Ascot is a town in southern England where horse races are held and Royal Ascot is the most famous and popular race meeting. The Queen and the royal family normally attend every day. The royal procession in a horse-drawn carriage, scheduled before racing on each day, is the Royal Ascot parade. It was started in 1711 by Queen Anne. The …

The word karaoke is derived from two Japanese words — ‘kara’ comes from the word ‘karappo’ meaning empty or void and ‘oke’ comes from the word ‘okesutura’ or orchestra. Karaoke songs are typically music reproductions without the voice of the singer. It is said to have originated at a snack bar in Japan where a scheduled person was unable to …

There are several theories. According to one, it originates from the pagan belief that good spirits reside in trees such as oak, and hence, touching wood or knocking on wood would help ward off evil spirits. According to an ancient Celtic belief, trees can conduct evil spirits, much like a conductor absorbing heat. Some would knock on wood to thank …

The mascots of the Beijing Olympic Games are Fuwa (five children). Fuwa, designed to express the playful qualities of five little children who form an intimate circle of friends, embody the natural characteristics of four of China’s most popular animals — Beibe (the Fish), Jingjing (the Panda), Huanhuan (the Tibetan Antelope), Nini (the Swallow) and the Olympic Flame. When you …

It’s a breed of chicken developed in Bangalore that can be used to produce both meat and eggs. Typically, poultry is reared specifically for one of these purposes. Animal-welfare experts believe that using this breed will be more humane, since the birds won�t develop health problems because of intensive breeding. Also, male laying birds needn’t be slaughtered since this breed …

The First Continental Congress was a convention of delegates from twelve of the thirteen North American colonies that met on September 5, 1774, at Carpenters’ Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, early in the American Revolution. It was called in response to the passage of the Coercive Acts (also known as Intolerable Acts by the Colonial Americans) by the British Parliament. The …

The story of the Trojan Wars was told in a poem by the Greek poet Homer, the Iliad. The Greeks and Trojans were at war for some years. In about 1200 BC the Greeks stopped besieging the city of Troy and apparently disappeared, leaving behind them a huge wooden horse. At night, while the Trojans slept, Greek soldiers who had …

The Panj Piare, name given to the five Sikhs, Bhai Daya Singh, Bhai Dharam Singh, Bhai Himmat Singh, Bhai Mohkam Singh and Bhai Sahib Singh, who were so designated by Guru Gobind Singh at the historic divan at Anandpur Sahib on 30 March 1699 and who formed the nucleus of the Khalsa as the first batch to receive at his …

Mothering Sunday is a Christian festival celebrated throughout Europe that falls on the 4th Sunday in Lent. Secularly it became a celebration of motherhood. It is increasingly being called Mother’s Day, although in countries other than the UK and Ireland that holiday has other origins. In the UK it is considered synonymous with Mother’s Day as celebrated in other countries. …

From 1924 to 1938 and between 1945 to 1999, Austria’s currency was the schilling, which was divided into 100 groschen. Thereafter, the euro replaced the schilling.