This year marks the 10^th anniversary of “Movember”. Movember (the month formerly known as November) is all about raising awareness of, and funds for, men’s health issues, especially prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health issues. The goal is to increase early cancer detection, diagnosis and effective treatments, and ultimately reduce the number of preventable deaths.

HOW IT ALL BEGAN:

In 2003, two friends from Melbourne, Australia, Travis Garone and Luke Slattery, were knocking back a few at the Gypsy Bar on Brunswick St, Fitzroy when their conversation naturally turned to facial hair. They questioned where the Mo (Australian slang for moustache) had gone and joked about bringing it back.

Inspired by a friend’s mother who was fundraising for breast cancer, they decided to make it a campaign about men’s health and prostate cancer. They designed rules and guidelines for what they jokingly called “Movember” and agreed to charge ten dollars to grow a Mo. They found 30 friends willing to take up the challenge. They called each other “MO-BROS”.

In 2004 a decision was made to formalize the concept and get all participants growing for a cause. The company was registered and a website created. The guys researched men's health issues and agreed to formally support prostate cancer as their cause. As Movember grew, so did the causes.

HAS IT BEEN SUCCESSFUL?

OH YEAH!!!  As of October 31, 2014, $559 million has been raised. Last year, Movember had its most successful year to date, with more than 850,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas across the globe raising more than $126 million. We will check in at the end of November (ooppps, sorry, MOVEMBER) with the other participants: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Hong Kong, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK to see how much has been added.

LET’S GET SOME THING STRAIGHT: MOUSTACHE OR MUSTACHE?

Moustache vs Mustache? The official site (www.movember.com) spells it moustache, so we will too!

SO IS THIS SAME THING AS NO-SHAVE NOVEMBER?

Movember and No-Shave November are basically 2 separate animals, but both doing the same good thing. According to the site www.no-shave.org, this is an annual tradition asking men and women to put down their razors to let everything grow wild. The money normally spent on shaving and grooming for the month is then donated to help educate about cancer prevention, save lives and aid those fighting the battle. The bottom line, No-shave is designed for both men AND women to "let it grow" and beards and stubby legs are welcome.

THE 5 OFFICIAL RULES (the same from day one):

1. Start with a clean shaven face.

2. For the entire month of November, the “MO-BRO” must grow and groom a moustache.

3. Don’t fake it…no beards, goatees or fake moustaches.

4. Use the power of the moustache to create conversation about men’s health and raise funds for prostate cancer, testicular cancer and mental health.

5. Each MO BRO must conduct himself like a true gentleman.

MO FACTS (According to movember.com)

• Albert Einstein had a moustache for over 50 years.

• Groucho Marx for many years wore a fake moustache of greasepaint on stage and film, then grew a real one later in life.

• In 1967, The Beatles gave away cardboard mustaches with their album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

• U.S. Marines are not permitted to grow moustaches longer than half an inch.

• The first artifact that shows a moustache dates back to 300 B.C. and depicts an ancient Iranian horseman with a thick black moustache.

• The world's longest moustache is believed to be a 14ft monster belonging to Ram Singh Chauhan of Rajastan, India, who regularly massages it with mustard and coconut oil to keep it healthy.

• Women are more attracted to men with moustaches. Fact.

• In a deck of cards, the King of Hearts is the only king not to have a moustache.

• Police in a district in India's Madhya Pradesh state are being paid to grow moustaches because bosses believe it makes them command more respect.

• A one month old moustache is capable of holding approximately 30ml of liquid or around 10% of a glass of beer before leaking its contents down the face of the owner.

• Salvador Dalí published a book dedicated solely to his moustache.

• On average a man with a moustache touches it 760 times a day.

• There are between 10,000 and 20,000 hairs on a man's face.

• Average human hair grows at a rate of 0.014 inches a day, or about 5 to 6 inches a year.

• In Eureka, Nevada, USA, it is illegal for men who have moustaches to kiss women.

Make sure to go to www.movember.com to register, donate and learn more.