1Secrets of Padmanabhaswamy Temple
In 2011, a team of experts explored the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in India and discovered $22 billion worth of valuables inside five out of six known vaults. The contents of the sixth vault, Vault B, remain unknown and sealed shut under the order of the Supreme Court. In April 2014, two more subterranean vaults were discovered and named G and H, adding to the temple's architectural wonder. Interestingly, the sun goes down along the middle portion of the gopuram of Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple on the eve of the equinox.
2. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt is home to the world's oldest continuously operating library, built in the 550s AD by order of Emperor Justinian I. It houses one of the largest collections of early Christian icons, including the earliest known depiction of Jesus as "Christ Pantocrator." The library also received a letter from the Islamic prophet Muhammad, stating, "This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them. "
3. The firefighters who responded to the 2019 fire at Notre Dame had a protocol in place for rescuing works of art, allowing them to prioritize and rescue them in a particular order. After the fire, a 700-year-old lead sarcophagus was discovered beneath the cathedral's floor, and it was opened in 2022.
4. The National Mall in Washington, DC, has served several purposes throughout history. During World War 1 and World War 2, it was used for temporary war department offices and munition buildings until the Pentagon was finished. The "temporary" buildings were not fully demolished until 1970, and in the 1970s, the area was also used as a parking lot.
5. The Lascaux cave is an incredible archaeological site discovered accidentally by four teenagers and their dog. Inside, there are 17,000-year-old paintings of extinct animals like the aurochs as well as handprints. Interestingly, the earliest known maps of the stars, dating back to 16,500 BC, have been found on the cave walls. However, visitors to the cave today cannot see the genuine, 17,000-year-old art, as it has been replaced with a replica to protect the originals from damage caused by tourist traffic.
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6Secrets of Tokyo Imperial Palace
The Tokyo Imperial Palace grounds have an interesting history. During the 1980s Japanese property bubble, the palace grounds were believed to be worth more than all of the real estate in California. However, the palace also has a darker past. In 1945, several Japanese officers occupied the palace in an attempted coup to prevent the Emperor from surrendering to the Allies. The officers murdered several people, but their plot ultimately failed, and they committed suicide.
7. The Parliament building in Bucharest is an impressive structure that contains both the lower and upper houses of parliament, as well as three museums and an international conference center. Despite its numerous occupants, 70% of the building remains empty. The building is also the heaviest in the world, weighing in at nearly 4.1 billion kilograms (nearly 9 billion pounds), and is the most expensive government building, valued at around $3.4 billion. However, with its massive size comes a hefty heating and electrical bill of $6 million annually. The building sinks by 6 mm each year due to its weight, and it also contains eight underground levels, including a nuclear bunker linked to the main state institutions by 20 km of catacombs.
8. The "Hollywood" sign, which has become an iconic symbol of the entertainment industry, was originally intended to be a temporary advertisement for a real estate development known as "Hollywoodland." Despite its intended temporary status, the sign became so popular that it was made a permanent fixture in the Los Angeles landscape. The sign was lit by thousands of light bulbs in the 1920s, and a man lived in a small cabin near the sign to change the burnt-out bulbs. However, the sign fell into disrepair and was ultimately torn down for three months in 1978. Playboy's Hugh Hefner helped fund its restoration with a $250,000 fundraising campaign, and he later donated $900,000 to save it again in 2010.
9. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are often cited as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. However, there is no definitive archaeological evidence of their existence, and they may in fact be purely mythical. Interestingly, even if the gardens did exist, they were likely located 300 miles north of Babylon in Nineveh, according to an Oxford-based historian.
10. The Amber Room was a chamber located in the Catherine Palace near St. Petersburg, Russia. It was constructed in the 18th century and featured amber panels backed with gold leaf and mirrors, making it a true masterpiece. However, the Amber Room disappeared during World War II after being looted by the Nazis, and none of it has ever been found. It was considered the "Eighth Wonder of the World."
11Potala Palace’s Secret
The Potala Palace, situated in Tibet, has been the official residence of the Dalai Lama since the 7th century, until 1959. As the highest palace in the world, visitors are asked to acclimatize themselves before entering since they cannot take oxygen supplies into the palace for fear of fire. Its walls are painted with milk, and the palace contains over 1,000 rooms, including chapels, meditation halls, and living quarters. It also houses numerous precious artifacts, such as religious statues, thangkas (traditional Tibetan paintings), and ancient manuscripts, many of which are considered priceless.
12. Buckingham Palace was not always the luxurious residence it is today. When Queen Victoria first moved in, the palace was dirty and cold, and the staff were lax and lazy. In 1838, a 14-year-old boy nicknamed "The Boy Jones" stole Queen Victoria's underwear and lived in Buckingham Palace's chimneys for a year. In 1982, a man named Michael Fagan broke into Buckingham Palace, managed to find his way into Queen Elizabeth II’s bedroom while she was sleeping, and even asked for cigarettes, which a maid bought him, before finally being arrested.
13. Seattle's iconic Space Needle, an example of Googie architecture that flourished in the post-World War II era, has a 30-foot deep foundation, which means the center of gravity of the 605-foot-tall structure is just five feet off the ground. Interestingly, the floor of the SkyCity restaurant atop the Space Needle makes one rotation every 47 minutes, weighs roughly 125 tons, and is powered by a single 1.5-horsepower motor.
