San Marino has never been invaded and has always maintained its independence. Cesare Borgia attempted unsuccessfully to seize it in the 1500s and 1700s, and it even resisted joining the Papal State. Fortunately, when the Napoleonic army came in the 18th century, San Marino was a political entity with a republican government. They retained its autonomy while also making economic concessions to it. The three distinctive towers of the old town, which are also featured on the flag, represent the tenacity of the Republic.

Tomb Raider was cutting-edge stuff in 1996, but cutting-edge didn't always necessitate a staff of hundreds or thousands. The game was developed by Core Design over the course of three years (1993–96), with only six people on staff at the time.

Tulsi cleanses the body and acts as a diuretic. It lowers the level of uric acid in the body, which is the primary cause of kidney stones. Patients suffering from Gout benefit from lower uric acid levels as well.

The Sri Chinmoy Centre in New York holds the Guinness World Record for lighting the most birthday candles on a cake, with over 70,000 candles being lit. Unfortunately, due to the large number, Sri Chinmoy was unable to blow them out and had to resort to using a fire extinguisher! In this case, the number of candles did not correspond to the number of years passed, as Sri Chinmoy was celebrating his 85th birthday at the time.

If you're looking to score big box office bucks, stay away from Mars. The two biggest money losers of all time both take place on that planet, with the 2012 sci-fi bomb John Carter holding the No. 2 spot with a loss of almost $127 million, outdone only by Mars Needs Moms, from a year earlier, which lost its studio more than $143 million—the worst ROI ever.

The first girls' school was established by Savitribai Phule and her friend Fatima Begum in 1848 at Bhide-Wada in Pune.

Belgium only has 11 million residents. This makes it a densely populated country… Especially when you consider that 50% of the island is covered in forest and therefore uninhabited. In fact, 90% of the population lives along a strip of land along the east coast.

Long before renowned Muppeteer Frank Oz used animatronics and puppetry to create Yoda, the goal was to recruit an actual actor... a simian actor, that is. They planned to put up a real monkey in a Yoda suit and mask, according to The Making of Star Wars: Empire Strikes Back. There are pictures of the monkey in training as well as a rather awful Yoda mask prototype. Fortunately, a crew member who had previously worked on 2001: A Space Odyssey pointed out that the monkeys used in that film's introduction were a major pain, which convinced Empire's creators to dismiss their Yoda monkey.

A sea urchin's sophisticated, one-of-a-kind mouth, which is found on the underside of its body, includes five razor-sharp teeth that can pierce through rock. Watch out on the beach and at your favorite sushi joint since these chompers have the potential to be poisonous.

Mountain Gorillas live in two isolated groups, one in the Virunga Volcanoes and Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. They are basically found in the high-altitude bamboo and montane forests which are surrounded by settlements and agriculture.

The blue whale is the world's largest living creature, dwarfing even the largest dinosaurs. Blue whales can grow to be over 100 feet long and weigh more than 100 tonnes. Their hearts are the size of a small car and can weigh up to 1,300 pounds. Blue whales have massive arteries that pump blood through their massive hearts and into their vital organs, which is unsurprising. These arteries are so large that a fully grown human could swim through them; however, you should not attempt this.

Have you ever heard of sharing the DNA with Gorillas? But yes, we do. We share 98% of our DNA with Gorillas. This means that exposure to human illnesses, even a cold, can negatively impact the Gorillas as they are so much similar to us, genetically. Still, they haven't developed the necessary immunities. Interesting, isn't it?

Stockholm, Sweden's capital city, has rich of beautiful architecture. However, one of the most spectacular sites is found underground! Around 90% of the Stockholm metro stations have been decorated, resulting in one of the most unique art galleries in the world. The project, which includes mosaics, paintings, graffiti, installations, sculptures, and more, involved over 150 artists.

The first of objects, located between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, was discovered by the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi on the evening of January 1, 1801. It was named Ceres — in honor of the Roman goddess of agriculture.

Batman's 'one rule' is that he never kills his adversaries.' It is not always followed by Flash. Reverse Flash, his arch-nemesis, once attempted to murder his would-be wife, Fiona Webb. Barry became infuriated and accidentally snapped his long-time adversary's neck. Notably, Flash from the future has blown up Gorilla Grodd's skull, attempted to murder his earlier self, and even killed Wally West from the future.

Lions are very adaptable and hence can live in dry areas such as the Kalahari desert. Here they meet their water requirements from their prey and some plants such as Tsamma melon.

The concept of mindfulness, or living in the now and paying attention to what is going on around you, is often connected with Buddhism, however, the word itself may not accurately reflect the meaning intended. "Most Buddhist experts think that the term "mindfulness" is a severe mistranslation of the word "sati," explains Crystal Beckwith, a Reiki practitioner and energy coach. "In reality, Buddhism is about an empty mind; sati is best described as mindfulness." Learn how to be more attentive in your everyday life.

World War I was a disaster on scales that most of us alive now cannot understand. What about this as an example? The total number of fatalities. France lost about 1,360,000 men during World War I. In comparison, the United States has reported around 1,350,000 military casualties in total throughout all wars since 1775.

Yeti Project Japan founder Yoshiteru Takahashi allegedly discovered a yeti cave on Dhaulagiri, the seventh-tallest mountain on Earth, but his camera malfunctioned before he could capture a clear picture of the creature.

Kumbh ke mele mai bhai bichaad gye. People take part in getting rid of the sins of life. The Maha Kumbh Mela is celebrated in Prayag after 144 years.

There are a few arachnids in the world that cause some nasty spider bites, which can cause some risky complications to your health due to their venom. The majority of spiders in the UK will not bite people, and if they do, their venom is ineffective. Unfortunately, and I hate to say it, being bitten by a spider will not transform you into Spider-Man! That is not a side effect of their venom. If that were the case, I'd be web-slinging around Surrey's streets instead of writing this blog!

Pulp Fiction was one of the great 90s flicks, but there are a few facts about the film you might not be aware of. One such fact about the Quinten Tarantino film is that one of the scenes was shot in reverse. When Uma Thurman’s Mia Wallace suffers an OD and must be brought back to life with a shot of adrenalin, John Travolta’s Vincent Vega plunges a needle into her chest. To avoid any injury, this scene was actually shot in reverse. Travolta was filmed pulling the needled out of Thurman’s chest. Who would have known? 

Victoria and Albert’s first child, Princess Victoria, was born nine months after their wedding. But little Vicky wasn’t an only child for long. A year later, she had a baby brother for company, and within 17 years, the royal household boasted nine children: four boys and five girls.

Being a pirate was not limited to men. Mary Read, Anne Bonny, Grace O'Malley, and Ching Shih are examples of famous female pirates.