Hollywood to Jaipur

Issue 5

1) The very popular and evergreen American movie­ — It's a Wonderful Life, was a box office failure when it first came out in December 1946. Despite 5 Oscar nominations the movie recorded a $525,000 loss that bankrupted its studio. But decades after its original release it became an iconic Christmas holiday film, even though director Frank Capra had not considered it to be a Christmas movie. Though Capra suffered greatly for his art, he  was eventually awarded the American Film Institute's lifetime achievement award in 1982.

2) The average human being breathes roughly 25,000 times a day. Someone who lives to be 80 will have taken 730 million breaths in their lifetime.

3) Cuju or Ts'u-chü, is an ancient Chinese game which is thought to have been the earliest form of football. It is a competitive game that involves kicking a ball through an opening into a net and the use of hands is not allowed. Invented in the Han dynasty, it is recognized by FIFA as the earliest form of football for which there is evidence, being first mentioned as an exercise in a Chinese military work from the 3rd–2nd century BC.

4) The world’s largest sundial is located in India. The town of Jaipur is home to the largest sundial in the world, which is a towering 27 meters (90 feet) tall! The sundial is constructed from beautiful polished stone to create a truly impressive work of architecture. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and each year it attracts thousands of visitors, who come to witness the shadow moving at about six centimeters per minute.