This is the thread for unusual details in wikipedia articles.

Suddenly, Mustafa pulled a knife and cut off Bragadin's right ear, then ordered his guards to cut off the other ear and his nose. There followed a massacre of all Christians still in the city, with Bragadin himself most brutally abused. After being left in prison for two weeks, his earlier wounds festering, he was "dragged round the walls with sacks of earth and stone on his back; next, tied to a chair, he was hoisted to the yardarm of the Turkish flagship and exposed to the taunts of the sailors. Finally he was taken to the place of execution in the main square, tied naked to a column, and flayed alive."[4] Bragadin's quartered body was then distributed as a war trophy among the army, and his skin was stuffed with straw and sewn, reinvested with his military insignia, and exhibited riding an ox in a mocking procession along the streets of Famagusta.

Bragadin's skin was later purloined from Constantinople's arsenal in 1580 by the young Venetian seaman Girolamo Polidori, who was there on business. He brought it back to Venice, where it was received as a returning hero. The skin was preserved first in the church of San Gregorio, then interred with full honors in the Basilica di San Giovanni e Paolo,[5] where it still is.[6]

...ew.

ban l____ j_____

According to Dan Cuickshank at BBC News, the Napoleonic wars were raging on during the early 1800s and England dipped its toes in the war waters in 1793 with the new Revolutionary France

(from an article on "Aqua-dramas")

Rather than stand when performing, he seats himself on a stool (unusual for a performer in rock music), and by doing so was called in a May 1974 issue of Guitar Player "the guitarist who sits on stage."[41]

Pork chops and applesauce is a traditional dish in Spain & the U.K., consisting of cooked pork chops and apple sauce.

Ah, so there are two things that go into applesauce.

Unable to tolerate the prospect of being imprisoned once more, in September 1793 he locked himself into his office and shot himself in the face. The pistol malfunctioned and he did not die even though he shot off his nose and part of his jaw. He then repeatedly stabbed his neck with a paper cutter, but failed to cut an artery. He finally used the paper cutter to stab himself in the chest. He dictated to those who came to arrest him the well-known declaration Moi, Sébastien-Roch Nicolas de Chamfort, déclare avoir voulu mourir en homme libre plutôt que d'être reconduit en esclave dans une maison d'arrêt ("I, Sébastien-Roch Nicolas de Chamfort, hereby declare my wish to die a free man rather than to continue to live as a slave in a prison") which he signed in a firm hand and in his own blood. His butler found him unconscious in a pool of blood. From then until his death at Paris the following year, he suffered intensely and was attended to by a gendarme, whom he paid a crown a day.

Leeves is the owner of the largest cork collection in the Northern Hemisphere. [12]

Winner of the Official UK Air Guitar Championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Leigh was more commonly known at this time as 'Satan Whoppercock'

Over a twenty-year period, payments are recorded to him for playing the part of God in the Drapers' Pageant,[3] for making a hat for a "pharysye", and for mending and making other costumes and props, as well as for supplying new dialogue and for copying out the Shearmen and Tailors' Pageant in a version which Croo described as "newly correcte".[4]

EastEnders received criticism for their portrayal of Bradley from resident of the Hertfordshire town where the character allegedly hailed from, Tring.[2] Some residents of Tring believed that scriptwriters of the east London-based soap had portrayed their town as "snobbish", and there were complaints to Tring's Mayor, Mike James, who claimed that a lot of people were quite offended by the new character, who plays golf and drinks soya milk.[2] A spokesperson from the soap apologised for the offence caused: "The character of Bradley Branning was by no means set to cause offence to the residents of Tring. In fact Tring was chosen after one of our storyline conferences in Tring, as the production team thoroughly enjoyed their stay [...] Bradley is by no means a snob. He has led a sheltered life because his dad left him when he was young. His mother wanted to teach him the value of money so encouraged him to get a job, which is why he worked as a caddy at the local golf course. He has a dairy intolerance and is allergic to nuts".[2]

writing has helped her find purpose and a place, and the creative process brings her into occasional contact with something transcendent.

Titus Oates (15 September 1649 – 12/13 July 1705), also called Titus the Liar, was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.

