Now for a 'sumptuous' fact about the UAE: the Burj Al Arab is the world's first seven-star hotel and is widely regarded as one of the world's most luxurious. The hotel's interiors are adorned with 24-carat gold leaves that cover over 1790 square metres. The best thing is that it even has a 'Pillow Menu,' which offers guests nine different varieties of pillows! Right, I'm assuming you choose your pillow.

On January 28, 1887, two years before Montana became a state, U.S. Army troops observed an unusual sight: a frisbee-sized snowflake descending from the sky near what is now Keogh, Montana. Snowflakes can occasionally clump together before hitting the ground, resulting in enormous, thick snowflakes. It is still the Guinness World Record holder for the biggest snowflake ever.

Have you ever visited a salt mine? When you travel to Poland with Trafalgar, we will take you to the 800-year-old Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the world's oldest. It's known as the Underneath Salt Cathedral of Poland, and when you go 135 metres (440 feet) underground with your guide, you'll witness chambers, sculptures, salt chandeliers, and an entire church sculpted from rock salt. The UNESCO World Heritage Site has been producing salt continuously since the 13th century until 2007, and the history and unique carvings of this salt mine will leave you speechless.

First, she misplaces her shoe while delivering breakfast trays. She then misplaces her glass slipper while fleeing the ball. Finally, on her wedding day, her shoe falls off.

Japan is made up of nearly 7,000 islands. The little island of Okunoshima in the Inland Sea is best-known for its curious, big-eared population. The island was used to test chemical weapons during World War II, and it’s said the test subjects roamed free after the war. Either way, the numbers flourished in a predator-free environment (dogs and cats are banned from entering), and today Okunoshima is a popular spot for cuddle-bunny tourists.

Handshakes are only permissible between two males in Uzbekistan. A man and a woman cannot shake hands. When greeting an Uzbek woman, kneel down to her and lay your right hand over your heart.

While historians have only lately recognized their accomplishments (or female discoveries attributed to males), female mathematicians engaged in a World War II program coding instructions into the groundbreaking Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer.

In the 1940s, Anne Frank was an iconic emblem of Nazi cruelty, while Martin Luther King, Jr. was the face and voice of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. The two events appear to be so far apart in history, although both people were born in 1929—on January 15, 1929, for King, and on June 12, 1929, for Frank. That's a mind-boggling truth, isn't it?

Being the first president of the United States apparently wasn't enough for George Washington throughout his lifetime. Following his presidency, Washington established a whiskey distillery. Washington's distillery was the largest in the country by 1799, producing 11,000 gallons of unaged whiskey. However, after the president's death, the company was no longer in operation.

Apple's initial iPod included a small Easter egg. This game could only be accessible if you knew the correct sequence of buttons to press. "Go to the 'Around' menu and hold down the center button for about three seconds to play a Breakout (Pong) game while you listen." Breakout, the hidden game, is significant in Apple's history since it was a product on which both Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak collaborated at Atari.

There are several theories as to how the phrase "it's raining cats and dogs" came to be. One example is that when houses had thatched roofs, pets and other small animals (squirrels, groundhogs, and so on) would nestle into the straw for warmth. When it rained, however, the straw became slick and the animals slid out, giving the impression that it was literally raining cats and dogs.

Japan values good manners highly, but when it comes to chowing down on bowlfuls of noodles, there’s only one way to eat: noisily. Slurping is a sign of enjoyment and also cools down the noodles as you eat. Get your chopsticks in one hand and lean over your bowl. Bibs are sometimes provided for foreigners, but by the time you leave, you should be able to polish off a bowl in a white top and walk out spotless.

Most of you must be thinking of SUPERCALIFRAGILISTICEXPIALIDOCIOUS as the longest word in the language that simply means ‘fantastic’ and was popularized by the movie Mary Poppins eventually added to the dictionary. But there is a longer word than this, i.e., PNEUMONOULTRAMICROSCOPICSILICOVOLCANOCONIOSIS, which is the name of a type of lung disease caused by inhalation of dust and ashes. So, now try pronouncing it!

The Stonewall Inn in New York's Greenwich Village was raided by the police in 1969. It was a safe haven for the LGBT community, and rather than submitting, they fought back. Riots erupted as a result of the event, which sparked a global movement that has helped New York remain one of the most welcoming cities for gay people to this day. Indeed, more people identify as LGBTQ+ in New York than in any other American city (yes, we're giving you more NYC facts for free!).

The city's official name, like one of its nicknames, has an intriguing backstory. In the 1920s, a 'Big Apple' was a prize awarded at a horse racing event. Many musicians and journalists began referring to New York as "the ultimate" prize or "the best" because the term meant "the ultimate" prize or "the best." In 1971, the New York Tourism Board adopted The Big Apple as an official nickname in an attempt to boost tourism following some negative press.

When Santa Claus travels throughout the world on Christmas Eve, you may be confident that he is legally permitted to operate his sleigh—at least in the United States. The cheerful man in the red suit received his pilot's certificate from Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics William P. MacCracken in 1927.

Mexico has a lot to offer in terms of culture, from the Metropolitan Cathedral to the Bellas Artes [Fine Arts] Museum and the ruins of Aztec buildings. Over 170 museums may be visited in this megalopolis, which has a great amount of museums. In terms of museums, it is the world's second largest city. It is only slightly surpassed by London, which has approximately 200 museums.

The Academy Award for Best Animated Feature normally goes to Disney or Pixar films, however during the 75th Academy Awards in 2003, the anime film Spirited Away won Best Animated Feature. However, the film's director, Hayao Miyazaki, did not attend the event due to his opposition to the Iraq war.

If you go shopping at the Christmas Market in Nuremberg, Germany, you'll be participating in a tradition that dates back hundreds of years. Proof of this can be discovered in a little box kept safe by the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. The modest gift is inscribed, "Sent to Regina Susanna Harßdörfferin by Miss Susanna Eleonora Erbsin (or Elbsin) on the occasion of the Christmas Market of 1628."

Another shocking fact about Russia is that it has 12 active volcanoes! Because of its convenient position, Kamchatka is one of the most visited of these volcanoes. If you enjoy nature and stunning scenery, you should go to Kamchatka. This active volcano is home to approximately 1,000 plant species. Brown bears, lambs, and wolves also live there. You may explore Kamchatka on your own or as part of a guided excursion. If you are not fluent in Russian, an organised trip is the better alternative.

There are five UNESCO World Heritage sites in Uzbekistan. Itchan Kala, which boasts more than 250 historic buildings, was one of the last resting spots of caravans in the mediaeval times before crossing the desert to Iran. Itchal Kala was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990. Bukhara is a mediaeval city in central Asia located on the famed Silk Road, and it is said to be over 2000 years old, with various structures that are still intact. UNESCO designated the complex as a cultural World Heritage site in 1993. Other attractions in the nation include Samarkand, which is a crossroads of civilizations and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007.

As of July 2019, Spain had 47 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the third-highest number in the world. These include old cities, massive churches, and other structures. Only Italy and China have more UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with each having 55.

In the 1860s, the famed political cartoonist Thomas Nast began painting drawings of Santa Claus for Harper's Weekly as part of an advertising campaign. In a couple of his illustrations, he mentioned that Santa's postal address was the North Pole—a location that had already caught the world's interest as they watched several explorers attempt to reach the icy site. What about the actual St. Nicholas? He was born in modern-day Turkey.

While more individuals use English as a second language, Mandarin Chinese is spoken natively by approximately three times as many people. English is studied as a second language by almost two billion people, yet only 350 million speak it natively.