Silent film 'The Artist' is widely tipped to win the Best Picture gong at this year's Oscars, but the only silent film to previously win an Oscar for Best Picture was 'Wings' in 1929. The movie is about two young fighter pilots during World War I who starred Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Richard Arlen, Clara Bow, and a young Gary Cooper.

If you or someone you know has ever quit smoking with nicotine gum, you can thank Sweden. Nicorette, the first product, was created by Leo AB in Helsingborg. It was inspired by the fact that while on duty, smoking Swedish submariners would switch from tobacco to chewing tobacco or snus to get their nicotine fix. Nicorette wasn't the first time nicotine was placed in chewing gum, but they did design a polymer that regulated the flow of nicotine into the bloodstream, allowing for a continuous release and a gradual withdrawal, allowing millions of people to stop for good.

These two gorgeous names are associated with Sri Lanka. This little island country is known as the Pearl of the Indian Ocean because of its remarkable natural beauty, extraordinary biodiversity, and rare jewels. Furthermore, the island is shaped like a teardrop and is located off the coast of India, making it simpler to locate on a map. That is why it is also known as India's Teardrop. A Google map of Sri Lanka is shown below to give you an idea of its location and form.

More than 70% of the world's spices are produced in India. It has the widest range of spices of any country. Black pepper is regarded as the "king" spice, with origins dating back to 2,000 B.C.E. Black pepper was highly valued in ancient times, almost as valuable as black gold. Although salt can be found all over the world, black pepper is native to a province in South India.

The dynamic fixings in certain antidepressants modify the degree of synthetic substances in your cerebrum, decreasing your gamble of getting a headache, regardless of whether you're not discouraged. Different drugs used to treat headaches were likewise at first promoted for different circumstances. These incorporate anticonvulsants for epilepsy and beta-blockers or calcium channel blockers for hypertension. Primary concern: Don't get hung up on names!

Massive simians belonging to the genus Gigantopithecus have been discovered in China, India, and Vietnam. Some species of these guys weighed an estimated 1100 pounds and could reach heights of over nine feet; in their prime, they would have sent a silverback gorilla shivering. Most likely, Gigantopithecus perished around 300,000 years ago.

Because the moon lacks an atmosphere, there is no wind or water to erode or wash away the Apollo astronauts' imprint. That implies their footprints, roverprints, spacecraft prints, and waste stuff will be maintained for a very long period on the moon. They will not, however, remain there indefinitely. The moon is still a changing environment. It is regularly pummelling with "micrometeorites," which indicates that erosion is still occurring on the moon, although slowly.

It's not impossible to get your vitamin D needs to be met only through diet, but it might be challenging because so few foods contain enough D, according to Kimberlain. Fish, such as 3 ounces of salmon, or 12 cups of white mushrooms treated with UV radiation are excellent food sources of vitamin D, according to the NIH.

Contrary to common opinion, the Eiffel Tower is not Paris' most visited landmark! The Eiffel Tower is the fourth most valuable structure in Paris. The Notre-Dame Cathedral comes in top, followed by the Sacré-Coeur Basilica and the Louvre Museum. When in Paris, make sure to visit them all!

Venetia Burney suggested the name Pluto after the Roman god of the Underworld after her grandpa informed her about the newly found planet. Pluto the planet, like the God, sat in the furthest ends of the solar system, thus it felt appropriate. Her grandpa was taken with the name and proposed it to a friend, who happened to be an Oxford University astronomy professor. Pluto piqued the interest of astronomers since the first two letters of the name are Percival Lowell's initials.

It's no secret that Greece is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. But did you realise that Greece receives approximately 17 million tourists each year? That is nearly double Greece's overall population. It is one of the few countries in the world where tourist numbers exceed the population (along with Malta, Cyprus and Luxembourg). Tourism accounts for over 20% of Greece's GDP, one of the highest percentages of any industrialised country.

The femur bone, found in the upper leg, is your body's longest bone. As a result, it can withstand hundreds of pounds of force and is extremely tough to break. Femurs have the ability to support 30 times your own weight! The majority of femur fractures are caused by severe vehicle accidents or falls from considerable heights, which can provide enough force to shatter the bone.

Mirrors are creepy because research has shown that they can cause hallucinations. Many people have claimed that if you sit in a darkened room about 3ft away from a mirror and stare at your reflection for about 10 minutes, you may begin hallucinating. This is due to the small distortions that are forming within your reflection. Others have reported seeing other human faces as well as animal faces.

Stingrays bury their bodies in the sand when they sleep, leaving their protective barb protruding to keep themselves safe. It is advised that beachgoers perform the "stingray shuffle" in order to cause vibrations in the sand and alert stingrays to their presence because this can be problematic in areas where humans join the ocean.

Saint Marinus established the monastery on September 3, 301 CE. For a long period, the city-state has retained its independence and has survived several crises, including barbarian invasions, the Napoleonic Wars, and the Italian Reunification.

Spiders, unlike humans, have blue blood. However, there is a scientific explanation for this. In humans, oxygen is bound to an iron-containing molecule, which gives our blood its red colour. However, in spiders, the molecule to which oxygen is bound contains copper, giving their blood a blue colour.

The scientist is most famous for calculated gravity, but it’s also believed that Isaac Newton invented the cat door. How Stuff Works writes that when Newton was working on his experiments at the University of Cambridge he was constantly interrupted by his cats scratching at the door. So he called the Cambridge carpenter to see two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens! Apparently, these holes can still be seen at the university today.

Some fun facts about the Pyramids are that they were built to house the rulers of ancient Egypt and ferry them and their families into the afterlife. The pyramids were made as tombs for the Pharaohs and their families.

Ancient Egyptians believed that they had to follow strict rules to have a good afterlife. They also believed that it was up to the living to help them get to the afterlife. Great care was taken in the mummification process because the ancient Egyptians believed that the body needed to be preserved to be reborn and be ferried to the afterlife. They even mummified animals.

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.

The first color film to win the Best Picture was 'Gone With The Wind' in 1940.

On November 17, 1873, the three neighboring cities of Pest, Buda, and Buda merged to form Budapest. The unification was a significant historical event that resulted in the city's rapid development. Finding a name for the new capital, on the other hand, sparked a lot of debate. Hunvár, Etelvár, and Honder were among the names proposed. Budapest eventually won, becoming the official name of Hungary's capital.

High altitudes, tropical climates, and rich soil are all factors that contribute to good coffee growing conditions. As a result, despite the Continental United States' rich and diverse landscapes, Hawaii is the only state suitable for growing coffee plants. It was producing coffee long before it became a state. (However, farms in California have recently begun growing coffee bushes!)

While humidity levels in the Western United States' Mojave Desert can reach up to 50%, you'll only get a fraction of that moisture aboard a plane. According to the World Health Organization, the average aircraft has a humidity level of less than 20%.

It is home to the country's only legal two-wheeler taxis. This is the only place in India where you can pay a motorcyclist for a lift without fear of riding off with a stranger! Goa is teeming with motorcycle taxis and pilots, who are known as the state's most cost-effective mode of transportation.