While Assassin's Creed is already a household brand, it almost became something quite different. The original crusade-era period game was inspired by a Prince of Persia game called Prince of Persia: Assassin, which had a prince's bodyguard as the protagonist. Unhappy with the thought of a Prince of Persia game not being about a prince (which, interestingly, Nintendo doesn't see as an issue with when it comes to Zelda), Ubisoft's upper brass insisted on a new brand, and Assassin's Creed was created.

Malaysia is home to the world's biggest cave chamber. The Sarawak Chamber at Gunung Mulu National Park is enormous, with enough capacity for 40-50 Boeing 747s. It's another matter if you could actually park these jets in the Sarawak Chamber...

With its enormous size and mass, you'd think Jupiter would rotate slowly around its axis. With a rotational velocity of 45,300 km/h, it is the fastest spinning planet in the solar system. As a result, a day on Jupiter lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes. A year, on the other hand, is much longer; Jupiter orbits the sun once every 11.8 Earth years.

An ultra-luxurious lodge has been opened on Nosy Ankao, the biggest of five islands off Madagascar's northeast coast. Miavana (only accessible by helicopter) is a destination for "blue safaris," which include opportunities to see turtles, whales, and dolphins, as well as scuba diving and fishing. There's also a fantastic spa. But start saving now - doubles start at £3,220 per night.

Something frowned upon in most other nations is quite acceptable in China. In China, spitting, yawning, grunting, and burping is normal eating behaviours, just as they are in Vietnam. It was repulsive to us, and we couldn't get used to it. We would bear it better if we stayed in this nation for a little longer.

It is frequently debated among professionals which era is regarded as the "best" in modern game history. Chess, like modern sports, has gone through several eras in which the perspective of how the players competed changed. For example, in chess, the Romantical approach favoured quick tactical moves over long-term strategy. When players changed their playing styles, valuing one thing over another, new "ages" of chess would emerge.

It is clear in Ukraine that the majority of the population speaks both Russian and Ukrainian. However, if you truly want to be a local, Ukrainian, which is also the official language, would be preferable. And, much to your dismay, English is not generally spoken here.

Santa Claus parades are held in a variety of places, and each one is unique in its own way. The parade in Peoria, Illinois, on the other hand, is the oldest of its sort in the United States. It's been going on every Christmas season since 1888—that's well over a century of festive pleasure!

Many variations of the suit exist in different planets, and they are all fire-resistant, bulletproof, and electrically insulated. The cape may also be used as a parachutist or hang glider. High-tech instruments, like as night vision and communication devices, are also used to create the renowned cowl. It's also used to keep his identity hidden from some superhumans.

You definitely wouldn't recognise Greece if someone called it by its official name at first, but that's part of what makes it so fascinating! Hellas or Hellada is how the Greeks refer to their country, and the Hellenic Republic is the official name.

Hot chocolate was not something we were served in restaurants these days. Cocoa was brewed in both Aztec and Mexican cultures, but it was nothing like the hot chocolate we have today. It was primarily a bitter concoction that was frequently consumed at weddings and other special occasions. Many people used it as a medicine or as a base for other medications.

Texas is where German chocolate cake was invented. The "German" in German chocolate cake is the work of an American man, not a European country. It is named after Sam German, who created the formula for a mild dark baking chocolate bar for Baker's Chocolate Company in 1852, which was later renamed Baker's German's Sweet Chocolate. Let's go back to June 13, 1957. According to What's Cooking America, the Dallas Morning Star published the recipe for the cake, which was invented and submitted by a reader identified as Mrs. George Clay.

Humans have celebrated the start of each new year with parties, festivals, and religious ceremonies for millennia. However, we haven't always agreed on the beginning of the year. Four thousand years ago, the first new moon after the Vernal Equinox was regarded as the dividing line between the previous year and the new one in ancient Babylon. After Julius Caesar made major changes to the Roman calendar in 45 BCE, January 1 became the start of the new year for the first time. Ancient Romans commemorated the day with sacrifices to Janus, the Roman god of beginnings (after whom the month of January is named), as well as gift exchanges and large parties.

The largest padlock in the world (according to Guinness World Records) was created by a team of students and teachers at Russia's Pavlovo Arts College and measures 56.8 inches tall, 41.3 inches wide, and 10.2 inches deep. The total weight of this heavy lock, including the key, is 916 pounds. Whatever it's guarding presumably weighs a lot more!

Dubai claims to have the world's largest picture frame. The 492-foot-tall Dubai Frame soars above the city's skyline and is a popular tourist attraction.

Guinness World Records certified the mixed-use hotel and office complex as the World's Farthest Leaning Manmade Tower in 2010. The lean of the Capital Gate structure is 18 degrees, which is more than four times that of Italy's famous leaning Tower of Pisa.

Despite camels' cultural and aesthetic dominance in the UAE, the Arabian Oryx is the country's national animal. With two long straight horns and a short tufted tail, the oryx is a medium-sized animal. On the 50 Dirham currency note is a depiction of an oryx.

The lone resident of Monowi, Nebraska, is 83 years old. She is the mayor, librarian, and bartender of the city. Elsie Eiler is her name, she pays her own taxes, and she considers individuals who live 40 miles away to be her neighbours.

In the year 1,000 AD, half a millennium before Christopher Columbus "discovered" America, Greenlandic Viking chief Leif Eriksson arrived on the island of Newfoundland. Leif Eriksson's Vikings inhabited Newfoundland, as well as finding and populating Labrador further north in Canada.

In the 1990s, Korean pop musicians incorporated American popular music styles. Seo Taiji and Boys were the forerunners of this style, releasing the infamous single "I know" in 1992. It was so controversial that most critics despised their music and predicted that they would never make it. Nonetheless, the group quickly became enormously popular. Yang Hyun Suk of YG Entertainment was a member of the group, which is regarded as part of K-revolutionary Pop's period.

It goes without saying that the ancient Babylonians were excellent mathematicians. They understood the Pythagorean theorem, for example, nearly 4,000 years ago, or more than a millennium before Pythagoras himself was born. Their mathematical prowess naturally extended to astronomy, where they routinely used arithmetic to catalogue celestial body movements and improve their astronomical predictions.

Libyan tea is thick because it is made with a lot of tea leaves and a lot of sugar. It is mostly made by women. The tea boils for 20 to 30 minutes after the two components are combined and a suitable amount of water is added. When the tea is done, it's served in little pyrex glasses with sumak and khobza, two popular Libyan snacks.

Most people are unaware of how biodiverse Papua New Guinea is; the magnificent wildlife underwater has made it one of the world's best scuba diving destinations. Despite having only 1% of the Earth's total surface area, Papua New Guinea includes 20,000 plant species, 800 coral species, and over 650 fish species. Do you have your PADI scuba diving certification? If you don't have one, you should obtain one before going to Papua New Guinea to make the most of this unique underwater world.

A local winery erected a fountain in the northern Italian town of Caldari di Ortona that splashes red wine instead of water 24 hours a day. The fountain is intended for pilgrims walking the Cammino di San Tommaso, a 196-mile journey from Rome to Ortona in the footsteps of St. Thomas the Apostle. Wine is a pleasant way to celebrate after such a long hike.