Make a list of 43 things I know very little about, & then learn at least 3 things about each of them

The Minie Ball:
1) It is a type of muzzle-loading rifle bullet that allowed rapid muzzle loading of rifles. It was named after one of its developers, Claude Etienne Minie. It saw limited use in the Crimean War but was commonly used in the American Civil War.

2) The bullet could be quickly removed from its paper cartridge with the gunpowder poured down the barrel and the bullet pressed past the muzzle rifling and any remains from previous shots. It was then rammed home with the ramrod, making sure that the charge was packed and the hollow base in the ball was filled with powder.

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mini%C3%A9_ball

3) The use of this ammunition allowed riflemen to fire several aimed shots per minute. This rendered most previous war tactics obsolete. The bullet could shatter bones and this led to many battlefield amputations (attempting to curtail the chance of secondary infections which could have been fatal.)

1. During 14th Century Europe, with the growth of trade, the guild “Masters” moved to protect their power (and wealth) by restricting access to the Guilds. In response, the less experienced (and less wealthy) “Fellows” set up their own rival Guilds. In smaller towns and villages, there weren’t enough Fellows from the same trade to set up a local Guild, so Fellows from a number of trades banded together to form a local Guild of Fellows from an odd assortment of trades. Hence, Guilds of Odd Fellows.

2. These altruistic organizations were set up to protect and care for their members at a time when there was no welfare state, trade unions or National Health Service. The aim was (and still is) to provide help to members when they need it.

3. In the U.S. it is known as the International Order of Odd fellows and it’s auxiliary is known as the Rebekahs raise money for various world-wide charities donating over $775 million annually. Al Franken (a recognizable name) is one of its more famous members.

Reference: Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Order_of_Odd_Fellows
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Independent_Order_of_Odd_Fellows

Item 3 Sidney Poitier:

1. He was born on Cat Island in the Bahamas and lived there until his family moved to Nassau when he was a young child. He then moved to Miami, FL to live with a brother and from there he ventured on to NYC.

2. He got into acting really by accident. He needed a job and answered an ad in the paper for an acting part.

3. He was asked to sign papers stating he wasn’t affiliated with certain people, that in the 1960’s and earlier, were believed to be stirring up issues of race in the movie industry. Poitier refused and in spite of it continued to work. Not signing could have ended his career.

1. Kentucky’s pre-colonial history
X. the Minie Ball-—-DONE-—
X. Sidney Poitier – DONE--
4. The Great Depression
5. Odd/Interesting Civil War Facts
6. Freemasons
X. Odd Fellows —-DONE-——
8. Saints
9. Microsoft Windows
10. Dodge City (in the days of the “wild west”)
11. American Indian Tribes: The Sioux
12. The Crackers (FL)
13. The Dewey Decimal System
14. Making homemade wine
15. “Piecing” a quilt
16. Getting a piece of writing published
17. Inclines used in Cincinnati