What you conceive of as a wonderful city today has a lengthy and little-known past. Some long-held hypotheses hold that London was founded by Romans around the year 50 AD. The origin of its name is likewise a mystery. London was known by several names throughout history, including Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenberg. The most widely accepted explanation is that the name London is derived from the old Celtic word "Londinous," which meaning "brave."

Mulan was originally conceived as a straight-to-video film called China Doll, about a poor, oppressed Chinese girl who is whisked away by a white guy to live a happier life in the West. When a writer discovered the Chinese poem "The Song of Fa Mu Lan," the studio decided to combine both projects and create Mulan. Knowing the film's slightly racist, tone-deaf origins, on the other hand, casts the film in a whole new light.

Charlotte, her sisters Maria (who bore the name of their deceased mother), Elizabeth, and Emily, as well as their father and an aunt, were removed from the parsonage where they were raised in 1824 and sent to a school for clergywomen in Cowan's Bridge. While there, Maria and Elizabeth became ill and eventually passed away from tuberculosis; Charlotte and Emily went back home.

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? 

Red is used at weddings. This may seem odd to Westerners but I’m not so sure: red is the color of passion and love universally so why shouldn’t it be used at weddings?

The Terracotta Army was accidentally uncovered in 1974 in Xi'an by local farmers while they were digging a well after remaining hidden underground for more than 2,200 years.

Many marching bands use sousaphones instead of traditional tubas because they are easier to walk with. The sousaphone got its name from the famous march composer John Philip Sousa, who made several requests and suggestions for its design

With over 500 million copies sold, Don Quixote is the best-selling novel of all time. The novel by Miguel de Cervantes, about a man who becomes obsessed with tales of knights and decides to become one, is the one that gave us the phrase "tilting at Windmills" to describe a noble but futile endeavour. Since its publication in 1612, Don Quixote's misadventures as he travels across the Spanish countryside seeking to right wrongs and uplift downtrodden peoples have entertained generations of readers. Don Quixote is also regarded as one of the first novels ever written.

Queen Victoria may have been one of the longest reigning monarchs, but she was also one of the luckiest. On at least eight occasions—most of them while riding in her open carriage—would-be assassins tried to kill her. She also had a stalker. A man by the name of Edward Jones broke into the royal residence at Buckingham Palace several times and was eventually caught—but not before he sat on her throne and stole her underwear.

She was regarded as the "Mother of Modern Physics" for her work with radioactive materials and the discovery of elements such as polonium and radium. Unfortunately, her study took a heavy toll on her health, eventually leading to aplastic anemia, which led to her death. The radioactivity not only damaged her, but it also impacted the majority of her things, including her clothes, furniture, and books. Marie Curie's notes must now be preserved in a lead box more than a century later since they are still radioactive (and will be for another 1,500 years!).

Music can improve the way we exercise, according to a 2010 study led by sport psychologist C.I. Karageorghis. This can happen in two ways: it can make you feel less tired or it can increase the amount of time you spend working out. According to this study, music can result in “higher-than-expected levels of endurance, power, productivity, or strength.

This only lasted until 2007 when the Burj Khalifa was built.

Hours of hard effort were necessary for the study that earned Marie Curie her first Nobel Prize. She and her husband had to show multiple samples of new elements to prove they had discovered them by breaking down ore into its chemical components. The area, according to Curie, was hot in the summer and draughty in the winter, with a glass roof that didn't entirely shelter them from the rain. After visiting the Curies' shed to witness where radium was discovered, the renowned German scientist Wilhelm Ostwald. Because their usual labs were too small to support the procedure, they relocated their operations to an old shed behind the school where Pierre worked.

There are more British actors in Lagaan than in the primary cast: Lagaan, the highest-grossing film of 2001, contains several unknown facts, one of which is that it included the most British actors ever cast in a single film in the history of Bollywood cinema.

Each person, the Swiss consume 36 litres of wine, 56.5 litres of beer, and 8.4 litres of pure alcohol per year. And here are new figures that suggest consumption has actually decreased! It is common for 20% of Swiss individuals to binge drink (4-5 drinks in one sitting) at least once a month.

Sualkuchi is a village in Kamrup district, which is often dubbed the “Manchester of Assam”, because of its huge cottage and textile industry. It is famous for producing high-quality Mekhela Chadors and Gamosas which are indigenous to Assam.

It was typical for countries to have flocks of homing pigeons for military usage during the twentieth century. The birds may convey critical signals swiftly between bases or over enemy lines. Pigeons are credited with saving thousands of lives due to the information they delivered so faithfully. With only 5 minutes to spare, a pigeon dubbed G.I. Joe saved British troops from a bombing. During WWI, another woman named Cher Ami delivered a total of 12 important messages for the US forces. Cher Ami was hit in the breast during his last flight, yet he still managed to fly for another 25 minutes, accomplishing his job and saving the lives of 194 stranded soldiers.

Hiram Bingham III, an explorer, brought the remains of Machu Picchu to public attention by naming his account of the expedition The Lost City of the Incas. The site, however, was never actually "forgotten." Many people in the area were aware of its presence. In reality, Melchor Arteaga, a local innkeeper, led Bingham to the location. Furthermore, when Bingham arrived in 1911, there were still Quechua people tending the terraces.

The 14th Dalai Lama has served as a monk in the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism. He is supposed to be the current incarnation of Tibet's last 13 Dalai Lamas. In 1937, the Tibetan government dispatched a search expedition to find the Dalai Lama. They discovered the current Dalai Lama as a toddler, living with his family in a small agricultural hamlet, based on indications and visions. In 1940, he was appointed as Tibet's official spiritual head. He is now renowned as a spiritual rock star as well as a religious figure, and he is famed for his inspirational words of wisdom.

Harry Chandler, publisher of the Los Angeles Times, built the sign in 1923. It began as a $21,000 billboard for Chandler's Hollywoodland real estate development. In 1949, the sign was shortened to the one we are all familiar with.

The Louvre is the world's biggest art gallery and museum, housing over 38,000 works of art, including the most renowned painting ever created, the Mona Lisa. The Louvre received 10.8 million visitors in 2018, making it the most visited gallery on the globe!

The pencil was a favourite of John Steinbeck and Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway wrote letters on a typewriter but did his serious work with a pencil.

Good karma is thought to be bestowed upon those who do good in their lives. Every good or bad action in life affects karma, and Hindus believe that if you have good karma at the end of this life, your next life will be better.