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.

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.

Mesopotamia, along with the Nile Valley Civilization in Egypt, the Indus Valley Civilization in the Indian subcontinent, and the Yellow River in China, was one of the four riverine civilizations where writing was invented. Around 3400 BC, the Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia invented the cuneiform script. Cuneiform is a Latin word that means "wedge-shaped." Sumerian writing evolved from pictograms to become a full-fledged writing system capable of producing works of literature as well as prayers and laws. Despite not being the oldest example of writing, cuneiform script is regarded as a significant milestone in human history.

Plenty of Japanese celebrate Christmas, but the festive fare isn’t what you might expect. In Japan, it’s traditional to head to your local KFC on Christmas Eve. An estimated 3.6 million Japanese feast on the KFC Christmas Dinner and hours of queuing and ordering weeks in advance is expected. Some say turkey and chicken wasn’t widely available for the Christmas-curious Japanese, so Colonel Sanders stepped in to answer the demand…

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!).

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.

Not Andamanese or Nicobarese is the most widely spoken language on the islands. Bengali is the most widely spoken language on the islands, followed by Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam. Andaman Creole Hindi is also widely used as a commercial language in the Andaman Islands.

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 Terracotta Army is part of Qin Shi Huang's mausoleum, the world's largest ancient imperial tomb complex. There are approximately 8,000 different life-size statues that have been discovered. It is the most significant discovery of its kind. The statues stand between 175 and 190 cm tall. Everybody has different gestures and facial expressions, and some even have different colors. It reveals a lot about the Qin Empire's military, technology, arts, culture, and military.

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.

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.

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.

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…).

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."

Einstein was not a participant in the Manhattan Project, although he was essential in its inception. German scientists discovered nuclear fission of uranium in the late 1930s, which was a crucial step toward the construction of the atomic bomb. Much of the world's uranium was stored in the Congo, which was then a Belgian territory, so two Hungarian-American physicists called Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner persuaded Einstein to send a letter to his friend, the Queen of Belgium. Instead, Einstein advised writing a letter to a Belgian minister, but a chance meeting with an economist who knew President Roosevelt resulted in a change of heart and a letter that pushed America to begin its own tests.

Among those accompanying the Queen on her journeys is usually the Queen's medical practitioner. The doctor is accountable for knowing where all local hospitals are in the cities that they visit. She also has to transport a large medical bag with a mobile defibrillator and emergency medication. Aside from that, the doctor possesses Queen Elizabeth's own blood bag, which will be used for a transfusion if necessary.

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.

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.

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.

Lepioshka, or good luck bread, is a regional bread. An age-old tradition states that it should never be put upside down, since this is said to bring ill luck. Even if it's in a bag, you shouldn't leave it on the ground!

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.

Geocaching is an international game in which players use GPS and a geocaching app to decipher clues and go on stash-seeking adventures, similar to a digital/analog scavenger hunt. There is even a geocache target on the International Space Station as of 2008.

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 Terracotta Army was discovered by chance by local farmers digging a well in 1974 in Xi'an after remaining underground for more than 2,200 years. This discovery prompted Chinese archaeologists to investigate, resulting in the discovery of China's largest archaeological site.

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.