History Fun Fact

captainseverusblackheart:

genderbentunicorn:

zachingoff:

In Liechtenstein’s last military engagement, in 1886, none of its 80 soldiers were killed. In fact 81 returned, including a new Italian “friend.”

Yep, more came home than left. I don’t think that has been done any other time in history.

This is one of my favourite points in history

It’s so funny omfg

that’s even funnier than the time Switzerland accidentally invaded Liechtenstein and apologized afterward

(via apeurohist)

Source: media.lonelyplanet.com

basilton:

In the early years of space flight, both Russians and Americans used pencils in space. Unfortunately, pencil lead is made of graphite, a highly conductive material. Snapped graphite leads and particles in zero gravity are hugely problematic, as they will get sucked into the air ventilation or electronic equipment, easily causing shorts or fires in the pure oxygen environment of a capsule.

After the fire in Apollo 1 which killed all the astronauts on board, NASA required a writing instrument that wasn’t a fire hazard. Fisher spent over a million dollars (of his own money) creating a pressurized ball point pen, which NASA bought at $2.95 each. The Russian space program also switched over from pencils shortly after.

40 years later snide morons on the internet still snigger about it, because snide morons on the internet never know what they are talking about.

(via littleconnections)

Source: yourresidentginger

fyeaheasterneurope: This stamp was issued by the SSR Ukraine in 1923 to raise funds for famine relief. When I first saw this, I assumed the date was a typo for 1932, when the Holodomor occurred. But I was wrong.  The 1921-1922 famine was brought on by crop failure and by sociopolitical conditions following World War I. Because of drought, only 35 percent of the normal harvest was obtained in 1921. The southern areas of Ukraine were particularly hard hit. The calamity was even greater in Russian areas, particularly in the southern Volga region. An unusually heavy tax in kind was exacted from Ukraine in 1922 and this further exacerbated the situation. Up to 1 million people died of famine and many thousands more of related epidemic diseases. The Soviet government organized a relief program, but focused most of its - and the world’s - attention on the Russian Volga areas. In Ukraine, most of the relief work was carried out by civic and cooperative organizations. One of the methods by which the Soviet government sought to raise funds for relief was the creation of a special famine semi-postal stamp issue, with the surcharge designated for hunger alleviation. … [The stamp] presents a very popular Ukrainian topic, the national bard Taras Shevchenko. The official description refers to him as the “national revolutionary poet.” Amazingly, all of these stamps were in circulation for only three weeks; their recall occurred on July 15. These would be the last Ukrainian stamps issued by any Ukrainian government for almost seven decades (until 1992). From here. It’s “20 + 20” because it’s 20 karbonatsi for the stamp and another 20 famine relief.
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fyeaheasterneurope:

This stamp was issued by the SSR Ukraine in 1923 to raise funds for famine relief.

When I first saw this, I assumed the date was a typo for 1932, when the Holodomor occurred. But I was wrong. 

The 1921-1922 famine was brought on by crop failure and by sociopolitical conditions following World War I. Because of drought, only 35 percent of the normal harvest was obtained in 1921. The southern areas of Ukraine were particularly hard hit. The calamity was even greater in Russian areas, particularly in the southern Volga region. An unusually heavy tax in kind was exacted from Ukraine in 1922 and this further exacerbated the situation. Up to 1 million people died of famine and many thousands more of related epidemic diseases.

The Soviet government organized a relief program, but focused most of its - and the world’s - attention on the Russian Volga areas. In Ukraine, most of the relief work was carried out by civic and cooperative organizations.

One of the methods by which the Soviet government sought to raise funds for relief was the creation of a special famine semi-postal stamp issue, with the surcharge designated for hunger alleviation.

… [The stamp] presents a very popular Ukrainian topic, the national bard Taras Shevchenko. The official description refers to him as the “national revolutionary poet.” Amazingly, all of these stamps were in circulation for only three weeks; their recall occurred on July 15. These would be the last Ukrainian stamps issued by any Ukrainian government for almost seven decades (until 1992).

From here.

It’s “20 + 20” because it’s 20 karbonatsi for the stamp and another 20 famine relief.