At Cambridge University, he entered Gonville and Caius College in 1667 but transferred to St John's College in 1669; he left later the same year without a degree. A less than astute student, he was regarded by his tutor as "a great dunce", although he did have a good memory. While at Cambridge, he also gained a reputation for homosexuality and a "Canting Fanatical way".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titus_Oates

On 24 November 1678, Oates claimed the Queen was working with the King's physician to poison the King. Oates enlisted the aid of "Captain" William Bedloe, who was ready to say anything for money. The King personally interrogated Oates, caught him out in a number of inaccuracies and lies, and ordered his arrest. However, a few days later, with the threat of a constitutional crisis, Parliament forced the release of Oates, who soon received a state apartment in Whitehall and an annual allowance of £1,200.

There are 52 full weeks in a year of 12 months (ISO 8601 defines a year as containing 52 or 53 weeks), making for a possible 26 or 104 biweekly events in a year. This is a greater number than if such events were held twice a month, because most months have more than four weeks (28 days).

from someone who has critiqued an xkcd strip for getting iso dates wrong: that is quite a find

In 2012, John Parr re-recorded the song with new lyrics, dubbed "Tim Tebow's Fire", to honor Tim Tebow of the Denver Broncos.[5] Parr stated to Denver FOX affiliate KDVR, "I was inspired by Tim Tebow so I wanted to modify the lyrics...in his honor of the way that he lives his life as being a great example."[6]

In the 21st century, propeller beanies are rarely seen on the street, and are primarily worn for satirical or comedic purposes.

next century though

I didn't realise propeller beanies actually existed outside the world of Calvin and Hobbes

Part of Benchley's job was to write capsule reviews each week. Abie's Irish Rose he described variously as "Something Awful", "Just about as low as good clean fun can get", "Showing that the Jews and the Irish crack equally old jokes", "The comic spirit of 1876", "People laugh at this every night, which explains why democracy can never be a success", "Will the Marines never come?" and finally "Hebrews 13:8," a Biblical passage that reads, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”[7] He also held a contest for an outsider to contribute the capsule review, which Harpo Marx won with "No worse than a bad cold."[8] Lorenz Hart expressed the feeling of many in the theater world in these lines for "Manhattan": "Our future babies we'll take to Abie's Irish Rose -- I hope they'll live to see it close." Writing in The New Yorker of its 1937 revival, Wolcott Gibbs said that "it had, in fact, the rather eerie quality of a repeated nightmare; the one, perhaps, in which I always find myself in an old well, thick with bats, and can't get out."

He became a friend of avant-garde composer and rock guitarist Frank Zappa, and performed some of his own compositions at a Zappa concert in Santa Monica, California in 1981. He named his cat Grody-to-the-Max after learning the phrase from Zappa's daughter Moon Zappa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Slonimsky

Mankey considered Love You to be "lighthearted" on the surface, but a "serious, autobiographical" work that could be compared somewhat to Eraserhead.

Tony Hawks (with an s)

On 2 January 2008, he appeared on an edition of Celebrity Mastermind, with Tony Hawk as his chosen specialist subject.

Charles Bickford "was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, during the first minute of 1891"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1%C2%BD_Knights_–_In_Search_of_the_Ravishing_Princess_Herzelinde

Plot

Knight Lanze and Halb Night Erdal finds out it's right by the out numbered appearance and finds a group of nazi soldiers and then kills them and then finds out that they are going to a place to know and then finds out that a bad guy Luipiud has to know it's going good and then Knight says that the Liupiud Soldiers has arrived and Knight kills them and then he leaves and gen Knight tells Halb knows the answer. Knight and Halb knows that they are giving answers by getting it the right or wrong way and then knows the answer and then Knight finds the Crude sharks and then Knight kills them and drives away fast.

It goes on like this...

The same orangewood sticks are commonly used in filmmaking, manicure and pedicure, but these industries do not use the term "spudger".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_pound

The first coinage issued by the colony took place in 1813, and was effected by punching the middle out of Spanish dollars. This process created two parts: a small coin, which was called the dump, and a ring, which was called a holey dollar. One holey dollar was worth five shillings (a quarter of one pound sterling), and one dump was worth one shilling and three pence (or one quarter of a holey dollar).

the main thing about marshrutkas is they don't carry pensionaries and the disabled, and depending on the particular city, students, law enforcement workers, and civil servants (pass holders) for free. Marshrutkas will not take more free passengers (invalids) then strictly limited quantity of one per marshrutka, while in ordinary buses, trolley buses and trams quantity of them is not limited and more categories of people (pensionaries etc.) have right to ride for free. And this is the reason why there are many times more marshrutkas in the city than ordinary buses, trolley buses and trams altogether.[citation needed] The word "taxi" is needed just to answer the question why they have no free-ride obligations as part of their franchise, as ordinary municipal buses, which are usually "full of free riders", are unprofitable and bring economical loss

