Christmas became a national holiday in America on June, 26, 1870.

The word Christmas originated as a compound meaning “Christ’s Mass”. It is derived from the Middle English Christemasse and Old English Cristes mæsse, a phrase first recorded in 1038.[8] “Cristes” is from Greek Christos and “mæsse” is from Latin missa (the holy mass). In Greek, the letter Χ (chi), is the first letter of Christ, and it, or the similar Roman letter X, has been used as an abbreviation for Christ since the mid-16th century. Hence, Xmas is sometimes used as an abbreviation for Christmas.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas

Japan has certified a man aged 93 as the only known survivor of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, both hit by atomic bombs towards the end of World War II.Tsutomu Yamaguchi was in Hiroshima on a business trip on 6 August 1945 when a US plane dropped the first atomic bomb. He suffered serious burns and spent a night there before returning to his home city of Nagasaki just before it was bombed on 9 August.He said he hoped his experience held a lesson of peace for future generations.

‘Horrifying history’

It was already recorded that Mr Yamaguchi had survived the Nagasaki bomb but on Tuesday officials recognised that he had been in Hiroshima as well.Certification as a hibakusha or radiation survivor qualifies Japanese citizens for government compensation, including medical check-ups, and funeral costs.His double dose of atomic bombs, however, does not mean Mr Yamaguchi’s compensation will increase, a Nagasaki city official said.”My double radiation exposure is now an official government record,” Mr Yamaguchi told reporters.”It can tell the younger generation the horrifying history of the atomic bombings even after I die.”About 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.Many survivors fell sick with radiation-related illnesses, including cancers, for years after the bombings.

In 1907, Oklahoma became the last US state to declare Christmas a legal holiday.

Are any birds poisonous? Surprisingly, a handful of poisonous birds have been identified in Papua New Guinea and research in the future may well reveal that numerous bird species use toxins in some way. The poisonous birds that have been documented so far include the Hooded Pitohui (Pitohui dichrous) , several other species of pitohui, and the Blue-capped Ifrita (Ifrita kowaldi) .

The Hooded Pitohui was the first poisonous bird to be discovered by science—but the native people of Papua New Guinea knew about it far sooner. They call it the “garbage bird” because of its unpleasant smell, and avoid eating it because of the bitter taste and a tendency to make people sick. The Hooded Pitohui has batrachotoxin (BTX) in its dander, and in its skin and feathers, a neurotoxin identical to that used by deadly poison frogs in Colombia, South America. Other pitohui species also have the toxin, but in lower concentrations.

The second poisonous bird genus discovered by scientists is the Ifrita; however, once again, scientists were not the first to encounter the nasty side of the bird. The name given to the Blue-capped Ifrita by local people, slek-yakt, means “bitter bird,” and the Kalam believe that one taste of the feathers can be fatal. The Blue-capped Ifrita lives in a different part of Papua New Guinea, but uses the same toxin as the pitohui.

Source:http://www.suite101.com/content/poisonous-birds-a11293#ixzz176XhAEK5

Belief said that the marriage ring is worn on the 4th finger from thumb because that vein runs directly from the heart. This vein is called Vena Amoris, literally meaning “Vein of Love”.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vena_amoris

America’s official national Christmas tree is located in King’s Canyon National Park in California. The tree, a giant sequoia called the “General Grant Tree,” is over 300 feet (90 meters) high. It was made the official Christmas tree in 1925.

Victoria’s Secret was started in San Francisco, California, in 1977 by Stanford Graduate School of Business alumnus Roy Raymond, who felt embarrassed trying to purchase lingerie for his wife in a department store environment. He opened the first store at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, and quickly followed it with a mail-order catalog and three other stores.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria%27s_Secret