Encyclopaedia Britannica: History and Facts

The Encyclopædia Britannica was first published between 1768 and 1771 in Edinburgh.

The Encyclopædia Britannica was founded by Colin Macfarquhar and Andrew Bell from Ireland.

The present owner of Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. is Jacqui Safra , a Swiss billionaire and actor.

The Britannica was dedicated to the British monarch from 1788 to 1901 and to both the British monarch and the President of the United States then onwards.

In 1933, the Britannica became the first encyclopædia to adopt "continuous revision", that is it is continually reprinted and every article updated on a schedule.

Great people including Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, James Maxwell, Lord Kelvin and Leon Trotsky have served as the authors of Britannica articles.

The Britannica Junior edition was first published in 1934 as 12 volumes. It was withdrawn from the market in 1984.

The first Children's version of Britannica was issued in London in 1960. It was edited by John Armitage.

The longest article in Britannica is about the United States, which spans 310 pages.

Christine Sutton of the University of Oxford is the most prolific contributor to the Encyclopædia Britannica with 24 articles on particle physics.

Time magazine called the Britannica the "Patriarch of the Library" at the release of its 14th edition.

Since the first release of 15th edition, Britannica has been organised into three parts: the Micropædia, Macropædia, and Propædia.

The first CD-ROM edition Britannica was issued in 1994.

The online Britannica won the Codie award for "Best Online Consumer Information Service" in 2005.

The final print edition of Britannica was in 2010, a 32-volume set.

On, 13 March 2012, it was announced that Encyclopædia Britannica will be publishing no more print editions.

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Olympic Games: Basic Information

The Olympic games is the largest sporting event in the world with the participation of thousands of athletes from over 200 countries. The history of Olympics traces back to 776 BC. The first Olympics took place in Greece. Later, it was abandoned but was brought back by in 1896 to revive the history. Greece, the birthplace of the games, also witnessed the dawn of the modern Olympics that unites the different countries under one roof. Frenchman Pierre de Cubertin is regarded as the father of modern Olympics.
Olympic Symbol
The symbol consists of five interlinked rings to represent the friendship of all people. The rings also represent the 5 continents. Blue- Europe, Yellow- Asia, Black- Africa, Green- Australia and Red- America.
Motto
The Olympic Motto is 'Citius, Altius, Fortius' meaning 'Faster, Higher, Stronger' in Latin. The motto was coined by Father Didon, a French priest in 1895.

Flag
The Olympic Flag consists of the five rings of Olympic symbol in a plain white background.
Flame
The Olympic Flame represents the continuity between the ancient and modern games. It was adopted in 1936. The flame is kindled by the Olympic torch. It is lit by the sun rays at Olympia, Greece and is then carried to the games venue by a relay of runners.
Oath
The Olympic oath should be taken by an athlete during the opening ceremony. It reads "In the name of all name of all the competitors, I promise that we shall take part in these Olympic Games, respecting and abiding by the rules which govern them in the true spirit of sportsmanship for the glory of sport and the honour of our teams". It was composed by Pierre de Cubertin, the founder of modern Olympics.
Creed
The Olympic creed was also composed by Pierre de Cubertin. It is that the most important thing is not to win but take part in the Olympics. The primary thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.

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American Presidents: Facts and Trivia

George Washington

George Washington is the first US President. He is also known as the Father of Nation.

The first US Vice President and 2nd President was John Adams.

John Adams was the first US President to reside in White House.

The official airplane of the US President is known as Airforce 1.

George Washington is the only US President who won getting 100% electoral votes.

Franklin D Roosevelt was the US President to serve for the longest time. He was the only person to be in the chair for more than two times as well.

The youngest person to be the US President was Theodore Roosevelt. He was 42 when he took charge in 1901.

Ronald Reagen was the oldest to be the US President. He was 69 when he was elected in 1981.

Abraham Lincoln is the US President who abolished slavery.

Four US Presidents have been assassinted in office. Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William Mckinely and John F Kennedy are them.

Abraham Lincoln was the first US President from Republican Party.

George Bush and George W Bush are the only father and son to have been US Presidents.

A presidential term is 4 years.

The official room of US President in the White House is called Oval Office.

The world famous toy Teddy Bear got its name from Theodore Roosevelt.

Harry S Truman was the US President who ordered the Atom bomb attack at Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Four US Presidents have won the coveted Nobel Peace Prize. They are Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter and Barak Obama.

The summer residence of the President is known as Camp David.

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The Mayan Calendar and World's End: Things to know

Author: Krishnanjan Pramanik

The Mayans were the civilization inhabited in South America. They and the calendar devised by them, the 'Mayan Calendar' have been on headlines for a while. Non-senses are in the air about it and its connection with an another non-sense (End of world in 2012). But I really have doubt regarding the number of persons who really know about the Mayan way of counting days. Let me explain it for those who don't.

First of all, the Mayans had two basic way of counting days, namely Tzolkin and Haab. Tzolkin is a 260-day ritual count. This 260-days were counted with 13-cycles of 20 days each. Haab was a 365-day solar count. This 365-day were calculated with 18-cycles of 20 days each. Research workers sometimes call the Haab as the ' Vague Year ' because Mesoamericans did not take account of the fact that a solar year lasts slightly more than 365 days and add an extra day every four years. So, overtime, their solar years must have dragged behind the movements of stars ans sun. There used to have a 'unlucky period' of five days period at the end of each year.
There are conflicts about why the early Mesoamericans first fixed on 260-days count as a useful unit for measuring time. Some have argued that it was based on observation of the movements of Venus and of the Sun because 260-days period roughly corresponds to the gap between the appearance of Venus as the evening star and its emergence as the morning star. There is also an interval of 260 days between the sun's annual southward movement and its northward return when viewed from latitude close to Copan.
Most modern researchers argue thet the 260-days cycle is based on counting forward 260 days from the date of a woman's last menstrual period, to predict when a baby is likely to be born, as do the modern Maya still living in the mountains of southern Guatemala.

The Mayan Long Count

In addition to the twinned 260-days and 365-days calendars, the Maya people greatly refined a much longer running measuring system, the 'Long count', which is known to have been used in many parts of Mesoamerica at the beginning of the first millennium BC. Researchers found that during the Classical period, the Mayans dated their monuments using the Long Count to record births, deaths, royal accessions and anniversaries, the dates of ritual sacrifices and battle triumphs. This system counted forward from a Zero date of 4 Ahua 8 Cumku, equivalent to 11 August 3114 BC in the Gregorian calendar.
The Maya Long count counted days in units of 20 and used 360 days as a 'Year'. Its five units were the 'Baktun' (144,000 days), the 'Katun' (7,200 days), the 'Tun' (360 days), the 'Uinal' (20 days), and the 'Kin' (1 day). Dates were carved in this order, with units separated by full points. For example, the date 3.3.2.1.1 would be 3 Baktuns, 3 Katuns, 2 Tuns, 1 Uinal and 1 Kin, making a total of 454,341 days after the Zero date of 11th August 3114 BC.
The misinterpretation of this Long count calendar is the basis for the popular belief that a cataclysm will take place on 21st December of 2012 .
But actually 21st December, 2012 is the day that the calendar will go to the next 'Baktun'. The foresaid fact is what inspired many prophecies and the exploitation of people in the name of World's End.