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spherical_Objects_(band)

Leader and heart of the band was Steve Solamar (real name Steve Scrivener), a distinct song/lyrics writer with a peculiar vocal style that has been described as either "terrible",[1] or at least "idiosyncratic".[2]

NeedACoffee.com has criticized the DVD for not having any special features or so much as a trailer.[5]

Given the dearth of nautical comedies, there has been a recent resurgence in interest in the film.[8] This has led to further analysis of the controversial ending.

Some in smaller circles believe this "cleaned up" Captain Ron has been his real appearance all along and his previous persona was just a manifestation of Martin Harvey's desired perception of himself.

hahahahahahahahaahah

He became a friend of avant-garde composer and rock guitarist Frank Zappa, and performed some of his own compositions at a Zappa concert in Santa Monica, California in 1981. He named his cat Grody-to-the-Max after learning the phrase from Zappa's daughter Moon Zappa.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Slonimsky

― Dan Worsley, Wednesday, February 7, 2018 6:48 PM (three weeks ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Did you come by this from reading Quincy Jones' recent interview also?

The title Squinters, refers to the fact that the commuters are facing the sun as they head east from Sydney's western suburbs in the mornings, and then also face into the sun in the afternoons on the way back to the western suburbs.

witness the boring life of anyone who spends their free time explaining jokes on wikipedia

xpost, ha yes. Never heard of him until I read that interview.

1974 The Lou Gordon Program Syndicated "Are Gays Going to Hell?" Gordon's conclusion on the matter is unknown.

i guess technically speaking that's more "laconic commentary in wikipedia articles", which is probably distinct from "unusual details in wikipedia articles". not sure it can support its own thread, though.

Although born in California, Eitzel spent his formative years in Okinawa, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and Ohio (United States)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_Majorem_Sathanas_Gloriam

The title is a Latin term meaning "for the greater glory of Satan". It is a mutation of the Society of Jesus motto "Ad majorem Dei gloriam", meaning "for the greater glory of God". It contains a grammatical error, however, as "Sathanas" is typically declined as a first declension masculine noun, where its genitive (possessive) form would correctly be "Sathanae".[8][original research?]

Composition

According to the sheet music published at MusicNotes.com, the song is written in the key of C major (recorded a half step lower in B major)[4]

"Martha Mitchell was portrayed in the 1995 film Nixon by actress Madeline Kahn who, like Mitchell, also died at the age of 57 of cancer"

Works depict blessed virgins, landscapes, sad clowns and "voluptuous" nude women.[1][5] Unicorn Combover portrayed a unicorn whose mane morphed into a woman's hairdo.[1] The museum included a shrine to Michael Jackson; other portrait pieces depicted Anderson Cooper, Jesus, Abraham Lincoln and Elvis Presley.[1][4]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_%27n_Stuff

In 1986, during labor unrest at a production plant, razor blades were found in two packages of the product,[11] but there was no recall.[12]

https://i.imgur.com/ghVSVfD.gif

real talk about fake news

"The artist's rendering of Charlton Heston as Moses added increased muscle, as per modern physique standards, when the DVD was released"

"Winter Nights" was recorded during early sessions for Night of the Stormrider while Gene Adam was still on vocals, but this was the track which prompted Schaffer to ask Adam to get singing lessons, as it was felt he could not handle the high notes. Therefore, the song was not used on the album due to its acrimonious history, though it would have fit in with the storyline of the album. Live performances of this song from that era (such as Wuppertal '91) show him struggling to sing it, probably contributing to his dismissal. Schaffer eventually dug the song out of the vaults to use on this album with Barlow providing vocals, but, as mentioned in the album's booklet, used a 1986 Purgatory demo for the backing track instead.

god Iced Earth and its members are a treasure

Schaffer went to a Lutheran school for five years, during which he developed a lot of anger and rebellion, due to the abusive nature of the pastors.[4] On one occasion, one of the pastors shoved a bar of soap down Schaffer's throat, because the pastor felt threatened due to his refusal to submit, after he could not answer Schaffer's questions about evolution versus creationism.[4] According to Schaffer, this did have an effect on him forming a band, so that he could "prove these people wrong".[4]