Country to Produce Paper Money

he Chinese began using paper bills during the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 618–907), primarily in the form of privately issued bills of credit or exchange notes — and used it for more than 500 years before the practice began to catch on in Europe in the 17th century. The Chinese found the weight of coins to be cumbersome and figured that printed money would be more efficient. It makes sense, considering that China also invented both paper and printing. It took another century or two for paper money to spread to the rest of the world. 

Fanta

Fanta was invented in Nazi Germany during World War II due to a trade embargo on importing Coca-Cola syrup. The head of Coca-Cola Deutschland decided to create a new product for the German market during the war, using ingredients available in Germany at the time, including whey and apple pomace. They held a competition to name the new orange soda, saying “use your imagination”; the German translation of ‘imagination’, is ‘fantasie’ and at that moment, a German salesman, Joe Knipp came up with the name Fanta. 

Mayfair

In the UK version of Monopoly, the most expensive property is "Mayfair".

Multiplayer board game Monopoly has an economics focus. Players travel about the game board by rolling two dice, purchasing and selling properties, and then developing them with homes and hotels. Players try to bankrupt their rivals by collecting rent from them. Tax squares, Community Chest cards, and Chance cards are further ways to win or lose money. Every time they pass "Go," players are given a stipend, but they also risk becoming locked up and being unable to leave unless they fulfill one of three requirements. There are house rules, many variations in editions, several spin-offs, and associated media. Due to its local licensing in more than 103 countries and its publication in more than 37 languages, Monopoly has ingrained itself into the fabric of global popular culture. In 2015, it was projected that 275 million copies of the game had been sold globally.

The Landlord's Game, developed in the United States in 1903 by Lizzie Magie, is the source of Monopoly. Lizzie Magie used The Landlord's Game to advance Henry George's economic theories, particularly his views on taxation, and to show that an economy that rewards individuals is preferable to one in which monopolies hold all the wealth. Originally, there were two sets of rules for The Landlord's Game: one that included taxes and another on which the present regulations are mostly based. The less capitalistic taxation regulation was not there in the 1935 edition of Monopoly that Parker Brothers initially released, making for a more competitive game. Hasbro finally acquired Parker Brothers in 1991. The name of the game refers to the economic idea of a monopoly, which is the dominance of a market by a single business.

 

Challenger Deep

Located southeast of Guam within the Mariana Trench is the deepest known point in the Earth's oceans — the Challenger Deep. In 2010, it was measured at 36,070 feet below sea level — meaning if Mount Everest were placed at this location, it would be covered by over one mile of water!

3M

More than a century ago, 3M started as a small-scale mining venture in Northern Minnesota, named Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company. The company was founded in 1902, and originally produced sandpaper. The St. Paul, Minnesota-based company, now makes a wide range of products covering areas from health care to consumer goods. The company produces approximately 60,000 products, including N95 respirator masks, Post-it notes, and Scotch tape. 3M is one of the 30 companies included in the Dow Jones Industrial Average. 

Three's Company

The 1970s and 1980s were a golden era for TV theme songs, and Three's Company had one of the most memorable of all time. The theme song, "Come and knock on our door," was composed by Joe Raposo (known for his work on Sesame Street and The Electric Company) and performed by Ray Charles (not that Ray Charles!) and Julia Rinker. The producers of the show entertained the idea of having the cast sing at least part of the theme. In his own words, however, Raposo disclosed that the cast "...tried," but "they didn't even come close." 

MacBeth

If you’ve ever had a career in the arts, or know someone who has, you are likely aware that saying the word “Macbeth” inside a theatre is strictly taboo unless one is rehearsing or in the midst of performing Shakespeare’s dark tragedy. Doing so is almost universally believed to bring about bad luck or even disaster. To avoid the portentous curse, actors refer to the play as “The Scottish Play.” According to folklore, the play’s history of bad luck began with its first performance, when the actor scheduled to portray Lady Macbeth died suddenly and Shakespeare himself was forced to assume the role. 