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Nokia 808 PureView comes up with 41 Mega Pixel Camera!

Believe it or not! Nokia is all set to make history as it launched their latest product Nokia 808 PureView smartphone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The phone runs Symbian Belle instead of usual Windows Phone operating system. Nokia had announced that it is going to cease the Symbian handsets with the end of this year. That suggests that the 808 PureView may be one of the last Symbian Belle phones to come out from to the Nokia factory.
The PureView is concieved by two Nokia engineers who wanted to make revelutionary changes in the camera concepts of a smartphone. It is coming with the whopping 41 Megapixels camera that sports the PureView technology. It was developed by combining Carl Zeiss optics and Nokia's own Pixel over-sampling technology. The camera can take pictures at 5, 8 and 38 Megapixels. Apart from that, we can zoom in the frame up to 3X without losing any clarity. There will be no artificially created pixels in the picture, either.
But it is pointed out that the phone won't be having that much demand among the conventional smartphone users unless you are a photography geek. The Symbian OS is not as much flexible and perfect as other systes like Android and Windows Phone. So the mainstream consumers might hesitate to buy the Nokia 808.

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Clearmyguilt.com; Confess your sins anonymously

Have you been feeling guilty of something you did in the past? And you wanted to confess it but none was there to give an ear or none should know that it was you? Then you should join the website Clearmyguilt.com (http://clearmyguilt.com). It is a different kind of website that allows its users to confess their deepest secrets and sins online keeping their anonymity.
You can post your mistakes that have been haunting you in the forum named Guilt Box. The fellow users read rate the sins as either 'forgiveable' or 'unforgiveable'. The sinners who get more forgivable votes go to heaven and who get more unforgivable votes go to hell ! The venture helps to absolve sinners of their guilt and take the pressure away. The people can have some relief and make a new start.
The idea of Clearmyguilt.com was concieved by two Arizona University students named Lonny Ruben and Ryan Charleston. It was launched in January. The duo curate the sins and choose the top 15 those are supposed to recieve the best response on the forum. They say that keeping the identity anonymous encourages the members to be honest.
Obviously, the site has made an impact on the people that it enjoys around 100,000 visitors a day. Its Facebook page has got more than 2000 likes as well.

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Oscar Awards Quiz

1. Which was the first colour movie to win the Best Picture Oscar ?
2. Who holds the record of winning the Best Director award most no.of times ?
3. Which art director designed the Oscar statuette ?
4. Who was the first to win an Oscar for Best Actress for a role in a foreign language film ?
5. Which Oscar winning movie was a film adaptation of the George Bernard Shaw play, Pygmalion ?
6. Who directed the Oscar winning film The Last Emperor, based on the life of Chinese emperor Pu-Yi ?
7. Who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her 8 minutes long role in 1998 film Shakespeare in Love ?
8. Which two actors share the distinction of being nominated for Oscar 7 times without a single win ?
9. For the performance in which film, did Marlon Brando win his first Oscar ?
10. Who became the youngest to win a Best Actor Oscar in 2002 ?
11. The Oscar winning film Braveheart is based on the life of which English king ?
12. Which actor won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of boxer Jake La Motta ?
13. Which film by William Wyler based on Bible won a record 11 Oscars in 1959 ?
14. In which name the Oscar winning actor Krishna Bhanji became popular ?
15. Which 1985 Spielberg film was nominated for 11 Oscars, without winning a single award ?
16. Who was the director of 1976 film Dersu Uzala that won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film ?
17. Who is the only woman to have won a Best Director Oscar ?
18. Which musical won 8 Oscars in 1958 ?
19. Who was the first to win the Best Actress Oscar in 1928 ?
20. The Oscar nominated film The Miracle Worker tells the story of which famous teacher and student ?

Answers

1. Gone With the Wind, 1939
2. John Ford, 4 times
3. Cedric Gibbons
4. Sophia Loren, Two Women
5. My Fair Lady, 1964
6. Bernardo Bertolucci
7. Judi Dench
8. Peter O' Toole and Richard Burton
9. On the Waterfront, 1954
10. Adrien Brody
11. William Wallace
12. Robert De Niro, Raging Bull in 1980
13. Ben-Hur
14. Ben Kingsley
15. The Colour Purple
16. Akira Kurasowa
17. Katheryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker
18. Gigi
19. Janet Gaynor
20. Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller

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Cricket Quiz 1

This is the first edition of Cricket Quiz. Only Men's Cricket has been reffered to here.

Questions

1. In which year the International Cricket Council was founded ?
2. Who was the first bowler to take a hat-trick in Test Cricket ?
3. Who holds the record for highest individual score in the World Cup ?
4. Who was the first player to be declared out by the third umpire in an international match ?
5. Sunil Gavaskar has taken only one wicket in Test Cricket. Who was his victim ?
6. Which player was known as Black Bradman ?
7. Which player scored century in his debut match, debut match as capain and the final match in Test Cricket ?
8. Who is the only player to have hit 6 sixes in an over in ODI ?
9. 'Straight from the Heart' is the autobiography of which Cricketer ?
10. Which company sponsored the first three world cup trophies ?
11. Who was the Player of the Tournament in 1999 World Cup ?
12. Which is the largest Cricket stadium in the world ?
13. Which Cricketer was called Big Cat ?
14. Which was the first country to win by 10 wickets in a One-day match ?
15. Which English king banned Cricket in 1365 ?
16. Who is the only player to have won 4 consecutive Man of the Match awards in ODIs ?
17. Which country holds the record for highest team total in both Test and ODI Cricket ?
18. Who scored the fastest double hundred in Test Cricket ?
19. Which umpire is known for his 'slow death' style of indicating a batsman is out ?
20. Which stadium hosted the first international Day-Night match ?

Answers

1. 1909
2. S R Spolforth
3. Gary Kirsten, 188* v/s UAE, 1996
4. Sachin Tendulkar
5. Zaheer Abbas, Pakistan
6. George Headley
7. Greg Chappel
8. Herschelle Gibbs, v/s Netherlands
9. Kapildev
10. Prudential Insurance
11. Lance Klusner, South Africa
12. Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia
13. Clive Lloyd
14. India, in 1975 v/s East Africa
15. Edward III
16. Sourav Ganguly
17. Sri Lanka
18. Adam Gilchrist
19. Rudi Koertzen, South Africa
20. Sydney Cricket Ground

