Interesting Facts for kids, Harry potter, Heman, Superman: AllDayKids.com

Ravana

Ravana is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who was a king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister Surpanakha.This depiction is, however, open to other interpretations. Ravana is described as a devout follower of Shiva, a great scholar, a capable ruler and a maestro of the Veena. He has his apologists and staunch devotees within the Hindu traditions, some of whom believe that his description as a ten-headed person (Dasagriva) is a reference to him possessing a very thorough knowledge over the 4 Vedas and 6 Upanishads, which made him as powerful as 10 scholars. However, there is mention in Atharvaveda of demonic Brahmans called Dasagva (ten-headed) and Navagva (nine-headed) and the metaphor of a supernatural number of bodyparts to symbolize powers is an ancient one in Indian mythic depictions. Yet another interpretation of the ten-headed Ravana describe him to be a complete man with nine of his heads representing nine emotions that a man may possess (viz.anger, pride, jealousy, happiness, sadness, fear, selfishness, passion, ambition) and one representing the intellect.Ravana also authored Ravana Sanhita, a powerful book on the Hindu astrology. Ravana possessed a thorough knowledge of Ayurveda and political science. He is said to have possessed the nectar of immortality, which was stored under his navel, thanks to a celestial boon by Brahma.According to some theories, he was a historical emperor who reigned over Sri Lanka from 2554 BC to 2517 BC.The lake Rakshastaal, a salt water formation in Tibet, high up in Himalayas located right next to fresh-water lake Manasarovar is considered to be the place of severe penance tapasya by Ravana.

Snake And Ladders

It's a game almost all of us have played. It's a game which is related to the childhood memories of all of us. But do we ever think that who invented this game? What is the significance of this game?Yes, Snakes and Ladders is an original Indian game.The board game, today called Snakes and Ladders, originated in ancient India, where it was known with the name Mokshapat or Moksha Patamu.It is not actually known when or who invented it, though it's believed the game was played at a time as early as 2nd century BC. According to some historians, the game was invented by Saint Gyandev in the 13th century AD.Through its several modifications over the decades, however, the meaning of the game has remained the same -- 'that good deeds will take people to heaven (Moksha) while evil deeds will lead to a cycle of rebirths in lower form of life (Patamu)

Takshila: World's first University

India has a long and venerable history in the field of higher education. In ancient times, the country was known to have been home to the oldest formal universities in the world.The world's first University was established in Takshila or Taxila or Takshashila (now in Pakistan) in 700BC. This centre of learning was situated about 50 km west of Rawalpindi in Pakistan. It was an important Vedic/Hindu and Buddhist center of learning. It was not a well organized university like Nalanda.There is some disagreement about whether Takshashila can be considered a university. While some consider Taxila to be an early university or centre of higher education, others do not consider it a university in the modern sense.Takshila was specialized in the study of medicine.

GP block - Meerut

Although not well known, GP block of Meerut in Uttar Pradesh has been reported as a haunted place. On a number of occasions, four guys have been seen sitting inside a house with a single candle lighted and drinking beer. It happens to be the most common sight for people passing through that area. Some of them also said that they have even seen girls in red dress coming out of the house. The house is double-storeyed and people have seen the boys sitting on the roof-top. People have stopped going to that place now.

Delhi Cant North

Even the capital of India, Delhi is haunted! The most eerie place in Delhi is Delhi Cantt area which is full of green and lush trees. Most of the times, people have seen a lady clad in white sari asking for lift. If you don’t stop your vehicle, she will start running swiftly with the same speed and believe it or not, people have reported her reaching ahead of them. This story has been doing the rounds for a while now. Some people claim that possibly the lady was a hitchhiker while alive; hence she waves at lonely passersby to stop.

Shaniwarwada Fort Pune

It is said that Full Moon nights are very much haunted in Shaniwarwada Fort, Pune. According to an old story, this fort is haunted by the ghost of a prince who was brutally assassinated when he was 13 year old by one of his relative. His ghost can be heard shrieking in the middle of the night.

