Informative Facts

Learn Facts and Info Everyday

Archives for February 2019

Alexandrine Parrot Facts

By Leave a Comment


Alexandrine Parrot
Author: Australianaviculture / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Alexandrine Parrots, also known as Alexandrine Parakeets, are medium-sized birds in description. However, they are also considered to be the largest among all parakeet species. A lot of them have been known to reach up to lengths of 25 inches.


Here are some facts about Alexandrine Parrots:

  • This parrot species was named after Alexander The Great. He is credited with exporting different species of these birds from Punjab to various Mediterranean and European places all across the globe.
  • On average, these parrots have a length of 23 inches and a weight between 200-300 g.
  • The average lifespan of Alexandrine Parakeets is up to 40 years in captivity. However, they must be cared for properly, in order for them to reach this old age.
  • The temperament of these parrots is amazing. They are very loving and love to be hand fed. They are reputed to be very loyal “one-person” birds where family members are concerned. Therefore, this means, they will bond with only one family member in particular and ignore others totally. Other than this fact, they can be very loving and affectionate in nature, which makes them great pets.
  • This exquisite and elegant parrot species has naturalized itself in numerous European countries. Some of these places include Germany, south of England, Belgium, Greece, western Turkey and the Netherlands.
  • Its species is one of the oldest of all captive Parrot bird species on the entire Eurasian continent.

Alexandrine Parrots are truly exceptional birds. They are not only very beautiful birds in description, they are also very smart, knowing the meaning of love and loyalty. Taking care of these parrots as a pet, is a long term commitment, and not something that everyone can do. When you get one of these birds as a pet, you are also getting one very affectionate and faithful companion as a true friend too.

Facts About the Princess of Hope Statue

By 1 Comment

Located in the Balochistan province of Pakistan, this beautiful sculpture of rock, forged by nature itself is called the Princess of Hope. Until a few years ago this sculpture was completely unnoticed or probably ignored. Maybe, no one stopped to take a closer look or cared to wonder about how magnificent this marvel of nature is. This sculpture of rock looks like a Princess standing with large crown or turban over her head. It’s becoming a popular place for tourists.

Not much is known about the history of this statue and the mystery surrounding it makes it even more majestic and just makes you wonder about it. I wonder how long it’s gonna stay like this given the rains and winds in the area which are constantly modifying its shape. I think steps should be taken to try to conserve its shape, like perhaps building an enclosure around it, to prevent high pressure winds and rainfall from eroding its shape.

The Princess of Hope in the night sky.
Author: Shayhaq Baloch / (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Facts about the Princess of Hope:

  • The statue lies in the Hingol National Park near the Makran Coast in Gwadar, Balochistan.
  • It’s about 190km away Karachi and about 717km away from the provincial capital, Quetta.
  • It was named ‘Princess of Hope’ by actress Angelina Jolie when she visited the area in 2002 as a Goodwill ambassador from the United Nations.
  • The statue was created due to winds and strong rains in the area for centuries. Erosion and winds from the Arabian sea have carved out the rocky terrain into a beautiful noble woman.
  • Historians believe that this statue of rock is at least 750 years old.
  • Not far away is another famous natural rock formation that resembles the man-made Giant Sphinx Pyramid in Giza, Egypt.

However, since people started visiting the statue, many have scribbled their names or other text on the statue and this is destroying the overall beauty of the Princess. Local government says they are taking steps to prevent this, and will fine people who vandalize the Princess of Hope.

Tsar Bomba Facts: Most Powerful Bomb Ever Detonated

By Leave a Comment

After the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union became the two major super powers. Both countries remained in a constant arms race until the end of the Cold War. During this period, both nations rapidly modernized and developed new weapons, especially atomic bombs.

The ‘Tsar Bomba’ is just one of these examples. Originally known as the RDS-220 project, Tsar Bomba was a hydrogen bomb that was tested by the Soviets on 30th October 1961. The bomb is the most powerful explosive ever detonated. It was originally designed to have a yield equal to 100 megatons of TNT, but to reduce the amount of nuclear fallout, the design was slightly modified to decrease the overall energy yield of the bomb by half. Another reason to do this was to increase the survival chances of the pilots that were going to drop the bomb in the testing area.


