Doctor Strange was nearly not given to Benedict Cumberbatch. Despite fierce A-list competition from Justin Theroux, Jon Hamm, Ewan McGregor, Johnny Depp, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Jared Leto, it was Joaquin Phoenix's rejection of the role that allowed Marvel Studios to officially announce Benedict Cumberbatch as the best character fit for the role of Doctor Strange.

Charlotte and Emily left the parsonage in 1842 to go to the Pensionnat Héger in Brussels, Belgium. They studied literature, German, and French with the intention of becoming teachers or opening their own schools. While there, Charlotte developed feelings for Constantin Héger, the school's married head of school. She actually developed an unhealthy obsession with him.

Apart from the normal male and female washrooms, you might come across a third-gender washroom in this liberal country. Thailand is one of the first countries to introduce these to transgender men and is known to be very accepting of the sexual identity and expression of its people. 

The Thai love and rever their King, and it's especially hard to miss this fact in Bangkok. Posters and pictures of the royal family adorn many public walls in the city, and the King's anthem is played before every cultural performance, play, or movie screening in cinemas. There are strict laws regarding this as well: It is illegal to not stand up while the anthem plays or laugh at his picture or make fun of him as well. 

 

Despite the fact that trumpets aren't as large as the tuba or the trombone, if you stretched out the instrument's densely packed metal tubing, it would measure an impressive 6 1/2 feet.

"We don't really know who first came up with the idea for looking at things in nature and divining influences on humans," NASA astronomer Sten Odenwald told Time. "There's some indication that cave art shows this idea that animals and things can be imbued with some spirit form that then influences you, and if you appease that spirit form, then you will have a successful hunt. That was taken over by the idea of divination, where you can actually look at things in nature and study them carefully, such as tea-leaf reading."

Color is one of the most dignified features that identify a crystal, aside from mineral quality and structure. The color also defines the type of stone and how it can be used. Pink or green crystals, for example, including the famed rose quartz, are utilized for emotional healing, although other colors are effective and applied elsewhere. Before purchasing a crystal, it may be beneficial to better understand its colour and application so that you get the most out of it.

In a breakdown of all the U.S. presidents in history, Scorpio and Aquarius birthdays pop up more often than any other sign. Five presidents, including Joe Biden, are Scorpios, and four presidents were born under the Aquarius sign. There have only been two Aries and two Virgo presidents, making them the two least common signs in that office.

Or, to be more specific, an auroch. These meaty bovines are now extinct, but their image lives on in Moldova's flag, which includes an auroch's head mounted on a shield (which is presumably why they're gone, since they continued placing them on shields). The country's biggest football stadium, Zimbru Stadium, gets its name from the Romanian word for bison.

The figures of Gods and Goddesses at the Khajuraho temples depict the different manifestations of Shakti and Shiva, also known as the Yin and Yang, or feminine and masculine forces.

The human body is mainly composed of four elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen, which make for 96.2 percent of your total weight. (Calcium and phosphorus are the other major contributors.) It's incredible how those ingredients work together to help produce a body that accomplishes absolutely extraordinary things every day, from battling cancer to creating 20,000 thoughts.

Although it has become one of fashion’s biggest nights, it did not start this way. The Met Gala’s shift into the limelight didn’t take place until Diana Vreeland, former Vogue editor-in-chief, joined the institute as a consultant. After she joined, the event elevated – celebrity guests were in attendance, they introduced themes, and there was press everywhere. Vreeland was a pivotal leader in the event until 1989 when she passed. After her reign, Anna Wintour became chairwoman for the event in 1995, and to this day she still oversees the guest list and the event.

They were created by the Romans very early on using pig fat to celebrate the birth of the goddess Artemis on the sixth day of each lunar month.

Back in the 10th century, carrots were originally white, purple, or pale yellow. So how did they get their distinct orange colour? The story goes that when William of Orange (King William III) helped the Dutch win independence from Spain in the 17th century, Dutch farmers honoured the King by turning their carrots orange through clever breeding. The new colour became hugely popular and is still the Netherlands official colour and the colour of the Dutch Royal family. The Dutch celebrate King’s Day by wearing orange and even the national sports teams wear orange.

Because the International Space Station (ISS) has Russian-language modules and operations, all astronauts who travel to the ISS must be fluent in the language. According to some astronauts, learning this new language was the most difficult aspect of their training. English-speaking astronauts can expect to spend 1,100 class hours to reach a reasonable level of fluency in Russian, according to the US State Department Foreign Service Institute. That's twice as long as it takes to learn other languages such as French, Spanish, or Dutch.

To generate redhead kids, both parents must be carriers of the mutant MC1R gene, which has a 25% probability if they do not have red hair themselves.

The Portland Vase is thought to have been created in Rome somewhere between 5 and 25 AD, according to experts. The Vase has been housed in the British Museum for more than 200 years.

The typical dust mite produces 1,000 allergen waste particles during its 80-day lifespan.

Lipstick is more ancient than you would imagine. It actually dates back to Queen Shubad of ancient Sumeria. The queen wore lip paint consisting of crushed red pebbles and white lead. The queen's stylish crimson lip was not her only historical contribution. When Shubad's tomb was unearthed in Ur in the 1920s, experts were astounded at the wealth on show. The tomb also housed the remains of 23 female servants who were executed for the sole purpose of being buried close to the queen so that they may serve her in the afterlife.

Both the beet and its greens are exceptionally good sources of manganese, copper, potassium, and vitamins A, K, and folate.
The high fiber content of beets promotes regularity and satiety.

Coconut water can be used in place of blood plasma. The high quantity of sugar and other salts allows water to enter the bloodstream. During World War II, coconut water was reported to be utilised in tropical areas for emergency transfusions.

This lowers your risk of developing acne but also makes it easier for your skin to become dry. Insufficient skin hydration is one of the main causes of fine wrinkles, but fortunately, it's simple to address with a decent moisturizer.

Since 2011, all children aged six to eight in the former Soviet republic have been required to take chess lessons. It is the first country in the world to include it in the primary school curriculum alongside standards such as math and history.

One of nature's rock stars is broccoli. It's a major source of plant compounds that have been demonstrated to help reduce the risk of several cancers naturally (though many other things also affect your cancer risk). Additionally, the florets provide a good amount of vitamin C and K in each cup.