South Korean military soldiers take part in the South Korea and U.S. joint military exercise to commemorate the 63th Korea Armed Forces Day at the Seungjin firing drill ground on September 30, 2011 in Pocheon, South Korea. The exercise is intended to prepare the South Korean defence force for any potential action from North Korea. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

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.

Villagers from Jiexi Jiantan village perform a ritual of “Zha Laoye”, or “Cracking local spirits”, in Chaoshan, Guangdong Province, China, 10 February 2019. Jiexi Jiantan Village celebrates the annual custom of “Zha Laoye” where Laoye are local spirits. Every third day of the lunar New Year, statues of local spirits known as the “Thousand-mile Eye” Laoye and “Ear Following the Wind” Laoye are brought out to the village committee to receive incensed tea offered by believers. (Photo by EPA/EFE/ZNSEN)

Artist Matthew Albanese creates amazing miniature landscapes made from sugar, chocolate and even bits of ostrich in his living room. All the models were painstakingly recreated in his living room, which he uses as his studio. Each gruelling piece can take up to as many as 700 hours to complete. Photo: A stormy version of “New Life 2” created by Matthew Albanese. (Photo by Matthew Albanese/Barcroft Media)

England fans celebrate their side's third goal of the game, scored by England's Marcus Rashford, at BoxPark Wembley, during a screening of the FIFA World Cup Group B match between Wales and England on Tuesday, November 29, 2022. (Photo by Henry Nicholls/Reuters)

Believers offer tribute to Iemanja, the Goddess of the Sea of the Afro-American religion Umbanda, at Ramirez beach in Montevideo on February 2, 2025. (Photo by Eitan Abramovich/AFP Photo)

The Elterwater quarry in Cumbria, North West England on June 12, 2023 which has now reached a water level that reveals a hidden heart shape in the stone. (Photo by Steven Lomas/Animal News Agency)

A field of poppies in flower in Great Massingham, Norfolk, UK on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. The field has been rewilded by the landowner, with the soil being ploughed and harrowed before being left for nature to run its course with the result being a huge sea of red poppies. (Photo by Joe Giddens/PA Images via Getty Images)