Which nation has the smallest army in the world?

Vatican City, the world’s smallest country, has the smallest army. This army of 110 men is also known as the Swiss Guard. In the year 2006, the Vatican celebrated the 500^th anniversary of the Swiss Guard. The celebration commemorated the 150 Swiss Helvetian mercenaries who came to Rome to serve Pope Julius II, on January 22, 1506. The mercenaries covered a distance of 723 km in 27 days to enter Rome from Bellinzona, Switzerland. Swiss Helvetian mercenaries, famous for their courage, die-hard attitude and loyalty to their employers, were part of the regular armies of various countries at that time. As allies of the Pope, they helped to shape Italy’s destiny and thus they were granted the title ‘Defenders of the Church’s Freedom’ by the Pope. During the sack of the Rome on May 6, 1527, the Swiss Guard, comprising 189 personnel at that time, resisted a Spanish attack on Rome and the Vatican. But they had to retreat after suffering heavy casualties. Only 42 men survived the attack. However, the guard was able to ensure Pope Clement VII’s escape to safety.

Which was the first TV talk show?

The talk show, popularly understood as a show compromising a host, a few panelists and a live audience, had its origins in the ‘70s in the American television. Phil Donahue’s “The Donahue Show”, which first aired in 1970, is the first talk show. Oprah Winfrey, however, took this format to new levels and is today the highest-paid TV personality.

What is guttation?

Guttation is the loss of water in the form of droplets from hydathodes (small pores) on the leaf margin of a small herbaceous plant. Water has the ability to rise up to 2 feet on its own through the xylem of the plant. During the evening or early morning, when the rate of absorption by roots exceeds the rate of transpiration (evaporation) by leaves, a lot of water gets accumulated in the plant body which can damage the cells. Plants have hydathodes at the end of the veins, through which this excess water is lost in the form of droplets. It takes place mostly in small plants like banana, rose, etc.

Why the Virgin Islands are called so?

Virgin Islands were discovered by Christopher Columbus. He named them after Saint Ursula and the 11,000 Virgins. This was later shortened to The Virgins.

Which is the shortest and longest war in history?

The Anglo-Zanzibar was fought between the United Kingdom and Zanzibar on August 27, 1986. With duration of only 45 minutes, it holds the record of being the shortest war. The Three Hundred and Thirty Five Years war (1651-1986) was between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly (off the south-west coast of the United Kingdom). It is said to have been extended by the lack of a peace treaty for 335 years. It was waged without a single shot fired, making it one of the world’s longest wars and the war with the fewest casualties. Despite the uncertain validity of the declaration of war, peace was finally declared in 1986.

Which is the world’s first zoo?

Shulgi, the ruler of Ur (now South-East Iraq) made the first-known collection of animals in 2400 B.C. But it was not a public zoo. The first real zoo was established by Queen Hatshepsut in 1500 B.C. in Egypt by collecting animals from all over Africa. Later, Emperor Wen Wang of China built a zoo to show his wealth and power. Spread over 1500 acres, it had animals from all over his empire and was named the Garden of Intelligence. Today, the oldest zoo in existence was built in Vienna by Emperor Franz Josef for his wife in 1752.

Who was the first Indian to have a wax statue in Madame Tussaud’s museum?

Mahatma Gandhi was the first Indian to have a wax statue in Madame Tussaud’s museum in London. Today’s wax figures at the museum include historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and even famous murderers. Amitabh Bachchan was the first Indian film star to have a statue at Madame Tussaud’s museum.

Is Earth the only planet to have water?

For long, it was believed that intelligent life existed on Earth because it was the only planet to have water. But recently, an astronomer Traviz Barman at Lowell Observatory, Arizona stated that in the atmosphere of a Jupiter-like large, gaseous planet, water vapors was found. The planet in question has been named HD 209458b and it lies about 150 light years away from Earth in a constellation called Pegasus. Earlier, their have been reports of traces of water being found on Mars by the Global Surveyor spacecraft.

Why do most living beings sleep at night

Living being’s brains contain pineal glands, which secrete the hormone melatonin. The level of these hormones rises at night and is responsible for sleep. In daylight, the level of this hormone decreases, resulting in animals waking up from sleep. This is a cycle which operates throughout life and is known as ‘circadian rhythm’. There are many such rhythms operating in biological systems.

Which country has the world’s largest Navy?

The United States Navy is the world’s largest and has a capacity greater than that of the next 17 largest combined navies. Currently, it has nearly

342000 personnel on active duty and 12911634 in reserve; 276 ships and over 4,000 aircraft. Its budget is supposed to be $127.3 billion for 2007.

What is the estimated age of the Earth?

It is believed that the Earth is 4-5 billion years old. Almost nothing is known of the Earth’s conditions during the first billion years before the consolidation of its crust. Through some methods like tidal force, sedimentation, rate of erosion, salinity of the ocean and radioactivity, the Earth’s age has been estimated but still debatable. The Big Bang theory, which explains the formation of the universe, was postulated in the 1950s and 1960s and its validity in 1972, proved by evidence received from the Cosmic Background Explorer is now accepted.

What is red shift in astronomy?

It is the increase in wavelength of the light from a stellar object towards the red end of the visible spectrum. This is usually caused by the object rapidly going away from the observer. The light spectra of distant galaxies show marked red shifts. This is normally interpreted as implying that they are rapidly receding from us.

Why is the golden toad extinct?

The golden toad was once unique for its shimmering yellow color and was found exclusively in Costa Rican jungles. Now, it has the dubious distinction of being extinct. Experts blame global warming for its disappearance from the planet. They believe that rising temperatures have led to a dangerous form of skin fungus entering their habitats. Also, two types of Harlequin frogs have become extinct, and several more reptiles and amphibians are on this ecological hit list.