Luciano Pavarotti

 

Being one of the Three Tenors, who had their first performance at the 1990 FIFA World Cup in front of a large international audience, Luciano Pavarotti rose to fame for his TV performances and public appearances. Italian operatic singer Luciano Pavarotti transitioned into popular music in his latter years of performing, and he went on to become one of the most renowned and beloved tenors of all time. He recorded several operas in their entirety as well as solo arias, becoming known all over the globe for his tone and earning the moniker "King of the High Cs."

Plácido Domingo, José Carreras, and Luciano Pavarotti made up the operatic vocal trio known as The Three Tenors in the 1990s and early 2000s. The three started working together with a performance in the historic Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy, on July 7, 1990, the night before the FIFA World Cup Final of 1990, which was seen by an estimated 800 million people worldwide. The sight of three tenors singing at a World Cup performance while wearing elegant evening attire mesmerized the whole world. This first concert's recording went on to become the all-time best-selling classical CD and inspired other appearances and live recordings. At three further World Cup Finals, in 1994 in Los Angeles, 1998 in Paris, and 2002 in Yokohama, they performed for a worldwide televised audience. They also performed in several other cities throughout the globe, often before big crowds in stadiums or other comparable sized facilities. They last performed together at an arena in Columbus, Ohio, on 28 September 2003.

The opera, Broadway, Neapolitan melodies, and pop classics were all represented in the Three Tenors' repertoire. The ballad "O Sole Mio," which all three tenors frequently performed together, and "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's opera Turandot were the group's hallmark songs. Pavarotti typically sang the former.

Leonardo da Vinci

Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper” is one of the most admired and reproduced paintings in the world. While it has been reproduced by the masses in all different sizes, the original painting is, in fact, a whopping 15 feet wide by 29 feet long. If you want to see this painting in person, you won’t find it in a museum — instead, you’ll have to head to a convent in Milan, Italy, where it still hangs in its original place on the wall of the dining hall.

Erik the Red

Erik the Red was a Norwegian Viking known for discovering and colonizing Greenland. His flowing red hair and beard – which matched his hot tempered personality – earned him the nickname “Erik the Red.” He often clashed with his neighbors, and was even banished from both Norway and then Iceland. After being exiled from Iceland circa 980, he decided to explore the land to the west. He named the country Greenland in the belief that a good name would attract settlers. One of Erik's sons was the well-known Icelandic explorer Leif Erikson. 

Berry Gordy, Jr.

Responsible for reshaping popular music in the 20th century, Berry Gordy Jr. was the founder of the famous Motown Records. The record company was founded in 1959 and soon became the most successful African American enterprise in the United States, breathing life into musical acts such as The Jackson 5, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Supremes, Lionel Richie and Gladys Knight, just to name a few.

Turtles

 

The painted turtle is the most widespread native turtle of North America. It lives in slow-moving fresh waters, from southern Canada to northern Mexico, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific. The stinkpot turtle is a species of small turtle in the family Kinosternidae. The species is native to southeastern Canada and much of the Eastern United States. The snapping turtle is native to the western hemisphere.

As members of the Testudines order of reptiles, turtles are distinguished by a shell that is mostly made from their ribs. The manner the head retracts distinguishes the two main subgroups of modern turtles, the concealed neck turtles and the side-necked turtles. Land-dwelling tortoises and freshwater terrapins are two of the 360 species of living and recently extinct turtles. Most of the world's continents, several islands, and, in the case of sea turtles, a sizable portion of the ocean, are home to them. Although many species are found in or near water, they do not deposit their eggs in it, unlike other reptiles, birds, and mammals. They also breathe air. The majority of the time, genetic evidence shows them to be closely related to birds and crocodilians.

The domed carapace on top and the flattened plastron, often known as the belly-plate, are both formed mostly of bone in turtle shells. Keratin scales, the same substance used to make hair, horns, and claws, coat its exterior. From ribs that expand sideways, the carapace bones form into wide, flat plates that link together to envelop the body. Being "cold-blooded" or ectotherms, turtles experience temperature changes in response to their immediate surroundings. They mostly consume plants and stationary animals and are often opportunistic omnivores. Every season, a lot of turtles travel short distances. Only sea turtles go across great distances to deposit their eggs on a preferred beach.