QUICK FACTS
The expression “dead as a Dodo” means unquestionably dead or obsolete. It is so used because Dodo is a well-known icon of extinction. Dodo was a flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius. It was last sighted in 1662 and was declared extinct by the end of the 17th century.  
Stanisława Walasiewicz, also known as Stella Walsh, was a Polish athlete. In the 1932 Summer Olympics, Stella Walsh won the 100m, equalling the world record of 11.9s and she instantly became a
On September 10, 1945, farmer Lloyd Olsen of Fruita, Colorado, United States, had his mother-in-law around for supper. He went out to chop off a rooster for supper and choose a five and a half
Said to have been part of the Chinese culture for centuries, Ding zui is the practice of hiring a body double to stand trial and receive punishment in one’s place. The term translates to
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EVENTS
Mount St. Helens is an active volcano in Skamania County in the U.S. state of Washington. After more than a century of inactivity, it reawakened in March 1980. A series of earthquakes and eruptions followed and on May 18, the notorious eruption of Mt St. Helens occurred leading to destruction as far as 19
Russian Revolution of 1917 took place in two phases, the February Revolution and the October Revolution. While the February Revolution led to the end of tsarist autocracy in Russia with the
Harlem Renaissance was an African American cultural, social and artistic movement which peaked in the 1920s. Centered at the Harlem neighborhood in New York City, the movement spread through
Fought from 19 February to 26 March 1945, Battle of Iwo Jima was an amphibious attack by the American forces on the island of Iwo Jima in Japan during the Second World War. Lasting for 36
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CIVILIZATIONS
Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), also known as Harappan Civilization after its first find-spot Harappa, was the largest of the four great ancient civilizations. It covered an area consisting of most of modern Pakistan, a significant part of India and parts of Afghanistan. It lasted for at least 1600 years. Its
Although pyramids have been built by civilizations in many parts of the world including China and Mesoamerica, the pyramids built in Egypt are the most famous. The first Egyptian pyramid was
Mesoamerican civilization comprised of a number of indigenous cultures that developed in parts of Mexico and Central America prior to Spanish conquest in the 16th century. Part of Mesoamerica
Sumer was the first urban civilization in ancient Mesopotamia, the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system. It was located in modern-day southern Iraq and at its peak the population of the
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ARTISTS
Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian artist who is most famous for painting some of the earliest known works of pure abstract art. He was also an art theorist whose books exerted a deep and profound influence on twentieth century art. Initially a teacher of law and economics, Kandinsky gave up his promising career to
Raphael was an Italian artist who is considered one of the three great masters of High Renaissance along with Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci. Raphael’s career is divided by art
M.C. Escher is one of the world’s most famous graphic artists. He represents the perfect coming together of mathematics and art. Although he is most known for his impossible
Frida Kahlo is known worldwide as one of the most revolutionary self-portrait artists. She had a difficult life but produced some of the finest paintings ever created by a Latin American
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SCIENTISTS
Leonardo Pisano (Leonardo of Pisa), better known as Fibonacci, was an Italian mathematician who is most famous for his Fibonacci sequence and for popularizing the Hindu-Arabic numeral system in Europe. Here are 10 interesting facts about his life and accomplishments; and also on the Fibonacci sequence, its relation
Nicolaus Copernicus is famous for being the primary man behind changing the age old belief that the earth was at the center of the universe. His revolutionary work De revolutionibus orbium
Leonardo da Vinci was an Italian polymath during the Renaissance who is perhaps the greatest multi-talented genius in history. Among other things he was a painter, mathematician, engineer
Alan Turing was a British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He is widely regarded as the father of computer science and artificial intelligence. Turing worked at
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WRITERS
Robert Frost is one of the most famous poets of the twentieth century. Although he was extremely successful as a poet, his personal life was marred by tragedies. Know about the life and accomplishments of the unofficial “poet laureate” of the United States through these 10 interesting facts. #1 He was
Active in late eighteenth and first half of the nineteenth century, William Wordsworth was an English poet who, along with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, launched the English Romantic movement in
Rudyard Kipling was an English author who wrote some of the most famous short stories, novels and poems ever written in the English language. He is also considered one of the leading writers
Emily Dickinson lived an introverted life and most of her friendships were formed through correspondence. During her life she was known as an eccentric and few people knew of her immense
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LEADERS & ICONS
Amelia Earhart was an American aviator famous for being the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. After being unsure about what career path she should follow, Amelia’s passion for flying was sparked by a 10 minute plane ride she took in December 1920. In 1923, she was issued a pilot’s license. She
Karl Marx was a German journalist, economist and philosopher who is one of the most influential figures in history and whose ideals have served as guiding principles of many nations. As a
Johannes Gutenberg was a German goldsmith, printer and inventor who is most famous for his printing press which initiated the Printing Revolution and made books affordable for the common man
Born on March 15, 1767 to Scot-Irish parents, Andrew Jackson went on to become the seventh president of the United States. Though he was very popular among the common citizens, Jackson was
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KINGS & QUEENS
William the Conqueror (or William I) ruled over England for twenty one years and over Normandy for fifty two. He became Duke of Normandy in his childhood and later carried out the audacious conquest of England which changed the country forever. Here are 10 interesting facts about William I, the Norman king of England
Catherine II, known as Catherine the Great, was a Prussian princess who became the queen consort of Russia through her marriage to Peter III. She then orchestrated a coup to overthrow her
Born Gaius Octavius and also known as Octavian, Augustus Caesar is famous for transforming the Roman Republic, marred by civil wars, into a stable monarchic Empire which would last for around
Hatshepsut ruled over ancient Egypt as the fifth pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty. Her reign lasted more than any other female King and Egyptologists consider her one of the most successful
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POPULAR CULTURE
The Hobbit is a fantasy novel written by J.R.R. Tolkien. It went on to become a children classic and Tolkien followed it by writing one of the all-time greatest works The Lord of the Rings. The Hobbit was adapted into a series of three films directed, co-written and produced by Peter Jackson. Here are
Marilyn Monroe was a famous American actress, model and singer. In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth-greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute. In 2009, TV Guide
Count Dracula is one of the most famous characters in literature. Created by Bram Stoker as the main antagonist of his 1897 horror novel Dracula, the character has since achieved legendary
Andy Warhol was a renowned American artist who was the leading figure of the Pop Art Movement that emerged in the 1950s and became the dominant art movement of the time. Warhol created some of
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SPORTS
Nadia Comaneci created a sensation in the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics when she dazzled the judges with her performance to the extent that they had no choice but to give her a score of Perfect 10, a score which had never been achieved previously in Olympic history. Here are 10 interesting facts about this
The Insanity workout by Shaun T So, Beachbody’s Insanity workout by Shaun T is the new “in” regime now-a-days. Though promos and ads looking quiet intimidating, it is still one of
Born: 29 March 1952 Died: 11 June 2012 Country: Cuba After winning gold medal in the Olympic heavyweight division, Cassius Clay (1960), Joe Frazier (1964) and George Foreman (1968) became
Wilma Rudolph’s rise to become an Olympic champion is one of the most marvelous exploits in the history of sports. It remains and will remain in years to come a source of inspiration for
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