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From New World Encyclopedia
Chichen Itza
The pyramid "El Castillo" at Chichen Itza was constructed so that on the equinoxes the rising and setting sun casts a shadow in the shape of a plumed serpent, representing the feathered-serpent god Kukulcan or Quetzalcoatl, that slides down thJiang Qing
Jiang Qing, better known as Madame Mao, studied literature and drama and was a successful actress prior to marrying Chairman Mao ZedongAdolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler's anti-Semitism developed during his years as a struggling artist in Vienna, AustriaHeinrich Himmler
Heinrich Himmler was second only to Adolf Hitler in power in Nazi Germany and was the founder and commander of the Nazi concentration campsDead Sea
The name of the Dead Sea in Hebrew means "sea of salt."Paiute
Northern Paiute shaman, Wovoka, received instructions on how to perform the Ghost Dance as a way to achieve peaceAustria-Hungary
The Austro-Hungarian Empire lasted 51 years from its creation in 1867 until it was dissolved in 1918 at the end of the First World WarRichard Felton Outcault
Richard Felton Outcault created the cartoon characters "The Yellow Kid" and "Buster Brown"Pyramids of Giza
The Great Pyramid at Giza is the last of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still in existenceViolin
Violin makers are called "luthiers"Methanol
Methanol is often called wood alcoholDisaster relief
Organizations providing disaster relief to all those affected began in the nineteenth centuryT. E. Lawrence
T. E. Lawrence became internationally famous as "Lawrence of Arabia" after his liaison role during the Arab Revolt of 1916-1918Hadrian's Wall
The preservation of what remains of Hadrian's Wall can be credited to the town clerk of Newcastle upon Tyne, John Clayton, who bought land on which the Wall stood to prevent removal of its stones for reuseNigeria
Nigeria has experienced very high population growth and is now the most populous country in AfricaIndus Valley Civilization
The Indus Valley Civilization had an advanced urban culture, with streets laid out in a grid pattern, advanced architecture and impressive sewage and drainage systemsJoseph Pulitzer
Hungarian-born Joseph Pulitzer is known both for creating yellow journalism and the Pulitzer Prizes for excellence in journalismRudolf Steiner
The life work of Rudolf Steiner was his development of Anthroposophy, a philosophy based on the premise that the human intellect has the ability to contact the spiritual worldFlute
Some form of flute has been used in virtually every world culture and as far back in time as 40,000 years agoAxial Age
Many of the great philosophers and religious leaders including Confucius, Buddha, Lao Tzu, and Zarathustra flourished at roughly the same time, a period called the Axial Age by Karl JaspersBarter
Barter differs from gift exchange in that in barter the reciprocal exchange is immediate and has agreed upon termsSeoul National University
During the Korean War Seoul National University was temporarily relocated to Busan along with other universities in South KoreaAachen Cathedral
Aachen Cathedral in Germany, built by Charlemagne and his burial site, is the oldest cathedral in Northern EuropeSaint George
Saint George was martyred for refusing to make a sacrifice to Pagan godsStephen Covey
Stephen Covey coined the idea of "abundance mentality," which allows everyone to be successful rather than winners vs losersAlthea Gibson
Althea Gibson was the first African-American woman to play on the world tennis tour, winning eleven Grand Slam titlesJose Marti
José Martà is often called the "Apostle of Cuban Independence"Napoleon Bonaparte
Contrary to popular belief, Napoleon was actually slightly taller than an average Frenchman of the nineteenth centuryW. H. Auden
Auden was one of the first prominent critics to praise J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the RingsGrand Banks
John Cabot's discovery of the abundance of fish in the Grand Banks in 1497 led to the development of fishing and fish processing, culminating in overfishing and a serious decline of fish stocksPsychology
The term "Psychology" comes from Greek and means "study of the soul"Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby's recording of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" is the best-selling song of all timeRobert E. Lee
General Robert E. Lee's surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, is commonly viewed as signifying the end of the American Civil WarGeisha
Geisha are traditional Japanese female entertainers who act as hostesses, performing Japanese music, dance, tea ceremony, and poetry; they are not prostitutes and do not engage in paid sex with clientsPosidonius
The Greek polymath Posidonius attempted to create a unified worldview, showing the interconnectedness of the world and how all forces have an effect on each other and on human lifePolygyny
Polygyny, the marital practice in which a man has more than one wife simultaneously, is the most common form of polygamyJohn Locke
John Locke believed human beings start life "from scratch," with the mind at birth a "tabula rasa" or blank slate, which is then filled with knowledge through experienceAdult education
Some of the first formalized adult education institutions were correspondence schools.