Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, celebrates the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.

Rowing is considered one of the most physically demanding Olympic sports, requiring near-maximal effort for about 6 minutes.

Traditional Japanese joinery uses no nails or adhesives — wooden pieces are cut to interlock perfectly.

The British punk rock movement of the 1970s was partly an artistic and political reaction to economic decline.

Many Native American languages contain single words that would require whole sentences to express in English.

The tradition of the white wedding dress was popularized by Queen Victoria in 1840 — before that, brides wore any color.

The sitar, fundamental to Indian classical music, has 21 strings — 7 played and 14 sympathetic.

In sumo wrestling, the ring (dohyo) is considered sacred and purified with salt before each tournament.

The average American moves 11.7 times in their lifetime.