Info:Did you know

Gerald Ford

After assuming the presidency following the resignation of Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford gave Nixon a full and unconditional pardon

Inca Civilization

At its height the Inca Empire stretched from Colombia to Chile

Seoraksan

The Cheonbuldong valley on Seoraksan in South Korea is named for rock formations that look like 1,000 Buddhas

Hammurabi

Hammurabi, first King of the Babylonian Empire, is best known for his laws - the Code of Hammurabi - which were inscribed on a large stele for all to see

Walter Scott

Sir Walter Scott organized the visit of King George IV to Edinburgh in 1822, the first visit to Scotland by a reigning British monarch since Charles I of England visited in 1633

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

Enrico Fermi

Enrico Fermi and other members of his team died of cancer incurred by their work on developing the first nuclear reactor

Book of Leviticus

The book of Leviticus contains two of the Bible's most famous sayings: "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" and "Love your neighbor as yourself"

U.S. Virgin Islands

The United States bought the U.S. Virgin Islands from Denmark in 1917

May Day

In Europe, May Day originated as a pagan holiday celebrating the beginning of summer

Sari

The term "sari" is derived from a Sanskrit word meaning "strip of cloth"

Charles Perrault

Charles Perrault was almost 70 years old when he wrote his Histoires ou Contes du temps passé (also known as Mother Goose Tales).

Grenada

Grenada is known as the "spice isle" because it is a leading producer of several different spices

Reserve Officers' Training Corps

ROTC in the United States began in 1916 with the passage of the National Defense Act that was intended to increase "preparedness" prior to the American entry into World War I.

Native Americans in the United States

The first Native American group encountered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, were the Island Arawaks (more properly called the Taino)

Marine engineering

Marine Engineers are the members of a ship's crew that operate and maintain the propulsion and other systems on board the vessel

Saint George

Saint George was martyred for refusing to make a sacrifice to Pagan gods

Dravidian peoples

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

Abenaki

The Abenaki largely relied on horticulture when it came to their diet, which is why villages often were located on or near river floodplains.

Head Start

The Head Start program was initated as part of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty

Death

Death is the inevitable end of physical life and the majority of people make preparations for this process

Ray Bradbury

Ray Bradbury, author of 'Fahrenheit 451', envisioned many technological innovations in his writings

Moai

Scientists have come up with several theories to explain how the Moai of Easter Island "walked" from the quarry to their stone platforms

Benito Mussolini

Benito Mussolini was Europe’s first fascist leader, and ruled Italy as a totalitarian state using the title "Il Duce" ("the leader")

Census

The Roman census was the most developed in the ancient world, the word "census" coming from Latin "censere," meaning "estimate"

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

Surgery

The term "surgery" comes from the Greek "cheirourgia," meaning "hand work"

Rudolf Otto

Rudolf Otto coined the term "numinous" to describe the unique, qualitatively different content of the religious experience

Chaim Weizmann

Chaim Weizmann was a noteworthy scientist before becoming the first president of Israel

W. H. Auden

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

Lascaux

There is a prehistoric cave painting of a "unicorn" at Lascaux

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is the only one of the North American Great Lakes wholly within the borders of the United States

Illusion

Illusions are distortions of sensory perception, "mocking" the senses so that most people are deceived

Antoinette Brown Blackwell

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

Earth lodge

Several Plains Indians tribes lived in semi-subterranean buildings covered with earth, known as earth lodges

Cherokee

Despite their cooperation with white settlers, which had earned them recognition as one of the Five Civilized Tribes, thousands of Cherokees were sent to their death on the Trail of Tears.

New Zealand

Maori settlers originally called the North Island of New Zealand "Aotearoa," a name which is now used for the entire country

Nigeria

Nigeria has experienced very high population growth and is now the most populous country in Africa

Terrorism

The term "terrorism" comes from the "Reign of Terror" in the French Revolution

Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid was the world's tallest building for four millennia

Kiribati

It has been predicted that the land territory of Kiribati will be submerged as sea levels rise due to global climate change.

Adolphe Adam

French composer Adolphe Adam composed the music for the Christmas carol "O Holy Night"

Hobby

The term "hobby" came from "hobby-horse" which was a child's toy

Myanmar

The largest country in mainland Southeast Asia is Myanmar (Burma)