Holmes employed chemistry, bloodstains, ballistics, and fingerprints to catch criminals long before actual detectives began employing forensic evidence to solve cases. It should come as no surprise that Sherlock Holmes is the first and only fictitious figure to get an honorary fellowship. The detective was recognized by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2002 for his use of forensic science and analytical chemistry to solve murders.

After the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, many believed the Egyptian Pharaoh cursed all who entered it. Aside from the curse of the pharaohs—which is a belief that anyone, thief or archeologist, who disturbs the mummy of an ancient Egyptian person will be cursed—an expedition led by Howard Carter furthered the mysticism. During the expedition, a canary that led Carter to the tomb died, Carter’s financial backer, George Herbert, died after a mosquito bite grew infected, and numerous other deaths became associated with the decade-long dig.

Want to know why these earthen pots—which we also mentioned above—are the best for cooking and are even recommended by health professionals? Because earthenware is porous by nature, it helps your food retain heat evenly. They require more time to cook than usual while keeping the moisture and nutrients in the food inside the pot. Along with the combination of slow cooking, they also impart an earthy flavor to your dish.

At age 16, Victoria met her future husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, who also happened to be her first cousin. After four years of friendship and flirtation, Queen Victoria proposed to her prince (actually, she had no choice—according to tradition, a man couldn’t propose to the queen). The smitten couple married in 1840.

MIND THE GAP! That’s the gap between when there was a British Museum tube station and now. The photos above (courtesy of London Transport Museum) show the entrance to the Museum’s underground station in 1921, some gentlemen waiting on the platform in 1903 (with some fabulous hats!), and its construction in 1898. The station opened in 1900 but was closed in September 1933 when the new Holborn station opened, less than 100 yards away.

13 frames per second is the minimum speed required by the human brain to process consecutive images as movement. Anything less, and the human brain will treat each frame as a separate image. Because 16 FPS is so close to 13, old movies appear choppy and unnatural.

An enormous number of visitors from all around the world attend the annual Kolkata International Book Fair. The book fair is the nirvana that book enthusiasts around the world have been waiting for, with little magazine stands and foreign bookstores.

We are the world's second-largest silk producer (after China) and third-largest cotton grower. With such a rich history and abundance, it's only natural that the majority of our clothing incorporates these materials.

Limes float, but lemons sink. Because limes are denser than lemons, they sink to the bottom of a glass, whereas lemons float on top. This is the one that has been in front of our faces (or rather, in our glasses) the entire time! Check out these other things to ponder that you probably never considered before.

After the success of the 2007 film telling the story of the lovable, culinary-inspired vermin, kids everywhere asked their parents, "Can we get one? I promise I'll take care of it." At least one domestic pet chain saw sales of pet rats jump 50 percent after the movie's release. We wonder how many of those rats immediately became parental responsibilities…

Ernest Wever and Charles Bray of Princeton University removed a cat's skull and much of its brain to attach the animal to electricity. The sound of them speaking into the cat's ear could be heard via a phone receiver in another room. The bizarre experiment opened the path for advancements in cochlear implants.

Going through a list of America's most notorious serial killers, two signs stand out above all the rest: Pisces and Gemini. Pisces are known for being loners, and Geminis are known for their charm—two characteristics commonly found in serial murderers.

Walt Disney may have been the first to put gloves on his characters, as shown in Mickey Mouse's 1929 film The Opry House. Aside from being simpler to animate, Disney chose gloves for another reason: “We didn't want Mickey to have mouse hands because he was meant to be more human,” Disney told his biographer in 1957.

In Viking law, women had the same rights as males. Despite the traditional expectation that women married who their parents picked for them, they had the right to divorce and remarry. It was also socially acceptable for Viking women to have children outside of marriage. While boys were given precedence over daughters in inheritance, a woman may inherit all of her parents' possessions if she had no brothers. 

On September 2nd, the World Coconut Day was founded to honour the benefits of the coconut. The day emphasises the value and application of coconuts. Remember to celebrate that day!

We wouldn't want our four-legged friends to miss out on the excitement of a birthday cake, and they no longer have to! Special birthday cakes for pets are now available, with options for dogs, cats, and even hamsters.

Instead of feeling bad about your limiting ideas, seek to recognize and change them. Cutting-edge genetic research demonstrates why you should not blame yourself for bad attitudes that prevent you from manifesting properly. Scientists in Atlanta discovered that when mice link the aroma of cherry blossom with an electric shock, they become so sensitive to the scent that they transmit their fear to their offspring via genetic coding. This means that even mice that did not receive a shock will be terrified of the aroma of cherry blossom. Furthermore, brain imaging studies demonstrate that this anxiety is represented by the presence of certain neurological receptors.

Research is necessary before deciding whether to adopt or buy a new beagle puppy from a breeder. Fortunately, there are a lot of resources available to aid in your search for a rescue or breeder that provides beagle puppies that are healthy and from ethical sources.
 

We used to think that stress caused sores in your stomach that doesn’t heal. We now know that prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin®, Advil®), or naproxen (Aleve®), can interfere with stomach mucus.

Ulcers result when stomach acid reaches the lining, and when they bleed they can cause pain and even be life-threatening.

A bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, also can cause ulcers. An Australian doctor proved this by drinking the bacteria himself, and he and his colleague won a Nobel prize for the discovery. 

True. The Greeks of old would bring a cake with candles on it. To the temple of Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt and the Moon stood in for the glistening moon. 
As each candle stood for a year that had passed, it wasn't until the 1700s that it started to become a birthday custom.

Thyme needs to be kept out of heat, moisture, and sunshine in an airtight container. Make sure the spices stay cool; keep them away from any outside walls to prevent them from being exposed to the daylong, sweltering summer sun (even light can affect dried herbs).

By drumming and fluttering their pointed appendages, crabs produce sounds that can only be described as crustacean Morse code. Some crab species have a particularly big claw that is utilised for communicating.

Hot Pockets have experimented with a plethora of tastes throughout the years, but there are a few standbys that will never go away. The most popular flavors are Pepperoni Pizza and Five Cheese Pizza, since who can resist frozen pizza that cooks in two minutes?

The northwestern Brazilian city of Manaus, on the banks of the Negro River, is located in the centre of one of the world's most lush jungles. Manaus, the Amazon's largest city and a major port, is a well-developed and busy metropolitan centre with a population of over 2.5 million people. However, the metropolis' position is unusual in that it is totally encircled by the Amazon Rainforest.