hardest-hitting player" ever faced by fellow Hall of Famer Charles Brickley and the last Princeton player to play without a helmet? | |
48. Robert Treat Paine Storer (11/11/09) | 1,600 | 267 | ... that Bob Storer, captain of Harvard's undefeated, untied 1913 football team, was cited for bravery for saving a French officer during World War I? | |
49. Larry Kelley (8/28/22) | 3,177 | 265 | ... that Heisman Trophy winner Larry Kelley turned down multiple offers to play professional football to become a school teacher? (Sunday daytime) | |
50. Ralph Kohl (7/28/10) | 1,572 | 262 | ... that long-time NFL scout Ralph Kohl was considered the top "judge of football flesh" in BLESTO, the scouting combine of the Bears-Lions-Eagles-Steelers Talent Organization? | |
51. Harry Stiteler (5/14/10) | 1,519 | 253 | ... that Texas A&M football coach Harry Stiteler resigned in 1951 after admitting he had misrepresented the facts about being beaten by a stranger near a Houston hotel? | |
52. Charles de Saulles (7/15/09) | 1,520 | 252 | ... that Charles de Saulles coached an undefeated football team of workers from a Kansas zinc smelting works that defeated the Carlisle Indians and was dubbed "the oddest football team in the country"? | |
53. Jim Trickey (11/13/09) | 1,500 | 250 | ... that flags at the University of Iowa were flown at half-mast following the death from peritonitis of Jim Trickey, one year after he became the first Hawkeye to win All-American honors in 1912? | |
54. Vince Banonis (9/19/14) | 2,888 | 245 | ... that College Football Hall of Fame inductee Vince Banonis (pictured) was an All-American center for the University of Detroit and All-NFL for the Chicago Cardinals? | |
55. Peter Mazzaferro (7/3/10) | 1,465 | 244 | ... that Peter "Papa Bear" Mazzaferro was removed as head football coach at Bridgewater after 19 years, sued for age discrimination, and coached another 17 years there after being reinstated? | |
56. Ockie Anderson (9/9/09) | 1,434 | 239 | ... that Buffalo's "Ockie" Anderson scored more points in the 1920 NFL season (the league's first) than four entire teams? | |
57. Westminster teams (12/22/21) | 5,725 | 239 | ... that the 1970, 1976, 1977, 1988, 1989, and 1994 Westminster Titans football teams all won national championships? | |
58. Tony Furst (9/17/20) | 2,800 | 233 | ... that the Detroit Lions' tackle Tony Furst saw combat action in the Guadalcanal campaign and later became a florist? (7,308 for all linked terms) | |
59. Willis Glassgow (4/24/10) | 1,786 | 223 | ... that Big Ten MVP Willis Glassgow was called the "Dancing Master" for his shiftiness on the gridiron and because he managed the most popular ballroom in Iowa City? | |
60. [[Arnold Oehlrich] (1/20/22) | 2,618 | 218 | ... that Nebraska's "Itch" Oehlrich was lured by the "scratch" of $100 per game to play in the National Football League? | |
61. Huntington Hardwick (3/15/10) | 1,291 | 215 | ... that Football Hall of Famer Huntington "Tack" Hardwick was called "a big, fine-looking aristocrat from blue-blood stock" who "loved combat – body contact at crushing force – a fight to the finish"? | |
62. Art Pharmer (1/5/22) | 2,524 | 210 | ... that former NFL halfback Art Pharmer pursued, tackled, and captured a shoplifter who ran from the sporting goods store where Pharmer worked? | |
63. Walter Nolen (8/27/22) | 2,446 | 204 | ... that Walter Nolen was ranked by ESPN and USA Today as the number-one player in the 2022 college football recruiting class? (overnight slot) |
Baseball
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Charlie Bennett (7/15-7/16/14) | 20,537 | 2,567 | ... that the baseball career of Charlie Bennett (pictured), who reportedly invented the chest protector, ended when both legs were run over by a train? | |
2. Emil Gross (7/23-7/24/14) | 25,861 | 2,155 | ... that Emil Gross set a Major League Baseball record by appearing in 87 games as catcher? | |
3. Dummy Taylor (9/2/11) | 13,403 | 1,675 | ... that Dummy Taylor, once the highest salaried deaf person in the United States, was ejected from a baseball game for cursing out the umpire in sign language? | |
4. Deacon McGuire (7/24/14) | 17,330 | 1,444 | ... that an x-ray of catcher Deacon McGuire's gnarled left hand (pictured) showed "36 breaks, twists or bumps all due to baseball accidents"? | |
5. Carl Lundgren (4/6/11) | 7,514 | 939 | ... that Cubs pitcher Carl Lundgren (pictured) had "speed to burn green hickory and an assortment of curves that would keep a cryptograph specialist figuring all night but he was wild as a March hare in a cyclone"? | |
6. Lil Stoner | 10,047 | 837 | ... that pitcher and "smokeball artist" Lil Stoner (pictured) also enjoyed baking and growing flowers? | |
7. Bobby Lowe (4/4/11) | 5,837 | 730 | ... that Boston Beaneater Bobby "Link" Lowe (pictured) was the first Major League player to hit four home runs in a game and was selected in 1911 as the best utility player in baseball history? | |
8. Charlie Getzein (3/15-3/16/13) | 5,493 | 713 | ... that Charlie Getzein, known for his "pretzel curve" pitch, won 59 games in 1886 and 1887, including four games in the 1887 World Series? | |
9. Icehouse Wilson | 3,908 | 651 | ... that Icehouse Wilson, a member of "Oakland's first World Champion Baseball team," had a career batting average of .000 in Major League Baseball? | |
10. Mysterious Walker (5/27/10) | 3,778 | 630 | ... that Mysterious Walker, who played for or coached more than 30 baseball, basketball and football teams, earned his nickname pitching for the San Francisco Seals under a pseudonym and wearing a mask? | |
11. Fred Dunlap (9/2/11) | 4,758 | 595 | ... that Fred Dunlap, who was once the highest paid player in professional baseball, died penniless at the age of 43? | |
12. Jerry Dorgan (7/10/14) | 4,800 | 592 | ... that professional baseball player Jerry Dorgan suffered from an "unconquerable appetite for liquor" and died after being discovered inebriated in a barn with an empty liquor bottle by his side? | |
13. Ned Hanlon (7/28/14) | 6,628 | 562 | ... that "Foxy Ned" Hanlon (pictured), inventor of the "Baltimore chop", was "The Father of Modern Baseball"? | |
14. Heinie Meine (8/30/11) | 4,500 | 555 | ... that during the Prohibition era, the National League's leading pitcher Heinie Meine (pictured) operated a speakeasy known for "moose milk that would peel the paint off a battleship"? | |
15. Frank Ringo (7/9-7/10/14) | 7,125 | 509 | ... that baseball player Frank Ringo, who was "inordinately fond" of whiskey, married in January 1889 and killed himself in April of that same year? | |
16. Willie Hernández (9/4/22) | 6,069 | 506 | ... that Puerto Rico's Willie Hernández (pictured) became the highest paid player in Detroit Tigers history after winning Cy Young and Most Valuable Player awards and a World Series? | |
17. John Hiller (9/2/19) | 5,743 | 479 | ... that after suffering a heart attack at the age of 27, relief pitcher John Hiller (pictured) made a comeback and broke Major League Baseball's record for saves in a season? | |
18. Sadie Houck (6/9/14) | 5,703 | 475 | ... that Sadie Houck was blacklisted by the National League for being "addicted to drink" despite being acknowledged as "one of the best short stops in the country and a thorough ball player"? | |
19. Tip O'Neill (8/7/14) | 5,200 | 444 | ... that Tip O'Neill won the triple crown and set at least eight Major League Baseball batting records? | |
20. Count Campau (6/25-6/26/14) | 3,485 | 436 | ... that 19th-century baseball player Count Campau could reportedly run the bases in 14 seconds, and once converted an infield popup into a home run? | |
21. Bill Armour (1/29/14) | 3,488 | 436 | ... that Bill Armour (pictured) was manager of the Cleveland Bronchos when they signed Nap Lajoie to the most lucrative contract in baseball up to that time, and of the Detroit Tigers when they signed Ty Cobb? | |
22. Dupee Shaw | 4,520 | 383 | ... that Dupee Shaw's delivery may have been the first pitching wind-up, created "a genuine sensation" and led baseball writers of his day to call him "a monkey, a mountebank and other harsh names"? | |
23. Pete Conway (3/27/11) | 2,730 | 341 | ... that Pete Conway won 30 games as a pitcher for the Detroit Wolverines in 1888, "snapped a cord in his arm" in 1889, later worked as a mule skinner, and was dead by age 36? | |
24. Jumping Jack Jones (8/23/14) | 3,900 | 333 | ... that baseball pitcher, dentist, and voice trainer Jumping Jack Jones (pictured) leapt into the air before throwing, making him "the twirling marvel of his time"? | |
25. Dick Burns (9/20/14) | 3,781 | 323 | ... that the baseball player Dick Burns's "up-shoot" was called "a beauty"? | |
26. Duncan Curry (6/14/12) | 2,450 | 306 | ... that Duncan Curry, sometimes called the "Father of Baseball", was the president of the first organized baseball team and helped draft the first written rules of the game in 1845? | |
27. Chick Lathers (9/17/09) | 1,791 | 299 | ... that Chick Lathers quit Major League Baseball in 1913 to become a car salesman for Ford Motor Company? | |
28. Mayo Smith (11/213) | 2,387 | 298 | ... that ESPN.com ranked the decision by Mayo Smith (pictured) to move Mickey Stanley to shortstop for the 1968 World Series as the third "gutsiest call" in sports history? | |
29. Baby Doll Jacobson (3/1/14) | 2,372 | 289 | ... that Baby Doll Jacobson (pictured) received his nickname after hitting a home run while a band played "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" on opening day of the 1912 season? | |
30. Ed Beatin (7/10/14) | 2,959 | 282 | ... that pitcher Ed Beatin, who had "the most astonishing slow ball that was ever offered up to a batter", was twice a 20-game winner? | |
31. Bun Troy (6/16/14) | 2,302 | 281 | ... that baseball pitcher Bun Troy, who won a doubleheader while pitching all nine innings of both games, was killed in action during World War I? | |
32. Jack Rowe (8/3/14) | 3,270 | 279 | ... that baseball players Jack Rowe (pictured) and Hardy Richardson were two of the "Big Four", a group "regarded for many years as the greatest quartette in the history of the national pastime"? (stats for Rowe only) | |
33. Frank G. Menke (8/21/11) | 2,200 | 275 | ... that after debunking Abner Doubleday as the inventor of baseball, Frank Menke was placed in "the class that would belittle Washington, Lincoln and other men who have played their part in American history"? | |
34. Dan Casey (8/21/14) | 3,500 | 246 | ... that in later life, baseball player Dan Casey claimed he was "Casey at the Bat"? | |
35. Red Snapp (11/3/11) | 2,800 | 233 | ... that Red Snapp was considered the "king of the minor leagues? | |
36. Cal Broughton (8/15/14) | 3,128 | 232 | ... that baseball catcher Cal Broughton later became a police chief who captured a gang of train robbers after a gun fight in Wisconsin? | |
37. Prince Oana (6/13/14) | 1,726 | 216 | ... that professional baseball player "Prince" Oana was falsely advertised by his promoters as a full-blooded Hawaiian royal? |
Film/TV
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. The Italian (1915 film), George Beban (10/5/09) | 14,100 6,002 = 20,102 | 3,350 | ... that the 1915 film The Italian tells the story of an immigrant played by George Beban (pictured) who goes to America in search of fortune but finds a "Darwininan jungle" on New York's Lower East Side? | ||
2. Clara Williams (10/6/09) | 11,247 | 1,867 | ... that silent film star Clara Williams (pictured), known for her "forty famous frocks", appeared in more than 100 films between 1910 and 1918? | ||
3. Forbidden Area (11/5/20) | 18,272 | 1,523 | ... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area (actor pictured), a nuclear-war thriller, launched the four-year run of a series voted in 1970 as "the greatest television series of all time"? | ||
4. Luke Matheny (3/4/11) | 10,590 | 1,324 | ... that Luke Matheny, whose hair was described as "a vast black bouffant that makes him look like an untidy microphone", began his Academy Award acceptance speech by joking, "I should've gotten a haircut"? | ||
5. Civilization (film) (10/5/09) | 7,000 | 1,167 | ... that the epic anti-war film Civilization (poster pictured), depicting Jesus walking through the carnage of war, was credited with helping re-elect U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916? | ||
6. Sex (film) (9/28/09) | 9,300 | 1,163 | ... that the 1920 film Sex, opening with its star performing a seductive "spider dance" clad in "a translucent cloak of webs", had its title censored in Pennsylvania? | ||
7. In the Presence of Mine Enemies (9/30/20) | 20,907 | 871 | ... that Leon Uris called Rod Serling's In the Presence of Mine Enemies "the most disgusting presentation in the history of American television" and demanded that the negative be burned? | ||
8. Junior Coghlan (9/22/09) | 6,547 | 818 | ... that Frank Coghlan said "damn" in Gone with the Wind, but is best known known for saying "Shazam" in Captain Marvel, the first big screen depiction of a comic book superhero? | ||
9. The Green Pastures (Hallmark Hall of Fame) (12/14/20) | 9,491 | 791 | ... that The Green Pastures (1957) (advertisement pictured) was critiqued in the white Southern press for having "bowed to the inverted prejudice which insists that Negroes shall never be portrayed as Negroes"? | ||
10. The Mystery of Thirteen (3/29/21) | 8,499 | 708 | ... that Jack Lemmon starred in The Mystery of Thirteen as a real-life physician who Charles Dickens called "the greatest villain that ever stood in the Old Bailey"? | ||
11. Around the World in 90 Minutes (3/30/21) | 8,256 | 688 | ... that Around the World in 90 Minutes featured Elizabeth Taylor cutting a 30-foot-long (9.1 m) cake, Walter Cronkite reporting, and Hubert Humphrey delivering a speech? | ||
12. The Wolf Woman (9/27/09) | 5,100 | 638 | ... that reviewers called The Wolf Woman the "greatest vampire picture of all" and its star, Louise Glaum, "the greatest vampire woman of all time"? | ||
13. Shorty Hamilton (10/6/09) | 3,800 | 633 | ... that silent film comedian Shorty Hamilton died in 1925 when his automobile crashed into a steam shovel in Hollywood? | ||
14. The Defender (11/3/20) | 6,763 | 564 | ... that Steve McQueen and William Shatner starred in The Defender, the first live television drama divided for broadcast on separate nights, "leaving audiences dangling on the cliff"? | ||
15. The Strike (8/7/22) | 13,512 | 563 | ... that "The Strike" (1954), about an American officer's turmoil in ordering an air strike on his own men, was rated as Rod Serling's best script he had written to date? | ||
16. Sacco-Vanzetti Story (10/2/20) | 13,149 | 548 | ... that the 1960 television play Sacco-Vanzetti Story was called "one of the most controversial ever seen on television"? | ||
17. The Plot to Kill Stalin (10/5/20) | 12,951 | 540 | ... that the Soviet Union called The Plot to Kill Stalin "filthy slander" and retaliated by closing the CBS news bureau in Moscow? | ||
18. The Jet Propelled Couch | 6,167 | 514 | ... that the producers of The Jet Propelled Couch hired "Miss Color TV", Vampira (pictured in black and white), and several Miss Americas to portray attractive creatures inhabiting an imaginary planet? | ||
19. The Ford 50th Anniversary Show (10/17/20) | 11,238 | 468 | ... that a 1953 television special broadcast simultaneously on NBC and CBS attracted 60 million viewers and was called "a milestone in the cultural life of the '50s"? | ||
20. Lorenzo Tucker (4/30/08) | 4,191 | 432 | ... that a scandal arose when African-American actor Lorenzo Tucker, known as the "Black Valentino", playing a pimp in a play, kissed Mae West, playing a prostitute? | ||
21. A Town Has Turned to Dust (10/9/20) | 9,915 | 413 | ... that sponsors refused to back the lynching story A Town Has Turned to Dust until writer Rod Serling moved the setting out of the South and changed the victim from black to Mexican? | ||
22. A Night to Remember | 9,391 | 391 | ... that A Night to Remember, a live broadcast about Titanic's final night, featured 107 actors and 31 sets, and proved that "TV occasionally can rise to great heights"? | ||
23. Bang the Drum Slowly (10/23/20) | 8,867 | 369 | ... that Bang the Drum Slowly, in which Paul Newman stepped in and out of character to double as a Greek chorus, was called "daring television of rare quality"? | ||
24. P.O.W. (10/25/20) | 7,505 | 313 | ... that P.O.W. was based on interviews with repatriated prisoners about communist "brainwashing treatment" during the Korean War? | ||
25. For Whom the Bell Tolls (Playhouse 90) (10/29/20) | 7,333 | 306 | ... that Ernest Hemingway watched the television adaptation of For Whom the Bell Tolls from a flea-bitten motel as the screenwriter held the "rabbit ears" for him? (also 4,218 views for "rabbit ears") | ||
26. Paul Weiland (10/2/09) | 1,831 | 305 | ... that director Paul Weiland, whose credits include Mr. Bean, 66 and more than 500 television commercials, owns an 18th-century country estate in Wiltshire, England? | ||
27. Bill Littlejohn (10/1/10) | 1,676 | 279 | ... that the work of "animation God" Bill Littlejohn includes Tom and Jerry, A Charlie Brown Christmas and an Oscar-winning short with Dizzy Gillespie debating the possibility of nuclear war? | ||
27. Wagon Tracks (10/7/09) | 1,872 | 271 | ... that The Atlanta Constitution wrote that William S. Hart's face (pictured) was "the synonym for power and manliness" in its review of the film Wagon Tracks? | ||
28. The Turn of the Screw (Ford Startime) (11/9/20) | 2,862 | 239 | ... that Ingrid Bergman won Emmy and Sylvania Awards for her world television debut in John Frankenheimer's horror movie The Turn of the Screw? (14,397 for all linked terms) | ||
28. [[Wilfred Buckland] (10/1/09) | 1,900 | 238 | ... that an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1980 argued that "everything we know as Hollywood traces to Wilfred Buckland", film innovator and Hollywood's first art director? | ||
28. Judgment at Nuremberg (10/19/20) | 5,608 | 234 | ... that Claude Rains's reference to the Nazis' "gas ovens" was cut from the audio during the broadcast of Judgment at Nuremberg due to an objection by a gas-company sponsor? | ||
. Victoria Regina (10/16/20) | 4,368 | ... that a makeup artist used a rubber mask and fake nose to age Julie Harris by 60 years in the Emmy-winning "program of the year" Victoria Regina? (8,997 for all linked terms) | |||
. No Time for Sergeants (10/20/20) | 3,710 | ... that The New York Times review of the 1955 television play No Time for Sergeants questioned whether Andy Griffith was "versatile enough to qualify for other important roles"? (12,094 for all linked terms) | |||
. The Moon and Sixpence (11/10/20) | 2,185 | ... that Laurence Olivier won an Emmy for his role as a London stockbroker, Parisian artist, and Tahitian leper in The Moon and Sixpence? (7,641 for all linked terms) | |||
. The Turn of the Screw (11/9/20) | 2,862 | ... that Ingrid Bergman won Emmy and Sylvania Awards for her world television debut in John Frankenheimer's horror movie The Turn of the Screw? (14,397 for all linked terms) | |||
. Albert Heschong (10/16/20) | 1,801 | ... that Albert Heschong parlayed his childhood interest in model boats and Erector Sets into building huge stage sets, including a $15,000 Victorian house for ABC's Pulitzer Prize Playhouse? (4,837 for all linked terms) |
Churches
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. St. Brendan (Los Angeles) (4/24/08) | 5,270 | 811 | ...that St. Brendan's Church (pictured) has been a location for two apocalypse movies: the Martian attack in 1953's War of the Worlds and the wedding at the end of Armageddon? | |
2. Scottish Rite Cathedral (9/22/09) | 5,800 | 725 | ... that the Scottish Rite Cathedral (pictured), covered in some 250 tons of ornamental terra cotta, was among the first eight structures designated as a Long Beach Historic Landmark? | |
3. Mary Star of the Sea (4/28/08) | 3,900 | 629 | ... that the bronze of Mary atop Mary Star of the Sea, known as the "Fishermen's Church," is lit at night so she can be seen from the Port of Los Angeles harbor? | |
4. McCarty Memorial Christian Church (5/7-5/8/08) | 4,357 | 622 | ... that McCarty Church (pictured) in Los Angeles gained attention for its pastor's decision to racially integrate his white Protestant church in the mid-1950s? (4,200 photo views) | |
5. Precious Blood Church (12/2/09) | 3,600 | 580 | ... that the Los Angeles Times wrote that a motorist passing the playground at Precious Blood Church (pictured) might think "he'd been transported to a Catholic school in circa-1950s Chicago or Pittsburgh"? | |
6. St. Augustine Catholic Church, Culver City (4/22/08) | 4,000 | 519 | ...that a Muslim fundamentalist beheaded a statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Augustine's and carted a statue of Father Serra to a nearby mosque in October 2001? | |
7. St. Basil Catholic Church (12/3/09) | 2,500 | 431 | ... that the 1969 dedication of St. Basil Church in Los Angeles prompted a "club-swinging mob" of Chicanos to break into the church during Christmas Midnight Mass? | |
8. St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church and School (4/20/08) | 3,400 | 377 | ... that St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church was the site of the baptism of Clark Gable's son, the wedding of Annette Funicello, and the funeral of Mercury Seven astronaut "Gordo" Cooper? | |
9. St. Monica Catholic Church, Santa Monica (4/22/08) | 2,200 | 289 | ... that Academy Award winner Going My Way was filmed at St. Monica's , and the irascible old Irish priest character was based on its pastor? | |
10. St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church (12/6/09) | 1,700 | 283 | ... that the day after a UCLA art student set the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church afire, the pastor of the church prayed for forgiveness for the arsonist?
| |
11. St. Andrew's Church (4/19/08) | 1,600 | 250 | ...that when St. Andrew's Church in Pasadena was built in the 1920s, it was compared to "a jeweled crown on the head of a Byzantine queen"? | |
12. Blessed Sacrament Church (4/28/08) | 1,700 | 243 | ... that Hollywood's Blessed Sacrament Church was the site of Bing Crosby's wedding and funerals for John Ford and Mack Sennett? | |
13. Incarnation Church (4/20/08) | 2,100 | 233 | ...that police patrolled Incarnation Church during the 2000 funeral of a Hispanic youth killed with a tire iron by Armenian-Americans after a retaliatory shooting at a donut shop? | |
14. St. Charles Borromeo Church (4/13/08) | 1,700 | 213 | ... that Paul Salamunovich, choir director since 1949 at St. Charles Borromeo Church (pictured) in North Hollywood, has also conducted choirs for dozens of feature films, including The Devil's Advocate? | |
. Bardsdale United Methodist Church (9/20/08) | ... that the 1898 Carpenter Gothic Bardsdale Methodist Episcopal Church in California underwent extensive renovations after a portion of the ceiling fell on a parishioner during a 1982 service? | |||
. Alvarado Terrace Historic District (6/20/08) | 6 57 | ... that the Alvarado Terrace Historic District includes a church built in 1912 that was the LA home of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple before the group's 1977 mass suicide in Jonestown? | ||
. Wadsworth Chapel (6/6/08) | ... that the 1900 Carpenter Gothic Wadsworth Chapel has separate Catholic and Protestant chapels under one roof? | |||
. Padre Serra Parish (4/27/08) | 366 | ...that Cardinal Mahony petitioned Rome to name Padre Serra Church after Junipero Serra despite controversy over his treatment of California Indians? | ||
. St. Finbar (Burbank) (4/20/08) | ...that St. Finbar Church in Burbank, faced with a dwindling flock and changing demographics, was one of the first U.S. parishes to offer Spanish language Mass? | |||
. St. Robert Bellarmine (Burbank) (4/17/08) | 464 | ...that the pastor of Burbank's St. Bellarmine Church was a World War I chaplain who modeled the campus on Monticello and Independence Hall? | ||
. St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church (Los Angeles) (12/5/09) | 600 | ... that a 1999 fire in St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage? | ||
. St. Timothy Catholic Church (Los Angeles) (12/5/09) | 740 | ... that St. Timothy Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, has an antique gold leaf altarpiece believed to have been made in Spain in the 1600s? | ||
. St. Cecilia Catholic Church (Los Angeles) (12/1/09) | 1,000 | ... that LA's St. Cecilia Church, built in 1927, adapted to its multiethnic community by installing shrines to a beatified Nigerian priest, a Oaxacan Virgin, and a Guatemalan "Black Christ"? | ||
. First Congregational Church (Long Beach) (9/29/09) | ... that a pastor of the First Congregational Church in Long Beach, California, vowed to defy an order to block homeless people from sleeping on the church steps? |
Music
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Double entendre songs (1/1/21) | 13,757 6,108 6,308 6,080 5,306 = 37,559 | 1,565 | ... that a ranking of the greatest double-entendre songs of all time included "Big Long Slidin' Thing" by Dinah Washington (pictured), "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl" by Bessie Smith, "It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion)" by the Swallows, "Keep On Churnin' (Till the Butter Comes)" by Wynonie Harris, and "Big Ten Inch Record" by Aerosmith? | |
2. Leonard Skinner (9/29/10) | 8,823 | 1,471 | ... that The New York Times called Leonard Skinner, the namesake of Lynyrd Skynyrd, "arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture"? (approximately 45,000 views that week and 34,910 on 2/21/14) | |
3. McCabe's Guitar Shop (4/2/08) | 7,100 | 1,183 | ...that more than a dozen artists have recorded live albums in the back room of McCabe's Guitar Shop, including Townes Van Zandt, Ralph Stanley, and R.E.M.? | |
Sue K. Hicks (12/11/08) | 5,914 | 986 | ... that Sue K. Hicks, a prosecutor in the Scopes Monkey Trial who later became a judge in Tennessee, may have been the inspiration for the song, "A Boy Named Sue," popularized by singer Johnny Cash in 1969? (nom) | |
Lucy Vodden (10/4/09) | 8,600 | 717 | ... that Lucy Vodden was John Lennon's inspiration for the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"? (nom) | |
4. Macorina (song) | 7,728 | 644 | ... that "Macorina", the first erotic song dedicated to one woman by another, became a "lesbian hymn"? | |
5. Wang Dang Sweet Poontang (11/11/20, 3 hrs), (12/3/20, 12 hrs) | 2,035 6,071 = 8,106 | 540 | ... that a satirical website reported that Joe Biden was energizing donors with "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang"? .. that music critic Greg Kot described "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" as "despicable misogyny", but listed it among his guilty pleasures because the "rawwwk doesn't get much rawer"? | |
6. Chaino (1/27-1/28/11) | 3,109 | 518 | .. that bongo player Chaino, whose albums included Jungle Mating Rhythms, claimed to be an orphan from a lost tribe in central Africa but was actually born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago? | |
7. Fujiyama Mama (1/13/21) | 4,959 | 413 | ... that "Fujiyama Mama", an American rockabilly song that compared a woman's energy to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was a number-one hit in Japan in 1958? | |
8. Filipino Baby (12/28/20) | 5,223 | 218 | ... that "Filipino Baby", a song about a sailor's love for a Filipino girl, described as "my treasure and my pet", was a top-five hit for three different artists in 1946? | |
. America, Why I Love Her (1/11/21) | 2,376 | ... that an album of poetry read by John Wayne reached the number-13 spot on Billboard's Hot Country Albums chart? |
Michigan athletics (non-football)
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Charles F. Watkins (3/25/11) | 10,800 | 1,350 | ... that Michigan Wolverines baseball player and coach Charles F. Watkins sustained severe burns from an X-ray machine, which ultimately resulted in his death? | |
2. Weldy Walker (6/7/12) | 10,348 | 1,294 | ... that an 1888 letter written by Weldy Walker, the second African American in Major League Baseball, was called "perhaps the most passionate cry for justice ever voiced by a Negro athlete"? | |
3. Charles Dvorak (2/28-3/1/11) | 6,883 | 1,147 | ... that Charles Dvorak (pictured) missed the pole vault finals at the 1900 Olympics after being told the event was postponed, but returned to win the gold medal at the 1904 Olympics? | |
4. Thomas Trueblood (1/29-1/30/08) | 6,678 | 1,113 | ...that University of Michigan elocution professor Thomas Trueblood received nationwide attention when the Chicago Tribune reported in 1903 that he was offering a new "course in love making"? | |
5. Steve Farrell (1/26/09) | 5,400 | 931 | ... that Steve Farrell, called "the greatest professional foot-racer" in America, raced against horses for several years in the 1890s and reportedly only lost a half dozen times? | |
6. Syque Caesar (7/30/12) | 5,900 | 738 | ... that a University of Michigan gymnast dubbed the "Golden Syque" won the first gold medal in international competition for Bangladesh and was chosen to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London? | |
7. Robert and Hume Ross (1/15/09) | 3,700 | 698 | ... that twin brothers Robert and Ross Hume became known as the "Dead Heat Kids" after finishing nine straight mile races, including the Big Ten and NCAA championships, holding hands in dead heat victories? (5.3 hour queue) | |
8. Mel Wakabayashi (2/25/09) | 3,100 | 500 | ... that Mel Wakabayashi, born in a wartime Japanese-Canadian internment camp, was called "perhaps the most unlikely star in the long history of Michigan sports, and surely one of the most inspirational"? | |
9. Edward Moulton (7/20/11) | 3,462 | 433 | ... that "Dad" Moulton, a participant in Sherman's March to the Sea, was the U.S. sprint champion in the 1870s, and trained the "world's fastest human" in the 1880s? | |
10. Connie Hill (9/13/13) | 3,400 | 425 | ... that Connie Hill (pictured), captain of the first hockey team to win the Frozen Four, received a Ph.D. for his dissertation, "Mood, self-derogation and anomia as factors in response unreliability"? | |
11. Sam Stoller (1/27/09) | 2,495 | 423 | ... that the U.S. Olympic Committee awarded medals to Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman 62 years after the only two Jews on the U.S. track team were pulled from the 400-meter relay team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics? | |
12. Vicki Morrow (2/27/08) | 2,237 | 358 | ...that softball pitcher Vicki Morrow was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 1987 after winning 26 games, including 18 shutouts, and striking out 446 batters? | |
13. Charlie Fonville (2/8-2/9/08) | 2,523 | 355 | ...that Charlie Fonville broke a 14-year-old shot put world record by almost 12 inches (30 cm) at the 1948 Kansas Relays but was not allowed to stay with the other athletes because he was African-American? | |
14. Casey Close (1/16/11) | 1,900 | 328 | ... that Casey Close was Baseball America's National Player of the Year, married former Miss America Gretchen Carlson and negotiated more than $350 million in contracts for Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard? | |
15. Walter B. Rea (4/16/12) | 2,565 | 321 | ... that Walter Rea, the leading scorer for the 1919–20 Michigan Wolverines basketball team, later became the university's spokesman on "panty raids"? | |
16. Nikki Nemitz (6/7/09) | 1,819 | 303 | ... that after facing 2009 All-American softball pitcher Nikki Nemitz's fastball, a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press wrote that he "actually felt a breeze" and his "knees buckled"? | |
17. Alicia Seegert (6/10/09) | 1,762 | 294 | ... that catcher Alicia Seegert set Big Ten Conference records for batting average, hits, total bases and RBIs while playing softball for the University of Michigan from 1984 to 1987? | |
18. John Tidwell (5/6/10) | 2,283 | 285 | ... that John Tidwell broke the University of Michigan's single game and season basketball scoring records in 1960 despite "the handicap of a short and twisted left arm"? | |
19. Francie Kraker Goodridge (2/21/08) | 1,700 | 283 | ...that Francie Kraker Goodridge, who set a world indoor record in the 600-yard run, did not receive a varsity letter or sports scholarship and had to work as a waitress to put herself through college? | |
20. John Giordano (3/29/11) | 2,200 | 275 | ... that John Giordano, named 1981 collegiate Coach of the Year by The Hockey News, was fired three years later when all 22 of his players signed a petition listing their grievances against him? | |
21. Tiffany Haas (7/15/13) | 3,200 | 267 | ... that All-American second baseman Tiffany Haas did not commit an error in her last 60 games for the Michigan Wolverines softball team? | |
22. Bob Webster (2/7/08) | 1,800 | 240 | ...that two-time Olympic diving gold medalist Bob Webster won his first collegiate diving title for a junior college with no pool, training off a board in his coach's back-yard sand pit? | |
23. Eddie Tolan (2/1/09) | 1,361 | 239 | ... that Eddie Tolan, the first African-American to be the "world's fastest human" after winning double gold at the 1932 Olympics, returned home jobless and appeared in vaudeville with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson? | |
24. Gordon Wilkie (2/25/09) | 2,185 | 238 | ... that when Gordon Wilkie and his Michigan Wolverines teammates scored 21 points in a single ice hockey game against Ohio State University, their coach threatened to bench anyone else who scored? | |
25. Frank Bliss (6/7/12) | 1,600 | 200 | ... that Frank Bliss, the first Michigan Wolverine to play Major League baseball, tucked his trousers into long boots for shin protection as a catcher in the early 1870s? |
Ventura
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. San Buenaventura Mission Aqueduct (9/16/08) | 6,512 | 868 | ... that the seven-mile-long Ventura Mission Aqueduct, built between 1780 and 1815, has been called "an engineering marvel"? | |
2. Battle of San Buenaventura (5/24/22) | 9,525 | 794 | ... that the Battle of San Buenaventura was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "quirky skirmish ... that emptied the mission of wine and left its adobe walls pockmarked by cannon fire"? | |
3. Serra Cross (7/18/18) | 7,823 | 326 | ... that the Serra Cross (pictured) in Ventura, California, was sold in response to a threatened lawsuit challenging the use of public funds to maintain a religious symbol on public land? | |
4. Cephas L. Bard (10/6/22) | 5,272 | 220 | ... that Cephas L. Bard, the first American physician in Ventura, California, was also the first person to die in the hospital he built there? |
Crime and law enforcement
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Garden Gnome Liberationists (12/17/08) | 14,200 | 2,367 | ... that the leader of the French Garden Gnome Liberation Front was given a suspended sentence after the group "liberated" over 150 garden gnomes in 1997? | |
Lilian Lenton (11/12/08) | 13,185 | 2,217 | ... that the force-feeding (pictured) of suffragette, arsonist and hunger-striker Lilian Lenton caused food to enter her lungs and led to public outrage? (nom) | |
2. Troy axe murders (9/14/22) | 14,138 | 1,178 | ... that in the Troy axe murders a former fireman killed his wife, five-year-old daughter, and five stepchildren and left love notes on their bodies? (overnight) | |
3. Hazelwood massacre (8/14/22) | 25,760 | 1,073 | ... that the 1971 Hazelwood massacre was the largest mass murder in the history of "Murder City"? | |
4. Murder of the DeLisle children (10/20/22) | 11,625 | 969 | ... that a 28-year-old tire store manager drowned his four children in the same station wagon in which his father fatally shot himself in the head? | |
