10 Things You Should Know - Episode VII

• Hrithik Roshan has
  two thumbs on his right hand. This is known as hyperdactyly or polydactyly. It is generally hidden
  in his films. However, it was not hidden in ‘Koi…
  Mil Gaya’ where it was even used as a minor plot point, as the alien was
  also designed to have two thumbs!

• In 1893, New Zealand
  became the first country in the world to grant the ‘right to vote’ to women.

• On December 5, 2011,
  the King of Belgium named a coalition government, which was sworn in a day
  later. This seemingly unimportant fact assumes great significance when you know
  that for this government to be place, Belgium had held a general election on 13
  June 2010! But political parties could not agree on the modalities and terms of
  the coalition. Only after 541 days of intense negotiations, the King could
  finally broker an agreement to put a coalition government in place. With this,
  Belgium has created a dubious world record, in modern history, of a country
  going the longest time without a government in place.

• The tiny island nation of Maldives is the
  smallest country in Asia, both in terms of area (298 km²) and
  population (3.5 lakh). Also, with an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft
  11 in) above sea level, it is the world’s lowest country.

• General Motors
  Company was founded by William Durant in 1908. In 2010, it was the world’s
  second largest automobile maker. It owns brands like Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, Opel, Vauxhall and Holden. Headquartered in Detroit, Michigan (U.S.), it current Chairman
  and CEO is Daniel Akerson.

• Maria Montessori (August
  1870 – May 1952) is the founder of the Montessori system of education. It is
  generally accepted that she was the first woman to qualify as a doctor in
  Europe. 
  
  


• Former
  England captain and opener, Mike Atherton was nicknamed ‘the Cockroach’, because he was ‘hard to stamp out’. 
  
  


• Fakir Chand Kohli
  was the first General Manager of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). He is regarded
  as the ‘Father of India’s Software Industry’. A Padma Bhushan recipient, he was
  bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Economic Times in 2002.

• Osmania University, established
  in 1918, is named after the last Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan.

• The 1970 Hollywood
  film Love Story had an interesting
  tagline: ‘Love means never having to say you’re
  sorry’. The film was based on Erich Segal’s novel with the same title.