Did you know that the term “Capitalism” was actually introduced by Karl Marx?
Yes, it was the founder of communism that originally used the term to describe the free enterprise system.  Of course, to him, it was a four-letter word.  Funny thing, coming from someone whose first and last names were both four-letter words.


Did you know that some cannibals believed that by eating another person, they could acquire the positive traits of the person eaten?  It’s true, but that wasn’t the only wacky theory regarding the practice of cannibalism.  The Aztecs believed that it would bring them closer to their gods and there were other cultures that even believed that an enemy wasn’t entirely defeated until he had been eaten.  But what if they had gotten indigestion from the victim? Who would have gotten the last laugh then? 


Did you know that Alexander the great was once the tutored pupil of the philosopher, Aristotle?  When Aristotle’s teacher, Plato, died, he went to Assos to serve as a counselor to Hermias, the ruler of Assos.  But when his good friend, Hermias, was captured and murdered by the Persians, he moved to Pella, the Macedonian capital. It was there that he had become the tutor of the king’s young son, Alexander-who had eventually become known as Alexander the Great.  Of course he did have some lesser-known students, like William the not so great, George the mediocre and John the downright pathetic.

 Did you know that the Braille writing system was actually a modification of an already existing system of embossed writing?  It was a modification of the point writing system that was originally used for coding army messages.  Apparently, Louis Braille cracked the code.


Did you know that Constantine the Great converted to Christianity after Christ appeared to him in a dream?  The first Roman ruler to be converted to Christianity was originally a pagan solar worshipper.  But on the evening prior to the Battle of Milvian Bridge, he had a dream in which Christ appeared to him and instructed him to inscribe the first two letters of Christ’s name on the shields of his troops.  The next day he claimed to have seen a cross superimposed on the sun and the words “In this sign you will be the victor” Well, Constantine went on to defeat Maxentious and was hailed as the saviour of the Roman people.  It was then that the persecution of Christians officially ended.  The church was also given legal rights and large financial donations.  But I’m not sure if they were tax-deductible.   


Did you know that dolphins eat nearly one-third their body weight every day?  They eat mostly fish and squid.  They can easily outdistance their prey and have 200 to 250 sharp teeth to bear down on them with.  They can do a sustained speed of 19 MPH and can do bursts of more than 25 MPH.  If a human ate one-third his body weight in a single day, he’d be lucky if he could walk.


Did you know that the author of The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas, had little formal education?  This is surprising considering the fact that 1200 volumes were published under his name.  Although, many were the result of collaborations with other writers (whom he had hired), each work was an execution of his personal ideas.  But, in spite of his prolific output, He died virtually bankrupt.  Apparently, his income was nothing to write home about.


Did you know that the term “Fascism” was based on an ancient Roman symbol of power?  The term “fascism” was first used by Benito Mussolini and was a reference to the Roman fasces, a symbol in which consisted of a bundle of sticks and an axe.  This supposedly represented public unity and the authority of Roman officials to enact punishment.  Mussolini, however, had first started his political career as a Marxist but eventually had changed his attitude.  The one thing fascism had in common with communism, though, was the lowered standard of living.  


Did you know that the first corps of fire-fighters was instituted by the Roman emperor Augustus?  The principle firefighting piece, back then, was the bucket.  Which was passed from hand to hand to deliver water to the fire.  But due to the limitations of the equipment, many a fire-fighter kicked the bucket.

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