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.

In Greek mythology, Zeus had a passionate love affair with Europa, a Phoenician princess. To entice her away, he disguised himself as a bull and carried her off to sea on his back, transporting her to the island of Crete. The famous 1747 painting "The Rape of Phoenicia" by Francois Boucher sits at Paris' Louvre.

It's amazing how ancient some of Europe's structures and cities are. Pharmacies are no different. The Raeapteek on Town Hall Square, according to VisitTallinn, is one of Europe's oldest continually running pharmacies. This institution appears to have been in operation since 1422.

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.

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.

Egypt's ancient pyramids were built during an 85-year period, between 2589 and 2504 BC. The Sagrada Familia, Antoni Gaudi's masterwork, began building in 1882 and has continued under development ever since. Gaudi was never able to see his masterpiece completed. After 144 years of development, Barcelona hopes to have it finished by 2026, the 100th anniversary of Gaudi's death.

USA's present 50-star flag was created by 17-year-old Robert Heff as part of a high school project. It was 1958, and there were only 48 states at the moment, but Heft had a feeling Hawaii and Alaska would get statehood shortly. His teacher gave him a B- but later raised the mark to an A after Heft submitted his design to the White House, resulting in a call from President Eisenhower announcing that it had been chosen as the official U.S. flag.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

During the feudal period, rich Japanese lords constructed residences with purposefully squeaky flooring (known as Nightingale Floors) to deter ninjas. The fabled, highly trained mercenaries of mediaeval Japan were so entrenched in myth and tradition that they were thought to be capable of walking on water, becoming invisible, and controlling natural forces. That has to be enough reason to lay down some new flooring.

In the year 1897, machine-spin cotton candy was invented by the dentist William Morrison and a confectioner John C Wharton. These candies were first introduced to a wide audience in the year 1904 at 'Fairy Floss' and achieved great success.

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.

Christian Dior technically invented designer sunglasses when, in the early 1960s, they licenced their brand to be used to produce luxury sunglasses for discerning fashionistas. Using Optyl, his own lightweight thermo-hardening material, he converted expensive sunglasses into more wearable everyday items. The properties of this material also allowed for a wider choice of models, from broad and original lines to previously discovered hues and delicate degradé of translucent, brown, green, and grey colours that still mark Dior's beautiful and refined style.

Shellac is also known as "confectioner's glaze" because it gives candies like jelly beans and candy corn a shiny coating. However, shellac, which is also used as a brush-on colourant and a wood finish, is derived from the excrement secretions of female Kerria lacca insects. In other words, it's bug excrement.

Fischer was charged in 1992 with violating economic sanctions imposed on Yugoslavia. He came out of retirement to earn $5 million in a rematch against his old nemesis, Boris Spassky. Fischer never returned to the United States and eventually settled (and died) in Reykjavik after renunciating his American citizenship.

Since 1995, Charles Martinet has provided voices for Mario, Luigi, Wario, Waluigi, and other Mushroom Kingdom characters. It's all thanks to a friend who urged him to attend an audition at a tradeshow in Las Vegas to which he had not been invited. When Martinet arrived, the audition team had already begun to pack up their belongings. Fortunately, they still let him audition for the part.

Where the Wild Things Are was originally titled Where the Wild Horses Are, and Maurice Sendak intended to write about horses; however, the author and illustrator quickly realised he was terrible at drawing horses and decided it would be better to draw 'things' instead; thus, one of the most memorable children's stories of all time was born.

The origins of this strange-sounding celebration may be traced back hundreds of years, beginning in the early 1900s. People did not have refrigerators in the 1900s, so they hung a piece of cloth in their larders. It is thought that doing so provided the home good fortune, tranquilly, and wealth. The tradition evolved to accommodate the contemporary kitchen throughout time. Every year on May 29th, families throughout the world place a pillow on top of their refrigerator.

Just One Letter Long Ten villages in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway have names that are only one letter long. The city name, which means "little brook or river" in the Scandinavian languages, appears nine times in the nations. Sweden has the word, which meaning "island."

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.

Edison was, without a doubt, one of the world's most renowned intellectual property thieves. He stole nearly all of the 1,093 things he smashed a patent on from real geniuses like Nikola Tesla, Wilhelm Rontgen, and Joseph Swan – the latter of whom invented the lightbulb!

The most impressive artificial paradise, with a length of 1,000 yards, an area of 20 acres, and a maximum depth of 115 feet, can be found in Algarrobo city on the Pacific coast. It was named by the Guinness Book of Records as the World's largest swimming pool, with a length of 1,000 yards, an area of 20 acres, and a maximum depth of 115 feet. It can contain nearly 66 million gallons of crystal clean saltwater. The pool opened in December 2006 after five years of building work at a cost of about one billion dollars ($US) and an annual maintenance cost of roughly two million.