DYK #24: Octopussy

10 quick facts on Octopuses:

DYK #20: World of Words

Letters in Hawaiian

1. There are between 6000 and 7000 languages are spoken in the world 
2. Most of the world’s languages are spoken in Asia and Africa. 
3. Many languages in Africa include a “click” sound that is pronounced at the same time as other sounds. You must learn these languages in childhood to do it properly. 
4. The non-European languages most widely used on European territory are Arabic, Chinese and Hindi, each with its own writing system. 
5. The Germanic family of languages includes Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, English and Yiddish, among others. 
1. The Romance languages include Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian, among others. 
2. The Germanic family of languages includes Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, German, Dutch, English and Yiddish, among others. 
3. The Slavic languages include Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovenian, Serbian, Croatian, Macedonian, Bulgarian and others.

DYK #11: Cultural Connect - Differing Customs

Following are some facts relating to the differing traditions in various countries - the links provide verification:

1. In Tibet, sticking out the tongue means expressing your modesty and respect for others.
2. The Yanomami tribesman don't believe in wastage of resources, and as such in case of death of an individual, their body is burned and the ashes & bone fragments are grinded into powder. Then the family members eat the remains.
3. Don’t be too offended if an old-timer in Greece spits at your baby, three times. This is a traditional way to ward off evil spirits and bad luck.
4. In India, there was (and maybe still is in rural areas) a custom known as 'Sati", where a dead man’s widow would throw herself on her husband’s funeral pyre in order to commit suicide
5. 'Sky Burial' is a tradition in Tibet where a human corpse is cut into small pieces and placed on a mountaintop, exposing it to the elements and animals – especially to birds of prey. The bones are later  (or with the flesh) crushed to pulp and mixed with a mixture known as 'tsampa' and fed to cattle or birds.
6. 'Polterabend' is a German pre-wedding tradition where friends and family come together for an informal party and break dishes, flowerpots, tiles, toilets, and more. To symbolize working together through future difficulties, the bride and groom must clean everything up.
7. To prepare for their marriage, Scottish brides-to-be (even grooms may be) are taken by surprise by her friends who cover her with eggs, spoiled milk, feathers, and more. The blackened bride is then paraded around town.
8. The Tidong group from northern Borneo have a wedding custom which bans both the bride and groom from using the bathroom for the 3 days and 3 nights following the wedding.
9. In New Zealand, there exists a traditional Maori welcoming custom know as the 'hongi'. It is a centuries-old tradition which involves the rubbing or touching of noses when two people meet.
10. The 'thumbs up' gesture is considered to be rude in Greece and parts of Italy.

Below is a video showing the (#7) Scottish custom of 'Blackening of the bride and groom'. The action begins at 34th second.

DYK #10: Ole, Ole, Ole..!!

1. Manchester United were originally founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878.
2. India took part in the world Olympic Football Competition in 1948 in London. 
3. In 1950 India withdrew form the World Cup because FIFA refused to let their team play barefoot. 
4. 20 red cards were shown during a 1993 game between Sportivo Ameliano and General Caballero in Paraguay. 
5. Michael Laudrup appeared for Real Madrid in a 5-0 win over Barcelona and also Barcelona when they beat Real Madrid 5-0. 
6. Sir Alex Ferguson was fired by St. Mirren in 1978 for swearing at a lady. 
7. The World Record for juggling a soccer ball non-stop is 19 hours and 30 minutes.
8. The term 'score a goal' comes from the fact that every time a goal was conceded, a small nick was made into the post. So literally, a goal was “scored” onto the post.
9. Luis Figo's was greeted by a pig's head thrown by the fans in his return to FC Barcelona's home ground. He was considered a traitor for joining their rivals Real Madrid the preceding summer.
10. Italian referee Marcello Donadini was taken to hospital in 1973 after being bitten in the back by a player who didn’t agree with a decision.

DYK #7: English is a phunny language...

1. The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe. 
2. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a tittle or superscript dot. 
3. The word "set" has more definitions than any other word in the English language.
4. There is a word in the English language with only one vowel, which occurs five times: "indivisibility." 
5. The only 15-letter word that can be spelled without repeating a letter is "uncopyrightable"
6. The shortest complete sentence in English is the following. "I am." 
7. The longest English word without a true vowel (a, e, i, o or u) is "rhythm". 
8. The verb "cleave" is the only English word with two synonyms which are antonyms of each other: adhere and separate. 
9. The word "triskaidekaphobia" means "fear of Friday the 13th". It also means "superstition about the number thirteen" in general. 
10. A sentence that contains all 26 letters of the alphabet is called a "pangram".