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In a tale as old as time, here is a short list of classic books and other literary works that were originally attacked by critics and subsequently given bad reviews.

* A Midsummer Night's Dream - William Shakeaspeare - performed in London in 1662.
"The most stupid ridiculous play that I ever saw in my life."
- Samuel Pepys, Diary.


book pages
* Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift - 1726.
"..evidence of a diseased mind and a lacerated heart."
- John Dunlop, 'The History of Fiction', 1814.


* Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert - 1857.
"Monsieur Flaubert is not a writer."
- Le Figaro.


* Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy - 1877.
"Sentimental Rubbish"
- The Odessa Courier.


* The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald - 1925.
"What has never been alive cannot very well go on living. So this is a book of the season only."
- New York Herald Tribune.


* Catch-22 - Joseph Heller - 1961.
"Heller wallows in his own laughter... and the sort of antic behaviour the children fall into when they know they are losing our attention."
- Whitey Balliett, New Yorker.


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LOOSE STUFF 2 MAKE U LAUGH!

July 25th 2009 12:10
Charlie Sheen was once asked whether he'd like to have his father's job playing the American president on "The West Wing".
"I could never be the president," Sheen replied. "Think about it. I've abused cocaine, I've been arrested, I'm not a very smart guy. It's a big joke to think people would want someone like me just because his dad was president."

funny button

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Upon the launching of a newly completed ship, a bottle of champagne is usually smashed over the bow to christen it. The origins of this are a little unclear and can vary slightly from culture to culture, but for the most part it is believed that blood or wine, depending on the particular culture, was originally used as a sacrifice to the gods of the sea to allow for a smooth passage.

Namcy Reagan ship christening
Over time this became wine by those who originally used blood, and the wine was poured first into a silver chalice, from which a sip was taken before spilling the wine over the ship and casting the chalice into the sea.

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The ORIGINS of GOLF

May 31st 2009 08:21
Lorena Ochoa Number 1 golfer
Lorena Ochoa, currently World No.1 female golfer.
The origins of golf can be a little murky as some researchers claim they have discovered references to a form of golf from Egyptian hieroglyphics, while in China, Chui Wan ("chui" = striking and "wan" = small ball) a game of driving a ball with a stick into holes in the ground, was first mentioned in records from the 11th century.

The Dutch game also seemed to have an early version played with a stick and leather ball, while the Scottish game of 'goulf' was mentioned in two ancient laws prohibiting its play.

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French fries hot chips
French fries. Are they actually French?

It turns out the answer is actually no.

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US naval salute
U.S Naval salute - palm down.
Recently I was involved in a conversation where an American decided to, quite arrogantly I might add, tell an Englishwoman that the reason that the American military salute with their palms down (as if shading the eyes from the sun) is because they have never lost a war, whereas the British, who salute with their palms facing outwards, have lost in the past and therefore must salute as such.

Upon pointing out that they lost at Vietnam, the American initially tried to deny that it was actually a war, and when challenged on the issue subsequently snapped and the night turned into a smaller, but more tense version of Fawlty Towers ‘don’t mention the war.’

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Things HURRICANES Have Sent FLYING!

November 12th 2008 09:47
flying cow
Hurricanes are unpredictable at the best of times, but who could have predicted these strange occurrences!

During one hurricane in the USA, witnesses noticed as a row of birds sitting on a branch had all their feathers blown off!

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The Origins of the Humble TOOTHBRUSH!

October 2nd 2008 14:30
The toothbrush as we know it today was not invented until 1938. From around 3000 BC, people used anything from a 'chew stick' - a thin twig with a frayed end, to feathers, bones and porcupine quills to clean their teeth.

The bristle toothbrush, similar to the type used today, was invented in China in 1498. The bristles were actually made of coarse hairs taken from the back of a hog's neck and attached to a bamboo stick or bone.

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CONTROVERSY During The 1908 OLYMPICS!

August 25th 2008 11:30
The 1908 Summer Olympics, held in London endured quite a bit of controversy......
1908 Olympic marathon


At the opening parade the Finnish team were expected to march under a Russian flag instead of a Finnish one so they chose to march without a flag at all.

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