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 It was withdrawn from the market in 1984.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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