Trivia

Athens, the Greek capital, is known as the Cardle of Western Civilization and is the birthplace of democracy. Athens has a recorded history those 3000 years. Built primarily as fortifications to avoid enemy attacks, castles are a lasting symbol of the middle ages. Castles often used moats to prevent enemies from easily entering. Petra, meaning Rock in Greek and Arabic, was a city in ancient Jordan. It is famous for its stone structure which is carved directly into a sandstone formation. Located near Cape Town is a granite island named Seal Island. This is a spawning ground for seals and attracts some of the largest Great White Sharks in the world. Amazon hosting the largest river in the world by volume, the Amazon rainforest is home to over one third of all known species on earth. The Statue of Liberty was a gift given to the USA from the French. Standing 305 feet high, it is made out of copper and was designed by Gustave Eiffel. Taj Mahal, which means Crown Place, was constructed between 1631 and 1653 and is made of marble. It was built as a loving tribute to the Kings favorite Queen. Great Barrier Reef composed of over 3000 individual reef and coral systems; the Great Barrier Reef is one of the 7 Wonders of the natural world and is visible from space. Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was a famous pirate from the Caribbean. In only 5 years Blackbeard captures over 40 ships in the Caribbean Sea. The Hermitage located in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Hermitage is one of the largest museums in the world housing over 3 million workers of art. Japan, which means the Land of the Rising Sun, has been in habitual since 30,000 BC Japan is actually comprised of over 3,000 islands, many of which are volcano. Hawaii the last state to be added to the US Hawaii is the only state that is continually growing in area, due to active lava flows. Arctic is home to many animals such as the Polar Bear. Polar Bear are not actually white- their fur is transparent and appears white as it reflects the snow and ice. The Serengeti, meaning Endless Plains, spans around 5,000 square mile. Twice a year, over 2 million animals will migrate across the Serengeti to follow the rains.

Angkor Wat literally meaning City Temple, Angkor Wat was constructed in the 21th century AD Built to honor the Hindu god Vishnu, the entire compound is over 500 acres in size.

Ayers Rock also known as Uluru, Ayers Rock is a large sandstone formation located in Australia. Standing 1,142 feet high, Ayers Rock is a sacred site for the aboriginal people.

Morocco in habited since around 8,000 BC, Morocco, whose names translates to Western Kingdom, is known for its diverse culture, cuisine and most city, Casablanca.

A speakeasy was an establishment that illegally sold alcohol during Prohibition. The term comes from the way patrons would order drinks they were told to speak easy.

Cook Island named after Captain Cook who sighted them in 1770, the Cook Island are one of the last areas in the world to welcome the New Year on January 1st.

Mummification begun around 3,300 BC The Egyptians believed that if a pharaohs body was mummified after death the pharaoh would live forever.

It was on Bedloe Island that the Statue of Liberty was reconstructed in America - the island is now called Liberty Island. The Great Wall of China started by the first emperor of china, the great Wall spans over 4,000 miles. During the Ming Dynasty, the Great Wall was guarded by more one million men.

London Underground is the longest subway system in the world and is comprised of 268 stations and 250 miles of track. Banff, located in Alberta, was founded in the 1880s after railway workers accidentally stumbled across natural hot springs in the area. Iguazu Fall actually consists of 275 waterfalls spanning around along the Iguazu River. Iguazu Falls is second only to Victoria Fall in terms of size. The Trans-Siberian railway connects Moscow to Vladivostok. Taking over 6 days to travel, it is the third longest railway in the world. Machu Picchu built around 1450 AD Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city located in Peru. Machu Picchu was abandoned by the Incas due to a smallpox outbreak around the mid-16th century.

Scarabs were a scared part of Ancient Egyptians beliefs. It was believed that Scarabs made the sun rise every day and set every evening. Tutankhamun beginning his reign at age 9 King Tut only reigned for 11 years but is the best known pharaoh from Ancient Egypt. The Great Pyramid of Giza is made around 2.5 million stones and took over 80 years to build. Pyramids served as tombs for the Kings & Queens of Ancient Egypt.

The Great Sphinx built around 2500 BC, the Great Sphinx is a half-man and half-lion representation of its builder, the Pharaoh Khafra. Valley of the Kings for around 500 years Valley of the Kings was the pyramid tomb location for kings and noblemen in Ancient Egypt. There have been 63 different tombs discovered in this deep valley.

Cats played a very significant role in Ancient Egypt. They were a symbol of grace and poise and cats likeness were often used when depicting gods.

Hieroglyphics were a series of image and characters that served as the ancient Egyptians method of writing. Ra was the Sun-god to the Ancient Egyptians. Seen as the ruler of all other gods, Ra was also viewed as the patron to the pharaohs. Isis was the most prominent goddess to the Ancient Egyptians. She was viewed as the mother of the heavens and was believed to have sprung from the Nile.

Papyrus was one of the first materials used for writing on. The word paper comes directly from the word Papyrus. The Ankh is the Egyptians Symbol for life it is also known as the Egyptian Cross or the Key of Life. In 1492 the three ships that Christopher Columbus used when discovering America were the Nina, The Pinta, and The Santa Maria. Spanish, English, French, and Dutch are the predominant official languages of various countries in the Caribbean. While reefs in the Pacific are 60-70 million years old, reefs in the Caribbean are only 10-15 million years old. The Caribbean is home to around 9% of the worlds coral reefs.

The earliest recorded treasure map is the Copper Scroll. This scroll was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Chinas Grand Canal is the oldest and longest man-made canal at 1,114 mi. long with 24 locks and around 60 bridges. Despite China being the fourth largest country in the world, based on land mass, all of China is in time zone. Every Chinese Year in named after one of twelve animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. Chinese Lanterns were once a symbol of a familys wealth. The richest families had lanterns so large that it required several people to hoist them into place.

The oldest piece of paper was found in China and dates back to the first century B.C. Paper was so durable it was used for clothing and light body armor.

Mount Everest is the tallest mountain, above sea level, on Earth. It sits on the border between China and Nepal.

Red is considered a lucky color in China. There were tomes where everything from clothing, banners and even wedding dresses were red Bank of America Center located in Seattle and built in 1984, stands 76 stories and 967 feet high. Martha Washington the wife of President George Washington, she was born in 1731 and died 1802 Nation bank Center located in Houston, built in 1984, it stands 56 stories and 780 feet high