14. The British crown jewels were kept in a biscuit tin and stored in a chamber under Windsor Castle during WWII. During renovations, they just covered it at night with a tarp to prevent German airplanes from spying on it. Notably, not even then-Princess Elizabeth was told about it. Furthermore, the modern length of a marathon, which is 26.2 miles, was established in 20th-century London as the distance between Windsor Castle and the Olympic Stadium, after which the marathon became an official Olympic event. Prior to this, marathon distances were arbitrary and varied by several miles.
15. The Golden Temple, located in Amritsar, Punjab, India, is the world's largest soup kitchen and the holiest temple for Sikhs. Every day, it provides free meals for 100,000 to 300,000 people, regardless of their religion, faith, or background. The Golden Temple played a critical role in Operation Bluestar, a significant military action conducted by the Indian Army in 1984 to eliminate Sikh militants who had taken refuge inside the temple complex. These militants were involved in a series of violent activities such as bombings, kidnappings, and assassinations, causing significant unrest in the Indian state of Punjab.
16Mont Saint-Michel's Secret
Mont Saint-Michel, located in the north of France, is a vast castle town that only briefly connects to the mainland during low tide. Due to this, it remained unconquered by the English throughout the Hundred Years War. Following the French Revolution, it became a notorious prison for political prisoners, with the surrounding area renowned for its treacherous quicksand, which often ensnared unwary visitors. As a result, it was dubbed the "Bastille of the Sea."
17. Despite resembling a castle, the Château de Chambord's moat, walls, and towers were ornamental and had no practical defensive function. Meanwhile, in the backyard of Chateau de Versailles, Marie Antoinette constructed a mock village with a functional farm and fake villagers so that she could assume the role of a "peasant" whenever she desired.
18. The Trevi Fountain, the largest Baroque fountain in Rome, is a sight to behold with its intricate details and grandeur. Visitors to the fountain also make a wish and throw a coin into the water, contributing to the $4000 worth of coins collected daily. Interestingly, the money collected from the fountain is used to fund a supermarket for the needy.
19. The White House has an entire network of underground tunnels that connect it to other important buildings in the area, such as the Treasury Building, the Old Executive Office Building, and the Blair House. The tunnels were constructed during World War II to ensure the safety of the president and other officials in case of an attack. Today, the tunnels are still in use and are occasionally used to move the president and other high-level officials between buildings without being seen by the public. However, due to the high level of secrecy surrounding the tunnel system, not much is known about its exact layout or extent.
20. The builders of the Empire State Building were determined to make it the tallest building in the world in 1931 and not the Chrysler Building, even going so far as to add a 222-foot (68 m) mooring mast on top of it for zeppelins to dock. In 1945, an airplane crashed into the building, causing significant damage, including severing the cables of an elevator. Despite falling over 70 stories, the woman inside the elevator survived and holds the world record for the longest-survived elevator fall. Interestingly, the Empire State Building's observation deck generates more revenue than all the commercial tenants in the remaining 101 floors combined.
21Chichen Itza's Secrets
The Chichen Itza in Mexico, constructed to honor the Mayan deity Kukulan, the Feathered Serpent, is renowned for its impressive feats. On the spring and autumn equinoxes, it creates the shadow of a snake slithering down the pyramid. Interestingly, the pyramid has steps of different heights on each of its four sides: 92, 91, 91, and 91, which add up to 365. Additionally, if you clap your hands in front of the pyramid, its echo will sound like a chirping bird.
22. Edinburgh Castle in Scotland was built on top of a volcano and is so old that its founding was already shrouded in myth and legend by the time of its first definite mention in literature. The infamous "Red Wedding" scene from "A Storm of Swords" by G.R.R. Martin was inspired by real-life events that occurred at Edinburgh Castle in 15th century Scotland, known as "The Black Dinner". Additionally, the castle has a secret underground tunnel leading to nearby Holyrood Palace, which was rediscovered during a renovation project in the 1990s and is now open to the public for guided tours.
23. The Tower of Hercules, located in A Coruña, Galicia, Spain, is the oldest extant lighthouse in the world and is still in use today. Built between the 1st and 2nd centuries A.D., it was modeled after the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
24. The Parthenon in Athens has stood largely intact for more than 2000 years, but the ruins we see today are the result of a massive explosion in 1687, not natural forces or the passage of time. During a war between Venice and the Turks, the Venetians hit the building with a mortar round, causing the explosion. The Turks were using the building to store gunpowder, and it is said they didn't expect such a historic monument to be targeted. Tragically, the blast killed 300 people. Originally built as a temple for the goddess Athena, the Parthenon has served as a church and mosque throughout its history.
25. "Kremlin" means "fortress inside a city," and there are multiple kremlins in Russia. "The Kremlin," which is popularly known, refers to the Moscow Kremlin, which includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the defensive walls and towers. Supposedly, the whole of Moscow has a secret underground metro system that parallels the public Moscow metro, which connects the Kremlin to the FSB headquarters as well as other locations of national importance. Additionally, some of the Soviet Union's honored dead were buried inside the Kremlin wall.