Thane Vrindavan Society

It is said that a man had committed suicide in one of the buildings in Vrindavan Society (Bldg. No.66 B).The security guards patrolling the area have come across weird happenings. Once a guard was slapped so hard that he got up from his chair and hit the other guard who was nearby him thinking he was the one who hit him.

DSouja Chawl Of Mumbai

A well in the D`souza Chawl area of Mumbai, Mahim has acquired the reputation of being haunted. It is said that a woman, while getting water, fell to her death in the well. Many people claim to have seen the ghostly apparition of that woman near the well during nights. She is also said to be harmless.

Dow Hill West Bengal

A number of murders have taken place in the Dow Hill forest that has left an eerie feeling in the atmosphere. Many locals have also heard footsteps in the corridors of Victoria Boys School during the December-March vacations. Woodcutters claim to have seen a headless young boy walking and then disappearing into the trees. All these things make this place one of the most haunted places in India.

Ramoji Film City Hyderabad

The ghostly story behind Ramoji film city is that it is built on the war grounds and is said to be haunted by notorious ghosts of dead soldiers. A lot of paranormal activities have been reported during film shootings. These stories though well known are not revealed officially due to business reasons. Torn clothes, shadows in the changing rooms, knocks from the bathroom doors locked from outside are common in the hotels of the film city.

Dumas Beach Gujrat

Famous scenic Dumas Beach of Gujarat has many stories to tell about spirits. If one goes by the story, Hindus burn their dead bodies on the beach, and this area has been reported numerous of times for its paranormal activities. People have reported experiences like hearing strange whispers on Dumas beach. It`s like the wind around this area is full of spirits of dead people. Some tourists have been even known to have disappeared while taking walks on the beach at night.

Brij Raj Bhawan

The 178-year-old Brij Raj Bhavan Palace of the former princely family of Kota in Rajasthan has a resident ghost, namely that of Major Burton, who, while serving as the British resident to Kota, was killed by Indian sepoys during the 1857 Mutiny. The sepoys killed Major Burton and his two sons in the central hall of the building. According to the tale, an elderly man with a cane in his hand, the ghost of Major Burton does not harm anybody. But during his night visit, if any of the guards are sleeping or dozing, Major Burton gives them a slap.

Bhangarh Fort, Rajasthan

Bhangarh, a deserted town in Rajasthan, was established in 1613 by King Madho Singh, son of great Mughal general, Man Singh of Amber. Bhangarh was abandoned soon after being built and supposedly after it was cursed by a magician. In ignorance Ajab Singh, the grandson of Madho Singh, raised the palace to such a height that the shadow reached the forbidden place. Hence the devastation of entire town of Bhangarh happened. Local villagers say that whenever a house is built there its roof collapses. People say that nobody returned who stayed there after dark. And the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) sign board put up there says, "Staying after sunset is strictly prohibited in this area."

National Bird

The magestic bird Peacock, Pavo cristatus is the national bird of India. It’s a symbol of beauty, joy, grace and love. This colourful bird has a fan-shaped crest on its head, a white patch under its eye and a long-slender neck. The male of species is more beautiful with a gleaming blue breast and an iridescent blue-green coloured plumage. The train feathers have a series of eyes and are best seen when the elongated tail is fanned. Whereas the female, Peahen or Peafowl has a mixture of dull green, brown and grey in her plumage.

Peacocks are found large in number in India. They live in forest lands near water and are also domesticated in some villages.

National Tiger

Tiger is the National Animal of India. It is symbol of India's wildlife wealth. The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris, is a striped animal.Tigers are an endangered species. Wild tigers in Asia -- their natural habitat -- may soon disappear. As conservationist, Marjorie Stoneman Douglas, has been paraphrased: Saving the tiger is a test. If we pass, we get to keep the planet.

National Emblem

The National Emblem of India is derived from the time of the Emperor Ashoka. The emblem is a replica of the Lion of Sarnath, near Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The Lion Capital was erected in the third century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe.

National Flag

The National Flag is the horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. At the center of the white band is a navy blue wheel, which is a representation of the Ashoka Chakra at Sarnath.

