In Japan, sleeping on the job is sometimes seen as a sign of dedication because it implies you worked yourself to exhaustion.

Beethoven continued to compose music after going almost completely deaf, including his Ninth Symphony.

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

The Olympic rings represent the five continents of the world — but no particular ring is tied to a specific continent.

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

The fastest tennis serve ever recorded was by John Isner at 253 km/h (157.2 mph).

The Vikings used to give kittens to new brides as essential household gifts.

Shintoism, Japan's indigenous religion, venerates kami — spirits in nature, ancestors, and sacred objects.

In Chinese mythology, dragons are benevolent creatures associated with water, rain, and imperial power — opposite to Western dragons.