Daily Facts Archive

October 20, 2025

International Sloth Day

Today is International Sloth Day, dedicated to the docile nocturnal animals that spend most of their lives hanging upside down in trees and sleeping 15 hours a day. Sloths can hold their breath under water for up to 40 minutes and can swim three times faster than they can walk. They face endangerment from deforestation, vehicle collisions, poaching, and trafficking. The sloth’s natural habitat is Central America and northern South America, especially Brazil’s tropical rain forests.

Sloths, adorable docile animals, spend most of their lives hanging upside down in trees. They are masters at slowing their metabolism, using their energy frugally, and capable of holding their breath under water for 40 minutes (they can swim three times faster than they can walk on land). Sloths are nocturnal and sleep 15 hours a day. This animal faces endangerment by deforestation, vehicle collisions, electrocutions, poaching, and trafficking. The sloth’s natural habitat is Central America and northern South America especially the tropical rain forests of Brazil.

October 19, 2025

The Church of Saint Sava

The Church of Saint Sava in Belgrade, Serbia, is the largest Serbian Orthodox church and the largest Orthodox place of worship in the Balkans. It is dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and located near the presumed location of his grave. Construction began in 1935 and was interrupted by various conflicts; the church was finally consecrated in 2004. It has 49 bells, 19 gold-plated crosses on its domes, and a central dome that weighs 3,628 metric tons (4,000 tons).

October 18, 2025

The World’s Largest Island

Greenland, the world's largest island, is about 80 percent ice-capped and has the world's second-largest ice sheet after Antarctica. Pictured is the calving front of Kangerdlugssup Glacier in central west Greenland, where large chunks of ice break off from the glaciers to form icebergs. It is surrounded by the dense mixture of iceberg bits and floating sea ice that is known as the “mélange.”

The calving front of Kangerdlugssup Glacier in central west Greenland where icebergs are born. You can see several large ice bergs in the fjord on the right surrounded by the so called mélange, which is a dense mix of bergy bits and sea ice floating in the fjord. The mélange plays a role in how many ice bergs a glacier can produce by stabilizing the calving front. Credit: NASA/Michael Studinger.

October 17, 2025

The Monument to the Equator

The Monument to the Equator is located 26 km (16 mi) north of the center of Ecuador's capital city of Quito and marks the exact location of the equator, from which the country takes its name. Built between 1979 and 1982, the 30-m (98-ft) tall iron-and-concrete monument is faced with cut and polished andesite stone.

Although the actual equator is 100 yards to the north, this monument outside of Quito, Ecuador, commemorates the equatorial line as surveyed by the French Geodesic Mission in the late 1700s. The location is known as Mitad del Mundo (Middle of the World).

October 16, 2025

Italy’s Coat of Arms

Italy’s coat of arms has been a symbol of the Italian Republic since May 5, 1948, when Paolo Paschetto’s design won a two-year public competition. The olive branch symbolizes national and global peace. The oak branch stands for the strength and dignity of the Italian people, and the steel cog-wheel for their hard work. The single star represents Italy’s solidarity.

October 15, 2025

Saint Helena

On this day in 1815, the British sent Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Saint Helena, after his defeat at the Battle of Waterloo. The island in the South Atlantic Ocean is one of the most remote populated places in the world, and it was Napoleon’s home until his death in 1821. In 1854, France bought Longwood House, Napoleon’s final residence, from the British and turned it into a museum run by the French government. The museum’s collection includes a few pieces of the house's original furniture, souvenirs of the emperor, and works of art about his life.

October 14, 2025

“Beautiful Little Mountain”

Thabana Ntlenyana -- or "beautiful little mountain" in the Sesotho language -- is the highest mountain in southern Africa at 3,482 m (11,424 ft). It is part of Maloti-Drakensberg Park, which spans the border between Lesotho and South Africa and includes Sehlabathebe National Park (6,500 ha or 16,061 acres) in Lesotho and Khahlamba Drakensberg Park (242,813 ha or 600,000 acres) in South Africa. Maloti-Drakensberg Park is known for its spectacular natural landscape, varied wildlife, and rock paintings made by the San people over a 4,000-year period.

October 13, 2025

The United States Navy

Today marks the 250th birthday of the United States Navy. In 1775, the Continental Congress established a naval force to work with privateers to attack British commerce and military ships. The Navy and Marine Memorial (pictured) in Washington, D.C., was completed in 1939 and honors sailors who died at sea while serving the country. The statue by Italian sculptor Ernesto Begni del Piatta has seven seagulls that represent sacrifice on the seven seas, as well as crashing waves that represent the dangers at sea.

The Navy-Merchant Marine Memorial, located on Columbia Island in Washington, DC honors sailors of the US Navy, Coast Guard, and US Merchant Marine and features large waves and sea gulls. Image courtesy of the US National Park Service.

