nteresting Facts about India

• India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.
• When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)
• The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.
• The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.
• Chess was invented in India.
• Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.
• The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.
• The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.
• India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.
• The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.
• The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.
• India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.
• The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.
• The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
• Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
• India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.
• The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
• Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.
• The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.
• Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).
• Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world
  (Source: Gemological Institute of America).
• The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.
• Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.
• Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.
• India exports software to 90 countries.
• The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
• Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.
• Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.
• There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.
• The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.
• Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively
• The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.
• The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.
• Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.
• Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
• India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.
• His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.
• Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.
• Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years

Blinking

We blink about 15 times each minute, without thinking about it. The brain controls this action automatically. Blinking spreads tears across the eyes to keep the eyes clean and stop them from drying out.

I am back

Start of my Photography session. I will go a long way.

Knowledge HUB : Hold your breath

You can't kill yourself by holding your breath.

Knowledge HUB - Diwali

India is the land of festivals but Diwali is one of the few grandest indian festival celebrated all over India with equal enthusiasm and zeal. Diwali Festival is the abbreviation of the Sanskrit word 'Deepavali', which means 'rows of lights'. One of the major Hindu festivals, it is celebrated to commemorate the returning of Rama and Sita to their kingdom Ayodhya after fourteen years of exile. Though, Diwali is mainly a five- day festival but we can see people preparing Diwali weeks ahead by cleaning and decorating their households. The main festival day falls on the no-moon day of the dark half of Kartik, according to the Hindu lunar calendar. Celebrated with vigour and gaiety by people of every religion Deepavali, its magical and radiant touch creates an atmosphere of joy and festivity. Innumerable lamps are lit on the roofs and windowsills of the houses, thus, giving an ethereal and almost divine look to the whole scenario. It is said that Lakshmi, Goddess of wealth roams the earth on this day and enters the house that is pure, clean and brightly illuminated. Young and old, men and women, all dress up in new clothes and buy new utensils on this day. They worship the deities, Lakshmi and Ganesha, and share sweets and gifts with their relatives and friends. It is also the beginning of the new financial year for the business community. However, it is the crackers and the fireworks that attract the kids the most and form the highlight of the festival. Deepawali symbolises the victory of righteousness and the lifting of spiritual darkness. It is the celebartion of victory of good over evil - and the glory of light. DIWALI 2006 : Divali falls on a new moon day in the month of October or November. Since the precise moment of the new moon falls on different dates depending on geographical location, the date of Diwali also depends on one's location. In 2006 Diwali will be celebrated on 21st October.

Knowledge HUB - Legends

If a statue of a person in the park on a horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air,the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has a all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes.

Knowledge HUB - How do you Sneeze?

If you sneeze too hard, you can fracture a rib. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture a blood vessel in your head or neck and die.

Knowledge HUB - Fact of the Day

It is physically impossible for pigs to look up into the sky.

Knoledge HUB - Fact of the Day.

According to the gemological institute of America, up to the 1730’s, India was the only source for diamonds in the world.

Knowledge HUB - Did you Know?

The “you are here” arrow on maps is called an ideo locator.

Knowledge HUB - Fact of the day

City with the most Rolls Royce’s per capita: Hong Kong.

Knowledge HUB - What is Beer (from Wikipedia)

Beer is one of the world's oldest alcoholic beverages, very likely first produced over 6000 years ago.[citation needed] It is a fermented beverage made from malted barley, hops, yeast and water, and is carbonated in almost all cases. By altering the production method (changes in time and temperature, for example) or the ingredients, a staggeringly wide variety of different types of beer can be produced. Much like fine wines, many beers can also be aged and evolve into beverages that defy the common definitions of beer.
HISTORY OF BEER
Beer is one of the oldest beverages humans have produced, dating back to at least the 5th millennium BC (prior even to writing), and recorded in the written history of Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. As almost any substance containing carbohydrates, namely sugar or starch, can naturally undergo fermentation, it is likely that beer-like beverages were independently invented among various cultures throughout the world.
In Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant, large-scale production of beer was common.[citation needed] In Europe, beer largely remained a homemaker's activity, made in the home in medieval times. By the 14th and 15th centuries, beermaking was gradually changing from a family-oriented activity to an artisanal one, with pubs and monasteries brewing their own beer for mass consumption.
Today, the brewing industry is a huge global business, consisting of several multinational companies, and many thousands of smaller producers ranging from brewpubs to regional breweries.

