Trivia
20 world geography facts that you might find surprising or interesting
1. Portland, Oregon, where it rarely snows, is about 130 miles further north than Toronto, and over 200 miles further north than Boston.
2. On France’s southern Mediterranean coast, Cannes, the sunny summer playground of the rich, which is sometimes incorrectly called ‘tropical’, is about 10 miles further north than Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
3. Buenos Aires, Los Angeles, Cape Town, and Sydney are each thousands of miles apart and are known for having unusually pleasant year-round climates, and they are all almost identical distances from the Equator.
4. San Francisco and Melbourne, Australia are both known for mild and fast-changing climates, and they are identical distances from the Equator.
5. Estcourt Station with a population of 4 is in the northernmost tip of Maine, and it sounds like it’s probably snowed-in all winter, and yet London, England is still almost 300 miles further north.
6. The 49th Parallel, which makes up the long and straight US/Canada border in the west, is about 120 miles north of Estcourt Station, Maine.
7. Glasgow is about 280 miles north of London. Keep going another 250 miles north for Stockholm, another 370 miles north to reach Reykjavik, and 413 miles north to reach Hammerfest, Norway, which is almost 5,000 miles north of the Equator.
8. The entire country of England, with over 50 million residents, is a wee bit smaller than the state of Louisiana.
9. If you combine England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, then together they are a bit smaller than the deceivingly large state of Michigan.
10. France is about 30% larger than the state of California.
11. Crescent City, California is about 15 miles south of the Oregon border, but it’s about 10 miles further north than Newport, Rhode Island. In other words, you can still be in California and be further north than coastal Rhode Island.
12. Madrid, with summers so blazing hot that most people take a long break from work every afternoon, is about 10 miles further north than Salt Lake City, Utah.
13. About two-thirds of Africa is in the Northern Hemisphere.
14. Rome, which is located in the center of Italy, is located at the exact same latitude as Chicago.
15. Tehran, Iran, with its scorching summers, is located on the exact same latitude as relatively mild Tokyo, Japan.
16. About 90% of the world’s population lives in the Northern Hemisphere.
17. The incredibly remote island of Tahiti is slightly east of Anchorage, Alaska, which is slightly east of Hawaii. In other words, Hawaii is closer to the International Dateline than Tahiti.
18. If you are trying to get a handle on the climate of India it helps to know its northern border is the same as the northern border of Mexico in Tijuana, and the southern border is about the same as the southern border of Panama.
19. Sunny and just-barely-tropical Rio de Janeiro is about 25 miles further from the equator than Hong Kong.
20. Scientists recently discovered that Florida and Hudson Bay in Canada are getting about 1 inch closer every 36 years. Pass the SPF-30, eh?
Movie roles they didn’t get…
Celebrities who tried out for roles and didn’t get the gig. Not all actors are just offered parts. Many audition or express interest and are turned down. Check out Glamorati’s list of 30 Celebrities Who Didn’t Get the Part.
Here are just some from the list:
- Marlon Brando – One of several who auditioned for the role of Jay Gatsby in “The Great Gatsby” but lost out to Robert Redford.
- Sandra Bullock – Lost out to Julia Roberts in “Runaway Bride.”
- Jim Carrey – Lost the part of Howard Hughes in “The Aviator” to Leonardo DiCaprio. Jim also lost out to Johnny Depp for “Willy Wonka” and it’s rumored he auditioned to be Ferris Bueller.
- Robert DeNiro – Considered for the role of Willy Wonka but lost out to Johnny Depp, also considered for the role of Sal in “Do the Right Thing,” the role of Hannibal Lechter in “Silence of the Lambs,” and the role of Cowboy in “The Warriors”.
- Johnny Depp – Lost the role of Johnny Blaze in “Ghost Rider” to Nicolas Cage, the role of Mr.Smith to Brad Pitt, and the role of Jack in “Titanic.”
- Clint Eastwood -Considered to play the part of Rambo in “First Blood.”
- Harrison Ford – Lost the part of Sam Bowden in Cape Fear to Nick Nolte. Ford was also considered for the role of Sam in “Ghost” and Tom Hanks’ Academy Award nominated role in “Saving Private Ryan.”
- Mel Gibson – Auditioned to play Mozart in “Amadeus” and lost the part to Tom Hulce. He also lost out to Robin Williams in “The Dead Poet’s Society”.
- Paul Newman – Lost the role of “Dirty” Harry Callahan to Clint Eastwood. Also, auditioned for the lead in “Ironweed” and lost to Jack Nicholson. considered for the role of James Bond in “Live and Let Die,” tested for the role of Superman and considered for the lead in the musical “Oklahoma!”
- Jack Nicholson – Lost the role of Benjamin Braddock in “The Graduate” to Dustin Hoffman and the role of Jay Gatsby to Robert Redford.
- Meryl Streep – Lost the part of Evita to Madonna.
Did you know?
Shift Happens 2.0
An official update to the original “Shift Happens” video from Karl Fisch and Scott McLeod, this June 2007 update includes new and updated statistics, thought-provoking questions and a fresh design.
Thanks Paul
Happy early Easter
Do you realize how early Easter is this year? As you may know, Easter is always the 1st Sunday after the 1st full moon after the Spring Equinox (which is March 20). This dating of Easter is based on the lunar calendar that Hebrew people used to identify passover, which is why it moves around on our Roman calendar.
Found out a couple of things you might be interested in! Based on the above, Easter can actually be one day earlier (March 22) but that is pretty rare.
Here ‘s the interesting info. This year is the earliest Easter any of us will ever see the rest of our lives! And only the most elderly of our population have ever seen it this early (95 years old or above!). And none of us have ever, or will ever, see it a day earlier! Here’s the facts:
1) The next time Easter will be this early (March 23) will be the year 2228 (220 years from now). The last time it was this early was 1913 (so if you’re 95 or older, you are the only ones that were around for that!).
2) The next time it will be a day earlier, March 22, will be in the year 2285 (277 years from now). The last time it was on March 22 was 1818. So, no one alive today has or will ever see it any earlier than this year!
Interesting!
Thanks Gene