John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on the 3rd of January 1892 in Orange Free State (present-day Free State in South Africa), and passed away on 2nd September, 1973. Do you know that Tolkien invented languages for fun? Not only did he use them in his writings, but also he wrote poems and songs in […]
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie was born on the 15th of September 1890 in Torquay, United Kingdom, and passed away on 12th January, 1976. Do you know that Agatha Christie has sold more books than there are people in China and America? A crime novelist, playwright and short story writer, Agatha Christie was famous for
The Juche Tower was built in Pyongyang, North Korea, in 1982. The Juche Tower is a four-sided granite spire measuring 170 metres in height. The tower was built as a dedication to Kim II-sung, North Korea’s first leader, and thus was made of 25,550 blocks of granite (one for each day of Kim II-sung’s life),
The Prime Minister of the Tang Dynasty was a humble and devout Buddhist. He was a national hero because he was a very good minister and military leader. He often visited a Zen master to study under him. The Prime Minister was not proud of being a great and famous leader and deeply respected his
The Gateway Arch was built in Missouri, United States, between 1963 and 1968. The Gateway Arch is a monument dedicated to the men and women who made western territorial expansion of the United States possible. The arch is built in stainless steel, reinforced concrete and carbon steel. It was designed to withstand earthquakes and winds
One day, the Buddha’s disciples asked him, “How can we be happy when there are so many problems in life?” The Buddha replied through a story. “A man was walking through a mountainous forest. Suddenly, a ferocious tiger leapt at him from behind a tree. The man ran as fast as he could, until he
Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, popularly known as Charlie Chaplin, was born on the 16th of April 1889 in England, London, and passed away on the 25th of September 1977. Do you know that not only was Chaplin the first actor to appear on the cover of Time Magazine, but also he has an asteroid named
A young man wanted to learn meditation. He went to a wellknown master and started learning the basics. One day, the student said to his master, “I want to improve my knowledge. I have learnt a lot from you, but I want to learn more. So, I want to study with another master and learn
Adolf Hitler was born on the 20th of April 1889 in Austria-Hungary and passed away on 30th April, 1945. Do you know that Hitler had the Nobel Prize banned and had set up a German National Prize for Art and Science, which was awarded to Ferdinand Porsche for the first hybrid car? An Austrian born
Jawaharlal Nehru was born on the 14th of November 1889 in Allahabad, British India, and passed away on 27th May 1964. Do you know that Nehru was nominated 11 times for the Nobel Peace Prize? However, he never won one. The first Prime Minister of the Republic of India, Nehru was a highly influential leader
Once, there was a well-known philosopher and scholar. He spent many years reading different books, visiting learned people, and discussing life. One day, a group of monks was passing by his house. They were very surprised to see the scholar burning his books. They rushed over and said, “You are such a great scholar. Why
Gibran Khalil Gibran was born on the 6th of January 1883 in Bsharri, Ottoman Empire (present-day Lebanon), and passed away on 10th April, 1931. Do you know that Khalil is the all-time third best selling poet’s middle name? His first name was Gubran, which was dropped in school due to a clerical error. Khalil Gibran
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was born on the 29th of July 1883 in Predappio, Kingdom of Italy, and passed away on 28th April, 1945. Do you know that while Mussolini did not take power in a coup, when he threatened to seize power of the PM and the other leaders of Italy did not act
Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, popularly known as Coco, was born on the 19th of August 1883 in Saumur, France, and passed away on 10th January, 1971. Do you know that Chanel had a thing for pockets? She felt you could never have enough pockets in women’s clothing. The founder of the brand Chanel, Coco Chanel was
John Maynard Keynes was born on the 5th of June 1883 in Cambridge, England, and passed away on 21st April, 1946. Do you know that John Maynard Keynes was the 1st Baron Keynes? He was the Baron of Tilton. A revolutionary economist, Keynes is often considered as the man who completely changed the theories and