1. Theodore Herzl, who outlined the need to create a Jewish State in his book in 1896, presented two options as the possible sites for the state of Israel – Palestine and a piece of barren land in Argentina.
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2. Quebec, a city at the gateway to the Great Lakes and the heart of North America, used to be known as the Gibraltar of America.
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3. Only one Englishman - Nicholas Breakspear (1100 - 1159 AD) - has served as Pope. As Pope Adrian IV, he held the papcy from 1154 to 1159 Ad.
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4. The word Shi’a literally means ‘party’ and is a diminutive of its earlier name Shi’at Ali - meaning ‘Party of Ali.’
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5. The reforms and operational changes centring around London Stock Exchange effected on October 27th 1986 are commonly referred to as the ‘Big Bang.’
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6. Green Cards used to be green in colour before 1964.
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7. Polymath and English cricketer CB Fry was working as a diplomat at the League Of Nations when he was offered the throne of Albania. He declined.
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8. Billie Holiday’s real name was Eleanor Gough McKay.
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9. The Sphinx in Giza, Egypt, points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.
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10. The Sports Illustrated Jinx is the decline towards mediocrity observed in several sportspersons after they reach the top. It is so named because of the tendency of an athlete to enter a career lull after gracing the magazine’s cover.
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About:
Iqbal Mohammed is Head of Innovation & Strategy at a digital innovation agency serving the DACH and wider European markets. He is the winner of the WPP Atticus Award for Best Original Published Writing in Marketing & Communication.
He blogs about #innovation, #technology and #marketing at misentropy.com. You can reach him via email or Twitter.