While Bulgaria is the oldest European country by name, the Republic of San Marino, an autonomous state inside Italy's borders, is Europe's oldest independent state. It was born in the year 301 AD. As other Italian republics fought and collectively became part of Italy, San Marino was able to maintain its independence for centuries, thanks in large part to its steep geography.

An art collector once paid $10,000 for actor James Franco's "invisible" sculpture. The piece was marketed as an "endless tank of oxygen." Yes, it's called air. We're breathing now... for free!

Officials in the Netherlands erected a rodent-only bridge to ensure safe passage for squirrels attempting to cross the N44 highway. While it was a generous gesture, it may not have been the most cost-effective: the bridge cost £120,000 and was utilized by only five squirrels over a two-year period. "Three squirrels were observed on the bridge in 2014, and two squirrels were spotted in 2015," the ministry stated in a statement.

Most ulcers don't have any substantial consequences. Ulcers can bleed excessively in rare occasions, necessitating hospitalisation or a blood transfusion. Some ulcers bleed gradually over time, which can cause anaemia. Stool that is black, tarry, or that contains dark blood are signs of a bleeding ulcer. Vomit that is bloody or resembles coffee grounds may be present. You need to get help right once if you feel those symptoms.

"It'll probably take a good five years for a one-pound lobster to regenerate a claw that's about the same size as the one that was lost," Bayer adds. But they are capable of doing so.

The Rorschach test has been transferred between the shared file drawers of psychology throughout the years, praised by certain therapists and scorned by others. According to critics, the scoring system and parsing replies are as subjective to the psychologist as they are to the patient, and it is pseudoscience. A meta-analysis of available data conducted in 2000 revealed that "the vast majority of [Rorschach] indices are not empirically validated." Others see objective evidence in a more refined scoring system for answers originally used in the 1970s and regard the exam as useful in understanding how individuals communicate their impressions—while not diagnostic, it may be helpful.

Christened Alexandrina (but called Drina as a child), she started using Victoria—her middle name—at 18 when she ascended to the throne.

The biggest constellation is Hydra which extends over more than 3% of the night sky, while the smallest is Crux covering a mere 0.165%. Centaurus contains the largest number of visible stars at 101; while Canis Major contains the brightest star in the celestial heavens, namely Sirius, which has an apparent magnitude of -1.46 and means ‘glowing’ in Ancient Greek. Mensa, on the other hand, is the faintest constellation in the night sky as its brightest star has a visual magnitude of just 5.09.

Grant Wood created the popular American painting American Gothic in 1930, which depicts a farmer standing beside his daughter (often mistaken to be his wife). The title of the painting is derived from the architectural style of the background house. American Gothic is a house that you can visit and is one of the most well-known images of twentieth-century American art. The Carpenter Gothic architectural style was used to build the Dibble House in Eldon, Iowa.

Lions prefer hunting at night as they have eyes that are adapted to the dark. And these features give them a great advantage over their prey. Lions also prefer hunting during the storms as the noise and wind make it harder for the prey to hear or see them, and hence they can easily attack them. A great strategy, isn't it?

which is why braille books are much larger than their counterparts. For example, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is 10 volumes in braille, the “New American Bible’’ is 45 volumes, and “Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary” is a shelf-hogging 72 volumes.

Arnold Schwarzenegger really got a good deal when he signed on for Terminator 2: Judgement Day. The Austrian Oak was paid the huge sum of $15 million. Arnie only speaks 700 words in the blockbuster hit, which equates to $21,428 per word. It might seem excessive, but considering the film went on to make around $520 million worldwide, it seems like a smart investment by the studio. 

 

According to swissinfo.ch, Switzerland has one of the greatest shares of internationals among other nations, accounting for around 24.6% in 2015. More over 80% of foreigners in Switzerland are from Europe, with nearly half coming from France, Germany, Italy, and Portugal alone. Switzerland leads the European immigration countries, with 19 arrivals per 1000 population on average in 2014, considerably ahead of Germany (11), the United Kingdom (9.8), Spain (6.6), and France (5.1).

The mined materials originated from Norway, and the material was created by French workers. Copper withstood the lengthy journey from France to America, even surviving the spray of salty sea and the wind of salty air. Furthermore, from its inception in 1886, the statue's naturally green patina has protected it from corrosion.

One of the most well-known facts about Jaigarh Fort is that it is home to the World's Largest Cannon on Wheels. This, known as Jaivana, was made in the Fort's cannon foundry. I don't think my photographs do this cannon's massive size justice. The amusing aspect is that, despite its size, it was never utilized in a conflict! It was only fired once for a test, and the cannon projectile went 35 kilometres.

Eyebrows have been known to develop extremely slowly or not at all when under stress.

Hermione Granger was widely regarded as one of the most brilliant witches of her generation, but when she is reintroduced to fans during the post-Battle of Hogwarts time jump in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, she appears to be leading a very normal existence. Of all, there's nothing wrong with it, but she looked destined for more. In the years thereafter, Hermione has fulfilled her promise, rising through the ranks of the Wizarding World's governing body to become Minister of Magic in 2019, succeeding her predecessor, Kingsley Shackelbolt.

Although sunflowers come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes, only one has entered the Guinness Book of World Records. A sunflower owned by Hans-Peter in Germany stands more than 30 feet tall.

It's Mulligatawny soup, to be exact. This is seen in Batman #701, as Alfred serves a fatigued Batman his favourite comfort meal. This dish is famous in British India and originates in South Indian cuisine.

Swiggy has also set a board of directors in place to oversee the operations and to provide advisement to the group of talented executives leading the company forward. It’s a much smaller group but does its job effectively. The group is composed of Anand Daniel, joining the board in 2015 through the present. Larry Illng, Ashutosh Sharma, and Jayant Goel are the other three members that make up the board of directors.

Hypnosis, contrary to popular belief, is a natural state of mind. It is not a type of sleep. Scientists have repeatedly demonstrated that patients remain fully awake and in control of their actions while under hypnosis. Although hypnotic induction may appear frightening or intimidating at first, many patients feel more at ease after at least one session.

Jordan is home to the world's oldest dam. The Jawa Dam was the first dam to be built, and it was built in 3,000 BCE in the driest areas of Jordan's Black Desert. 

For a period, astronomers referred to 55 Cancri e as a "super-Earth." A super-Earth is a planet that is far larger than our own—in this example, twice the size. 55 Cancri e is so near to its star that it orbits it in just 18 days, despite being 40 million light-years away in the Cancer constellation. One of its most astounding attributes, because to its proximity to its star, is its temperature, which registers a stunning 4,900 degrees Fahrenheit (2,700 degrees Celcius). That heat, along with the density of 55 Cancri e, led scientists to hypothesise that the planet's core was composed of carbon in the form of diamonds and graphite.

This was back when the couple was attempting to get the film made in Hollywood with only one puppet.