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?

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 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…).

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.

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.

Although the now-retro rainbow design is undoubtedly Apple's most well-known, the very first Apple logo depicted Sir Isaac Newton seated under a tree with an apple ready to fall on his head. The Newton logo was created by Apple's lesser-known creator Ronald Wayne and was only used briefly in 1976. Its high degree of detail didn't show up well when scaled down and put on a device.

With a surface size of 26,300 square miles, the Aral Sea was formerly the world's fourth biggest lake. However, the lake has been rapidly diminishing since the 1960s. The lake is diminishing due to the divergence of the main rivers away from the lake for irrigation projects. As of 1997, roughly 10% of the lake had vanished, leaving only patches of smaller lakes. The majority of the south-eastern lake had already dried up by 2009, while the majority of the southwestern lake had dwindled to become a narrow strip along the old southern sea. NASA images from 2014 showed the eastern section of the old Aral Sea, which had completely dried out and is now known as the Aralkum Desert.

CărtureÈ™ti Carusel launched in 2015 in a 19th-century structure that has been refurbished. It has over 10,000 books, 5,000 music and DVDs, plus a café on the top level.

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.

Former French President Jacques Chirac referred to the Terracotta Army as the "Eighth Wonder of the World" in September 1987. He stated: "There were seven wonders of the world, and the discovery of the Terracotta Army could be considered the eighth. No one can claim to have visited Egypt without seeing the pyramids, and no one can claim to have visited China without seeing these terracotta figures."

William "Willy" Patrick Hitler, Adolf Hitler's half-brother, was born in Liverpool to a British mother and a German father. Willy wrote an essay in Look magazine titled "Why I Hate My Uncle" when Anglo-German ties began to deteriorate as a result of his uncle's flamboyance. As the war broke out, he relocated his family to the United States, where he attempted to enroll in the United States Navy but was denied. After the Japanese destroyed Pearl Harbor, Franklin D. Roosevelt reconsidered Willy's application and ultimately authorized him to fight the Nazis.

Don't worry, the Swedish politician who wrote the letter of candidacy in 1939 did so sarcastically and afterward rescinded his nomination. In an even more ironic twist, Hitler barred Germans from accepting the prizes four years before his own name was called.

Paris is the fashion capital, and the majority of well-known fashion brands are French (Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Jacquemus, you name it). Of course, they were the ones who came up with the military uniforms as well. The French were the first to deploy camouflage clothes in the military; the name "camouflage" loosely translates to "make up for the stage."

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!

Did you know that because Russia is so large, it has 11 separate time zones? Despite having 11 time zones, Russia is not the country with the most time zones. Because of all the little islands that make up France, it has the most time zones. While Russia does not have the most time zones, it does have a large number of them. If you opt to travel across Russia, you may suffer from jet lag before ever leaving the country!

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.

Pilots are paid hundreds of dollars per day to stand by during the summer in case it rains and trees require emergency blow-drying. It may appear absurd, but it is worthwhile for farmers who grow the delicate, expensive fruit. The work is hazardous; pilots are frequently injured in orchard crashes.

The French army is the only one in Europe that still employs carrier pigeons. These pigeons, which are housed at Mont Valérien near Paris, can be deployed to carry out broadcasts in the event of a severe disaster.

Snow White was originally drawn with big red lips, long lashes, and a shorter dress by the animators. Walt Disney, on the other hand, wanted Snow White to appear more "wholesome" (to be fair, she was 14 at the time) and chose more subdued features and a peasant-style dress.

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.

Many people believe that the Bible began as a single book, but it is actually an anthology of 66 volumes written by many authors. The first printed bible, known as the Gutenberg Bible, was published in 1455, and it was also the first book ever printed. It has been written and rewritten several times, and it has been translated into over 3000 languages during a span of around 1400 years. Furthermore, the first known text of the Old Testament dates from the 2nd century BC. There are no original manuscripts of the New Testament, but owing to fragments and early copies, researchers are very positive that the Bible we have today is more or less the same way it was first written.

Chocolate bars were not the first chocolate treat, but hot chocolate was. And that hot chocolate was nothing like we get today. It was just a bitter concoction that was often enjoyed during weddings and other occasions. Isn't this interesting?.

In a 2014 interview, Haikyuu!! designer Haruichi Furudate stated that he wants people to see volleyball as 'fun and cool.' He undoubtedly accomplished his purpose, since the number of high school students joining volleyball clubs increased considerably after Haikyuu aired.

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.