Knowledge HUB - More Beer

• The first beer brewery in the US opened in Manhattan in 1623.
• The first Octoberfest was held in 1810 in Munich, Germany.
• The oldest brewery in Munich, Löwenbrau, was founded 1373.
• The Czech Republic has the highest per capita beer consumption in the world, at 155 litres (40 gal).
• Ice beer is produced by freezing the brew and filtering the ice crystals, increasing the alcohol content. This process was already known in the Middle Ages to "cold-distil" brandy from wine, and the ancient Chinese produced rice hooch that way. The Canadians adopted the cold-distillation method for ice beer.
• A true pilsner comes from the Pilsner, Czech Republic. The original pilsner was Pilsner Urquell (Plzensky Prazrod), meaning "The Original Spring of Pilsen." It still is one of the most popular pilsner in the world.
• Sake, the Japanese rice brew, is closer to beer than wine by its production method.
• The English word "brewer" refers to a male beer-maker; "brewster" to a female.
• Beer and ale volumes: 4 gills = 1 pint, 2 pints = 1 quart, 4 quarts = 1 gallon, 9 gallons = 1 firkin, 2 firkins = 1 kilderkin, 3 kilderkins = 1 hogshead, 2 hogsheads = 1 butt.

Knowledge HUB - Beer

There are more than 20,000 brands of beer
Worldwide, 20,000 brands of beer are brewed in 180 styles, from ales, lagers, pilsner and stouts to bitters, cream ales and iced beers.
Beer has been a popular beverage for a long time. Babylonian clay tablets show detailed recipes of beer making in 4300 BC. Beer was also brewed by the ancient Chinese, Assyrians and Incas.
An Egyptian text of 1600 BC gives 100 medical prescriptions using beer. A few years ago, the New Castle Brewery in England brewed 1,000 bottles Tutankhamun Ale from a 3,200-year old recipe found in the sun temple of Queen Nefertiti.
Commercial beer making was established in 1200 AD in present-day Germany. In 1506, the German Purity Law is issued, specifying that beer ingredients must only be water, barley, wheat and hops. Bottling of beer started in 1605.
Making beerBrewing is the process of changing water and grain into beer through a yeast catalyst. The quality of the water is extremely important. Hard water produce a bitter ale, soft water produce bitter lager. Barley or hops, or a combination of them, is used for the grain.
Getting dry grain ready for fermentation is called malting. The grain is steeped in water until it sprouts. The sprouting or germination is not allowed to end naturally but is interrupted either by drying or roasting in kilns.
BarleyBarley has been a grain of choice for thousands of years. The longer the roasting of the malted barley, the darker the beer. Barley, or wheat beers have a sweet taste.
HopsHops are herbaceous climbing vines and look like a cross between pine cores and artichokes. The bitter, dry flavour of hops counterbalance the sweetness of malt.
YeastSugars in the malted grains are converted into alcohol by yeast. Different yeast ferment sugars into different flavours. For ales, top fermentation yeast is used, while bottom fermentation yeast is used for lagers.
The beer making process starts by germinating the grain, then steeping the resulting malt in hot water to get the wort. Base wort contents means the percentage of wort in the beer before fermentation. The alcohol contents is roughly one third of the base wort contents.The wort is boiled (brewed) and hops are added. After brewing, fermentation starts by adding yeast. After fermentation, the wort is drown into tanks where it is allowed to condition or age. Yeast and hops are sometimes added in a secondary fermentation process.
Ales and LagersAles, stouts and several other types of brews, like porter, are top-fermented. The top-fermentation yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, usually produces stronger alcohol contents than the bottom-fermentation yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergi, but the latter produces more quality-consistent brew. Lagers are bottom-fermented.
Ales usually are heavily hopped, and include bitters, brown ales, cream ales, mild ale, pale ale, India pale ale, barley wine and several other types. There are two types of the aboriginal ale still brewed in Europe. They are Belgian "lambic" and Finnish "sahti", which is brewed from rye malt. They are brewed on wild yeast and spontaneous fermentation. Both have very distinct tastes.
The word "lager" is German and means "storage", which refers to the lager (storage) fermentation. The main fermentation of both ales and lager are done on the similar temperature for 7-14 days. After that time the ale, depending on the type, may be ready for bottling. With lagers, this is only the start. After the main fermentation the beer is pumped into lager (storage) tanks with temperature some 10 deg C lower than room temperature. It is then let to mature and ferment for several weeks, usually 6-10 weeks. At 270 days, the longest lager fermentation is for that of Budejovicky Budvar brewery's Bud Strong.
Best tasteThe best taste usually is acquired at an alcohol contents of 4.7% ethanol per volume. Less than that results in a beer with a bland taste. More than that and the higher alcohols (butanol, pentanol etc) become overpowering and spoils the taste.
The strongest beer type by alcohol content is doppelbock, which is usually 8%-10% ethanol by its volume content. The strongest beer brand in production is German "Eisbock", with some 14% ethanol by volume.