Stop AAPI Hate, murder of Vicha Ratanapakdee (3/11/21) | 10,058 (3,149 6,699 210) | 838 | .. that Stop AAPI Hate was formed in 2020 in response to increased racially motivated violence against Asian people, which now includes the murder of Vicha Ratanapakdee? (nom) | |
5. Eugene Goodman (1/27/21) | 10,003 | 834 | .. that Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman has been credited with having "saved American Democracy" on January 6, 2021? (also received 105,788 views, 1/20-1/23) | |
6. Rock Road massacre (8/21/22) | 18,943 | 789 | ... that a livestock auctioneer and former Army sharpshooter shot and killed seven family members in the Rock Road massacre? | |
7. Richard Frederick Dixon (10/30/22) | 8,663 | 722 | ... that after his release from a hospital for the criminally insane, Richard Dixon burgled $16 from a credit union and hijacked a jet to Cuba? | |
8. Court-martial of William T. Colman (9/25/22) | 17,025 | 710 | ... that the court-martial of William T. Colman, the commander of a U.S. air base, created a storm of protest when he was merely reduced in rank after shooting a black soldier? | |
9. Procopio (12/26-12/27/08) | 2,645 | 551 | ... that 19th-century California bandit Procopio, also known as Red-Handed Dick, was said to "love the feel and the color of warm blood," and his name was used by mothers to frighten their children? | |
10. Royal Oak post office shootings (10/1/22) | 9,284 | 399 | ... that an investigation into the Royal Oak post office shootings led one congressman to accuse the Postal Service of having been "asleep at the switch"? |
Other
editArticle (date) | Image | DYK views | Per hour | Hook |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. Henri Salmide (3/19/10) | 19,654 | 3,276 | ... that Heinz Stahlschmidt was credited with saving 3,500 French lives when he refused to blow up the port of Bordeaux and instead blew up the munitions bunker, killing approximately 50 Germans? | |
2. USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame inductees (2/6/21) | 25,897 (3,826 2,504 3,421 979 924 707 847 743 807 11,140) | 2,158 | ... that the first women inducted into the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame included a WASP pilot, a World War II Marine, a "Chickie", a Hall of Fame lacrosse player, a world-champion softball player, an All-College basketball player, the founder of the first collegiate squash program in the United States, a professor and a valedictorian of Ursinus College, and a resident of Atlantis (pictured)? | |
The Sea of Ice (11/25/08) | 11,700 | 1,950 | ... that Caspar David Friedrich's 1824 painting The Sea of Ice (pictured) was seen as too radical in composition, and went unsold until after his death in 1840? (nom) (23,000 DYK image views [3,833 per hour]) | |
3. Clarence Chesterfield Howerton (8/28/13) | 23,019 | 1,918 | ... that Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, aka Major Mite (pictured), was billed as the world's smallest man? | |
4. Joanne Siegel (3/4-3/5/11) | 13,564 | 1,700 | ... that Joanne Siegel was the original model for Lois Lane and later married Superman's co-creator? | |
5. Lincoln Broyhill (12/10/08) | 10,108 | 1,685 | ... that B-17 Flying Fortress tailgunner "Babe" Broyhill set a record by destroying two Messerschmitt ME-262 jet fighters in a mission over Berlin in March 1945? | |
Holy Land USA | 11,506 | 1,513 | ... that Holy Land USA (pictured), a Connecticut theme park intended to replicate Bethlehem and Jerusalem of the biblical era, once attracted more than 40,000 visitors annually? (nom only) | |
George R. Christmas (1/12/09) | 11,100 | 1,480 | ... that George R. Christmas (pictured), then known as Captain Christmas, received the Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism" in the Vietnam War? (nom) | |
M33 cluster bomb (11/19/08) | 8,692 | 1,449 | ... that after testing the biological Brucella cluster bomb on 11,000 guinea pigs, a U.S. general remarked "Now we know what to do if we ever go to war against guinea pigs"? (hook) | |
The Swimming Hole (12/19/08) | 8,600 | 1,433 | ... that artist Thomas Eakins was fired shortly after the exhibition of The Swimming Hole pictured), cited as a prime example of homoeroticism in American art? (nom) (51,354 views on 10/16/09 [MainPage FA]) | |
Jim McColl (1/14/09) | 7,200 | 1,074 | ... that Jim McColl, the son of a butcher, reportedly became Scotland's richest man in 2008? (nom) | |
Taylor Mitchell (11/5/09) | 6,433 | 1,072 | ... that in October 2009 Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell became the first adult in North America known to have been killed by coyotes? (nom) (44,429 views on 10/29/09) | |
Afghan Muscles | 9,343 | 1,062 | ... that the director of Afghan Muscles ignored the role of Afghan women in bodybuilding, noting "It's men looking at men," and "60% [of men] have their first sexual experience with another man"? (hook only) | |
6 Ernie Lopez (10/8-10/9/09) | 6,141 | 1,024 | ... that the selection of Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez for the California Boxing Hall of Fame led to his discovery in a Texas homeless shelter after being missing for 12 years? | |
Suicide bag (12/28/08) | 6,100 | 1,017 | ... that an exit bag, consisting of a large, clear plastic bag with a drawstring, is a commercially available device for committing suicide? (nom) | |
Florizel von Reuter (12/1/08) | 5,743 | 957 | ... that Florizel von Reuter (pictured), a child prodigy on the violin, later developed psychic interests and wrote books describing communications with dead composers, including Paganini and Rimsky-Korsakov? (nom) | |
Quackers (11/27/08) | 5,400 | 900 | ... that Soviet submarines patrolling in the North Atlantic in the 1970s reported mysterious frog-like sounds, dubbed "quackers", which have been classified as Unidentified Submerged Objects? (4,400 views for "unidentified submerged objects") (nom) | |
Mike Penner (12/4/09) | 5,300 | 883 | ... that Los Angeles Times sports writer Mike Penner told readers he was a transsexual in a 2007 essay entitled "Old Mike, new Christine"? | |
Talheim Death Pit (11/29/08) | 5,206 | 868 | ... that most of the skeletons found at Talheim Death Pit, a mass grave in Germany dating to 5000 BC, show signs of skull trauma, and scientists have concluded that those buried there were victims of genocide? (nom) | |
7. Arnall Patz (3/31/10) | 5,267 | 850 | ... that ophthalmologist Arnall Patz received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for solving one of "the great medical mysteries of the postwar era"? | |
8. Dale Haney (11/1/22) | 9,802 | 817 | ... that Dale Haney has walked presidential pooches from Richard Nixon's King Timahoe to Joe Biden's Commander and safeguarded George W. Bush's pets during the September 11 attacks? | |
Leo the Mathematician (11/20/08) | 4,700 | 783 | ... that Leo the Mathematician, called by some the cleverest man in 9th-century Byzantium, invented a system of beacons to warn of Arab raids and a fabled levitating throne for the emperor? (nom) | |
Miyuki Hatoyama (9/6/09) | 4,700 | 783 | ... that Japan's incoming First Lady Miyuki Hatoyama claims to have been abducted by aliens in a triangular-shaped UFO and to have known Tom Cruise when he was Japanese in a prior incarnation? (nom) | |
9. Lester Shubin (12/3/09) | 6,807 | 756 | ... that chemist Lester Shubin has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of police officers? | |
10. Rommy Hunt Revson (10/24/22) | 8,787 | 732 | ... that nightclub singer Rommy Revson earned millions of dollars from her 1986 invention of the scrunchie (examples pictured), which she originally named after her pet poodle? | |
Dickshooter, Idaho (4/23/11) | 4,312 | 719 | ... that Dickshooter was named for Dick Shooter? | |
11. World Charter for Prostitutes' Rights (11/18/08) | 4,200 | 700 | ... that the World Charter for Prostitutes' Rights, adopted in 1985, calls for the right to unemployment insurance and decriminalization of adult prostitution? | |
12. David Avadon (9/14/09) | 4,200 | 700 | ... that David Avadon earned his livelihood for 30 years as "a daring pickpocket with dashing finesse"? | |
13. Gloria Nord (1/13-1/14/10) | 8,319 | 693 | ... that pin-up girl Gloria Nord attracted more than a million people to her rolling skating exhibitions in 1942 and 1943 and later gave a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II? | |
14. List of Australian inventions (12/17/08) | 3,800 | 623 | ... that Australian inventions include the boomerang, didgeridoo, black box flight data recorder, Vegemite, spray-on skin, and bionic ear (pictured)? | |
Royal Coachman (11/14/08) | 3,700 | 617 | ... that the Royal Coachman (pictured), first made in 1878, may be the world's best-known fly? (nom) | |
15. Death by coconut (7/28/13) | 4,258 | 532 | ... that according to an urban legend, coconuts kill more people than sharks each year? | |
16. Berthold Beitz (8/5/13) | 4,063 | 508 | ... that businessman Berthold Beitz saved hundreds of Jews, including tailors, hairdressers and Talmudic scholars, by designating them as essential to Nazi Germany's war effort? | |
17. Van Nuys Boulevard (3/21/08) | 3,400 | 507 | ...that Van Nuys Boulevard, running through the heart of LA's San Fernando Valley, was a center of teenage cruising from the 1950s through the 1970s? | |
18. Anton Zamloch (1/11/08) | 2,883 | 506 | ...that 19th century magician and vaudeville star Anton Zamloch was accused, and then exonerated, of having "bewitched" a woman's wedding ring from her gloved hand? | |
19. Waldo Hunt (12/3/09) | 3,000 | 492 | ... that Waldo Hunt, "King of the Pop-Ups," could "make dinosaurs rear up, ships set sail and bats quiver in belfries"? | |
20. Montecito Tea Fire (11/19-11/20/08) | 2,930 | 488 | ... that the Montecito Tea Fire, which destroyed more than 200 homes in California, was caused by smoldering embers from a bonfire party at an abandoned tea house? | |
21. Nicolae Pleşiţă (10/5/09) | 4,900 | 480 | ... that former Romanian secret police chief Nicolae Pleşiţă, notorious for his dealings with Carlos the Jackal, admitted dragging dissident writer Paul Goma around his cell by his beard? | |
22. Victory Boulevard (3/11/08) | 3,600 | 480 | ...that Victory Boulevard, running the 25-mile length of the San Fernando Valley, is mentioned in Randy Newman's I Love LA: "Victory Boulevard (We Love It!)"? | |
23. Charles Bond (9/17/09) | 2,868 | 478 | ... that Maj. Gen. Charles Bond was credited with shooting down nine-and-a-half Japanese planes and was himself shot down twice while serving with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China? | |
24. Sayre Fire (11/19/08) | 2,796 | 466 | ... that the Sayre Fire resulted in the worst loss of homes due to fire in the history of Los Angeles, surpassing the loss of 484 residences in the 1961 Bel Air fire? | |
25. ʻIolani Luahine (1/1-1/2/09) | 2,694 | 449 | ... that Iolani Luahine, considered the high priestess of the ancient hula, was said to be able to "call up the wind and the rain" and to "make animals do her bidding"? | |
26. Michael van der Veen (3/3/21) | 5,263 | 439 | ... that Michael van der Veen, who represented Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial, also represented a man claiming to have been served a fried rat at a KFC? | |
27. Murray Sayle (10/2/10) | 2,630 | 438 | ... that Australian Murray Sayle, known for his "rat-like cunning", was a war correspondent in Vietnam, tracked Che Guevara through the Bolivian jungle, climbed Mt. Everest and sailed solo across the Atlantic? | |
28. Stuart Macrae (inventor) (11/13/08) | 2,600 | 433 | ... that the sticky bomb was designed by Stuart Macrae at a laboratory known as "Winston Churchill's Toyshop"? (12,600 DYK views for sticky bomb) | |
29. Lillian Brown (11/1/20) | 5,149 | 429 | ... that Lillian Brown, makeup artist to nine U.S. presidents, stopped Richard Nixon's sobbing before he went on television to resign the presidency? | |
30. Ysrael Seinuk (10/10/10) | 2,560 | 427 | ... that Ysrael Seinuk came to the United States with little more than "my slide rule and my diploma from the University of Havana" and became known as "Mr. New York"? | |
31. Tony Dauksza (2/15/12) | 3,200 | 400 | ... that former American football player Tony Dauksza in 1971 became the first person to traverse the Northwest Passage in anything other than a ship, completing the journey by himself in a canoe? | |
32. Dodge Morgan (10/1/10) | 2,402 | 400 | ... that radar detector millionaire Dodge Morgan at age 54 sailed solo around the globe without stops in 150 days, shattering the prior record of 292 days? | |
33. Blowout (sports) (1/16/09) | 2,400 | 400 | ... that during a blowout, fans often chant to request that players who only play in garbage time be put in the game? | |
Robert A. Baker (12/7/08) | 4,600 | 383 | ... that "ghost buster" Robert A. Baker was named one of the most outstanding scientific skeptics of the 20th century for his work on hypnosis, ghosts, alien abductions and false memory syndrome? (nom) | |
34. James Tanis (1/13/09) | 2,471 | 358 | ... that former guerrilla James Tanis undertook a trip through some twenty fast-flowing rivers and creeks before being inaugurated as the second President of Bougainville? | |
35. Tiny Gooch (7/16/10) | 2,120 | 353 | ... that Tiny Gooch, placed third in the discus at the NCAA track championships, won the Southwest Conference heavyweight wrestling championship and was acknowledged as "the tallest attorney in Texas" until 1950? | |
36. Donna Mae Mims (10/22/09) | 2,786 | 350 | .. that Donna Mae Mims, known as the "Pink Lady" of racing, became the first woman to win a Sports Car Club of America national championship in 1963? | |
37. Gauthier Mvumbi (2/17/21) | 8,195 | 341 | ... that Gauthier Mvumbi has been called the "Shaq of handball", the "Congo Colossus", and "the most popular handball player on the Earth"? | |
38. [[Dick Liddil (12/9/08) | 1,700 | 317 | ... that James-Younger Gang member "Dick" Liddil surrendered to authorities after killing Jesse James' cousin, reportedly out of fear of that James would seek revenge? | |
39. Jan Leighton (12/5/09) | 1,300 | 290 | ... that Jan Leighton played over 1,200 famous persons in television and print advertisements, and 1,800 more on radio? | |
40. Maria Gulovich Liu (10/11/09) | 1,728 | 288 | ... that Maria Gulovich sheltered Jews, worked for the anti-fascist underground, and was awarded the Bronze Star for saving the lives of OSS agents during World War II? | |
41. C. Ferris White (8/6/12) | 2,300 | 288 | ... that C. Ferris White designed more than 1,100 buildings in the U.S. state of Washington (example pictured) and over 300 more in the company town of Potlatch, Idaho? | |
42. Charles Muscatine (3/28/10) | 1,676 | 279 | ... that Chaucer scholar Charles Muscatine participated in the D-day landing on Omaha Beach and was fired by UC Berkeley for refusing to sign a McCarthyite oath? | |
43. Walter Boal (7/3/09) | 1,671 | 279 | ... that American hammer thrower Walter Boal astonished passengers on a ship traveling to England in 1899 by skipping rope around the deck with another athlete on his back? | |
44. Jan Leighton (12/5/09) | 1,708 | 275 | ... that Jan Leighton played over 1,200 famous persons in television and print advertisements, and 1,800 more on radio? | |
45. Zoia Horn (12/9/08) | 2,200 | 275 | ... that the Zoia Horn Intellectual Freedom Award is named for a librarian who was jailed for refusing to testify in the 1972 trial of the Harrisburg Seven anti-war activists? | |
46. Florence Casler (6/30/08) | 2,755 | 276 | ... that after moving to Los Angeles, California in 1912 as a widow with two daughters, Florence Casler became a pioneering woman real estate developer, constructing more than 60 buildings? | |
47. Leonard Paulu (12/14/09) | 2,050 | 257 | ... that Leonard Paulu won consecutive NCAA championships in the 100 yard dash despite war injuries that included the loss of an eye and a right-leg stride four inches shorter than his left? | |
48. Jack Karwales | 1,492 | 249 | ... that Jack Karwales spent time as a Wolverine, Bear, and Cardinal, and a coach of Billikens? | |
49. Rachel Hirschfeld (12/9/08) | 1,900 | 238 | ... that attorney Rachel Hirschfeld works in the field of pet rights, including the creation of pet trusts allowing pets to inherit property? | |
50. Pico Boulevard (3/30/08) | 1,900 | 239 | ...that the 1947 song "Pico and Sepulveda" by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra about an intersection along LA's Pico Boulevard (pictured) was frequently featured on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show? (4,700 DYK photo views) | |
51. Hugo Bettauer] (11/18/08) | 1,400 | 233 | ... that Hugo Bettauer, author of a satire depicting Vienna after expulsion of its Jews, was shot and killed in 1925 after Nazis branded him a "Red poet" and "corruptor of youth"? | |
52. Beryl Benacerraf (11/18/22) | 5,538 | 231 | ... that Beryl Benacerraf, pioneer of the nuchal scan, wrote that dyslexia caused her to live in a world of images where "anomalies jump out at me like a neon sign"? | |
53. Robert Searcy (9/24/09) | 1,800 | 225 | ... that Robert Searcy, who served with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, was employed after the war by United Airlines cleaning aircraft? | |
54. Donald Goerke (1/29/10) | 1,301 | 217 | ... that Donald Goerke invented SpaghettiOs, choosing the "O" over pasta shaped like baseballs, cowboys, and spacemen, and later ran the company's dog food division? | |
55. Bill Paparian (12/15/08) | 1,300 | 217 | ... that Bill Paparian, who visited Cuba while mayor of Pasadena, California, was reported to admire both Che Guevara and the U.S. Marine Corps? | |
56. Alice McGrath (12/4/09) | 1,300 | 217 | ... that Luis Valdez called American activist Alice McGrath, who inspired his play Zoot Suit, "one of the heroines of the 20th century"? | |
57. Louis Robertshaw (2/26/10) | 1,258 | 210 | ... that Louis Robertshaw flew combat missions in World War II and Korea and flew an F-4D Phantom fighter in Vietnam as commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing? | |
58. Jesse Fortune (9/15/09) | 1,300 | 206 | ... that blues singer Jesse Fortune, better known as the "Fortune Tellin' Man," passed on performing in Europe because he did not want to disappoint customers at his Chicago barbershop? | |
59. Willie Louis (8/4/13) | 1,600 | 200 | ... that Willie Louis has been called a hero of the Civil Rights Movement for testifying in 1955 against two white men accused of murdering 14-year-old Emmett Till? |
My favorite DYKs
editOh, the irony
- ...that Groucho Marx joined Hillcrest Country Club even though it was willing to have him as a member? (April 3, 2008)
- ... that John T. Elson, who famously asked, "Is God Dead?" in 1966, is dead at age 78? (Septmember 27, 2009)
April Fool's
- ... that James Bond played briefly in the National Football League after completing his military service? (April 1, 2013)
- ... that William Shakespeare was nicknamed "The Merchant of Menace"? (April 1, 2010)
- ... that the quarterback for the first College Football All-America Team in 1889 was Edgar Allan Poe? (April 29, 2009)
Coconuts, garden gnomes, guinea pigs
- ... that according to an urban legend, coconuts kill more people than sharks each year? (July 28, 2013)
- ... that the leader of the French Garden Gnome Liberation Front was given a suspended sentence after the group "liberated" over 150 garden gnomes in 1997? (December 17, 2008)
- ... that after testing the biological Brucella cluster bomb on 11,000 guinea pigs, a U.S. general remarked "Now we know what to do if we ever go to war against guinea pigs"? (November 19, 2008)
Baseball
- ... that Dummy Taylor, once the highest salaried deaf person in the United States, was ejected from a baseball game for cursing out the umpire in sign language? (September 2, 2011)
- ... that an 1888 letter written by Weldy Walker, the second African American in Major League Baseball, was called "perhaps the most passionate cry for justice ever voiced by a Negro athlete"? (June 7, 2012)
- ... that the baseball career of Charlie Bennett (pictured), who reportedly invented the chest protector, ended when both legs were run over by a train? (July 15, 2014)
- ... that an x-ray of catcher Deacon McGuire's gnarled left hand (pictured) showed "36 breaks, twists or bumps all due to baseball accidents"? (July 24, 2014)
- ... that "Foxy Ned" Hanlon (pictured), inventor of the "Baltimore chop", was "The Father of Modern Baseball"? (July 28, 2014)
- ... that pitcher and "smokeball artist" Lil Stoner (pictured) also enjoyed baking and growing flowers? (March 3, 2021)
- ... that Fred Dunlap, who was once the highest paid player in professional baseball, died penniless at the age of 43? (September 2, 2011)
- ... that Mysterious Walker, who played for or coached more than 30 baseball, basketball and football teams, earned his nickname pitching for the San Francisco Seals under a pseudonym and wearing a mask?
- ... that baseball humorist Charles Dryden dubbed the 1906 White Sox the "Hitless Wonders" and said of the 1909 Senators: "Washington – first in war, first in peace and last in the American League"?
- ... that Boston Beaneater Bobby "Link" Lowe (pictured) was the first Major League player to hit four home runs in a game and was selected in 1911 as the best utility player in baseball history?
- ... that Pete Conway won 30 games as a pitcher for the Detroit Wolverines in 1888, "snapped a cord in his arm" in 1889, later worked as a mule skinner, and was dead by age 36?
- ... that pitcher Johnny Gee, sometimes known as the "$75,000 Lemon", was the tallest person ever to play Major League Baseball until Randy Johnson debuted in 1988?
- ... that Duncan Curry, sometimes called the "Father of Baseball", was the president of the first organized baseball team and helped draft the first written rules of the game in 1845?
- ... that Oakland Athletics manager Steve Boros was criticized for his pioneering use of an Apple II computer to guide his managerial decisions in 1983?
- ... that Charlie Getzein (pictured), known for his "pretzel curve" pitch, won 59 games in 1886 and 1887, including four games in the 1887 World Series?
- ... that after suffering a heart attack at the age of 27, relief pitcher John Hiller (pictured) made a comeback and broke Major League Baseball's record for saves in a season?
Michigan football
- ... that American football player Tom Hammond (pictured) always played without protective padding, saying "I want them to feel my bones"? (March 30, 2010)
- ... that ice cream manufacturer William Wilson Talcott (pictured) killed himself by jumping from an excursion steamer into Lake Michigan with rocks in his pockets after he was unable to extricate his wife from a "love cult" in 1922? (December 4, 2010)
- ...that the Michigan Wolverines' practice of parading their live mascot Biff before matches was stopped as the animal grew larger and more ferocious? (April 2, 2008)
- ... that Irving Pond (pictured) designed three National Historic Landmarks, performed a backflip on his 80th birthday, and scored the first ever touchdown for the Michigan Wolverines? (March 16, 2010)
- ... that Michigan football coach William Ward later became a physician who experimented with the surgical creation of artificial vaginas? {May 20, 2011)
- ... that William Dennison Clark, whose "wretched blunder" in 1905 ended Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak in football, killed himself 27 years later, reportedly expressing the hope to atone for his error? (November 17, 2010)
- ... that Michigan end Curtis Redden (pictured) died in World War I after he had described the night sky over the battlefield as "weird, hideous, fascinating, sublime"? (August 8, 2009)
- ... that Neil Snow (pictured), ranked by Grantland Rice as one of the three greatest all-around athletes ever turned out in college sports, died of heart failure at age 34 after a game of squash? (February 10, 2009)
- ...that Gerald Ford's two greatest regrets in life were losing the starting center job in college to All-American Chuck Bernard and losing a presidential election? (December 6, 2007)
- ...that halfback Chuck Ortmann punted 24 times in the famed 1950 Snow Bowl, having decided the best strategy was to keep the slick ball on the other side of the field in the opponents' hands?
- ...that Gerald Ford threatened to quit the Michigan football team when African-American player Willis Ward was kept out of a 1932 game in response to Georgia Tech's refusal to play an integrated team?
- ...that George Jewett was the first African-American to earn a varsity letter in football at both the University of Michigan and at Northwestern University?
- ...that, after eluding capture for three months when his B-25 bomber was shot down behind enemy lines in World War II, Bob Chappuis was the MVP of the Rose Bowl 60 years ago?
- ... that Russian-born Joe Magidsohn was the first Jew to win a varsity "M" at the University of Michigan and the first athlete known to have refused to compete on the High Holy Days?
- ... that Horace Prettyman (pictured) played eight years of "college" football for the University of Michigan from 1882 to 1890, some when he was in his 30s and no longer a student?
- ... that Willie Heston (pictured), rated by Knute Rockne as the greatest back of all time, helped Michigan outscore its opponents 2,326 to 40 in his four years with the team?
- ... that team MVP Gerald Ford (pictured) recalled that Michigan's 1934 "Punt, Pass and Prayer" offense lost punter John Regeczi and passer "Hard Luck Bill" Renner and "all we had left was the prayer"?
- ... that ophthalmologist John Chase (pictured) commanded the Colorado National Guard in the Colorado Labor Wars, the arrest of Mother Jones, and the Ludlow Massacre?
- ... that Charles S. Mitchell (pictured), "goal-keeper" on the first Michigan football team, became the editor-in-chief of the Washington Herald?
- ... that the 1879 Michigan football team defeated Racine College, 1–0, in the first intercollegiate football game in the school's history?
- ... that the 1885 Michigan Wolverines football team played a game on roller skates against the Princess football team?
- ... that during an 1888 visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan, Theodore Roosevelt quipped that it was "not healthy to get in the way of the U. of M. rugby team"?
- ... that the 1925 Michigan football team allowed only thee points all year and featured one of the sport's greatest passing combinations in "The Benny-to-Bennie Show"?
- ... that Greg Morton, college football's defensive player of the year for 1976, collected exotic flora, including a purple passion plant he named Claudine?
- ... that Michigan quarterback Jim Betts persuaded Bo Schembechler in 1969 to relax his clean-shave policy by claiming that facial hair was part of the African-American players' "heritage"?
- ... that Bo Schembechler praised Pete Newell for traveling to Iowa with the 1969 Michigan football team rather than to a large antiwar rally "with the damn hippies where he really wanted to be"?
- ... that when the 1959 Michigan football team (pictured) defeated Ohio State, opposing coach Woody Hayes whirled and hurled pieces of clothing, drawing a comparison to a "hot stripper"?
Historic sites
- ... that Frank Lloyd Wright said of the Millard House (pictured) that he "would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome"?
- ... that Marilyn Monroe posed naked in 1948 to raise US$50 to pay the rent for her room at the Hollywood Studio Club (pictured)?
- ... that the El Greco Apartments (pictured), once home to Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, were saved from demolition with fund-raising help from Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy?
- ... that the Sunset Tower (pictured) in West Hollywood, California was home to Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and gangster Bugsy Siegel, who was asked to leave after being charged with running a bookmaking operation there?
- ... that South Park Lofts in Los Angeles, originally an eight-story parking garage, was converted to lofts, whereupon residents complained about a lack of parking?
- ... that a tower of 2,000 wooden Schlitz beer pallets described as "a rotting vestige of one man's egotism" that festers "like a sore on the community's body" is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument? (September 30, 2008)
- ... that SS Catalina, after reportedly carrying more passengers than any other ship anywhere, has been stuck half-submerged in Ensenada, Mexico for more than ten years?
- ... that units in LA's Avenel Cooperative Housing Project, reportedly built as "a cooperative living experiment for a group of communists", were selling for US$300,000 in 2002?
- ... that the Alvarado Terrace Historic District includes a church built in 1912 that was the LA home of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple before the group's 1977 mass suicide in Jonestown?
- ... that young Judy Garland was discovered, and Amelia Earhart made her last public appearance, at Ebell of Los Angeles (pictured)?
- ... that the Art Deco Montecito Apartments (pictured) had been the home of Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Montgomery Clift, and George C. Scott before becoming a senior citizens' housing project?
- ...that when St. Andrew's Church in Pasadena was built in the 1920s, it was compared to "a jeweled crown on the head of a Byzantine queen"?
- ...that the pastor of Burbank's St. Bellarmine Church was a World War I chaplain who modeled the campus on Monticello and Independence Hall?
- ...that Robert Kennedy stayed at the Sportsmen's Lodge (sign pictured), formerly the "Hollywood Trout Farms", in Studio City, California the night before his assassination?
- ... that the luxurious Villa Riviera was the second tallest building in Southern California from the time of its completion in 1929 through the mid-1950s?
- ... that the Palm Court, called "the most beautiful room in Los Angeles," has been the site of speeches by Presidents Taft and Wilson and balls where Rudolph Valentino danced with starlets?
- ... that the Kappe Residence, described as "a virtual tree house poised over a steep hillside", was named one of the top ten houses in Los Angeles by an expert panel selected by the Los Angeles Times?
- ... that the 1916 Early Modern Dodge House in West Hollywood, California, called one of the fifteen most significant houses in the United States, was demolished in 1970 to make way for apartments?
- ... that Second Baptist Church, once the largest African American–owned meeting space in the western U.S., hosted speeches by W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X?
- ... that the Lincoln Theater in Los Angeles was known as the "West Coast Apollo" and featured performances by jazz legends before being converted into a church?
- ... that Louden Machinery Co. designed more than 25,000 barns (catalog pictured) as well as monorail devices used in manufacturing the first atomic bomb and at a B-29 bomber plant?
Music
- ... that a ranking of the greatest double-entendre songs of all time included "Big Long Slidin' Thing" by Dinah Washington (pictured), "Need a Little Sugar in My Bowl" by Bessie Smith, "It Ain't the Meat (It's the Motion)" by the Swallows, "Keep On Churnin' (Till the Butter Comes)" by Wynonie Harris, and "Big Ten Inch Record" by Aerosmith?
- ... that The New York Times called Leonard Skinner, the namesake of Lynyrd Skynyrd, "arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture"?
- .. that bongo player Chaino, whose albums included Jungle Mating Rhythms, claimed to be an orphan from a lost tribe in central Africa but was actually born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago?
- ... that "Fujiyama Mama", an American rockabilly song that compared a woman's energy to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, was a number-one hit in Japan in 1958?
- ... that Paraguayan and jarocho harpist Celso Duarte began touring at age 10 and has performed with his band at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and the Getty Center?
- ... that Manzanar internee Tak Shindo went on to become a "Giant of Jazz" for exotica albums like Mganga! and Brass and Bamboo?
- ... that the exotica album Orienta by "Star Trek" composer Gerald Fried was said to resemble the dreams of a person who has fallen asleep during a Fu Manchu movie on television?
- ... that "Filipino Baby", a song about a sailor's love for a Filipino girl, described as "my treasure and my pet", was a top-five hit for three different artists in 1946?
- ... that music critic Greg Kot described "Wang Dang Sweet Poontang" as "despicable misogyny", but listed it among his guilty pleasures because the "rawwwk doesn't get much rawer"?
- ... that an album of poetry read by John Wayne reached the number-13 spot on Billboard's Hot Country Albums chart?
- ... that "Macorina", the first erotic song dedicated to one woman by another, became a "lesbian hymn"?
Movies and TV
- ... that the epic anti-war film Civilization (poster pictured), depicting Jesus walking through the carnage of war, was credited with helping re-elect U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916?
- ... that Frank Coghlan said "damn" in Gone with the Wind, but is best known known for saying "Shazam" in Captain Marvel, the first big screen depiction of a comic book superhero?
- ... that Claude Rains's reference to the Nazis' "gas ovens" was cut from the audio during the broadcast of Judgment at Nuremberg due to an objection by a gas-company sponsor?
- ... that Ernest Hemingway watched the television adaptation of For Whom the Bell Tolls from a flea-bitten motel as the screenwriter held the "rabbit ears" for him?
- ... that sponsors refused to back the lynching story A Town Has Turned to Dust until writer Rod Serling moved the setting out of the South and changed the victim from black to Mexican?
- ... that a scandal arose when African-American actor Lorenzo Tucker, known as the "Black Valentino", playing a pimp in a play, kissed Mae West, playing a prostitute?
- ... that Luke Matheny, whose hair was described as "a vast black bouffant that makes him look like an untidy microphone", began his Academy Award acceptance speech by joking, "I should've gotten a haircut"?
- ... that The Green Pastures (1957) (advertisement pictured) was critiqued in the white Southern press for having "bowed to the inverted prejudice which insists that Negroes shall never be portrayed as Negroes"?
- ... that Laurence Olivier won an Emmy for his role as a London stockbroker, Parisian artist, and Tahitian leper in The Moon and Sixpence?
- ... that Rod Serling's Forbidden Area (actor pictured), a nuclear-war thriller, launched the four-year run of a series voted in 1970 as "the greatest television series of all time"?
- ... that P.O.W. was based on interviews with repatriated prisoners about communist "brainwashing treatment" during the Korean War?
- ... that Bang the Drum Slowly, in which Paul Newman stepped in and out of character to double as a Greek chorus, was called "daring television of rare quality"?
- ... that The New York Times review of the 1955 television play No Time for Sergeants questioned whether Andy Griffith was "versatile enough to qualify for other important roles"?
- ... that a 1953 television special broadcast simultaneously on NBC and CBS attracted 60 million viewers and was called "a milestone in the cultural life of the '50s"?
- ... that the Soviet Union called The Plot to Kill Stalin "filthy slander" and retaliated by closing the CBS news bureau in Moscow?
