The monarchy of Japan is the oldest-surviving one in the world. The reign of Emperor Jimmu, the founder of the Yamato dynasty and the first emperor of Japan, began in 660 BC. Emperor Suizei succeeded Jimmu, and the emperorship has prevailed thus for centuries now through traditional succession. As of today, the Yamato dynasty, revered as the Imperial House of Japan, has a…
Cartoonist Stan Lee’s creation Hulk made his maiden appearance in the year 1962, in a comic series named after him – The Incredible Hulk. The Hulk is the alter ego of a timid and aloof physicist named Bruce Banner. His accidental exposure to gamma rays lead to mutation in him. He physically transforms into a…
At a busy crossroads of Enterprise in Alabama State in the US stands the world’s first monument in honour of a pest. The Boll Weevil Monument recognizes the contribution of the boll weevil beetles in the State’s agriculture. Alabama once served as a leading producer of cotton in the US. In the early 20th century, it…
If someone has a habit of rolling while sleeping, even a night’s stay at Hotel Arbez might buy them a memory for life! Also known as Hotel Arbez Franco-Suisse, Hotel Arbez lies bang on the border between France and Switzerland. The around-a-century old hotel belongs in a tiny village called La Cure, which, too, is…
Erik Weihenmayer (b. 1968) is an American athlete, adventurer, activist and author who lost his vision when he was 14 years old. But his inability to see could in no way deter him in his pursuit of adventure. He became the first visually-impaired person to climb the Seven Summits – the seven tallest peaks, namely Mt Kosciuszko in Australia, Mt…
Madame Tussauds is a wax museum based in London and currently has branches in several major cities. The eponymous Madame Tussaud (1761–1850) was born Marie Grosholtz, in France. She learnt the art of wax modelling from her mother’s employer, Dr Curtius, an expert in wax modelling himself. The first statue Madame Tussaud designed was that of the French philosopher…