Model of the “Tsar Bomba” in the Sarov atomic bomb museum. (Russia)
Author: Croquant / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Some interesting and shocking facts about the Tsar Bomb:

  • The prototype of the bomb that was detonated, had an energy yield of 50 megatons.
  • The bomb was developed from 1954-1961.
  • Tsar Bomba had a length of 8m and a diameter of about 2.1m.
  • The bomb weighed about 27000kg.
  • It had about 10 times more energy than all of the non-nuclear explosives used in World War II.
  • It was 1570 times more powerful than the combined power of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs.
  • Also, the bomb is estimated to have about 10% of the combined energy yield of all the nuclear tests done to date.
  • The bomb was dropped from a modified Soviet Tu-95 bomber aircraft.
  • The aircraft was redesigned so that it could carry the massive bomb.
  • The pilots were given a 50% chance of survival.
  • There was a chance of them crashing or getting burnt by the heat and shockwave produced by the blast.
  • The bomb was dropped by the Tu-95 and it detonated mid-air over the Sukhoy Nos island, a Russian nuclear testing site. On the return flight, about 35km away from the test area, the Tu-95 dropped from the blast shockwaves. The pilot, however, was able to gain control of the aircraft. Both aircrafts, the Tu-95 and the Tu-16 which was tasked with taking pictures, were able to return safely.
  • The bomb explosion produced a fireball that was about 8km wide and 10.5km in height.
  • The mushroom cloud produced by the bomb was about 67km high.
  • The mushroom cloud had a peak width of 95km and a base width of 40km.
  • The heat of the explosion was so severe that it could’ve caused third degree burns to anyone within 100km.
  • Nearby uninhabited villages were completely destroyed by the bomb.
  • The bomb produced shockwaves equivalent to a 5-5.25 magnitude earthquake.
  • Windows of buildings located upto 900km away broke as a result of the shockwaves.
  • Reportedly, no one died from the explosion as it was conducted in a very remote area with no population at all.

The Tsar Bomb was developed as a weapon that could cause unimaginable and devastating damage. Looking at its power, it should be a reminder to us about how deadly nuclear weapons can be. Countries that possess nuclear bombs should realize about the destruction nuclear weapons can cause. Especially India and Pakistan, who have already fought 3 wars with each other and are frequently escalating things between themselves. All countries possessing nuclear weapons should opt for disarmament

Abu Nasr Al-Farabi: Facts and Information

By Leave a Comment

One of the earliest Islamic philosophers who brought the doctrines of Plato and Aristotle to the attention of the Muslim world was Abu Nasr Al-Farabi. An outstanding linguist and scientist, Al-Farabi not only translated the works of Aristotle and Plato from the original Greek, he also contributed his own thoughts and beliefs to these works. Nicknamed Mallim-e-Sani, which means “Second Master” or “Second Teacher” many future Islamic philosophers including Avicenna were influenced by his teachings.

Al-Farabi
PD-old-70

His Early Life:

Al-Farabi began his education at Farab and continued it at Bukhara before moving to Baghdad to complete his higher studies. During this period in his life he mastered several languages.He also became knowledgeable in a wide variety of subjects including technology. His major subjects were philosophy,logic and sociology for which he became known later in life as an encyclopedist.

His Contributions and Achievements:

Al-Farabi was the first philosopher to separate philosophy from technology. Both Muslim and Christian philosophers dating back to the Middle Ages were influenced by his views. He was a strong believer that the world was created by a Supreme Being who was able to exercise balanced intelligence and he firmly believed all human beings possess this immortal rational facility, they just have to be taught how to develop it. His ultimate goal was to achieve this. He was far more dedicated to political theory than any other Islamic philosopher.

In the later stages of his life Al-Farabi set down the qualities he believed a ruler should possess. He felt the ruler should have the right attitude to rule and maintain the high standards expected of a ruler.
Central to his political philosophy was the concept that people who co-operate to find contentment gain ultimate happiness.

Al-Farabi wrote a number of books on early Muslim sociology and one of his most notable books is ‘Kitab al-Musiqa’ (The Book of Music). It is a theoretical study on Persian music although in the Western world it appeared as a book on Arab music. He also invented several musical instruments and contributed his knowledge to musical notes.A talented musician himself he could make his audience laugh or cry when playing his instrument. He also a wrote a pamphlet named the ‘Meanings of the Intellect’. The subject of this pamphlet was music therapy. Al-Farabi stressed about the therapeutic effects music has on the soul.

Al-Farabi in Later Life

All through his life he traveled a lot, picking up different experiences on the way and he is still remembered in a number of countries for the valuable contributions he made to science and philosophy. He was a bachelor and faced many hardships in his life but that never stopped his dedication to work and he is known to have been one of the most popular scientists in history. Many mourned his death at the age of 80 in Damascus in 339AH/950 AD.