- ... that A Night to Remember, a live broadcast about Titanic's final night, featured 107 actors and 31 sets, and proved that "TV occasionally can rise to great heights"?
- ... that Lillian Brown, makeup artist to nine U.S. presidents, stopped Richard Nixon's sobbing before he went on television to resign the presidency?
- ... that Steve McQueen and William Shatner starred in The Defender, the first live television drama divided for broadcast on separate nights, "leaving audiences dangling on the cliff"?
- ... that the producers of The Jet Propelled Couch hired "Miss Color TV", Vampira (pictured in black and white), and several Miss Americas to portray attractive creatures inhabiting an imaginary planet?
- ... that the Rod Serling–hosted television production The Great Gatsby (1958) was described as being "neither 'Great' nor 'Gatsby'"?
- ... that Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward starred in The 80 Yard Run as a couple in a troubled marriage, and were married in real life 13 days later?
- ... that Jack Lemmon starred in The Mystery of Thirteen as a real-life physician who Charles Dickens called "the greatest villain that ever stood in the Old Bailey"?
- ... that "The Strike" (1954), about an American officer's turmoil in ordering an air strike on his own men, was rated as Rod Serling's best script he had written to date?
- ... that the 1920 film Sex, opening with its star performing a seductive "spider dance" clad in "a translucent cloak of webs", had its title censored in Pennsylvania?
Heroic efforts
- ... that Capitol Police officer Eugene Goodman has been credited with having "saved American Democracy" on January 6, 2021?
- ... that Paul Bunker died in a Japanese POW camp in 1943 but kept hidden a remnant of the U.S. flag from Corregidor now displayed at the West Point Museum?
- ... that Heinz Stahlschmidt was credited with saving 3,500 French lives when he refused to blow up the port of Bordeaux and instead blew up the munitions bunker, killing approximately 50 Germans?
- ... that George R. Christmas (pictured), then known as Captain Christmas, received the Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism" in the Vietnam War?
- ... that United States Secret Service agent Vincent Mroz shot an attempted presidential assassin in the "biggest gunfight in Secret Service history"?
- ... that businessman Berthold Beitz saved hundreds of Jews, including tailors, hairdressers and Talmudic scholars, by designating them as essential to Nazi Germany's war effort?
- ... that Willie Louis has been called a hero of the Civil Rights Movement for testifying in 1955 against two white men accused of murdering 14-year-old Emmett Till?
- ... that chemist Lester Shubin has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of police officers?
University of Michigan
- ...that University of Michigan elocution professor Thomas Trueblood received nationwide attention when the Chicago Tribune reported in 1903 that he was offering a new "course in love making"?
- ... that Eddie Tolan, the first African-American to be the "world's fastest human" after winning double gold at the 1932 Olympics, returned home jobless and appeared in vaudeville with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson?
- ...that Charlie Fonville broke a 14-year-old shot put world record by almost 12 inches (30 cm) at the 1948 Kansas Relays but was not allowed to stay with the other athletes because he was African-American?
- ...that William Revelli, director of the University of Michigan Marching Band for 36 years, was the first to synchronize music and movement, in place of traditional rigid military-style formations?
- ... that Mel Wakabayashi, born in a wartime Japanese-Canadian internment camp, was called "perhaps the most unlikely star in the long history of Michigan sports, and surely one of the most inspirational"?
- ... that Carol Hutchins, coach of the first eastern team to win the Women's College World Series, is the winningest coach in the history of the University of Michigan in any sport?
- ... that the U.S. Olympic Committee awarded medals to Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman 62 years after the only two Jews on the U.S. track team were pulled from the 400-meter relay team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics?
- ... that Mike Murphy (pictured) trained heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan, was the first Michigan Wolverines football coach, and has been called the "the father of American track athletics"?
- ... that Steve Farrell, called "the greatest professional foot-racer" in America, raced against horses for several years in the 1890s and reportedly only lost a half dozen times?
- ... that twin brothers Robert and Ross Hume became known as the "Dead Heat Kids" after finishing nine straight mile races, including the Big Ten and NCAA championships, holding hands in dead heat victories?
- ... that Time magazine predicted "Big Bill" Watson, the first African-American to win the U.S. decathlon championship, would be America's No. 1 hero at the 1940 Olympics, later cancelled due to World War II?
- ... that Greek professor Albert Pattengill played on Michigan's 1867 baseball team, nominated "azure-blue and maize" as the university's colors, and was one of the founders of the Big Ten Conference?
- ... that Charles Dvorak (pictured) missed the pole vault finals at the 1900 Olympics after being told the event was postponed, but returned to win the gold medal at the 1904 Olympics?
- ... that Fred Bonine set the world's record in the 110-yard dash in 1886, and later saw over a million patients in his medical office?
- ... that the 1947–48 Michigan Wolverines hockey team (pictured) won the first "Frozen Four" NCAA hockey championship in March 1948?
- ... that the 1943–44 Michigan basketball team included three athletes, "Crazy Legs" Hirsh, Don Lund, and Bob Wiese, who later played in the National Football League or Major League Baseball?
- ... that 1951–52 Michigan Wolverines basketball team was integrated months after the Inter-Racial Association alleged "a deliberate and conscious policy of discrimination against Negro athletes"?
- ... that Leonard Brumm organized an inmate hockey team at a maximum security prison, coached the first professional female hockey player, and co-founded the Kuwait National Hockey League?
Other football
- ... that Arthur Matsu was the first Asian American student at The College of William & Mary, the first Asian American quarterback in the NFL and the first Japanese coach in American football?
- ... that William H. Lewis (pictured) became the first African-American college football player in 1888 and the first African-American to serve as U.S. Assistant Attorney General in 1911?
- ... that "Ma" Newell (pictured), one of the few four-year All-Americans in college football history, was run over by a railroad engine on Christmas Eve 1897?
- ... that Buffalo's "Ockie" Anderson scored more points in the 1920 NFL season (the league's first) than four entire teams?
- ... that Georgia Tech halfback and College Football Hall of Fame inductee "Stroop" Strupper used lip-reading to overcome deafness?
- ... that Yale All-American Ted Coy (pictured), who played football with "his long blonde hair held back by a white sweatband," was the basis for a character in a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald?
- ... that two-time All-American fullback "Blondy" Graydon performed a tumbling routine with the Barnum & Bailey Circus while dressed "in resplendent pink tights"?
- ... that Louis Merrilat played football with Dwight Eisenhower at West Point, trained Iran's Persian Guard, and served as a soldier of fortune in China and with the French Foreign Legion?
- ... that Detroit sportswriter E.A. Batchelor popularized a nickname for the Notre Dame football team by opening a 1909 game account, "Eleven fighting Irishmen wrecked the Yost machine this afternoon"?
- ... that despite winning seven national championships from 1899 to 1912, the Yale football team had 14 head coaches in those 14 years, including a lingerie manufacturer, "the phantom line cleaver", a manufacturer of machine guns, a victim of typhoid fever, a Harvard law student, the senior partner of Smith Barney & Co., the grandfather of a noted documentary filmmaker, the nephew of the U.S. Secretary of State, and the president of a historically black university?
- ... that in April 1947, halfback Mel Groomes (pictured) became the first African-American player signed by the Detroit Lions?
- .. that Cherokee Indian Mayes McLain held college football's single-season scoring record for more than 60 years and engaged in professional wrestling as the "Masked Manager"?
- ... that in 1898, Frank Hudson, a five-foot, three-inch quarterback from the Laguna Pueblo tribe, became the first Native American to be selected as an All-American football player?
- ... that the undefeated 1955 Hillsdale Dales football team declined a Tangerine Bowl bid because the bowl insisted that four black players—including national scoring leader Nate Clark—stay home?
- ... that Pat Studstill led the National Football League in punt return yards in 1962, receiving yards in 1966, and punting yards in 1969?
- ... that College Football Hall of Fame quarterback Charlie Green led Wittenberg to three consecutive undefeated seasons, including a national championship for the 1964 Wittenberg Tigers football team?
- ... that a future president of the United States played halfback for the 1912 Army Cadets football team?
- ... that Steve Hamas played in the National Football League and later beat two former boxing champions in the ring?
- ... that Francis Bacon played in the first National Football League game and became the first NFL player to return a punt for a touchdown?
- ... that former NFL halfback Art Pharmer pursued, tackled, and captured a shoplifter who ran from the sporting goods store where Pharmer worked?
- ... that Mally Nydahl, "one of the greatest backs ever to come out of the Middle West", used his football earnings to pay for medical school and became a professor of orthopedic surgery?
- ... that Nebraska's "Itch" Oehlrich was lured by the "scratch" of $100 per game to play in the National Football League?
- ... that Wisconsin's Jug Girard, dubbed "Mr. Versatility", was a quarterback, end, halfback, punter, and kickoff returner in 10 years in the NFL?
- ... that the one-armed football player Eugene Neeley became a consensus first-team All-American?
Miscellaneous
- ... that the Battle of San Buenaventura was described by the Los Angeles Times as a "quirky skirmish ... that emptied the mission of wine and left its adobe walls pockmarked by cannon fire"?
- ... that Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, aka Major Mite (pictured), was billed as the world's smallest man?
- ... that the 1971 Hazelwood massacre was the largest mass murder in the history of "Murder City"?
- ... that the Ventura Pier was the longest wooden pier in California until a storm sheared off approximately 420 feet (130 m) in 1995?
- ... that Los Angeles Times sports writer Mike Penner told readers he was a transsexual in a 2007 essay entitled "Old Mike, new Christine"?
- ... that 19th-century California bandit Procopio, also known as Red-Handed Dick, was said to "love the feel and the color of warm blood," and his name was used by mothers to frighten their children?
- ... that Michael van der Veen, who represented Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial, also represented a man claiming to have been served a fried rat at a KFC?
- ... that attorney David Schoen held up a copy of Mao's Little Red Book while defending Donald Trump at his second impeachment trial?
- ... that Iolani Luahine, considered the high priestess of the ancient hula, was said to be able to "call up the wind and the rain" and to "make animals do her bidding"?
- ... that Australian Murray Sayle, known for his "rat-like cunning", was a war correspondent in Vietnam, tracked Che Guevara through the Bolivian jungle, climbed Mt. Everest and sailed solo across the Atlantic?
- ... that Dickshooter was named for Dick Shooter?
- ... that when women's champion Dotty Fothergill sued in 1970 for being denied the right to compete in men's tournaments, the Professional Bowlers Association countersued for "disastrous ridicule"?
- ... that Gauthier Mvumbi has been called the "Shaq of handball", the "Congo Colossus", and "the most popular handball player on the Earth"?
- ... that Verna Grahek Mize was given the title "First Lady of Lake Superior" for her campaign to stop a mining company from dumping 67,000 tons of "gray gunk" into the lake each day?
- ... that six-time American national archery champion Russ Hoogerhyde performed trick shots including shooting a cigarette from the lips of a spectator?
Michigan Wolverines football (362)
edit- ... that a linebacker was the leading scorer on the 1971 Michigan Wolverines football team? June 3, 2016 (2,136 DYK views for Coin, 2,010 DYK views for the team)
- ... that Rashan Gary, the first player to be unanimously rated as the top American football prospect, committed in February 2016 to play for the Michigan Wolverines? March 3, 2016 (2,155 DYK views)
- ... that at least 12 players from the 1944 Michigan Wolverines football team, 15 from the 1945 team, and 21 from the 1946 team were either drafted to play or actually played professional football in the NFL or AAFC? August 1, 2015 (973 DYK views for 1944 team, 694 for 1945 team, 720 for 1946 DYK views)
- ... that the 1968 Michigan Wolverines football team was ranked No. 12 in the final AP Poll in its last season under head coach Bump Elliott? July 24, 2015 (798 DYK views)
- ... that the 1941 Michigan Wolverines football team outscored opponents 147 to 41, losing only to the eventual champions, Minnesota? July 9, 2015
- ... that the 1991 All-Big Ten Conference football team included Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard and conference rushing leader Vaughn Dunbar? June 27, 2015
- ... that linebacker Sam Sword was the leading tackler on the undefeated 1997 Michigan football team? June 26, 2015
- ... that 1921 Michigan Wolverines football team (pictured) outscored its opponents by a combined score of 187 to 21? June 18, 2015
- ... that Tommy Hendricks played free safety for the undefeated 1997 Michigan American football team and was the Miami Dolphins' special teams captain from 2001 to 2003? May 25, 2015
- ... that American football player Mike Teeter won the Dick Katcher Award in 1989 and was named All-World while playing for the Frankfurt Galaxy in 1991? May 21, 2015
- ... that Joe Cocozzo played in the 1993 Rose Bowl, the 1993 Senior Bowl, and Super Bowl XXIX? May 10, 2015
- ... that Michigan's Matt Elliott went on to play four years in the NFL despite being "Mr. Irrelevant" in 1992? April 26, 2015
- ... that tight end Paul Seal won the Most Valuable Player award on the 1973 Michigan football team and later had 1,586 receiving yards in the NFL? April 15, 2015
- ... that Randy Logan (pictured) was a consensus All-American at Michigan and appeared in 159 consecutive games for the Philadelphia Eagles? April 16, 2015
- ... that in his NFL debut season, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Len Ford (pictured) was injured so severely in a game he required plastic surgery to "virtually rebuild" his face? October 3, 2014
- ... that Derrick Green, rated the No. 1 running back in the college football recruiting Class of 2013, has been described as follows: "Look at him from the back and the side, he's a huge human being"? September 3, 2013 (3,800 DYK views) (344)
- ... that Fred Schule (pictured) won a gold medal in the hurdles at the 1904 Olympics, and was a member of the 1903 Michigan football team that outscored opponents 565 to 6? September 1, 2013 (343)
- ... that Johnny Greene, a converted lineman, was nicknamed the "Cinderella Kid" when he became one of the leading pass receivers in the NFL in the late 1940s? August 30, 2013 (342)
- ... that Roderick Cox, the 1933 NCAA Champion in the hammer throw, played college football with Gerald Ford at the University of Michigan? August 28, 2013 (341)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines football in the Kipke years (Kipke pictured) included a four-year stretch in which the team won two national championships and had three undefeated seasons? April 13, 2013 (340)
- ... that Fritz Seyferth joined the University of Michigan football team as a walk-on and became the third-leading scorer in the Big Ten Conference in 1970? January 4, 2013 (339)
- ... that Mike Jolly was the starting weak side cornerback in 35 of 36 games for Michigan teams that played in two Rose Bowls and a Gator Bowl from 1977 to 1979? December 29, 2012 (338)
- ... that Carl Russ started as a walk-on and became the starting wide linebacker for Michigan football teams that had a record of 20–1–1? December 24, 2012 (337)
- ... that Fred Julian led Michigan in rushing in 1959 and led the New York Jets in interceptions in 1960? December 23, 2012 (336)
- ... that Walt Downing, the seventh All-American center for Michigan, won a Super Bowl with the 1981 San Francisco 49ers? December 22, 2012 (335)
- ... that Bo Schembechler praised Pete Newell for traveling to Iowa with the 1969 Michigan football team rather than to a large antiwar rally "with the damn hippies where he really wanted to be"? December 21, 2012 (334)
- ... that Michigan quarterback Jim Betts persuaded Bo Schembechler in 1969 to relax his clean-shave policy by claiming that facial hair was part of the African-American players' "heritage"? December 18, 2012 (333)
- ... that Bo Schembechler knew his 1969 team was no longer afraid of Ohio State when a fight the day before the game ended with Cecil Pryor yelling, "And we're gonna kick your ass tomorrow, too!"? December 18, 2012 (332)
- ... that Greg Morton, college football's defensive player of the year for 1976, collected exotic flora, including a purple passion plant he named Claudine? December 17, 2012 (331)
- ... that Guy Murdock, the MVP of football's Chicago Fire, joined with the Winds after the Fire was extinguished? December 16, 2012 (330)
- ... that 21 players from the 1976 Michigan football team went on to play in the NFL, and another opted instead to play Major League Baseball? December 15, 2012 (329)
- ... that tight end Doug Marsh was Michigan's leading receiver in 1979 and later played seven NFL seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals? December 15, 2012 (328)
- ... that Dennis Franks, an American football offensive lineman, participated in figure skating to develop his agility and leg strength? December 12, 2012 (327)
- ... that the 1943 Michigan Wolverines football team lost its only game to Notre Dame in a game that matched teams ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP Poll? December 4, 2012 (326)
- ... that United States Secret Service agent Vincent Mroz shot an attempted presidential assassin in the "biggest gunfight in Secret Service history"? December 3, 2012 (23,000 DYK views) (325)
- ... that William Allen (pictured) played on the undefeated 1898 Michigan football team and led Washington State to an undefeated record as head football coach in 1900? December 2, 2012 (1,675 DYK views) (324)
- ... that John Herrnstein was the third generation of the Herrnstein family to play for the Michigan Wolverines football team? July 1, 2012 (323)
- ... that Lincoln MacMillan played on Michigan football teams that defeated Notre Dame in each of the first five games between the schools? June 10, 2012 (322)
- ... that a newspaper quipped that the 1911 Michigan football team, featuring "Bottles" and "Bubbles", could claim the world championship for having players injured? May 13, 2012 (321)
- ... that Forrest Hall (pictured) played for Princeton's 1893 national championship football team, coached Auburn to a 94–0 victory over Georgia Tech in 1894, and set a shot put record at Michigan in 1895? April 26, 2012 (3,200 DYK views) (320)
- ... that the 1925 Michigan football team allowed only thee points all year and featured one of the sport's greatest passing combinations in "The Benny-to-Bennie Show"? April 22, 2012 (319)
- ... that the undefeated 1910 Michigan football team featured three All-Americans in Albert Benbrook, Stanfield Wells and Joe Magidsohn (pictured)? April 24, 2012 (3,700 DYK views) (318)
- ... that 1907 Michigan football team gave up an average of only one point per game and shut out Vanderbilt in front of the largest crowd to see a football game south of the Mason–Dixon Line? April 10, 2012 (317)
- ... that John Garrels of the 1906 Michigan football team threw the school's first legal forward pass, won Olympic medals in the hurdles and shot put, and set a world record in the discus throw? April 8, 2012 (316)
- ... that Fielding H. Yost opined that Germany Schulz (pictured) gave "the greatest one-man exhibition of courage I ever saw on a football field" for the 1908 Michigan football team? April 7, 2012 (1,500 DYK views for the team article, 4,200 for Germany Schulz, 700 for Yost, and 750 for the photo) (315)
- ... that the 1909 Michigan football team won the first battle for the Little Brown Jug (pictured), the oldest rivalry trophy in American college football? March 30, 2012 (2,100 DYK views) (314)
- ... that the 1880 Michigan football team played its only game in a foreign country and at a lacrosse club? March 30, 2012 (1,900 DYK views) (313)
- ... that during an 1888 visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan, Theodore Roosevelt quipped that it was "not healthy to get in the way of the U. of M. rugby team"? March 26, 2012 (312)
- ... that the 1879 Michigan football team defeated Racine College, 1–0, in the first intercollegiate football game in the school's history? March 21, 2012 (311)
- ... that the 1884 Michigan football team's (pictured) first game was part of a "field day" that included heavyweight boxing, "catch-as-catch-can wrestling" and "chasing greased pig"? March 20, 2012 (3,600 DYK views) (310)
- ... that the 1885 Michigan Wolverines football team played a game on roller skates against the Princess football team? March 18, 2012 (309)
- ... that after George Jewett (pictured) played for the 1892 Michigan football team, it was 40 years before another African-American played for the Wolverines? March 18, 2012 (308)
- ... that after the 1933 Michigan Wolverines football team won the first game in what was to be an undefeated season, Gerald Ford wrote that the University of Michigan had "more drunks than ever"? February 28, 2012 (2,700 DYK views) (307)
- ... that Russ Oliver, dubbed the "second Red Grange" at age 16, was the fourth University of Michigan athlete to win nine varsity letters in three major sports? February 19, 2012 (306)
- ... that former American football player Tony Dauksza in 1971 became the first person to traverse the Northwest Passage in anything other than a ship, completing the journey by himself in a canoe? February 15, 2012 (3,200 DYK views) (305)
- ... that the 1923 Michigan football team's undefeated season was saved when Edliff Slaughter executed what Fielding Yost called "the greatest play in football I ever saw"? February 13, 2012 (304)
- ... that the 1913 Michigan Wolverines football team featured running by Jimmy Craig (pictured), a "Hawaiian yell," and snake dancing behind the Michigan band? February 5, 1912 (2,500 DYK views) (303)
- ... that the undefeated 1922 Michigan football team held opponents to 1.8 points per game and shut out Vanderbilt and Ohio State at dedication games for their new stadia? January 30, 2012 (3,200 DYK views) (302)
- ... that the 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team won the national championship while holding opponents to 4.8 points per game and extending the team's winning streak to 23 games? January 28, 2012 (301)
- ... that Theodore M. Stuart, an end and halfback for the "Point-a-Minute" football teams at the University of Michigan in 1904 and 1905, was also the university's tennis champion? December 20, 2011 (300)
- ... that Detroit sportswriter E.A. Batchelor popularized a nickname for the Notre Dame football team by opening a 1909 game account, "Eleven fighting Irishmen wrecked the Yost machine this afternoon"? August 25, 2011 (259)
- ... that Lyall Smith successfully lobbied for the first post-bowl AP Poll in 1948 to settle competing championship claims by undefeated Notre Dame and Michigan football teams? August 22, 2011 (258)
- ... that James E. Lawrence (pictured) was once "considered the greatest place-kicker the University of Michigan ever had"? August 5, 2011 (6,400 DYK views) (257)
- ... that former Michigan linebacker Mike Keller has played in the NFL and held executive positions in the USFL, XFL and World League of American Football? August 1, 2011 (256)
- ... that NFL halfback Bruce McLenna was killed in 1968 while riding in the rear of a military truck that crashed? August 1, 2011 (255)
- ... that Jim Brieske, who set multiple placekicking records, had his kicking foot amputated in 1967? July 29, 2011 (2,600 DYK views) (254)
- ... that Carl Ward's 104-yard kickoff return in 1967 was the longest in the history of the Cleveland Browns? July 27, 2011 (253)
- ... that Glenn Doughty rushed for 329 yards in his first two college football games for the 1969 Michigan Wolverines and later played eight years for the Baltimore Colts? July 24, 2011 (252)
- ... that "Dad" Moulton, a participant in Sherman's March to the Sea, was the U.S. sprint champion in the 1870s, and trained the "world's fastest human" in the 1880s? July 20, 2011 (3,500 DYK views) (251)
- ... that Collins H. Johnston, halfback on the first Michigan football team in 1879, later published papers on eclampsia, tuberculosis, cardiac murmurs, and pulmonary abscess? July 11, 2011 (250)
- ... that ophthalmologist John Chase (pictured) commanded the Colorado National Guard in the Colorado Labor Wars, the arrest of Mother Jones, and the Ludlow Massacre? July 10, 2011 (3,100 DYK hits; 4,900 hits for Mother Jones; 3,900 hits for Ludlow Massacre; 2,000 hits for Colorado Labor Wars; 952 image views; 408 his for Colorado National Guard) (249)
- ... that Charles S. Mitchell (pictured), "goal-keeper" on the first Michigan football team, became the editor-in-chief of the Washington Herald? July 8, 2011 (4,700 DYK hits) (248)
- ... that despite failing eyesight, Fred Townsend played for the 1887 Michigan football team and became chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party? July 6, 2011 (247)
- ... that Paul Kromer and Tom Harmon formed a backfield duo for the 1938 Michigan Wolverines football team that became known as the "Touchdown Twins"? June 9, 2011 (246)
- ... that Jack Weisenburger was the "spinning fullback" for the undefeated Michigan football team that became known as the "Mad Magicians"? June 3, 2011 (245)
- ... that Stanford University's president wrote in 1907 that the career of Michigan center George W. Gregory illustrated "the evils of football"? May 30, 2011 (3,200 DYK views) (244)
- ... that Michigan football coach William Ward (pictured) later became a physician who experimented with the surgical creation of artificial vaginas? May 20, 2011 (9,300 DYK views; 1,400 image views; 18,800 views for artificial vagina) (243)
- ... that 140-pound quarterback Ferris Jennings ran 66 yards for the first of only two touchdowns scored all year by the 1934 Michigan football team that also featured future US President Gerald Ford? April 18, 2011 (242)
- ... that Abe Cohn, son of immigrant parents identified as "Russian Yiddish" by U.S. Census-takers, played for the Michigan Wolverines football and basketball teams while attending law school? March 22, 2011 (2,030 DYK views) (241)
- ... that the Michigan football coach complained his "defense was in the law library" after law student Oscar Lambert was declared ineligible? March 18, 2011 (2,100 DYK views) (240)
- ... that Fred Rehor (pictured), a 256-pound pharmacy student from the University of Michigan, helped lead the 1917 Massillon Tigers to the "world's professional football championship" against Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs? March 17, 2011 (7,861 DYK views) (239)
- ... that Frank Barbour, coach of the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1892 to 1893, later led Beech-Nut into the chewing gum business? March 11, 2011 (238)
- ... that University of Michigan fullback John Garrels won medals in both the 110 m hurdles and shot put at the 1908 Olympics in London? March 3, 2011 (237)
- ... that Michigan's 1915 quarterback Lawrence Roehm was called the "thinking type", "160 pounds of undaunted courage", and a "peppery" player who imbued his team with "do-or-die spirit"? February 19, 2011 (236)
- ... that Michigan quarterback Ted Bank wore a specially constructed knee brace to allow him to play football after suffering a shrapnel injury in World War I? February 18, 2011 (235)
- ... that it had been said that the new Michigan Wolverines football coach Brady Hoke would "crawl on hot, broken glass to work inside Schembechler Hall as the head coach"? January 20, 2011 (3,400 DYK views) (234)
- ... that The New York Times in 1912 wrote that the expert passing of "Squib" Torbet had placed the Michigan football team "on a higher plane than they have reached before"? January 14, 2011 (233)
- ... that Michigan football player and author Lewis Reimann wrote in 1916 that post-game celebrations by students "filled with 'spirit'" were damaging the university's reputation? January 13, 2011 (232)
- ... that William D. Cochran, former Deputy Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, was known as "Pink Cheeks" as a Michigan Wolverines football player? January 12, 2011 (231)
- ... that halfback Otto Carpell and ends Efton James and Curtis Redden were the three Michigan Wolverines football players killed while serving in the military during World War I? January 10, 2010 (230)
- ... that Louis Gilbert, who scored all 21 points in Michigan Stadium's dedication game, was described as "the campus sheik" who "wears bear grease on his hair and dances a mean black bottom"? (January 7, 2010) (229)
- ... that Michigan football captain James Van Inwagen (pictured) operated the Tiffany Enameled Brick Co. and the company that made Tiffany Never-Wind Clocks? December 25, 2010 (228)
- ... that "football nut" "Sturzy" Sturzenegger spent most of his career coaching college football at Michigan, USC and UCLA despite having attended Harvard Law School? December 20, 2010 (227)
- ... that Michigan fullback John Bloomingston (pictured), who became one of Chicago's best known trial lawyers, was disbarred in 1896 for playing professional baseball? December 19, 2010 (3,500 DYK hits) (226)
- ... that Michigan football player "Octy" Graham (pictured) at age 16 was called a "young Hercules" after "gripping machines did not register high enough to show his strength"? December 17, 2010 (11,800 DYK hits) (225)
- ... that Michigan footballer and Rhodes Scholar James K. Watkins became Detroit Police Commissioner and formed a group in 1936 "to save their country from a perpetuation of the New Deal"? December 16, 2010 (224)
- ... that the quarterbacks for the Michigan Wolverines football teams of the 19th century included a Brigadier General decorated for valor in World War I, the brother of a famous novelist, one of the founders of General Motors, the physician at a Kimberly-Clark mill, the son of the Governor of Wyoming, a steamboat builder, a Grand Chancellor of the Knights of Pythias (pictured) and a sheep rancher from Walla Walla? December 5, 2010 (4,400 2,300 1,700 1,400 1,300 1,000 986 863 = 14,000 DYK views) (1,600 DYK view for the photo) (216-223)
- ... that Syracuse University dean emeritus William Harrison Mace was a Michigan Wolverines football player in 1882? December 6, 2010 (215)
- ... that Lt. Governor Frank G. Higgins was the first person born in Montana to become a member of the state's bar and of its legislature? December 5, 2010 (214)
- ... that ice cream manufacturer William Wilson Talcott (pictured) killed himself by jumping from an excursion steamer into Lake Michigan with rocks in his pockets after he was unable to extricate his wife from a "love cult" in 1922? December 4, 2010 (13,700 DYK views) (213)
- ... that the Michigan Federation of Labor in 1906 wrote that perhaps no individual had done more to "promote the interests of wage-earners than William W. Hannan, the real estate hustler"? December 3, 2010 (212)
- ... that Judge Howard Abbott was the captain and quarterback of the first Minnesota Golden Gophers football team in 1886? December 1, 2010 (211)
- ... that William J. Olcott (pictured), captain of the 1882 and 1883 Michigan Wolverines football teams, became the president of a railroad and a mining company? November 30, 2010 (2,700 DYK views) (1,400 DYK photo views) (210)
- ... that Mort Senter (pictured), Michigan's 1896 football captain, became involved in a diplomatic incident after Colombian soldiers seized property from his home in 1902? November 29, 2010 (6,300 DYK views) (1,100 DYK photo views]) (209)
- ... that the 1887 Michigan Wolverines football team taught the members of the newly formed Notre Dame team how to play the game of football? November 24, 2010 (2,100 DYK views) (208)
- ... that the 1918 Michigan Wolverines football team (game program pictured), which had its season shortened by a global flu pandemic, was recognized decades later as a co-national champion? November 19, 2010 (2,500 DYK views) (2,200 DYK photo views) (207)
- ... that William Dennison Clark, whose "wretched blunder" in 1905 ended Michigan's 56-game unbeaten streak in football, killed himself 27 years later, reportedly expressing the hope to atone for his error? November 17, 2010 (5,200 DYK views) (206)
- ... that Maine Senator Charles "Babe" Carter was known for his agility, nerve, and "wonderful handling of his massive frame" as a football player in the early 1900s? November 12, 2010 (2,100 DYK views) (205)
- ... that Los Angeles attorney Norman Sterry represented the New York Yankees in a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that upheld an exemption from the antitrust laws for Major League Baseball? November 12, 2010 (204)
- ... that 10 players from the 1902 "Point-a-Minute" Michigan football team (pictured), which outscored opponents 644–12, became head coaches? November 5, 2010 (12,200 DYK views) (5,000 DYK photo views) (203)
- ... that running back Gerald White played football for Bo Schembechler at Michigan, Tom Landry at Dallas and Don Shula at Miami? October 22, 2010 (202)
- ... that Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Morgan Trent was a sprinter for the Michigan track team and set indoor state track records in the 60-yard dash and 200-meter run? October 11, 2010 (201)
- ... that four-time NFL All-Pro safety Rick Volk spent two days in an intensive-care unit after a helmet-to-helmet collision with Jets fullback Matt Snell in Super Bowl III? October 10, 2010 (199)
- ... that Andre Weathers returned interceptions for game-winning touchdowns against Ohio State in Michigan's 1997 national championship season and in his first NFL game in 1999? October 10, 2010 (198)
- ... that Mike Martin won consecutive high school state championships in both wrestling and shot put and has been called "the Most Valuable Player Not Named Denard" on the 2010 Michigan football team? October 10, 2010 (197)
- ... that Bob Mann, the first black player for Detroit and Green Bay, claimed he was "railroaded" out of football when he objected to a pay cut after leading the NFL in receiving yards? October 6, 2010 (3,400 DYK views) (195)
- ... that Michigan's All-American 60-minute man Tom Johnson was the second African-American player for the Green Bay Packers? October 5, 2010 (194)
- ... that Monte Robbins holds the Michigan Wolverines football records for longest punt at 82 yards and the highest career average for a punter? October 1, 2010 (193)