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Music Quiz 1

1. Who is considered the father of Orchestra ?
   
2. Which music band has won the most number of Grammy awards till date ?


3. Who was the first Indian musician to do a symphony ?


4. Who composed the ballet Swans in the Lake ?


5. Who edited the book The Pelican History of Music ?


6. Which musical instrument was invented by Italian Bartolommeo Christofori ?


7. Which musician scored for the film Chariots of Fire to win an Oscar ?


8. Who are known as the trinity of Carnatic Music ?


9. Singer Harry Rodger Webb became popular in what name ?


10. Bouzouki is a string instrument from where ?


11. The song "Horst-Wessel-Lied" was the anthem of which infamous political party ?


12. Which instrument is known as the King of Orchestra ?


13. The word Music was formed from the Greek for Muses' Art. Who are the Muses ?


14. Whom did Ringo Starr replace to join the Beatles ?


15. Which jazz trumpeter was called the 'Prince of Darkness' ?


16. Which Beethoven symphony was a tribute to Nepoleon Bonaparte ?


17. Graceland was the home of which Rock N Roll legend ?


18. Which Pink Floyd song was banned by the South African government during apartheid ?


19. Who composed the background score of the Satyajit Ray film Pather Panchali ?


20. The Salzburg Music Festival commommorates which music legend ?

Answers

1. Joseph Haydn
2. U2
3. Ilaiyaraja
4. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
5. Alec Robertson and Denis Stevens
6. Piano
7. Vangelis
8. Thyagaraja Swamikal, Mutthuswami Dikshithar and Shyama Shastrikal
9. Cliff Richard
10. Greece
11. Nazi Party
12. Violin
13. Muses are the 9 sons of Greek god Zeus
14. Pete Best
15. Miles Davis
16. Eroica
17. Elvis Presley
18. Another Brick in the Wall
19. Pandit Ravishankar
20. Wolfgang Mozart

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United Nations Specialised Agencies

Agency, Founding Year and Headquarters

United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation [UNESCO] - 1946 - Paris

United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund [UNICEF] - 1946 - New York

United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] - 1972 - New York

United Nations Environment Programme [UNEP] - 1972 - Nairobi

United Nations Fund for Population Activities [UNFPA] - 1969 - New York

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [UNHCR] - 1950 - Geneva

United Nations Industrial Development Organisation [UNIDO] - 1967 - Vienna

United Nations Institute for Training and Research [UNITAR] - 1965 - New York

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development [UNCTAD] - 1964 - Geneva

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East [UNRWA] - 1949 - New York

International Labour Organisation [ILO] - 1919 - Geneva

International Atomic Energy Agency [IAEA] - 1957 - Vienna

Food and Agriculture Organisation [FAO] - 1945 - Rome

World Health Organisation [WHO] - 1948 - Geneva

World Meteorological Organisation [WMO] - 1950 - Geneva

International Maritime Organisation [IMO] - 1948 - London

International Development Association [IDA] - 1960 - Washington DC

International Finance Corporation [IFC] - 1956 - Washington DC

International Civil Aviation Organisation [ICAO] - 1947 - Montreal

Universal Postal Union [UPU] - 1875 - Berne

International Telecommunication Union [ITU] - 1932 - Geneva

International Fund for Agricultural Development [IFAD] - 1977 - Rome

World Intellectual Property Organisation [WIPO] - 1970 - Geneva

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International Mother Language Day: History and Facts

The International Mother Language Day is observed annually on 21 February worldwide to promote awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism. The observation was first announced by UNESCO on 17 November 1999.
International Mother Language Day observation was inspired from the Language Movement Day commemorated in Bangladesh since 1952.

History

On 21 March 1948, Pakistan Governor General Mohammed Ali Jinnah declared Urdu as the only official language for both West and East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan (now Bangladesh ) started to protest against this as Bangla was their mother tongue. As a part of protest, students in Dhaka called for a provincial strike on 21 February 1952. The government declared a curfew at the place. But the students did not withdraw the strike but continued peacefully. The Pakistani police fired on the students despite these peaceful protests and 4 students were killed. The Mother Language Day commommorates this incident.

Other Facts

United Nations declared 2008 as the International Year of Languages to recognise the Mother Language Day movement.

The Linguapax Institute of Spain awards Linguapax Prize on every Mother Language Day to linguists, researchers, professors and members of the civil society 'in acknowledgement of their outstanding work in the field linguistic diversity or multilingual education'. The award was instituted in 2002.

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Wildlife Quiz 1

1. What is the colour of Hippoppotamus sweat ?
2. The extinct bird Dodo had lived in which country ?
3. What is Ornithology a study of ?
4. What type of creature is a Bombay Duck ?
5. Which is the first National Park in the world ?
6. Which are the two egg laying mammals ?
7. Which is the only animal with chlorophyll ?
8. Which is the smallest flightless bird ?
9. Name the only kind of apes found in India.
10. In which country the bird Kiwi is found ?
11. In which class of deers both male and female have horns ?
12. Which is the largest fish in the world ?
13. Which Indian National Park is famous for One Horned Rhinos ?
14. Which type of Turtles have the longest lifespan ?
15. Where are the headquarters of World Wild Fund for Nature (WWF) ?
16. What is the meaning of the word Dinausur ?
17. Expand IUCN.
18. Which is the largest carnivore living on the land ?
19. Which bird can fly backwards ?
20. What is the scientific name of Peacock ?

Answers

1. Red
2. Mauritius
3. Birds
4. Fish
5. Yellowstone National Park, Canada
6. Platypus and Echidna
7. Euglena
8. Island Rail
9. Gibbon
10. New Zealand
11. Reindeer
12. Whale Shark
13. Kaziranga National Park, Asom
14. Galapagos Turtles
15. Gland in Switzerland
16. Giant Lizard
17. International Union for Conservation of Nature
18. Polar Bear
19. Bee Humming Bird
20. Pavo Christatus

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History Quiz 1

1. Who is called the Father of History ?
2. Who is the first Pharao king to be reffered in Bible ?
3. Twelve Tables was the first book on the law system of which empire ?
4. Which British Prime Minister presented the Act of Union in Parliament in 1800 that recommanded a common parliament for Britain and Ireland ?
5. In what name the aids of Garibaldi, who led the Italian unification in 1800s, were known as ?
6. Who named Greenland, the largest island in the world ?
7. Who led the drafting of the Declaration of American Independence ?
8. Which peace treaty ended the First World War ?
9. The Pacific War during 1879-84 was fought between which Latinamerican countries ?
10. Who was the first Secretary General of United Nations ?
11. Which fascist leader used to be called El Cadillo ?
12. After which liberator is Bolivia named ?
13. Which dynasty was overthrown in the Chinese revolution in 1912
14. Who was the only British king who never talked English ?
15. Which nation was formed on 14 May, 1948 ?
16. Whose followers are called Rastafarians ?
17. Who is known as the founder of Modern Turkey ?
18. Whose assassination by Gavrilo Princip triggered the First World War ?
19. Who was the first Republican president of USA ?
20. The Battle of Waterloo was what determined the fall of Napoleon. Where is Waterloo ?

