Thomas Jefferson believed the Constitution should be rewritten every 19 years!
Arguably one of the most influential voices of the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson was instrumental in the establishment of the United States and the formation of our government.
However, as important as he and his opinions were, he believed it should all be completely redone every 19 years! Why would he say this?
Jefferson wrote, “Every constitution, then, and every law, natural expires at the end of nineteen years. If it be enforced longer, it is an act of force, and not of right.” Jefferson believed that every nineteen years a new generation was in power, and should no be subject to laws established by the previous generation because they were no longer relevant.
For example, the introduction of the Internet changed how we go about our lives and business. According to Jefferson, this mandates a complete revision of the Constitution because the old rules have no significance for a new time!
Bob Marley lied about who wrote one of his songs so the money could go to a soup kitchen!
Bob Marley was well known for his Rastafarian beliefs and promotion of love as a tool. Many of his songs, which often define the reggae genre, promote peace and the notion of helping others, and unlike many celebrities, Marley actually practiced what he preached.
When the song “No Woman, No Cry” was released the credit was given to Vincent Ford, a friend of Marley’s who operated a soup kitchen in Jamaica. Although it is almost universally accepted that Marley actually wrote the song, and because the soup kitchen was going out of business from lack of funds, Marley simply had all of the profits donated to ensure its survival!
Two men had their arms torn off in a tug-of-war!
Tug-of-war is a game that goes back thousands of years and was often used to either celebrate an occasion or compete for strength. While most tug-of-war matches are relatively quick and painless, there was one that went way overboard!
On October 25, 1997, Taiwan celebrated the 52nd anniversary of the end of Japanese Rule with a giant tug-of-war contest. Over 1,600 people participated with a combined strength of over 176,000 pounds!
During the event, the rope snapped because it could not support the weight. When it broke, the force ripped the arms off of two men who were competing!
Luckily, their arms were able to be reattached later due to microsurgery, but next time you join a 1,600 people tug-of-war match, be sure to not hold on too tight!
Jackie Chan had to carry guns and grenades to protect himself from a Chinese crime syndicate!
Jackie Chan is perhaps the most well known Chinese actor outside of China, and while he is extremely famous in America, he is also infamous throughout Asia. Chan earned the nickname Big Brother because he always seems to be involved in other peoples’ business.
This attitude involved him in a fight with the Triads; the largest organized crime syndicate in China. The Triads caused a lot of trouble for Chinese artists and he decided to take action.
Triads, were known to have a heavy influence on Chinese entertainment in the 1980’s and 1990’s. To combat them, Chan started the Hong Kong Performing Artist Guild to form a united front against corruption, and gained many enemies.
His life was threatened numerous times and he was even forced to carry multiple guns and sometimes even grenades! Eventually the Triads lost most of their control on the entertainment industry in China, and Jackie Chan was a significant influence!
The Yuki people have count with base 8 and not 10 because they use the space between their fingers to count!
The indigenous Yuki people of California are originally from the northern area and became extinct some time during the 20th century. While their culture unfortunately did not completely survive, we have some records that have allowed us to understand their ways. One strange aspect of their culture was their counting system. Most cultures throughout history use a base of ten because we have ten fingers.
Instead, the Yuki people used the spaces in between their fingers! This altered their entire counting system, so instead of counting things in groups of ten, they were all counted in eight!