- ... that Craig "Death" Roh adopted a diet of six meals and more than 4,000 calories a day because he considered himself "tiny" at 230 pounds (104 kg)? September 25, 2010 (5,300 DYK views) (192)
- ... that the 1980 Michigan defense, led by All-Big Ten linebackers Andy Cannavino, Paul Girgash and Robert Thompson, gave up an average of only 1.8 points per game in the last five games of the season? September 21, 2010 (189-191)
- ... that Michigan linebacker Marty Huff intercepted three passes thrown in one game by Hall of Fame quarterback Mike Phipps? September 15, 2010 (188)
- ... that in his first two games as a starter, Denard "Shoelace" Robinson achieved the two highest single-game total offense totals in Michigan Wolverines history—and did so with his shoes untied? September 15, 2010 (6,500 DYK views) (187)
- ... that fullback Ed Shuttlesworth became Michigan's all-time leader in rushing attempts while playing for teams that finished 30–1–1 from 1971 to 1973? September 15, 2010 (186)
- ... that Michigan linebacker Tom Beckman worked more than 30 years for General Motors where he was in charge of new vehicle launches? September 11, 2010 (185)
- ... that Michigan strong safety Julius Curry in 2006 formed Curry Racing, the first NASCAR racing team with sole minority ownership? September 10, 2010 (184)
- ... that Gil Chapman was Michigan's career leader in kickoff return yards and the first African-American elected to office in Elizabeth, New Jersey? Sept. 9, 2010 (183)
- ... that Bob Topp helped the New York Giants defeat the Cleveland Browns in 1956 by intercepting radio signals used to relay plays onto the field from the Browns' bench? Sept. 8, 2010 (2,900 DYK views) (182)
- ... that, after receiving contact lenses in 2010, Michigan wide receiver Darryl Stonum reported, "I could see everything like in HD"? Sept. 8, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (181)
- ... that Jack Karwales spent time as a Wolverine, Bear, and Cardinal, and a coach of Billikens? Sept. 7, 2010 (180)
- ... that former Michigan halfback Darrell Harper scored the first points and kicked the first field goal and extra point in the history of the Buffalo Bills? Sept. 6, 2010 (179)
- ... that Michigan tackle Jack Carpenter later played for the Toronto Argonauts and was described as "the pillar of strength on the Argos' front wall"? Sept. 5, 2010 (178)
- ... that Michigan's starting quarterbacks under head coach Bennie Oosterbaan included John Ghindia (1949), Lou Baldacci (1953–1954), and Jim Maddock (1954–1956)? Sept. 3, 2010 (177-179)
- ... that Michigan's starting quarterbacks under head coach Bump Elliott included Stan Noskin (1957–1959), Dave Glinka (1960–1962), and Wally Gabler (1965)? Sept. 3, 2010 (174-176)
- ... that former Michigan quarterback Jim Van Pelt set Canadian Football League records with a 107-yard touchdown pass and seven touchdown passes in one game? Sept. 1, 2010 (2,000 DYK views) (173)
- ... that quarterback Steven Threet began his college football career at Georgia Tech, played for Michigan in 2008 and is now a member of the 2010 Arizona State team? Aug. 29, 2010 (172)
- ... that after watching "the greatest single play" in team history, Bob Ufer exclaimed "Johnny Wangler to Anthony Carter will be heard until another 100 years of Michigan football is played!"? Aug. 26, 2010 (171)
- ... that Michael Taylor led Michigan to consecutive Big Ten football championships and became the school's all-time leader in passing efficiency? Aug. 24, 2010 (170)
- ... that Dennis Brown broke the Big Ten single game total offense record in his first start and set the Michigan football record for career passing yards? Aug. 23, 2010 (169)
- ... that Michigan fullback Mel Anthony set a Rose Bowl record with an 84-yard touchdown run in 1965? Aug. 22, 2010 (168)
- ... that former Michigan running back Chuck Heater coached national championship football teams at Notre Dame and Florida? August 22, 2010 (167)
- ... that American football player DeWayne Patmon appeared in a few movies after his National Football League career ended? August 21, 2010 (166)
- ... that former Jackson, Michigan, mayor Fred Janke was the captain of Fritz Crisler's first Michigan Wolverines football team? Aug. 20, 2010 (165)
- ... that 1954 Michigan football MVP Fred Baer and 1953 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lattner played in the same backfield for Fenwick High School in the Chicago Catholic League in 1949? August 19, 2010 (164)
- ... that despite a slight build at 155 pounds, Jack Wheeler was the MVP of the undefeated 1930 Michigan football team and finished second in voting for the Chicago Tribune Silver Football? August 17, 2010 (163)
- ... that Youngstown, Ohio, native Sylvester "Buster" Stanley won the 1993 Michigan football MVP and Dick Katcher awards? August 16, 2010 (162)
- ... that Matt Patanelli was the first University of Michigan football player selected in an National Football League Draft? August 16, 2010 (161)
- ... that Upper Peninsula native Reuben Kelto was selected as the MVP of the 1941 Michigan football team that was ranked fifth in the final AP poll? August 15, 2010 (160)
- ... that Tony Branoff became the first sophomore selected as MVP of the Michigan football team after leading the 1953 squad in scoring, handling punting duties and throwing a 66-yard touchdown pass? August 14, 2010 (159)
- ... that Tony Rio, placed on probation in 1958 for being part of a football gambling ring, went on to become the MVP of the 1959 Michigan football team? August 13, 2010 (158)
- ... that 1974 Michigan football MVP Steve Strinko suffered a degenerative knee injury and later formed an organization to provide medical assistance to others injured in college athletics? August 12, 2010 (157)
- ... that Michigan halfback Ted Kress set a Big Ten single-game rushing record with 218 yards in his second conference game? August 8, 2010 (156)
- ... that Dennis Fitzgerald won a gold medal in wrestling at the 1963 Pan American Games, and set the Michigan Wolverines football record with a 99-yard kickoff return? August 6, 2010 (155)
- ... that George Veenker has the highest winning percentage of any basketball coach in Michigan history and served on the NCAA Football Rules Committee from 1938 to 1945? August 4, 2010 (154)
- ... that Ray Courtright, once considered Oklahoma's greatest halfback, pitched a no-hitter for the Sooners and coached the Nevada basketball and Michigan golf and wrestling teams to championships? August 3, 2010 (153)
- ... that Bill Borgman was a lineman for the undefeated national champion 1932 and 1933 Michigan football teams and a line-mate of Gerald R. Ford on the 1934 team? August 1, 2010 (152)
- ... that Stanley Fay, captain and quarterback of the undefeated national champion 1933 Michigan football team, later became Ford Motor Company's personnel director? July 31, 2010 (151)
- ... that less than six weeks after being fired from his 20-year career as the University of Wisconsin's football coach and athletic director, Ivy Williamson died from falling down a staircase? July 31, 2010 (150)
- ... that Eastern Michigan football coach Fred Trosko suffered a 29-game winless streak after the school refused to follow a conference policy allowing athletic scholarships? July 29, 2010 (149)
- ... that Hercules Renda was described as a "midget from the hills of West Virginia" who "ran, squirmed and tackled" his way into the hearts of Michigan football fans in the 1930s? July 28, 2010 (148)
- ... that Michigan linebacker Tony Momsen blocked a Vic Janowicz punt and recovered it in the endzone for the only touchdown in the famed 1950 Snow Bowl game? July 27, 2010 (147)
- ... that long-time NFL scout Ralph Kohl was considered the top "judge of football flesh" in BLESTO, the scouting combine of the Bears-Lions-Eagles-Steelers Talent Organization? July 27, 2010 (146)
- ... that Stu Wilkins, an offensive guard on Michigan's 1947 "Mad Magicians" team, was a leader in establishing the Pro Football Hall of Fame in his hometown of Canton, Ohio? July 27, 2010 (145)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines center Alan Bovard coached the Michigan Tech football team to its first undefeated season in 1948? July 24, 2010 (144)
- ... that Willie Heston (pictured), rated by Knute Rockne as the greatest back of all time, helped Michigan outscore its opponents 2,326 to 40 in his four years with the team? July 11, 2010 (3,400 DYK views) (143)
- ... that all nine individuals who served as Michigan Wolverines head football coaches from 1900 to 1989 have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame? June 3, 2010 (142)
- ... that Gooch Gauthier coached a "little band of Battling Bishops" to victory over the Michigan Wolverines in the 1928 season opener at The Big House? May 28, 2010 (141)
- ... that Jay Riemersma, tight end for the Michigan Wolverines, Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers, is currently a Republican candidate for Congress from West Michigan? May 8, 2010 (1,600 DYK views) (140)
- ... that J.W.F. Bennett, captain of the undefeated 1898 Michigan football team, later supervised the construction of the Algonquin, Ritz and Waldorf Hotels? Apr. 22, 2010 (139)
- ... that "Pa" Henninger, captain of the 1895 Michigan football team that outscored its opponents 266 to 14, was twice named to all-time All-Michigan teams? Apr. 20, 2010 (138)
- ... that Roger Sherman (pictured in 1890) was accused of offering a football player $600 to play for Michigan and later served as president of the Chicago and Illinois State Bar Associations? Apr. 19, 2010 (4,600 DYK views) (3,100 DYK photo views) (137)
- ... that Michigan's 1892/1893 captain George Dygert (pictured) played professional football for a Butte, Montana, team sponsored by mine owners that defeated teams from Denver and San Francisco? April 17, 2010 (4,200 DYK views) (136)
- ... that Michigan quarterback James Baird supervised the construction of the Flatiron Building (video right), the Lincoln Memorial, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier? April 16, 2010 (3,300 DYK views) (135)
- ... that Michigan's James Duffy (pictured) played seven years of college football and set a world record by drop kicking a football 168 feet, 7-1/2 inches? April 16, 2010 (4,400 DYK views) (134)
- ... that team MVP Gerald Ford (pictured) recalled that Michigan's 1934 "Punt, Pass and Prayer" offense lost punter John Regeczi and passer "Hard Luck Bill" Renner and "all we had left was the prayer"? April 11, 2010 (132-133
- ... that from his freshman year at Oak Park High School through his junior year at the University of Michigan, Herb Steger never lost a game of football? April 7, 2010 (131)
- ... that Dr. Fred Conklin received the Legion of Merit for setting up a mobile hospital in New Caledonia and later presented a medal to John F. Kennedy for heroism on the PT 109? April 5, 2010 (130)
- ... that Duke Dunne, an Olympic pentathlete and Michigan football captain, later presided over the sale of the Chicago White Sox to Bill Veeck and the Kansas City Athletics to Charlie Finley? April 1, 2010 (129)
- ... that American football player Tom Hammond (pictured) always played without protective padding, saying "I want them to feel my bones"? March 30, 2010 (12,500 DYK views) (128)
- ... that Herb Graver scored five touchdowns in the 1903 Michigan–Ohio State game, a record that has not since been matched by a player for either team? March 25, 2010 (127)
- ... that Michigan's 1901 "Point-a-Minute" team (pictured), rated one of the greatest college football teams of all time, outscored its opponents 550–0 and beat Stanford 49–0 in the first Rose Bowl game? March 22, 2010 (8,700 DYK views) (126)
- ... that Irving Pond (pictured) designed three National Historic Landmarks, performed a backflip on his 80th birthday, and scored the first ever touchdown for the Michigan Wolverines? March 16, 2010 (6,100 DYK views) (125)
- ... that medical student Bob Kolesar was one of Michigan's renowned "Seven Oak Posts" in 1942? March 10, 2010 (1,500 DYK views) (124)
- ... that John Brennan, a 201-pound football player, was voted "queen" of the University of Michigan ice carnival after challenging the pulchritude of the school's co-eds? March 8, 2010 (2,900 DYK views) (123)
- ... that Stanley Muirhead helped lead Michigan to a national football championship in 1923 and was a first-team All-NFL player in 1924 for the Dayton Triangles and Cleveland Bulldogs? March 4, 2010 (122)
- ... that University of Michigan freshman Devin Gardner compiled 3,287 yards of total offense as a high school junior and was ranked as the top quarterback prospect in the United States in 2009? Feb. 23, 2010 (1,500 DYK views) (121)
- ... that the Los Angeles Times wrote in 1914 that American football player Walter Rheinschild had been rated as "the highest salaried amateur athlete in the business"? January 27, 2010 (120)
- ... that many of Bo Schembechler's assistant coaches at Michigan, including Milan Vooletich, Jerry Hanlon, Tirrel Burton, and Dick Hunter, had previously coached at Miami of Ohio, the "Cradle of Coaches"? February 6, 2010 (116-119)
- ... that George Mans, captain of the 1961 Michigan football team, later served in the Michigan House of Representatives and as an assistant coach under Bo Schembechler? February 2, 2010 (115)
- ... that Michigan halfback Paul Magoffin later coached the George Washington "Hatchetites" on the White House Ellipse? Jan. 23, 2010 (114)
- ... that the undefeated 1930 Michigan Wolverines football team was led by Harry Newman, referred to by the United Press as the "crack Jewish field general"? Jan. 12, 2010 (1,000 DYK views) (113)
- ... that Fritz Crisler developed the platoon system of American football in which separate squads play offense and defense and designed the winged football helmet used by the Michigan Wolverines? Jan. 6, 2010 (1,100 DYK views) (112)
- ... that Michigan sprinter Clayton Teetzel coached the BYU basketball team to an 11–1 season and later coached the Utah State football team to an undefeated season outscoring opponents 164 to 0? Jan. 5, 2010 (111)
- ... that Wally Teninga played football for Michigan's undefeated 1947 and 1948 championship teams and later became vice chairman and chief financial officer of Kmart Corporation? Jan. 4, 2010 (110)
- ... that "Canonsburgh Comet" Leo Koceski, halfback for Michigan's 1948 national championship and 1950 Rose Bowl championship teams, was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame? Jan. 4, 2010 (109)
- ... that Howard Yerges began his football career with the Ohio State Buckeyes and finished it as the quarterback of Michigan's 1947 "Mad Magicians" national championship team? Jan. 3, 2010 (108)
- ... that the 1896 Michigan football team (pictured) appeared in the first college football game played indoors and under electric lights? Jan. 2, 2010 (2,000 DYK views) (107)
- ... that the 1894 Michigan football team played Chicago in a sleet storm as the grandstand was "packed with yelling collegians" and the carriage rooms "filled with society people"? Jan. 2, 2010 (106)
- ... that the 1895 Michigan football team (player pictured) outscored its opponents 266 to 14 and clinched a claim to the Western championship of American football? Jan. 2, 2010 (3,200 DYK views) (105)
- ... that the 1897 Michigan Wolverines football team won the inaugural game in the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry by a score of 34 to 0? Jan. 1, 2010 (104)
- ... that after taking the 1899 Michigan football team to an 8–2 season, coach Gustave Ferbert (pictured) resigned to participate in the Klondike Gold Rush and became a millionaire? Jan. 1, 2010 (1,600 DYK views) (3,200 views for Ferbert) (103)
- ... that quarterback Don Moorhead set 24 Michigan Wolverines football records from 1969 to 1970, including career records for total offense and passing yards? Dec. 31, 2009 (102)
- ... that "Big Joe" Curtis was the starting left tackle for Michigan Wolverines football teams that outscored opponents by a combined total of 1,627 to 30 from 1903 to 1905? Nov. 19, 2009 (101)
- ... that Russian-born Joe Magidsohn was the first Jew to win a varsity "M" at the University of Michigan and the first athlete known to have refused to compete on the High Holy Days? Nov. 15, 2009 (100)
- ... that Michigan center "Bubbles" Paterson was the namesake of an award recognizing academic achievement by football players? Sept. 13, 2009 (99)
- ... that Gaylord Stinchcomb, one of the stars of Ohio State's first football victory over Michigan, also won the 1921 NCAA championship in the broad jump? Sept. 5, 2009 (98)
- ... that Joe Maddock (pictured) was one of the biggest ground gainers, and played four positions, for Michigan's 1903 "Point-a-Minute" football team? Aug. 12, 2009 (2,500 DYK views) (97)
- ... that William "King" Cole played for a national championship team at Michigan and coached Nebraska to two championships? Aug. 12, 2009 (96)
- ... that federal judge Paul Jones sentenced a pregnant mother of ten to jail for selling a quart of liquor, lectured her on birth control, and asked, "Doesn't this woman know how to stop it?" Aug. 11, 2009 (3,900 DYK views) (95)
- ... that Michigan fullback Everett Sweeley set a college football record in 1902 when he kicked the ball 86 yards? Aug. 10, 2009 (94)
- ... that Irwin Uteritz (pictured), "one of the lightest 'big time' quarterbacks in American football history" at 140 pounds, led Michigan to two undefeated seasons and a national championship? Aug. 10, 2009 (4,100 DYK views) (93)
- ... that Harry Hawkins won the U.S. national collegiate hammer throw championship in 1926 and was rated by Fielding Yost as the best football lineman of 1925? Aug. 9, 2009 (92)
- ... that Michigan end Curtis Redden (pictured) died in World War I after he had described the night sky over the battlefield as "weird, hideous, fascinating, sublime"? Aug. 9, 2009 (7,500 DYK views) (91)
- ... that Bruce Shorts, head football coach at Nevada and Oregon, was described in 1904 as "the best coach west of the Mississippi River"? Aug. 9, 2009 (90)
- ... that Mike Lantry, a Vietnam veteran and walk-on place-kicker, broke the University of Michigan record for the longest field goal twice in the same quarter? Aug. 7, 2009 (1,500 DYK views) (89)
- ... that Michigan's "chunky fullback," "Bullet Bob" Westfall, known for his "spinner play," was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987? Aug. 5, 2009 (4,300 DYK views) (88)
- ... that All-Pro linebacker Milan "Sheriff" Lazetich, a rodeo rider before joining the NFL, reported that no end or back ever threw a block like a wild pony "when he feels the first touch of a saddle"? Aug. 4, 2009 (1,400 DYK views) (87)
- ... that future U.S. President Gerald Ford waited tables at the fraternity house of Michigan halfback Herman Everhardus? Aug. 3, 2009 (86)
- ... that Fritz Crisler called George Ceithaml, quarterback of the Michigan Wolverines's single-wing offense from 1941 to 1942, "the smartest player he ever taught"? Aug. 1, 2009 (85)
- ... that Michigan halfback Tom Kuzma was described as "a smacker from Smackersville"? Aug. 1, 2009 (500 DYK views) (84)
- ... that Sid Wagner led Michigan State to their first consecutive football wins over the Michigan Wolverines and was the first player selected by the Detroit Lions in the first NFL Draft? July 24, 2009 (83)
- ... that rough hits from Michigan's Richard France induced Wisconsin star Pat O'Dea to slug France, leading to O'Dea's ejection from the 1899 Western Conference championship game? July 18, 2009 (82)
- ... that the 1898 Michigan Wolverines football team's Western Conference championship inspired a student to write the fight song "The Victors"? July 6, 2009 (81)
- ... that medical doctor A.C. Steckle (pictured) gained fame coaching the University of Nevada, a school with only 80 students, to a 1903 victory over the University of California football team? July 2, 2009 (5,700 DYK views) (80)
- ... that the 1906 firing of John McLean (pictured) for paying an athlete to play college football was called "the biggest scandal in the history of Missouri athletics"? June 26, 2009 (4,600 DYK views) (79)
- ... that ends Tom Maentz and Ron Kramer, known as the "touchdown twins," were the first University of Michigan athletes to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated? April 22, 2009 (78)
- ... that Michigan's All-American quarterback Archie Weston (pictured) was once tackled during a game by an irate female fan? April 17, 2009 (5,600 DYK views) (77)
- ... that Michigan end Bernard Kirk, who Knute Rockne called the "apple of my eye," died of complications from a fractured skull days after being named an All-American in December 1922? April 10, 2009 (2,400 DYK views) (76)
- ... that the 1886 Michigan football team had a "goalkeeper" and played games measured in "innings"? Feb. 28, 2009 (2,400 DYK views) (75)
- ... that Horace Prettyman (pictured) played eight years of "college" football for the University of Michigan from 1882 to 1890, some when he was in his 30s and no longer a student? Feb. 27, 2009 (9,300 DYK views) (74)
- ... that the 1881 Michigan Wolverines football team is credited with playing the first intersectional football games against Harvard, Yale and Princeton? Feb. 20, 2009 (73)
- ... that when Elton Wieman moved east to play football for the University of Michigan in 1915, the Los Angeles Times called it "a calamity of almost national importance"? Feb. 20, 2009 (1,200 DYK views) (72)
- ... that "Cappy" Cappon (pictured), known for his "five-man weave" basketball offense, was mentor to Princeton athletes from the 1930s to the 1960s, including Bill Bradley and Frank Deford? Feb. 19, 2009 (3,500 DYK views) (71)
- ... that after scoring six touchdowns for Michigan against Ohio State in 1902, Albert Herrnstein became the winningest coach in Ohio State football history up to the time he retired? Feb. 17, 2009 (70)
- ... that Bo Molenda played professional football, baseball and basketball and was the "workhorse" for the Green Bay Packers teams that won three consecutive NFL championships from 1929 to 1931? Feb. 15, 2009 (69)
- ... that Ernie Vick was an All-American football center while enrolled at the University of Michigan medical school even though his schoolwork did not allow him to practice with the team? Feb. 14, 2009 (68)
- ... that sources indicate that Cedric "Pat" Smith, who later worked at Ford's Rouge plant, was either the second or third leading scorer in the NFL during its first season in 1920? Feb. 12, 2009 (67)
- ... that All-American football player Art Walker played in 479 of 540 minutes in the Michigan Wolverines' 1954 season and later played seven years for the Edmonton Eskimos? February 11, 2009 (66)
- ... that Boss Weeks was quarterback of Fielding H. Yost's "Point-a-Minute" University of Michigan football teams in 1901–1902 that outscored opponents 1,211 to 12? Feb. 11, 2009 (1,500 DYK views) (65)
- ... that American football player "Aqua" Allmendinger (pictured), once described as "a young giant in perfect physical condition," acquired his nickname after working as a waterboy for railroad building crews? Feb. 10, 2009 (14,200 DYK views) (64)
- ... that Neil Snow (pictured), ranked by Grantland Rice as one of the three greatest all-around athletes ever turned out in college sports, died of heart failure at age 34 after a game of squash? Feb. 10, 2009 (5,400 DYK views) (63)
- ... that Angus Goetz played for Buffalo in the National Football League on the weekends while attending medical school at the University of Michigan? Feb. 3, 2009 (62)
- ... that Mike Murphy (pictured) trained heavyweight boxing champion John L. Sullivan, was the first Michigan Wolverines football coach, and has been called the "the father of American track athletics"? Jan. 27, 2009 (2,200 DYK views) (61)
- ... that Keene Fitzpatrick (pictured) invented modern pole-vaulting technique, coached five Olympic gold medalists, and trained the University of Michigan's "Point-a-Minute" football teams from 1901 to 1905? Jan. 24, 2009 (1,300 DYK views) (60)
- ... that Michigan's first athletic director Charles Baird (pictured) built the largest college athletic ground in the United States and negotiated the school's appearance in the first Rose Bowl game? Jan. 18, 2009 (59)
- ... that Dave Porter won the NCAA heavyweight collegiate wrestling championship twice and was subsequently drafted by the Cleveland Browns to play in the NFL? Jan. 12, 2009 (1,900 DYK views) (58)
- ... that 180-pound (82 kg) guard Dominic Tomasi was selected as both captain and Most Valuable Player of the undefeated National Champion 1948 Michigan Wolverines football team? Jan. 11, 2009 (57)
- ... that the 1981 Rose Bowl was the first bowl victory for Michigan Wolverines football Coach Bo Schembechler – after seven prior bowl game losses? Dec. 22, 2008 (56)
- ... that 1949 Michigan football MVP Dick Kempthorn later flew more than 100 missions as a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War and received the Distinguished Flying Cross? December 22, 2008 (55)
- ... that the 1980 Michigan Wolverines football team did not give up a touchdown in the final 22 quarters of the season? Dec. 22, 2008 (54)
- ... that Bruce Hilkene was captain of the 1947 Wolverines who were selected as the greatest Michigan football team of all time? Dec. 21, 2008 (53)
- ... that University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor inductee Henry Hatch lived with his wife and daughter on the grounds of Michigan Stadium for more than a decade? Dec. 19, 2008 (2,000 DYK views) (52)
- ...that the Michigan Wolverines' practice of parading their live mascot Biff before matches was stopped as the animal grew larger and more ferocious? April 2, 2008 (7,900 DYK views) (51)
- ...that halfback Chuck Ortmann punted 24 times in the famed 1950 Snow Bowl, deciding the best strategy was to keep the slick ball on the other side of the field in the opponents' hands? February 15, 2008 (1,500 DYK views) (4,100 DYK views for Snow Bowl) (50)
- ...that offensive tackle Rich Strenger told reporters that Michigan Wolverines football coach Bo Schembechler ran a more strenuous training camp at the college level than he experienced in the NFL with the Detroit Lions? January 25, 2008 (49)
- ...that Scott Shafer, hired in January 2008 as the Michigan Wolverines defensive coordinator, started in football as a high school and college quarterback in Ohio? January 24, 2008 (48)
- ...that Wally Weber, football player, coach and broadcaster at Michigan for 45 years, was renowned for his "polysyllabic fluency" and sounding like an "an educated foghorn"? February 13, 2008 (3,200 DYK views) (47)
- ...that Gerald Ford threatened to quit the Michigan football team when African-American player Willis Ward was kept out of a 1932 game in response to Georgia Tech's refusal to play an integrated team? January 28, 2008 (2,700 DYK views) (46)
- ...that George Jewett was the first African-American to earn a varsity letter in football at both the University of Michigan and at Northwestern University? January 26, 2008 (45)
- ...that New York Giants quarterback Harry Newman threw the first touchdown pass in an NFL Championship Game 75 years ago in the 1933 NFL Championship Game against the Chicago Bears? January 19, 2008 (44)
- ...that Ralph Heikkinen was the first All-American football player from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, being raised in the Finnish-American communities of the Gogebic Range? January 17, 2008 (42-43)
- ...that Stanfield Wells was the first of more than ten All-American football players from Washinton High School in Massillon, Ohio? January 16, 2008 (41)
- ...that All-American end Ed Frutig was the main pass receiver for Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon from 1938-1940? January 10, 2008 (40)
- ...that coach Harry Kipke had to travel to the home of All-American Maynard Morrison in 1930 to seek his father's permission to switch Morrison from a fullback to a center? January 8, 2008 (39)
- ...that All-American fullback Bill Daley is the only person ever to win Little Brown Jug games playing for both Minnesota and Michigan? January 7, 2008 (38)
- ...that All-American footballer Paul G. Goebel (pictured) recommended Gerald Ford to the coach of the Michigan football team and later urged Ford to run for Congress? January 6, 2008 (37)
- ...that, after eluding capture for three months when his B-25 bomber was shot down behind enemy lines in World War II, Bob Chappuis was the MVP of the Rose Bowl 60 years ago? January 3, 2008 (5,000 DYK views) (36)
- ...that All-American Bump Elliott and his brother Pete Elliott played halfback and quarterback for the Michigan football team that beat the USC Trojans 49-0 in the Rose Bowl 60 years ago on 1 Jan. 1948? January 1, 2008 (35)
- ...that William Cunningham became Michigan's first All-American based on his performance in an 1898 game against Chicago that inspired Louis Elbel to write the school's fight song, The Victors? December 31, 2007 (34)
- ...that Gustave Ferbert quit his job as head football coach at the University of Michigan in 1900 to prospect for gold in the Klondike Gold Rush and returned home in 1909 as a millionaire? December 29, 2007 (33)
- ...that the All-American football player John Maulbetsch was known as the "Featherweight Fullback" because he weighed only 155 pounds and ate two pies a day for dinner during his playing career? December 28, 2007 (32)
- ...that German-American football center Adolph F. "Germany" Schulz is credited for developing the "roving center" technique, which became the basis for the linebacker position? December 26, 2007 (1,900 DYK views) (31)
- ...that Jack Blott, an All-American football center for the Michigan Wolverines, had a Major League Baseball career with the Cincinnati Reds lasting only two games? December 23, 2007 (30)
- ...that James B. Craig, an All-American football halfback and quarterback, was the brother of Ralph Craig, a sprinter and gold medalist at the 1912 Summer Olympics? December 22, 2007 (29)
- ...that, though records from the era are sketchy, press accounts reported that All-American football player Frank Steketee once kicked a 100-yard punt? December 19, 2007 (5,500 DYK views) (28)
- ...that All-American footballer Merv Pregulman, the Green Bay Packers' first pick in the 1944 NFL Draft, nearly died in a kamikaze attack on his ship before ever playing a pro football game? December 19, 2007 (1,900 DYK views) (27)
- ...that 1933 Michigan Wolverines football All-Americans Ted Petoskey and Whitey Wistert debuted for the Major League Baseball Cincinnati Reds two days apart in September 1934? December 2007 (26)
- ...that twice named All-American football tackle Robert "Brick" Wahl later became CEO of a Fortune 500 irrigation equipment company? December 14, 2007 (25)
- ...that Jamie Morris of the Washington Redskins, originally considered too short to be a running back, holds the NFL record for the most rushing attempts in a game with 45? December 12, 2007 (24)
- ...that college football running back Butch Woolfolk was named MVP of both the Rose Bowl and the Bluebonnet Bowl in the same year? December 12, 2007 (2,500 DYK views) (23)
- ...that undefeated national champion 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team rushing leader and Hula Bowl MVP Chris Howard was released after fumbling five times in the preseason of the 1998 NFL season? December 8, 2007 (22)
- ...that in the 1947 college football rankings, southern voters refused to vote for the integrated Michigan Wolverines football team with black stars such as Gene Derricotte? December 8, 2007 (21)
- ...that college football coach Bo Schembechler died the day after attending the funeral of his 1971 quarterback Tom Slade and urging the football team to be "as good a Michigan man as Slade"? December 7, 2007 (20)
- ...that Gerald Ford's two greatest regrets in life were losing the starting center job in college to All-American Chuck Bernard and losing a presidential election? December 6, 2007 (19)
- ...that in 1979 University of Michigan tackle Ed Muransky set the all-time record at the traditional pre-Rose Bowl "Beef Bowl" by eating 16 pounds of prime rib? December 5, 2007 (18)
- ...that George Hoey still holds Michigan Wolverines football career, and single-season records 40 years after his best season? December 5, 2007 (17)
- ...that although several Michigan Wolverines football wide receivers have eclipsed most of Jack Clancy's team records, they all have needed more games to do so? December 4, 2007 (16)
- ...that the Toledo, Ohio native football player Jim Detwiler refused a recruiting trip invitation to Ohio State prompting a tonguelashing from Woody Hayes for disloyalty to Ohio? December 3, 2007 (15)
- ...that Washington Senators outfielder Elmer Gedeon, who pulled a crew member from a burning wreck, died while piloting a B-26 bomber over France? December 3, 2007 (14)
- ...that Julius Franks was the first African-American Michigan Wolverines football player to earn All-American honors? December 2, 2007 (13)
- ...that Dick Rifenburg was a Michigan high school state champion in basketball and track & field, but was drafted to play professional American football? December 2, 2007 (12)
- ...that former Michigan Wolverines football player Dan Dworsky designed Crisler Arena, the home of Michigan Wolverines basketball? December 2, 2007 (11)
- ...that George Lilja once played a Michigan Wolverines football game wearing another player's jersey, confusing many of his fans? December 1, 2007 (10)
- ...that American football guard Dean Dingman was only the third true freshman to start on the Michigan Wolverines football offensive line? December 1, 2007 (9)
- ...that when American football center Rod Payne broke his right wrist during a Michigan Wolverines football game, he started snapping the ball with his left hand? November 30, 2007 (8)
- ...that although Ohio State Buckeye Archie Griffin defended the Heisman Trophy in 1975, Michigan Wolverines football player Gordon Bell won the 1975 Big Ten rushing championship? November 29, 2007 (7)
- ...that safety Don Dufek was cut from the Seattle Seahawks four times? November 29, 2007 (6)
- ...that Michigan Wolverines football player Bill Yearby was an All-American football player as well as a champion shot putter who the coaches felt could have starred for the Wolverines basketball team? November 29, 2007 (5)
- ...that Michigan Wolverines football player Jim Pace not only won the Chicago Tribune Silver Football as the Most Valuable Player in the Big Ten Conference, but also won the Big Ten 60-yard indoor dash title? November 28, 2007 (4)
- ...that Bob Timberlake, an unsuccessful placekicker for the New York Giants who made only 1 of 15 field goal attempts in his NFL career, was an award-winning quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines before he was drafted in 1965? November 27, 2007 (3)
- ...that Dennis Franklin was the first African American quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines football team? November 27, 2007 (2)
- ... that Cliff Sparks, hailed in 1916 as "eel-like," a "whirlwind" and "the greatest quarterback Michigan ever has had," punted by forcefully throwing the ball at his uprising foot? Nov. 17, 2007 (1)
Non-UM football (254)
edit- ... that Wisconsin's Jug Girard, dubbed "Mr. Versatility", was a quarterback, end, halfback, punter, and kickoff returner in 10 years in the NFL? July 19, 2015 (1,207 DYK views)
- ... that the Michigan State Spartans, under Big Ten Coach of the Year George Perles, placed seven first-team players on the 1987 All-Big Ten Conference football team? June 1, 2015
- ... that the 1984 All-Big Ten Conference football team included Heisman Trophy winner Keith Byars and national receiving leader David Williams? May 31, 2015
