Archives: Useless Facts

Generally referred to as Marshal Tito, he ruled the former nation of Yugoslavia as its dictator from 1945 until his death on May 4, 1980. What was his birth name?

Rome had three forms of government from the 700’s (B.C.E.) until 476 (A.D.):  Monarchy; Republic and Empire.

Rome was ruled by the Etruscan monarchy in the seventh century B.C. – as a monarch, there was one ruler and it appears there were seven kings.  But sometime around the year 500 B.C., Roman citizens took control from the Etruscans and established a Roman Republic.

In a Republic, the government becomes “public.”  Government officials are elected and the people – the citizens – share leadership responsibility. Under the Roman Republic,  magistrates were elected who represented Roman citizens.  At its beginnings, a magistrate was elected only from the patrician class – a group of elite Roman families. At some point, commoners, known as plebeians, could be elected as a magistrate – ultimately affording most Roman citizens a voice in their government.

Two of the magistrates were known given the title of “Consul” and they had the power to decide when to wage war and when to add new laws, although they worked in collaboration with the Roman Senate which was made up of men from wealthy Roman families – often holding their senatorial positions for life. While the Senate began as advisors to Consuls,  but gained power steadily throughout the years of the Republic.

As the Roman Empire grew, each time Rome conquered another land, they invited the people there to become Roman citizens, with all the rights and an equal voice to those of people born in Rome.  Also as the empire grew, more categories of government officials were established: Tribunes and prefects, in addition to magistrates and senators.  All of them, at one point during the republic, were elected by the Roman Assembly, a group of Romans representing the various different sections of Rome.

Over the years Senators began to fight amongst themselves – increasingly violently. As Rome grew, the military increased in power probably the result of Rome’s armies stationed far away from Roman Senate and controlling vast sections of territory captured by the Romans. In  83 B.C., after a number of successful military campaigns, a Consul, Lucius Cornelius Sulla, seized power and assumed the title of dictator, with complete control of the government – the fall of the Roman Republic.

In 49 B.C., Julius Caesar became dictator and after his murder in 44 B.C., Caesar’s nephew, Octavian, became the ruler.  It was Octavian, who introduced the concept of an Empire and he became Rome’s first Emperor in 27 B.C.  With full control of the Roman army, even though Octavian kept the various Senators, Tribunes and Prefects as government officials, the Emperor’s word was sovereign.

The Roman Empire lasted for another 300 years and then started to decline in power and most historians ascribe the date of 476, following the rule of Constantine, that the Roman Empire fell and the Middle Ages began.

For a little over a thousand years – from 700 BCE to 476 AD, Rome had three different forms of government. Can you identify them?

Jordan, officially known as the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,  and the Golan Heights border the east bank of the Jordan River, while the West Bank and Israel are to the west. The river flows through the Sea of Galilee and ultimately empties into the Dead Sea.

The Jordan River has great significance in both the Christian and Jewish religions – according to the Bible, the Israelites crossed the River Jordan to enter the Promised Land and the River Jordan was also the water in which John the Baptist baptized Jesus of Nazareth.

 

 

The Jordan River, also known as Nahr Al Sharieat, begins at the intersection of the Bareighit, the Hasbany, the Leddan, and the Banias streams in the plain of Lake Huleh.  It is  251 kilometers long and flows generally north to south through the Sea of Galilee. Into what sea does it ultimately empty?

Sicily, whose capital is Palermo, is the largest island in Mediterranean Sea and is one of 20 regions that make up the Italian Republic (Repubblica Italiana).

The island of Sicily, known as Regione Sicilian, is separated from the Italian mainland by the Strait of Messina and is one of five autonomous Italian regions. The County of Sicily was originally created by Norman conquest in the early 11th Century and led to the creation of the Kingdom of Sicily in the 12th Century. This Kingdom existed until 1816, when it became part of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies – the result of a union with the Kingdom of Naples. Sicily formally became part of Italy after the Italian unification and a plebiscite that followed the revolt led by Giuseppe Garibaldi in 1860 and in May of 1946, Sicily was accorded special status as an autonomous region.

Byzantine, Arab, Roman and Norman rule over Sicily throughout the centuries has led to a diverse and rich culture of art, music, literature and of course, food. With a population of approximately 5 million today, archeologists have fond evidence of human presence on Sicily as early as 12,000 BC and it boasts historic archaeological sites and remnants of many of these ancient civilizations. Among all of its well known characteristics, Sicily is also well known for its landmark Mount Etna, one of the tallest and most active volcanoes in Europe.

Can you name the largest island in the Mediterranean?

The words “Well, nobody’s perfect” is the final line of the 1959 Marilyn Monroe comedy classic Some Like it Hot !!

“Well, nobody’s perfect” is the punchline and the last line of what Marilyn Monroe classic film?

Raspberries have the highest fiber content of any fruit. One cup of raspberries contains about 8 grams of fiber!