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.

Greece is a historic country, and it was in Athens that the concept of citizens participating in government formation was created. Here's a fun fact: democracy is derived from the Greek terms demos (people) and rule (rule) (kratos).

Shakespeare produced some of the world's most renowned and cherished works of literature. Yet, to build his plays and poetry, he occasionally made up his own words. In fact, Shakespeare is credited with coining over 1,700 terms, including moonbeam, hilarious, eyeball, bump, vomiting, champion, bedroom, thrill, and zany.

Synsepalum dulcificum, also known as "Miracle Fruit," makes sour foods taste sweet when consumed. An attempt was made in the 1970s to commercialise this fruit for this purpose, but it failed. There have been allegations that the sugar industry sabotaged their research in order to avoid losing business.

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.

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?

The endangered European bison, sometimes known as the wisent, is Europe's biggest land mammal, weighing more than 600kg on average. They may be found roaming the 150,000 hectares of Poland's Biaowiea Primeval Forest — Europe's remaining primaeval forest, which originally stretched across the continent thousands of years ago.

Sean Schemmel admits to passing out while filming Goku. He did, however, emphasise that it was not during Dragon Ball Z's debut of the Super Saiyan 3 form. "Here's how it works. I never passed out when watching Dragon Ball Z, but I did pass out while watching Dragon Ball GT "He informed the audience. "It was during the Super Saiyan 4 transformation, and I was exhausted from a lack of sleep. I merely estimated how much air you'd need for a Kamehameha or similar power-up, but I toned down my voice."

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.

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.

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.

Francesco Illy, the founder of the Italian coffee roasting company, was actually born in TimiÈ™oara, Romania. He later moved to Vienna, and then the Italian city of Trieste. He didn’t make a 2006 list of the 100 Greatest Romanians, however, which was topped by Stephen the Great and featured the likes of Nadia Comăneci and Gheorghe Hagi.

Have you ever considered where oxygen originates from? Your initial idea would be a rainforest, yet sea organisms are drawn in. Over half of the world’s oxygen is produced by plankton, seaweed, and other photosynthesizes.

The most common mode of transportation for citizens in Paris is the city's subterranean rail system, which is used by over 5 million people every day. It is Europe's busiest subterranean network after Moscow. Count your stations when using the subway - you never know where you'll wind up if you don't, as the Paris Metro system, unlike other big cities, does not announce its stops.

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.

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.

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.

China isn't bashful when it comes to banning anime for harmful content. Without hesitation, the Chinese government has outlawed famous anime series such as Highschool of the Dead, Attack on Titan, and Psycho-Pass.

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.

Folk dance is a significant aspect of Russian history and culture. One of the most popular styles of Russian folk dance is khorovod. People dance in a circle while holding hands in this kind of dance. Folk dances are performed by Russians during festivals, marketplaces, and in the theatre. If you have the opportunity to visit Russia, make sure to attend a Russian folk dance performance to learn more about Russian culture and traditions.

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."

The renowned "Bloody Mary" drink was conceived at the Ritz Hotel in Paris. According to legend, this renowned drink was created for the famed author Ernest Hemingway! Hemingway asked for a drink that didn't smell like alcohol, so he had vodka blended with tomato juice.

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 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.

The average delay of Japanese trains is 18 seconds. What makes them so punctual? Drivers are trained in ultra-realistic simulators and drive one train line only – many don’t even need a speedometer to know how fast they’re going. Competition is also fierce between rail companies, so lagging behind won’t do – they work hard to keep hold of Japan’s huge numbers of train commuters, whatever it takes (even if it means building fancy department stores in the stations…).