Teaching at Oxford began in 1096. The Aztec Empire was not founded until 1428, making Oxford 332 years older. Students were sitting examinations in Oxford while the Aztec empire was at its height. The two worlds simply had not met yet. Here is what else was happening in 1096 when Oxford opened its doors.

Notre Dame de Paris took 182 years to build, spanning at least seven master builders, none of whom saw it finished. When the first stone was laid in 1163, Saladin had not yet been born, the Magna Carta was 52 years away, and the Aztec Empire would not exist for another 265 years. The flying buttress was invented during construction to solve a problem nobody anticipated.

In Tromsø, Norway, the sun does not set for two months. The assumption is that it destroys sleep and mental health. The Tromsø Study found sleep barely changes across the seasons. And the further north you live, the more positive your attitude toward the extreme light cycles. The locals have simply organised their culture around it.

Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid. The gap between the pyramid and Cleopatra is 2,500 years. The gap between Cleopatra and Neil Armstrong is 2,000 years. Pizza Hut is closer to Cleopatra than the pyramids are. Ancient history has its own ancient history.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari Teaching at Oxford began in 1096. The Aztec Empire was not founded until 1428, making Oxford 332 years older. Students were sitting examinations in Oxford while the Aztec empire was at its height. The two worlds simply had not met yet. Here is what else was happening in 1096 when Oxford opened its doors.

Saudi Arabia banned the sale of cats and dogs as pets and prohibited walking them in public. The reason given by the religious police: young men were using them to flirt with women. The cat ban had no basis in Islamic law. The Prophet Muhammad was famously devoted to cats. And the ban was never really enforced.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari Saudi Arabia banned the sale of cats and dogs as pets and prohibited walking them in public. The reason given by the religious police: young men were using them to flirt with women. The cat ban had no basis in Islamic law. The Prophet Muhammad was famously devoted to cats. And the ban was never really enforced.

On a hot July afternoon in Paris, the Eiffel Tower is approximately 15 centimetres taller than it was in January. It is also leaning. Both are measurable, both are documented, and neither is a metaphor. Marco Bellinari explains the physics and the history behind the most famous iron structure in the world.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari On a hot July afternoon in Paris, the Eiffel Tower is approximately 15 centimetres taller than it was in January. It is also leaning. Both are measurable, both are documented, and neither is a metaphor. Marco Bellinari explains the physics and the history behind the most famous iron structure in the world.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari Notre Dame de Paris took 182 years to build, spanning at least seven master builders, none of whom saw it finished. When the first stone was laid in 1163, Saladin had not yet been born, the Magna Carta was 52 years away, and the Aztec Empire would not exist for another 265 years. The flying buttress was invented during construction to solve a problem nobody anticipated.

In France, you can legally marry a dead person. Between 60 and 100 people request it every year. The President of the Republic must personally sign the authorisation. And the evidentiary requirements are stricter than most living marriages ever face.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the construction of the Great Pyramid. The gap between the pyramid and Cleopatra is 2,500 years. The gap between Cleopatra and Neil Armstrong is 2,000 years. Pizza Hut is closer to Cleopatra than the pyramids are. Ancient history has its own ancient history.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari In Tromsø, Norway, the sun does not set for two months. The assumption is that it destroys sleep and mental health. The Tromsø Study found sleep barely changes across the seasons. And the further north you live, the more positive your attitude toward the extreme light cycles. The locals have simply organised their culture around it.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari In France, you can legally marry a dead person. Between 60 and 100 people request it every year. The President of the Republic must personally sign the authorisation. And the evidentiary requirements are stricter than most living marriages ever face.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari There is an animal the size of a fingernail that does not die of old age. When injured or starving, it reverses its life cycle to its earliest juvenile form and starts again. Scientists have documented it completing this process over ten times in succession. Its name is Turritopsis dohrnii.

On December 29, 2011, 186,000 people in Samoa went to bed on a Thursday and woke up on a Saturday. Friday December 30 simply does not exist in Samoan history. This is what happened, why they did it, and what it means that a country can erase a day.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari On December 29, 2011, 186,000 people in Samoa went to bed on a Thursday and woke up on a Saturday. Friday December 30 simply does not exist in Samoan history. This is what happened, why they did it, and what it means that a country can erase a day.

econopass.com · Marco Bellinari Japan passed a law requiring waist measurements for every adult aged 40 to 74. Exceed the limit and there are consequences. The law is real, it is enforced, and the way it works is considerably stranger than the story you have already heard.