What is the purpose of the brushes at the side of an escalator?

No, they are not there to clean your shoes but instead, they are there for a safety reason. This long continuous brush called "Deflector brush" or "Skirt Brush" is made of stiff bristles that runs up the sides of the escalator just above the step level. It is designed to deflect objects like garments, shoes and other things away from the gap between the steps and the side wall. They also work as an indicator to tell passengers that they are close to the step's edge.

How T-Shirt Begins?

T-shirts started off as underwear. During the First World War, European soldiers wore them underneath their uniforms to keep warm. American troops copied the idea and started calling them 'T-shirts' because of their T shape.

In the 1950s, movie stars like James Dean shocked the world by wearing their T-shirts as proper clothes on telly. It caught on fast and by the 1960s T-shirts had taken over. Sports teams, clubs and rock bands were all using colours and logos on their 'tees' to get noticed.

During the 20th century, the T-shirt went from military-issue wear to an iconic fashion statement, according to the "The T-Shirt Book," a 2002 history of the garment by Charlotte Brunel.

Brunel writes that the shirt went through several mid-century phases, as a symbol of heroism worn by World War II fighters, the rebel uniform of movie icons like Marlon Brando, the socially conscious garb of the 1960s peace movement, and the in-your-face costume of the punk rock scene.

The T-shirt was also a democratizing force in the military because it was worn by all ranks, a philosophy extended to the civilian world when veterans "by the likes of Elvis Presley, John F. Kennedy as well as the working man" kept wearing the shirts after completing their service, Brunel said.

"In a word, the T-shirt is to clothing what the blank sheet of paper is to writing -- a surface for imagination and free expression to run wild," Brunel writes.

People are still using T-shirts to make statements. Madonna recently big-upped Britney Spears and Kylie Minogue by wearing their names on her chest.

The latest craze in T-shirts is 'customisation' - decorating them yourself. Trendy fashion designer JJ sparked it off by buying old clothes from charity shops and revamping them for the catwalk. Now, everyone is doing it.

Source: http://www.t-shirtteasers.com/history-of-the-t-shirt.htm

How much is winning a World Cup actually worth?

When the World Cup kicks off in South Africa this summer, FIFA will have set aside some £250 million for prize money. A huge amount you will agree, especially when you consider that the prize money on offer in 2006 was only £140 million.

The 2010 World Cup winners will receive £18million for becoming champions, the losing finalists will take home a miserable £14 million.

Third and fourth, will take home £12 million and £11 million respectively. Losing Quarter-Finalists will be awarded £8.5 million each while teams exiting in the second round will receive £5.5 million each, leaving teams who were knocked out in the first round to leave with their tale between their legs carrying £5 million each.

In addition to that, each of the 32 teams on show will receive £600,000 each for expenses incurred during preparation for the month long tournament. This money will go some way to keeping the competing teams happy, and knowing that club sides from all over the world will be represented, FIFA has also set aside £25 million for them, too.

The way their payments are structured is that from 15 days before the tournament commences until one day after the player exits the cup, clubs will receive £980 for every day a player is there. Meaning that the minimum that any team will receive for one single player is £25,480.

This was in exchange for clubs not suing an international team should a player become injured.

Source: http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/worldcup/story/030810-how-much-is-a-world-cup-worth

Why called Siamese Twins?

The origin and the historical roots of the term "Siamese twins" can be attributed to Chang and Eng Bunker, the famous conjoined twins from Siam (now Thailand) who earned their living in the U.S. as a circus attraction in the Barnum and Baily Circus. They were born on May 11, 1811 in Siam (now Thailand) joined at the lower chest by a narrow band of flesh, which connected their livers. The twins were discovered in Siam by British merchant Robert Hunter and exhibited as a curiosity during a world tour. As they traveled the world, they became known as "the Siamese twins."

Upon termination of their contract with their discoverer, they settled in the United States, where they married two sisters and had nearly two dozen children. They were successful businessman and farmers in Wilkes County, North Carolina, where they lived until 1874. They were 63 years old when they died.