Knowledge HUB - Coca Cola

• Coca-Cola would be green if colouring weren't added to it.
• In 1886, sales of "Coca-Cola" averaged only 9 drinks per day.
• On May 29, 1886, the first print advertisement for "Coca-Cola" appeared in the The Atlanta Journal.
• The first outdoor sign advertising "Coca-Cola" still exists. It was originally painted in 1894 and is located in Cartersville, Georgia.
• In February 1901, Dixie Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Atlanta, Georgia changed it's name to The Coca-Cola Bottling Company.
• In June 1904, advertising for "Coca-Cola" appeared in consumer magazine for the first time.
• In March 1906, bottling operations began in Canada.
• In 1927, The Coca-Cola Company began sponsoring its first radio program, "Vivian, The Coca-Cola Girl".
• On April 12, 1960, the shape of the 6½ oz. hobbleskirt bottle was registered as a trademark.
• In 1962, the trademark "Coke" was authorized to appear on all bottles.
• In 1962, the 16 oz. bottle for "Coca-Cola" was approved for nationwide use.
• In 1976, the 10 billionth gallon of "Coca-Cola" syrup was produced.

Knowledge HUB : Planet Fact.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. (Since Venus is normally associated with women, what does this tell you!)

Knowledge HUB : Fact of the Day.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

Knowledge HUB : Unknown Fact.

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for Blood Plasma.

Knowledge HUB - Fact

A group of ravens is called a murder.

Knowledge HUB - Celebrity Fact

Marilyn Monroe's real name was Norma Jeane Mortenson, which her mother changed to Norma Jeane Baker.

Knowlege HUB Celebrity Fact

The real name of actress Whoopi Goldberg is Caryn Elaine Johnson.

JEEP

JEEP is a vehicle with unique Gear system. It was invented during World War II 939-1945). It was named 'General Purpose Vehicle (GP)'. GP was changed into JEEP later.

Knowledge HUB - A Dice

The Opposite sides of a dice cube always add up to seven.

Knowledge HUB : Aglets

Agwhats?

Aglets, the ickle pieces of plastic found at the end of shoelaces. You always wondered what they were called didn't you? They were famously discussed by Tom Cruise in the blockbuster Cocktail but the word has been around for ages - originally acus in Latin, which means needle or point, then accula in Latin, a diminutive form of the above. Translated into French, the word became aguillette from which we now have "aglet".

Etymology aside, the idea was used as long ago as the Romans and the Egyptians who tied off the end of bandages for mummies with waxy aglets.