A Hidden Portrait

New x-ray technology has been used to reveal a portrait of a woman under Vincent Van Gogh's Patch of Grass.

Van Gogh was known to paint over his work about one third of the time.

Miss World 1973

Majorie Wallace was the first American to win the Miss World title in 1973

image from geocities.com

Rx

Rx is an acronym for prescription, remedy or cure for an ailment or any kind of problem.

Homosexuality in India

The act of homosexuality in India is illegal and punishable by law.

Blackbeard

Blackbeard, the notorious English pirate of the 18th century supposedly lit matches and stuck in his beard so it would give him a smoky halo. He hoped that this would make him appear more evil and intimidate his enemies.


image from www.isd12.org

Isosceles triangles

An isosceles triangle has two equal sides.

Villalobos

Villalobos means "House of Wolves" in Spanish.

Bistro

Bistro means hurry or quick in Russian. It supposedly became part of French culture (bistros are little, moderately priced restaurants serving good French food in Paris) when the Russians occupied France in 1815 and impatient soldiers yelled "bistro" at restaurants

Snow levels in Wisconsin and Arkansas

It snows more in Wisconsin than it does in Arkansas

Yellow House

While he was in Arles, France, Vincent Van Gogh lived in the Yellow House. It was so-called because it had bright yellow walls.

The Human Intestine

Our small intestines are 20-feet long!

Mayans and Chocolate

Mayans were the first true chocolate lovers. They used it as a mood-enhancing cure-all, in ceremonies and as gifts.

The Mayans ground cocoa beans, mixed it with spices, water and chillies to create a bitter drink. They also mixed cocoa beans with grain and flavourings to make a healthy meal (which would be considered inedible today!)

image from fiery-foods.com

Survivor Micronesia

Reality show Survivor Micronesia has a new twist - the two opposing teams are divided as Favourites (players from previous Survivor seasons) and Fans (new players).

Venus and Aphrodite

The Greek Goddess Aphrodite is the Roman Goddess Venus.

8 new natural world heritage sites

The World Heritage Site List has 878 sites (679 cultural, 174 natural and 25 mixed). There have been eight new natural sites added this year:

• Joggins Fossil Cliffs (Canada)
• Mount Sanqingshan National Park (China)
• Lagoons of New Caledonia: Reef Diversity and Associated Ecosystems (France)
• Surtsey (Iceland)
• Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (Kazakhstan)
• Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve (Mexico)
• Swiss Tectonic Arena Sardona (Switzerland)
• Socotra Archipelago (Yemen)

Crystal Skulls

Crystal skulls that were previously thought to be ancient Aztec masterpieces have turned out to be fakes.

Scientists have discovered that the crystal skulls in the Smithsonian Institute, British Museum and the Quai Branly Museum in Paris have tiny marks on their surfaces that point to them being made with industrial tools and not Aztec expertise.

Zanzibar Secrets

Zanzibar Secrets, a store along Haile Sellassie road in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania looks fascinating when you walk in but in a photograph - it looks like a beautiful burst of colour!

Chillies

Chillies are a rich source of iron and vitamins A and C

image thaikingdom.co.uk

Henry Kissinger

Richard Nixon's national security adviser was Henry Kissinger

Haile Sellasie

Haile Sellasie was once the Emperor of Eithiopia.

The Secret of the Stradivarius

Stradivarius violins have long been known to produce exceptionally melodious music. This was credited to the genius of the violins' Italian craftsmen Antonio Stradivari.

However, scientists have recently discovered that there could be another reason. Stradivari lived during the Little Ice Age when trees grew little more in summer than in winter. This produced uniformly dense wood that produced better sounding violins.

How to make buttermilk

If you need one cup of buttermilk but can't find any just add 1 Tablespoon of white vinegar to one cup of milk. Wait a few minutes and ta-da.... you have buttermilk!

AWOL

AWOL is an acronym for Absent Without Leave

The Light of Death

In the 1960s, lasers were known more as weapons and less as impressive light displays. In China lasers were called si-guang or "The Light of Death"