Turkish coffee reading (tasseography) is a widespread cultural practice — the social ritual matters as much as the fortune-telling.

Elvis Presley never wrote any of his songs — he was almost entirely a performer.

The gamelan orchestra of Indonesia uses percussion instruments tuned to local scales that differ from Western temperament.

The waltz was considered scandalous when introduced in the late 18th century because partners held each other closely.

Wayne Gretzky scored so many goals in his NHL career that if you remove all his goals, he would still be the all-time leader in points.

The Dao De Jing, foundational text of Taoism, is the world's second most translated text after the Bible.

The Olympic Games are held every four years.

During his entire lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh is known to have sold only a single painting.

In Aboriginal Australian mythology, the Dreamtime is not a historical past but an ongoing spiritual dimension.