Why Do Orthodox Countries Use A Different Calendar
Earth’s year isn’t technically 365 days, it’s about 365.25 days. Every four years we get an extra day tacked on to February. Julius Caesar introduced this when he reformed the Roman calendar in the first century. But actually, I just lied to you. Earth’s year is actually 365.24219 days, which means that the Julian calendar […]
What on earth is the animal on Moldova’s flag?
Did you know that Moldova’s flag has an extinct animal on it? The current flag was adopted after Moldova became free from the USSR in 1991. It borrows the blue, yellow and red tricolor from Romania and features Moldova’s coat of arms. It has a golden eagle holding an Orthodox cross in its beak and […]
Where did the Cyrillic Alphabet Come From?
Because of the war in Ukraine, you’ve probably seen a lot more of the Cyrillic script lately. Both Russian and Ukrainian use this alphabet along with about 50 other languages. But how did the Cyrillic alphabet come to be? In 862 A.D. Prince Rastovslov of Great Moravia sent a request to the eastern Roman Emperor […]
Why is there a Statue of Bruce Lee in Mostar, Bosnia?
Why is there a statue of Bruce Lee in Bosnia and Herzegovina? The story is pretty wild, so buckle up. In 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared independence from Yugoslavia and tensions between the country’s primary ethnic groups erupted into violence. The city of Mostar was divided between a Croat controlled West and a Bosniak controlled […]
The Soviets Secret Love Affair with Coca Cola
There’s nothing more American than Coca-Cola! Alongside baseball and apple pie, nothing represents the U.S. as much as cracking open a fresh can of Coke. But that’s exactly why Eastern Europe during the Cold War had such a complicated relationship with it. You see, the Soviets viewed Coke as the embodiment of Western capitalist consumerism […]
Why Do People Cut Holes In The Middle of Flags?
Why are there so many photos of Hungarian or Romanian flags with the centers cut out? The reason involves quite a lot of historical backdrop. After World War II, Eastern and Central European countries had communist governments installed and aligned with the Soviet Union. However, not everyone was so happy with this arrangement. The Stalinist […]
Is Romanian A Romance Language?
Romanian is an Eastern European Romance language that originated from the Roman Empire’s conquest of the region known as Dacia. After over a century of Roman rule, the people in the area continued to speak Latin.
Where does the word vampires originate from?
Romanian is an Eastern European Romance language that originated from the Roman Empire’s conquest of the region known as Dacia. After over a century of Roman rule, the people in the area continued to speak Latin.
Was Budapest Two Cities?
Buda and Pest were originally separate cities on opposite sides of the Danube river in Hungary. Buda, founded by the Hungarians, became the larger city and the capital. In 1873, the two cities merged to form Budapest, which today
Where were the first planes used in combat?
In 1912, during the first Balkan War, the Balkan League used airplanes in combat in Europe.
