This fun fact about the Netherlands dates back to the 16h century when the Dutch invented gin (jenever) and introduced it to the British. It became popular in Great Britain after William of Orange (King William III) held the English, Irish and Scottish thrones. Ever wondered where the term ‘Dutch courage’ comes from? It’s said to originate from when the Brits and Dutch drank gin during the Thirty Years’ War from 1618 to 1648.

Dog owners in Turin, Italy will be fined up to €500 if they don’t walk their pets at least three times a day, under a new law from the city’s council. Italy considers itself an animal-loving nation and in many cities, stray cats are protected by law.

To enforce the law, Turin police would rely largely on the help of tipsters spotting cruel treatment by neighbors. Turin has the most stringent animal protection rules in the country. They even ban fairgrounds from giving away goldfish in bags.

Egypt is home to one of the world’s largest dams. The Aswan High Dam is the world’s largest embankment dam, spanning across The Nile separating Egypt from Sudan and creating Lake Nassar. Lake Nassar is one of the world’s largest reservoirs.

While this seems like a great feat, when we cycled from Egypt to Sudan, we saw the devastation that this dam caused. At one time, Sudan was lush and green along the Nile and even tourists from the UK would vacation in Wadi Halfa in Sudan. Today, it is a dried-up mess thanks to the damming of Lake Nassar.

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.

Russia’s Ekaterina Lisina has legs that measure 132.8 cm (4 ft 4.2 in) and 132.2 cm (4 ft 4 in) for the left and right leg respectively, take from the heel to the top of the hip. That’s more than twice the height of the world’s Shortest woman ever.

Arts and crafts in school is fun, but can you imagine making sculptures out of a bunch of tiny toothpicks?! The Largest display of toothpick sculptures consists of 101 sculptures and was created by Stan Munro from the US on 15 May 2014. Stan spent over 10 years creating the sculptures and figures and he has used more than 3 million toothpicks and 75 gallons of glue. His display includes buildings from 37 countries, such as the Temple of Heaven (China), Arc de Triomphe (France), MI-6 Headquarters (England), Burj Khalifa (UAE), Djenne Mosque (Mali), La Sagrada Familia (Spain), The Parthenon (Greece), Taj Mahal (India) and the White House (USA).

The Amazon, which spans nine South American countries and covers between 6.24 and 6.56 million km^2 is the world’s Largest tropical rainforest. The rainforest represents more than 80% of the Amazon biome and contains a dazzling array of different animal species – ranging from mammals, to reptiles and insects!

The giant armadillo (Priodontes maximus) of South America typically has up to 100th teeth! It feeds mostly on ants and termites.

Research shows that people with ADHD are more likely to have problems with sleep patterns, for example. Others are impulsive about their eating habits, or never use their gym memberships. Simply ensuring a healthy diet, regular exercise and 8 hours of sleep a night means better self-control and function. But keeping these routines takes special effort for people with ADHD.

Everyone’s traits, struggles and ability to cope are different. Some people with ADHD are hugely popular, the funniest, most interesting people in every room – even as they struggle to pay their bills or hold down a job. Other people can’t maintain relationships, but are great in emergencies, when the pressure and thrill of the moment seem to give them super-human powers.

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.

An annual competition for students who are blind, the Braille Institute hosts more than 1,400 students from the U.S. and Canada to test their braille skills. Contestants compete in categories like reading comprehension, proofreading, and spelling. Winners in each age group walk away with monetary prizes – and braille bragging rights for a year.

Developed in 1819 by the French army, soldiers used it to communicate at night without speaking or using candles. Fifteen-year-old French schoolboy Louis Braille learned about the code, and eventually developed the more usable, streamlined version of the braille alphabet we know today.

One weird law, that’s since been long-forgotten, is that it’s illegal to pass wind in Florida after 6pm on a Thursday. It’s never really been enforced in Florida but it was probably written in the 1800’s. It’s not clear why this ever became a law, or a rumoured law in the first place.

The mayor of Sarpourenx issued an edict forbidding people from dying within the city limits unless they had previously purchased a plot in a local cemetery. People who broke this by dying without a plot would be severely punished. What kind of punishment you give the dead however is as of yet unclear.

Under Victorian law, changing a light bulb without a valid license was against the law. Taking your light into your own hands brought a fine of 10 Australian dollars. However, a revision to the 1998 Electricity Safety Act updated this law. A spokeswoman for Energy Safe Victoria said that, “While the Electricity Safety Act makes it illegal to do your own electrical work if you are not licensed, changing a light bulb and removing a plug from a socket were specifically exempted from this requirement under Order in Council G17.”

Section 32 of the Salmon Act 1986 stipulates that it’s an offence to handle salmon under suspicious circumstances. This section creates an offence in England and Wales for any person who receives or disposes of any salmon in circumstances where they believe or could reasonably believe that the salmon has been illegally fished. The maximum penalty is two years imprisonment.

In October 2005, Yangon was the bustling capital of Myanmar. A few weeks later, it was no longer the capital and the government staff suddenly found that they had to relocate almost 400 kilometres up the road to Naypyidaw. The government built the new city in secret and then announced that it was the new administrative centre.

The music of Wilhelmus, the Dutch national anthem, dates back to between 1569 and 1572. This makes it the oldest melody used in a country’s national anthem, although it did not become the official Dutch anthem until 1932. 

The lyrics were also written at least 400 years ago and they refer to “Dietse Bloed”, an old word for Nederlands (Dutch).

History was made on 1 April 2001 when the Netherlands became the world’s first country to legalize same-sex marriage. Job Cohen, the mayor of Amsterdam at the time, married four couples at midnight on 1 April to mark the occasion. Many same-sex couples have since happily tied the knot. 

Amsterdam is also known for being one of the world’s most LGBTQ-friendly cities, with plenty of gay bars. You can also see the Homomonument in the city centre, a tribute to gay men and women.

The Banshee is Ireland’s best-known spirit. This female figure roams the countryside and is said to wail as a warning that death is near. Though she does not cause death, her presence is believed to foreshadow death’s arrival. Historians have traced the Banshee story back to the 8th century when it was customary for women to sing sad songs to lament a death. There are a few variations as to how the Banshee appears: some depict her as a beautiful, young woman with flowing white hair, while others describe an old woman with dirty, rotting teeth and long fingernails.

Hawaiian art and culture have a rich history of mythology and folklore, and one of their scariest tales is that of the Hukai’po, which translates to “Spirit Ranks.” Also known as Nightmarchers, the Hukai’po are thought to be ghosts of ancient Hawaiian warriors who come out on sacred nights to reenact old battles, toting archaic weapons, helmets, cloaks, and raised torches. Anyone in their path risks harm, though it is suggested that you may be spared if you show proper respect to the marchers.

Not surprisingly, the city of Alexandria was named after the conqueror of Egypt in 331 BC. One of the ancient wonders of the World, the Lighthouse of Alexandria was here.

Ancient Egyptians believed that makeup had healing powers that protected them from the sun and therefore both men and women wore makeup. The black eye paint that we’ve come to know so well from ancient Egyptian depictions was made from red and they also wore green makeup that was made from copper.

If you need the toilet you can knock on someone’s door and ask to use their bathroom in Scotland – and by law, they cannot deny you.