- ... that the 1992 All-Big Ten Conference football team included rushing, receiving, and passing efficiency leaders Tyrone Wheatley, Lee Gissendaner and Elvis Grbac? May 26, 2015
- ... that the 1995 All-Big Ten Conference football team included two Heisman Trophy winners, Eddie George of Ohio State and Charles Woodson of Michigan? May 18, 2015
- ... that the American football players inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as "Gator Greats" include "All-American Waterboy" Tootie Perry, attorney Goldy Goldstein, and halfbacks Red Bethea and Larry Dupree? November 24, 2014
- ... that after College Football Hall of Fame inductee Buck Flowers returned two punts for touchdowns, a writer suggested that the opposition Auburn Tigers made a dying request: "Please omit Flowers"? October 11, 2014
- ... that College Football Hall of Fame inductee Vince Banonis (pictured) was an All-American center for the University of Detroit and All-NFL for the Chicago Cardinals? September 19, 2014
- ... that Charles Romeyn, an All-American fullback for the Army football team, was sent to Montana in 1902 with the charge of "quieting" the Cheyenne Indians? September 14, 2014
- ... that 1898 All-American football player Arthur Tipton prompted a rule change when he kicked a loose ball down the field and fell on it for a touchdown after it crossed the goal line? September 13, 2014 (240)
- ... that the one-armed football player Eugene Neeley became a consensus first-team All-American? August 31, 2014 (1,750 DYK views) (239)
- ... that Charlie Guy, who served in the Ambulance Corps during World War I, sent Cleveland's star halfback to the hospital with a broken shoulder and ribs in the first game of the 1920 NFL season? August 29, 2014 (1,232 DYK views) (238)
- ... that Native American football player Peter Hauser has been credited with throwing the first spiral pass? August 27, 2014 (3,700 DYK views) (237)
- ... that Michigan State halfback Neno DaPrato was called "the greatest scoring machine of the year" after scoring 130 points, in just six games, during the 1915 season? August 26, 2014 (1,700 DYK views) (236)
- ... that Steamer Horning was an All-American football player for Colgate and a two-time All-NFL player for Toledo? August 23, 2014 (800 DYK views) (235)
- ... that Hugh Lowery taught formation flying in World War I and later played in the National Football League's first season? August 20, 2014 (2,000 DYK views) (234)
- ... that Joe Fitzgerald was the first player in NFL history to return an interception for a touchdown? August 19, 2014 (2,300 DYK views) (233)
- ... that halfback Eddie Moegle scored the first touchdown for Detroit in the first season of the NFL? August 16, 2014 (800 DYK views) (232)
- ... that Catholic University's Bill Adamaitis was hailed as the "hero of the Orange Bowl" after both catching and throwing touchdown passes in the 1936 game? August 13, 2014 (1,337 DYK views) (231)
- ... that in April 1947, halfback Mel Groomes (pictured) became the first African-American player signed by the Detroit Lions? Sept. 4, 2013 (230)
- ... that James Bond played briefly in the National Football League after completing his military service? April 1, 2013 (7,600 DYK views) (229)
- ... that the 1909 College Football All-America Team included Henry Hobbs, Hamlin Andrus and seven other players from an undefeated Yale team that outscored opponents 209–0? February 25, 2013 (226-228)
- ... that fullback "Elmer the Great" Schwartz led the 1930 Washington State Cougars football team to the 1931 Rose Bowl against Alabama? February 22, 2013 (225)
- ... that 27 of the 33 consensus members of the 1900 and 1901 College Football All-America Teams, including John Hallowell, Robert Kernan and Crawford Blagden of Harvard, James Bloomer and Henry Holt of Yale, Ralph Davis of Princeton and Sanford Hunt of Cornell, played for Ivy League teams? February 21, 2013 (216-224)
- ... that Walter Smith, chief of staff of the U. S. Army's "All-American division" in the 1930s, was an actual All-American at West Point in 1900? February 2, 2013 (215)
- ... that Edward Bowditch was an All-American football player, aide-de-camp to John Pershing, and member of the 1922 commission that concluded that Filipinos were not yet ready for independence? February 1, 2013 (214)
- ... that William Fincke, an All-American quarterback at Yale in 1900, became a pacifist minister and founder of the Brookwood Labor College and Manumit School? January 31, 2013 (213)
- ... that Cherokee Indian Mayes McLain held college football's single-season scoring record for more than 60 years and engaged in professional wrestling as the "Masked Manager"? January 28, 2013 (212)
- ... that in 1898, Frank Hudson, a five-foot, three-inch quarterback from the Laguna Pueblo tribe, became the first Native American to be selected as an All-American football player? January 25, 2013 (211)
- ... that the earliest head coaches of the Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team include John C. B. Pendleton, Henry Van Hoevenberg, Alfred Ellet Hitchner, and Arthur P. Robinson, all four combining for a record of 12–33? December 16, 1922 (207-210)
- ... that E. A. Dalton, the first paid coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes football team, had a coaching tenure that lasted for ten days in October 1892? December 8, 2012 (206)
- ... that Herman Steiner was the head coach at Duke University in football, baseball and track? December 7, 2012 (205)
- ... that Billy Goodyear, the first football coach at Washington State, became a newspaper publisher, ran for Congress and died weeks after having his leg amputated? December 6, 2012 (204)
- ... that Maine native Harold Drew coached the Alabama Crimson Tide football team to a 54–28–7 record and appearances in the Sugar, Orange and Cotton Bowls? December 5, 2012 (203)
- ... that Stuart Forbes, the first head coach of the Arizona Wildcats football team, was also the author of Trail Sketches: Word Pictures of the West? December 4, 2012 (202)
- ... that Harry Rockafeller (pictured), who played for the Rutgers football team from 1912 to 1915, was still athletic director in 1961? November 30, 2012 (201)
- ... that William V. B. Van Dyck coached football at Rutgers, worked on a project to light the Strait of Magellan and participated in the first chess game played by "wireless"? November 29, 2012 (200)
- ... that Robert Roswell Brown (pictured) was a head football coach at six colleges, including Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Tulane, and New Mexico State? November 27, 2012 (199)
- ... that Cal Young, the first head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team, was born in a log cabin? November 26, 2012 (198)
- ... that Albert Berg, the first Purdue football coach, was a deaf-mute whose coaching reportedly "consisted of excited sign language and some rather bizarre sounds from his throat"? November 24, 2012 (197)
- ... that after joining the Boise State football team as a walk-on, Ryan Winterswyk appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and was named to the school's All-Decade team? September 7, 2011 (1,750 DYK views) (196)
- ... that American footballer Joe Iacone gained 3,983 rushing yards in three years and set PSAC rushing and scoring records that remained unbroken for decades? September 5, 2011 (195)
- ... that sports editor Alan J. Gould invented college football's AP Poll in 1936 as an "exercise in hoopla," to fill space between games, and "to keep the pot boiling"? August 23, 2011 (524 DYK views for Gould, 1,600 for AP Poll) (194)
- ... that Arthur Matsu was the first Asian American student at The College of William & Mary, the first Asian American quarterback in the NFL and the first Japanese coach in American football? August 19, 2011 (4,400 DYK views) (193)
- ... that despite winning seven national championships from 1899 to 1912, the Yale football team had 14 head coaches in those 14 years, including a lingerie manufacturer, "the phantom line cleaver", a manufacturer of machine guns, a victim of typhoid fever, a Harvard law student, the senior partner of Smith Barney & Co., the grandfather of a noted documentary filmmaker, the nephew of the U.S. Secretary of State, and the president of a historically black university? July 4, 2011 (184-192)
- ... that Curry Hicks was the head football coach for the Michigan State Normal Normalites in 1910 and the athletic director at UMass from 1911 to 1949? May 5, 2011 (183)
- ... that Milton Olander, who led the Western Michigan football team to an unbeaten and unscored upon record in 1922, was later offered a position as Assistant U.S. Secretary of Labor? May 3, 2011 (182)
- ... that, in the 1918 season, Joseph McCulloch coached star American football players from multiple schools, including 1917 All-American Archie Weston? April 27,2011 (181)
- ... that Steve Collins was the first freshman in Oklahoma Sooners football history to start at quarterback in a season opener? January 9, 2011 (180)
- ... that in the 1932 NFL championship game, Chicago Bears coach George Halas stuck out his foot from the sidelines and tripped Ace Gutowsky while he was returning a kickoff for the Portsmouth Spartans? December 28, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (179)
- ... that former Oregon Duck and Detroit Lion George Christensen co-founded a multinational manufacturing company with factories in France, Japan, Canada and the United States? December 28, 2010 (178)
- ... that Dick Hoerner played in three consecutive NFL Championship Games, became the Los Angeles Rams' all-time leading rusher and was considered "a murderous line backer"? December 26, 2010 (177)
- ... that Stanford and Detroit Lions running back Ernie Caddel, known as the "Blond Antelope," led the NFL in average yards gained per rushing carry for three consecutive years? December 21, 2010 (2,300 DYK hits) (176)
- ... that Edorian McCullough twice won the Texas high school 100 meter championship and later played for the Frankfurt Galaxy in World Bowl XV? November 18, 2010 (175)
- ... that brothers Amos Jr. and Paul Stagg both played quarterback for their father Amos Alonzo Stagg at the University of Chicago, and later led teams against each other as college coaches themselves? November 10, 2010 (173-174)
- ... that the Harvard Crimson football team (home stadium pictured) has won 12 national championships and is the eighth winningest team in NCAA Division I football history? November 6, 2010 (4,000 DYK views) (172)
- ... that the Pittsburg State Gorillas have won more games than any other American football program in NCAA Division II history? November 6, 2010 (171)
- ... that the Wittenberg Tigers from Springfield, Ohio, have won more games than any other Division III college football team? November 5, 2010 (170)
- ... that the Yale Bulldogs football team (mascot pictured) has won 27 national championships and ranks second in wins in college football history? November 2, 2010 (5,300 DYK views) (169)
- ... that American football player Bryant Moniz, who began the 2009 season as a walk-on for Hawaii delivering pizzas to pay his expenses, currently leads the NCAA in both passing yards and total offense? November 2, 2010 (2,300 DYK views) (168)
- ... that Don Doll, the only player in NFL history to register 10 or more interceptions in 3 separate seasons, changed his surname to "Doll" after being discharged from the Marines? October 9, 2010 (2,400 DYK views) (167)
- ... that former American football player Manny Martin made the Buffalo Bills team in 1996, despite being considered by media as "the longest of long shots"? September 27, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (166)
- ... that Mickey Mangham, a walk-on player from Maryland, scored the only touchdown in the 1959 Sugar Bowl to secure a national championship for the undefeated 1958 LSU Tigers football team? September 27, 2010 (165)
- ... that Irish-American banker Sam McBirney coached a football team from a college with 400 students to a 16–0 win that broke the Oklahoma Sooners' 18-game winning streak? July 26, 2010 (2,000 DYK views) (164)
- ... that Tiny Gooch, placed third in the discus at the NCAA track championships, won the Southwest Conference heavyweight wrestling championship and was acknowledged as "the tallest attorney in Texas" until 1950? July 16, 2010 (2,100 DYK views) (163)
- ... that Hugh Knox, son of the U.S. Secretary of State and Attorney General, was an All-American halfback at Yale? July 9, 2010 (162)
- ... that Bill Dague was the first consensus All-American football player from the United States Naval Academy? July 9, 2010 (161)
- ... that Frank Joranko was selected as the most valuable football player in the MIAA and later coached Albion College to nine MIAA baseball championships? July 8, 2010 (160)
- ... that the list of college football coaches with 200 career wins is topped by John Gagliardi, Eddie Robinson, and Joe Paterno? July 3, 2010 (159)
- ... that Eric Hamilton, the youngest American college football head coach when hired by Trenton State College at age 23, has held the same job for 33 years? July 3, 2010 (158)
- ... that Keith Piper successfully perpetuated the single-wing, "the formation-of-choice during football's leather-helmet era," for decades after it had been discarded by other teams? July 3, 2010 (157)
- ... that football coach Denny Douds, climbing the career wins list after decades at the same university, jumped with the U.S. Army Parachute Team in May 2010 at age 69? July 3, 2010 (156)
- ... that Florida A&M football coach Joe Taylor has a career record of 214–82–4 and won four Black College Championships at Hampton? July 3, 2010 (155)
- ... that Peter "Papa Bear" Mazzaferro was removed as head football coach at Bridgewater after 19 years, sued for age discrimination, and coached another 17 years there after being reinstated? July 2, 2010 (154)
- ... that Henry Schoellkopf, selected as an All-American fullback while attending Harvard Law School, later shot himself in the head at his Milwaukee law office? June 27, 2010 (153)
- ... that former Ohio State football coach Larry Catuzzi served on the Flight 93 Federal Advisory Commission after his daughter died on United Airlines Flight 93? June 27, 2010 (152)
- ... that Frank Girardi's Lycoming football team wore shoes borrowed from Joe Paterno in the 1990 NCAA football tournament? June 27, 2010 (151)
- ... that Princeton's "Whoop" Snively, known as "the best forward-passer in the East," later coached lacrosse and ice hockey at Williams College and New Hampshire? June 26, 2010 (150)
- ... that Williams College football coach Joseph Brooks served in a machine gun battalion in World War I and survived a plane crash in 1931? June 24, 2010 (149)
- ... that Norm Daniels, Frank Hauser and Bill MacDermott achieved the most wins among the football coaches in Wesleyan history, and Daniels led the team to four consecutive undefeated seasons? June 23, 2010 (146-148)
- ... that Dr. Edgar Fauver, a football and baseball player in the 1890s, became a pioneer in women's athletics coaching women's basketball and baseball at Barnard College in the 1900s? June 22, 2010 (145)
- ... that Emil "Liz" Liston, founder of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics and organizer of the NAIA college basketball tournament, was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1975? June 22, 2010 (144)
- ... that Donald Russell from 1964 to 1970 accumulated the highest winning percentage (.661) of any Wesleyan football coach with more than two years as head coach? June 21, 2010 (143)
- ... that football coach Jake High has both the highest winning percentage (.778) in the history of Wesleyan football and the lowest percentage (.000) in the history of NYU football? June 20, 2010 (142)
- ... that current Wesleyan football coach Mike Whalen led the Williams College "Ephs" to four consecutive Little Three football championships and a undefeated record against Wesleyan? June 18, 2010 (141)
- ... that Jim "the Darp" Ostendarp, Amherst College football coach for 33 years, refused to allow ESPN to televise a game saying, "We're in education. We aren't in the entertainment business"? June 16, 2010 (140)
- ... that Craig Rundle, a college football head coach for 24 years, led Albion College to the 2001 MIAA championship with his sons playing at quarterback and tight end? (139)
- ... that Jack Siedlecki led Yale, Amherst and Worcester to conference championships in 21 years as a head football coach? June 12, 2010 (138)
- ... that Frim Frimodig played high school football with The Gipper and held Michigan State's single-game basketball scoring record for 35 years? May 28, 2010 (136)
- ... that Mysterious Walker, who played for or coached more than 30 baseball, basketball and football teams, earned his nickname pitching for the San Francisco Seals under a pseudonym and wearing a mask? May 27, 2010 (3,200 DYK views) (135)
- ... that John Kobs, Michigan State's first hockey coach, switched Baseball Hall of Famer Robin Roberts from a first baseman to a pitcher? May 26, 2010 (134)
- ... that Don Coleman was the first Michigan State football player to have his number retired, the Spartans' first African-American coach, and the first African-American teacher at Flint Central? May 20, 2010 (133)
- ... that Bob Valesente has coached football for the Kansas Jayhawks, Baltimore Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers and Frankfurt Galaxy? May 16, 2010 (132)
- ... that Texas A&M football coach Harry Stiteler resigned in 1951 after admitting he had misrepresented the facts about being beaten by a stranger near a Houston hotel? May 14, 2010 (1,500 DYK views) (131)
that Hootie Ingram tied the SEC record for interceptions, coached football at Clemson, and was the athletic director at Florida State and Alabama? May 10, 2010 (1,500 DYK views) (130)
- ... that Ernie Zampese coached the leading pass offense in the NFL six times in seven years and has been credited with putting the "air" in Air Coryell? May 10, 2010 (1,600 DYK views) (129)
- ... that Jerry Vandergriff led the Angelo State Rams to 18 consecutive winning seasons and the winningest record of all Texas universities in the 1980s? May 8, 2010 (128)
- ... that Lupe Joe Arenas, one of the first Mexican-American football stars, once held the NFL career record with 4,572 kick and punt return yards? May 8, 2010 (1,600 DYK views) (127)
- ... that Mike Brumbelow was captain and MVP of the TCU Horned Frogs' first Southwest Conference championship team in 1929 and coached UTEP to two wins in three appearances in the Sun Bowl in the 1950s? May 7, 2010 (126)
- ... that over the course of his career at Michigan State Normal College, Elton Rynearson coached at least one year in every varsity sport, including football, basketball, baseball, and track? May 6, 2010 (125)
- ... that Mike Gary played football at Minnesota with Bronko Nagurski and coached Western Michigan for 13 years, including undefeated seasons in 1932 and 1941? May 3, 2010 (124)
- ... that the George Munger Award, given since 1989 to the college football coach of the year, is named for long-time Penn coach and decathlon champion George Munger? May 3, 2010 (123)
- ... that Cleo O'Donnell coached the 1914 Everett team that outscored opponents 600 to 0 and was rated by Sports Illustrated as the greatest high school football team of all time? May 2, 2010 (2,150 DYK views) (122)
- ... that when Minnesota Duluth coach Jim Malosky retired in 1998 he was the winningest football coach in Division II history and ranked 11th in wins among all college football coaches? May 2, 2010 (121)
- ... that Dayton Flyers coach Mike Kelly has the fourth best winning percentage (81.9%) of all time among college football coaches with at least 25 years of experience? May 1, 2010 (1,500 DYK views) (120)
- ... that quarterback Walter Kennedy's amateur status became a national media story in 1898 after his mother said he was receiving $500 a year to play football at the University of Chicago? April 29, 2010 (3,500 DYK hooks) (119)
- ... that in addition to being the captain of the 1904 University of Chicago football team, Fred Speik was a member of Chicago's water polo and track and field teams? April 29, 2010 (118)
- ... that Army All-American Henry Torney, who later became a millionaire, was arrested at a 1910 Shirtwaist Strikers protest that led the New York Mayor to rebuke the "police dictators"? April 26, 2010 (2,900 DYK hooks) (117)
- ... that "Big John" Macklin coached the Michigan State Spartans football program to its first wins over Ohio State and Michigan and also coached the school's basketball, baseball and track teams? Apr. 24, 2010 (1,400 DYK views) (116)
- ... that Big Ten MVP Willis Glassgow was called the "Dancing Master" for his shiftiness on the gridiron and because he managed the most popular ballroom in Iowa City? Apr. 23, 2010 (1,600 DYK views) (115)
- ... that East Chicago native Art Murakowski survived a kamikaze attack during the Battle of Okinawa and was named the most valuable football player in the Big Ten Conference in 1948? Apr. 20, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (114)
- ... that Indiana halfback Chuck Bennett built his physique working in coal mines and was selected as the MVP of the Big Ten Conference despite playing for the ninth place team? Apr. 17, 2010 (1,900 DYK views) (113)
- ... that William Shakespeare was nicknamed "The Merchant of Menace"? April 1, 2010 (3,200 DYK views) (112)
- ... that Harold Pogue, Perry Graves and Ralph Chapman became the University of Illinois' first first-team College Football All-Americans in 1914? March 18, 2010 (1,900 DYK views combine) (111)
- ... that General Vernon Prichard, commander of the "Old Ironsides" armored division during the Italian Campaign in World War II, was Dwight Eisenhower's quarterback at West Point? March 17, 2010 (3,000 DYK views) (110)
- ... that footballer Edward King was honored for heroism in the Philippines and tactical skill in France and later became Commandant of the Army Command and General Staff College? March 16, 2010 (2,100 DYK views) (109)
- ... that Hall of Fame tackle Harold Ballin was "the hardest-hitting player" ever faced by fellow Hall of Famer Charles Brickley and the last Princeton player to play without a helmet? March 15, 2010 (1,400 DYK views) (108)
- ... that Football Hall of Famer Huntington "Tack" Hardwick was called "a big, fine-looking aristocrat from blue-blood stock" who "loved combat – body contact at crushing force – a fight to the finish"? March 14, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (107)
- ... that Frederick Josiah Bradlee was a Boston Brahmin, an All-American halfback and the father of Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee? March 14, 2010 (106)
- ... that Nebraska's first All-American Vic Halligan was called "The premier punter of the West, A master of the forward pass, A tackler equal to the best"? March 14, 2010 (105)
- ... that 1914 College Football All-Americans Burleigh Cruikshank of Washington & Jefferson and Haps Benfer of Albright College went on to become Presbyterian and United Evangelical ministers? March 14, 2010 (103-104)
- ... that College Football Hall of Fame center Shorty Des Jardien played in the NFL for the Chicago Tigers and in Major League Baseball for the Cleveland Indians? March 13, 2010 (102)
- ... that College Football Hall of Fame inductee Stan "Bags" Pennock was killed in an explosion that wrecked the chemical plant he opened in an abandoned New Jersey slaughterhouse? March 11, 2010 (2,900 DYK views) (101)
- ... that Hall of Fame quarterback Charley Barrett died of an illness contracted in an explosion on the USS Brooklyn in Yokohama Harbor during World War I? March 11, 2010 (3,100 DYK views) (100)
- ... that Louis Jordan was the first University of Texas All-American football player and the first Texas officer killed in action in World War I? March 10, 2010 (1,600 DYK views) (99)
- ... that the 1906 College Football All-America Team included Princeton quarterback Eddie Dillon, Harvard guard Francis Burr, Yale end Bob Forbes, Cornell center Bill Newman, a midshipman who was the strongest man in the U.S. Naval Academy, and a guard who was described as "one of the largest men who ever played on a college gridiron"? February 28, 2010 (7,400 DYK views total; 2,700 for Elmer Thompson; 2,400 for Percy Northcroft) (92-98)
- ... that Louis Robertshaw flew combat missions in World War II and Korea and flew an F-4D Phantom fighter in Vietnam as commanding general of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing? Feb. 26, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (91)
- ... that Louis Merrilat played football with Dwight Eisenhower at West Point, trained Iran's Persian Guard, and served as a soldier of fortune in China and with the French Foreign Legion? Feb. 22, 2010 (2,000 DYK views) (90)
- ... that J.D. Morgan led UCLA to at least 6 NCAA championships as tennis coach and 30 NCAA championships, including 10 men's basketball titles, as athletic director? Nov. 25, 2009 (89)
- ... that Vanderbilt's 130-pound quarterback Irby "Rabbit" Curry, an elusive runner who "only needed the suspicion of an opening to wriggle through," was killed in aerial combat in 1918? Nov. 24, 2009 (2,300 DYK views) (88)
- ... that John Messmer was captain of the University of Wisconsin's football and swim teams, set a U.S. high school record in the discus and was the first Badger to win nine varsity letters in major sports? Nov. 18, 2009 (87)
- ... that Fritz Shiverick, known as "a scoring machine", served in 1919 as Cornell's quarterback, punter, drop kicker, kickoff returner and play-caller on both offense and defense? Nov. 24, 2009 (86)
- ... that Northwestern's Max Morris was a consensus All-American in both basketball and football, played both sports professionally, and twice led the Big Ten in scoring? Nov. 23, 2009 (85)
- ... that Minnesota's Pudge Wyman scored the first kickoff return for a touchdown, the first blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and the first passing touchdown in the history of the NFL? Nov. 22, 2009 (84)
- ... that flags at the University of Iowa were flown at half-mast following the death from peritonitis of Jim Trickey, one year after he became the first Hawkeye to win All-American honors in 1912? Nov. 13, 2009 (1,500 DYK views) (83)
- ... that Iolas Melitus Huffman reportedly played in every quarter of every Ohio State football game except one from 1918 to 1921 and later played for the Cleveland Indians of the NFL? Nov. 15, 2009 (82)
- ... that Bob Storer, captain of Harvard's undefeated, untied 1913 football team, was cited for bravery for saving a French officer during World War I? Nov. 11, 2009 (1,600 DYK views) (81)
- ... that Yale's two-time All-American "Bo" Bomeisler, called "King of the Hard Luck Players," had his foot crushed by a trolley car on Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue in 1914? Nov. 10, 2009 (80)
- ... that "Moose" Englehorn, who played for Washington State and Dartmouth College, was the oldest living All-American football player when he died in 1993 at age 103? Nov. 9, 2009 (79)
- ... that Dartmouth football halfback Dave Morey was given the nickname "David the Giant Killer" by American sportswriter Grantland Rice? Nov. 9, 2009 (78)
- ... that Brown's All-American 135-pound quarterback "Kid" Crowther played with an elastic band around his head in lieu of a helmet? Nov. 9, 2009 (2,900 DYK views) (77)
- ... that Harvard All-American Sam Felton averaged between 60 and 70 yards (55 to 64 meters) on football punts in 1912? Nov. 8, 2009 (76)
- ... that "Pop" Warner's undefeated 1917 Pitt Panthers football team, known as "The Fighting Dentists", featured dental students "Katy" Easterday, "Tank" McLaren, "Skip" Gougler and "Jake" Stahl? Sept. 16, 2009 (72-75)
- ... that Pitt All-American Tom Davies threw a touchdown pass, ran 80 yards for a touchdown, returned a kickoff 90 yards and returned an interception 60 yards in the same game? Sept. 16, 2009 (71)
- ... that after leading Illinois to "the greatest football upset of all time," Bart Macomber left school for the Orpheum vaudeville circuit? Sept. 10, 2009 (70)
- ... that Lloyd Brazil, once called "the ideal football player," averaged more than eight yards per carry and gained 5,861 yards in three years at the University of Detroit? Sept. 15, 2009 (69)
- ... that Eddie Gillette led the Wisconsin Badgers football team to an undefeated season and in baseball "beat some of the best pitchers in the 'Three-Eye League'"? Sept. 9, 2009 (68)
- ... that USC quarterback Gaius Shaver was the leading rusher in the American football competition at the 1932 Summer Olympic Games? Sept. 14, 2009 (67)
- ... that halfback Andy Hastings led the 1916 Pitt football team to a national championship and was also elected president of Pitt's University Glee Club? Sept. 12, 2009 (66)
- ... that Georgia Tech halfback and College Football Hall of Fame inductee "Stroop" Strupper used lip-reading to overcome deafness? Sept. 8, 2009 (65)
- ... that Buffalo's "Ockie" Anderson scored more points in the 1920 NFL season (the league's first) than four entire teams? Sept. 9, 2009 (64)
- ... that "Calexico Kid" Primo Villanueva led UCLA to the NCAA football championship in 1954 and was inducted into the British Columbia Restaurant Hall of Fame in 2009? July 31, 2009 (63)
- ... that three-time All-American Eddie Mahan was named by Jim Thorpe as the greatest football player of all time? Sept. 3, 2009 (2,900 DYK views) (62)
- ... that the players selected for the 1935 College Football All-America Teams included SMU's "Iron Man" Wetsel, Stanford's "Vow Boy" Bobby Grayson, military historian Jac Weller, aspiring G-Man Paul Tangora, Charles Wasicek of the "unbeaten, untied and uninvited" Colgate team, Minnesota's "battering ram fullback" Sheldon Beise and tackles Ed Widseth and Dick Smith, Cal end Larry Lutz, Ohio State end Merle Wendt, Princeton second-generation All-American Gilbert Lea and Walter Winika, the first Rutgers varsity athlete killed in World War II? July 25, 2009 (49-61)
- ... that Gaynell Tinsley, a two-time All-American end at LSU, set an NFL record with 675 receiving yards as a rookie in 1937? July 25, 2009 (48)
- ... that SMU All-American Truman "Big Dog" Spain, known for his "rumba king" good looks, was described as "hard as ship's steel and as torrid as a foundry furnace"? July 23, 2009 (47)
- ... that Martin Wheelock, football player for the Carlisle Indian School in the 1890s, was inducted into the American Indian Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980? July 16, 2009 (46)
- ... that Paul Bunker died in a Japanese POW camp in 1943 but kept hidden a remnant of the U.S. flag from Corregidor now displayed at the West Point Museum? July 15, 2009 (45)
- ... that Charles de Saulles coached an undefeated football team of workers from a Kansas zinc smelting works that defeated the Carlisle Indians and was dubbed "the oddest football team in the country"? July 15, 2009 (44)
- ... that All-American fullback John Baird was forced to withdraw from Princeton in 1898 after playing a football game on a wet field while recovering from tonsilitis? July 14, 2009 (43)
- ... that Bemus Pierce, a guard for the Carlisle Indians football team, ran back three kickoffs for touchdowns in an 1896 game against the University of Illinois? July 14, 2009 (42)
- ... that Harvard All-American Bert Waters was accused of jabbing a finger into a Yale player's eye in the 1893 football game that became known as "The Bloodbath in Hampden Park"? July 12, 2009 (41)
- ... that Albert Sharpe participated in football, basketball, baseball, gymnastics, rowing, and track and field, and was called "the greatest living all round athlete" in 1915? July 11, 2009 (40)
- ... that Howard Reiter has been credited by some with developing the overhand spiral forward pass while playing for the Philadelphia Athletics of the original National Football League (1902)? July 11, 2009 (39)
- ... that American football halfback Franklin Morse (pictured) was the model for a drawing, prints of which reportedly "hung in most college rooms throughout the country" during the 1890s? July 11, 2009 (38)
- ... that Princeton All-American Dudley Riggs was the son of a wealthy banking family that lent $16 million to the United States to fund the Mexican-American War? July 11, 2009 (37)
- ... that American hammer thrower Walter Boal astonished passengers on a ship traveling to England in 1899 by skipping rope around the deck with another athlete on his back? July 2, 2009 (36)
- ... that University of Chicago fullback Clarence Herschberger (pictured) has been credited as the first player to run the Statue of Liberty play? June 29, 2009 (35)
- ... that the 1890 College Football All-America Team was composed entirely of players from Harvard, Yale and Princeton, including Ralph Warren, John Cranston, Billy Rhodes, Frank Hallowell and Jesse Riggs? July 5, 2009 (29-34)
- ... that Pete Overfield won a professional American football championship in 1901 and was later nominated by U.S. President William Howard Taft as a federal judge in Alaska? June 30, 2009 (28)
- ... that the success of the championship 1901 Homestead Library & Athletic Club football team inspired promoters to form the first National Football League in 1902? June 30, 2009 (27)
- ... that University of Chicago football star Laurens "Spike" Shull died of wounds suffered rushing a machine gun nest at the Battle of Château-Thierry (pictured)? June 22, 2009 (26)
- ... that Dick King, who played in the early days of the NFL, was called "one of the greatest backs who ever wore moleskins"? June 23, 2009 (25)
- ... that "The Great Gilroy", the leading scorer in college football in 1916, was charged in 1940 with stealing 35 shoe stitching machines from a Massachusetts factory? June 23, 2009 (24)
- ... that Virginia Cavaliers halfback Eugene "Buck" Mayer became the first consensus first-team All-American from a Southern school in 1915? June 23, 2009 (23)
- ... that Yale All-American Ted Coy (pictured), who played football with "his long blonde hair held back by a white sweatband," was the basis for a character in a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald? June 21, 2009 (22)
- ... that Freeman Fitzgerald played football with Knute Rockne and once struck out 19 batters in a baseball game? June 24, 2009 (21)
- ... that Yale All-American Paul Veeder has been credited with throwing the "first forward pass in a major game"? June 20, 2009 (20)
- ... that the 1948 All-America team was the first to include separate offensive and defensive college football teams? March 29, 2009 (19)
- ... that four-time All-American football end and millionaire lumberman Tom Shevlin (pictured) died of pneumonia after contracting a cold while training the Yale football team? June 18, 2009 (18)
- ... that All-American Beaton Squires wrote an editorial in 1905 against turning football into a "parlor game" after Harvard's president criticized its violent nature? May 25, 2009 (17)
- ... that the quarterback for the first College Football All-America Team in 1889 was Edgar Allan Poe? April 29, 2009 (16)
- ... that UCLA Bruins end Dick Wallen won the 1957 Voit Trophy as the outstanding football player on the Pacific Coast? April 26, 2009 (14-15)
- ... that "Ma" Newell (pictured), one of the few four-year All-Americans in college football history, was run over by a railroad engine on Christmas Eve 1897? June 1, 2009 (14,200 DYK views) (13)
- ... that Grantland Rice wrote that All-American football fullback Shep Homans, who played in every minute of all 22 games for Princeton in 1890 and 1891, "represented the football that used to be"? May 25, 2009 (12)
- ... that in 1899 Isaac Seneca became the first Native American to be named as an All-American football player while playing halfback for the Carlisle Indian School? May 24, 2009 (11)
- ... that two-time All-American fullback "Blondy" Graydon performed a tumbling routine with the Barnum & Bailey Circus while dressed "in resplendent pink tights"? May 24, 2009 (10)
