There are many legends of how the fir tree became associated with Christmas, but the earliest legend is from 725 A.D. The legend began in Germany when Saint Boniface, who was a missionary converting the German people to Christianity, came across a group of pagans worshipping Thor, the god of thunder’s, oak tree. To disprove Thor’s power, Saint Boniface struck the oak tree, splitting it in half and causing a young fir tree to spring up from the roots of the oak tree. Saint Boniface told the people that this evergreen, with its branches pointing to heaven, represented God and was indeed a holy tree. Furthermore, because of its unchanging nature, the evergreen was also a symbol of God’s promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus. Saint Boniface then instructed the people to bring the fir trees into their homes and to surround them with gifts as symbols of love and kindness.
What is the loudest animal on the planet?
When asked what the loudest animal on the planet is, most people will answer the blue whale and its 188 decibel whistle that can be heard nearly 700 miles away. The true record holder for loudest animal on the planet is the tiger pistol shrimp, which can create an ear shattering 200 decibel sound that puts a mountain eruption to shame. The pistol shrimp snaps its claw to make a bubble that when popping, momentarily reaches a heat equal to that of the sun and subsequently stuns its prey with a sonic shock wave.
What is the fastest mile ever run by a human?
The record for the fastest mile ever run by a human is held by Hicham El Guerrouj, a Moroccan middle distance runner, with a time of 3:43.13. El Guerrouj set the record in Rome in 1999, breaking the previous mile record of 3:44.39 set in 1993. Hicham El Guerrouj is also the current holder of the 1500 metres and outdoor 2000 metres world records, as well as a double Olympic gold medalist.
How big is the Moon compared to the Earth?
Based on diameter, the Moon is 27% the size of the Earth with a diameter of 3,474 km (compared to the Earth’s 12,742 km diameter). In terms of surface area, the Moon notes 37.9 million square km of surface area while the Earth notes 510 million square km, making the Moon’s surface area 7.4% the size of Earth’s. And finally, from a volume/mass standpoint, the volume of the moon is an even smaller percentage – 2% of the Earth’s volume – and the mass is smaller yet, coming in at 1.2% the size of the Earth.
Who invented the candy cane?
In 1670 the Cologne Cathedral choirmaster in Germany bent warm sugar sticks to form the shape of a shepherd’s staff. He gave the all-white candy canes to the children in the choir to keep them quiet during a long service. The practice of giving out candy canes became a tradition at Christmas services in Europe.
In North America, the first documented example of the use of candy canes to celebrate Christmas occurred in 1847, when a German-Swedish immigrant by the name of August Imgard hung the candy canes from the branches of a Christmas tree. Christmas cards from the following decades show Christmas trees decorated with candy canes, first white canes, then striped ones in the 20th century. This then spread to the rest of the continent, where it continues to remain a popular Christmas tradition.