WEIRD FACTS ABOUT
2012
2012 is the centenary of the first parachute jump from a moving aeroplane, the sinking of the titanic and the invention of the electric blanket.
It is also, according to The Oxford English Dictionary, the centenary of the first appearance of 364 English words including autism, decathlon and Rottweiler.
It is the bicentenary of tomfoolery, aluminium and the phrase 'living doll', while self-congratulation, unconscious and zig-zag made their first recorded appearances 300 years ago in 1712.
The United Nations declared 2012 as the International Year of Sustainable Energy For All and the International Year of Co-operatives.
Related links:
AMAZING
'Amazing' was voted top of the list of overused words nominated for banishment in 2012... MORE
BARBIE
The Barbie Doll was designed by Mattel executive Ruth Handler and made her first appearance... MORE
BLACKBIRD
Authorities in the town of Beebe, Arkansas, celebrated the start of 2012 with an announcement... MORE
CAT LITTER
A New York judge in January 2012 ruled against a company making cat litters, saying... MORE
DENVER
A woman appeared in court in Denver, Colorado in January 2012, charged with felony criminal... MORE
INVESTMENT
A fruitcake made in 1941 was auctioned for $525 by an Ohio company at the... MORE
MYSTERY
Interviewed before his 70th birthday in January 2012, the scientist Stephen Hawking was asked what... MORE
NEW DELHI
On December 12, 1911, King George V announced that the capital of India was to... MORE
SADDLE
In 2012, it was reported that ranches and hunting camps in the American Rockies are... MORE
STATUE
Plans were announced in January 2012 to erect a statue in honour of a bear... MORE
TRILLION
When the words 'billion' and 'trillion' were first used in the 17th century, they meant... MORE
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