1. Charles Darwin married his first cousin.

1. 查尔斯·达尔文娶了嫡系表姐为妻。

2. Officially, the longest war in history was between the Netherlands and the Isles of Scilly, which lasted from 1651 to 1986. There were no casualties.

2. 据官方记载，历史上最长的战争是荷兰与锡利群岛之间的战争，从1651年持续到1986年，但没有一例人员伤亡。

3. King Richard II invented the handkerchief.

3. 英格兰国王理查二世发明了手帕。

4. Albert Einstein was offered the role of Israel’s second President in 1952, but declined.

4. 艾伯特·爱因斯坦1952年曾受邀担任以色列第二任总统，但他谢绝出任。

5. New Zealand was the first country to enfranchise women. It gave them the vote in 1895.

5. 新西兰是个给予妇女选举权的国家，时间为1895年。

6. Tomatoes were considered poisonous for many years in Europe and they were grown for ornamental reasons only. In fact, the leaves and stems of tomatoes are poisonous (but they can be used in moderation for food flavoring).

6. 欧洲人曾有很多年都认为西红柿有毒，于是它们只被作为观赏植物来种植。事实上，西红柿的叶子和茎确实有毒（但调味时可以适量使用）。

7. Soon after building started in 1173, the foundation of the Pisa tower settled unevenly. Construction was stopped, and was continued only 100 years later. Therefore, the leaning tower was never straight.

7. 比萨斜塔自1173年开始建造，不久之后就出现了地基不平的问题。工程暂停，直到100年后才复工。因此，倾斜的塔身从来就没直过。

8. Ancient Egyptians used slabs of stones as pillows.

8. 古埃及人用石板做枕头。

9. People have been wearing glasses for about 700 years.

9. 人类戴眼镜的历史已有大约七百年之久。

10. King Charles the Second often rubbed dust from the mummies of pharaohs so he could “absorb their ancient greatness”.

10. 英格兰国王查理二世时常擦拭法老木乃伊上的灰尘，为了“吸收他们古老的伟大品德”。