A person carries a fan in Westminster, London, Britain, 12 July 2022. Britain has been issued with an amber weather warning for the weekend as experts predict that temperatures could rise to the high thirties and Sunday could be the hottest day on record for the UK. (Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

“Kirill Oreshkin of Moscow is crazy. Without the aid of equipment or safety gear, Oreshkin climbs buildings, statues, and whatever he can get his hands on to dizzying heights and then takes the most gorgeous selfies imaginable”. (Photo by Kirill Oreshkin)

Bao Bao the panda, one of the National Zoological Park’s cutest inhabitants in Washington, D.C., recently celebrated her first birthday on August 23rd. As part of the celebration, Bao Bao got her very own cake. The large tiered cake showcased a big number 1.

Sanxiantai is an area containing a beach and several islands located on the coast of Taitung County, Taiwan. The beach stretches for ten kilometers in length. It is situated at the 112-kilometer mark. A popular tourist attraction for its rocky coastal views, the area is well known for its long footbridge that connects the coast to the largest island.

People look at a vehicle at the “Salon Prive” luxury and supercar event on June 22, 2011 in London, England. The annual three day Salon Prive offers the opportunity to view the most exotic modern and vintage super cars in the world and is being held for the first time at Syon Park. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Sushi Cats (originally branded as Neko-Sushi) is a series of photographs created by the Japan-based company Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts. In this series the creators have dressed up a number of cats and placed them on top of oversized balls of sushi rice. The kitties don’t look too happy with what is going on, though they do look adorable in their little outfits. Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts didn’t think that making a set of photos was enough, so they’ve also created an Android and iPhone apps featuring Sushi Cats. Moreover, people living in Japan can visit their website, if they wish to order photo prints, postcards, and other items. (Photo by Tange & Nakimushi Peanuts)

“Stacked Supercell with Lightning”. This huge mesocyclone supercell was near the Nebraska / Kansas border on the night of June 22nd, 2012. What a stunning structure! (Photo and caption by Jennifer Brindley/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

Do you think that history is a science? Well, not exactly. First, and foremost, history is the state's “legend of wars”, it’s official regalia. Of course, public historians are not interested in scientific truth – quite the opposite. In this respect, any attempt to present a state’s history as altruistic and benevolent as possible is welcomed and encouraged – as opposed to any revisionism attempts that may be more accurate. In this matter, Chinese have surpassed us all – they revised in highly creative manner (but rather shamelessly) the technology already invented by Europeans, a process that resulted in oldest state on the planet. Here is an interesting paradox: ask any sinologist about the Middle Kingdom during second century B.C., and he will describe it to you in such a vivid manner as if he has been living there all his life – but as soon as you will ask him to describe Chinese history in the 19-20th centuries… let's say, his eagerness will be greatly diminished. However, we will discuss China in a different article, and in the meantime we will try to understand how exactly historic “legend of wars” is formed and functions – based on a specific and well-known example. A great example is Ferdinand Magellan's first voyage around the world.