Historic facts

1. Despite being built in 280 BCE, the Colossus of Rhodes was approximately as tall as the Statue of Liberty.

1. In 1187, King Philip II of France and King Richard I of England (whilst a prince), shared a bed overnight in a symbol of unity between the two countries.

1. Mir Osman Ali Khan, the fifth richest man in the history of mankind - donated 5 tons gold to the National Defence Funds of India and was using the Jacob Diamond as a paperweight.

1. People used to grind human bones into flour to make 'bone bread.'

01. In the 12th-century, women in Shanxi (a Chinese province) were considered more desirable as a wife if they had already slept with a large number of men.

1. During the Zong Massacre, in 1781, a British slave ship threw 130 chained African slaves overboard and claimed compensation under the ship's insurance. They falsely blamed the act on water shortage and lost their case.

1. Anybody, dead or alive, traveling into France requires a passport. In 1974, the Egyptian government had to issue a passport to Pharaoh, Ramesses II to transport his body to France for restoration. Eerily, his body also received full military honors when it arrived at the Paris airport.