INTERESTING FACT OF THE DAY

Originally Posted by Richie

On this day ...

1991 Operation 'Desert Storm' began against Iraq, for its invasion of Kuwait

Anyone here part of that?

50 pound notes are going to be scrapped as from April this year, I have only ever had one and I guess l will never have another one. Why scrap them though?

[Red ones]

Only the notes with Houblon on the back. The Boulton/Watt ones will remain.

[BanannaMan]

Might as well scrap them, nobody wants them and they are bloody hard to get rid of.
Some shops have signs saying they won't take them.

Originally Posted by Mrs DJ Fridge

Why scrap them though?

Because the European Union are about to take 10% out of everyone's bank account and any large notes can be used to hide cash. The UK is next.

The smart money has been buying art, coins and anything else that is a means of withdrawing cash from the system without it depreciating. Art and coins can also be moved across border without tax if they are going from Museum to museum. Its going to get awfully mess in the next two years as the Euro crashes (watch this space, its already doomed)

My interesting fact of the day is that the world economy is going to crash on the 30th Setember 2015, far worse than it did in 2008. Sell your house before that date...

The USA will break up in 2032. The United states will no longer be united. They will split into republican and democratic states.

Originally Posted by Berlin

The USA will break up in 2032. The United states will no longer be united. They will split into republican and democratic states.

This is a thread for facts. Can you verify this?

@Berlin...you're full of the joys of the world this morning aren't you ?

[Richie]

On this Day in
1962: US spaceman orbits Earth
The first American to orbit the Earth has landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean.
Marine Lieutenant John Glenn, 40, travelled about 81,000 miles (more than 130,000km) as he circled the globe three times at more than 17,000 mph (27,000kph).

Lieutenant Glenn controlled nearly two of the orbits himself after reporting "minor difficulties" with the automatic altitude control system as he completed the third circuit - the maximum anticipated.

Messages from the astronaut were transmitted by radio stations across the United States and United Kingdom and his progress was monitored by 18 ground stations around the world.

As he re-entered the atmosphere after his four-hour and 56-minute journey Lieutenant Glenn said: "Boy, that was a real fireball."

His spacecraft, Friendship Seven, landed at 2040 GMT 240 miles north-west of Puerto Rico, where it was picked up by the US destroyer Noa.

Altogether, 24 American ships were ready to pick up the astronaut and his craft from various locations across the globe.

This afternoon, I took my 5-year-old into Hamleys toy shop on Regent Stree. They've got a huge selection of marbles there. This fact might be of interest to Berlin, who clearly needs some to replace those he's lost.