It's a recurring gag in X Men that Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters is frequently destroyed. Juggernaut, the Skrulls, Onslaught, and Phalanx have all assaulted it at least seven times. The majority of adaptations in movies, TV series, and video games have the school being attacked at least once.

Alaska is surrounded by oceans to the north, west, and south, and its beautiful coastal environment draws many visitors each year. Taking an Alaskan cruise is a terrific way to see the abundant coastal species and scenic panoramas along some of the state's huge tidal shorelines.

It may sound absurd, but soap production was once strictly regulated to prevent illegal production. According to the Telegraph, the soap tax, which was implemented in 1712, was once a major source of revenue for the Exchequer, raising roughly the same proportion of income as alcohol duty does today. The imposed levies were so high that the tax collector decided to lock the lids on soap boiling pans every night to prevent illegal soap production after hours.

Have you heard that formula feeding, maybe with a little of rice cereal in the bottle, fills babies' tummies for longer periods of time, allowing them to sleep longer? While it is true that formula takes longer to digest and hence stays in a baby's stomach longer, this unfortunately does not translate into more sleep for the mother. A research published in Pediatrics by West Virginia University discovered that whether mothers gave their newborns breast milk, formula, or a combination of the two, they all received the same amount of sleep and felt similarly pooped.

Fennel seeds are high in potassium, which controls the quantity of fluid in the circulation. It aids in the regulation of your heart rate and blood pressure. According to the published research, fennel seeds raise the level of nitrite in the saliva. Nitrite is a naturally occurring substance that regulates blood pressure.

All brass instruments use the player's lips to vibrate in order to produce sound. By varying the speed at which their lips move into the mouthpiece of the instrument, musicians can change their pitch.

According to Psychology Today, the brain patterns triggered while a weightlifter lifts heavy weights are also activated when the lifter simply imagines and visualizes the activity of lifting weights. That is, your mind is unable to distinguish between what is real and what is imagined. When you envision yourself shooting the basketball, your skill will develop just as if you were doing physical practice. This is one of the primary reasons why visualization is so effective in assisting people in reaching their goals. Several elite and exceptional sportsmen, such as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, and Usain Bolt, picture and rehearse their practice and game victory many times before they actually do it. 

More than 70% of the world's spices are produced in India. It has the widest range of spices of any country. Black pepper is regarded as the "king" spice, with origins dating back to 2,000 B.C.E. Black pepper was highly valued in ancient times, almost as valuable as black gold. Although salt can be found all over the world, black pepper is native to a province in South India.

A fascinating part of Balinese society is that there are just four names: Wayan, Made, Nyoman, and Ketut, and people know the names of their children before they are born. The names are given in chronological sequence, therefore the first baby is Wayan, the second is Made, the third is Nyoman, and the fourth is Ketut. If there is a fifth child, they are renamed Wayan, and the cycle continues.

A shock wave can be produced by sound. Sharp and repetitive sounds, such as drumming, can cause shock waves when an object vibrates at a high pace. A shock wave is produced by a loud bang or clap. While a shock wave caused by a clap is harmless, a shock wave caused by an explosion is deadly since it can kill many people.

The extremely even-tempered nature of Beagles may surprise some people. They are actually among the gentlest breeds, which helps to explain why they make excellent family dogs. Despite their heritage as hunting dogs, you won't ever need to be concerned about these little fellas being aggressive.

Formula One cars aren't only about speed and power. They are among the safest vehicles on the market. There have been many F1 collisions throughout the years, and most of them have not been fatal. The vehicles are also quite uncomfortable, and it requires a great deal of stamina to compete for hours without becoming tired. According to Wired, an F1 driver may survive an incident in which the car goes from 100 mph to a complete stop in 2 seconds. For a car to be qualified for Formula 1 racing, it must meet hundreds of safety criteria. The driver's cockpit should be safeguarded as well.

An annual competition for students who are blind, the Braille Institute hosts more than 1,400 students from the U.S. and Canada to test their braille skills. Contestants compete in categories like reading comprehension, proofreading, and spelling. Winners in each age group walk away with monetary prizes – and braille bragging rights for a year.

which is why braille books are much larger than their counterparts. For example, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is 10 volumes in braille, the “New American Bible’’ is 45 volumes, and “Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary” is a shelf-hogging 72 volumes.

The annual New Year's Eve gathering in Times Square began as a party to commemorate the inauguration of the New York Times building in 1904. Over 200,000 individuals turned out.

Avatar, bandanna, bungalow, dinghy, guru, jungle, khaki, karma, loot, mantra, nirvana, punch, pajamas, sorbet, shampoo, thug, typhoon, and yoga are some Hindi loanwords.

Vatican City is most likely the only country on the planet without a prison. The country does have a few pre-trial detention facilities. According to the Lateran Treaty, those convicted and sentenced to jail serve their time in Italian prisons. The Vatican government pays for the costs of incarceration.

Scientists hypothesize that all the particles known in the Standard Model of particle physics, such as electrons, neutrons, and quarks, belong to a particle category called "supersymmetric partners." Dark matter is a form of stuff that cannot be detected with traditional sensors but can be discovered by its gravitational effects. Some scientists believe that a particle is known as the wino — the W boson's supersymmetric companion — might help explain dark matter.

Malta was awarded the George Cross by King George VI of England for its valour against the Axis siege during WWII. The George Cross is still depicted on the national flag.

Austen had an affair with her neighbor Tom Lefroy when she was 20 years old, beginning in December 1895. Lefroy was a recent college graduate on his way to London to study law. Due to a lack of funds, Lefroy and Austen did not pursue their mutual attraction. In January 1896, Lefroy was sent away by family members who were unhappy with the match, and Austen never saw him again. Austen received her only known marriage proposal in December 1802 from Harris Bigg-Wither, the son of long-time family friends. Austen initially accepted, but the next morning she rescinded her acceptance. It's unclear why she changed her mind.

Bamboo is grass, although many of the bigger woody bamboo species resemble trees and are commonly referred to as "bamboo trees."

Many Viking women rose to positions of power and influence as priestesses and oracles in ancient culture. Many became poets, keeping on the oral traditions of the Vikings and passing them on to the next generation. The mythical shieldmaidens, female warriors who battled alongside men on the battlefield, were the most famous Viking ladies. Scholars continue to debate their existence, however, there is evidence from Byzantine Empire documents that they did exist.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the result of a request from Universal in 1927 that Walt and his head animator Ub Iwerks create a cartoon character for them. Oswald was a huge success, with strong merchandising to match. Disney travelled to New York in 1928 to renegotiate his contract with producer Charles Mintz after achieving this success. But Mintz came back with a different proposal: He wanted to reduce the budget. To further aggravate the situation, Mintz was hiring Disney's animators under his nose through secret agreements. Oswald's rights ultimately went to Universal, and Disney felt as though he had lost almost everything as he left New York. But everything functioned as intended.