Science Or Superstition

2012 is expected to be year of great positive change. It is not the end of the world! Back in 1899 something was identified called Schumann Cavity Resonance. It is the heart beat or frequency of the Earth. Since its discovery till 1986 this heart beat frequency was constant 7.8 Hertz per second. From 1986 it started to raise dramatically and in 1998 it was reported to be 10 hertz per second. On other hand magnetics of the earth are dropping dramatically and it is expected they will reach zero point in 2012. Maya calendar and other calendars end in 2012, but it is not the end of the world just beginning of the new one since every 26000 years Earth goes through grand cycle of evolution.

Mount Pelee

Mount Pelee is a volcano located on the French island of Martinique in the Caribbean. it is well known for his destructive past. It was the early morning, may 8th in 1902, when eruption started destroying everything in its path. Killing in one day more than 30000 people. Completely destroying the city of Saint-Pierre, leaving only two survivors. One them was 25 year old Louis Auguste Cyparis a convicted felon who injured his friend with a glass during the bar fight. Interestingly, Louis escaped the jail night before the eruption, but he reported himself to the jail the very next morning. He survived because his dungeon cell had poor ventilation. Later he became a local celebrity.

Sound

Sound comes from vibrations. These vibrations create sound waves which move through mediums such as air and water before reaching our ears.

The speed of sound is around 767 miles per hour (1,230 kilometres per hour). When traveling through water, sound moves around four times faster than when it travels through air. The scientific study of sound waves is known as acoustics.Although music can be hard to define, it is often described as a pleasing or meaningful arrangement of sounds.

The sound of thunder is produced by rapidly heated air surrounding lightning which expands faster than the speed of sound.

Universe

No one knows the exact number of galaxies in the Universe, but it is estimated that there are more than 50 billion galaxies in the universe!(How huge the universe is!!!)

About 25% of the universe consists of "dark matter", and about 70% consists of "dark energy", leaving only about 5% of the universe visible to us.Most scientists think that the universe began 13.7 billion years ago (that is 1,370 million years ago). But there is not much differece as other scientists say that the Universe is 10 to 20 billion years old.

According to the scientists our solar system was formed about 5 billion years ago.The Earth was formed about 4.5 billion years ago.Astronomers believe that the universe contains one atom for every 88 gallons of space.

At present the universe is believed to be at least 10 billion light-years in diameter.

Venus

Did you know that a day on Venus is equal to 343 Earth days and a year on Venus is equal to 224.7 Earth days. So a day on Venus is longer than a Venus year. This is because it rotates very slow! Venus is named after the Roman goddess of love and beauty.

The first ever visit on Venus by a space craft was made by Mariner 2 in 1962. Venus the third brightest object in the sky (third only to the Sun and the Moon).

Venus is so hot that it can melt Lead. Though Murcury is closest to the Sun but still it is not the hottest. It is Venus that is hottest. The gases around Venus trapun's heat.

Dev Anand

Dharam Dev Pishorimal Anand 26 September 1923 – 3 December 2011), better known as Dev Anand, was an Indian film actor, writer, director and producer known for his work in Hindi cinema.The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2002 for his contribution to Indian cinema. His career spanned more than 65 years and acted in 114 Hindi films of which 110 have him play the main lead actor.He did his schooling till matriculation from Sacred Heart (School).Dev Anand died in a hotel in London at the age of 88 on 3 December 2011 (4 December 2011 by Indian time) of a cardiac arrest

Amitabh Bachhan

Amitabh Bachchan , born Amitabh Harivansh Bachchan on 11 October 1942) is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades. He was born in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh. He went to study at Kirori Mal College for Bachelor of Science degree. In his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job to pursue a career in acting.

Eminem

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972) better known by his stage name Eminem or his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer songwriter and actor. . The Rolling Stone same magazine has declared him The King of Hip Hop. Including his work with D12 and Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has achieved ten number one albums on the Billboard 200. .. Recovery was also named the best selling album worldwide of 2010 Eminem won Grammy Awards for both Relapse and Recovery, giving him a total of 13 Grammys in his career. Eminem has named Masta Ace, Big Daddy Kane, Newcleus, the Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, AZ, Nas, and Ice-T amongst others as his influences.