Answers

1. Herodotus
2. Necko
3. Roman empire
4. William Pitt
5. Red Shirts
6. Erik the Red
7. Thomas Jefferson
8. Versailes Treaty
9. Chile and Bolivia
10. Trigvey Li of Norway
11. General Franco of Spain
12. Simon Bolivar
13. Manchu dynasty
14. King George I
15. Israel
16. Haile Selassie, former Ethiopian ruler
17. Mustafa Kamal Pasha Attaturk
18. Duke Ferdinand of Serbia
19. Abraham Lincoln
20. Belgium

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Literature Quiz 1

1. 'Frailty, thy name is woman.' in which Shakespeare play do these words appear ?
2. Who was the first African writer to win a Literature Nobel ?
3. How do we better know Charles Dodgson ?
4. Who was the first winner of Jnanpith Award, India's most prestigious literary honor ?
5. Who was the author of The Godfather ?
6. 'Call me Ishmael', which classic novel begins with this line ?
7. Which famous poet wrote the preface to Rabindranath Tagore's Gitanjali ?
8. What is the other name of Geethagovindam by Jayadeva ?
9. Sir Nigel and The White Company are the lesser known romance novels by which author ?
10. Who is the only person to have won a Nobel Prize and an Oscar Award ?
11. What is the real name of the character who people know as the 'hunchback of Notre Dame' ?
12. Who created the character Lolita ?
13. Lago is the antagonist of which famous literary work ?
14. On whose novel of the same title is the Oscar winning film The English Patient based ?
15. Which literature Nobel laureate was once the Mexican ambassador to India ?
16. Which famous novel ends with the line 'After all, tomorrow is another day' ?
17. Whose autobiography is titled The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian ?
18. Which author played a village girl in the film Massey Saahib ?
19. Which Soviet author had to reject the Nobel prize in 1958 due to the government pressure ?
20. The Hugo Award for detective fiction is named after whom ?

Answers

1. Hamlet
2. Wole Soyinka
3. Lewis Caroll, author of Alice in Wonderland
4. G Shankarakkurup, Malayalam poet
5. Mario Puzo
6. Mobydick by Herman Melville
7. WB Yeats
8. Ashtapadi
9. Arthur Conan Doyle
10. George Bernard Shaw
11. Quasimodo
12. Vladimir Nabokov
13. Othello
14. Michael Ondaatje
15. Octavio Paz
16. Gone With the Wind
17. Nirad C Chaudhari
18. Arundhati Roy
19. Boris Pasternak
20. Hugo Gernsbach

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Tweek : India's first tablet magazine

Times Internet Limited (TIL) has launched 'Tweek', India's first tablet magazine. The magazine can be accessed on the iPad and is to be launched on the iPhone and Android soon.
Times CEO Rishi Khiani said that Times is intending to pioneer the 'tablet magazine' arena in India. Tweek will have the latest stories in all categories like business, entertainment and sports from across the globe.

The Tweek application for the tablet was developed by TIL and the cloud-based mobile publishing company GENWI.
The magazine lets the reader to watch and listen to the story apart from just reading. Owing to the interactive format, the readers can share the contents through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The readers can connect directly with the writers of Tweek and give the feedback about the stories they read or watched.

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Business Quiz 1

1. Which company was founded by Hans Wildorf ?
2. In business regard, what is LUP ?
3. The Aura brand of mobile phones are from which company ?
4. Whose tagline reads as 'Life Well Shared' ?
5. Who is the author of the book Inside Intel ?
6. Which was the first commercial symbol to be featured at Madame Tussaud's ?
7. Fill with a famous liquor brand. Facundo da _______?
8. Jubilant Food Works is the Indian franchisee of which food chain ?
9. Which Bollywood actor owns Monarch Group ?
10. Which daily used word was coined by Deepak Mohani ?
11. Simple Filler Pen Company is the former name of which penmaker ?
12. Where is Tata Archives is located ?
13. The Nissan GTR is nicknamed what ?
14. Which was the first public company to be listed on Bombay Stock Exchange ?
15. Who founded the firm Corbis in 1989 ?
16. Which is the largest search engine in China
17. The Smartest Guys in the Room is a book on which firm ?
18. Sanjiv Bikchandani is the CEO of which job search website ?
19. Which famous logo was designed by Charles Sykes ?
20. Which term means 'free of care' in Latin ?

Answers

1. Rolex
2. Low Unit Packaging
3. Motorola
4. Readers' Digest
5. Tim Jackson
6. Singapore Girl of Singapore Airlines
7. Bacardi
8. Domino's
9. Mithun Chakraborthy
10. Sensex
11. Mont Blanc
12. Pune
13. Godzilla
14. HPCL (Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd)
15. Bill Gates
16. Baidu
17. Enron
18. Naukri.com
19. Spirits of Ecstasy
20. Security

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Film Quiz 1

1. Which was the first colour movie to win a Best Picture Oscar ?
2. Which Hollywood actress became the queen of Monaco later after her marriage to King Rainier ?
3. Which production company was founded in 1919 by David Griffith, Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and Mary Pickford ?
4. Which great Tamil actor was known as Nadigar Tilakam ?
5. Who adapted the classic novel Dr. Zhivago into film ?
6. Whose autobiography is titled Magic Lantern ?
7. Who has won the maximum number of Oscar awards ?
8. Which film directed by Akira Kurasowa was an adaptation of Shakespearean play King Lear ?
9. Bloodstone is the only Hollywood film of which Indian superstar ?
10. The Orsen Welles masterpiece Citizen Kane was allegedly based on the life of which media tycoon ?
11. For the performance in which film, did Marlon Brando recieve his first Academy Award ?
12. Who was the first person to be awarded the Phalke Award, the highest film honour in India ?
13. The Oscar winning movie Slumdog Millionaire was based on the book by which Indian diplomat ?
14. Who directed the film Cinema Paradiso ?
15. Who is considered as the father of Documentary films ?
16. The recent Hollywood film Dam 999 has been inspired by which disaster ?
17. Which Football legend appeared in the film Hot Shot ?
18. Which was the first Indian cinemascope film ?
19. Which renowned Italian director made the movie Blow Up ?
20. Which was the first X-rated movie to win Oscar ?

Answers

1. Gone With the Wind
2. Grace Kelly
3. United Artists
4. Sivaji Ganesan
5. David Leen
6. Ingmer Bergman
7. Walt Disney, 26 times
8. Ran
9. Rajnikanth
10. William Randolph Hearst
11. On the Waterfront
12. Devika Rani
13. Vikas Swarup
14. Giuseppe Tornatore
15. Robert Flaharty
16. Banqiao dam disaster
17. Pele
18. Kaagaz Ke Phool
19. Michaelangelo Antonioni
20. Midnight Cowboy, 1969

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Technology Quiz

1. What is the expansion of SMTP ?
2. Who developed the Linux operating system while being a University student ?
3. Which wireless data transfer technology is named after a 10th century Viking King ?
4. Which company produces the BlackBerry model phones ?
5. In 2010, which country became the first in world to make access to broadband service a basic right ?
6. What does the word 'Wiki' mean in Hawaiian ?
7. Which social networking website was founded by Ramu Yalamanchi in 2003 ?
8. Where was the first Cyber Court in India was insituted ?
9. Who is considered as the father of Nanotechnology ?
10. Which science fiction auther wrote the three laws of robotics ?
11. What is the word used for 4 bits ?
12. Which day is observed as the World Computer Literacy Day ?
13. Who called internet 'Information Super Highway ?
14. Which e-mail service was founded by Sabir Bhatia ?
15. Who wrote the book Computer Liberation and Dream Machine ?
16. Which computer company was founded by Stan Shih in Taiwan ?
17. Ego is the range of laptops from which firm ?
18. Who is the founder of Scribd.com ?
19. Expand CDMA ?
20. Which author used the word Robot for the first time ?

