Iceland is home to around 200 volcanoes and it has a third of all lava flows found on Earth. 10% of the total land is covered by either cooled lava beds or glaciers. Do you know Facts About Iceland that the official language of Iceland is Icelandic which has changed little over the centuries. It is a North Germanic language derived from Old Norse.

Facts About Iceland

• The first people to live on Iceland are thought to have been Irish monks around the year AD 800. In the 9th century, Norsemen arrived in Iceland.

• The capital city of Iceland is Reykjavík which is the most northern capital city in the world. Its name means ‘smoke coves’.  The city was founded by a Norse chieftain, Ingólfur Arnarson in AD874.

• Iceland became part of Norway in 1262. 400 years later it was a part of Denmark before becoming independent in 1918 and a full republic in 1944.

• Do you know Facts About Iceland that in 1980, Iceland became the first country to elect a women president. Vigdís Finnbogadóttir was president until 1996.

• The currency of Iceland is the Icelandic króna.

• Around 85% of Iceland’s electricity and heating comes from hydroelectric power and geothermal water.

• Do you know Facts About Iceland that the Arctic fox is the only mammal that is indigenous in Iceland.

• Per capita Iceland has the highest number of book and magazine publications and 10% of the country’s population will publish a book in their lifetimes.

• Some Icelandic people still believe in elves, trolls, and other mythical characters.

• A traditional sport in Iceland is Glíma, which is a type of wrestling.

• Handball is the main traditional sport of Iceland. Other popular sports include football (soccer), basketball, swimming and horseback riding.

• Do you know Facts About Iceland that the three colors of Iceland’s flag represent elements that make up the island. Red represents the island’s volcanic fires. White is for the snow and ice fields and blue the ocean.

• More Coca-Cola is drunk per person in Iceland than anywhere else.

• The country was part of Denmark for much of its history, but became independent in 1944.

• Do you know Facts About Iceland that Iceland has days (during July and August) when the sun never sets.

• Playing golf in the midnight sun is popular, and Iceland has one of the world’s most northerly golf courses.

• Icelanders are listed by their first name in the telephone book, and everyone uses first names. The last name of Icelanders comes from the first name of their father.

• In Iceland, the Yule Lads are said to deliver presents on Christmas Eve instead of Father Christmas. They deliver gifts to good children and rotting potatoes to bad children.

• Iceland was founded by the Vikings. The Scandinavians were the first to settle in Iceland in 870.

• The Icelandic main dishes contain lamb, seafood, and dairy products.

• Do you know Facts About Iceland that the bread you will get in Iceland is mostly dark rye bread or rye flat-bread, which is very tasty too and you definitely should try the delicious “Klein” pastries.

Also, Read:

Important facts to know about the USA

Interesting Facts about the 4th of July

Fast facts about United States Constitution Day

• Louis XIX was Kingof France for just20 minutes.

• Do you know Amazing facts about France that there’s a Coffee Shop in France where not saying “hello” and “please” makes your coffee more expensive.

• The Mosque of Paris helped Jews escape the Nazis by giving them Muslim IDs during WWII.

• Do you know Amazing facts about France that France was the first country to introduce the licence plate.

• It’s illegal to name a pig Napoleon in France.

• French is the official language of many countries including: Switzerland, Canada, Ivory Coast, Luxembourg, Monaco, Congo and Niger.

• The word “salut” means both “hello” and “goodbye”

• The French had an early version of the internet called Minitel, where as long as 1984, they could pay bills and shop at home using the Minitel service.

• France has won the most Nobel Prizes for Literature than any other country in the world, and the second most in mathematics.

•  Do you know Amazing facts about France that France created the first universal declaration of human rights in 1789.

• Do you know Amazing facts about France that the Eiffel Tower is painted every 7 years. The Eiffel tower was originally intended to be dismantled and sold as scrap after its construction.

• Mainland France belongs to the continent of Europe. Bordering countries are Andorra, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Spain, and Switzerland.

• The Alps mountain range on the border of France and Italy is home to France’s highest mountain.

• Do you know Amazing facts about France that France is the most visited country in the world, with over 80 million visitors every year.

• The Louvre is the most visited art museum in the world. The famous Mona Lisa painting is on display in this museum.

• The famous Eiffel Tower in Paris was built as the entrance point for the 1889 World Fair. It is one of the most visited monuments in the world.

• France was the second country to host the modern Olympic Games in 1900 in Paris. Paris also hosted the games again in 1924. Three winter Olympics have been hosted in France.

• One of the four grand slam tennis events, the French Open, is held in Paris every year.

• Louis Pasteur was a French scientist who made many discoveries in the fields of chemistry and microbiology.

•  In France, a glass pyramid stands outside the Louvre museum as a tribute to the ancient Egyptians and their amazing world.

• France has seven mountain ranges and five major river systems.

