Despite being surrounded by poverty, wealthy inhabitants of Soroca have turned to flaunting their riches by constructing flashy residences inspired by monuments such as St. Peter's Basilica and the Bolshoi Theatre. As a result, the settlement, called Gypsy Hill, has become something of a tourist attraction, with visitors arriving to marvel at the bizarre buildings.

It wasn't Henry Ford's Model T back in 1908. The first vehicle was built in the nineteenth century by European engineers Karl Benz and Emile Levassor who were working on automobile ideas. In 1886, Benz patented the first vehicle.

Yes, truly. Nintendo rented a warehouse in Tukwila, Washington, in 1981 to serve as its American headquarters. According to NPR, when a guy called Mario Segale went into his Nintendo tenants' offices demanding late rent, he created an impression. Even Segale's preference for overalls and short stature appear to have influenced Mario's design over time.

In 1769, Spanish colonists established the city that is now known as Los Angeles. In 1781, another group of 44 residents moved to the new settlement. The city was titled El Pueblo de Nuestra Seora la Reina de los ngeles de Porcincula by the Spanish ruler. This translates as "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of the Angels of Porcincula." Because the name is extremely long, it was condensed until it became Los Angeles. As a result, Los Angeles is now known simply as "The Angels."

The first hot air balloon was launched in 1783, transporting a sheep, duck, and rooster. In France, the Montgolfier brothers created the hot air balloon. They began experimenting with balloons after witnessing the heat of a fire raise their drying clothing. Because it was uncertain how flying at such altitudes might impact humans, the initial flight included animal passengers. The flight was a perfect success, and the animals arrived safely and largely unscathed. The sheep, however, managed to land on the rooster.

The smallest kite in the world that actually flies is 5mm high; the largest kite in the world is 55 x 22 metres in size (630sq meters). The world's longest kite is 1034 metres (3394 feet). A kite's fastest recorded speed is more than 120 mph (193 km/h).

Ecologists estimate that treating one ton of ore yields 1–2 grams of gold. The same quantity of precious metal may be obtained by processing all gold-bearing components from 41 mobile phones. A tonne of electronics includes almost 300 grams of gold. However, the cost of the devices is prohibitively expensive for this gold-mining method to be profitable.

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!

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!

Sony built the cameras to record footage more effectively in low-light conditions. So their error was unintentional. Because they could record in infrared, the camcorders could see through clothing. During the day, though, you could see right through someone's outer layer of clothing! Sony sought to recall all of the cameras as soon as they recognised their blunder, making it their largest product recall to date.

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.

Without mentioning the city's diverse population, no list of interesting facts about New York is complete. The city's residents speak roughly 800 different languages collectively. Almost half of New York households speak more than one language, and one-third were born outside of the country. And, because New York has the most people of any city in the United States, one in every 38 people in the country is a New Yorker.

King Idris I was the first and last ruler of Libya. Born into the Senussi order, he was both a political and religious leader. Before becoming King of Libya in 1951 with the end of colonial control, King Idris I served as the Emir of Cyrenaica. Because of his conservatism, the king's rule was unpopular. Colonel Gaddafi, who eventually replaced King Idris I, was toppled in a coup orchestrated by Colonel Gaddafi in 1969.

While Walt Disney invented Mickey Mouse and gave the voice, the visual was developed by animator Ub Iwerks, who designed all of the famous characteristics. You'll never look at the adorable mouse the same way again.

Under the sea, there are more historic artefacts than in all of the world's museums combined. There are approximately 1,000 shipwrecks off the Florida Keys alone, some of which are protected by the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Other underwater museums have opened in recent years, including Christ of the Abyss, a submerged bronze statue in the Mediterranean.

When you think about Greece, you probably see sandy beaches, turquoise seas, whitewashed houses, and blue domes. However, one of the most unexpected facts about Greece is that the bulk of the nation is really made up of mountains. It is one of the most mountainous nations in Europe, with mountains covering 80 percent of the land area. Remember to bring a decent pair of walking shoes!

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...

At 7,500 feet, Chile's Atacama Desert is the driest region on Earth, with a bizarre terrain. Some areas of the region have never seen rain, and the Desert is likely the oldest desert on the planet. The desert stretches over 1,000 kilometres between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, covering an area of 363,000 square kilometres.

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.

Sechs Kies is South Korea's most established idol group. The band was founded in 1997 with six members and currently has five active members. Some may not consider them the longest because they were on hiatus for more than ten years; however, the longest-lasting idol group could also be considered Shinhwa, who debuted in 1998 and has been promoting consistently for the past 20 years.

Muammar Gaddafi took power in Libya in 1969 and reigned for 42 years. As a result, he became one of Africa's and the world's longest-serving leaders of state. Gaddafi was well-known for being a despotic ruler. He did, however, serve his country well by increasing health care to the point that it was among the finest in Africa. He also boosted Libya's literacy rate from 25 percent to 87 percent during his tenure. When he was removed from power in 2011, his reign came to an end. The militia hunted him down and murdered him in his hometown, where he had sought safety. Gaddafi's net worth was $200 billion at the time of his death.

Some of these European facts are more recent than others. Kosovo gained independence from Serbia on February 17, 2008, becoming Europe's youngest country. Kosovo, a landlocked nation in the European Balkans, with a population of almost 2 million people.

Cocoa beans contain pathogens that are potentially harmful to humans, and raw cocoa beans do not taste like chocolate. When cocoa beans are roasted, they go through a chemical process, and proper roasting is essential for producing flavorful chocolates.