Basketball was initially played with a soccer ball and peach baskets, with officials needing to recover the ball each time a player scored. String baskets were introduced to the game around 1900, and subsequently, backboards were added to prevent spectators from blocking a shot.

Experts believe the Portland Vase was created in Rome between AD 5 and AD 25. The Vase is currently housed in the British Museum and has been there for over 200 years.

Before that, people used flattened animal horns to create windows.

With 12 Academy Award nominations, "The Artist" may lead the pack of movies this year, but the films with the most nominations overall received an astounding 14 nominations. All About Eve, a 1950 black and white movie, came first. 50 years later, "Titanic," the tragic love story starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, defeated all rivals.

Activision recorded nearly 5 million gamers playing Call of Duty at the same time during the days of Black Ops and Modern Warfare 2. Except for New York, this is a substantially larger population than practically any other city in the United States.

Madagascar is vast. It is 226,917 square miles in size, making it the world's fourth biggest island (and bigger than Spain, Thailand, Sweden and Germany). In comparison, the United Kingdom is just 93,410 square miles. Which of the following is the world's biggest island? To discover out, take the quiz below.

After Perseus returned to Seriphos, his mission was complete. There was no reason for him to carry Medusa’s head any longer. Besides, Athena was now interested in it. The goddess of wisdom took the head of her sworn enemy and placed it either on her Aegis (shield) or armor. This way she appropriated Medusa’s powers and proclaimed her triumph.

Athena, a goddess of civilization and an idealized role model for the virtuous woman within the patriarchal Greek society, had finally exterminated the threat of the dangerous Medusa, a symbol of the power of the natural and the feminine.

On the day of Dussehra, Goddess Chamundeshwari is worshipped in Mysore. Mysore is named after the demon mahishasure.

The quality of Persian rugs' construction is one of their best qualities; hand-knotted rugs are of the highest caliber. They are not only strong and durable, but they also have a lovely appearance. The rug can withstand heavy foot traffic and still maintain its high quality because each stand is hand-knotted.

According to studies, consuming grapefruit daily for six weeks marginally lowers systolic blood pressure.

Nalanda, one of the world's oldest ancient colleges, is being restored in rural Bihar. It was founded as a study center in the 5th century CE, when a major Buddhist monastery flourished on the site. The new Nalanda International University is scheduled to open in 2021/22 and will provide post-graduate courses in a wide range of topics.

According to studies, beets' high concentrations of certain antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds lower the risk of a variety of malignancies.

This is due to the fact that Wan directed all three films.

It is dependent on the species of flatfish in issue. Some flatfish are toxic, whereas others are not. The easiest approach to find out whether a specific species of flatfish is toxic is to consult a reputable source of information on the subject.

An orange tabby cat called Stubbs was the mayor of Talkeetna, a small town in Alaska for 20 years! He had several uncontested elections and although he didn’t hold any legislative power, he was loved by locals and tourists alike.

"They're seeking for fresh food and what's around, and if it happens to be another lobster, it's dinner," Bayer explains. "One of the reasons lobster culture is not viable is that they are cannibalistic, and it comes with a lot of expenses."

Dr. Bill Keevil revealed that an antibiotic-resistant strain of bacterial aureus could not survive on copper surfaces. They do, however, thrive on platinum metals. This is a common material used in hospital beds, doorknobs, and railings. This study forced hospitals worldwide to adopt copper-touch surfaces. This is an attempt to reduce the spread of bacterial diseases in medical settings.

The scientist is most famous for calculated gravity, but it’s also believed that Isaac Newton invented the cat door. How Stuff Works writes that when Newton was working on his experiments at the University of Cambridge he was constantly interrupted by his cats scratching at the door. So he called the Cambridge carpenter to see two holes in the door, one for the mother cat and one for her kittens! Apparently, these holes can still be seen at the university today.

At the point when you take torment-easing drugs multiple times each week, you might start to create a "bounce back," or medicine abuse, migraine. Each time you swallow a pill, you'll encounter a more limited time of help. At last, you're left with an ongoing headache that requires a long time to wear off whenever you've quit taking drugs.

Maa Kamakhya of Guwahati is one of the oldest temples in India. There are 51 shakti peethas in different parts of India as well as in Pakistan, Nepal & Sri Lanka. The Kamakhya Shakti Peeth is considered the most powerful shakti peeth, as yoni (vagina) of Goddess Sati had fallen on the Neelanchal parvat i.e. the Nilgiri hills, following the splitting of the Goddess's dead body. Since everyone comes to this world through ‘yoni’ that is why this place is considered the center point of creating the whole Brahmand.

Why are chia seeds so well-liked right now? One important factor might be their status as nutritional powerhouses: Chia seeds have a caloric content of 69 calories per tablespoon (tbsp).

Counting systems are classified into two types. One system makes use of native Korean. It is used for all numbers less than 99, counting items, describing time, distance, dates, and discussing aging. All numerals greater than 100 are derived from Chinese.

While the core games' stories span around 821 years, from the first Assassin's Creed in 1191 to around 2012 and Desmond Miles' modern-day plot, Ubisoft has constructed a large, Star Wars Expanded Universe-style backstory loaded with mythology and intertwined with historical events. According to the publisher, the first known assassin was Xerxes, who assassinated King Darius of Persia, according to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus, indicating that the custom dates back millennia.