It’s not the Polar Bear Swim, but the annual tug-of-war in Mihama, Fukui Prefecture, does involve people jumping into cold waters in the middle of winter. Legend has it that a huge snake once menaced the waters of Hiruga Lake, which opens out into the Sea of Japan. The people drove the snake away by taking a huge rope into the water. Today, young men struggle in a tug-of-war while standing in the lake. The rope symbolizes the snake, and the tug-of-war continues until the rope is pulled apart or cut in two. The event also serves as a ritual appealing for a good fishing season. Discuss
Source: The Free Dictionary
Regarded as one of the most extraordinary public servants in American history, Franklin was also a printer, publisher, author, scientist, and inventor. After gaining popularity as the publisher of Poor Richard’s Almanack, he promoted public services in Philadelphia, including a library and a fire department. In 1776, he went to France to seek aid for the American Revolution, and in 1787 he was instrumental in the adoption of the US Constitution. What musical instrument did he invent? 
Invented in 1974 by Hungarian sculptor and professor Erno Rubik, the Rubik’s Cube is now said to be the world’s best-selling toy. More than 300 million of these colorful, square puzzles have been sold worldwide. The standard Rubik’s Cube has 54 square faces—nine on each side—covered by stickers in six solid colors. When the puzzle is solved, each side of the cube is a single solid color. What is the current world record for solving a Rubik’s Cube? 
The Council of Nablus was convened to establish the first written laws for the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the Christian kingdom established in 1099 by the First Crusade. The council included both ecclesiastic and secular lords who established 25 canons that addressed both religious and secular issues like tithing, adultery, bigamy, false accusations, legal attire for Muslim residents, and theft. Why, according to the canons, was it necessary for the Christian leadership to organize this council? .jpg)
The Sinulog Festival takes place on the island of 
Batista was a soldier, president, and dictator who twice ruled Cuba. After working his way up through the army, he ruled first through associates before becoming president himself in 1940. In his first term, he achieved gains in education, public works, and the economy while enriching himself and his associates. He lost the 1944 election but returned to power through a US backed coup in 1952 and ran a corrupt and brutal dictatorship that set the stage for his overthrow in 1959 by whom? 
Scientists believe that mastodons, elephant-like mammals that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times, first appeared nearly 4 million years ago. Though the large, furry, prehistoric mammals resembled wooly mammoths, the two had distinctly different dental and skeletal structures. Hunting may have played a role in the extinction of the mastodon 10,000 years ago. In what US states have mastodon remains been found?