Snippets of History

The Michelin Man made his debut in 1894 at the Lyon Exhibition in France, thanks to the creative minds of the Michelin brothers, André and Édouard, who founded the Michelin tire company.

In 19th-century England, affluent farmers commissioned paintings of their cows, pigs, and sheep as a display of their wealth and social status. These extravagant paintings portrayed animals with exaggerated shapes - pigs resembling overinflated footballs, cows stretched into rectangular forms, and sheep elongated into ovals. During this era, farmers engaged in selective breeding and embraced new feeding techniques to cultivate larger livestock, in response to a national effort to secure a stable food supply for a growing population.

Wrestling took place in the historic Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine during the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. This particular Games are well-remembered for being one of the first to receive extensive worldwide broadcasting coverage. CBS broadcast taped footage of the Games in New York City, while Eurovision provided live broadcasts across Europe.

One of the most remarkable indicators of the world's transformation lies in our methods of measurement. In the past, we relied on rough approximations when gauging length and time.

October 1, 1975, marked an iconic moment in boxing history, as Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier faced off in the unforgettable Thrilla in Manila. This epic showdown, their third and final bout, broke their previous 1-1 tie, leaving the world on the edge of their seats. The grueling battle extended over 14 intense rounds before Frazier's corner made the difficult decision to end the fight before the 15th round, handing Ali a hard-fought victory. 

Ancient Egyptian rock crystal ring carved in the shape of a sphinx dates back to 1295-1069 BC. The age and origins of the Great Sphinx of Giza remain a subject of debate among experts. While many Egyptologists believe it was constructed during the Old Kingdom (c. 2686-2181 BC), there are no inscriptions from that era mentioning the Sphinx.

There was once a time when being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes was a death sentence. The ancient Egyptians first described the disease more than 3,000 years ago. During the many centuries that followed, parents would helplessly watch as their diabetic children slipped into comas and died.