Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dali was born on the 11th of May 1904 in Catalonia, Spain, and passed away on 23rd January, 1989. Do you know that Dali made accidental millionaires of his secretaries by paying them with commissions, which they later cashed for large sums of money? A prominent Spanish painter, Dali was best […]
Eric Arthur Blair, popularly known as George Orwell (pen name), was born on the 25th of June 1903 in Motihari, Bengal Presidency, British India, and passed away on the 21st of January 1950. Do you know that George Orwell came up with his pen name by patriotically calling on St. George and the River Orwell?
The Aqueduct of Segovia is an aqueduct bridge that was built in Spain, in the second half of the 1st century AD. The Aqueduct of Segovia was built to transport water from River Rio Frio, 11 miles into the city. The Aqueduct was built with unmortised brick-like granite blocks. Constructed on two levels, the lower
Louis Daniel Armstrong, lovingly known as Pops, was born on the 4th of August 1901 in Louisiana, U.S., and passed away on 6th July, 1971. Do you know that not only did Armstrong perform all over the world in the 1950’s and 1960’s but also he was the first African American Jazz musician to write
Walter Elias Disney was born on the 5th of December 1901 in Chicago Illinois, U.S., and passed away on 15th December, 1966. Do you know that Walt Disney has received more Academy Awards and nominations than any other person till date? An American cartoonist and animator, Walt Disney is regarded as a cultural icon across
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock was born on 13th August, 1899 in Essex, London and passed away on 29th April, 1980. Do you know that Alfred Hitchcock tried to buy every copy of the book on which he had based the movie ‘Psycho’, so that no one might know how the movie ended? Alfred Hitchcock was
Amelia Mary Earhart was born on the 24th of July 1897 in Kansas, U.S., and disappeared on 2nd July, 1937 during an attempt to make a circumnavigational flight of the globe. Do you know that Amelia Earhart bought her first plane within 6 months of taking flying lessons? Amelia Earhart was the first female aviator
The Washington Memorial is an obelisk built in Washington D.C., United States in 1885. The Washington Monument was built to honour George Washington. The monument is made of marble, granite and bluestone gneiss. At approximately 169 metres in height, the monument is not only the world’s tallest stone structure but also the tallest obelisk in
George Herman Ruth Jr., popularly known as Babe Ruth, was born on the 6th of February 1895 in Maryland, U.S., and passed away on 16th August, 1948. Do you know that Babe Ruth had trained to become a tailor before he went to join the minor league Baltimore Orioles? An American Major League Baseball player,
Mao Zedong, commonly known as Chairman Mao, was born on the 26th of December 1893 in Hunan Province, China, and passed away on 9th September, 1976. Do you know that while Mao Zedong had the courage to fight for his visions, most of his campaigns went horribly wrong resulting in mass destruction? Mao Zedong was
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 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
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