September 28, 2015

The indentation at the bottom of a wine/champagne bottle is called a punt

1. The indentation found at the bottom of a wine/champagne bottle is called a punt.













Image Credit: NewAir

September 23, 2015

San Jose was the first capital of California

1. When California gained statehood on September 9, 1850, San Jose served as the first capital for a short time until 1851.

September 21, 2015

A growing moon is said to be "waxing" and a shrinking moon is said to be "waning"

1. A growing moon is said to be "waxing" and a shrinking moon is said to be "waning." The left side of the picture is of a waxing moon and the right is of a waning moon. A mnemonic device to help remember the waxing vs. waning phase is to think of the moon as making a "C" shape during the waning phase and associate the "C" with the word "Ceasing," a synonym for waning.

September 16, 2015

Only Cardinals under the age of 80 are eligible to be part of the Papal Conclave that elects the next pope

1. Staring in 1970, resulting from a decree of Pope Paul VI, cardinals over the age of 80 when the papacy becomes vacant are not eligible to be part of the Papal Conclave that gathers to elect the next pope. Pope Paul VI also set the maximum number of cardinals that may vote to 120. This number has been changed several times prior to 1970.

September 5, 2015

In 2006, No. 5, by Paul Jackson Pollock became the 5th most expensive painting ever sold--$164M adjusted for inflation

1. Paul Jackson Pollock (born 1912, died 1956) was a painter and influential figure in the abstraction expressionist movement. His 8ft x 4ft mural, No. 5 (painted in 1948) sold in 2006 for $140M ($164M adjusted to 2015 dollars). He stopped naming his works and began just numbering them because he felt it allowed people to look at his work without preconceived ideas.

No. 5, 1948" by Taken from Art Market Watch.com.
Licensed under 
Fair use via Wikipedia.