- ... that Harvard's All-American football quarterback Dudley Dean was cited by Theodore Roosevelt for bravery after the Rough Riders' charge of San Juan Hill (pictured)? May 25, 2009 (9)
- ... that Earl Sprackling, who was selected as the best college football player of 1910, gained 456 total yards and kicked three field goals in one game? May 16, 2009 (8)
- ... that Duane Purvis's right arm made him a world-class javelin thrower and "without peer" as a long passer in football? May 16, 2009 (7)
- ... that Lester Belding was the first Iowa Hawkeyes football player to be named an All-American? May 15, 2009 (6)
- ... that William H. Lewis (pictured) became the first African-American college football player in 1888 and the first African-American to serve as U.S. Assistant Attorney General in 1911? (5)
- ... that University of Pittsburgh halfback Gibby Welch broke the single-season yardage record set by Red Grange, gaining 1,964 yards in just nine games in 1926? April 13, 2009 (4)
- ... that Herb Treat, unanimously selected as a 1922 College Football All-American, was hit by a car in 1943 and plunged nine stories from a hotel window in 1947? April 7, 2009 (4,000 DYK views for Herb Treat; 400 for 1922 All-America Team) (2-3)
- ... that petitions called for the firing of Ohio State athletic director Dick Larkins when he hired little-known football coach Woody Hayes in 1951 instead of Paul Brown? July 21, 2008 (1)
- ... that 14 players and the coach of the 1970 Wichita State Shockers football team died when its "Gold" plane crashed in the Colorado mountains? September 12, 2020 (3,517 DYK views)
- ... that the Detroit Lions' tackle Tony Furst saw combat action in the Guadalcanal campaign and later became a florist? (2,800 DYK views)
Historic places (124)
edit- ... that Rodgers and Hammerstein wrote the musical Oklahoma! in a suite at the Berkshire Hotel in New York City? May 17, 2020
- ... that the Ventura Pier was the longest wooden pier in California until a storm sheared off approximately 420 feet (130 m) in 1995? (1,993 DYK views)
- ... that the Father Serra statues in Ventura, California, have been vandalized and called "a direct slap in the face" of Native American cultures? May 9, 2018 (2,527 DYK views)
- ... that the Serra Cross (pictured) in Ventura, California, was sold in response to a threatened lawsuit challenging the use of public funds to maintain a religious symbol on public land? July 18, 2018 (7,823 DYK views)
- ... that the Opa-Locka Thematic Resource Area includes 20 buildings developed by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss using an "Arabian Nights" theme? October 24, 2012 (2,950 DYK views) (123)
- ... that John Lennon married Yoko Ono at The Rock Hotel? October 24, 2012 (4,600 DYK views) (122)
- ... that a pretender to the French throne built the De Mores Packing Plant in the Dakota Territory in 1883? July 12, 2012 (3,100 DYK views) (121)
- ... that the Frank Kameny House in Washington, D.C., was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in the gay rights activism of its namesake? December 13, 2011 (1,400 DYK views) (120)
- ... that Olson House, made famous by its depiction in Christina's World, was designated a National Historic Landmark in June 2011? August 8, 2011 (3,400 DYK views for Olson House; 3,100 for Christina's World; 408 for the photo) (119)
- ... that the 27th Street Historic District in Los Angeles includes a Gothic Revival church that since 1906 has housed white, Armenian, African-American and Hispanic congregations? June 27, 2011 (118)
- ... that Second Baptist Church, once the largest African American–owned meeting space in the western U.S., hosted speeches by W. E. B. Du Bois, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Malcolm X? June 26, 2011 (117)
- ... that the Lincoln Theater in Los Angeles was known as the "West Coast Apollo" and featured performances by jazz legends before being converted into a church? June 24, 2011 (116)
- ... that Leonie Pray House hosted recitals by Liberace and Risë Stevens and served as the home of Patrick Swayze's character in Donnie Darko? Oct. 18, 2009 (1,200 DYK views) (115)
- ... that the Sky Room atop the Breakers Hotel (pictured) was the local Airwatch headquarters in World War II? Sept. 29, 2009 (11,500 DYK views) (114)
- ... that a pastor of the First Congregational Church in Long Beach, California, vowed to defy an order to block homeless people from sleeping on the church steps? Sept. 29, 2009 (113)
- ... that the landmark Insurance Exchange Building in Long Beach, California, has housed a boy's clothing store, courthouse, dance studio, nightclub and Jamaican restaurant? Sept. 27, 2009 (112)
- ... that the namesake of the Victorian Bembridge House was strangled to death in 1999 at the house where she had lived for 81 years? Sept. 25, 2009 (1,400 DYK views) (111)
- ... that when Cooper Arms opened in Long Beach, California, it boasted the latest amenities, including "disappearing beds" and "dustless roller screens"? Sept. 25, 2009 (3,300 DYK views) (110)
- ... that the Long Beach Post Office has been called "Post-Quake Moderne" due to the local prevalence of the style after the Long Beach earthquake of 1933? Sept. 23, 2009 (109)
- ... that the Scottish Rite Cathedral (pictured), covered in some 250 tons of ornamental terra cotta, was among the first eight structures designated as a Long Beach Historic Landmark? Sept. 22, 2009 (5,800 DYK views) (108)
- ... that Palms Depot (pictured) was known as the "Grasshopper Stop" because "grasshoppers were present in veritable clouds" when it opened? Sept. 22, 2009 (2,500 DYK views) (107)
- ... that the luxurious Villa Riviera was the second tallest building in Southern California from the time of its completion in 1929 through the mid-1950s? Sept. 20, 2009 (2,000 DYK views) (106)
- ... that architect Richard Neutra used mirrors and reflecting pools to provide spaciousness for his home on a small lot, the Neutra VDL Studio and Residences, on Silver Lake in Los Angeles? May 21, 2009 (105)
- ... that Charlie Chaplin Studios, founded in 1917 and now home to Jim Henson Productions, has a 12-foot (3.7 m) color statue of Kermit the Frog dressed as the "Little Tramp" above the main gate? March 12, 2009 (2,000 DYK views) (104)
- ... that KCET Studios, where Invasion of the Body Snatchers was filmed, is the longest continuously-producing studio in Hollywood? March 11, 2009 (1,100 DYK views) (103)
- ... that The Salt Box, one of the first Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments, was razed by fire seven months after being relocated to make room for a $500 million skyscraper development? March 2, 2009 (2,800 DYK views) (102)
- ... that the Palm Court, called "the most beautiful room in Los Angeles," has been the site of speeches by Presidents Taft and Wilson and balls where Rudolph Valentino danced with starlets? March 1, 2009 (1,900 DYK views) (101)
- ... that the Kappe Residence, described as "a virtual tree house poised over a steep hillside", was named one of the top ten houses in Los Angeles by an expert panel selected by the Los Angeles Times? Jan. 9, 2009 (5,000 DYK views) (100)
- ... that the 1916 Early Modern Dodge House in West Hollywood, California, called one of the fifteen most significant houses in the United States, was demolished in 1970 to make way for apartments? Jan. 8, 2009 (6,600 DYK views) (99)
- ... that Hacienda Arms on the Sunset Strip was the "most famous brothel in California" in the 1930s and now houses a celebrity-owned restaurant described by Newsweek as "so hip it hurts"? Nov. 24, 2008 (6,100 DYK views) (98)
- ... that the historic monuments in the Los Angeles Harbor area include a Civil War Powder Magazine, a World War I coastal artillery battery, and the bridge of a World War II heavy cruiser? October 6, 2008 (1,800 DYK views for List of HCMs in Harbor Area), (1,200 DYK views for Powder Magazine) (1,900 DYK views for USS Los Angeles) (1,300 DYK views for Battery Osgood-Farley) (96-97)
- ... that Los Angeles police were sent to guard the remains of the 1000-year-old Encino Oak Tree, a victim of "slime flux", after it was felled by an El Niño storm in 1998? October 6, 2008 (11,400 DYK views) (95)
- ... that the main house on the grounds of the city-owned Orcutt Ranch Horticulture Center in Los Angeles incorporates swastikas in its architecture? October 4, 2008 (2,500 DYK views) (94)
- ... that a tower of 2,000 wooden Schlitz beer pallets described as "a rotting vestige of one man's egotism" that festers "like a sore on the community's body" is a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument? September 30, 2008 (13,700 DYK views) for List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in the San Fernando Valley; (800 DYK views) for Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (20,700 views for LAHCMs in the San Fenando Valley, 9/08-12/09) (92-93)
- ... that the Menlo Avenue Historic District in Los Angeles reflects the transition to American Craftsman style architecture? September 29, 2008 (91)
- ... that North University Park in Los Angeles contains many well-preserved Victorian houses and was the birthplace of U.S. Presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson? September 27, 2008 (1,000 DYK hooks) (90)
- ... that some believe the pictographs in Burro Flats Painted Cave were drawn by Native American maidens who slept in the cave as part of a puberty ritual? September 23, 2008 (3,800 DYK views) (89)
- ... that the 1898 Carpenter Gothic Bardsdale Methodist Episcopal Church in California underwent extensive renovations after a portion of the ceiling fell on a parishioner during a 1982 service? September 20, 2008 (88)
- ... that Camarillo Ranch House (pictured), headquarters for "the largest bean ranch in the world", was renowned for its Arabian stallions that led the Rose Parade? September 17, 2008 (4,200 DYK views) (2,900 DYK photo views) (87)
- ... that the seven-mile-long Ventura Mission Aqueduct, built between 1780 and 1815, has been called "an engineering marvel"? September 16, 2008 (6,600 DYK views) (900 photo views) (86)
- ... that there are nearly 100 Registered Historic Places in Pasadena, California, including a 25-foot Space Simulator and the JPL Space Flight Operations Facility (pictured)? September 15, 2008 (2,200 DYK views) (3,400 DYK photo views) (1,900 views for Twenty-Five-Foot Space Simulator) (1,300 views for Space Flight Operations Facility) (85)
- ... that the Carnegie Art Museum in Oxnard, California originally opened in 1907 as a Carnegie library? September 13, 2008 (84)
- ... that Adamson House, called the "Taj Mahal of Tile", uses local handmade Malibu tiles throughout and has an elaborately tiled dog bath (pictured)? September 7, 2008 (5,300 DYK views) (3,400 DYK photo views) (83)
- ... that that a parade honoring Jack Benny was held at the Azusa Civic Center, commemorating his running gag in which a conductor called out, "Train leaving now for Anaheim, Azusa and Cucamonga"? September 7, 2008 (82)
- ... that the Pomona City Stables, which housed 22 horses upon its completion in 1909, is reported to be one of the oldest municipal buildings still extant in California? September 6, 2008 (81)
- ... that the Phillips Mansion, described as having been built in the "Classic Haunted Mansion" style, was the home of the richest man in Los Angeles County from 1875 to 1900? September 5, 2008 (6,400 DYK views) for Phillips Mansion; (1,400 DYK views) for Louis Phillips (79-80)
- ... that the 33-room San Dimas Hotel (pictured) built in 1887 never had a paying guest due to a land boom that never occurred? September 4, 2008 (9,600 DYK views) (4,300 DYK photo views) (78)
- ... that the Palomares Adobe, Casa Alvarado and Casa Primera, built between 1837 and 1855, provided a stagecoach stop, chapel, school and early homes for the 22,000-acre Rancho San Jose in Los Angeles County? September 3, 2008 (1,800 DYK views) (74-77)
- ... that Harold Lloyd's Estate, called "the most impressive movie star's estate ever created," included a golf course and a 900-foot canoe stream? September 1, 2008 (4,200 DYK views) (73)
- ... that the Sunset Tower (pictured) in West Hollywood, California was home to Howard Hughes, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra, and gangster Bugsy Siegel, who was asked to leave after being charged with running a bookmaking operation there? September 1, 2008 (3,600 DYK views) (2,500 DYK photo views) (72)
- ... that Drum Barracks were built in 1862 and 1863 at a cost of US$1 million to quell pro-Confederacy sentiments in Los Angeles? August 31, 2008 (4,100 DYK views) (71)
- ... that the 1864 Banning House (pictured) reportedly hosted "the first yachting party on the West Coast" and has been called "one of the best examples of Greek Revival architecture in the west"? August 30, 2008 (1,200 DYK views) (2,500 DYK photo views) (70)
- ... that Frank Lloyd Wright said of the Millard House (pictured) that he "would rather have built this little house than St. Peter's in Rome"? August 28, 2008 (21,800 DYK views) (2,500 DYK photo views) (69)
- ... that the Old Warner Brothers Studio, where the first "talkie" was filmed in 1927, has recently been the location for Judge Judy and Hannah Montana? August 28, 2008 (2,800 DYK views) (68)
- ... that the namesake of the Minnie Hill Palmer House was born there in 1886 and remained in the 1970s, still tending her garden, then located adjacent to a golf course, with an antique hand plow? August 27, 2008 (3,100 DYK views) (67)
- ... that the Convento Building is the largest adobe building in California and the largest original building at any of the Spanish missions in California? August 13, 2008 (2,400 DYK views) (66)
- ... that the C.E. Toberman Estate was used as the "trophy" house of Vincent Chase on the first two seasons of HBO's Entourage? August 13, 2008 (1,600 DYK views) (65)
- ... that the widow-owner of the Durfee Mansion died in 1976 at age 99, leaving an untouched wine cellar stocked with vintage wines and whisky dating to the 1890s? August 12, 2008 (8,000 DYK views) (64)
- ... that the Terminal Annex Post Office was LA's central mail processing facility for 50 years and became a filming location when it closed? August 11, 2008 (3,100 DYK views) (63)
- ... that for many years, Municipal Warehouse No. 1 at the Port of Los Angeles stored the railcar that carried Winston Churchill's body to burial? August 10, 2008 (1,100 DYK views) (62)
- ... that the Heinsbergen Decorating Company Building was built in 1928 with bricks salvaged from the old Los Angeles city hall? August 9, 2008 (61)
- ... that the Plaza Historic District was the historic center of Los Angeles in the days of Spanish and Mexican rule? August 2008 (2,200 DYK views) (60)
- ... that LA's Exposition Park Rose Garden has more than 20,000 rose bushes and 200 varieties of roses? August 7, 2008 (59)
- ... that Ralphs Grocery Store (location pictured), part of a plan to build the "model college town" in 1929, was photographed by Ansel Adams? August 7, 2008 (9,000 DYK views) (6,000 DYK photo views) (58)
- ... that the Highland Park Police Station, where the radical Symbionese Liberation Army ([[:|emblem pictured]]) once planted a bomb that proved to be a dud, is now the Los Angeles Police Museum? August 4, 2008 (2,400 DYK views) (2,300 DYK photo views) (57)
- ... that Well No. 4 in the Pico Canyon Oilfield was the first commercially successful oil well in the Western United States and the longest producing oil well in the world at 114 years? August 4, 2008 (3,800 DYK views) (56)
- ... that the Neutra Office Building, once the office of Modernist architect Richard Neutra, is said to be the only commercial structure that is still intact with Neutra's original design? August 4, 2008 (2,500 DYK views) (55)
- ... that the Smith Estate was the home of a writer on occultism, the head of a railroad, and a deputy mayor, and the shooting location for the cult film Spider Baby? August 1, 2008 (2,700 DYK views) (54)
- ... that the old Lodge Room at the Highland Park Masonic Temple (pictured) has been preserved with original anaglyphs and cherry wood paneling? August 1, 2008 (53)
- ... that Mooers House (pictured), an example of West Coast Victorian architecture, is named for its owner who struck gold after years of prospecting in the Mojave Desert? July 30, 2008 (52)
- ... that original stained glass from the Miller and Herriott House was removed to a restaurant near Disneyland, prompting one writer to compare the new glass to the wooden leg on Sara Bernhardt? July 30, 2008 (51)
- ... that the Spring Street Financial District, known as the "Wall Street of the West", contains Los Angeles's first skyscraper (pictured) and more than twenty historic financial buildings? July 28, 2008 (50)
- ... that The Bryson, featured in Raymond Chandler's The Lady in the Lake and the neo-noir film The Grifters, has become a symbol of LA's film noir past? July 27, 2008 (49)
- ... that El Molino Viejo (pictured), a grist mill built in 1816 by native Indian converts from the San Gabriel Mission, is the oldest commercial building in Southern California? July 25, 2008 (48)
- ... that the Pisgah Home (pictured) was the centre of a controversial movement in the early 1900s by a Pentecostal faith healer to care for the poor and downtrodden? July 23, 2008 (47)
- ... that Sci-Arc architecture school built its Los Angeles campus from the 1907 Santa Fe Freight Depot (pictured), a concrete structure with 120 bays stretching as long as the Empire State Building is tall? July 23, 2008 (46)
- ... that LA's Fire Station No. 23 (pictured) has been a location in over 50 film productions, including Ghostbusters headquarters and scenes from The Mask and National Security? July 21, 2008 (45)
- ... that the Clark Memorial Home, built in 1913 as a home for single working women, has been a shooting location for Rocketeer, Twins, and Mr. Saturday Night? July 17, 2008 (44)
- ... that Watts Station was the only structure to remain intact along "Charcoal Alley" during the Watts Riots? July 15, 2008 (43)
- ... that SS Catalina, after reportedly carrying more passengers than any other ship anywhere, has been stuck half-submerged in Ensenada, Mexico for more than ten years? July 14, 2008 (42)
- ... that the largest sports research library in North America is located on the grounds of LA's Britt House, a Colonial Revival mansion built in 1910? July 13, 2008 (41)
- ... that the 1880s Victorian Hale House (pictured), with its exuberant ornamentation and color scheme, has been called "the most photographed house" in Los Angeles? July 12, 2008 (5,000 DYK views) (7,800 DYK photo views) (40)
- ... that South Park Lofts in Los Angeles, originally an eight-story parking garage, was converted to lofts, whereupon residents complained about a lack of parking? July 10, 2008 (3,700 DYK views) (39)
- ... that the Broadway Theater District, with 12 movie palaces (example pictured) in six blocks, is the first and largest historic theater district listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places? July 7, 2008 (4,700 DYK views) (5,000 DYK photo views) (38)
- ... that the 20-room Garbutt House in Los Angeles, California was built with concrete walls and ceilings, steel-reinforced doors and no fireplaces due to the owner's intense fear of fire? July 7, 2008 (5,700 DYK views) (37)
- ... that El Cabrillo courtyard apartments, built in 1928 by Cecil B. DeMille and later home to transvestite actor Divine, are said to be "steeped in old Hollywood lore"? July 6, 2008 (2,300 views) (36)
- ... that LA's Board of Trade Building (pictured), site of the California Stock Exchange, was the first office building on the Pacific coast with automated elevators? July 5, 2008 (1,400 DYK views) (4,200 DYK photo views) (35)
- ... that units in LA's Avenel Cooperative Housing Project, reportedly built as "a cooperative living experiment for a group of communists", were selling for US$300,000 in 2002? July 3, 2008 (2,800 DYK views) (34)
- ... that the San Fernando Building in Los Angeles, California, recently converted into upscale lofts, was raided several times for illegal gambling operations between 1910 and 1930? July 3, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (33)
- ... that boxer Oscar De La Hoya has been involved in efforts to redevelop the Sears, Roebuck & Company Mail Order Building in the Boyle Heights neighborhood where he grew up? July 1, 2008 (32)
- ... that the Ralph J. Bunche House in South Los Angeles was the boyhood home of Ralph Bunche, the first person of color to receive the Nobel Peace Prize? June 30, 2008 (30-31)
- ... that the Alvarado Terrace Historic District includes a church built in 1912 that was the LA home of Jim Jones' Peoples Temple before the group's 1977 mass suicide in Jonestown? June 20, 2008 (29)
- ... that the El Greco Apartments (pictured), once home to Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, were saved from demolition with fund-raising help from Star Trek's Leonard Nimoy? June 18, 2008 (6,900 DYK views) (6,300 DYK photo views) (28)
- ... that young Judy Garland was discovered, and Amelia Earhart made her last public appearance, at Ebell of Los Angeles (pictured)? June 18, 2008 (4,900 DYK views) (27)
- ... that the Vermont Square, Lincoln Heights, and Cahuenga Branches are the only surviving Carnegie libraries in Los Angeles? June 15, 2008 (24-26)
- ... that the Lloyd Wright-designed John Sowden House (pictured) is known as the "Jaws House" because its facade resembles the open mouth of a shark? June 2008 (5,700 DYK views) (9,800 DYK photo views) (23)
- ... that Frank Lloyd Wright's textile block work, Storer House, was restored in the 1980s by Joel Silver, producer of the films Die Hard and The Matrix? June 11, 2008 (7,400 DYK views) (22)
- ... that the Dunbar Hotel was the heart of LA's jazz scene with visits by Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, and Louis Armstrong? June 9, 2008 (1,500 DYK views) (21)
- ... that the builder of Centinela Adobe traded his 2,200-acre (880 ha) ranch encompassing the modern city of Inglewood for a keg of whisky and a small home in Los Angeles? June 9, 2008 (3,200 DYK views) (20)
- ... that Engine Co. No. 27 served a dual function as a movie location and an operating firehouse serving the Hollywood studios? June 8, 2008 (1,900 DYK views) (19)
- ... that the 1900 Carpenter Gothic Wadsworth Chapel has separate Catholic and Protestant chapels under one roof? June 6, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (18)
- ... that the Art Deco Montecito Apartments (pictured) had been the home of Ronald Reagan, James Cagney, Montgomery Clift, and George C. Scott before becoming a senior citizens' housing project? June 6, 2008 (3,300 DYK views) (2,700 DYK photo views) (17)
- ... that stained glass from Judson Studios is found not only in churches, but also in Frank Lloyd Wright houses, the U.S. Capitol and the Tropicana Casino? June 5, 2008 (16)
- ... that Marilyn Monroe posed naked in 1948 to raise US$50 to pay the rent for her room at the Hollywood Studio Club (pictured)? May 31, 2008 (4,500 DYK views) (2,900 DYK photo views) (15)
- ... that the Neoclassical Hollywood Masonic Temple (pictured) has been used as a Masonic Lodge, opera house, and nightclub, and is now the home of the Jimmy Kimmel Live! television show? May 29, 2008 (5,000 DYK views) (4,700 DYK photo views) (14)
- ... that Richard Neutra's Jardinette Apartments in Hollywood is considered one of the first Modernist buildings in America? May 28, 2008 (4,100 DYK views) (13)
- ... that Bolton Hall, the community center for a Utopian community formed in 1913 in the foothills north of Los Angeles, was later used as a jail? May 21, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (12)
- ... that the City of Los Angeles has 186 sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places? May 20, 2008 (46,000 views from 5/08 - 12/09) (11)
- ... that San Diego's El Cortez Hotel, site of the world's first outdoor glass elevator and moving sidewalk, became a school for evangelists in the 1970s? May 15, 2008 (2,500 DYK views) (10)
- ... that the historic Golden Gate Theater was saved by a stop-work order after demolition crews had begun to dismantle the walls? May 14, 2008 (5,500 DYK views) (9)
- ... that after surviving a dynamite attack in 1896, fraternity parties in the 1940s, and an earthquake in 1994, Stimson House (pictured) is now a convent for Catholic nuns? May 2008 (4,600 DYK views) (3,600 DYK photo views) (8)
- ... that McCarty Church (pictured) in Los Angeles gained attention for its pastor's decision to racially integrate his white Protestant church in the mid-1950s? May 7, 2008 (4,300 DYK views) (4,200 DYK photo views) (7)
- ... that the spirits of a wealthy rancher and his Indian wife have been seen and heard since the 1920s at Leonis Adobe, according to TV show Most Haunted? May 4, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (6)
- ... that Lopez and Pico Adobes, built near the San Fernando Mission, are the oldest residences in San Fernando Valley, California? May 4, 2008 (4-5)
- ... that Breed Street Shul, now vacant in a Hispanic part of Los Angeles, was the largest Orthodox synagogue in the western United States from 1915 to 1951? May 3, 2008 (2,500 DYK views) (3)
- ... that the art deco Burbank City Hall (pictured), with murals by Hugo Ballin, uses more than twenty types of marble in its main lobby? May 2, 2008 (2,000 DYK views) (2,100 DYK photo views) (2)
- ... that Wilshire Boulevard Temple, with its landmark Byzantine dome (pictured), is the oldest Jewish synagogue in Los Angeles? April 29, 2008 (4,500 DYK views) (3,500 DYK photo views) (1)
General biography and other (54)
edit- ... that swimmer June Krauser set 154 American records and 73 world records? August 16, 2014 (1,700 DYK views) (54)
- ... that Clarence Chesterfield Howerton, aka Major Mite (pictured), was billed as the world's smallest man? August 28, 2013 (21,000 DYK views) (53)
- ... that businessman Berthold Beitz saved hundreds of Jews, including tailors, hairdressers and Talmudic scholars, by designating them as essential to Nazi Germany's war effort? August 5, 2013 (4,300 DYK views) (52)
- ... that Willie Louis has been called a hero of the Civil Rights Movement for testifying in 1955 against two white men accused of murdering 14-year-old Emmett Till? August 4, 2013 (1,600 DYK views) (51)
- ... that Norman Sas invented electric football? July 30, 2012 (1,000 DYK views) (50)
- ... that Lorri Bauman in 1984 became the first women's collegiate basketball player to score 3,000 points and still holds all-time NCAA records for field goals and free throws? May 18, 2012 (1,200 DYK views) (49)
- ... that the Cleveland Rosenblums, owned by department store owner Max Rosenblum, won the first championship of the newly formed American Basketball League in 1926? October 10, 2011 (1,200 DYK views) (48)
- ... that Bill Lange led the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball program to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1941? October 9, 2011 (400 DYK views) (47)
- ... that Thomas Benton Cooley was inducted into the Legion of Honour for his work with the children of France during World War I and later discovered "Cooley's anemia"? December 9, 2010 (46)
- ... that Christian Steinmetz was the inaugural College Basketball Player of the Year in 1905, despite being only 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 m) tall and weighing 137 pounds (62 kg)? November 28, 2010 (1,100 DYK view) (45)
- ... that Ysrael Seinuk came to the United States with little more than "my slide rule and my diploma from the University of Havana" and became known as "Mr. New York"? October 10, 2010 (2,600 DYK views) (44)
- ... that Australian Murray Sayle, known for his "rat-like cunning", was a war correspondent in Vietnam, tracked Che Guevara through the Bolivian jungle, climbed Mt. Everest and sailed solo across the Atlantic? October 2, 2010 (2,600 DYK views) (43)
- ... that the work of "animation God" Bill Littlejohn includes Tom and Jerry, A Charlie Brown Christmas and an Oscar-winning short with Dizzie Gillespie debating the possibility of nuclear war? October 1, 2010 (1,700 DYK views) (42)
- ... that radar detector millionaire Dodge Morgan at age 54 sailed solo around the globe without stops in 150 days, shattering the prior record of 292 days? October 1, 2010 (2,400 DYK views) (41)
- ... that The New York Times called Leonard Skinner, the namesake of Lynyrd Skynyrd, "arguably the most influential high school gym teacher in American popular culture"? September 29, 2010 (8,800 DYK views) (40)
- ... that Bob Emery at age 46 already ranks among the 20 all-time winningest college men's ice hockey coaches, with 465 wins? July 31, 2010 (39)
- ... that Claude Bracey, know as "the Texas Flyer," won the 100- and 220-yard sprints at the 1928 NCAA Track Championships and tied the world record in the 100-meter race in 1932? July 18, 2010 (700 DYK views) (38)
- ... that Gordie Gillespie is the all-time winningest college baseball coach and was also selected as the head coach of the Chicago Tribune all-time Illinois high school football team? July 16, 2010 (1,100 DYK views) (37)
- ... that Sharron Backus played on seven national and two international championship softball teams and coached UCLA to nine national championships? July 6, 2010 (820 DYK views) (36)
- ... that Legend of Hockey Don Roberts was assigned to coach hockey despite having never played the sport and coached his team in boots due to his unsteadiness on skates? July 4, 2010 (1,000 DYK views) (35)
- ... that Ed Saugestad began coaching the Augsburg College hockey team while he was still a student and led the school to three NAIA national championships in 37 years as the coach? July 2 and 4, 2010 (1,000 DYK views) (34)
- ... that Mike McShane led Norwich to eight Frozen Fours and ranks ninth all-time among NCAA men's ice hockey coaches with 564 wins? July 1, 2010 (600 DYK views) (33)
- ... that Iowa and Indiana coach Gayle Blevins retired in June 2010 ranked second in NCAA Division I softball history with 1,245 wins? July 1, 2010 (600 DYK views) (32)
- ... that Tim Coghlin advanced to the Frozen Four in six of the past eight years and has the second highest career winning percentage among the 100 all-time winningest college men's hockey coaches? July 1, 2010 (550 DYK views) (31)
- ... that Judi Garman, raised by a Mennonite pastor on the Saskatchewan prairie, became the winningest coach in college softball history at Cal State Fullerton? July 1, 2010 (1,000 DYK views) (30)
- ... that Bill Beaney led Middlebury College to an unprecedented five straight national men's ice hockey championships and ranks 11th on the all-time NCAA hockey win list? June 30, 2010 (900 DYK views) (29)
- ... that Margie Wright is the all-time winningest NCAA softball coach and ranks second all-time in career victories among NCAA Division I coaches in all sports? June 30, 2010 (1,100 DYK views) (28)
- ... that ophthalmologist Arnall Patz received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for solving one of "the great medical mysteries of the postwar era"? March 31, 2010 (27)
- ... that Heinz Stahlschmidt was credited with saving 3,500 French lives when he refused to blow up the port of Bordeaux and instead blew up the munitions bunker, killing approximately 50 Germans? March 19, 2010 (26)
- ... that Donald Goerke invented SpaghettiOs, choosing the "O" over pasta shaped like baseballs, cowboys, and spacemen, and later ran the company's dog food division? Jan. 28, 2010 1,600 DYK views (25)
- ... that psychiatrist Herbert Spiegel, whose work established hypnosis as a legitimate medical therapy, used "Sybil" as a demonstration case for his hypnosis classes at Columbia University? Jan. 23, 2010 (24)
- ... that pin-up girl Gloria Nord attracted more than a million people to her rolling skating exhibitions in 1942 and 1943 and later gave a command performance for Queen Elizabeth II? Jan. 13, 2010 (6,900 DYK views) (23)
- ... that cellist Felix Wurman founded the Church of Beethoven, described by NPR as "a church for people who don't go to church," in an abandoned gas station off Route 66 in New Mexico? Jan. 12, 2010 (1,100 DYK views) (22)
- ... that Stanford's Flint Hanner, winner of the first NCAA javelin championship, later coached the Fresno State Bulldogs to 27 track and field championships? Dec. 18, 2009 (400 DYK views) (21)
- ... that American athlete Eric Wilson won the 220-yard dash at the first NCAA track and field championships in 1921? Dec. 14, 2009 (360 DYK views) (20)
- ... that Leonard Paulu won consecutive NCAA championships in the 100 yard dash despite war injuries that included the loss of an eye and a right-leg stride four inches shorter than his left? Dec. 14, 2009 (2,050 DYK views) (19)
- ... that Penn State's John Romig, the first NCAA champion in the two-mile run, later became an explosives expert? Dec. 11, 2009 (750 DYK views) (18)
- ... that Jan Leighton played over 1,200 famous persons in television and print advertisements, and 1,800 more on radio? Dec. 5, 2009 (1,800 DYK views) (17)
- ... that Luis Valdez called American activist Alice McGrath, who inspired his play Zoot Suit, "one of the heroines of the 20th century"? Dec. 4, 2009 (1,300 DYK views) (16)
- ... that chemist Lester Shubin has been credited with saving the lives of thousands of police officers? Dec. 3, 2009 (6,800 DYK views) (15)
- ... that Waldo Hunt, "King of the Pop-Ups," could "make dinosaurs rear up, ships set sail and bats quiver in belfries"? Dec. 3, 2009 (3,000 DYK hits) (14)
- ... that NCAA tennis coach Dick Gould was named "Coach of the Decade" for both the 1980s and 1990s and coached 50 All-Americans, including John McEnroe and the Bryan Brothers? Nov. 25, 2009 (330 DYK views) (13)
- ... that Big Ten champion Chet Murphy defeated America's top-ranked woman tennis player Alice Marble in a 1939 exhibition match played in front of a "throng" of spectators? Nov. 25, 2009 (800 DYK views) (12)
- ... that Donna Mae Mims, known as the "Pink Lady" of racing, became the first woman to win a Sports Car Club of America national championship in 1963? Oct. 22, 2009 (2,800 DYK views) (11)
- ... that naval architect and author W.I.B. Crealock designed a yacht that was inducted into the American Sailboat Hall of Fame? Oct. 14, 2009 (10)
- ... that John Hyson published articles on the history of the toothbrush, George Washington's dentures, and one entitled "Did You Know A Dentist Embalmed President Lincoln?"? Oct. 13, 2009 (9)
- ... that Lee Robins "pioneered the field of psychiatric epidemiology" and "played a key role in determining the prevalence of mental problems in the United States and the world"? Oct. 12, 2009 (8)
- ... that Maria Gulovich sheltered Jews, worked for the anti-fascist underground, and was awarded the Bronze Star for saving the lives of OSS agents during World War II? Oct. 11, 2009 (1,700 DYK views) (7)
- ... that the selection of Ernie "Indian Red" Lopez for the California Boxing Hall of Fame led to his discovery in a Texas homeless shelter after being missing for 12 years? Oct. 8, 2009 (5,800 DYK views) (6)
- ... that during a blowout, fans often chant to request that players who only play in garbage time be put in the game? Jan. 16, 2009 (2,400 DYK views) (5)
- ... that Iolani Luahine, considered the high priestess of the ancient hula, was said to be able to "call up the wind and the rain" and to "make animals do her bidding"? Jan. 1, 2009 (2,300 DYK views) (4)
- ... that 19th-century California bandit Procopio, also known as Red-Handed Dick, was said to "love the feel and the color of warm blood," and his name was used by mothers to frighten their children? Dec. 26, 2008 (2,200 DYK views) (3)
- ... that attorney Rachel Hirschfeld works in the field of pet rights, including the creation of pet trusts allowing pets to inherit property? Dec. 9, 2008 (1,900 DYK views) (2)
