| Susannah Dingley
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| 579861. Mon Jul 06, 2009 6:00 pm |
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On this day (6 July) in 1253, Mindaugas was crowned King of Lithuania. July 6 is the country’s so-called Statehood Day.
This is something I learned on “University Challenge” this evening. |
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| GL5
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| 580775. Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:27 am |
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Lithuania apparently has the highest overall suicide rate of all countries in the world (a fact mentioned on one particular QI episode). However, in the case of suicide rates among women only, Lithuania comes fourth (behind Sri Lanka, Japan and China).
Source: http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/index.html |
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| zomgmouse
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| 581133. Wed Jul 08, 2009 9:03 pm |
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| Jascha Heifetz was born in Lithuania (then part of the USSR) but emigrated to the US aged 7. |
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| Susannah Dingley
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| 581163. Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:20 pm |
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| zomgmouse wrote: | | (then part of the USSR) |
The USSR did not come into existence until 1922, and Lithuania did not become part of the USSR until 1940. Heifetz was born in 1900.
Al Jolson was another famous Lithuanian. And Phill Jupitus must have some Lithuanian blood because he “represented” Lithuania in the Euro edition of QI (Series E Episode 5). |
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| suze
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| 581399. Thu Jul 09, 2009 10:57 am |
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| Yes indeed; his father's parents were Lithuanian. While Jupitus would work as a Lithuanian surname, the family states that the name was originally Šeputis. |
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| Susannah Dingley
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| 581427. Thu Jul 09, 2009 11:36 am |
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I see. Thanks. 
Two more interesting facts about Lithuania derived from stuff mentioned on Monday’s “University Challenge”:
- Vytautas Landsbergis was the head of state of Lithuania when the republic unilaterally declared independence from the Soviet Union in March 1990. The Kremlin’s response was to cut off gas supplies to the capital Vilnius. Lithuanian independence was nonetheless recognized by the Soviet Union in September 1991.
- The Lithuanian language is closely related to Latvian; both belong to the Baltic branch of the Indo-European language family. The branch also includes Old Prussian, extinct since the beginning of the 18th century.
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| GL5
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| 581458. Thu Jul 09, 2009 12:19 pm |
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| Susannah Dingley wrote: | | zomgmouse wrote: | | (then part of the USSR) |
The USSR did not come into existence until 1922, and Lithuania did not become part of the USSR until 1940. Heifetz was born in 1900. |
Zomgmouse is probably referring to the Russian Empire rather than the USSR. Lithuania had been annexed by Catherine the Great in 1795; it became independent in 1918 following the Bolshevik Revolution. |
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| Bondee
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| 581589. Thu Jul 09, 2009 3:42 pm |
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| The most beautiful woman I've ever met was from Lithuania. |
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| zomgmouse
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| 581745. Thu Jul 09, 2009 7:04 pm |
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| GL5 wrote: | | Susannah Dingley wrote: | | zomgmouse wrote: | | (then part of the USSR) |
The USSR did not come into existence until 1922, and Lithuania did not become part of the USSR until 1940. Heifetz was born in 1900. |
Zomgmouse is probably referring to the Russian Empire rather than the USSR. Lithuania had been annexed by Catherine the Great in 1795; it became independent in 1918 following the Bolshevik Revolution. |
Probably.
I really should have been thinking more, and not typing hastily. Drats.
What I meant was that the USSR (when it formed) had been extremely displeased with Heifetz for leaving. |
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| jdean
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| 613274. Tue Sep 15, 2009 9:55 am |
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Laba Diena!
Lithuania was the last country in europe to adopt christianity as its official religion some time in the first half of the 14th century.
Iki!
Last edited by jdean on Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:27 pm; edited 1 time in total
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| Curious Danny
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| 613309. Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:02 am |
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| It was also the largest country in Europe at that point i believe, as the Grand Duchy of Lithuania |
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| suze
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| 613328. Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:27 am |
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I think that depends on how one defines "Europe", and also on how one defines "country".
The Grand Duchy of Moscow (as it was until 1547) was surely larger, and I suspect that the Holy Roman Empire was as well, if one considers it to have been "a country".
But for sure, the claim is made and is at the very least defensible. |
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| Curious Danny
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| 613336. Tue Sep 15, 2009 11:42 am |
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| It was on the QI Game. |
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| suze
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| 613352. Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:27 pm |
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[looks up script]
Ooh, so it was! It was the first game, and I only worked on the second one, so at least it's not down to me!!
But since it was, it deserves to be checked out properly, and either confirmed as correct or otherwise. Consider it as on my list! |
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| jdean
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| 613367. Tue Sep 15, 2009 1:13 pm |
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| The Grand Duchy Of Lithuania, or the Commonwealth of Poland and Lithuainia as it was also known was indeed vast. It streched from modern day Estonia all the way down to the Black Sea coast and was, for a time, the most stable political entity in europe. It incoporated all of modern day Poland, Belorus and the Ukraine. |
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