Trivia Today - Monday, August 18, 2014

Greetings Infomaniacs,

Yesterday my boyfriend had some friends over to play some games of bocce ball. After playing this game on a few occasions now, I can say with certainty that it's not my favorite game.

It just seems to move a little too slow for my taste! We had a good time though and enjoyed some friendly competition and that is the most important thing!

With that said, here's some fun facts about bocce ball to kick off your Monday...

Enjoy!
Melissa

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Questions? Comments? Email Melissa


WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

HINT: (1963-), American former professional basketball player.


RANDOM TIDBITS
Bocce is based on one of the oldest diversions known to man-throwing something at a target. A painting of two boys playing a similar type of game was found in an Egyptian tomb and dated to 5200 B.C.

Roman soldiers played a game like bocce during the Punic Wars in the Third Century B.C. In this version of the sport, stones were used instead of balls.

Later, the Romans played the game with coconuts they brought back from Africa. Emperor Augustus (31 B.C.-14 A.D.) played the game and became the first in a long line of notable public figures who enjoyed bocce or a closely related type of sport.

Bocce shared a fate common to many games of the Middle Ages-it was banned by both kings and the church. In 1319, Roman Emperor Charles IV outlawed the game because it took people's attention away from military matters. King Carlos of Spain would issue a similar ban.

A bocce court is 10-13 feet wide and between 60 and 100 feet long. The ball that becomes the target is called the pallino.

Some notable names have been associated with the game of bocce. Galileo and deVinci reportedly enjoyed the sport, as did Queen Elizabeth and George Washington. Washington is said to have built a bocce court on his Mount Vernon estate in the 1780s.


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WHO SAID IT?
QUOTE: "I can accept failure. Everyone fails at something. But I can't accept not trying."

ANSWER: Michael Jordan.

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