A downager is a person who acts younger than his or her age. There is a growing trend among women aged over 60 to live it up, hence the term dowager has been reinvented as downager. A study of independent, socially active Australian women found them working, studying, starting businesses and changing careers at the age of 60 and above. …
Read More »Who are BRICS?
The BRICS countries, five nations grouped together because of their burgeoning economies. Made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, the BRICS countries are grouped together because while they are not yet economic powerhouses, they have the potential to become the world’s most dominant economies in the next few decades. Although not as talked about as India and …
Read More »Which is the first luxury liner?
Mauretania can be listed as the world’s first luxury liner. Since the 1830s, passenger liners had been competing for the honour of making the fastest North Atlantic crossing. This honour came to be known as the Blue Riband. In 1907, Cunard introduced the much larger Lusitania and Mauretania, both powered by steam turbines. The Mauretania won the Blue Riband and …
Read More »Which is the biggest container port in the world?
Singapore is said to be the biggest port handling 26.9 million standard boxes, though China now claims that in 2008, Shanghai has overtaken Singapore and expected to handle 30 million TEUs (twenty-feet equivalent units, a measure used in transport). In 2002, it was claimed that Hong Kong in China was the biggest container port.
Read More »What was the California Gold Rush?
The California Gold Rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter’s Mill, in Coloma, California. News of the discovery brought some 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. Of the 300,000, approximately half arrived by sea and half came overland. The gold-seekers, called “Forty-niners” (as …
Read More »What is Vibrant Gujarat?
Vibrant Gujarat is a biennial Global Investors’ Summit held by the Government of Gujarat in Gujarat, India. The event is aimed at bringing together business leaders, investors, corporations, thought leaders, policy and opinion makers; the summit is advertised as a platform to understand and explore business opportunities in the State of Gujarat. Vibrant Gujarat 2011 Summit was held at Gandhinagar …
Read More »What is the whisper circuit?
The whisper circuit is a rumour mill associated with companies, stock markets and investors, where people trade secrets and gossip about companies. Investors use this knowledge about a company’s fortunes to their advantage. The term is usually used by business journalists.
Read More »What is the origin of Silk Fabric?
The history of silk is shrouded in mystery. Some historians say that silk originated in China about 10,000 years ago. In China, however, legend has it that Empress Si Ling Chi of China was the first one to discover silk more than five thousand years ago. The story goes that while sitting under a mulberry tree in her palace garden, …
Read More »What is the Maastricht Discipline?
The term refers to conditions that all countries of the European Union had to adhere to while adopting the Euro as a common currency. To do so, the countries had to show that their economic condition was stable and their fiscal deficit did not exceed 3%. Initially, Poland and some other countries did not join because of their poor growth …
Read More »What is the history of the Swiss watch?
The Swiss Watch & Clock Industry first appeared in Geneva, Switzerland, in the middle of the 16th century. From 1541 onwards, reforms introduced by Jean Calvin led to prosperity of the watch-making industry in Switzerland. The mass production of Swiss watches began in the 20th Century due to industrialization and new technologies. The end of World War I witnessed the …
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