When traveling in Jordan, it is important for foreigners to know for that the host may ask a visitor to stay for dinner. It is customary to refuse twice before accepting. Refuse seconds of any dish offered unless the host insists a couple of times, and even then accept only with a slight air of

"Court bouillon" is a broth made by cooking various vegetables and herbs, traditionally used for poaching fish, seafood, or vegetables.

In Mexico, Dia de la Madre -- Mother's Day -- is celebrated the day before it's observed in the United States. It is a huge gala event, with mariachis starting at noon and family festivities throughout the day.

Roger Squires of Ironbridge, Shropshire is the holder of the record for the World's Most Prolific Crossword Compiler, currently, April 2006, having had over 65,000 published crosswords appearing in over 470 outlets including over 70 abroad. He also holds the record for the longest word to have appeared in a published crossword, the place in ...Read more

Generations ago, it was considered lady-like for a new bride to be (or, to appear to be) hesitant to "give herself" to her new husband, whether or not she truly was. At their bridal chamber threshold, the husband would often have to carry the bride over to encourage her to go in. The tradition

The world's largest silver nugget, weighing 1,840 pounds, was found in 1894 near Aspen, Colorado.

A new star is born in our galaxy is born every 18 days. About 20 new stars are born each year. For comparison, there are 100,000 million stars in our galaxy.

President Franklin Pierce was arrested while in office for running over an old woman with his horse, but his case was dropped due to insufficient evidence in 1853.

The town of Fort Atkinson, Iowa was the site of the only fort ever built by the U.S. government to protect one Indian tribe from another.

Until the 1970s, Jessica was a very unusual name. William Shakespeare, who may even have made up the name, called Shylock's lovely daughter Jessica in The Merchant of Venice, but it was not until recently that large numbers of people began choosing this name for their daughters.

Acorns are poisonous to humans, and, if eaten, will cause kidney damage.

Each year, more than 300,000 American teenagers become afflicted with some form of venereal disease.

The maximum flight speed of a Boeing 747-300 jetliner is 583 miles per hour.

Bell-bottoms became very fashionable in the 1960s, both for men and women. In the mid 1990s they became popular again in women's and men's fashion in Europe spreading to the Americas. They were initially reintroduced as "boot cut" with a slight flare leg. Over time the width of the hem grew wider and the term "flare leg" was favored in marketing...Read more

There are more than 200 different types of Barbie® dolls.

Glamorous sex kitten during the 1950s, starring in movies such as Trapeze and Solomon and Sheba, Gina Lollobridgida retired from films in the 1970s to become a professional photographer.

Nearly half of all psychiatrists have been attacked by one of their patients.

Seers in Mesopotamia were studying people's dreams at least 5,000 years ago.

Frankfurt, Germany, spends more per year on the arts than any other city in Europe.

The paddlefish, a living fossil, has existed virtually unchanged in the Mississippi River for 230 million years, although it now weighs no more than one-third of its ancient weight. The only other part of the world in which the paddlefish is found is China.