Answers

1. Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
2. Linus Torvalds
3. Bluetooth, after Harald Bluetooth
4. RIM(Research In Motion)
5. Finland
6. Quick
7. Hi5
8. New Delhi
9. Richard Feynman
10. Isaac Asimov
11. Nibble
12. December 2
13. Al Gore, former US Vice President
14. Hotmail
15. Ted Nelson
16. Acer
17. Wipro
18. Trip Adler
19. Code Division Multiple Access
20. Karel Capek

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Places Quiz

1. Which is the largest island among the Lakshadweep Islands ?
2. In which country do you find the Cave of Letters ?
3. What does the word Sahara, as in the name of world's largest desert, mean in the native language ?
4. Which is the largest fresh water lake in the world ?
5. Which country was earlier called Upper Volta ?
6. Which is the largest mountain peak outside Asia ?
7. Which strait separates Africa and Europe ?
8. Horse Shoe Falls and American Falls are the two parts of which famous water falls ?
9. In which city is the famous Copacabana beach ?
10. Which famous canal was opened for passage on 15 August, 1914 ?
11. Which country's capital is Caracas ?
12. Which country has the lengthiest sea coast in the world ?
    
13. Which country is named after the Earth equator ?
14. Which is the most populous island in the world ?
15. Rapa Nui is the native name of which island ?
16. On the banks of which river, most number of capital cities are situated ?
17. Which European country is called the land of thousand lakes ?
18. Who wrote the book 'The Origin of Continents and Oceans' ?
19. In which country do you find Ayer's rock, world's largest monolith ?
20. On which mountain the faces of four American presidents are carved ?

Answers

1. Aanthroth
2. Israel
3. Desert!
4. Lake Superior
5. Burkinafaso
6. Mt. Aconcagia
7. Strait of Gibraltar
8. Niagra Falls
9. Rio de Janeiro
10. Panama Canal
11. Venezuela
12. Canada
13. Ecuador
14. Java
15. Easter Island
16. Danube
17. Finland
18. Alfred Wegner
19. Australia
20. Mount Rushmour

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Sports Quiz 1

1. In which sport, the referee is called President ?
2. Which is the national game of Scotland ?
3. Which sport is known as King of Sports ?
4. Who was the first Indian woman to win a gold at Asian Games ?
5. Which country hosted the first Football World Cup ?
6. Who was the first Cricketer to win Arjuna Award ?
7. In which Olympics, 26 world records were broken in Swimming ?
8. Who was the first person to complete a Tennis Grandslam ?
9. Which two nations competed in the first ever International Handball match ?
10. How many times India have won gold in Olympic Hockey ?
11. Which martial art was earlier called Ji-jitsu ?
12. In 1988 who became the first boxer to have won world championships in five different weight categories ?
13. Which was the first Asian country to hold a F1 Grand Prix ?
14. Which footballer's autobiography was titled '1966 and All That' ?
15. The Sam McGuire Trophy is awarded in which sport ?

Answers

1. Fencing
2. Rugby
3. Horse Racing
4. Kamaljith Sandhu
5. Uruguay
6. Salim Durani
7. Montreal, 1976
8. Donald Budge, 1938
9. Germany and Belgium, 1925
10. 8 times
11. Judo
12. Sugar Ray Leonard
13. Japan
14. Geoff Hurst
15. Gaelic Football

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India Quiz 1

This is the first of the India Quiz series. Some general knowledge questions and answers on India are given here.

1. Who was the first foreigner to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour ?
2. In which space vehicle did Rakesh Sharma go to space ?
3. Who was the first Indian to cross the English Channel ?
4. What is the southernmost point of India called ?
5. Which is the only Indian state to have English as its official language ?
6. In which year the Indian constitution was amended for the first time ?
7. What is the strait that separates India and Sri Lanka called ?
8. Who was the first Governor General in India ?
9. Where is India's only volcano situated
10. What was the other name of Bengal Gazette, the first newspaper published from India ?
11. Who has been called Indian Machiavelli ?
12. For which film did Pandit Ravisankar compose music for the first time ?
13. What is the headquarters of Life Insurance Corporation of India is called ?
14. Which is the largest Mosque in India ?
15. Who was the first Indian musician to compose a symphony ?
16. Who was the first bowler to take a hat-trick in a Cricket world cup
17. Which writer's real name was Dhanpat Rai Shrivastava ?
18. In which year the Kendra Sahitya Academy was instituted ?
19. Who was the founder of Swaraj Party ?
20. Where was the first medical college in India started ?

Answers

1. Khan Abdul Jaffer Khan
2. Soyuz T-11
3. Mihir Sen
4. Indira Point
5. Nagaland
6. 1951
7. Palk strait
8. Warren Hastings
9. Barron Island
10. Calcutta General Advertiser
11. Chanakya
12. Anuradha
13. Yogakshema Bhavan
14. Jama Masjid, Delhi
15. Ilaiyaraja
16. Chetan Sharma
17. Munshi Premchand
18. 1954
19. Mothilal Nehru
20. Kolkata

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Important Days in India

January 9 : Pravasi Bharatiya Divas
January 12 : National Youth Day
January 15 : Army Day
January 25 : National Tourism Day
January 26 : Republic Day
January 30 : Martyrs’ Day
February 28 : National Science Day
March 3 : National Defence Day
March 4 : National Security Day
March 16 : National Vaccination Day
April 5 : National Maritime Day
April 21 : National Civil Services Day
May 11 : National Technology Day
July 26 : Kargil Victory Day
August 9 : Quit India Day
August 15 : Independence Day
August 20 : Sadbhavna Divas
August 29 : National Sports Day
September 5 : Teachers’ Day; Sanskrit Day
October 2 : Gandhi Jayanthi
October 8 : Indian Air Force Day
October 10 : National Postal Day
November 14 : Children’s Day
November 17 : National Epilepsy Day
November 26 : Law Day
December 4 : Navy Day
December 7 : Armed Forces' Flag Day
December 18 : Minorities Rights Day
December 14 : National Energy Conservation Day
December 23 : Farmers Day

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Important International Days

