AWESOME FACTS ABOUT EVERYTHING LXXXIV

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest of the three pyramids of Giza and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu. Built in the early 26th century B.C. (4,500 yeas ago) over a period of 27 years, the pyramid is the oldest of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and the only one to remain largely intact. As perhaps the largest single building ever constructed, it is a wonder mainly because of its scale and the incredible precision with which the work was executed. Its 2,300,000 granite and limestone blocks each weighed approximately 2.5 tons - slotted together with unerring accuracy - reaching a height of 482 feet. This means that one block would have to be laid every five minutes of every hour - 24 hours a day - over the entire 27 years. The logistics of an ancient people building such a structure has been the subject of much academic inquiry. The task was so daunting that some authors have written that ancient aliens must have helped in the construction. 

2. Marie Curie was a pioneering giant in the fields of physics and chemistry. In 1903, she shared the the Nobel Prize in physics for her discovery of the new elements polonium and radium. She was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. In 1911, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for her isolation of pure radium. She is one of only two people to win the Nobel Prize in two different fields. (The other is Linus Pauling, who won the 1954 prize in chemistry, and the 1962 Nobel Peace Prize.) Marie Curie's pioneering work in radioactivity, which ultimately led to her own death, was the foundation for X-rays and radiation therapy to treat cancer and other diseases.

3. On May 7, 1824, Beethoven's ninth and final symphony premiered in Vienna. Innovative for its time, it included voices as well as instruments. Today it is considered one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. By this time, Beethoven had completely lost his hearing. Nevertheless he appeared on stage and appeared to conduct his masterpiece. Due to of his deafness, the members of the orchestra were told to ignore the composer and instead follow the actual conductor, Michael Umlauf. (Beethoven was only a few bars off when the symphony ended.) Because he could not hear the applause, Caroline Unger, the 20-year-old woman Beethoven had hand-picked to sing the alto part in the last movement, had to turn him to face the audience. Knowing that the great maestro could not hear them, the audience waved their hats and handkerchiefs in the air as they gave him five standing ovations.