History was made on 1 April 2001 when the Netherlands became the world’s first country to legalize same-sex marriage. Job Cohen, the mayor of Amsterdam at the time, married four couples at midnight on 1 April to mark the occasion. Many same-sex couples have since happily tied the knot. 

Amsterdam is also known for being one of the world’s most LGBTQ-friendly cities, with plenty of gay bars. You can also see the Homomonument in the city centre, a tribute to gay men and women.

London is a significant cultural and historical centre, and museums could not be overlooked in this regard. If you get the opportunity to visit this great city, you will undoubtedly miss out on a lot if you do not stop by one of them. Among these are the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Imperial War Museum, the British Library, and the Wallace Collection.

When the city was in the hands of the Portuguese, they saw it was a natural water bay. Hence, they called it ‘Bom Bhaia,’ the Portuguese term for ‘good bay.’ Later, Bombay was given to the British as dowry when a Portuguese princess married an English prince. They renamed the city, Bombay. And that’s how the city got its name!

The Netherlands has one of the highest home birth rates in the developed world. Around 30% of Dutch women deliver their babies at home, and this figure has changed little since 1990. So why are home births still cherished in the Netherlands? It’s partly because Dutch health insurance fully covers home births, but doesn’t always cover hospital births without medical necessity. The Dutch medical system also has a good screening system and provides midwives (verloskundige) who help mothers have a safe delivery at home.

You may have be aware that Valentine's Day was named after its patron saint, St. Valentine — but there is some debate about which St. Valentine the celebration truly commemorates. According to History.com, at least two persons called Valentine may have inspired the festival, one of whom was a priest in third-century Rome. According to legend, this Valentine disobeyed Emperor Claudius II's marriage ban (he believed it distracted young troops), illegally married couples in the spirit of love until he was apprehended and put to death.

Here's a rather contentious DC fact! Diana's romantic interests included both men and women when she was created in 1941. It's understandable when your identity is defined by your struggle with love and you're from an island populated entirely by women. Her creator, William Moulton Marston, was particularly inspired by his polyamorous situation. By the way, this was in 1940, when homosexuality was illegal.

The other 97.7% are ethnically Chinese. This is because Taiwan was ruled by the Qing Dynasty for 200 years from 1683 to 1895. During this time, the locals were pushed out in the same way native Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders were by Europeans. This isn’t an upbeat Taiwan fact but it’s important to know.

Nowadays, there are just 500,000 indigenous people made up of eight different tribal groups. Sadly, their 26 native languages have become almost extinct. Unemployment rates are high and education levels low. However, since the 80s there has been a bit of a revival and several cities host indigenous cultural events. Will it be enough?

The text's vocabulary consists of only 50 different words, the result of a bet between Seuss and Bennett Cerf (Dr. Seuss's publisher) that Seuss could not complete an entire book without exceeding that limit (after completing The Cat in the Hat with 236 words). The 50 words are as follows: a, am, and, anywhere, are, be, boat, box, car, could, dark, do, eat, eggs, fox, goat, good, green, ham, here, house, I, if, in, let, like, may, me, mouse, not, on, or, rain, Sam, say, see, so, thank, that, them, there, they, train, tree, try, will, with, would, you

In pantomime versions of Cinderella, the ugly sisters were originally named Clorinda and Thisbe, but their names have evolved over time to reflect current fashions, including Buttercup and Daisy, Euthanasia and Asphyxia, Alexis and Krystle, and even Posh and Scary.

When asked what colour is their favourite, people all over the world consistently say blue. Blue is preferred by up to 40% of those polled, with purple being preferred by around 14%. Surprisingly, mosquitoes prefer blue to any other colour; they try to bite people wearing blue more than any other colour.

The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is the world's longest of its type, stretching across the majestic peaks that inspired Avatar's Hallelujah Mountains. The bridge opened to considerable fanfare in 2016 and has since been the setting for several viral videos, with some tourists humorously unable to withstand the intensity of the passage. Despite its frightening aspect, the bridge is secure. Before presenting it to the public, Zhangjiajie officials urged individuals to shatter it with hammers and even drive a car across it to demonstrate its strength.

The remaining tribes of northeast Asia were compelled to recognise Temujin as their emperor after he annexed most of Mongolia. Beginning in Russia, he led the Mongol invasions that eventually reached the Levant in the Middle East and Asia. He proclaimed himself to be Genghis Khan (Chinggis Khan), which means universal ruler, after creating the vast empire.

Plant milk can be fortified with calcium and vitamin D, two essential micronutrients found in milk, to contain the same amount of calcium as dairy. Fortified plant milk, such as Vitasoy Calci-Plus High Calcium Plant Milk, which is marketed in Hong Kong, can contain up to 50% more calcium than conventional milk.

The first film adaptation of Austen's work was MGM's 1940 Pride and Prejudice, starring Lawrence Olivier and Greer Garson. Emma Thomspon was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for her work on director Ang Lee's 1995 film Sense and Sensibility, in which she also starred.

This is because redheads are more sensitive to hot and cold discomfort, according to a study. Nothing to do with their legendary fiery temper!

Glassblowing is a disappearing art form. There is just no demand for blown glass today due to the rise of mass production. Really, it's a shame because blown glass is so exquisite and distinctive. No two pieces are exactly the same because each is entirely handmade. Only a few glass-blowing studios are in existence, and even fewer artists are skilled at blowing glass. 

Mexico will be the seventh most visited country in the world by 2022, having received 45 million international tourists in 2019. It has the world's 15th greatest tourism income.

The official languages of Hong Kong are Chinese (Cantonese) and English. Traditional Chinese is utilized for writing rather than Simplified Chinese, which is widely used on the Chinese mainland.

Moses, according to the Bible, drew water from a stone in Wadi Musa, also known as the Valley of Moses. The water supply for Petra came from this location, which, according to Biblical legend, continued to gush water after Moses' miraculous act. Even though the architects of Petra were not Christians, the ancient city's proximity to Wadi Musa makes it an appealing pilgrimage destination for Christians.

Have you ever thought of a dance move of a bee? If no then you should know that they have a dance move called 'waggle dance.' However, it's not actually a dance move but a way of their communication to tell their nestmates where to go to find the best food source. And this discovery took two years of the researchers at Sussex University to decode this waggle dance.

With a height of 7,434 feet, Bette Peak is Libya's tallest peak. The mountain, also known as Bikku Bitti, is located in southern Libya, near the Chadian-Libyan border. Ginge Fullen and his Chadian guides made the first reported ascent of the Bette Peak in December 2005. Despite this, the mountain's remote position makes access difficult and infrequent.