Did You Know..!!

Some of the facts which i was reading through on a website. Some of them are really good. Enjoy reading them:-

- The highest bridge in the world can be found in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. The valley lies at an altitude of about 5 602 m (18,379 ft) above sea level on the India side of Kashmir. Called the Baily Bridge, it is only 30 metres (98 ft) long, and was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

- The largest flower in the world, the rafflesia arnoldi, weighs 7 kg (15 pounds) and grows only on the Sumatra island of Indonesia. Its petals grow to ½ metre (1,6 feet) long and 2,5 cm (1 inch) thick.

- The tomato is the world's most popular fruit. And yes, just like the brinjal and the pumpkin, botanically speaking it is a fruit, not a vegetable.

- A diamond is the hardest natural substance on earth, but if it is placed in an oven and the temperature is raised to about 763 degrees Celsius (1405 degrees Fahrenheit), it will simply vanish, without even ash remaining. Only a little carbon dioxide will have been released.

- During the 6th Century, it was customary to congratulate people who sneezed because it was thought that they were expelling evil from their bodies. During the great plague of Europe, the Pope passed a law to say "God bless you" to one who sneezed.

- The Antpitta avis canis Ridgley is a bird that looks like a stuffed duck on stilts and barks like a dog. The bird was discovered by ornithologist Robert S. Ridgley in the Andes in Ecuador in June 1998. Thirty of these long-legged, black-and-white barking birds were found. It apparently had gone undetected because it lives in remote parts and, of course, doesn't sing. The size of a duck, it is one of the largest birds discovered in the last 50 years.

- The only place in the universe where a flag flies all day, never goes up or comes down, never flies half-mast and does not get saluted, is the moon.

- He is handsome, tall, drives a fast car, has an unlimited expense account, and always gets the girl. That's just the actor. The character he portrays also has a licence to kill.James Bond debuted in Ian Fleming's novel "Casino Royale" in 1953. The first Bond movie, Dr No, starring Sean Connery, was released in 1962. Since then, the equivalent of half the world's population have seen at least one Bond movie.

- The amount of time that people spend on travel has been consistent at 1,1 hours per person per day in all societies. The average distance traveled is 12 000 km (7,400 miles) per year. In total, the world population travels more than 23 trillion km (16.6 trillion miles) per year, 53% of which is by car, 26% by bus, 9% by rail, 9% by high-speed transport such as airplanes, and 3% by bicycle, boat and other means. It is estimated that, due to developments in high-speed public transport, travel time will drop to only 12 minutes per person per day by 2050. Of the world traffic volume, 35% will be by car, 20% by bus, 41% by high-speed transport, and 4% by rail.- In 1897, Austrian businessman Emil Jellinek, traveled from his home in Nice, France to purchase a car from the Daimler factory in Cannstatt, Germany. On his return to the French Riviera, his sporting Daimler Phoenix caused such a sensation that he decided to enter it into a local touring competition, under the name of "Mercedes" after his favourite 9 year old daughter. Realising the business potential for the new car, he not only placed an order for 36 more, but also secured the franchise for selling them in several countries. Gottlieb Daimler also agreed to having them sold under the name of "Mercedes."

- Soon after building started in 1173, the foundation of the Pisa tower settled unevenly. Construction was stopped, and was continued only a 100 year later. It then became visibly clear that the Tower of Pisa is leaning, tilting to the south. Since regular measuring of the tower began in 1911, the top of the tower has moved 1,2 millimetres (0,05 inch) per year. Today the top of the Tower of Pisa is some 5,3m (17,4 ft) off-centre.