According to the official version, the modern bikini was invented by French engineer Louis Reard and fashion designer Jacques Heim in Paris in 1946. It was named after Bikini Atoll, the site of nuclear weapon tests a few days earlier in the Marshall Islands, on the reasoning that the burst of excitement it would cause would be like said ...Read more

Soups are Ecuador's specialty. Most lunches and dinners are accompanied by a savory soup as the first course. Locro soup, made with cheese, avocado, and potato, is quite tasty. Bold diners can try yaguarlocro, a potato soup made with sprinklings of blood. For the truly adventurous, there is caldo de pata, a broth containing chunks of boiled cow ...Read more

A simple, moderately severe sunburn damages the blood vessels to such an extent that it takes four to fifteen months for them to return to their normal condition.

The flamingoes of East Africa have few natural enemies. In general, the only predators an adult flamingo need fear are the fish eagle and the marabou stork.

The huge marble dome on top of the State Capitol of Rhode Island was the first of its kind in the United States.

An adult human head weighs about 12 pounds (5.4kg), or the same as a light bowling ball.

The national headquarters for Bat World Sanctuary is located at Mineral Wells, Texas. More than 150 bats from around the world have found permanent refuge in this indoor, natural habitat facility. These non-releasable bats include those that have been used in research, orphaned, permanently injured, or confiscated from the illegal pet trade. Bat...Read more

In the United States, species were first introduced from Europe and China around 1900 as garden predators in an effort to control pest populations. The Carolina mantis is the official state insect of South Carolina, and the European mantis is the official state insect of Connecticut.

Jason Robards, nominated for more Tony Awards than any other actor, made his New York City acting debut in 1947 as the rear end of a cow in a production of "Jack and the Beanstalk."

In Rome, the world's first paved streets were laid out in 170 B.C. The new streets were popular as they were functional in all types of weather and were easier to keep clean, but they amplified the city's noise level.

Not at all -- Immediately following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Murphy - then just 17 years old - tried to enlist in the military, but the services rejected him as underage. Shortly after his 18th birthday in June 1942, Murphy was finally accepted into the United States Army, after first being turned down by the ...Read more

Potatoes were banned in Burgundy in 1910 because it was said, "frequent use caused leprosy."

Starch is used as a binder in the production of paper. It is the use of a starch coating that controls ink penetration when printing. Cheaper papers do not use as much starch, and this is why your elbows get black when you are leaning over your morning paper.

There are four mountain ranges in New York State: Adirondack, Catskill, Shawangunk, and Taconic.

Only sixteen Concordes were ever made, the last in 1980. On New Year's Eve 1994, one Concorde plane carried wealthy revelers on a 32-hour trip to nowhere. These travelers, who paid $23,000 apiece for the trip, rang in the New Year twice because they twice crossed the International Date Line.

Some foods "explode" in the microwave due to trapped steam. Eggs, butter, and margarine have internal water that, when microwaved, turns to steam and splatters the food all over the inside of the oven. It is imperative to cover these foods well when microwaving.

In 1948, on her way to movie stardom, Marilyn Monroe stopped in a Salinas, California, jewelry store to reign over a diamond ring promotion. Among her many fans that day were members of the California artichoke industry, who thought it would be terrific idea to make Monroe their Artichoke Queen. Next stop for the stunning starlet was Castroville...Read more

Dingoes have features in common with both wolves and modern dogs, and are regarded as more or less unchanged descendants of an early ancestor of modern dogs. Adult dingoes are typically 19–23 inches tall at the shoulders, and weigh on average 50–70 pounds. Compared to similarly sized domestic dogs, dingoes have longer muzzles, longer canine ...Read more

Migrating geese fly in a V-formation to save energy. A goose's wings churn the air and leave an air current behind. In the flying wedge, each bird is in position to get a lift from the current left by the bird ahead. It is easier going for all, except the leader. During a migration, geese are apt

In the spring of 2000, it was reported that a 25-year-old Tehran transsexual, who had just undergone extensive surgery to become a woman, said he wanted to change back to a man after realizing just how poorly women are treated in Iran.