October 12, 2025

Equatorial Guinea

Today marks Equatorial Guinea’s independence from Spain in 1968. Despite its name, no part of the equator passes through the country, which is named for the Guinea region of West Africa, with "equatorial" referring to the country’s proximity to the equator. The flag has three equal bands of green (representing the jungle and natural resources), white (peace), and red (the fight for independence), with a blue triangle (the sea). The coat of arms in the center shows the silk-cotton tree, the national motto, and six yellow stars that represent the mainland and five offshore islands.

October 11, 2025

“The Swinging Old Lady”

Spanning St. Anna Bay, the Queen Emma Bridge in Willemstad, Curacao, is the oldest permanent wooden pontoon bridge in the world. Known as the “Swinging Old Lady,” the floating bridge connects Willemstad's two halves, Punda and Otrobanda. It was named after Emma of Waldeck and Pyrmont, who was the queen consort of the Netherlands when the bridge was built in 1888. Sixteen pontoon boats support the bridge, which swings open to allow ships to enter and leave the bay.

The Queen Emma floating bridge at Willemstad.

October 10, 2025

The Kingdom of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe takes its name from the Kingdom of Zimbabwe (13th-15th centuries) and its capital, Great Zimbabwe (pictured). Built largely of stone by the Shona people, this 7.22 sq km (2.79 sq mi) city is believed to have housed the royal palace and was home to 18,000 people. The city was abandoned in 1450, possibly due to a decline in trade, and today Great Zimbabwe is a national monument. The bird on the Zimbabwean flag is adapted from soapstone figures found at the site and is associated with the royal totem of the ancient monarchs.

October 09, 2025

Uganda

Today marks Uganda’s independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. Uganda’s flag is composed of six equal horizontal bands of black, yellow, and red, with a grey crowned crane on a white disk at the center. The crane is the country’s national symbol and was on the badge of Ugandan soldiers when the country was under UK rule. The black bands on the flag stand for the African people, yellow for sunshine and vitality, and red for the African brotherhood. Uganda has one of the youngest and most rapidly growing populations in the world.

October 08, 2025

The Global Seed Vault

The Global Seed Vault near Longyearbyen, Svalbard, is the world’s largest secure seed storage. The Norwegian government established the vault in 2008 to protect against catastrophic loss of the world’s crop diversity, and Svalbard’s cold climate and permafrost made it an ideal location. The underground vault in Platåberget (“Plateau Mountain”) holds seeds from 123 gene banks in 85 countries, and depositors retain ownership of the seeds.

October 07, 2025

Eritrea’s Coat of Arms

Eritrea adopted its coat of arms on May 24, 1993, when it won independence from Ethiopia. The camel was used to transport supplies and goods during the war, and it became a symbol of the country’s success. The olive wreath represents peace, reconciliation, and harmony. Under the camel is name of the country in its three official languages: Tigrinya, English, and Arabic.

October 06, 2025

The Xiaoxhai Tiankeng

The Xiaoxhai Tiankeng is the world’s largest and deepest sinkhole at 660 m deep (2,165 ft), with a volume of 130 million cu m (4.6 billion cu ft). The tiankeng, which means “heavenly pit” in Mandarin, was discovered in 1994 in southwestern China‘s Chongqing Municipality. The unique double-nested sinkhole has two craters joined by a sloping edge, and during the rainy season, a waterfall cascades from the top of the pit to an underground river and cave network below. This area of China is pitted with over 200 sinkholes, possibly due to rainwater dissolving limestone over thousands of years.

October 05, 2025

The Wieliczka Salt Mine

The Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland is over 300 m (1,000 ft) below ground and has four chapels dating back to the Middle Ages. Miners built the chapels entirely from rock salt, as expressions of their faith and as places of solace in the darkness of the mines.

October 04, 2025

Bouvet Island

Bouvet Island is an uninhabited volcanic island in Antarctica that is almost entirely covered by glaciers, making it difficult to visit. The most remote island on earth, it is named after French naval officer Jean-Baptiste Charles Bouvet de Lozier, who discovered it in 1739. In 1825, the United Kingdom was the first country to claim the island, but then ceded its claim to Norway in 1929. In 1971, Norway designated Bouvet Island and the adjacent territorial waters as a nature reserve.

October 03, 2025

Dominica’s Coat of Arms

Dominica’s coat of arms was adopted on July 21, 1961, and features two sisserou parrots supporting a shield that is divided into four sections by a cross, a reference to the island’s discovery on a Sunday. The quadrants feature a palm tree, a banana tree, a frog that is native to the island, and a canoe on the Caribbean Sea. The golden lion symbolizes Dominica’s past colonial ties with the United Kingdom. Below the shield is the national motto, which means "After God is the Earth."

October 02, 2025

Guinea

Today marks Guinea’s independence from France in 1958. Guinea’s flag is composed of three equal vertical bands: red stands for work and the people's sacrifice for liberation; yellow for the sun, the earth’s riches, and justice; and green for unity and the country's vegetation. Guinea is primarily an agricultural country, but it also has a large portion of the world’s bauxite reserves, along with significant deposits of iron, gold, and diamonds.