- ... that James-Younger Gang member "Dick" Liddil surrendered to authorities after killing Jesse James' cousin, reportedly out of fear of that James would seek revenge? Nov. 16, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (1)
University of Michigan Athletics (151)
edit- ... that the 1947–48 Michigan Wolverines hockey team (pictured) won the first "Frozen Four" NCAA hockey championship in March 1948? October 7, 2013 (151)
- ... that Ed Gagnier, the first gymnast to represent Canada at the Olympic games, later coached three NCAA national championship teams at Iowa State? October 3, 2013 (150)
- ... that Dave Barclay, winner of the 1947 NCAA golf championship, worked for more than 30 years at a gaseous diffusion plant that produced enriched uranium? Sept. 30, 2013 (149)
- ... that Rick Bay has served as COO of the New York Yankees, president of the Cleveland Indians, athletic director at Ohio State and Oregon, and wrestling coach at Michigan? Sept. 27, 2013 (148)
- ... that the 1943–44 Michigan basketball team included three athletes, "Crazy Legs" Hirsh, Don Lund, and Bob Wiese, who later played in the National Football League or Major League Baseball? Sept. 26, 2013 (147)
- ... that the 1955–56 Michigan Wolverines hockey team won the 1956 NCAA Tournament and took five of six places on the Associated Press All-Tournament Team? September 23, 2013 (146)
- ... that 1951–52 Michigan Wolverines basketball team was integrated months after the Inter-Racial Association alleged "a deliberate and conscious policy of discrimination against Negro athletes"? September 22, 2013 (145)
- ... that Connie Hill (pictured), captain of the first hockey team to win the Frozen Four, received a Ph.D. for his dissertation, "Mood, self-derogation and anomia as factors in response unreliability"? September 13, 2013 (3,400 DYK views) (144)
- ... that Leonard Brumm organized an inmate hockey team at a maximum security prison, coached the first professional female hockey player, and co-founded the Kuwait National Hockey League? September 12, 2013 (143)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines basketball player Milt Mead won the 1953 NCAA Championship in the high jump? September 10, 2013 (142)
- ... that Chelso Tamagno played for the Akron Goodyear Wingfoots team that won the first National Basketball League championship in 1938? September 8, 2013 (141)
- ... that "Jorgy" Jorgensen was the second leading scorer on the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team for three consecutive years? September 5, 2013 (140)
- ... that University of Michigan wrestler Mark Churella won NCAA national championships three straight years, from 1977 to 1979? September 1, 2013 (139)
- ... that Howard Hoffman, the 1922 NCAA Champion in the javelin throw, was posthumously inducted into the University of Michigan Track and Field Hall of Fame in 2012? August 21, 2013 (138)
- ... that American Wesley Coe set world records in the 8-pound, 12-pound, and 16-pound shot put events? August 18, 2013 (137)
- ... that Holly Campbell from Keweenaw Peninsula won the 1930 NCAA Championship in the hammer throw? August 17, 2013 (136)
- ... that Wilford Ketz won an NCAA championship for throwing a hammer nearly 164 feet and later served as president of the IC4A? August 14, 2013 (135)
- ... that Bud VanDeWege coached the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team to its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 1990? August 5, 2013 (134)
- ... that Vonnie DeLong holds the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball single-season record with 156 assists during the 1987–88 season? August 2, 2013 (133)
- ... that Trish Andrew, nicknamed the "human eraser", holds the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball career and single-season records in both rebounds and blocks? August 1, 2013 (132)
- ... that Jennifer Smith set the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball single-season scoring record with 659 points during the 2003–04 season? August 1, 2013 (131)
- ... that Carmel Borders led the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team to its first winning record during the 1975–76 season? July 31, 2013 (130)
- ... that former Michigan Wolverines softball outfielder Kellyn Tate won the Women's Pro Softball League batting title in 1999 with a .320 batting average? July 30, 2013 (129)
- ... that Danish basketball player Anne Thorius holds the Michigan Wolverines career record with 537 assists? July 29, 2013 (128)
- ... that the Michigan Wolverines women's volleyball team has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 12 of the last 14 years since Mark Rosen became the head coach? July 28, 2013 (127)
- ... that the first coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team was the son of Polish movie actor Kurt Katch? July 28, 2013 (126)
- ... that Women's Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Trish Roberts in 1976 played in the inaugural Olympic women's basketball game and scored a record 51 points in her first game for the Tennessee Lady Vols? July 26, 2013 (125)
- ... that Cheryl Burnett compiled a record of 319–136 (.701) and twice advanced to the Final Four in 15 years as head coach of the Southwest Missouri State women's basketball team? July 26, 2013 (124)
- ... that current Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis coached the Michigan Wolverines softball team from 1981 to 1984? July 25,2013 (123)
- ... that All-American second baseman Kelsey Kollen-Putz and husband J. J. Putz met while both were student-athletes at the University of Michigan? July 25, 2013 (122)
- ... that current Indiana softball coach Michelle Gardner was the Big Ten Player of the Year in 1988 while playing for Michigan? July 23, 2013 (121)
- ... that Pollyanna Johns Kimbrough, a native of Jamaica, was the first Michigan Wolverines women's basketball player to be drafted by an American professional team? July 23, 2013 (120)
- ... that former Michigan Wolverines softball outfielder Patti Townsend was named MVP of the Women's Professional Softball League in 2000? July 22, 2013 (119)
- ... that Traci Conrad-Fischer won two Big Ten batting titles and set the Michigan Wolverines softball career record with a .389 batting average? July 22, 2013 (118)
- ... that current Ohio State softball coach Kelly Kovach Schoenly was twice named Big Ten Pitcher of the Year while playing for Michigan? July 20, 2013 (1,750 DYK views) (117)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines softball player Sara Driesenga compiled a 31–9 record in 2013 and pitched a complete-game shutout in the 2013 Women's College World Series? July 30, 2013 (116)
- ... that Jessica Merchant was captain of Michigan Wolverines softball's 2005 national championship team and National Pro Fastpitch Offensive Player of the Year in 2006? July 19, 2013 (1,300 DYK views) (115)
- ... that Sara Griffin was thrice named a first-team All-American and compiled a 106–19 record as a pitcher for the Michigan Wolverines softball team? July 19, 2013 (1,160 DYK views) (114)
- ... that Samantha Findlay led the Michigan softball team to a national championship with a home run in the 10th inning of the championship game at the 2005 Women's College World Series? July 18, 2013 (1,200 DYK views) (113)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines softball player Haylie Wagner was unanimously selected as the 2012 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year after compiling a 32–7 record and 1.53 ERA as a freshman? July 17, 2013 (1,940 DYK views) (112)
- ... that Gloria Soluk was the first coach of the Michigan Wolverines softball team and the third coach of its women's basketball team? July 16, 2013 (111)
- ... that All-American second baseman Tiffany Haas did not commit an error in her last 60 games for the Michigan Wolverines softball team? July 15, 2013 (3,200 DYK views) (110)
- ... that former Michigan Wolverines softball player Amanda Chidester hit a grand slam to lead Team USA to a victory over Brazil in the 2012 World Cup of Softball? July 15, 2013 (1,200 DYK views) (109)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines softball's freshman shortstop Sierra Romero was named the 2013 Big Ten Player of the Year after compiling a .527 on-base percentage? July 14, 2013 (1,000 DYK views) (108)
- ... that Oakland Athletics manager Steve Boros was criticized for his pioneering use of an Apple II computer to guide his managerial decisions in 1983? July 21, 2012 (107)
- ... that a University of Michigan gymnast dubbed the "Golden Syque" won the first gold medal in international competition for Bangladesh and was chosen to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London? July 30, 2012 (5,900 DYK views) (106)
- ... that Bruce Haynam and Bill Mogk were part of the "million dollar infield" on the 1953 Michigan Wolverines baseball team that won the College World Series? July 12, 2012 (104-105)
- ... that baseball pitcher Pete Appleton changed his surname from Jablonowski to embark on a musical career, which he never did? July 8, 2012 (103)
- ... that University of Michigan gymnast Sam Mikulak won the 2011 NCAA all-around championship and will represent the United States at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London? July 7, 2012 (102)
- ... that former Albany, Georgia, mayor Bill McAfee (pictured) participated in a 13-game baseball tour of Japan in 1929 before embarking on a five-year career in Major League Baseball? July 6, 2012 (101)
- ... that Don Eaddy (pictured) was an All-American baseball player, All-Big Ten basketball player, and halfback for the football team at the University of Michigan? July 4, 2012 (100)
- ... that Wally Gilbert played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, football in the NFL and professional basketball for Buffalo and Denver? July 3, 2012 (99)
- ... that professional baseball player Bud Morse was honored for his heroism in disarming a gunman during a hospital shooting spree? July 2, 2012 (98)
- ... that Henry Oxley is one of only three people from Prince Edward Island to have played in Major League Baseball? July 1, 2012 (97)
- ... that Hal Elliott led the National League in games played by a pitcher in 1930, appearing in 48 games for the last place Philadelphia Phillies? June 30, 2012 (96)
- ... that pitcher Johnny Gee, sometimes known as the "$75,000 Lemon", was the tallest person ever to play Major League Baseball until Randy Johnson debuted in 1988? June 28, 2012 (95)
- ... that Major League Baseball pitcher Bob Glenn later became a pioneer in highway and traffic engineering from the 1920s through the 1950s? June 23, 2012 (94)
- ... that Jack Enzenroth (pictured) in 1910 was the captain of the first baseball team to be coached by Branch Rickey? June 20, 2012 (93)
- ... that Fritz Blanding retired from baseball due to "excessive weight" and because he could have "a heap more fun" on his farm? June 18, 2012 (92)
- ... that Bert Sincock, born in a gold rush boomtown in 1887, was the first British Columbia native to play Major League Baseball? June 12, 2012 (1160 DYK views) (91)
- ... that John Hibbard played three years of college baseball for the University of Michigan despite having previously played professional baseball for the Chicago White Stockings? June 11, 2012 (1100 DYK views) (90)
- ... that Fred Bonine set the world's record in the 110-yard dash in 1886, and later saw over a million patients in his medical office? June 8, 2012 (1557 DYK views) (89)
- ... that Frank Bliss, the first Michigan Wolverine to play Major League baseball, tucked his trousers into long boots for shin protection as a catcher in the early 1870s? June 7, 2012 (1,600 DYK views) (88)
- ... that an 1888 letter written by Weldy Walker (pictured), the second African American in Major League Baseball, was called "perhaps the most passionate cry for justice ever voiced by a Negro athlete"? June 7, 2012 (10,348 DYK views; 1076 image views) (87)
- ... that George Haggarty was named Mr. Basketball of Michigan for 1921 and won the U.S. Seniors' Golf Association championship in 1966? April 22, 2012 (1,050 DYK views) (86)
- ... that West Virginia native Frank Harrigan led Michigan to two Big Ten basketball championships and played for the Cook Painter Boys' 1929 national championship team? April 21, 2012 (85)
- ... that Walter Rea, the leading scorer for the 1919–20 Michigan Wolverines basketball team, later became the university's spokesman on "panty raids"? April 16, 2012 (2,565 DYK views) (84)
- ... that the 1917–18 team was the University of Michigan's first basketball team after an eight-year hiatus and the only winless conference season in the school's history? April 12, 2012 (83)
- ... that Henry Hallowell Farquhar, the leading scorer on the first Michigan Wolverines basketball team in 1909, became a professor at Harvard Business School? April 11, 2012 (82)
- ... that the development of basketball as "almost a major sport" led the University of Michigan to form its first basketball team in 1909? April 8, 2012 (81)
- ... that Brian Eisner led the University of Michigan men's tennis team to 18 Big Ten Conference championships in 30 years as the head coach? October 9, 2011 (80)
- ... that Cubs pitcher Carl Lundgren (pictured) had "speed to burn green hickory and an assortment of curves that would keep a cryptograph specialist figuring all night but he was wild as a March hare in a cyclone"? April 6, 2011 (7,500 DYK views) (79)
- ... that Boston Beaneater Bobby "Link" Lowe (pictured) was the first Major League player to hit four home runs in a game and was selected in 1911 as the best utility player in baseball history? April 4, 2011 (6,000 DYK views) (78)
- ... that Michigan baseball coach Frank Sexton was confronted with a knife, a cane and an arrest warrant after declaring a forfeit when Indiana refused to continue play due to darkness? April 3, 2011 (1,438 DYK views) (77)
- ... that during an eleven-year professional baseball career, German-born Rudolph "Skel" Roach played for teams known as the Prohibitionists, Omahogs, Orphans and Siwashes? March 30, 2011 (1,347 DYK views) (76)
- ... that before becoming a state legislator and then railroad commissioner in Nebraska, Henry Clarke pitched with Cy Young for the Cleveland Spiders and coached Michigan Wolverines baseball? March 30, 2011 (75)
- ... that John Giordano, named 1981 collegiate Coach of the Year by The Hockey News, was fired three years later when all 22 of his players signed a petition listing their grievances against him? March 29, 2011 (2,200 DYK views) (74)
- ... that Pete Conway won 30 games as a pitcher for the Detroit Wolverines in 1888, "snapped a cord in his arm" in 1889, later worked as a mule skinner, and was dead by age 36? March 26, 2011 (2,700 DYK views) (73)
- ... that Wilf Martin played for the 1964 NCAA championship Michigan Wolverines ice hockey team and later set the Denver Spurs' single-season and career records for goals, assists, and points? March 26, 2011 (72)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines baseball player and coach Charles F. Watkins (pictured) sustained severe burns from an X-ray machine, which ultimately resulted in his death? March 25, 2011 (10,800 DYK views) (71)
- ... that Michigan baseball player and coach Jerry Utley was the owner of a luxury hotel in Baja California and the promoter of the 1933 Max Schmeling–Max Baer heavyweight championship fight? March 24, 2001 (1,060 DYK views) (70)
- ... that Joseph Barss, the first head coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team, was born in Madras, India, in 1892? March 23, 2011 (1,200 DYK views) (69)
- ... that Michigan ice hockey coach Dan Farrell later became the chairman and CEO of a uranium exploration company? March 23, 2011 (68)
- ... that Michigan's Arthur Karpus (pictured) played for Big Ten championship teams in football, basketball and baseball? March 22, 2011 (4,500 DYK views) (67)
- ... that former Michigan coach William Perigo played professional basketball with John Wooden as a member of the Indianapolis Kautskys in the 1930s? March 21, 2011 (66)
- ... that George Durkin Corneal became the first coach of the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team in 1909? March 21, 2011 (65)
- ... that Ozzie Cowles of Carleton, Dartmouth, Michigan and Minnesota was among the Top 15 winningest college basketball coaches of all-time when he retired at 59 in 1959? March 21, 2011 (64)
- ... that Charles Dvorak (pictured) missed the pole vault finals at the 1900 Olympics after being told the event was postponed, but returned to win the gold medal at the 1904 Olympics? February 28, 2011 (6,000 DYK views) (63)
- ... that Casey Close was Baseball America's National Player of the Year, married former Miss America Gretchen Carlson and negotiated more than $350 million in contracts for Derek Jeter and Ryan Howard? January 16, 2011 (1,900 DYK views) (62)
- ... that John Tidwell broke the University of Michigan's single game and season basketball scoring records in 1960 despite "the handicap of a short and twisted left arm"? May 6, 2010 (2,300 DYK views) (61)
- ... that Chris Cameron won the individual all-around title and led the Michigan Wolverines to the team title at the 2010 NCAA Men's Gymnastics championship? April 29, 2010 (1,500 DYK views) (60)
- ... that Greek professor Albert Pattengill played on Michigan's 1867 baseball team, nominated "azure-blue and maize" as the university's colors, and was one of the founders of the Big Ten Conference? Jan. 7, 2010 (59)
- ... that after a winless 0–11 record in 1996, the Michigan Wolverines men's gymnastics team won the NCAA championship in 1999 and finished in the "Super Six" in 10 of the past 11 seasons? Dec. 27, 2009 (58)
- ... that the Michigan Wolverines softball team in 2005 became the first team from east of the Mississippi River to win the Women's College World Series? Dec. 26, 2009 (57)
- ... that the 6 foot, 6 inch Swede Roland Nilsson of the Michigan Wolverines won six consecutive Big Ten shot put championships in the 1950s? Dec. 20, 2009 (1,400 DYK views) (56)
- ... that Michigan Wolverines Hall of Famer Phil Northrup won three NCAA championships in the javelin throw and pole vault? Dec. 20, 2009 (55)
- ... that Michigan's Don McEwen, two-time NCAA champion in the two-mile run, also won consecutive Big Ten cross country championships even though his school had no varsity cross country team? Dec. 19, 2009 (1,400 DYK views) (54)
- ... that Diane Dietz set the Big Ten single-game basketball scoring record with 45 points in 1982 and the University of Michigan career record with 2,076 points? June 16, 2009 (53)
- ... that in 1947, University of Michigan basketball player Mack "Soup" Supronowicz was hailed as "the greatest cage prospect in college history"? June 20, 2009 (52)
- ... that University of Michigan pitcher Herman Fishman set a Big Ten record in 1936 with a 0.86 ERA and was named to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency's Jewish All-American basketball team? June 11, 2009 (51)
- ... that catcher Alicia Seegert set Big Ten Conference records for batting average, hits, total bases and RBIs while playing softball for the University of Michigan from 1984 to 1987? June 10, 2009 (1,800 DYK views) (50)
- ... that venture capitalist Frank Legacki set American records in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly while attending the University of Michigan in 1961? June 7, 2009 (49)
- ... that after facing 2009 All-American softball pitcher Nikki Nemitz's fastball, a sports writer for the Detroit Free Press wrote that he "actually felt a breeze" and his "knees buckled"? June 6, 2009 (48)
- ... that Gordon McMillan from Saskatchewan, Wally Grant from Minnesota's Iron Range, and Wally Gacek from Manitoba, led the Michigan Wolverines to the first ever Frozen Four NCAA hockey championship in 1948? Feb. 26, 2009 (45-47)
- ... that Mel Wakabayashi, born in a wartime Japanese-Canadian internment camp, was called "perhaps the most unlikely star in the long history of Michigan sports, and surely one of the most inspirational"? Feb. 25, 2009 (3,100 DYK views) (44)
- ... that when Gordon Wilkie and his Michigan Wolverines teammates scored 21 points in a single ice hockey game against Ohio State University, their coach threatened to bench anyone else who scored? Feb. 25, 2009 (43)
- ... that University of Michigan Hall of Honor inductee Dave Debol, known in the 1970s as "the Guy LaFleur of college hockey", set an NCAA record by scoring three goals in less than one minute? Feb. 22, 2009 (42)
- ... that attorney Bill MacFarland had a dislocated knee and six broken teeth after playing 11 seasons of professional ice hockey? Feb. 19, 2009 (1,100 DYK views) (41)
- ... that 2009 Michigan Hall of Honor inductee Mindy Gehrs was called "the best swimmer to ever part the waters of the Atomic City"? Feb. 19, 2009 (40)
- ... that University of Michigan gymnast Beth Wymer won three consecutive NCAA championships in the uneven bars and was a first-team All-American in the all-around and balance beam? Feb. 7, 2009 (39)
- ... that gymnastics coach Bev Plocki led Michigan to 15 Big Ten championships and 18 NCAA championship tournaments after taking over a last-place program in 1990? Feb. 6, 2009 (38)
- ... that Carol Hutchins, coach of the first eastern team to win the Women's College World Series, is the winningest coach in the history of the University of Michigan in any sport? Feb. 5, 2009 (37)
- ... that Eddie Tolan, the first African-American to be the "world's fastest human" after winning double gold at the 1932 Olympics, returned home jobless and appeared in vaudeville with Bill "Bojangles" Robinson? Feb. 1, 2009 (1,400 DYK views) (36)
- ... that University of Pennsylvania track coach Ken Doherty removed Bruce Dern from the track team in 1957 after his Elvis-like sideburns caused a commotion while running the two-mile relay? Jan. 30, 2009 (35)
- ... that the U.S. Olympic Committee awarded medals to Sam Stoller and Marty Glickman 62 years after the only two Jews on the U.S. track team were pulled from the 400-meter relay team at the 1936 Berlin Olympics? Jan. 27, 2009 (2,500 DYK views) (34)
- ... that Steve Farrell, called "the greatest professional foot-racer" in America, raced against horses for several years in the 1890s and reportedly only lost a half dozen times? Jan. 26, 2009 (5,400 DYK views) (33)
- ... that sprint champion Charles Hoyt, who lost a chance for an Olympic medal when the 1916 games were cancelled due to World War I, later coached Eddie Tolan to two gold medals in the 1932 Olympics? Jan. 25, 2009 (32)
- ... that Michigan athletic director Philip Bartelme (pictured) hired Branch Rickey as a baseball coach in 1910, and the two later worked together for the St. Louis Cardinals and Brooklyn Dodgers? (31)
- ... that 1941 NCAA backstroke champion and University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor inductee Francis Heydt later owned a business that sold camouflage clothing to the U.S. military? Jan. 15, 2009 (30)
- ... that twin brothers Robert and Ross Hume became known as the "Dead Heat Kids" after finishing nine straight mile races, including the Big Ten and NCAA championships, holding hands in dead heat victories? Jan. 15, 2009 (2,500 DYK views for Ross Hume) (1,200 DYK views for Robert Hume) (28-29)
- ... that William Murphy won two Big Ten doubles tennis championships with his twin brother, and later coached Michigan tennis teams to 11 Big Ten and one NCAA team championships? Jan. 13, 2009 (27)
- ... that in Harold Nichols' 32 years as Iowa State wrestling coach, his wrestlers placed among the top three teams in the United States 25 times and won 38 individual and six team NCAA championships? Jan. 13, 2009 (26)
- ... that after becoming the first basketball player to lead the Big Ten in both scoring and rebounds, Michigan's M.C. Burton turned down a contract to play in the NBA to attend medical school? Jan. 12, 2009 (1,100 DYK views) (25)
- ... that Edward Schalon, inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor as a golfer, later became the president of a Fortune 500 company, SPX Corporation? Jan. 12, 2009 (24)
- ... that University of Michigan track team captain Bob Osgood set a world record in the 120-yard (110 m) high hurdles in a "driving rain" that turned the track at Ferry Field into "a miniature lake"? Jan. 11, 2009 (23)
- ... that Time magazine predicted "Big Bill" Watson, the first African-American to win the U.S. decathlon championship, would be America's No. 1 hero at the 1940 Olympics, later cancelled due to World War II? Jan. 3, 2009 (22)
- ...that softball pitcher Vicki Morrow was named Big Ten Player of the Year in 1987 after winning 26 games, including 18 shutouts, and striking out 446 batters? February 27, 2008 (2,400 DYK views) (21)
- ...that synchronized swimmer Ruth Pickett Thompson received the AIAW's 1979 and 1980 Broderick Awards? February 25, 2008 (20)
- ...that swimmer Ann Colloton, the University of Michigan's Female Athlete of the Decade for the 1980s, was inducted into the school's Hall of Honor in February 2008? February 25, 2008 (19)
- ...that before his 40th birthday Gus Stager swam for an NCAA championship team and coached three high school championship teams, four NCAA championship teams, and the 1960 U.S. Olympic team? February 23, 2008 (18)
- ...that Francie Kraker Goodridge, who set a world indoor record in the 600-yard run, did not receive a varsity letter or sports scholarship and had to work as a waitress to put herself through college? February 21, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (17)
- ...that the tennis player Michael Leach gained national rankings in doubles playing with his father? February 20, 2008 (16)
- ...that Penny Neer, 1982 AIAW discus champion and one of the top U.S. discus throwers, also blocked 64 shots for the University of Michigan women's basketball team? February 18, 2008 (15)
- ...that University of Michigan Hall of Honor inductee Al Renfrew was the first person to play on a NCAA championship college hockey team and later coach a national champion? February 17, 2008 (14)
- ...that Bill Orwig hired Bob Knight as basketball coach at Indiana and has been inducted into the athletic halls of fame at three universities -- Indiana, Michigan and Toledo? February 17, 2008 (13)
- ...that Marie Hartwig, faculty member at the University of Michigan from 1930-1976, was a lifelong advocate for women's sports and one of the first women inducted into the school's Hall of Honor? February 16, 2008 (12)
- ...that USOC president Doug Roby initially took no action against Tommie Smith and John Carlos after their Black Power salute at the 1968 Olympics, but expelled them after an IOC threat to expel the entire U.S. track team? February 13, 2008 (11)
- ...that swimming Hall of Famer Harry Holiday won 6 NCAA championships, and set 7 world and 18 American records in the mid-1940s but never competed in the Olympics due to World War II? February 10, 2008 (10)
- ...that Charlie Fonville broke a 14-year-old shot put world record by almost twelve inches at the 1948 Kansas Relays but was not allowed to stay with the other athletes because he was African-American? February 8, 2008 (2,500 DYK views) (9)
- ...that two-time Olympic diving gold medalist Bob Webster won his first collegiate diving title for a junior college with no pool, training off a board in his coach's back-yard sand pit? February 7, 2008 (1,800 DYK views) (8)
- ...that University of Michigan All-American softball player Jenny Allard has led Harvard University to its first four Ivy League softball championships since taking over as coach in 1995? February 4, 2008 (7)
- ...that Dick Kimball, University of Michigan diving coach 1958–2002, won national championships both as a springboard diver and trampoliner? February 4, 2008 (6)
- ...that William Revelli, director of the University of Michigan Marching Band for 36 years, was the first to synchronize music and movement, in place of traditional rigid military-style formations? February 2, 2008 (5)
- ...that law professor Ralph Aigler, once known as the "dominant figure in Michigan's athletics," negotiated the Big Ten's exclusive contracts with the Rose Bowl in 1946 and 1953? January 31, 2008 (4)
- ...that before coaching gymnastics at the University of Michigan from 1948 to 1983, Newt Loken was the NCAA all-around gymnastics champion in 1942? January 30, 2008 (3)
- ...that University of Michigan elocution professor Thomas Trueblood (pictured) received nationwide attention when the Chicago Tribune reported in 1903 that he was offering a new "course in love making"? January 29, 2008 (6,700 DYK views) (2)
- ...that Cliff Keen's tenure as Michigan’s wrestling coach (1925-1970) was the longest of any coach in any sport in NCAA history as of 1991? January 28, 2008 (1)
Film, television, music, and entertainer articles (33)
edit- ... that the Soviet Union called The Plot to Kill Stalin "filthy slander" and retaliated by closing the CBS news bureau in Moscow? October 5, 2020 (12,951 DYK views)
- ... that the 1960 television play Sacco-Vanzetti Story was called "one of the most controversial ever seen on television"? October 1, 2020 (13,149 DYK views)
- ... that Leon Uris called Rod Serling's In the Presence of Mine Enemies "the most disgusting presentation in the history of American television" and demanded that the negative be burned? September 30, 2020 (20,907 DYK views)
- ... that Martin Manulis was the producer of Playhouse 90, voted the greatest television series of all time in a 1970 poll of television editors? September 26, 2014
- ... that "If It Wasn't True" from countertenor Shamir's 2014 Northtown EP was called "Your Favorite Breakup Song" by Vogue and "semidissonant pulses tickled by antsy snares and hi-hats" by Dazed? September 1, 2014 (28-29)
- ... that Joanne Siegel (pictured) was the original model for Lois Lane and later married Superman's co-creator? March 4, 2011 (13,600 DYK views) (27)
- ... that Luke Matheny, whose hair was described as "a vast black bouffant that makes him look like an untidy microphone", began his Academy Award acceptance speech by joking, "I should've gotten a haircut"? March 4, 2011 (10,600 DYK views) (26)
- ... that the exotica album Orienta by "Star Trek" composer Gerald Fried was said to resemble the dreams of a person who has fallen asleep during a Fu Manchu movie on television? February 9, 2011 (1,600 DYK views for Orienta; 2,300 for Fu Manchu, 654 for Fried) (25)
- ... that bongo player Chaino, whose albums included Jungle Mating Rhythms, claimed to be an orphan from a lost tribe in central Africa but was actually born in Philadelphia and raised in Chicago? January 27, 2011 (3,100 DYK views) (24)
- ... that Manzanar internee Tak Shindo went on to become a "Giant of Jazz" for exotica albums like Mganga! and Brass and Bamboo? January 16, 2011 (586 DYK views) (23)
- ... that Paraguayan and jarocho harpist Celso Duarte began touring at age 10 and has performed with his band at Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center and the Getty Center? June 1, 2010 (22)
- ... that The Atlanta Constitution wrote that William S. Hart's face (pictured) was "the synonym for power and manliness" in its review of the film Wagon Tracks? Oct. 7, 2009 (5,400 DYK views for William S. Hart) (1,900 DYK views for Wagon Tracks) (21)
- ... that Raymond B. West developed a new standard of double exposure photography while directing a 1917 film in which one actress played two sisters? Oct. 8, 2009 (560 DYK views) (20)
- ... that C. Gardner Sullivan, once named among the ten greatest contributors to the motion picture industry, has four films in the U.S. National Film Registry? Oct. 6, 2009 (800 DYK hooks) (19)
- ... that silent film star Clara Williams (pictured), known for her "forty famous frocks", appeared in more than 100 films between 1910 and 1918?}} Oct. 6, 2009 (11,200 DYK views; 6,300 image views) (18)
- ... that silent film comedian Shorty Hamilton died in 1925 when his automobile crashed into a steam shovel in Hollywood?}} Oct. 6, 2009 (3,800 DYK views) (17)
- ... that the 1915 film The Italian tells the story of an immigrant played by George Beban (pictured) who goes to America in search of fortune but finds a "Darwininan jungle" on New York's Lower East Side? Oct. 5, 2009 (14,100 DYK views for The Italian; 6,000 DYK views for Beban; 4,600 image views) (3,800 DYK views for Lower East Side) (15-16)
- ... that the epic anti-war film Civilization (poster pictured), depicting Jesus walking through the carnage of war, was credited with helping re-elect U.S. President Woodrow Wilson in 1916? Oct. 5, 2009 (7,000 DYK views) (14)
- ... that director Paul Weiland, whose credits include Mr. Bean, 66 and more than 500 television commercials, owns an 18th-century country estate in Wiltshire, England? Oct. 2, 2009 (1,800 DYK views) (13)
- ... that Emmy Award winner and Golden Raspberry nominee John Herzfeld has directed films about the Long Island Lolita, the Preppie Murder, Ryan White, Don King, and 2 days in the Valley? Oct. 2, 2009 (576 DYK views) (12)
- ... that an exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum in 1980 argued that "everything we know as Hollywood traces to Wilfred Buckland", film innovator and Hollywood's first art director? Oct. 1, 2009 (1,900 DYK views) (11)
- ... that the 1920 film Sex, opening with its star performing a seductive "spider dance" clad in "a translucent cloak of webs", had its title censored in Pennsylvania? Sept. 28, 2009 (9,300 DYK views) (10)
- ... that reviewers called The Wolf Woman the "greatest vampire picture of all" and its star, Louise Glaum, "the greatest vampire woman of all time"? Sept. 27, 2009 (5,100 DYK views) (9)
- ... that Arnold Laven directed feature films about a psychotic gardener/serial killer, an army of giant mollusks and George Armstrong Custer, and episodes of The A-Team? Sept. 23, 2009 (8)
- ... that Frank Coghlan said "damn" in Gone with the Wind, but is best known known for saying "Shazam" in Captain Marvel, the first big screen depiction of a comic book superhero? Sept. 22, 2009 (6,500 DYK views) (7)
- ... that blues singer Jesse Fortune, better known as the "Fortune Tellin' Man," passed on performing in Europe because he did not want to disappoint customers at his Chicago barbershop? Sept. 15, 2009 (1,300 DYK views) (6)
- ... that former Motown Records president Skip Miller began his career as a stock clerk and has been credited with helping to develop the rap genre? Sept. 14, 2009 (800 DYK views) (5)
- ... that David Avadon earned his livelihood for 30 years as "a daring pickpocket with dashing finesse"? Sept. 14, 2009 (4,200 DYK views) (4)
- ... that Rob Epstein, Academy Award-winning director of The Times of Harvey Milk, also directed Paragraph 175 chronicling the treatment of homosexuals in Nazi Germany? Nov. 17, 2008 (700 DYK views) (3)
- ... that a scandal arose when African-American actor Lorenzo Tucker, known as the "Black Valentino", playing a pimp in a play, kissed Mae West, playing a prostitute? April 30, 2008 (4,200 DYK views) (2)
- ...that 19th century magician and vaudeville star Anton Zamloch was accused, and then exonerated, of having "bewitched" a woman's wedding ring from her gloved hand? January 11, 2008 (2,900 DYK views) (1)
Los Angeles Archdiocese Churches (18)
edit- ... that the 1969 dedication of St. Basil Church in Los Angeles prompted a "club-swinging mob" of Chicanos to break into the church during Christmas Midnight Mass? Dec. 3, 2009 (2,500 DYK views)
- ... that the day after a UCLA art student set the St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church afire, the pastor of the church prayed for forgiveness for the arsonist? Dec. 6, 2009 (1,700 DYK views)
- Proposed hook: ... that St. Martin of Tours Church (pictured) was the site of Dan Akroyd's eulogy to John Candy and a media frenzy when O. J. Simpson appeared at his slain wife's funeral?
