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.

The Vieng Xai Caves, located deep in thick forests and amid limestone cliffs, were once home to almost 20,000 Laotians who hid from American bombs for more than a decade during the Vietnam War. Kaysone Phomvihane, the leader of Laos' communist movement, created this intricate network of over 450 limestone caves known as 'The City of Victory.' Homes, schools, marketplaces, a bakery, a bank, a theatre, an elephant enclosure, and even hospitals were built into the subterranean caves for its people. Today, the caves are a museum that captivates all who visit.

The light is the world's most effective light source. The chemical reaction's energy is nearly entirely released as light.

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.

Dussehra is also known as Vijay Dashmi in some Hindu subcultures, which means victory on the tenth day. To commemorate Goddess Durga's victory over the Demon King Mahishasura, it is observed as Vijay Dashmi.

Ashton Kutcher has syndactyly, sometimes known as webbed toes. In 2008, the actor displayed his linked numbers on a British chat program. "Something has to give when everything else is this good-looking," he joked.

Dolores Umbridge, the worst villain in the Harry Potter series, wound condemned to Azkaban after Order of the Phoenix. According to Pottermore, the reason was that she was involved in imprisoning, torturing, and even ordering the deaths of several innocent witches and wizards during the Second Wizarding War. Being the worst fictional villain since Hannibal Lecter, on the other hand, is a fairly good justification to be imprisoned in Azkaban on its own. Was she worse than him who shall not be named? Maybe not, but wizards and witches like this one were crucial to his machinations, so she's surely in the running for the worst of the wizarding worst.

Each night more stars and constellations begin to appear in the eastern part of the sky at dusk before moving across and disappearing over the western horizon by dawn. Likewise, those constellations which we had been able to see low near the western horizon after sunset will vanish from our view only to be replaced by constellations that had been higher in the sky at sunset just a few weeks earlier. The constellations which appear in the east have a daily shift rate close to one degree per day, as completing a 360 degrees circular journey around the Sun in 365 days produces roughly that rate. One full year later, the stars subsequently return to the same position and rising time as the year before.

Hong Kong's official name is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (HKSAR). This means that it is a territory of China, but has the most autonomy, with separate political and economic systems under the idea of 'one nation, two systems.'

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!

The Story of the Kelly Gang, an Australian film, was the world's first feature-length film. IMDB has information on the cast, box office, and budget. It lasted more than an hour, and the reel length was approximately 4,000 feet. To put that into perspective, a small 5-inch reel of film can hold up to 200 feet, a 6-inch can hold 300 feet, and a 7-inch can hold 400 feet. Depending on the size of the reel, that's at least 10 reels of 7-inch film and up to 20 reels of 5-inch film.

In 1940, "Gone With The Wind" became the first color movie to be awarded Best Picture.

The yo-yo was invented in Greece in 500 BC, according to information I found during my research. The yo-yo is commonly thought to have originated in China, but it was first recorded in Greek history.

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.

In reality, some women may require more or less of the vitamin S. Particularly pregnant women might profit from taking a supplement.

Let us explain why you should have an eye test before you book one. A butterfly's wings are covered in thousands upon thousands of tiny scales. And the hues you see as a butterfly flies through your yard are the reflection of different colors through the scales. The wings themselves are constructed of chitin, which is the same protein that makes up an insect's exoskeleton. Chitin, like an exoskeleton, is translucent. You've already learned something new!

Eczema comes in a variety of forms, and each person is affected by it differently. A qualified diagnosis can guarantee that your course of treatment corresponds to your particular symptoms.

While the British forbade lipstick, it remained a popular option in the good old USA, or more correctly, the American colonies. Colonial ladies altered the color of their lips by smearing red ribbons on them and sipping lemons. One colonial-era whisky company even advertised that it would turn consumers' lips crimson. They were probably mixing up the lips with the nose and Gin Blossoms. The original first lady, Martha Washington, had her own formula for lip rouge. She combined hog's lard with spermaceti discovered in whale intestines. That sounds really revolting!

There is a common misconception that writers are lonely, maladjusted introverts who dislike interacting with others. While this stereotype isn't entirely accurate, studies have shown that introverts are more creative, making them better creative writers. One of the reasons for this is that introversion allows for more time alone to think, and thinking alone helps to spark creativity.

The cultural landmark is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, representing a global emblem of Christianity and a major tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro. Christ the Redeemer is 30 meters tall, atop an eight-meter pedestal overlooking the city.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike, the head of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, won the general election in July 1960 and became the world's first female prime minister. She served the country for three terms before resigning in August 2000 due to health issues. Sirimavo Bandaranaike died of a heart attack in the same year she voted in the parliamentary elections, at the age of 84.

This one from Amazing Facts About Hindi tells us about the origins of Hindi films. Raja Harishchandra is the plot of Hindi cinema's future.

The Spaniards celebrate Christmas, the New Year, and the Three Wise Men feast during the winter holidays. This time of the year is very special and they live it intensely. A fun fact about Spain is that it is traditional to eat twelve grapes at a time to receive the new year. It is more difficult than it seems, but the Spaniards swear that achieving that gives good luck for the rest of the year.

Lipstick was connected with insurrection in the early twentieth century. Famous suffragettes even declared lipstick to be a symbol of female independence. Women emerged with crimson lips at a suffragette's demonstration in New York in 1912 to proclaim their independence. Suffragettes, according to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, are women who demand the right to vote via organized protest. The fad gained traction in part because it surprised men to see women wearing lipstick in public. They were a lot more innocent back then.