October 01, 2025

A Most Dangerous Volcano

Mount Rainier is an active stratovolcano and the highest mountain in Washington State. Standing at 4,392 m (14,410 ft), the volcano has not had a significant eruption in the past 500 years, but it is considered potentially the most dangerous volcano in the Cascade Range due to its great height, frequent earthquakes, and glacier mantle, as well as its proximity to major urban areas (Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, and Portland, Oregon). In 1899, Mount Rainier was declared the nation’s fifth national park, named for Royal Navy Admiral Peter Rainier.

September 30, 2025

“Land of the Tswana”

Today marks Botswana’s independence from the UK in 1966. Botswana means "Land of the Tswana," referring to the country's largest ethnic group. The landlocked country is geographically dominated by the Kalahari Desert, which covers 70% of its surface area. The flag of Botswana is light blue, symbolizing rainwater, and the white-edged black stripe in the center represents racial harmony.

September 29, 2025

“The Warrior’s Shield”

The active volcano Mount Karthala is the highest point in Comoros, at 2,361 m (7,746 ft), and it is the larger of the two shield volcanoes forming Grande Comore Island, the archipelago’s main island. Shield volcanoes are the largest volcanoes on earth and are named for their resemblance to a warrior’s shield lying on the ground. Mount Karthala’s name is derived from the Arabic word for “warrior’s shield.”

September 28, 2025

The Brown Pelican

The brown pelican is the national bird of St. Kitts and Nevis. Brown pelicans are the smallest species of pelican and the only one that hunts with dramatic plunging dives, flying as high as 30 m (100 ft) before diving. The skin pouch suspended from the lower half of its bill holds about one gallon of water and fish.

September 27, 2025

“Great Dog Peak”

Sao Tome and Principe is the second-smallest African country, composed of two main islands that are part of a chain of extinct volcanoes. Portugal discovered and colonized the uninhabited islands in the late 15th century. Sao Tome was named after Saint Thomas the Apostle, and Principe was originally called "Ilha do Principe" (Isle of the Prince), referring to the Prince of Portugal. The country’s most famous landmark (pictured) is the Pico Cão Grande (Great Dog Peak), a needle-shaped volcanic plug peak in the Obo National Park.

September 26, 2025

Koalas

Today is Save the Koala Day. Koalas are native to eucalyptus woodlands in southeastern and eastern Australia. The name “koala” is derived from the Aboriginal word for “no water” because they get liquid from the 1 kg (2.2 lbs) of eucalyptus leaves they eat every day. Australia is home to 10% of the world’s biodiversity, including many species which, like the koala, exist nowhere else in the world.

September 25, 2025

The Belize Barrier Reef

Belize is home to the second-largest coral reef system in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. Over 300 km (190 mi) long, the Belize Barrier Reef is the country’s top tourist destination and is important for the local fishing industry.

September 24, 2025

The Lime Kiln Lighthouse

The Lime Kiln Lighthouse on San Juan Island in Washington State, named for the area’s once-busy lime kilns and mines, consists of an octagonal tower and two outer buildings. Built in 1919, it is currently used as a research lab for studying orca whales. The area around the lighthouse is considered one of the best places in the world to view orcas from land, and Lime Kiln State Park, known as the first “whale watch park,” was established there in 1984.

September 23, 2025

New Caledonia’s Coat of Arms

The emblem of New Caledonia features two symbols of the local Kanak people: the flèche faîtière, which is a common rooftop adornment on houses, and the nautilus shell, which represents the sea. The third part of the emblem is a stylized representation of a New Caledonia pine tree.

September 22, 2025

Gingko Trees

Gingko trees, which existed before the era of the dinosaurs, are often referred to as “living fossils.” Native to China, the trees have unique fan-shaped leaves and are a fixture in temple gardens. Ginkgos can grow up to 30.5 m (100 ft) high, with trunks up to 0.60 m (2 ft) in diameter. China's Tianmu Mountain National Nature Reserve is home to the last wild population of gingko trees.

September 21, 2025

The Takin

The takin, the national animal of Bhutan, is important to the country’s culture and religion, and it even appears on the currency. A large, muscular animal weighing up to 272 kg (600 lbs), its thick brownish-yellow coat and strong legs allow it to survive in the high altitudes and rocky terrain found in the subalpine forests of the Bhutanese mountains and eastern Himalayas, as well as in India and China. Takins are protected under Bhutanese law, and the one pictured lives at the Royal Takin Preserve in Bhutan’s capital, Thimphu.

September 20, 2025

Oktoberfest

Today is the first day of Oktoberfest, held annually in Munich, Germany, in the state of Bavaria. The world’s largest folk festival runs from mid- or late-September to the first Sunday in October and usually has over six million attendees. This picture shows the interior of one of the massive tents set up to serve food and beer to visitors. The celebration began in 1810, when Bavarian royalty invited the citizens of Munich to join in the festivities for the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria to Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen.