You probably don’t know this, but the calendar that we use today was invented by ancient Egyptians. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the first calendar known to humankind was invented in Egypt. In fact, it is the year 6264 in the Egyptian calendar.

The ancient Egyptians used the 12-month calendar like we do today. However, each month was always 30 days which meant that their years were only 360 days in total causing the years to fall out of sync with the seasons. So to make up for the lost time, they held a 5-day festival at the end of each year.

The novel's working title was The Dead Undead, which was subsequently abbreviated to The Un-dead. Stoker then changed the title to Dracula just before it was released. What really is in a name? It's difficult to say. Dracula received positive reviews at its initial release, but sales were disappointing, and by the end of his life, Stoker was so penniless that he had to apply for a compassionate grant from the Royal Literary Fund. The Gothic tale did not become the legend it is today until theatrical and film versions began to appear in the twentieth century.

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.

Uzbekistan is home to the world's largest open-pit gold mine, which is located near Muruntau in the Qizilqum or Kyzyl Kum deserts. The mine produces around 2 million ounces of gold each year, and the pit measures 2.17 miles by 1.55 miles at a depth of 1,837 feet. The gold reserves in the Muruntau area, including those in the process of production, are estimated to be over 170 million ounces of gold. The gold was discovered in the area for the first time in 1958. Originally, the area was a source of turquoise throughout the Silk Road period. However, the region was not substantially studied until the 1950s. Commercial mining began in 1967 and has continued ever since.

According to scientists, all of the pyramids were erected between the 26th and 23rd centuries BC. Mammoths first arose approximately 1.6 million years ago and were extinct in the 10th century BC. This indicates that when Cheops was ecstatic about a new pyramid named after him, enormous beasts were terrorizing our forefather's thousands of kilometers distant.

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.

There was a Canadian soldier who bought a black bear cub from a hunter at the time of World War I. Gradually that cub became his pet and mascot for his troop. The bear was named Winnipeg and was later given to the London Zoological Gardens where Christopher Robin Milne, the author of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne's son developed a great liking of the bear that he named his teddy bear after that cub bear.

If you ate a Macintosh apple and planted the seed, the tree that grew would produce apples that didn't look or taste like Macintoshes. Instead of planting seeds, growers graft a cutting from a genetically desirable tree onto an existing branch or sapling (called the "rootstock"), resulting in apples that are genetically identical to those on the tree from which it was cut. If you look closely at the tree in the photo, you can see that there are several different types of apples on the various branches, all of which are grafted onto the same rootstock tree.

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.

Peppers are delicious, even if most people use them as a spice rather than a food. Cayenne peppers have the ability to promote blood clotting over wounds, which is a little-known fact. Cayenne pepper can be sprinkled into a wound to act as gauze, according to experts. This will assist in halting the bleeding. Eating cayenne pepper can also help to balance blood pressure and promote internal clotting. That is, whether you eat it or apply it directly to the wound, it will help it heal faster.

Coffee is also one of the most addictive substances. It's a stimulant, similar to cocaine. When someone says they need a cup of coffee or that they are grouchy in the morning before coffee, they aren't joking. They might be experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it speeds up the transmission of signals between the brain and the body. It may be found in the seeds, nuts, and leaves of a variety of plants.

The Hiroshima bombing was so powerful that the shadows of persons and things were permanently seared into the earth. These were dubbed "Hiroshima shadows."

The number four (‘shi’) is widely avoided in Japan since it sounds too similar to the Japanese word for death. Keep an eye out in Japan and you’ll notice buildings don’t have a fourth floor, items are sold in sets of three or five and special care is taken to avoid encountering the number in daily life.

The term "housewarming party" is derived from a literal tradition that existed prior to the invention of electricity. Whenever someone built or purchased a new home, guests would bring firewood as a gift and light fires in the home's fireplaces. Not only was the house "christened," but it was also said to ward off evil spirits.

We still only know about a small percentage of the marine species that live in our oceans. According to the World Register of Marine Species, there are now 240,470 accepted species, but this is thought to be only a small proportion of the species that exist, as new marine life is discovered on a daily basis.

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.

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.

On the tragic evening of April 14, 1865, Samuel J. Seymour was just five years old when he went to see a play at Ford's Theater. He was sitting directly across from the president in the balcony and claims to have heard the gunfire, seen Lincoln fallen over, and seen John Wilkes Booth climb onto the stage before leaving. Seymour related the incident on the CBS TV show I've Got a Secret on February 9, 1956, two months before his death. History is closer than you believe!

According to new research based on minutes of conversations between Japanese government officials in the run-up to capitulation, the Soviet Union's surprise entry into the conflict with Japan had a more crucial impact.

We all know Kim Ju Meok’s love for the drama, Stairway to Heaven, transcends the 38th parallel. What you may not know is that the beanie Ju Meok wears is a replica of the one that actually appeared in Stairway to Heaven. Actor Kwon Sang Woo, the star of Stairway to Heaven, wears the same red beanie in his drama. Even the bunny detail is on point.Ju Meok even pulls down his beanie the same way actor Kwon Sang Woo did in his past work, Sad Love Story.

The Terracotta Warriors were built between 246 BC when Qin Shi Huang assumed the Qin State throne, and 206 BC, when the Han Dynasty began, four years after Qin's death. Over 700,000 laborers worked nonstop for 40 years to complete the terracotta army and tomb complex.

Almost three-quarters of adults with Internet access have at least one social media account, with 52 percent having two or more. This means that your current and potential customers are not only likely to use social media, but they are also likely to use multiple sites.

To begin, rinse your piala (small tea bowl) with a drop of hot tea, then return a bowlful to the kettle three times before the tea is regarded safe to drink. It's definitely a one-of-a-kind afternoon tea! Traditional local desserts are frequently provided alongside.

With 3863 hours of sun every year, Aswan is the third sunniest spot in the planet, averaging 10 hours of sun per day!