"Tell Me Something I Don't Know": Trivia & Fact Thread

[Lugal]

A bit of gemstone trivia:

The stone we call Sapphire, a form of blue corundum was not originally what the ancients referred to as a sapphire.  The name comes from the Latin sapphirus which comes from the Greek word sappheiros (σάπφειρος) which itself came ultimately from Akkadian šipirtu which referred to the gemstone we call lapis lazuli.  The Greek scientist Theoprastus referred to "The sapphire, which is speckled with gold."

Sapphire

Lapis Lazuli

And since corundum occurs in various colors, you can get descriptions like green sapphire or yellow sapphire, except red corundum is always referred to as a ruby.  Sapphires come mostly from Sri Lanka and Kashmir but are also found in Montana.  Lapis lazuli has been mined in Afghanistan for 7000 years with other sources in Chile, the Lake Baikal region and California.

Besides being gemstones, sapphire has industrial uses in infrared optical components, and high durability windows, while lapis lazuli has been used as the base for ultramarine pigment.

[Blergh]

Mexico City with  over 9 million citizens in the city proper and a metropolitan population of over 21 million people, is 5th largest city in the world, the largest city in the Americas and the largest Spanish-speaking city in the world- yet also has a large number of Nahual speakers(the original Aztec language).   It is the oldest continuously inhabited capital city in the Americas and has been a capital city without interruption since its official founding in 1325 as the capital of the Aztec Empire. . then the Spanish colony of New Spain from 1521 on  before becoming the capital of the Republic of Mexico from 1821. Even at the time of Cortez's conquest in 1521, it had a population of no less than 200,000 people- the largest population of any city or town in the Americas at that time.

[Anduin]

You all know construction cranes. Did you know that they blow in the breeze? Not over*, but there's one parked not a hundred metres from my window. The operator leaves it parked in whatever direction it's in come knock-off time, but after a few hours the arm often slowly swings to point north. Yes, a strong breeze from the south will do that.

The crane and the building site have been there for two christmasses now. The building was topped out long ago, it's pretty much internal work now. I hope they finish soon. The crane is annoyingly noisy.

*Okay, a bad enough storm, but you know what I mean.

[Blergh]

According to Aztec legend, when the tribe was seeking out a new home to build their capital city, they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake- and took THAT as a sign as the ideal spot for their new home!

Regardless of the validity of that legend, it has remained a symbol of what's now Mexico City and even nation of Mexico itself with it being prominently featured on its flag!

[annzeepark914]

  On 3/24/2025 at 1:45 AM, Blergh said:

According to Aztec legend, when the tribe was seeking out a new home to build their capital city, they saw an eagle perched on a cactus eating a snake- and took THAT as a sign as the ideal spot for their new home!

Regardless of the validity of that legend, it has remained a symbol of what's now Mexico City and even nation of Mexico itself with it being prominently featured on its flag!

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Even though I can't stand snakes, the thought of that image (of the eagle eating Mr Snake) on one's country's flag is terrible--at least to me 😖.