Culture

Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable-type printing press in Europe around 1440. It revolutionized the spread of information and helped launch the modern age.

The Renaissance began in Italy around the 14th century and flourished through the 17th, reviving art, science, and learning.

In Western churches, Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after 21 March, so it can land anywhere between 22 March and 25 April.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, so it begins about 10 to 11 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar and lasts 29 or 30 days.

Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, begins on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which always falls between 21 January and 20 February.

Diwali, the festival of lights, is celebrated on the new moon night of the Hindu month of Kartika, which usually falls in October or November.

American Thanksgiving traces back to a 1621 harvest feast at Plymouth Colony, but it became a national holiday only in 1863, proclaimed by President Abraham Lincoln.

The earliest known record of Christmas on 25 December comes from Rome in AD 336, though the Bible does not give the date of the birth of Jesus.

Valentine's Day began as a Christian feast honouring Saint Valentine, established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496, but it became linked with romance only in the late Middle Ages.

Halloween grew from Samhain, an ancient Celtic festival held around 31 October to mark the end of harvest, which later merged with the Christian All Saints' Day.

Hip hop is traditionally said to have been born on 11 August 1973 at a back-to-school party in the Bronx, New York, hosted by DJ Kool Herc.

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896. They took place in Athens, Greece.

The first Nobel Prizes were awarded in 1901. The prizes were established by the will of Alfred Nobel.

One of the first widely recognized public radio broadcasts was made in 1906 on Christmas Eve. Reginald Fessenden transmitted music and speech to ship operators.

The first UNESCO World Heritage Sites were inscribed in 1978. The inaugural list included 12 sites such as the Galápagos Islands and Yellowstone.

One of the earliest public film screenings took place in 1895. The Lumière brothers showed their short films in Paris.

The first modern newspaper comic strip appeared in 1895. It was Richard F. Outcault's The Yellow Kid.

The earliest known printed book dates to around 868 CE. It is the Diamond Sutra from China.

Johannes Gutenberg developed movable-type printing in Europe around 1440. It transformed book production and the spread of knowledge.

The first roller coaster ancestor opened in the 1800s, with one of the earliest in 1817. It was the Russian Mountains attraction in France.

The first official postcard was issued in Austria-Hungary in 1869. It offered a cheaper way to send brief messages by mail.

The first organized indoor ice hockey game was played in 1875. It took place at the Victoria Skating Rink in Montreal.

One of the first successful underwater color films was shot in the 1920s. It opened a new window on coral reefs and marine life.

The first recorded ascent of Mount Fuji by a woman is generally dated to 1832, when Tatsu Takayama climbed it.

Weather forecasts began appearing on television in the early 1950s, with one of the earliest regular broadcasts in the United States in 1954.

Popular bird field guides emerged in the early 20th century, with major modern guides appearing in the 1930s and 1940s.

World Migratory Bird Day was first launched in 2006.

Many historic sea serpent reports were later explained by real animals, especially whales and oarfish, in the 19th and 20th centuries. Scientific study gradually replaced legend with identification.

The first known recorded ascent of Mount Fuji by a non-Buddhist pilgrim was in 1603, and the earliest documented climb by a foreigner was in 1860.

The first known ascent of the Matterhorn by a woman was in 1871, by Lucy Walker.

Popular bird identification guides became common in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, especially after field guides spread in the 1900s.

Edible mushrooms were being cultivated commercially in the 17th century, especially in France.

Seedless grapes were cultivated in antiquity, with major development in the ancient Mediterranean world by at least Roman times.

Probiotic foods and supplements became commercially popular in the early 20th century, especially after Elie Metchnikoff's work in 1907. He linked fermented milk and longevity.

The Great Library of Alexandria was founded in the early 3rd century BCE, likely during the reign of Ptolemy I or Ptolemy II. Its exact founding date is not certain, but around 300 BCE is commonly given.