Greek Facts

Cleopatra wasn't Egyptian; she was Greek.

Ancient Greeks believed that redheads turned into vampires after they died.

Every language has its own version of "It's Greek to me." Germans say "That seems Spanish to me." The Dutch say "That's Chinese to me." Filipinos say "It's German to me." Finns say "It's Hebrew." Hebrew speakers say "It's Chinese." And Mandarin Chinese speakers call it "heavenly script."

For centuries, the Gordian Knot defeated every scholar and king who tried to untie it. An oracle declared whoever solved it would rule all of Asia. Alexander the Great studied it for a moment — then drew his sword and cut straight through it.