Guru Nanak Dev

Sri Guru Nanak is the first Guru in Sikh faith. According to sources, Sri Guru Nanak was born on 15th April 1469 in a small village called Tolevandi .Guru Nanak was born in a simple family. His father was an accountant. From his childhood he had great qualities. There are so many miraculous incidents about Guru Nanak’s childhood days and youth. During his life he advocated Oneness and Supremacy of God. He formed the new religion based on the principles of Hinduism and Islam. Guru Nanak’s significant work is his book Guru Granth Sahib which is revered as scripture by all his followers. The vast Collection of his revelatory verses are found in the book.

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru was born on November 14, 1889 in Allahabad, central India. His father Motilal Nehru was a prominent advocate and early leader of the Indian independence movement. He returned from education in England at Harrow School and Cambridge University to practise law before following his father into politics. In 1942 Nehru replaced Gandhi as the recognized leader of the National Congress party. Four years later, the British invited him to form an interim government.

Shah Jahan

Founder of the magnificent monument Taj Mahal, Also associated with the Red Fort of Delhi, Jama Masjid of Delhi, Section of Agra Fort, the Wazir Khan Mosque and the Moti Masjid in Lahore, PakistanShah Jahan, his name along with the name of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, being synonymous with the existence and ever growing popularity of Taj Mahal, was a Mughal Emperor of the Southern Asia who reigned from 1627 to 1658. He wasn't just a sharp military leader, but also had an exceptional talent for building and proved it by re-designing buildings within the Agra fort. Among many titles he had earned, "The Builder of the Marvels" was one that was about to be proved the most deserving in the time to come. Apart from the Taj Mahal, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Red Fort of Delhi, Jama Masjid of Delhi, Section of Agra Fort, the Wazir Khan Mosque and the Moti Masjid in Lahore, Pakistan, are some of the noble structures associated with the name of Shah Jahan, meaning "King of the World" in Persian.

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs

Steven Paul "Steve" Jobs February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American business magnate and inventor. He was co-founder, chairman, and chief executive officer of Apple Inc. Jobs was co-founder and previously served as chief executive of Pixar Animation Studios; he became a member of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Company in 2006, following the acquisition of Pixar by Disney. In the late 1970s. He was credited in Toy Story (1995) as an executive producer. n October 5, 2011, around 3:00 p.m., Jobs died at his home in Palo Alto, California, aged 56, six weeks after resigning as CEO of Apple.

Kalpana Chawla

Born On: July 1st, 1961 Karnal in Haryana Died On: February 1st, 2003 Career: Astronaut, Aeronautic Engineer Kalpana Chawla was India's first women aeronautical engineer to travel into space. She has been a role model to several women in terms of achievement and contributions to the field of aeronautics. Growing up in a male dominant society, Kalpana never let her dreams of flying be affected in any way. In fact she was the first woman to study aeronautical engineering in her batch. Some of her memorials are: the Kalpana Chawla Award given by the Karnataka Government, a dormitory named after her in the University of Texas at Arlington from where she did her Masters and a planetarium in Haryana. This sheds light on her meritorious and outstanding achievements. Even though her death was sudden and unfortunate, she left a mark in the nation and will be remembered forever. Read the following sections to know more about this dynamic personality, her career and life.

Kalpana Chawla was a certified flight instructor who rated aircrafts and gilders. She also held a commercial pilot license for single and multi-engine airplanes, hydroplanes and gliders. Kalpana was a licensed Technician Class Amateur Radio person certified by the Federal Communication commission. Owing to her multiple degrees in Aerospace, she got a job in NASA as the Vice President of the Overset Methods, Inc. in 1993. She was extensively involved in computational fluid dynamics research on Vertical/Short Takeoff and Landing. It was not until 1995 that she became a part of the NASA 'Astronaut Corps'. On the other hand, Kalpana Chawla created history for being the first Indian woman to travel in a space shuttle. She had the privilege of journeying as far as 10.4million km. This approximately adds up to 252 times around the Earth's orbit that comprised of 372 hours in space.

It was on February 1st 2003 that the space shuttle, STS-107, collapsed over the Texas region when it re-entered the Earth's atmosphere. This unfortunate event ended the lives of seven crew members including Kalpana.