In 1909, Robert Peary (1856-1920) claimed to be the first man to reach the geographic North Pole. Experts now feel that his helper, an African-American man named Matthew Henson (1866-1955), deserves the honor. By the time Peary and Henson arrived at their destination, Peary had had a severe case of frostbite, rendering him unable to walk. (Instead, he had to be dragged around on a sled.) As they came closer to the North Pole, Henson and two escorts moved ahead on foot, but they mistakenly overshot their target, thus Henson officially arrived 45 minutes before Peary.

We may think of processed cheese as a uniquely American invention (think Kraft and Cheez Whiz), but it turns out that the Swiss invented it first. According to the Michigan Dairy Review, processed cheese was invented in 1911 by Walter Gerber and Fritz Stettler in Switzerland to improve the shelf-life of cheese before it was shipped overseas.

Your lodging in Japan will most likely have Yukatas, so you may try one on and feel like a true blue Japanese. Stay in traditional Japanese-style rooms with Tatami mats as bedding in Japan's rural districts to round out your experience.

The tomato was dubbed "the poison apple" in 18th-century Europe because aristocrats would frequently become ill and die after eating them. They had no idea that the explanation had to do with their tableware, not the tomatoes. The high acidity of tomatoes, according to the historical cookbook "Heirloom Flavor: Yesterday's Best-Tasting Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs for Today's Cook," would cause lead to leach from the pewter plates used by rich aristocrats and cause lead poisoning. The aristocrats mistook the tomato for the source of the problem.

Brazil's gigantic floating metal Christmas tree achieved a world record in December 2007 at 278 feet and 10 inches tall and blazing with over three million lights. Every year, the tree is brought out as part of Rio de Janeiro's Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon.

In Chicago, spray paint was invented. What inspired the idea of putting paint in a spray can with a spray tip? Ed Seymour, a Chicago paint salesman, invented this artistic substance, which is now used to create colorful works in public spaces throughout the city.

The Dubai Police Department has more oomph than any other police force in the planet. They have access to a wide choice of supercars, including Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, Lamborghini, Camaro, Mercedes, and many others. The fastest of them all, the Veyron, can reach speeds of up to 407 kilometres per hour!

Libya was divided into three regions: Fezzan was in the southwest, Cyrenaica was in the east, and Tripolitania was in the northern. The nation is now divided into three administrative areas, each of which has 22 districts (called shabiyat).

According to some experts, our planet has a second satellite. Another cosmic object, according to scientists, is circling around the Earth. However, it is not necessarily the same object but rather a fleet of transitory satellites. It is thought that the gravitational field of Earth occasionally attracts quite large asteroids, which continue to follow our planet for a short period (approximately three revolutions) before dispersing into the expanse of space.

The Dead Sea is the world's lowest point. The Dead Sea has ten times the salt content of any other sea. It is located 420 meters below sea level and offers a one-of-a-kind floating experience. Also, don't miss out on the Dead Sea mud's magical healing powers.

Algeria's national animal is the large eared fennec fox, which is always lovely. These little foxes, native to the Sahara Desert and the Sinai Peninsula, only weigh 1.5-2 kilogrammes and are known for their enormous ears. They are every bit as adorable as they sound. These adorable critters are so popular in Algeria that they are not only the national animal, but also the nickname for the country's football team, Les Fennecs.

Mount Everest, at 29,028 feet (or 8,848 meters), is the world's tallest mountain above sea level. The tallest peak in the world, however, is in the United States. When measured from the bottom, Hawaii's Mauna Kea towers over 32,000 feet (10,000 meters). Because it barely rises 13,796 feet (4,205 meters) above sea level—and more than half of its base is below sea level—it doesn't get nearly as much attention as the Himalayas.

The immensity of the Indian Ocean is the first piece of information that grabs anyone's attention. And it's not only big on the outside; it's also big on the inside. The Indian Ocean, which covers over 20% of the earth's total surface area, contributes significantly to the world's water burden.

The eastern and northern sections of the Sahara Desert make up the Libyan Desert. In an ideal world, it would be a section of the Sahara Desert in Libya. The Libyan Desert is noted for being the Sahara's harshest, driest, and most isolated area. With daytime temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, this area might spend decades without rain.

In 1905, Frank Epperson, an 11-year-old boy, left soda powder and water outside overnight with the wooden stirrer still in the cup. The concoction had frozen due to the cold evening temperatures, and so the Popsicle was created. He marketed the dessert in his neighborhood and at a neighboring amusement park, and he even copyrighted the recipe. Years later, he changed the name to Popsicle since his children referred to their father's concoction. And if you like these strange facts, don't miss these 18 history courses your instructor lied to you about.

This unexpected paradox arose due to how scores are calculated: the number of civil infractions and criminal offenses committed in a year should be divided by the municipal population. The number is considerably fewer in Vatican City than in So Paulo, Lagos, or the Bronx. In 2006, for example, the population of Vatican City was 492 people, but the number of crimes reported on its territory was 827. As a result, the statistical crime rate in the country was found to be the highest in the world - 1.68 crimes per inhabitant.

The only river in the world that flows in the opposite direction. The Chicago River, which flows through downtown Chicago, has a fascinating history. This river not only runs through numerous systems and canals, but it is also the only river in the world that flows backward. To divert sewage away from Lake Michigan's water supply, a reversal technique was implemented for sanitation reasons. The river reversal was acknowledged as the largest public earth-moving project ever completed. It was also recognized as a significant engineering achievement.

The number of thunderstorms you see depends on where you live on the planet. For example, the United States is estimated to have 100,000 thunderstorms per year. However, there are 16 million thunderstorms on Earth each year. According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, this equates to approximately 2,000 thunderstorms at any given time.

Despite the fact that Stoker placed his novel in Transylvania, he never visited the region. Instead, he did as much study on the setting as he could and made up the rest. Most of his Victorian readers couldn't tell the difference, especially when he included information from trip books like railway schedules, hotel names, and a chicken meal called paprika hendl.

Most people are aware that chess is an ancient game, but many are unaware that it dates back at least 1500 years! The game is thought to have started around 600 AD, long before the Middle Ages. The game was called Chaturanga back then, and it was nothing like the game we play now. In fact, the game represented a synthesis of games and rules, and it evolved over time, as everything does. When the game of chess spread throughout Europe, it roughly evolved into what we know today as chess.

Wimbledon tennis balls are kept at a temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The temperature of a tennis ball influences its bounce. The gas molecules inside the ball expand as the temperature rises, causing the ball to bounce higher. Lower temperatures shrink the molecules, causing the ball to bounce lower. Wimbledon goes through more than 50,000 tennis balls each year to ensure that only the best tennis balls are used.

Many people believe that they only have one sign based on their birth date. That sign is known as the sun sign, but there are many others, including a sign for each planet and 12 different houses. The "big three" are your sun, moon, and rising sign, which reveal information about your personality, emotions, vulnerability, and love style. You will need your birth date, birth location, and time (as accurate as possible) to retrieve your birth chart, which will reveal your "big three."

Libya's discovery of oil in the 1950s marked a significant improvement for the country, which had previously been one of the poorest in the world. The country's annual oil output peaked at 1.65 million barrels per day in 2010. Oil and petroleum products account for the majority of the country's exports and government revenue today. It is also one among Africa's 15 most prosperous economies, including South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Egypt, and Cameroon, among others. Nonetheless, the country's unpredictable political situation has caused worldwide oil price changes in recent years.