In 1791 a funeral
party was carrying the body of a 35yr old man to a
pauper's grave. A thunderstorm came up. The funeral party
dropped the coffin and ran for cover.
When they returned, the coffin was gone, and to this day
nobody knows for sure what happened to the mortal remains
of one of the most gifted musical geniuses the world has
ever known: WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART.
Benjamin Franklin attended school only between the ages
of 8 and 10. That's all it took to produce one of the
wisest and most revered men in U.S. history. George III
called him "the most dangerous man in America."
In the U.S. he is called their answer to Leonardo da
Vinci, The Universal Man. Ben could and did do just about
everything worthwhile. He invented all kinds of things
including bifocals, the Franklin stove, the lightening
rod, the rocking chair, the street lamp and white duck
clothing used in tropical climates. He also invented a
glass harmonium or harmonica and Mozart and Beethoven
composed music for it. He also organised the first
circulating library, although it wasn't free. Finally he
organised a street-sweeping service in Philadelphia,
charging each householder 6 pence per week for twice a
week sweeping.
Guess who invented the first department store! Oh, you'll
never guess! It was Brigham Young, the great Mormon
leader.
It was Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution in Salt
Lake City, affectionately known as ZCMI.
Imagine a man with 17 wives owning a department store !!
Every school boy knows Joseph Priestly discovered oxygen.
But did you know he also discovered ammonia, carbon
monoxide, hydrogen chloride, sulphur dioxide and nitrous
oxide?. He was also first to isolate chlorine.
People with swimming pools can be grateful.
During his lifetime Paganini published only 5
compositions. He didn't expect anybody to be able toplay
them and at that time ... nobody could.
The flush toilet was invented in England in 1878 and has
not been noticeably improved upon since that time.
Queen Victoria knighted the inventor for his service to
the public. The inventor's name was Sir Thomas Crapper.
Now there was a knight to remember!
First man to use fishing tackle was a northern European
of 10,000 years ago. Evidence of his piscatorial activity
was found among his bones.
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