1. South African mines produce 90 per cent of the world’s platinum and nearly half the world’s gold. 2. At 2.5 miles deep, the Mponeng Gold Mine in South Africa is the world’s deepest mine. 3. Only two countries have hosted cricket, football and rugby world cups. South Africa and […]
10 Facts
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1. The word emoji comes from the Japanese “e” (picture) and “moji” (character). 2. The word has been used in Japanese since 1928 but according to the Oxford Dictionary was first seen in English in 1997. 3. Since 1988 however we had used the word emoticon to refer to representations […]
1. Fear of the number 13 dates back some 4,000 years to the ancient Babylonians, who saw 12 as an auspicious number for its divisibility by 2, 3, 4 and 6, which was disrupted by 13. 2. Old Norse mythology told of the arrival of Loki as 13th guest at […]
1. Waistcoats first became fashionable in England after being worn by King Charles II in the 1660s. 2. On October 8, 1666, Samuel Pepys wrote in his diary: “The King hath yesterday in Council declared his resolution of setting a fashion for clothes, which he will never alter. It will […]
1. There are 1,264 islands and islets in Croatia. 2. Croatia used to be part of Yugoslavia. It became independent in 1991 and was recognised by other countries in 1992. 3. Dalmatian dogs originally came from the region of Croatia called Dalmatia. 4. The town of Hum in Croatia is […]
1. A pea was originally called a pease in English. The word pea was first seen in the 1660s. 2. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first known reference to mushy peas was in 1968. 3. The ancient Romans grew at least 37 varieties of peas. 4. The average […]
1. The ancient Mayans used cocoa beans as currency. Their cultivation was restricted to prevent inflation. 2. Chocolate melts at just below human blood temperature, which is why it is so mouth-meltingly satisfying. 3. It takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate. 4. The official world […]
1. Actually the Continental Congress passed the Declaration on July 2 but it was printed two days later after revisions. 2. The Declaration was signed by 56 delegates. A notable omission was George Washington who, as Commander of the Army, was defending New York against the British at the time. […]