British officer John Smith found them in 1819 while hunting a tiger; paintings date back about 2,000 years.
Wacky Facts
Every fact below is short, true and sourced: tap the source link under any of them to check it yourself. Share the ones that surprise you, or browse all topics.
Hampi’s musical pillars ring when tapped.
Pillars in the Vittala Temple at Hampi produce musical tones when struck gently.
Burj Khalifa is so tall you can watch the sunset twice.
At 828 m, you can watch the sun set from the ground and then take a fast lift up and see it again.
Konark Sun Temple was designed as a giant chariot.
The 13th-century temple in Odisha has 24 carved stone wheels; some act as sundials.
The Scream exists in several versions.
Edvard Munch made painted, pastel and print versions of The Scream between 1893 and 1910.
The Mona Lisa has no eyebrows.
High-resolution scans suggest Leonardo may have painted eyebrows and lashes that later faded or were removed during cleaning.
Van Gogh sold very few paintings in his lifetime.
He created about 2,100 artworks but is known to have sold very few; his fame came after his death in 1890.
2018The Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world.
The statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat is 182 m tall and was completed in 2018.
The Kailasa temple at Ellora was carved from a single rock.
Built in the 8th century, it was cut downwards from a basalt cliff, removing an estimated 200,000 tonnes of rock.
The Qutub Minar is the tallest brick minaret.
Built from 1199, the 72.5 m tower in Delhi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Sydney Opera House roof was inspired by peeling an orange.
Architect Jørn Utzon solved the roof geometry by making all shells sections of the same sphere.
The Colosseum could hold around 50,000 people.
Opened in 80 CE, it had numbered entrances to move crowds quickly — like a modern stadium.
The Leaning Tower of Pisa started leaning during construction.
Soft ground caused it to tilt in the 12th century. Engineering work finished in 2001 reduced the lean.
1924The Gateway of India was built for a royal visit.
It commemorates King George V’s 1911 visit and was completed in 1924.
The Taj Mahal changes colour through the day.
Its white marble appears pinkish at dawn, white at noon and golden in moonlight.