Has the Leaning Tower of Pisa always been leaning?
The Leaning Tower of Pisa was not designed to lean, but it did start leaning during its initial construction due to its foundation being built on soft ground composed mainly…
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History
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56
Why do we have daylight saving time?
According to Michael Downing, author of Spring Forward: The Annual Madness of Daylight Saving Time, the first daylight saving time policy began in Germany in 1916, hoping to save energy…
Why is it called Valentine’s Day?
The origins of Valentine’s Day are shrouded in mystery. What is known is that February has historically been celebrated as a month of romance and that it contains traces of…
What is Groundhog Day and where did it come from?
Groundhog day has its origins in an ancient Celtic festival called Imbolc, which was held on each year on February 1st.
Why is it called the Super Bowl?
The inaugural game was not officially known as the Super Bowl. In a 1966 letter to then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, AFL founder and Kansas City Chiefs owner, Lamar Hunt, wrote…
Why do we light fireworks on New Year’s Eve?
Fireworks (aka firecrackers) were invented in China in the seventh century. Historically, many cultures thought fireworks could scare off evil spirits. According to Chinese legend, a monster called the Nian…
Why is it called a white elephant gift exchange?
The term “white elephant” in “white elephant gift exchange” probably came from the tradition of the King of Siam (present-day Thailand) giving rare albino (white) elephants to anyone that displeased…
Why is Friday the 13th considered to be unlucky?
No one knows for sure why Friday the 13th is considered unlucky but the most widely accepted explanation is based on Christianity.
Who are the Kurds and why are they fighting?
The Kurds are an ethnic group of about 30 million people native to a stateless region that straddles the borders of northwestern Iran, northern Iraq, northern Syria, western Armenia, and…
Why is it called THE Ukraine and not just Ukraine?
When Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union (USSR), some Soviets referred to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UkSSR) as “the Ukraine.” However, since the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine…