September 7: World Beard Day

The first Saturday in September is World Beard Day, so here are ten facts you might not know about beards.

1. The Greek word for beard is pogon, from which various terms relating to beards derive. Pogonotrophy is the word for the cultivation of facial hair, and literally means “beard feeding.” Someone who studies beards is called a pogonologist; the cutting of beards is called pogonotomy. Pogoniasis means excessive beard growth, and Pogonophobia is the fear of beards.
2. 55% of men in the world wear a beard or some kind of facial hair.
3. A man’s beard grows 5.5 inches per year, and if he's one of the 45% who shaves it off, he will spend roughly 3,350 hours of his life shaving.
4. While beards are often seen as status symbols, world leaders in the west don't tend to have them. Abraham Lincoln became the first U.S. president to sport a beard in 1860, but only after he received a letter from an eleven year old girl advising him that he'd look better with a beard because his face was thin. The last US president to have had a beard was Benjamin Harrison, who left office in 1893. Keir Hardie, who resigned as Labour Leader in 1908, had a beard but there have not been any other UK party leaders with beards - until Jeremy Corbyn came along.
5. Soldiers are often forbidden from growing beards. Alexander the Great banned beards from his army because it was too easy for an enemy to grab a man by his beard in order to pull him off his Horse and kill him. Today, it's usually for practical reasons, like wearing gas masks. Finland, Ireland, Mexico, Norway and the USA have all banned their troops from wearing beards without express permission. Permission might be granted for religious reasons, or for soldiers with acne or skin diseases, or when they are in Muslim countries, because having a beard there will help their relationships with local people. In British Army, the only rank allowed to grow a beard is Pioneer Sergeant. Sailors in the Royal Navy can request permission to grow a beard but if, after two weeks of not shaving, the beard isn't full and looks silly, the sailor will be ordered to get rid of it.
6. Non-military beard bans include The International Boxing Association and Brigham Young University - even though Mormon leader Brigham Young had a beard and trimming of beards is prohibited in the Bible.
7. The longest beard ever grown belonged to a Norwegian called Hans Langseth. His beard was 5.33m (17 ft 6 in) long. One source said that the cause of his death was him tripping over his beard and the fall killed him - but since it was only one I'm not sure if that's true! In any case, his beard is now the property of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
8. There is a band in Australia called The Beards, and all their songs are about beards. Another band famous for beards is ZZ Top. Two of the three band members have full beards. The one who doesn't have one is called Frank Beard.
9. A study has shown that 10 days of beard growth is the most attractive to women. Stubble is least attractive.
10. A man with a beard is 63% more likely to win a staring contest. Nobody knows why.

NEW!

Obsidian's Ark

Teenage years bring no end of problems. Daniel Moran's include getting hold of computer games his parents don't think he should have; a full blown crush on the beautiful Suki from Zorostan; maintaining his status as a prefect and getting his homework done. He must also keep from his parents and sister the fact that he is a superhero with a sword from another world.

Trish wonders how to get science whizz Tom to notice her; how to persuade him that the best way to stand up to the school bully is to fight back. She doesn't want her friends, especially not Tom, to know she is a genetic variant with superpowers. Little does she know that Tom has secrets of his own.

Suki struggles to make friends at school when she cannot understand everyday cultural references, and they all suspect her of being a terrorist. She, too, has a secret, but is it what her classmates assume?

When Daniel stumbles upon a plot by an alliance of supervillains to plunge the world into war, he tries to alert the established superheroes, but none of them believe him. When the Prime Minister's only daughter, Yasmin Miller, is abducted, Daniel knows the villains' plan is underway. It seems humanity's only hope may be Daniel and the ragtag bunch of teenage superheroes he recruits. Can he pull together, not only his own team, but the older heroes as well, in a bid to save the Earth from a devastating war?

Themes: 

Superheroes; Coming of age; Leadership; Kidnap and rescue; Aliens; Friendship and rivalry; Terrorism; Secrets.

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