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Holocaust Denial Group Defeated in Court
1. A Holocaust denial group offered $50,000 to anyone who could prove that gas chambers were used to kill people at Auschwitz. A judge compelled them to pay $90,000 in total to Auschwitz survivor Mel Mermelstein after he provided clear evidence of this fact.
2. Jupiter's immense size causes it and the Sun to orbit a common center of mass located outside the Sun itself. This unique orbital relationship results from Jupiter's significant gravitational influence. Consequently, Jupiter's presence affects the dynamics of the entire solar system.
3. When the Titanic was going down, someone opened the kennels containing the passengers' pet dogs, causing the unusual scene of a group of lively dogs running back and forth across the tilted deck as the ship submerged.
4. In 1816, white American reformers founded the American Colonization Society (ACS) to promote sending free Black Americans and emancipated slaves to Africa. Among its prominent supporters were Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and James Madison, all of whom saw colonization as a potential solution to racial tensions in the U.S. Madison even became president of the Society in 1833, and Monroe actively backed efforts to acquire land in Africa for settlement.
5. George Washington declined a third presidential term because he believed dying in office could imply a lifetime appointment. His decision to retire set the precedent for a two-term limit for U.S. presidents. This precedent remained unbroken until Franklin D. Roosevelt's four-term presidency.
Student Raid on Governor's Palace
6. In 1775, while studying at the College of William & Mary, James Monroe joined fellow students in a daring raid on the British governor's palace in Williamsburg, Virginia. The group broke into the armory and seized 200 muskets and 300 swords, which they handed over to the Virginia militia. That bold act of defiance marked Monroe's first direct step into the Revolution and tied him permanently to the Patriot cause.
7. James Monroe preferred the title "Colonel Monroe" throughout his career, even as president, a nod to his Revolutionary War service. He had been commissioned a lieutenant in 1776 and later promoted to colonel of the Virginia militia, though he saw his most notable action earlier as a lieutenant at the Battle of Trenton, where he was severely wounded. Monroe never commanded troops in the field as a full colonel but carried the honorific after retiring from the Continental Army in 1778, using it proudly for the rest of his life.
8. On Titan, Saturn's largest moon, raindrops are composed of liquid methane and are twice the size of Earth's raindrops. These drops descend at a leisurely pace, akin to snowflakes, due to their methane composition and Titan's atmospheric conditions.
9. At the time it was constructed, the set for Dumbledore's office was the priciest created for the films. Director Chris Columbus and production designer Stuart Craig agreed that Dumbledore’s office, as headmaster, needed to be the most ornate. Initially, they were told the design, which included huge stone pillars, numerous bookcases, curio cabinets, wall paintings, tables cluttered with objects, an antique desk, a throne-like chair, and a large telescope, would be too costly. Eventually, the producers managed to obtain the necessary budget to complete the set.
10. In 1950, as McCarthyism surged in the United States, President Harry S. Truman vetoed the McCarran Internal Security Act because he believed it punished opinion rather than crime. He condemned efforts to bar suspected communists from jobs and public life as a way to silence them without directly violating the First Amendment. In his veto message, he wrote, "In a free country, we punish men for the crimes they commit, but never for the opinions they have," framing McCarthyism as a direct threat to American freedom.
