At 8 feet 0.75 inches (245.75 cm) Gabriel Monjane is the 20th tallest person ever documented after the ones like Bernard Coyne, Leonid Stadnyk, John Rogan, and Robert Wadlow, the tallest man ever in ...

The buckler shields first appeared in Europe among the Byzantines (the Eastern Romans) in the 8th century and then spread across the continent. Both the Celts and the Franks reportedly used this small ...

The Shaolin monks brought the Gùn (Chinese: 棍), a staff used in their style of stick combat, to Japan. In that region, the gùn underwent various changes before becoming known as the bō. During this ...

The atlatl is a device used to throw spears. It works by extending the throwing arm. The spear accelerates with this motion and reaches a speed of over 90 mph (150 km/h) which is much higher than ...

The Lucerne hammer is a type of polearm weapon, which combines the features of a stabbing, striking, and polearm weapon. It was used extensively by European infantrymen from the 15th century up to the ...

The sarissa is a spear that was in use in the early third century BC and was between 180 and 300 inches in length (4.5–7.5 m). During Alexander the Great‘s conquests and the Wars of the Diadochi, this ...

The Song Dynasty began in 960 CE, following several decades of political chaos in China. China was divided and in the midst of civil war, with each faction trying to recreate the Empire and take ...

Since Belgium is an amalgamation of German, French, and Dutch groups, the Christmas traditions differ from one part of the country to another and from one linguistic group to another. Many regional ...

In Sweden, Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, a tradition that has its origins in the ancient pagan festival of “Jul” and which has evolved via Christian (especially Lutheran) ...

The May sun beats down on Jozef Gabcik. For over an hour, the 30-year-old Czechoslovak has been waiting impatiently at a tram stop in the Prague suburb of Libeň. The morning heat is so intense that ...

During his lifetime, it is known that Adolf Hitler had a number of automobiles at his disposal, some of which he personally drove. Hitler was the proud owner and “occasional” driver of a diverse fleet ...

Asian Christmas rituals include elements of Western and native cultures. Midnight Mass, Christmas cribs, and gift exchanges are widespread in Christian-prevalent Asian nations like India and the ...