Einstein had said, ‘If my theory of relativity be proven successful, Germany will call me a German, and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. If my theory be proven unsuccessful, France will call me a German and Germany will declare that I am a Jew.’
River Thames was labelled for its prominent role in 2012 London Olympics
Who can forget the iconic footballer David Beckham zooming up the River Thames in a speedboat carrying the Olympic torch? This would not have been possible during the 1850s when the river used to stink primarily due to human contamination. A letter written by the eminent scientist Michael Faraday regarding his travel by boat along …
Which place has the longest name in the world?
The place which has an 85-letter-long name is called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. It has longer versions of 92 and 105 letters too. It means: ‘The summit where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his beloved brother.’ It is a hill located in …
Sprinters Powell and Simpson – Convicted for using a banned drug
The best timings for 100 m of Asafa Powell and Sherone Simpson are respectively 9.27s and 10.82s. But they were convicted for taking the banned drug Oxilofrine, which is a stimulant used to boost the body’s ability to burn fat. It helps the athletes boost their power-to-weight ratio with more lean muscle and less fat, …
Rowling’s ploy-ful pseudonym
J.K. Rowling, the British novelist, is an iconic writer, best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. Incidentally, her actual name is Joanne ‘Jo’ Rowling, J.K. Rowling being her pen name. She has written a crime novel called The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Tokyo to Honolulu – Fly back in time and relive it!
There is a massive gap in time zones between Honolulu and Tokyo. Honolulu is 19 hours behind Tokyo. Subtracting the 7 hours and 45 minutes flight time between these two cities gives us a trip difference of 11 hours and 15 minutes. Therefore, you would actually reach Honolulu more than 11 hours before you left Japan.