According to NASA, Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor Is Not An Astronaut.

According to NASA, Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor is a "Spaceflight Participant"

This puts him in line with other speceflight participants such as Charles Simonyi, Richard Garriot, Greg Olsen and Anousheh Ansari

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

Tempura Does Not Originate From Japan!

Although widely associated with Japan, the origins of tempura came halfway around the world.

It was brought to Japan by Portugeese missionaries and traders in the mid of the sixteenth century.

It became very popular in Japan and is also reported to have caused the death of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and the first shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate apparently from eating too much of it.

Source: 1, 2

This Lightbulb Has Been Burning For 110 Years!!!

This remarkable lightbulb shines at a fire station in Livermore, California and it hasn't been turned off since summer 1901.

Despite few power outages and two moves, the bulb known as the "Centennial Light" is recognised by the Guiness Book of Records as the world's oldest known working lightbulb.

Sources: 1, 2, 3

Men Can Definitely Walk On Water!

In fact, there's a sport in Portugal that emphasizes on, well, to be precise, running on water!

The sport (named Liquid Mountaineering) have since spread over Europe and also have reached the North America.

Disney's Copyright for Mickey Mouse Was Supposed To Expire in 2003

Walt Disney's Studio claims of copyrights for Mickey Mouse was due to expire in 2003. This was to be followed in 2009 by many other early Disney's character including Pluto, Goofy and Donald Duck.

According to the copyright law, upon the expiration of the copyright protection, anyone could copy, reproduce and sell any articles covered by the copyrights without paying royalties to the original owner since it has been a public domain.

But, being a very influential entity in politics, The Walt Disney Company along with other copyright holders managed to persuade the American Congress to change the copyright law.

Under the so called The Sonny Bono Term Extension Act, or more famously known as "The Mickey Mouse Protection Act", which was passed on 28th October 1998, the copyright protection for Mickey Mouse and other Disney's characters gets an extension of 20 years.

This means that Mickey Mouse will not become public domain at least until 2023.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4

At 2000 Years Old, A Date Palm Seed Is The Oldest Seed To Germinate

When scientists explored the ruins of Masada Fortress in 1960s, they found artifacts in which, among others, several seeds of an ancient date palm.

Recently, the seeds were planted in soil and it results in one seed to germinate.

Carbon dating were then conducted on the remaining seeds that did not germinate and the result shows that the seeds were approximately 2000 years old.

The date palm (pictured below) is named Methusaleh and is currently holding the title the oldest seed to germinate after a 1300 year old lotus seed which was found in China.

Sources: 1, 2

This Hotel Was Built in SIX Days!!!

Industrialized Building System (IBS) has done wonders in the Construction Industry. Take a look at this hotel in China for example,this hotel (nemed The Ark Hotel) is a sustainable, level 9 Earthquake-resistant, thermal-insulated building which also features sound-proofing systems. It is also 15 stories tall. The construction of this hotel (minus the foundation works) only takes six days! What more amazing was that the structural works only took 2 days and the remaining four days was for installing the fixtures and cladding.