The most expensive pizza in the world is sold in Italy and costs $12,000. This is not your average pizza since your kitchen chef makes the dough to perfection. Yes, you read that correctly. The chef visits your home and prepares the pizza from scratch. Among the components are three varieties of caviar, lobster, Cilento mountain oregano, mozzarella cheese, and grains of pink Australian sea salt from the Murray River.

Coffee was thought to have mind-altering properties throughout the Ottoman Empire's 17th century. The monarch of the time considered it a form of drug and prohibited its use in public.

It has been shown that drinking two to four cups of coffee every day reduces the risk of suicide by 50%. Non-coffee drinkers had a greater number of attempted suicides than coffee drinkers.

The scent of chocolate induces theta brain waves, which result in relaxation. In fact, research done at Hasselt University throughout Belgium found that when the aroma of chocolate was dispersed in bookstores, book sales increased, particularly for romantic novels. Yes, relaxation! Chocolate also includes tryptophan, which the brain needs to make serotonin, a hormone that induces feelings of well-being. So eating chocolate actually makes you happier!

The man responsible for the creation of arguably the most well-known cartoon character in the world, Mickey Mouse, was afraid of mice! Does it get any more ironic? Walt Disney had a deep-seated fear of the four-legged creatures. But he also saw them as sympathetic. That was why he choose to base Mickey on a mouse. It turned out to be a solid decision from Disney. Mickey Mouse helped turn Disney into one of the world’s biggest entertainment companies. 

Keeping things as Hollywood as possible, the Academy Awards are held at the impressive Dolby Theatre in the Ovation Hollywood shopping mall every year. Located on Hollywood Boulevard and Highland Avenue, the auditorium first opened in 2001 and has been the home of the Oscars since then. Originally known as the Kodack Theatre, Dolby Laboratories signed a 20-year naming deal in 2012.

Even though he has never been part of the film industry, boxing great Muhammad Ali got a Hollywood Walk of Fame Star in 2002. It was adjudged that boxing is a live performance, which is one of the categories for getting a star. But unlike everyone else, Ali’s star isn’t on the footpath. His is installed on the wall of the Dolby Theatre. According to The Guardian, Ali didn’t want his name stepped on by “people who have no respect for me,” so it was put on the wall. 

This one might not come as much of a surprise as Leonardo DiCaprio isn’t known for his drawing abilities. What might raise an eyebrow is a stand-in who drew the picture was the actual director of Titanic, James Cameron. Well known for his artistic side, Cameron is the one who drew Kate Winslet. The only problem is he and Leo write with different hands, so they had to use a mirror image of the actual shot in the movie to keep the continuity. 

Throughout his run as British Secret Service agent James Bond, actor Sean Connery wore a toupe. Despite being just 31 years of age, the Scottish legend was balding. Not wanting the suave and sophisticated Bond to have a bald patch, Connery was given a toupe to wear. To be fair, it actually looks pretty good considering the time the films were made. Plus, the Bond franchise probably wouldn’t have been as successful if sex symbol Connery didn’t have a full head of hair. 

Being selected to have your own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is a big deal. It’s the ultimate sign of respect from the Academy and proof that you have truly made it. It’s also an expensive process. One of the many interesting facts about the Walk of Fame is that it costs money to have a star on the Walk of Fame. When a person is nominated, a benefactor must also pay for the star. How much does it cost you ask? Just a cool $40,000.

While The Count of Monte Cristo (1908) is recognized as the first film completed in Hollywood, it wasn’t actually the first movie made there. That award goes to a little-known film called In Old California. This film is a silent, black and white movie about the Mexican era in California. The entire movie was shot in and around Los Angeles. The 17-minute film was officially released on March 10, 1910. There is a monument that was erected at 1713 Vine Street, just north of Hollywood Boulevard, to commemorate the film.

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. 

 

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? 

When Perseus took Medusa’s head, we are told that something extraordinary happened. When Medusa was raped by Poseidon, it seems that she got pregnant but for some reason, never gave birth. Consequently, when her head was removed, two children sprang from the opening. These were Chrysaor and Pegasus. Chrysaor became the father of the three-headed (or three-bodied) giant Geryon who is mainly known for his fight with Hercules. Pegasus was a winged horse and one of the most famous mythological beings. So why did Gorgon Medusa give birth to a horse? This must have to do with the fact that Poseidon was, amongst others, the god of horses.

Before confronting Medusa, Perseus equipped himself with an adamantine sickle, a kibisis (a bag or wallet to place Medusa’s head), the helmet of Hades, which could make its wearer invisible, and a set of winged sandals lent by Mercury. Acquiring these objects was no easy task. Alone, Perseus would not even come close to obtaining them. But the hero had Athena’s help. She led him to the three Graeae, who knew the secret location of the Stygian nymphs. After tricking the Graeae, Perseus found the nymphs who equipped him with all the objects mentioned previously. Additionally, Athena gave him a shield.

In any case, Athena had to avenge her house’s desecration. However, Poseidon was immortal and older than her. Therefore, Medusa had to take the punishment even though she was the victim. Athena turned Medusa from a beautiful maiden into a hideous beast, unable to stare someone in the eye without turning them into stone. The hair that once attracted compliments as the source of her beauty became venomous snakes. Medusa was now a Gorgon.

After Perseus returned to Seriphos, his mission was complete. There was no reason for him to carry Medusa’s head any longer. Besides, Athena was now interested in it. The goddess of wisdom took the head of her sworn enemy and placed it either on her Aegis (shield) or armor. This way she appropriated Medusa’s powers and proclaimed her triumph.

Athena, a goddess of civilization and an idealized role model for the virtuous woman within the patriarchal Greek society, had finally exterminated the threat of the dangerous Medusa, a symbol of the power of the natural and the feminine.