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Some interesting facts and trivia, facts from QII and extra comment from myself . . .
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Fact:
In the 1600s, a gay brothel may have occupied the location where Buckingham Palace, home of Queen Elizabeth 11, now stands, according to some historians.
Notes:
Historian Norton Rictor wrote in 2013 that gay cruising spots and brothels may have started operating in London around the start of the 17th century. His essay notes that Clement Walker, an English politician, wrote in 1649 about brothels and gay male sex workers that there were “new-erected sodoms and spintries at the Mulberry Garden at S. James’s.”
“Sodoms referred to the brothels and “sprintries” to the gay sex workers, according to the outlet.
The Mulberry Garden is now the northwest corner of Buckingham Palace.
Source:
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Fact:
The Louvre has a naked version of the Mona Lisa painted by Da Vinci or perhaps by one of Da Vinci’s pupils.
Notes:
Art experts may have solved a riddle that has been baffling them for years: whether a drawing of a nude woman, bearing a striking resemblance to the Mona Lisa, is a Leonardo da Vinci original.
Following extensive testing, investigators from the Centre for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France (C2RMF) say the charcoal drawing, known as the "Monna Vanna" or "Nude Mona Lisa," was completed in da Vinci's studio and may have been the work of the master himself.
The drawing was previously thought to have been completed by da Vinci's students.
Experts at the centre found that much of the work was completed by a left-handed artist, supporting theories that da Vinci was the creator.
Source:
Btw, here is the real Mona Lisa for comparison:
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Fact:
When Queen Victoria arrived in 1837, there were no bathrooms in Buckingham Palace.
Notes:
Originally commissioned as a large townhouse for the Duke of Buckingham, the house which would become Buckingham Palace was acquired by the crown in 1761 when King George III purchased it as a private residence for Queen Charlotte. The palace then took on a more official role as the London residence of the British monarch when Queen Victoria ascended the throne in 1837.
The palace Queen Victoria inherited in 1837 was in dire need of repair. The kitchen’s faced floods of sewage, lamp gas had dangerously built up and the building was constantly cold due to poor ventilation, plus there were no bathrooms. The design flaws were soon seen to, however, by a team led by Prince Albert, who also oversaw major additions to the palace such as the iconic balcony.
The palace c. 1837, depicting Marble Arch, a ceremonial entrance. It was moved to make way for the east wing in 1847.
Source:
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Fact:
Whoopi Goldberg got her name from her childhood flatulence.
Notes:
From an article in The Guardian:
Goldberg, born Caryn Elaine Johnson, was nicknamed Whoopi after joke shop fart cushions. She explained: "If you get a little gassy, you've got to let it go. So people used to say to me: 'You're like a whoopee cushion'".
Source
From an article in the New York Times:
You were born Caryn Johnson. How did you wind up with the name Whoopi?Here’s the thing. When you’re performing on stage, you never really have time to go into the bathroom and close the door. So if you get a little gassy, you’ve got to let it go. So people used to say to me, You are like a whoopee cushion. And that’s where the name came from.If you find it rude to comb your hair in public, as you’ve said on your show, how can you possibly justify public acts of flatulence?Is it bad manners if you say, I really have to cut this?
Source:
https://web.archive.org/web/20140504014805/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/magazine/20wwln_q4.html
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