Capgras Delusion
The Capgras Delusion is a rare disorder in which a person holds the delusional belief that an acquaintance—usually a spouse or other close family member—has been replaced by an identical impostor. Found in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, dementia, or those suffering from a brain injury, the disorder is named after Joseph Capgras, the French psychiatrist who first described it in 1923.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Old Summer Palace
Known in China as the Gardens of Perfect Clarity, the Old Summer Palace was a complex of palaces and gardens built in the 18th and early 19th centuries near the walls of Beijing. Hundreds of invaluable Chinese art masterpieces and antiquities were stored in its halls, making the Imperial Gardens one of the largest museums in the world. In 1860, during the Second Opium War, British and French troops looted and destroyed the gardens.

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My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions.

Catharism

The Cathars were members of a Christian sect that flourished in France in the 12th and 13th centuries. Because most adherents believed in reincarnation—as opposed to resurrection—as a way of reaching the pure spirit realm, the Roman Catholic Church regarded the sect as heretical and launched the Albigensian Crusade to crush the movement. In one account of a massacre of some 20,000 Cathars, one of the crusade's commanders is asked how to tell Cathars from Catholics.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Korenizatsiya: "Putting Down Roots"
Meant to counteract decades of Russification—the promotion of Russian identity over indigenous culture during the imperial period—korenizatsiya was a Soviet policy that involved encouraging citizens to become literate and educated in the languages of their people and promoting members of the ethnic elite to positions of power. The policy began in the 1920s under Vladimir Lenin, who used it to spread communism

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Persian Miniature
Persian miniatures are small paintings with themes that often depict concepts from Persian mythology and poetry. The best-known form of Persian painting in the West, miniature painting became a significant Persian art form in the 13th century, peaking in the 15th and 16th centuries. Likely influenced by the Western and Byzantine traditions of manuscript illumination, Persian miniature is characterized by the use of geometry and a vivid palette.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Trout Tickling
Trout tickling is the practice of rubbing the underbelly of a trout in order to put it in a trance-like state that makes it easier to catch by hand. Commonly used in times of economic stress, especially during the 1930s depression era, the technique has been featured in works of literature throughout history—including writings by 3rd century Greek writer Aelian, Shakespeare, and Mark Twain, who described catching catfish in a similar way

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

The Ryutin Affair, one of the last attempts of the Soviet Communist Party to oppose Stalin, took place in 1932, when Martemyan Ryutin, an Old Bolshevik, decided to secretly oppose the controversial Soviet leader. In a nearly 200-page document now known as the "Ryutin Platform," he called for Stalin's elimination and a "fresh start," but he was soon identified as the author, imprisoned, and ultimately executed.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

The Indian March of Paul

The Indian March of Paul, a secret plot to attack British territories in India, was organized by Napoleon Bonaparte and his coconspirator Emperor Paul I of Russia. The plan called for two infantry units, one Russian and one French, to march to India. In a possible attempt to mask the true objective of the campaign, engineers, painters, and scientists were included in the expeditionary force. The Russian unit began its march to India in January 1801, but turned back a few months later

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Mud Volcanoes

Mud volcanoes are formations created by the geological emission of liquids and gases. They are frequently associated with earthquake zones, and when they erupt, they release an often acidic slurry as well as methane and other hydrocarbon gases. Some mud volcanoes also spew flames when they erupt, though the volcanoes themselves tend to be relatively cool.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Howard Baskerville

Baskerville was an American teacher and Presbyterian missionary who led a group of student soldiers against Mohammad Ali Shah during the Iranian Constitutional Revolution in the early 20th century. He is thus often referred to as the "American Lafayette in Iran"—a reference to the French military officer who participated in the American Revolution. He was shot and killed 9 days after his 24th birthday in 1909.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Cytokine Storm

A cytokine storm is a potentially fatal immune reaction that results from an uncontrolled positive feedback loop between immune cells and cytokines, proteins that facilitate intercellular communication. During an immune response, cytokines prompt immune cells to travel to the site of infection as well as stimulate the production of more cytokines. The body regulates this process, but in some cases it becomes inappropriately elevated.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Comanche Moon

The Comanche were one of the first Native American Plains groups to adopt the horse as a significant part of their culture. By the mid-19th century, they were supplying horses to traders and settlers, but because many of the horses had been stolen, the Comanche were often drawn into battle. The group regularly attacked under the full moon, a condition which afforded them better visibility during nighttime raids and led to the term "Comanche Moon."

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Stari Most

Stari Most, meaning "The Old Bridge," is a 16th-century bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina that is believed to have been the largest single-span arch bridge in the world when it was built. Charged under pain of death to construct a bridge of such unprecedented dimensions, the architect that built it reportedly prepared for his own funeral on the day the scaffolding was finally removed. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Stari Most

Stari Most, meaning "The Old Bridge," is a 16th-century bridge in Bosnia and Herzegovina that is believed to have been the largest single-span arch bridge in the world when it was built. Charged under pain of death to construct a bridge of such unprecedented dimensions, the architect that built it reportedly prepared for his own funeral on the day the scaffolding was finally removed. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Read the novel "The bridge on the Drina" by Ivo Andric and you will understand the complexity of the Balkans world.
Tullio

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Absolute Zero

The lowest temperature theoretically achievable by a system, absolute zero is the point at which substances possess no thermal energy. In 1848, British physicist Lord Kelvin devised a temperature scale that set absolute zero, or 0°K, at -273.15°C. Although absolute zero is impossible to achieve, scientists have brought some substances within a billionth of a degree of 0°K, inducing in these materials odd quantum effects such as superconductivity

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Graphology
Used to evaluate job recruits, potential jurors, and romantic partners, graphology is the study and analysis of handwriting, especially in relation to human psychology. Supporters cite anecdotal evidence for its accuracy in personality evaluation, but empirical studies have often failed to prove its validity. Among its most controversial forms, medical graphology uses handwriting analysis to evaluate patient health.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Mirror Neurons
The discovery of mirror neurons in primates is considered by some to be one of the most important findings in neuroscience in the last decade. These neurons, which are also believed to exist in humans, act as a "mirror" for behavior, firing both when an animal performs an action and when it observes another carrying out that action. This system may play a role in learning new skills and understanding the behavior of others.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

The Klondike Gold Rush

In August 1896, a party led by Skookum Jim Mason discovered rich gold deposits near the confluence of the Klondike and Yukon rivers in northwest Canada. The news quickly spread to other mining camps in the river valley and reached the US within a year, setting off the Klondike Gold Rush that drew more than 30,000 prospectors to the area. By the time mining ended in 1966, the area had yielded $250 million in gold

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Abbas the Great

Shah Abbas I ascended the Persian throne in the late 16th century, after participating in the coup that deposed his father. Persian artistic achievement flourished during Abbas's reign. The empire's new capital, Isfahan, was transformed into one of the world's most beautiful cities and quickly became one of the most important cultural centers in the Islamic world. Abbas's rule was tarnished, however, by his cruelty to his family.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010

Dictionaries

The lexical compilations known as dictionaries have taken many forms throughout the ages. The earliest dictionaries were created by the Greeks in the first century CE, while multilingual dictionaries emerged during the Middle Ages. Though today's lexica contain alphabetized word lists, until the 18th century, English dictionaries were predominantly organized by topic.

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LETS BEGIN IN 2010