Thor's only worthy adversary was a serpent dragon known as Jormungand, or the Midgard Serpent. Jormungand was the son of Loki and Angerboda and was expelled by Odin, forcing it to encircle the earth and hold its tail in its mouth under the depths of the sea. Many ages passed before the "Day of the Last Battle," a war pitting gods against giants,...Read more

In the southern part of Japan, it rarely snows to any great amount except for the mountains, but the northern part usually has plenty of snow in the winter. Autumn is by far the best time to visit Japan, as far as the weather goes.

The publishing rights to "Stormy Weather" and "Hello, Dolly!," as well as the soundtracks from "Grease," "Mame," "Annie," and "A Chorus Line" are owned by rock star Paul McCartney.

A prolific and imaginative writer, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote 26 Tarzan books without ever visiting Africa.

Government by a woman or women is called a "gynarchy."

The largest known egg ever laid by a creature was that of the extinct Aepyornis of Madagascar. The egg was 9.5 inches long. It had a volume of 2.35 gallons.

Louis Pasteur saved France's silkworm industry. When the industry in southern France was dealt a staggering blow by a disease that was killing the silkworms, the call for help went out for Pasteur — no one but Pasteur. Pasteur's solution on locating a tiny parasite infecting silkworms and the mulberry leaves that were fed to them, was drastic ...Read more

Portugal is the world's largest producer of cork. The country has regulations protecting cork trees dating back to 1320. During the 1920s and 1930s, it became illegal to cut down the trees other than for essential thinning and removal of older non-producing trees.

King Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, miscarried during her fourth month of pregnancy. She did produce Henry an illegitimate daughter, Elizabeth (born before they were married), who would rule England for 45 years.

Either, but pick a state and leave it that way. Don't use the on/off switch on your personal computer any more than necessary. There's a surge of electricity every time the switch is turned on. For fragile computer chips, it's much like starting the day by jumping into an icy pool. To prolong the life of your home computer, turn it on when you ...Read more

Most gemstones contain several elements. Except the diamond -- it's all carbon.

Species of coffee trees can grow as tall as 32 feet and their leaves can range in color from purple to yellow. Green is the predominant color, however.

The kinkajou's tail is twice as long as its body. Every night, it wraps itself up in its tail and uses it as a pillow.

In a note in his diary Munch described his inspiration for the image thus: "I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red - I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence - there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city - my friends walked on, and I stood ...Read more

William Henry Harrison (1773-1841) was the first U.S. president to die while in office. At 32 days, he also had the shortest term in office.

Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray or lotion blocks the mosquito's sensors; however, they will seek out unprotected areas of skin.

Nanotechnology has produced a guitar no bigger than a blood cell. The guitar, 10 micrometers long, has six strummable strings.

The age recorded on a whiskey bottle refers to the number of years it is aged prior to being bottled. Once in the bottle, whiskey does not improve.

In 1870, English critic and social theorist John Ruskin (1819-1900) was appointed Slade Professor at Oxford, the first professor of art in England.

The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. The 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body.