Did you know

Cayuga

The Cayuga were one of the original five tribes that formed the Iroquois Confederacy

Land value tax

Land value tax has been referred to as "the perfect tax."

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

Symphony

The form that we now recognize as the symphony took shape in the early eighteenth century

Actors Studio

The Actors Studio is best known for Lee Strasberg's work developing and teaching method acting, based on the innovations of Constantin Stanislavski

Ahimsa

Ahimsa (nonviolence is the most essential religious duty in Jainism

Airport

The first aviation facility to be called an "airport" was Bader Field in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

Thesaurus

The word "thesaurus" comes from a Greek word meaning "treasury"

Achomawi

The Pit River is so named because of the pits the Achumawi dug to trap game that came to drink there.

Sasquatch

Although sightings of Bigfoot, also known as Sasquatch, continue to be reported the majority of scientist remain skeptical about the existence of such a creature

Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking was born on the 300th anniversary of Galileo's death and died on the 139th anniversary of Einstein's birth

Bankruptcy

In the Jewish law there was no provision for bankruptcy; instead, all unpaid debts were canceled every seven years

Wild Bill Hickok

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

United Nations

The United Nations was established after World War II for the purpose of securing world peace

Indonesia

Indonesia is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world

Jogging

Jogging is considered a means towards improved health and fitness

Aachen Cathedral

Aachen Cathedral in Germany, built by Charlemagne and his burial site, is the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe

Tuareg

For over two millennia, the Tuareg operated the trans-Saharan caravan trade connecting the great cities on the southern edge of the Sahara to the northern Mediterranean coast of Africa.

Kris

A type of dagger called a "Kris" is not just a physical weapon but is believed to have spiritual power

Galileo Galilei

Galileo was accused of heresy in 1633 for his support of Nicolaus Copernicus' heliocentrism and it was not until 1992 that Pope John Paul II announced that the Catholic Church's denunciation of Galileo's work had been a tragic error

Fire

Learning to control fire was one of the first great achievements of hominids.

Surah

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

Florida Keys

Key West, located in the Florida Keys, is the southernmost city of the continental United States and only 94 miles from Cuba

North Korean defectors

Since the end of the Korean War many people have defected from North Korea by crossing into China

Ghetto

Historically, the term "ghetto" referred to restricted housing zones where Jews were required to live

Holy Sepulchre

the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem is considered the holiest Christian site in the world, built at the place of Jesus' crucifixion and burial

Currency

Early forms of currency include ivory, beads, shells, and livestock such as cattle

Baal

Baal is the archetypal fertility deity: his death brings drought and his resurrection brings rain and new life

Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

Stanley Milgram

Stanley Milgram's experiments showed that people may act in inhumane ways when ordered to do so by an authority figure and when their peers also act in the same way

Janet Jagan

In 1997 Janet Jagan became the first woman President of Guyana

Cockroach

Cockroaches display group decision-making when choosing food sources and hiding places

Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary

The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize was founded as the first wilderness sanctuary for the jaguar

Banshee

The banshee's appearance may be that of an old hag or a beautiful young woman, but her cry has always been understood to herald death.

Aardwolf

The aardwolf is a hyena-like African mammal, that eats insects especially termites

Robert K. Merton

Robert K. Merton coined the expression "self-fulfilling prophecy"

Inuit

Inuit is a term that encompasses the Indigenous peoples who live in the Arctic regions of Alaska, Greenland, and Canada, and Siberia although some prefer to be called by their own name, such as Kalaallit in Greenland and [[Inupiat]

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his work to end racial segregation through nonviolent means; at the time he was the award's youngest recipient

Berlin

The Berlin Wall, which had divided the East and West sections of the city since 1945, was demolished in 1989

Antoinette Brown Blackwell

Antoinette Brown Blackwell was the first woman to be ordained as a Christian minister in the United States

Joseph Haydn

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

Remembrance Day

Artificial poppies are worn as a symbol of remembrance on Remembrance Day (Veterans Day)

Bering Strait

Plans to build a bridge or tunnel across the Bering Strait were proposed as far back as the nineteenth century

Battle of Britain

Churchill said "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" after victory in the Battle of Britain