January 1 Global Family Day
Jan 6 : World Day for War Orphans
Jan 10 : World Laughter Day
Jan 26 : International Customs Day
Jan 27 : International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Jan 30 : World Leprosy Eradication Day
February 2 World Wetland Day
Feb 4 : World Cancer Day
Feb 2nd Sunday : World Marriage Day
Feb 14 : Valentine’s Day
Feb 20 : World Day of Social Justice
Feb 21 : International Mother Language Day
Feb 22 : World Scouts Day
Feb 23 : World Peaces and Understanding Day
March 4 World Day of the Fight Against Sexual Exploitation
Mar 8 : International Womens' Day, International Literacy Day
Mar 13 : World Kidney Day, World Rotaract Day
March 2nd Monday Commonwealth Day
Mar 15 : World Disabled Day, World Consumer Rights Day
Mar 21 : World Sleep Day, World Forestry Day, International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Mar 22 : World Water Day
Mar 23 : World Meteorological Day
Mar 24 : World TB Day
Mar 27 : World Drama Day
April 2 World Autism Awareness Day
Apr 4 : International Day for Mine Awareness
Apr 7 : World Health Day
Apr 12 : World Aviation & Cosmonautics Day
Apr 17 : World Haemophilia Day
Apr 18 : World Heritage Day
Apr 21 : World Creativity and Innovation Day
Apr 22 : Earth Day
Apr 23 : World Book and Copyright Day
Apr 25 : World Malaria Day
Apr 26 : World Intellectual Property Day
Apr 28 : International Worker’s Memorial Day
Apr 29 : World Dance Day
May 1 : May day- Labour Day
May 3 : Press Freedom Day, World Asthma Day
May 4 : Coal Miners Day
May 5 : World Athletics Day
May 8 : World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
May 9 : World Thalassaemia Day
May 2nd Sunday: World Mother Day
May 12 : International Nurses Day, World Hypertension Day
May 15 : International Day of the Families
May 17 : World Telecommunication Day
May 18 : World Museum Day
May 19 : World Hepatitis Day
May 20 : World Metrology Day
May 21 : World Day for Cultural Diversity
May 22 : International Day for Biological Diversity
May 23 : World Turtle Day
May 24 : Commonwealth Day
May 28 : Anti-Narcotics Day, Engineers Day
May 31 : World Anti Tobacco Day
June 1 : International Children’s Day
Jun 5 : World Environment Day
Jun 8 : World Brain Tumors Day, World Ocean Day
Jun 12 : World Day Against Child Labor
Jun 14 : World Blood Donor Day
June 3rd Sunday : World Father’s Day
Jun 16 : International Integration Day
Jun 20 : World Refugee Day
Jun 21 : World Music Day
Jun 23 : International Olympic Day
Jun 26 : International Day against Drug abuse and Illicit Trafficking
July 1 : International Joke Day, Doctor's Day
July 1st Saturday : International Day of Cooperatives
Jul 11 : World Population Day
Jul 28 : World Nature Conservation Day
August 1-7 : World Breast-feeding Week
August 1st Sunday : Friendship Day
Aug 6 : Anti-Nuclear Day, Hiroshima Day
Aug 9 : Nagasaki Day
Aug 12 : International Youth Day
Aug 15 : International Mourning Day
Aug 18 : International Day of the World’s Indigenous People
Aug 19 : World Humanitarian Day, World Photography Day
September 2 : Coconut Day
Sept 8 : World Literacy Day
Sept 10 : World Anti-Suicide Day
Sept 11 : World First Aid Day
Sept 15 : International Day of Democracy
Sept 16 : World Ozone Day
Sept 21 : World Peace Day, World Alzheimer's Day
Sept 22 : World Rose Day- Welfare of Cancer Patients
Sept 24 : World Heart Day
Sept 26 : Day of the Deaf, European Day of Languages
Sept 27 : World Tourism Day
Sept 28 : Right to Know Day, World Rabies Day
September Last week: World Maritime Week
October 1 : World Hepatitis Day
Oct 2 : International Day of Non-Violence
Oct 3 : World Habitat Day
Oct 4 : World Animal Welfare Day
Oct 5 : World Teachers' Day
October second Saturday: World Palliative Care Day
Oct 8 : World Humanitarian Action Day
Oct 9 : World Postal Day
Oct 10 : World Mental Health Day
Oct 12 : World Sight Day, World Arthritis Day
Oct 13 : International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction
Oct 14 : World Standards Day
Oct 15 : World White Cane Day- guiding the Blind
Oct 16 : World Food Day, World Anaesthesiologists Day
Oct 17 : World Trauma Day
Oct 20 : World Osteoporosis Day
Oct 24 : UN Day, World Development Information Day, World Polio Day
Oct 30 : World Thrift Day
November 8 : World Radiographer Day
Nov 9 : World Freedom Day
Nov 14 : World Diabetes Day
Nov 17 : International Students Day
Nov 19 : International Men's Day
Nov 21 : World Fisheries Day, World Television Day
Nov 25 : International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
December 1 World AIDS Day
Dec 2 : World Computer Literacy Day, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
Dec 3 : International Day of Disabled People, World Conservation Day
Dec 7 : International Civil Aviation Day
Dec 9 : The International Day Against Corruption
Dec 10 : International Day of Broadcasting, Human Rights Day
Dec 11 : International Mountain Day
Dec 14 : World Energy Day
Dec 18 : International Migrants Day
Dec 20 : International Human Solidarity Day

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Pop singer Whitney Houston dies

Legendary pop singer Whitney Houston passed away on Saturday. She was
found dead at a hotel in Beverly Hills. She was 48. The death cause hasn't been revealed yet. She has been struggling with drug addiction problems for a few years.
Houston was one of the top-selling artists in pop music history, with more than 170 million records sold all over the world. She was born on August 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey.
Houston entered the pop music world with self-titled debut album, released in 1985. It was sold 25 million copies worldwide. She has released seven albums and three film soundtracks overall. Houston's major hits include "Saving All My Love for You", "How Will I Know", "The Greatest Love of All," and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go," with many others. Her songs were used in the soundtrack of the film 'The Bodyguard' which went on to become one of the topselling soundtracks. She also acted in the film. She later appeared in a few more films including 'Waiting to Exhale'. She is also the winner of seven Grammy awards and two Emmy awards. She was briefly married to actor Bobby Brown.

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10 things you might not know about Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is one of the most celebrated days in the world. It is the day for lovers. Here are given some rare known facts about Valentine's Day.

The Valentine's Day was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496 AD.

One of many legends about the Valentine's Day says that it commommorates St. Valentine, the priest who was killed by Roman emperor Claudius II for performing secret marriages against the laws.

The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romance is found in 'Parlement of Foules', a poem written by Geoffrey Chaucer in 1382.

Hamlet is the only Shakespearean play that mentions Valentine's Day.

The first known Valentine card was written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, to his wife. It is now kept in British Library, London.

In Wales, most of the people celebrate St. Dwynwen's Day on January 25, instead of Valentine's Day. St. Dwynwen is the patron saint of Welsh lovers.

In Sweden, Valentine's Day is known as 'All Hearts Day'.

The Italian city Verona, where Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is set, recieves thousands of letters addressed to Juliet on every Valentine's Day.

In South Korea, women give chocolate to men on Valentine's Day and men give non-chocolate candys to women on White Day (March 14). Those who don't recieve any of these go to eateries and have Black Noodles on April 14, Black Day to mourn their single life !

Did you know, Alexander Grahambell applied for the patent of telephone on the Valentine's Day of 1876 !

