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Lothrop Withington Jr.
The act of swallowing live goldfish was a fad first popularized by students at American colleges in the late 1930s. History 20th century The origin of this practice is unclear. A 1963 letter to ''The New York Times'' claimed that it was started by a man named Lothrop Withington Jr.—grandnephew of the noted genealogist Lothrop Withington—who was a freshman at Harvard University and did so to win a $10 bet as part of a bid to become class president. The stunt started a competition between multiple universities such as Penn, MIT, and Harvard in an attempt to surpass one another. In April 1939, Marie Hansen of the University of Missouri School of Journalism became the first woman widely known to participate in this trend. The activity even prompted the establishment of the Intercollegiate Goldfish Gulping Association (IGGA), which sought to determine and enforce competition standards. The last title on record went to Clark University's Joe Deliberto, who sucked down 89 goldfish. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goldfish
The goldfish (''Carassius auratus'') is a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae of the order Cypriniformes. It is commonly kept as a pet in indoor aquariums, and is one of the most popular aquarium fish. Goldfish released into the wild have become an invasive pest in parts of North America and Australia. Native to China, the goldfish is a relatively small member of the carp family (which also includes the Prussian carp and the crucian carp). It was first selectively bred for color in imperial China more than 1,000 years ago, where several distinct breeds were developed. Goldfish breeds vary greatly in size, body shape, fin configuration, and coloration (various combinations of white, yellow, orange, red, brown, and black are known). History Various species of carp (collectively known as Asian carp) have been bred and reared as food fish for thousands of years in East Asia. Some of these normally gray or silver species have a tendency to produce red, oran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Prestidigitation
Sleight of hand (also known as prestidigitation or ''legerdemain'' () comprises fine motor skills used by performing artists in different art forms to entertain or manipulate. It is closely associated with close-up magic, card magic, card flourishing and stealing. Because of its heavy use and practice by magic (illusion), magicians, sleight of hand is often confused as a branch of magic; however, it is a separate genre of entertainment and many artists practice sleight of hand as an independent skill. Sleight of hand pioneers with worldwide acclaim include Dan and Dave (magicians), Dan and Dave, Ricky Jay, Derek DelGaudio, David Copperfield (illusionist), David Copperfield, Yann Frisch, Norbert Ferré, Dai Vernon, Jerry Sadowitz, Richard Valentine Pitchford, Cardini, Tony Slydini, Hélder Guimarães, Helder Guimarães and Tom Mullica. Etymology and history The word ''sleight'', meaning "the use of dexterity or cunning, especially so as to deceive", comes from the Old Norse. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals
The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest animal welfare organisation in the world, and is one of the largest charities in the UK. The organisation also does international outreach work across Europe, Africa and Asia. The charity's work has inspired the creation of similar groups in other jurisdictions, starting with the Ulster Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (founded in 1836), and including the Scottish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (1839), the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (1840), the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (1866), the Royal New Zealand Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (1882), the Singapore Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (1959) and various groups wh ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The UK includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and most of List of islands of the United Kingdom, the smaller islands within the British Isles, covering . Northern Ireland shares Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the UK is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. It maintains sovereignty over the British Overseas Territories, which are located across various oceans and seas globally. The UK had an estimated population of over 68.2 million people in 2023. The capital and largest city of both England and the UK is London. The cities o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
University Of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World Heritage Site, UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original governing Board of Visitors included three List of presidents of the United States, U.S. presidents: Jefferson, James Madison, and James Monroe, the latter as sitting president of the United States at the time of its foundation. As its first two Rector (academia)#United States, rectors, Presidents Jefferson and Madison played key roles in the university's foundation, with Jefferson designing both the #1800s, original courses of study and the university's #Academical Village, architecture. Located within its 1,135-acre central campus, the university is composed of eight undergraduate and three professional schools: the University of Virginia School of Law, School of Law, the University ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fraternities
A fraternity (; whence, " brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular aims. Fraternity in the Western concept developed in the Christian context, notably with the religious orders in the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages. The concept was eventually further extended with medieval confraternities and guilds. In the early modern era, these were followed by fraternal orders such as Freemasons, the Rosicrucian Society of England, and Odd Fellows, along with gentlemen's clubs, student fraternities, and fraternal service organizations. Members are occasionally referred to as a ''brother'' or – usually in a religious context – ''frater'' or ''friar''. Today, connotations of fraternities vary according to context including companionships and brotherhoods dedicated to the religious, i.e., ( Knights of Columbus), intellectual, academic, physic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hazing