- ... that a 1999 fire in St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church caused an estimated $1.2 million in damage? Dec. 5, 2009 (600 DYK views)
- ... that St. Timothy Catholic Church in Los Angeles, California, has an antique gold leaf altarpiece believed to have been made in Spain in the 1600s? Dec. 5, 2009 (740 DYK views)
- ... that the Los Angeles Times wrote that a motorist passing the playground at Precious Blood Church (pictured) might think "he'd been transported to a Catholic school in circa-1950s Chicago or Pittsburgh"? Dec. 2, 2009 (3,600 DYK views)
- ... that LA's St. Cecilia Church, built in 1927, adapted to its multiethnic community by installing shrines to a beatified Nigerian priest, a Oaxacan Virgin, and a Guatemalan "Black Christ"? Dec. 1, 2009(1,000 DYK views)
- ... that Hollywood's Blessed Sacrament Church was the site of Bing Crosby's wedding and funerals for John Ford and Mack Sennett? April 28, 2008 (1,700 DYK views)
- ... that the bronze of Mary atop Mary Star of the Sea, known as the "Fishermen's Church," is lit at night so she can be seen from the Port of Los Angeles harbor? April 28, 2008 (3,900 DYK views) (2,500 DYK views)
- ...that Cardinal Mahony petitioned Rome to name Padre Serra Church after Junipero Serra despite controversy over his treatment of California Indians? April 27, 2008 (500 DYK views)
- ... that St. Brendan's Church has been a location for two apocalypse movies: the Martian attack in 1953's War of the Worlds and the wedding at the end of Armageddon? April 23, 2008 (5,300 DYK views)
- ... that a Muslim fundamentalist beheaded a statue of the Virgin Mary at St. Augustine's and carted a statue of Father Serra to a nearby mosque in October 2001? April 22, 2008 (4,000 DYK views)
- ... that Academy Award winner Going My Way was filmed at St. Monica's , and the irascible old Irish priest character was based on its pastor? April 22, 2008 (2,200 DYK views) (1,900 DYK photo views)
- ...that police patrolled Incarnation Church during the 2000 funeral of a Hispanic youth killed with a tire iron by Armenian-Americans after a retaliatory shooting at a donut shop? April 20, 2008 (2,100 DYK views)
- ... that St. Cyril of Jerusalem Church was the site of the baptism of Clark Gable's son, the wedding of Annette Funicello, and the funeral of Mercury Seven astronaut "Gordo" Cooper? April 20, 2008 (3,400 DYK views) (4,000 DYK photo views)
- ...that when St. Andrew's Church in Pasadena was built in the 1920s, it was compared to "a jeweled crown on the head of a Byzantine queen"? April 19, 2008 (1,600 DYK views)
- ...that St. Finbar Church in Burbank, faced with a dwindling flock and changing demographics, was one of the first U.S. parishes to offer Spanish language Mass? April 19, 2008 (700 DYK views)
- ...that the pastor of Burbank's St. Bellarmine Church was a World War I chaplain who modeled the campus on Monticello and Independence Hall? April 17, 2008 (500 DYK views)
- ... that Paul Salamunovich, choir director since 1949 at St. Charles Borromeo Church (pictured) in North Hollywood, has also conducted choirs for dozens of feature films, including The Devil's Advocate? April 13, 2008 (1,700 DYK views) (3,500 DYK photo views)
Southern California (10)
edit- ... that Aaron Spelling's 56,500-square-foot mansion, known as The Manor, is the largest house in Los Angeles County? May 19, 2009 (4,200 DYK views)
- ... that the Montecito Tea Fire, which destroyed more than 200 homes in California, was caused by smoldering embers from a bonfire party at an abandoned tea house? Nov. 20, 2008 (2,100 DYK views)
- ... that the Sayre Fire resulted in the worst loss of homes due to fire in the history of Los Angeles, surpassing the loss of 484 residences in the 1961 Bel Air fire? Nov. 19, 2008 (2,200 DYK views)
- ...that Robert Kennedy stayed at the Sportsmen's Lodge (sign pictured) (formerly the "Hollywood Trout Farms") in Studio City, California the night before his assassination? April 8, 2008 (1,600 DYK views)
- ...that more than a dozen artists have recorded live albums in the back room of McCabe's Guitar Shop, including Townes Van Zandt, Ralph Stanley, and R.E.M.? April 2, 2008 (7,100 DYK views)
- ...that Groucho Marx joined Hillcrest Country Club even though it was willing to have him as a member? April 2, 2008 (5,400 DYK views)
- ...that the 1947 song "Pico and Sepulveda" by Felix Figueroa & His Orchestra about an intersection along LA's Pico Boulevard (pictured) was frequently featured on Dr. Demento's syndicated radio show? March 30, 2008 (1,900 DYK views) (4,700 DYK photo views)
- ...that Van Nuys Boulevard, running through the heart of LA's San Fernando Valley, was a center of teenage cruising from the 1950s through the 1970s? March 21, 2008 (3,400 DYK views)
- ...that 16 people died when the top two floors of the Northridge Meadows Apartments on Reseda Boulevard collapsed in the 1994 Northridge Earthquake? March 12, 2008
- ...that Victory Boulevard, running the 25-mile length of the San Fernando Valley, is mentioned in Randy Newman's I Love LA: "Victory Boulevard (We Love It!)"? March 11, 2008 (3,600 DYK views) (2,700 DYK views)
Politics (10)
edit- ... that former Romanian secret police chief Nicolae Pleşiţă, notorious for his dealings with Carlos the Jackal, admitted dragging dissident writer Paul Goma around his cell by his beard? Oct. 5, 2009 (4,900 DYK views)
- ... that George Cryer, Mayor of Los Angeles in the Roaring Twenties, was allegedly controlled by the city's political boss Kent Parrot and vice king Charles Crawford, whose coterie of bootleggers and criminals was known as the "City Hall Gang"? May 12, 2009
- ... that radio evangelist "Fighting Bob" Shuler, known for his attacks on politicians and support of the Ku Klux Klan, received 25% of the votes in a 1932 US Senate election in California? May 12, 2009
- ... that the leader of the French Garden Gnome Liberation Front was given a suspended sentence after the group "liberated" over 150 garden gnomes (example pictured) in 1997? Dec. 17, 2008 (14,200 views)
- ... that the Zoia Horn Intellectual Freedom Award is named for a librarian who was jailed for refusing to testify in the 1972 trial of the Harrisburg Seven anti-war activists? Dec. 9, 2008 (2,200 DYK views)
- ... that the World Charter for Prostitutes' Rights, adopted in 1985, calls for the right to unemployment insurance and decriminalization of adult prostitution? Nov. 18, 2008 (4,200 DYK views)
- ...that the Veterans for Peace erect a memorial called Arlington West every Sunday at Santa Monica Beach consisting of a cross in the sand for each U.S. military person who has died in the Iraq War? April 2, 2008
- ... that Bill Paparian, who visited Cuba while mayor of Pasadena, California, was reported to admire both Che Guevara and the U.S. Marine Corps? (1,300 DYK views)
Baseball (67)
edit- ... that the 1919 Detroit Stars, a Negro league baseball team, included three players who were later inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? (September 24, 2020)
- ... that the 1932 Detroit Wolves won the pennant with an outfielder, first baseman, shortstop, and two pitchers who were all inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame? (September 26, 2020) (4,249 DYK views)
- ... that after suffering a heart attack at the age of 27, relief pitcher John Hiller (pictured) made a comeback and broke Major League Baseball's record for saves in a season? September 2, 2019 (5,743 DYK views)
- ... that the baseball player Dick Burns's "up-shoot" was called "a beauty"? September 20, 2014
- ... that Will White, the first Major League Baseball player to wear glasses, holds the records of 75 complete games and 680 innings pitched in one season? September 1, 2014 (1,786 DYK views) (63)
- ... that baseball's Jim Manning was one of the organizers of both the Western League and its successor the American League? August 26, 2014 (623 DYK views) (62)
- ... that stories involving Joe Quest are among the many theories about the origin of the term "Charley horse"? August 24, 2014 (2,300 DYK views) (61)
- ... that Bill Watkins led Detroit to the 1887 World Series and by 1894 had won more pennants than any other manager? August 24, 2014 (545 DYK views) (60)
- ... that baseball pitcher, dentist, and voice trainer Jumping Jack Jones (pictured) leapt into the air before throwing, making him "the twirling marvel of his time"? August 23, 2014 (3,900 DYK views) (59)
- ... that in later life, baseball player Dan Casey claimed he was "Casey at the Bat"? August 21, 2014 (3,500 DYK views) (58)
- ... that baseball catcher Cal Broughton later became a police chief who captured a gang of train robbers after a gun fight in Wisconsin? August 15, 2014 (3,200 DYK views) (57)
- ... that Frank Brill was a pitcher in Major League Baseball and later won the United States' first national bowling championship? August 9, 2014 (554 DYK views) (56)
- ... that Tip O'Neill won the triple crown and set at least eight Major League Baseball batting records? August 7, 2014 (5,200 DYK views) (55)
- ... that baseball players Jack Rowe (pictured) and Hardy Richardson were two of the "Big Four", a group "regarded for many years as the greatest quartette in the history of the national pastime"? August 3, 2014 (53-54)
- ... that "Foxy Ned" Hanlon (pictured), inventor of the "Baltimore chop", was "The Father of Modern Baseball"? July 28, 2014 (52)
- ... that Art Whitney helped the New York Giants win the 1888 and 1889 World Series? July 26, 2014 (51)
- ... that an x-ray of catcher Deacon McGuire's gnarled left hand (pictured) showed "36 breaks, twists or bumps all due to baseball accidents"? July 24, 2014 (50)
- ... that Emil Gross set a Major League Baseball record by appearing in 87 games as catcher? July 23, 2015 (49)
- ... that in 1896 The Sporting Life wrote of Baltimore Orioles third baseman Jim Donnelly that a "prettier or headier fielder it would be difficult to find"? July 22, 2014 (48)
- ... that the baseball career of Charlie Bennett (pictured), who reportedly invented the chest protector, ended when both legs were run over by a train? July 15, 2014 (47)
- ... that 19th century baseball player Mike McGeary was suspected of game-fixing and using a yellow umbrella to communicate with gamblers in the stands? July 13, 2014 (46)
... that catcher Sy Sutcliffe, who reportedly "threw like a catapult", died of Bright's disease four months after his final major league game? July 13, 2014 (45)
- ... that professional baseball player "Mikado Milt" Scott gained his nickname amid a "Mikado" craze that invaded the sport in 1886?' July 12, 2014 (44)
- ... that in 1888 baseball player Dasher Troy hit a game-winning home run after his manager fulfilled his request for a beer from the bar beneath the field's grandstand? July 11, 2014 (43)
- ... that pitcher Ed Beatin, who had "the most astonishing slow ball that was ever offered up to a batter", was twice a 20-game winner? July 10, 2014 (42)
- ... that professional baseball player Jerry Dorgan suffered from an "unconquerable appetite for liquor" and died after being discovered inebriated in a barn with an empty liquor bottle by his side? July 10, 2014 (4,800 DYK views) (41)
- ... that baseball player Frank Ringo, who was "inordinately fond" of whiskey, married in January 1889 and killed himself in April of that same year? July 8, 2014 (6,400 DYK views) (40)
- ... that in 1889 Cleveland Spiders baseball player Larry Twitchell hit for the cycle, hitting a single, a double, three triples, and a home run in six at bats? July 5, 2014 (39)
- ... that Yank Robinson was among his league's Offensive WAR leaders three consecutive years, set the major league record for single-season walks and died of tuberculosis at 34? July 2, 2014 (38)
- ... that in his first season playing Major League Baseball, Detroit Wolverines pitcher George Derby pitched 55 complete games, won 29 games, and led the National League in strikeouts? June 30, 2014 (37)
- ... that 19th-century baseball player Count Campau could reportedly run the bases in 14 seconds, and once converted an infield popup into a home run? June 25, 2014 (3,389 DYK views) (36)
- ... that rookie baseball player Martin Powell finished second to Cap Anson for the 1881 batting title, but retired three years later and died of consumption at age 31? June 25, 2014 (35)
- ... that Bob Leadley managed Major League Baseball teams in Detroit and Cleveland, and later lived in Mexico City as a fugitive from embezzlement charges? June 22, 2014 (34)
- ... that Chief Zimmer set multiple catching records, was the first president of the Players' Protective Association, and invented a popular mechanical baseball game? June 21, 2014 (33)
- ... that baseball pitcher Bun Troy, who won a doubleheader while pitching all nine innings of both games, was killed in action during World War I? June 20, 2014 (2,302 DYK views) (32)
- ... that Dupee Shaw's delivery may have been the first pitching wind-up, created "a genuine sensation" and led baseball writers of his day to call him "a monkey, a mountebank and other harsh names"? June 16, 2014 (4,520 DYK views) (31)
- ... that Jackie Tavener is one of only four players in Major League Baseball history to steal second, third and home in the same inning on more than one occasion? June 15, 2014 (30)
- ... that professional baseball player "Prince" Oana was falsely advertised by his promoters as a full-blooded Hawaiian royal? June 13, 2014 (1,726 DYK views) (29)
- ... that Sadie Houck was blacklisted by the National League for being "addicted to drink" despite being acknowledged as "one of the best short stops in the country and a thorough ball player"? June 9, 2014 (28)
- ... that Baby Doll Jacobson (pictured) received his nickname after hitting a home run while a band played "Oh, You Beautiful Doll" on opening day of the 1912 season? March 1, 2014 (2,372 DYK views) (27)
- ... that Bill Armour (pictured) was manager of the Cleveland Bronchos when they signed Nap Lajoie to the most lucrative contract in baseball up to that time, and of the Detroit Tigers when they signed Ty Cobb? January 29, 2014 (26)
- ... that John Mohardt played baseball for the Detroit Tigers with Ty Cobb and football for the Chicago Bears with Red Grange? January 19, 2014 (25)
- ... that Frank Scheibeck played professional baseball in Detroit in three different decades and three different leagues between 1888 and 1906? January 16, 2014 (24)
- ... that Gus Hetling was awarded an automobile in 1912 as the most valuable player in the Pacific Coast League? January 14, 2014 (23)
- ... that ESPN.com ranked the decision by Mayo Smith (pictured) to move Mickey Stanley to shortstop for the 1968 World Series as the third "gutsiest call" in sports history? November 2, 2013 (2,387 DYK views) (22)
- ... that Charlie Getzein (pictured), known for his "pretzel curve" pitch, won 59 games in 1886 and 1887, including four games in the 1887 World Series? March 15, 2013 (5,250 DYK views) (21)
- ... that Patty Gasso has led the Oklahoma Sooners softball team to seven appearances in the Women's College World Series, including a national championship in 2000 and a second-place finish in 2012? July 20, 2012 (1,000 DYK views) (20)
- ... that Ed Carfrey, who played in Major League Baseball in 1890, was mistakenly omitted from baseball records until 2005? July 9, 2012 (19)
- ... that the masthead of Sporting Life displayed the motto "Devoted To Base Ball, Trap Shooting and General Sports"? July 6, 2012 (18)
- ... that athletes who played in Major League Baseball and the National Football League include two Heisman Trophy winners and seven inductees of the Pro Football Hall of Fame? July 4, 2012 (17)
- ... that Duncan Curry, sometimes called the "Father of Baseball", was the president of the first organized baseball team and helped draft the first written rules of the game in 1845? June 14, 2012 (2,450 DYK views) (16)
- ... that Red Snapp was considered the "king of the minor leagues"? November 3, 2011 (2,800 DYK views) (15)
- ... that Dummy Taylor (pictured), once the highest salaried deaf person in the United States, was ejected from a baseball game for cursing out the umpire in sign language? September 2, 2011 (14)
- ... that Fred Dunlap, who was once the highest paid player in professional baseball, died penniless at the age of 43? September 2, 2011 (4,758 DYKK views) (13)
- ... that during the Prohibition era, the National League's leading pitcher Heinie Meine (pictured) operated a speakeasy known for "moose milk that would peel the paint off a battleship"? August 30, 2011 (4,500 DYK views) (12)
- ... that Heinie Peitz was on the receiving end of the famed "Pretzel Battery" in the 1890s? August 28, 2011 (11)
- ... that Joe S. Jackson founded the Baseball Writers Association after reporters at the 1908 World Series had "to climb a ladder to the roof of the first base pavillion and write in the rain and snow"? August 23, 2011 (1,500 DYK views) (10)
- ... that after debunking Abner Doubleday as the inventor of baseball, Frank Menke was placed in "the class that would belittle Washington, Lincoln and other men who have played their part in American history"? August 21, 2011 (2,200 DYK views) (9)
- ... that after Baseball Hall of Fame sportswriter Earl Lawson had altercations with both Johnny Temple and Vada Pinson , he joked that Pinson was a harder puncher? August 18, 2011 (8)
- ... that baseball humorist Charles Dryden dubbed the 1906 White Sox the "Hitless Wonders" and said of the 1909 Senators: "Washington – first in war, first in peace and last in the American League"? August 17, 2011 (7)
- ... that baseball player Slick Coffman pitched an 11-inning victory over Hall of Famer Lefty Grove in his first game in Major League Baseball? Sept. 18, 2009 (1,300 DYK views) (6)
- ... that Chick Lathers quit Major League Baseball in 1913 to become a car salesman for Ford Motor Company? Sept. 16, 2009 (1,600 DYK views) (5)
- ... that Icehouse Wilson, a member of "Oakland's first World Champion Baseball team," had a career batting average of .000 in Major League Baseball? Sept. 15 2009 (3,900 DYK views) (4)
- ... that Bob "Horse" Reynolds founded the Los Angeles Angels baseball team and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame within a year? July 26, 2009 (3)
- ... that Bless You Boys is Sparky Anderson's diary as manager of the first American League baseball team since the 1927 Yankees to "lead the race from wire-to-wire" and win the World Series? Dec. 30, 2008 (2)
- ...that the Major League Baseball pitcher Carl Zamloch was also a professional magician? August 23, 2007 (1)
Writers and artists (12)
edit- ... that Sam Greene, who covered Detroit sports from 1922 to 1963, was called "one of America's best known sports chroniclers," "a gentlemanly patriarch" and one of sport's "most beloved figures"? August 29, 2011 (629 DYK views)
- ... that Detroit sportswriter Paul Bruske drove a Flanders "20" roadster from Quebec to Mexico City in 1910 and later managed Eddie Rickenbacker's racing team? August 25, 2011 (911 DYK views)
- ... that sportswriter Bill Farnsworth teamed with Damon Runyon in promoting boxing bouts that raised more than $1 million for Hearst's Free Milk Fund for Babies? August 22, 2011 (468 DYK views)
- ... that Max Kase wrote in support of jazz and flappers in 1922, helped found the NBA in 1946, and won a Pulitzer Prize in 1952 for exposing college basketball point-shaving scandals? August 20, 2011 (1,400 DYK views)
- ... that Hall of Fame sportswriter Frank Graham, once described as "psychopathically polite," loved the "shadowy figures and rogues that dwelt on the fringes of his favorite sports"? August 20, 2011 (932 DYK views)
- ... that Jerry Green was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2005 and is one of four sports writers to cover each of the first 45 Super Bowls? August 10, 2011 (1,100 DYK views)
- ... that sportswriter Dick "Scoop" Gordon earned his nickname for reporting at The Daily Princetonian in 1930, and filed his last sports story for the Villager in 2008? August 6, 2011 (751 DYK views)
- ... that John T. Elson, who famously asked, "Is God Dead?" in 1966, is dead at age 78? Sept. 27, 2009
- ... that Royce Howes won the Pulitzer Prize for an editorial on the shared responsibility of labor and management for an unauthorized strike that put 45,000 Chrysler workers out of work? Dec.29, 2008 (440 DYK views)
- ... that the Chicago Tribune's John McCormick received the 2002 Distinguished Writing Award for Editorial Writing for his work on 9/11, Afghanistan, and the sale of naming rights for Soldier Field? Dec. 21, 2008 (335 DYK views)
- ... that Hugo Bettauer, author of a satire depicting Vienna after expulsion of its Jews, was shot and killed in 1925 after Nazis branded him a "Red poet" and "corruptor of youth"? Nov. 18, 2008 (1,400 DYK views)
- ... that Bruno Fonseca's paintings The War Murals, inspired by violence in Eastern Europe, have been called "the most powerful statement of their kind since Picasso's great Guernica"? June 29, 2008
Architects and builders (17)
edit- ... that Greensboro, North Carolina, architect Orlo Epps was also a professor of mathematics and physics and a socialist? December 2, 2012
... that Greensboro, North Carolina, architect Orlo Epps was also a professor of mathematics and physics and a socialist?
- ... that John Wosky designed a number of historic structures at Yosemite National Park, including Crane Flat Fire Lookout and the Generals' Highway Stone Bridges? November 7, 2012 (380 DYK views)
- ... that Champion Bridge Co. was charged with criminal antitrust violations in 1906 as part of the Ohio Attorney General's "war on the bridge trust"? October 13, 2012 (1,100 DYK views)
- ... that the works of Joseph C. Wells, a founding member of the American Institute of Architects, include "Old First" in Greenwich Village? October 12, 2012 (600 DYK views)
- ... that Louden Machinery Co. designed more than 25,000 barns (catalog pictured) as well as monorail devices used in manufacturing the first atomic bomb and at a B-29 bomber plant? October 11, 2012 (5,600 DYK views, 2,900 image views)
- ... that Thompson-Starrett Co. built six National Historic Landmarks in the U.S., including the Rockefeller Estate and the tallest skyscraper in the world from 1913 to 1930 (pictured)? October 11, 2012 (2142 DYK views)
- ... that ten Florida fish cabins and icehouses built by the Punta Gorda Fish Co. have been listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places? October 10, 2012 (4000 DYK views)
- ... that the works of Henry W. Cleaveland, a founding member of the American Institute of Architects, include the original Palace Hotel, San Francisco? October 9, 2012 (407 DYK views)
- ... that C. Ferris White designed more than 1,100 buildings in the U.S. state of Washington (example pictured) and over 300 more in the company town of Potlatch, Idaho? August 6, 2012 (2,300 DYK views)
- ... that Charles M. Robinson was the College Architect for the College of William and Mary and designed more than 15 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places? June 21, 2011 (521 DYK views)
- ... that more than ten works by Kalispell, Montana, architect Fred Brinkman have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places? June 19, 2011 (400 DYK views)
- ... that architect Alfred Rosenheim doubted whether modern architecture could strictly be regarded as architecture? September 25, 2008 (720 DYK views)
- ... that architect Elmer Grey recalled that "my health broke down completely" after he finished a major commission on a Christian Science church in Milwaukee, Wisconsin? September 21, 2008 (1,100 DYK views)
- alt * ... that architect and artist Elmer Grey designed the Beverly Hills Hotel and Huntington Art Gallery, and his watercolors are in the collection of the Chicago Art Institute?
- alt2 * ... that Gustav Stickley's The Craftsman magazine called Elmer Grey a pioneer "in the development of the new American architecture" based upon the design of Cochran House (pictured)?
- ... that Frederick Roehrig’s Castle Green (pictured) in Pasadena, California was called "a fantastic folly created from the imagination of a Victorian architect with a penchant for Arabesque opulence"? September 19, 2008 (1,100 DYK views) (2,800 views for Castle Green) (4,200 DYK photo views)
- ... that English-born architect John C. Austin designed several landmark buildings in Southern California, including the Griffith Observatory? September 15, 2008 (400 DYK views)
- ... that architect Albert C. Martin successfully defended his design of the 28-story Los Angeles City Hall (pictured) against those who argued the city government could fit into the first four floors? (2,700 DYK views) (7,800 views for LA City Hall) (5,200 DYK photo views)
- ... that after moving to Los Angeles, California in 1912 as a widow with two daughters, Florence Casler became a pioneering woman real estate developer, constructing more than 60 buildings? June 30, 2008 (2,755)
Military history (4)
edit- ... that Robert Searcy, who served with the Tuskegee Airmen in World War II, was employed after the war by United Airlines cleaning aircraft? Sept. 24,2009 (1,800 DYK views)
- ... that Maj. Gen. Charles Bond was credited with shooting down nine-and-a-half Japanese planes and was himself shot down twice while serving with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China? Sept. 17, 2009 (2,900 DYK views)
- ... that B-17 Flying Fortress tailgunner "Babe" Broyhill set a record by destroying two Messerschmitt ME-262 jet fighters in a mission over Berlin in March 1945? Dec. 10, 2008 (10,100 DYK views)
- ... that the sticky bomb was designed by Stuart Macrae at a laboratory known as "Winston Churchill's Toyshop"? Nov. 13, 2008 (2,600 DYK views) (12,600 DYK views for sticky bomb)
Other
edit- ... that Dickshooter was named for Dick Shooter? April 23, 2011 (4,400 DYK views)
Nominations (66)
edit- ... that according to an urban legend, coconuts kill more people than sharks each year?... that "The Blonde Bear" supervised the ransacking of black households in the 1946 Columbia Race Riot? August 29, 2014
- ... that according to an urban legend, coconuts kill more people than sharks each year? July 28, 2013
- ... that Chaucer scholar Charles Muscatine participated in the D-day landing on Omaha Beach and was fired by UC Berkeley for refusing to sign a McCarthyite oath? March 28, 2010 (1,700 DYK views)
- ... that crystals of campigliaite, first discovered in Tuscany, are transparent with a light or pale blue vitreous luster? Dec. 9, 2009 (1,900 DYK views)
- ... that Los Angeles Times sports writer Mike Penner told readers he was a transsexual in a 2007 essay entitled "Old Mike, new Christine"? Dec. 4, 2009 (5,300 DYK views)
- ... that in October 2009 Canadian folk singer Taylor Mitchell became the first adult in North America known to have been killed by coyotes? Nov. 5, 2009 (6,400 DYK views)
- ... that Lucy Vodden was John Lennon's inspiration for the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds"? Oct. 4, 2009 (8,600 DYK views)
- ... that Japan's incoming First Lady Miyuki Hatoyama claims to have been abducted by aliens in a triangular-shaped UFO and to have known Tom Cruise when he was Japanese in a prior incarnation? Sept. 6, 2009 (4,700 DYK views)
- ... that Jim McColl, the son of a butcher, reportedly became Scotland's richest man in 2008? Jan. 14, 2009 (7,200 DYK views)
- ... that former guerrilla James Tanis undertook a trip through some twenty fast-flowing rivers and creeks before being inaugurated as the second President of Bougainville? Jan. 13, 2009 (2,500 DYK views)
- ... that George R. Christmas (pictured), then known as Captain Christmas, received the Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism" in the Vietnam War? Jan. 12, 2009 (11,100 DYK views)
- ... that an exit bag, consisting of a large, clear plastic bag with a drawstring, is a commercially available device for committing suicide? Dec. 28, 2008 (6,100 DYK views)
- ... that New South Greenland was a phantom island near Antarctica, described in 1832 by Benjamin Morrell, who was called "the biggest liar in the Southern Ocean"? Dec. 28, 2008 (1,900 DYK views)
- ... that Freedom House, founded in 1949, raised money to support Operation Exodus, a voluntary desegregation and busing project in Boston before court-ordered desegregation? Dec. 28, 2008 (285 DYK views)
- ... that Iraqi lawyer Dheyaa al-Saadi was elected president of the Iraqi Bar Association in 2006, but his election was annulled because he was once a member of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party? Dec. 28, 2008 (323 DYK views)
- ... that Oleg Bogayev was honored for his absurdist play about an impoverished Russian pensioner who engages in fanciful correspondence with Queen Elizabeth II, Vladimir Lenin, and Robinson Crusoe? Dec. 28, 2008 (486 DYK views)
- ... that a Saudi businessman offered US$10 million to buy the shoes thrown by al-Baghdadia TV correspondent Muntadhar al-Zaidi at U.S. President George W. Bush during a recent press conference? Dec. 27, 2008 (2,600 DYK views for al-Zaidi) (461 DYK views for al-Baghdadia)
- ... that Detroit's Rosedale Park, containing 1,533 properties, is the largest district in Michigan to be listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places? Dec. 22, 2008 (1,900 DYK views)
- ... that the origins of the Church of Caucasian Albania date to Saint Eliseus' efforts in the first century AD to spread Christianity to the area? Dec. 20, 2008 (1,100 DYK views)
- ... that the unincorporated community of Oatmeal, Texas, was inhabited by a colony of former slaves after the American Civil War? Dec. 20, 2008 (1,700 DYK views)
- ... that artist Thomas Eakins was fired shortly after the exhibition of The Swimming Hole (pictured), cited as a prime example of homoeroticism in American art? Dec. 20, 2008 (8,600 DYK views)
- ... that Australian inventions include the boomerang, didgeridoo, black box flight data recorder, Vegemite, spray-on skin, and bionic ear (pictured)? Dec. 17, 2008 (3,800 DYK views)
- ... that John Fuller, who led a Union Army division at the Battle of Atlanta and participated in Sherman's March to the Sea, was one of the few foreign-born generals in the American Civil War? Dec. 17, 2008 (2,000 DYK views)
- ... that a technician at the Beijing Film Laboratory refused to print the film or return the negatives for sex scenes from Curiosity Kills the Cat, having being punished over a similar matter? Dec. 17, 2008 (4,800 DYK views)
- ... that because he had no family, Judge George Muter was invited to live with Thomas Todd, his fellow justice on the Kentucky Court of Appeals, following Muter's retirement from the bench? Dec. 16, 2008 (700 DYK views)
- ... that since the 1920s, the Whittier Hotel in Detroit, Michigan, has hosted Horace Dodge, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mae West, Frank Sinatra, and The Beatles? Dec. 16, 2008 (900 DYK views)
- ... that the Vanity Ballroom, an intact dance hall that hosted the popular big bands of the Swing Era, billed itself as "Detroit's most beautiful dance rendezvous"? Dec. 16, 2008 (2,200 DYK views)
- ... that Humphrey Bate was the first to play old-time music on Nashville radio, and his "Possum Hunters" records are considered some of the most complex string band compositions in the genre? Dec. 15, 2008 (450 DYK views)
- ... that the Romanesque St. Charles Borromeo Church (pictured) in Detroit, Michigan, serves a parish that was established to minister to Belgian immigrants to the city?
- ... that the works of landscape architect Charles Leavitt include gardens for Walter P. Chrysler and William C. Whitney, the grandstands at Forbes Field, and racetracks at Saratoga and Belmont? Dec. 13, 2008 (328 DYK views)
- ... that "Johnny Sausage" Barbato, charged with being a "capo" or "captain" in the Genovese crime family, was released from prison in July 2008 at age 74? Dec. 13, 2008 (1,700 DYK views)
- ... that the Autonomous Republic of Northern Epirus was a short-lived state founded in March 1914 by Greeks living in southern Albania? Dec. 12, 2008 (2,300 DYK views)
- ... that the body of Fr. Solanus Casey, a candidate for sainthood, was exhumed and reinterred at Detroit's St. Bonaventure Monastery where he had comforted and fed the hungry during the Great Depression? Dec. 11, 2008 (415 DYK views)
- ... that Sue K. Hicks, a prosecutor in the Scopes Monkey Trial who later became a judge in Tennessee, may have been the inspiration for the song, "A Boy Named Sue," popularized by singer Johnny Cash in 1969? Dec. 11, 2008 (5,900 DYK views) (3,300 DYK views for A Boy Named Sue) (5,700 views for Scopes Trial)
- ... that a portion of Virginia's 71-mile (114 km) Massanutten Trail was built on orders from George Washington as a route of retreat should the Continental Army be defeated at Yorktown? Dec. 10, 2008 (2,000 DYK views)
- ... that Estonian chemist Paul Kogerman, known for his study of oil-bearing shales, was deported by Soviet authorities with his family in 1941 to a prisoner camp in Sverdlovsk Oblast? Dec. 10, 2008 (1,400 DYK views)
- ... that, during the 1924 British Mount Everest Expedition, Edward Norton set a world record for climbing height that stood until 1952? Dec. 8, 2008 (2,300 DYK views)
- ... that the Eastside Historic Cemetery District (pictured) in Detroit, Michigan, contains the graves of 29 Detroit mayors, at least 6 governors, 11 senators, and a dozen cabinet members? Dec. 8, 2008 (1,100 DYK views)
- ... that "ghost buster" Robert A. Baker was named one of the most outstanding scientific skeptics of the 20th century for his work on hypnosis, ghosts, alien abductions and false memory syndrome? Dec. 7, 2008 (4,600 DYK views)
- ... that the Aquarama, built in 1945 as a Liberty ship, was converted into the largest passenger ship ever to operate on the Great Lakes? Dec. 7, 2008 (3,300 DYK views)
- ... that the Barony of Ladyland was established by a poet and fervent papist who was imprisoned for his role in a 1592 plot to re-establish the Catholic faith in Scotland through a Spanish invasion? Dec. 5, 2008 (1,800 DYK views)
- ... that U.S. journalist John Whitaker received the Italian War Cross for his coverage of the Italian conquest of Ethiopia but was expelled from Italy in 1941 for critical reports on the fascist regime? Dec. 1, 2008 (1,200 DYK views)
- ... that Florizel von Reuter (pictured), a child prodigy on the violin, later developed psychic interests and wrote books describing communications with dead composers, including Paganini and Rimsky-Korsakov? Dec. 1, 2008 (5,800 DYK views) (2,400 image views)
- ... that the Sunburst community, a Southern California commune combining elements of mysticism, Christianity and Hopi rituals, was once one of the largest shippers of organic products in the U.S.? Dec. 1, 2008 (2,600 DYK views)
- ... that the home of Massachusetts abolitionist Roger Hooker Leavitt was a sanctuary for escaped slaves and is now included in the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom? Dec. 1, 2007 (700 DYK views)
- ... that Glenn Dumke was the chancellor of California State University from 1962 to 1982, during which time it became the largest system of higher education in the United States with 319,000 students? Nov. 30, 2008 (238 DYK views)
- ... that architect Clarence W. W. Mayhew, known as an innovator of the contemporary ranch house in California, admitted copying "the underlying principle" from Japanese architecture? Nov. 29, 2009 (750 DYK viws)
- ... that most of the skeletons found at Talheim Death Pit, a mass grave in Germany dating to 5000 BC, show signs of skull trauma, and scientists have concluded that those buried there were victims of genocide? Nov. 29, 2008 (5,200 DYK views)
- ... that Irish journalist Willie Wilde was described by Max Beerbohm as a "dark, oily suspect" sharing the "coy, carnal smile & fatuous giggle" of his younger brother, Oscar Wilde? Nov. 27, 2008 (1,500 DYK views)
- ... that the cave paintings at La Marche in France, which include detailed depictions of humans rather than stick figures, were met with skepticism when discovered in 1937? Nov. 27, 2008 (2,300 DYK views)
- ... that Soviet submarines patrolling in the North Atlantic in the 1970s reported mysterious frog-like sounds, dubbed "quackers", which have been classified as Unidentified Submerged Objects? Nov. 27, 2008 (5,400 DYK views for quackers) (4,400 views for unidentified submerged objects)
- ... that Caspar David Friedrich's 1824 painting The Sea of Ice (pictured) was seen as too radical in composition, and went unsold until after his death in 1840? Nov. 25, 2008 (11,700 DYK views) (23,000 DYK image views)
- ... that U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes considered the founding of Ohio State University one of his two greatest achievements? Nov. 25, 2008 (500 DYK views)
- ... that Fr. Finn wrote the 1890 novel Tom Playfair, telling the adventures of a 10-year-old at an all-boys Jesuit boarding school, to illustrate his ideal of a genuine Catholic American boy? Nov. 25, 2008 (700 DYK views)
- ... that Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient Irving Brown was dubbed "The Most Dangerous Man" by Time in 1952? Nov. 21, 2008 (5,300 DYK views)
- ... that Leo the Mathematician, called by some the cleverest man in 9th-century Byzantium, invented a system of beacons to warn of Arab raids and a fabled levitating throne for the emperor? Nov. 20, 2008 (4,700 DYK views)
- ... that the author of Autism's False Prophets, a critique of claims that autism is linked to vaccines, reportedly received death threats? Nov. 19, 2008 (5,100 DYK views)
- ... that the white suckerfish responds to a touch on its belly by forcefully erecting its pelvic fins? Nov. 18, 2008 (2,300 DYK views)
- ... that pre-operative transsexual Miki Mizuasa was nominated for the Best Actress award at the 2007 Adult Broadcasting Awards even though she was born a male? Nov. 18, 2008 (6,400 DYK views)
- ... that the Royal Coachman (pictured), first made in 1878, may be the world's best-known fly? Nov. 14, 2008 (3,700 DYK views) (1,800 DYK image views)
- ... that the first submarine boat and self-propelled torpedo, and the engines for the ironclad warship USS Monitor were all built at the foundry operated by Cornelius DeLameter? Nov. 13, 2008 (1,200 DYK views)
- ... that Norwegian researchers published Gay Kids in November 2008 to educate children about homosexual love? Nov. 11, 2008 (6,600 DYK views)
- ... that the force-feeding (pictured) of suffragette, arsonist and hunger-striker Lilian Lenton caused food to enter her lungs and led to public outrage? Nov. 12, 2008 (13,300 DYK views) (9,000 DYK image views)
- ... that the Michigan Tech Huskies, from Michigan's Upper Peninsula, have won three NCAA Division I championships in ice hockey, with players such as Tony Esposito? Nov. 10, 2008 (300 DYK views)
- ... that the works of Azerbaijan-born artist Semyon Bilmes (example pictured) have been featured in Reader's Digest, the New York Times and in advertisements for AT&T and Citibank? Nov. 10, 2008 (1,700 DYK views)
Hook Only
edit- ... that in the town of Santa Claus, Arizona, visitors could once purchase Dasher and Dancer omelettes and Santa burgers? Dec. 25, 2008
- ... that silversmith Caleb Bentley made the brass cornerstone for the White House (pictured) in 1792 and provided refuge to U.S. President James Madison when the British burned the building in 1814? Dec. 20, 2008 (2,300 DYK views)
- ... that at least 343 persons on the SS Princess Sophia (pictured) died in 1918 when the ship was grounded near Juneau, Alaska, the captain decided not to evacuate, and the ship sank? (Dec. 14, 2008) (hook only) (5,800 views)
- ... that Holy Land USA (pictured), a Connecticut theme park intended to replicate Bethlehem and Jerusalem of the biblical era, once attracted more than 40,000 visitors annually? Dec. 13, 2008 (hook only) (11,500 DYK views)
- ... that the director of Afghan Muscles avoided the role of Afghan women in bodybuilding, noting "It's men looking at men," and "60% [of men] have their first sexual experience with another man"? Dec. 10, 2008 (hook only) (8,600 DYK views)
- ... that the "Old Perpetual" geyser (pictured) at Hunter's Hot Springs in Lake County, Oregon, releases a plume of near-boiling water 50 to 60 feet (15–18 m) into the air every 90 seconds? Dec. 9, 2008 (hook only) (11,300 DYK views) (11,000 DYK image views)
- ... that after testing the biological Brucella cluster bomb on 11,000 guinea pigs, a U.S. general remarked "Now we know what to do if we ever go to war against guinea pigs"? Nov. 19, 2008 (hook only) (8,700 DYK views) (hook only)