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Commonwealth Games Years and Host Cities

The Commonwealth Games is the multisport event held among the member countries of former British Commonwealth. The event was started in the name British Empire Games in 1930. Later it was called British Empire and Commonwealth Games and British Commonwealth Games. It has been known as simply Commonwealth Games since 1978.

Year, City and Country

As British Empire Games
1930 - Hamilton (Canada)
1934 - London (Britain)
1938 - Sydney, New South Wales (Australia)
1950 - Auckland (New Zealand)
As British Empire and Commonwealth Games
1954 - Vancouver (Canada)
1958 - Cardiff (Wales)
1962 - Perth (Australia)
1966 - Kingston (Jamaica)
As British Commonwealth Games
1970 - Edinburgh (Scotland)
1974 - Christchurch (New Zealand)
As Commonwealth Games
1978 - Edmonton (Canada)
1982 - Brisbane (Australia)
1986 - Edinburgh (Scotland)
1990 - Auckland (New Zealand)
1994 - Victoria (Canada)
1998 - Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
2002 - Manchester (Britain)
2006 - Melbourne (Australia)
2010 - Delhi (India)
2014 - Glasgow (Scotland)
2018 - Gold Coast (Australia)

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Asian Games Years and Host Cities

The Asian Games or Asiad (formerly Asiatic Games) is the largest multisport event for Asian countries. It was founded in 1951. The motto of Asian Games is 'Ever Onwards'.

Year, City and Country

1951 - New Delhi (India)
1954 - Manila (Philippines)
1958 - Tokyo (Japan)
1962 - Jakarta (Indonesia)
1966 - Bangkok (Thailand)
1970 - Bangkok (Thailand)
1974 - Tehran (Iran)
1978 - Bangkok (Thailand)
1982 - New Delhi (India)
1986 - Seoul (South Korea)
1990 - Beijing (China)
1994 - Hiroshima (Japan)
1998 - Bangkok (Thailand)
2002 - Busan (South Korea)
2006 - Doha (Qatar)
2010 - Guangzhou (China)
2014 - Incheon (South Korea)

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Winter Olympics Host Cities

The Winter Olympics started for the sporting events that can be practiced only in the respective geographical conditions. The list of host cities of Winter Olympic Games is given below.

Year, City and Country

1924 - Chamonix (France)
1928 - St. Moritz (Switzerland)
1932 - Lake Placid, New York (USA)
1936 - Garmisch-Partenkirchen (Germany)
1948 - St. Moritz (Switzerland)
1952 - Oslo (Norway)
1956 - Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italy)
1960 - Squaw Valley, California (USA)
1964 - Innsbruck (Austria)
1968 - Grenoble (France)
1972 - Sapporo (Japan)
1976 - Innsbruck (Austria)
1980 - Lake Placid, New York (USA)
1984 - Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)
1988 - Calgary, Alberta (Canada)
1992 - Albertville (France)
1994 - Lillehammer (Norway)
1998 - Nagano (Japan)
2002 - Salt Lake City, Utah (USA)
2006 - Turin (Italy)
2010 - Vancouver (Canada)
2014 - Sochi (Russia)
2018 - Pyeongchang (South Korea)

Suggested reading:

Summer Olympics Host Cities

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Olympic Games host cities

The Olympics is the world's largest multisports event. Its history traces to the ancient Olympic games started BC 776 in Greece. The modern Olympics was started in 1896. Here is given the list of hosts of the modern Olympic Games till date.

Year, City and Country

1896 – Athens (Greece)
1900 – Paris (France)
1904 – Saint Louis (USA)
1908 – London (Britain)
1912 – Stockholm (Sweden)
1920 – Antwerp (Belgium)
1924 – Paris (France)
1928 – Amsterdam (Netherlands)
1932 – Los Angeles (USA)
1936 – Berlin (Germany)
1948 – London (Britain)
1952 – Helsinki (Finland)
1956 – Melbourne (Australia)
1960 – Rome (Italy)
1964 – Tokyo (Japan)
1968 – Mexico City (Mexico)
1972 – Munich (Germany)
1976 – Montreal (Canada)
1980 – Moscow (USSR)
1984 – Los Angeles (USA)
1988 – Seoul (South Korea)
1992 – Barcelona (Spain)
1996 – Atlanta (USA)
2000 – Sydney (Australia)
2004 – Athens (Greece)
2008 – Beijing (China)
2012 – London (Britain)

You can also check out:

Winter Olympics Host Cities

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Geographical Sobriquets / Nicknames

Many places are nicknamed owing to something special to that place. Here is the list of sobriquets/nicknames of various places across the globe.

Nickname : Place

Holy City : Jerusalem
Forbidden City : Lhasa
Dark Continent : Africa
Gift of Nile : Egypt
City of the Golden Temple : Amritsar
City of Palaces : Kolkata
Cockpit of Europe : Belgium
Blue Mountains : Nilgiri Hills
City of Magnificent Distances : Washington
Granite City : Aberdeen
Herring Pond : Atlantic Ocean
Land of the Kangaroo : Australia
Land of Maple Leaf : Canada
Land of Cakes : Scotland
Land of Golden Fleece : Australia
Island of Pearls : Bahrain
White City : Belgrade
Land of Lilies : Canada
Windy City : Chicago
Sugar Bowl of the World : Cuba
Land of Thousand Lakes : Finland
Pillars of Hercules : Gibraltar
Emerald Island : Ireland
Land of the Rising Sun : Japan
Land of the Midnight Sun : Norway
Hermit Kingdom : Korea
Port of Five Seas : Moscow
Land of Canals : Netherlands
Land of Windmills : Netherlands
Empire City : New York
City of Dreaming Spires : Oxford
City of Brotherly Love : Philadelphia
City of Seven Hills : Rome
City of the Golden Gate : San Francisco
Venice of the North : Stockholm
Venice of the East : Alappuzha
Land of Thunderbolt : Bhutan
Pearl of the Antilles : Cuba
Sorrow of Bengal : River Damodar RiverSorrow of China : River Hwang Ho
Gateway of India : Mumbai
Spice Garden of India : Kerala
World’s Bread Basket : Prairies of North America
World’s Loneliest Island : Tristan da Cunha
Land of the White Elephant : Thailand
Land of Thousand Elephants : Laos
Sick Man of Europe : Turkey
Queen of the Adriatic : Venice
Island of Cloves : Zanzibar
Roof of the World : The Pamirs
Rose Pink City : Jaipur
Gate of Tears : Strait of Bab-el Mandeb

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General Knowledge Quiz 1

Here are some General Knowledge questions and answers useful for competitions and examinations and of course, for a little fun ! Here we go !

1. Where can you find the Sea of Tranquility ?
2. Who directed the famous film The Godfather ?
3. By what name is the boundary line that separates India and China known as ?
4. Who invented the pendulum clock ?
5. What is Vexilology a study of ?
6. Which animal has the shortest gestation period ?
7. Which river is known as Sorrow of China ?
8. What are the ingredients of Pancha Loha ?
9. How is the International Bank for Re-construction and Development better known as ?
10. Which was the first Asian city to host the Olympics ?
11. Who is known as Nature Poet ?
12. Which element in periodic table is named after the Greek word for Sun ?
13. What does the abbreviation ATM stand for ?
14. Where are the headquarters of World Water Council situated ?
15. Who is the architect of Taajmahal ?

