Xanadu
Xanadu was the summer capital of Kublai Khan's Yuan Dynasty in China.
Karosta
Karosta was constructed in 1890-1906 as a naval base for the Russian Tsar Alexander III, and later served as a base for the Soviet Baltic Fleet. When the Russian army left Latvia in 1994 after Latvian independence, Karosta became largely uninhabited and most structures fell to ruin. In the late 1990s, the area was troubled by high unemployment, street crime and drug problems. Some remaining residents are considered neither Latvian nor Russian and hold alien passports.
Jagiellonian University
Jagiellonian University is the oldest of higher education in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in Europe.
Gumball machine
The first known vending machine was invented by the Greek engineer and mathematician Hero of Alexandria around 215 BC. These first vending machines were located in Egyptian temples and dispensed holy water in exchange for coins.
Royal Warrant Holders Association
Royal Warrants are a mark of recognition to individuals or companies who have supplied goods or services for at least five years to HM The Queen, HRH The Duke of Edinburgh or HRH The Prince of Wales. Warrants have always been regarded as demonstrating excellence and quality, and are highly prized. There are around 850 Royal Warrant Holders representing a huge cross-section of trade and industry. They range from traditional craftspeople to global and multinational firms operating at the cutting edge of technology.
Saint Crispin
Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, tanners, leather workers and, since it came into being, of the leather subculture.
Devambez
Maison Devambez was a fine printer's firm in Paris. At first the firm specialized in heraldic engraving, engraved letterheads and invitations. Devambez clients included the House of Orléans, the House of Bonaparte and the Élysée Palace. Long-established as a printer, Devambez only ventured into book publishing at the start of the twentieth century, printing books on Edgar Allan Poe, Laurence Sterne, and others. Today, they exclusively make...rolling papers.
Le Petit Journal
Le Petit Journal was a daily Parisian newspaper published from 1863 to 1944. One of the Journal's major innovations, that made a substantial contribution to its popularity, was the publishing of detailed minutes from sensational trials, beginning with the Troppmann Affair in 1869. The exploitation of this affair enabled the Journal to almost double its readership. It was also one of the earliest instances of a publication's journalistic ethics being called to serious account.
Dancing Plague of 1518
The Dancing Plague of 1518 was a case of dancing mania that occurred in Strasbourg, France (then part of the Holy Roman Empire) in July 1518. Numerous people took to dancing for days without rest, and over the period of about one month, most of the people died from heart attack, stroke, or exhaustion.
The 100,000 dollar bill
The 100,000 dollar bill is a banknote of the United States that was printed by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing from 1934 to 1935. It was never publicly circulated and was only used for transactions between Federal Reserve Banks. With a face value of 100,000 dollars, it is the highest-denominated piece of paper money ever produced by the United States. The note technically still holds the status of legal tender, but has not seen circulation since the 1960s.