• Beer is considered a luxury drink saved for special occasions, wine is free with most meals.

• The country is one of the largest wine-producing nations in the world. There are 17 distinct wine-producing regions like Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Loire and Provence that continue with the tradition of wine making in France. Goes well with all that cheese!

• France is the home of the TGV – Train à Grande Vitesse, French for high-speed train. A TGV test train set the record of being the fastest train when it reached a speed of 357 mph on April 3, 2007.

Interesting Julius Caesar Facts:

• It is believed that Julius Caesar was born about three days before the Ides of July, in 100 BC.

• Julius Caesar’s ancestry could be traced to the first king of Rome.

• When Julius was young he was kidnapped by pirates on the way to study oratory. They wanted 50 talents (money at the time) ransom. He made friends with the pirates and he was later freed when Caesar’s uncle paid the money. Once he was freed he had the pirates executed.

• Julius Caesar introduced the Julian calendar.

• Julius’ face was depicted on Roman coins.

• The famous play The Tragedy of Julius Caesar was written by William Shakespeare. It was written mainly about Julius Caesar’s assassination and the events that followed.

• Julius Caesar married Cornelia, then Pompeii, and finally Calpurnia.

• It was rumored that Julius Caesar had girlfriends while was married, including Cleopatra, and Servilia Caepionis.

• Do you know Julius Caesar facts that some believe that Brutus was Julius Caesar’s son because of his relationship with Servilia Caepionis.

• Julius’ involvement with Cleopatra could not result in marriage because he was Roman and she was
  Egyptian. Roman law would only allow Roman citizens to marry other Roman citizens.

• Although Julius Caesar was the Roman dictator, he never had a crown.

• Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC by conspirators who believed he was going to try to become king.

• Cesarean sections (also called a C-section) was an option for child birth in Julius Caesar’s time, he was not
  born this way. Some believe that the name for this type of delivery originated with one of Julius Caesar’s ancestors.

• At one time before becoming involved in the military, Julius Caesar was planning on becoming a priest.

• Some believe that Julius Caesar had malaria and possibly tapeworms. It is also strongly believed that he had
  epilepsy.

• There are no living ancestors of Julius Caesar today, even though he married three times and had many
  girlfriends. All of the children that were born to Julius Caesar’s wives or girlfriends died either as infants or before they could have children of their own. Even Marcus Brutus, the possible son he had with Servilia, died before producing any children.

• When Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC, Mark Antony (Caesar’s loyal supporter) and Augustus
  Caesar (Julius’ heir) fought many civil wars. Augustus Caesar became the first emperor of Rome.

• The king of diamonds in a traditional deck of playing cards represents Julius Caesar.

Also, Read:

Cool Facts about George Washington

Crazy-Interesting facts about Warren Buffet

Crazy & Interesting facts about Mark Zuckerberg

Here are some facts about James Watt.

• James Watt was a Scottish engineer and inventor and one of the most important contributors to the Industrial Revolution. He is best known for making major improvements to the steam engine.
• Watt was born in Greenock, Scotland in 1736. He was good at engineering and mathematics and on leaving the school he made and repaired scientific and astronomical instruments.
• In the late 1750s, he began to experiment with steam, even though he had never seen a working steam engine. In 1769 he took out a patent for a new condensing chamber.
• Watt built a steam engine which used 75 percent less fuel than previous models. It was first used to pump water from mines and then replaced all other steam engines.
• In the late 1760s, Watt worked with the inventor John Roebuck and then an engineer, Matthew Boulton. They made steam engines for canals, coal mines, and paper, cotton and flour mills.
• Watt became very rich and continued to invent things, including the working machine for copying medallions and sculptures. He died in Birmingham in 1819 and he is buried in St. Mary’s Church.
• In 1784 he was invited to join the Royal Society of Edinburgh and in 2011 was inducted to the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame. He appeared on a £50 note in 2011, one of only two Scots to do so.
• James Watt also worked as a civil engineer and is considered to be one of the earliest entrepreneurs. He made several important surveys of Britain’s canal network.
• The watt was named after James Watt. Today it is still used as the basic unit of mechanical and electrical power, for light bulbs and other machines.
• There are statues of James Watt in Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and Glasgow, and several streets are named after him in Greenock. His workshop and its contents can be seen in the Science Museum, London.
• An inventor and mechanical engineer is famous for his improvements to the Newcomen steam engine
• He developed the concept of horsepower and SI unit of power the watt was named in his honour
• With Matthew Boulton, he founded the firm of Boulton and Watt which was to make him a wealthy man
• Watt was established in Glasgow as “mathematical instrument maker to the university.”
• In 1800 James Watt retired his Job.

Must Read:

Inventions that changed the World

 Fast facts about Inventions and Inventors

10 people who changed the world

Scientists and Inventors