Info:Did you know

Mahabharata

The Mahabharata is the longest epic poem ever written

Aegis

The "aegis" is the shield of Zeus, often worn by Athena, and has an amulet of the Gorgon Medusa's head

Kautilya

Chanakya is considered the same person as Kautilya, author of the Arthashastra for which he is known as the Indian Machiavelli

Asherah

Together, El (sometimes Yahweh) and Ashera were viewed as the father and mother of the gods

W. H. Auden

Auden was one of the first prominent critics to praise J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

Wild Bill Hickok

Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed while playing poker in Deadwood, in what is now South Dakota

Hawaii

Hawaii became the 50th state of the United States in 1959

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid was known to medieval European alchemists as "oil of vitriol"

Rumah Gadang

Every aspect of a Rumah Gadang ("Big house") has a symbolic significance related to Minangkabau adat (customary belief and law)

Basilisk

The basilisk may be killed by gazing at its own reflection in a mirror.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower was the 34th President of the United States, from 1953 until 1961

Fujian

Many famous teas originate from Fujian, including oolong, Wuyi Yancha, Bai Hao Yinzhen (Silver needle) white tea, and Fuzhou jasmine tea

Iroquois

Five tribes formed the original Iroquois Confederacy, which had a constitution known as the Gayanashagowa (or "Great Law of Peace") memorized with the help of special beads called wampum

Kibbutz

Kibbutz members took pleasure in bringing the land back to life by planting trees, draining swamps, and countless other activities to make the land more fertile.

Abuja

Abuja is a purpose-built city, created as the new capital of independent Nigeria

Dravidian peoples

The origin of the Dravidian languages, spoken by over 200 million people located primarily in Southern India, has remained unclear and controversial

Ursula K. Le Guin

Science fiction author Ursula K. Le Gwin was the daughter of anthropologist Alfred L. Kroeber

Kendo

Japanese fencing, or Kendo, is rooted in the samurai tradition and Zen Buddhism

Joseph Haydn

Haydn has been called the "Father of the Symphony" and "Father of the String Quartet"

Eggplant

The eggplant or aubergine is widely used in Indian cuisine where it is called brinjal, and is considered the "King of Vegetables"

Juvenile delinquency

Juvenile offenders are generally treated more in terms of reform than punishment with the result that probation, or suspended sentencing, is common

Asteroid

There are millions of asteroids in the Solar System

Psychology

The term "Psychology" comes from Greek and means "study of the soul"

Abnormal psychology

Many early societies attributed abnormal behavior to the influence of evil spirits.

Eagles

The Eagles are the highest-selling American band in U.S. history

Surah

There are two types of Surahs (chapters) in the Qur'an: Madinan surahs and Meccan surahs

Electron microscope

The first electron microscope prototype was built in 1931 by German engineers Ernst Ruska and Max Knoll

Xiuzhen

Xiuzhen means “to practice and learn the way of the truth” and is the principal technique in the Taoist quest for immortality

John James Audubon

John James Audubon planned to catalog and paint all the birds of North America

Bing Crosby

Bing Crosby's recording of Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" is the best-selling song of all time

Human sexuality

Human sexual activity is more than a physical activity, it impacts the minds and hearts as well as the bodies of the participants

Karst topography

Karst topography is characterized by subterranean limestone caverns, carved by groundwater

Ewha Womans University

Ewha Womans University was founded by American Methodist missionary Mary Scranton as Ewha Girls School (Pear Blossom Academy)

Che Guevara

Socialist revolutionary Che Guevara was born in Argentina and received the nickname "Che" because of his frequent use of the Argentine word Che, meaning "pal" or "mate"

Cold War

Walter Lippmann was the first to bring the phrase "Cold War" into common use with the publication of his 1947 book of the same name

Robert 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 War

Ogre

Some scientists have suggested that ogres may have been Neanderthals, an extinct species of hominids that inhabited Europe and parts of western Asia.

Battle of the Alamo

The deaths of such popular figures as Davy Crockett and Jim Bowie contributed to how the Battle of the Alamo has been regarded as an heroic and iconic moment in Texan and U.S. history

Treaty of Nanking

The Treaty of Nanking ended the First Opium War between the United Kingdom and China

Wovoka

Wovoka, also known as Jack Wilson, was a Paiute shaman who received a vision of peace and instructions on how to perform the Ghost Dance