Answers

1. Moon
2. Francis Ford Coppola
3. Mc Mahon Line
4. Christiaan Huygens
5. Flags
6. Opposum (12 days)
7. Huang Ho
8. Silver, Gold, Copper, Lead and Iron
9. World Bank
10. Tokyo, in 1964
11. William Wordsworth
12. Helium, from Helious
13. Automated Teller Machine
14. Marseille, France
15. Ustad Isa

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Man Booker Prize winners

The Man Booker Prize for Fiction is awarded to the best novel of the year written by a citizen of the British Commonwealth or the Republic of Ireland. It is one of the most prestigious literature honors.

Year, Person, Work, Country

1969 P H Newby Something to Answer For UK
1970 Bernice Rubens The Elected Member UK
1971 V S Naipaul In a Free State UK/Trinidad and Tobago
1972 John Berger G UK
1973 J G Farrell The Siege of Krishnapur UK
1974 Nadine Gordimer The Conservationist South Africa
Stanley Middleton Holiday UK
1975 Ruth Prawer Jhabwala Heat and Dust UK
1976 David Storey Saville UK
1977 Paul Scott Staying On UK
1978 Iris Murdoch The Sea, The Sea Ireland
1979 Penelope Fitzgerald Offshore UK
1980 William Golding Rites of Passage UK
1981 Salman Rushdie Midnight's Children UK
1982 Thomas Keneally Schindler's Ark Australia
1983 J M Coetzee Life & Times of Michael K South Africa
1984 Anita Brookner Hotel du Lac UK
1985 Keri Hulme The Bone People New Zealand
1986 Kingsley Amis The Old Devils UK
1987 Penelope Lively Moon Tiger UK
1988 Peter Carey Oscar and Lucinda Australia
1989 Kazuo Ishiguro The Remains of the Day UK/Japan
1990 A S Byatt Possession UK
1991 Ben Okri The Famished Road Nigeria
1992 Michael Ondaatje The English Patient Canada/Sri Lanka
Barry Unsworth Sacred Hunger UK
1993 Roddy Doyle Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha Ireland
1994 James Kelman How Late It Was, How Late UK
1995 Pat Barker The Ghost Road UK
1996 Graham Swift Last Orders UK
1997 Arundhati Roy The God of Small Things India
1998 Ian McEwan Amsterdam UK
1999 J M Coetzee Disgrace South Africa
2000 Margaret Atwood The Blind Assassin Canada
2001 Peter Carey True History of the Kelly Gang Australia
2002 Yann Martel Life of Pi Canada
2003 DBC Pierre Vernon God Little Australia
2004 Alan Hollinghurst The Line of Beauty UK
2005 John Banville The Sea Ireland
2006 Kiran Desai The Inheritance of Loss India
2007 Anne Enright The Gathering Ireland
2008 Aravind Adiga The White Tiger India
2009 Hilary Mantel Wolf Hall UK
2010 Howard Jacobson The Finkler Question UK
2011 Julian Barnes The Sense of an Ending UK

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Oscar Winning Movies

Year Film Director

1928 Wings William A Wellman
1929 The Broadway Melody Harry Beaumont
1930 All Quiet on the Western Front Lewis Milestone
1931 Cimarron Wesley Ruggles
1932 Grand Hotel Edmund Goulding
1933 Cavalcade Frank Lloyd
1934 It Happened One Night Frank Capra
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty Frank Lloyd
1936 The Great Ziegfeld Robert Z Leonard
1937 The Life of Emile Zola William Dieterle
1938 You Can't Take It With You Frank Capra
1939 Gone With The Wind Victor Fleming
1940 Rebecca Alfred Hitchcock
1941 How Green Was My Valley John Ford
1942 Mrs. Miniver William Wyler
1943 Casablanca Michael Curtiz
1944 Going My Way Leo McCarey
1945 The Lost Weekend Billy Wilder
1946 The Best Years of Our Lives William Wyler
1947 Gentleman's Agreement Elia Kazan
1948 Hamlet Laurence Olivier
1949 All the King's Men Robert Rossen
1950 All About Eve Joseph L Mankiewicz
1951 An American In Paris Vincente Minnelli
1952 The Greatest Show on Earth Cecil B DeMille
1953 From Here to Eternity Fred Zinnemann
1954 On The Waterfront Elia Kazan
1955 Marty Delbert Mann
1956 Around the World in 80 Days Michael Anderson
1957 The Bridge On The River Kwai David Lean
1958 Gigi Vincente Minnelli
1959 Ben-Hur William Wyler
1960 The Apartment Billy Wilder
1961 West Side Story Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins
1962 Lawrence of Arabia David Lean
1963 Tom Jones Tony Richardson
1964 My Fair Lady George Cukor
1965 The Sound of Music Robert Wise
1966 A Man for All Seasons Fred Zinnemann
1967 In the Heat of the Night Norman Jewison
1968 Oliver! Carol Reed
1969 Midnight Cowboy John Schlesinger
1970 Patton Franklin J Schaffner
1971 The French Connection William Friedkin
1972 The Godfather Francis Ford Coppola
1973 The Sting George Roy Hill
1974 The Godfather Part II Francis Ford Coppola
1975 One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest Milos Forman
1976 Rocky John G Avildsen
1977 Annie Hall Woody Allen
1978 The Deer Hunter Michael Cimino
1979 Kramer vs. Kramer Robert Benton
1980 Ordinary People Robert Redford
1981 Chariots of Fire Hugh Hudson
1982 Gandhi Richard Attenborough
1983 Terms of Endearment James L Brooks
1984 Amadeus Milos Forman
1985 Out of Africa Sydney Pollack
1986 Platoon Oliver Stone
1987 The Last Emperor Bernardo Bertolucci
1988 Rain Man Barry Levinson
1989 Driving Miss Daisy Bruce Beresford
1990 Dances with Wolves Kevin Costner
1991 The Silence of the Lambs Jonathan Demme
1992 Unforgiven Clint Eastwood
1993 Schindler's List Steven Spielberg
1994 Forrest Gump Robert Zemeckis
1995 Braveheart Mel Gibson
1996 The English Patient Anthony Minghella
1997 Titanic James Cameron
1998 Shakespeare in Love John Madden
1999 American Beauty Sam Mendes
2000 Gladiator Ridley Scott
2001 A Beautiful Mind Ron Howard
2002 Chicago Rob Marshall
2003 The Lord of the Rings: TheReturn of the King Peter Jackson
2004 Million Dollar Baby Clint Eastwood
2005 Crash Paul Haggis
2006 The Departed Martin Scorsese
2007 No Country For Old Men Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
2008 Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle
2009 The Hurt Locker Kathryn Bigelow
2010 The King's Speech Tom Hooper

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