10 Facts Abu Nasr Al-Farabi Will be Remembered For.

  • One of the earliest Islamic intellectuals to teach the doctrines of Plato and Aristotle to the Muslim world.
  • A great example to philosophers and intellectuals and admired by both Muslim and Christian philosophers
  • An outstanding linguist and an encyclopedist in his work.
  • The first philosopher to separate philosophy from technology.
  • More dedicated to political theory than any other Islamic philosopher.
  • A firm believer that the concept of happiness is achieved by people who co-operate to gain contentment.
  • Always stressed the importance of knowledge in his work.
  • An expert in music,he also invented several musical instruments.
  • A talented musician himself he could make people laugh or cry when he played his instrument.
  • An avid traveler he was mourned around the world when he died in Damascus aged 80.

Karakum Desert: Info and Facts

By 1 Comment

Karakum Desert
Author: David Stanley / (CC BY 2.0)

The Karakum Desert is located in Central Asia. It’s name originates from Turkic languages and the meaning of Karakum is “Black Sand”. The Karakum Desert stretches a distance of 800 miles from the center of Turkmenistan towards the direction of Afghanistan. Though the desert contains nothing but lots of sun-scorched dunes, as well as very little vegetation, it is still a famous tourist attraction.


Following are some informative facts about the Karakum Desert:

  • This burning desert occupies roughly about 70% of Turkmenistan.
  • It is considered to be the hottest of all Central Asia’s deserts. Yet, despite this fact, it is still able to provide ample support for some settlements. Two of these settlements are Mary and Tejen which are known for growing cotton.
  • Rain fall in this area averages out to about 70 to 150 mm per year.
  • On average, there is 1 person per 6.5km2 of desert.
  • It occupies an area of 350000km2 making it the 13th largest desert in the world.
  • In the heart of the Karakum Desert is the famous Darvaza Gas Crater also know as the ‘Door to Hell’. The crater was part of a natural gas field that collapsed in the 70s, into an underground cave. To prevent methane gas from spreading in the atmosphere, geologists set the methane filled crater on fire. Even after more than 40 years the methane hasn’t burnt out and the crater is still on fire.The total area of the crater is 5350m2. It has a total diameter of 69m and a depth of about 30m. The Darwaza Crater is an important tourist attraction because of this phenomena.
  • The desert is also home to a mountain range called the Bolshoi (Big) Balkan Range. Archaeologists have found human remains from the stone age, in these mountains.
  • Alexander The Great once marched his 60000 strong army through the desert.

Darvaza Gas Crater at night
Auhtor: Rastapopulous / (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Facts About American Climber Jim Whittaker

By Leave a Comment

Jim Whittaker (2005)
Author: Steve Jurvetson from Menlo Park, USA / (CC BY 2.0)

Jim Whittaker, also known as James Whittaker is one of the most accomplished and significant climbers in American history. His decades long career as a climber has had a great influence in the climbing community. Furthermore he’s also known as being the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Facts About Jim Whittaker:

  • Jim Whittaker was part of the American Mount Everest Expedition in 1963. This expedition was led by Norman Dyhrenfurth, but it was Whittaker who reached the summit first.Mr. Whittaker would ultimately plant the American Flag on the summit of Mount Everest as part of the 1963 expedition.
  • He also led the first successful American ascent of K-2.
  • Whittaker grew up in the Seattle area and spent much of his time there as well. He graduated from both Seattle High School and Seattle University.
  • He initially became a full time employee of Recreational Equipment Inc., working there for many years. Ultimately, Whittaker became CEO of the company in the 1960s.
  • In 1990, James Whittaker organized a “peace climb” to bring together people of different nationalities. This included climbers who were of American, Russian and Chinese heritage.
  • The peace climb would ultimately bring a dozen climbers to the summit of Mount Everest.
  • This event became known as the Earth Day 20 Peace Climb. The event was originally intended to promote good relations between different countries that were involved. However, the event also helped to clear off trash that had accumulated around the mountain.
  • He has a twin brother, who is named Lou Whittaker(also a climber). They are often mistaken for one another, though it was Jim who made it to the top of Mount Everest first.
  • During the course of 1965, Jim Whittaker was able to guide Robert Kennedy up to the top of Mount Kennedy.
  • Whittaker produced an autobiography during the course of 1990. This book was entitled “A Life On The Edge: Memoirs Of Everest And Beyond”, which detailed some of the key moments of his life’s career.
  • Whittaker reached the summit with a Sherpa by the name of Nawang Gambu. This Sherpa was the nephew of Tenzing Norgay, who was one of the first climbers to initially reach the summit of Mount Everest.
  • Jim became the chairman of the board for a company known as Magellan Navigation. This company would ultimately become well known for the global positioning system (GPS) products that it produced.
  • Jim later joined his brother Lou in the operation of Rainier Mountaineering, Inc.(RMI), which is a family owned company. RMI has developed some important mountaineering products over the years.
  • Since he was the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest, he was awarded the Hubbard Medal. This medal was awarded to Whittaker by U.S. President John F. Kennedy.