Hazing (American English), initiation, beasting (British English), bastardisation (Australian English), ragging (South Asian English) or deposition refers to any activity expected of someone in joining or participating in a group that humiliates, degrades, abuses, or endangers them regardless of a person's willingness to participate. Hazing is seen in many different types of social groups, including gangs, Team sport, sports teams, schools, cliques, universities, fire departments, law enforcement, military units, prisons, fraternities and sororities, and even workplaces in some Workplace bullying, cases. The initiation rites can range from relatively benign pranks to protracted patterns of behavior that rise to the level of abuse or criminal misconduct. Hazing is often prohibited by law or institutions such as colleges and universities because it may include either physical abuse, physical or psychological abuse, such as humiliation, nudity, or sexual abuse. Hazing activities have ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston as ''The Atlantic Monthly'', a literary and cultural magazine that published leading writers' commentary on education, the abolition of slavery, and other major political issues of that time. Its founders included Francis H. Underwood and prominent writers Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and John Greenleaf Whittier. James Russell Lowell was its first editor. During the 19th and 20th centuries, the magazine also published the annual ''The Atlantic Monthly Almanac''. The magazine was purchased in 1999 by businessman David G. Bradley, who fashioned it into a general editorial magazine primarily aimed at serious national readers and " thought leaders"; in 201 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights activist Alex Pacheco, the organization first gained attention in the summer of 1981 during what became known as the Silver Spring monkeys case.Schwartz, Jeffrey M. and Begley, Sharon. ''The Mind and the Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force'', Regan Books, 2002, p. 161ff. * Pacheco, Alex and Francione, AnnaThe Silver Spring Monkeys in Peter Singer (ed.) ''In Defense of Animals'', Basil Blackwell 1985, pp. 135–147. The organization opposes factory farming, fur farming, animal testing, and other activities it considers to be exploitation of animals. The organization's controversial campaigns have been credited with drawing media attention to animal rights issues, but have also been widely criticized for their disrupti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Internet Challenge
Internet challenges are a popular phenomenon on the Internet, encompassing a wide range of videos in which individuals record themselves performing specific actions or tasks, often daring others to do the same. These challenges have become a significant part of Internet meme culture, with many of them gaining widespread attention and popularity through memes. Notable examples of such challenges include the ALS Ice Bucket challenge, which gained viral status in mid-2014, and the TrashTag Challenge, which became popular in 2019. The concept of Internet challenges shares similarities with the classic dare games played by children, wherein participants dare each other to undertake actions that are typically unconventional or out of the ordinary. While some challenges have emerged solely within the digital realm, there are instances where challenges or tasks predate the Internet and have resurfaced in a modified form online. The allure of internet challenges can be attributed, in part, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Regurgitation (digestion)
Regurgitation is the expulsion of material from the pharynx, or esophagus, usually characterized by the presence of undigested food or blood. Regurgitation is used by a number of species to feed their young. This is typically in circumstances where the young are at a fixed location and a parent must forage or hunt for food, especially under circumstances where the carriage of small prey would be subject to robbing by other predators or the whole prey is larger than can be carried to a den or nest. Some bird species also occasionally regurgitate Pellet (ornithology), pellets of indigestible matter such as bones and feathers. It is in most animals a normal and voluntary process unlike the complex vomiting reflex in response to toxins. Humans Regurgitation can be voluntary or involuntary for humans. It can occur alongside gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), acid reflux and some anatomical abnormalities. In infants however, regurgitation – or spitting up – is quite comm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Steve-O
Stephen Gilchrist Glover (born June 13, 1974), known professionally as Steve-O, is an American stunt performer, comedian, media personality, and podcast host. His career is mostly centered on his shocking and pain-inducing stunts in the reality comedy television series '' Jackass'' (2000–2006) and its related films '' Jackass: The Movie'' (2002), '' Jackass Number Two'' (2006), ''Jackass 3D'' (2010), and '' Jackass Forever'' (2022), as well as its spin-off series ''Wildboyz'' (2003–2006) and '' Dr. Steve-O'' (2007). Early life and education Stephen Gilchrist Glover was born in Wimbledon, London on June 13, 1974. His mother, Donna Gay Glover (née Wauthier; d. 2003), was Canadian, and his father, Richard Edward "Ted" Glover, is an American of English descent. He has a sister, Cindy. When he was six months old, his family relocated to Brazil due to his father's job as president of the South American division of Pepsi-Cola, and Steve-O stated in an interview with Graham B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
