The Kingdom of Pagan (also commonly known as the Pagan Dynasty and the Pagan Empire) was the first kingdom to unify the regions that would later constitute modern-day Burma (Myanmar). Pagan's 250-year rule over the Irrawaddy valley and its periphery laid the foundation for the ascent of Burmese language and culture, the spread of Burman ethnicity in Upper Burma, and the growth of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and in mainland Southeast Asia.

People travel in a taxi carrying sheep on a luggage carrier and in the car boot in Kandahar October 30, 2021. (Photo by Bulent Kilic/AFP Photo)

A devotee pulls a chariot during the Hindu festival of Thaipusam in Singapore February 9, 2017. (Photo by Edgar Su/Reuters)

Saint Nicholas poses with students during a traditional parade in central Brussels, Belgium December 3, 2016. (Photo by Yves Herman/Reuters)

Thomas Thwaites, a 34-year-old researcher from London, has spent the past year creating prosthetics that allow him to roam around on all fours like goat.

Paris Fashion Week, Spring/Summer 2014 Haute Couture collection by Charlie Le Mindu. (Photo by Yoan Valat/EPA)

Grumpy Cat attends the “Grumpy Cat: A Grumpy Book” Book Event at Bookends Bookstore on October 16, 2013 in Ridgewood, New Jersey. (Photo by Michael N. Todaro/WireImage)