DO YOU KNOW THAT…

1. Crete is the place where the first European civilization, the Minoan civilization, was born. Of great importance is the fact that women and men were equal. Thus, women could participate in religious ceremonies, theater, sports, and many other activities.

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2. Otto was a Bavarian prince who became the first modern King of Greece in 1832. He reigned until he was deposed in 1862. As it is said, although he tried to succeed, he was neither ruthless enough to be feared, nor compassionate enough to be loved, nor competent enough to be respected. Although he is not considered a very successful king, he deeply loved Greece, and before his death, he asked to be buried in the Greek traditional uniform worn today only by the guards at the Greek Parliament. He was also wearing that uniform during his retirement. He died in the palace of the former bishops of Bamberg, Germany, and was buried in the Theatine Church in Munich.

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3. Manos Hatzidakis (1925-1994) is one of the most famous and influential Greek composers, if not the most famous. His music has become the signature music of Greece, along with music composed by another prominent Greek composer, Mikis Theodorakis. He was born in Xanthi, Greece. Besides music, he also studied philosophy, but he did not complete those studies. In 1960, he received an Academy Award for Best Original Song for his song “Never on Sunday” from the film of the same name. That song, his album “15 Vespers”, and his work “Gioconda’s Smile” made him known all over the world, and still inspire and delight each listener greatly.

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4. Haliacmon, or Aliákmon, is the longest river in Greece, with a total length of 297 km. It flows through the Greek regions of West and Central Macedonia, and it is home to 33 kinds of fish, one of which, mavrotsironi, lives nowhere else in the world. In the river’s area, 215 kinds of birds have been observed, about ⅓ of them nest in the region, and over 10% are endangered species.

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5. According to the Hellenic Olympic Committee’s website, since the beginning of the modern Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, Greek athletes have won 140 Olympic medals. Of those, 37 are gold, 50 are silver, and 53 are bronze.

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6. Aristotle Socrates Onassis (20 January 1906 – 15 March 1975) was a Greek shipping magnate who amassed the world’s largest privately-owned shipping fleet, making himself one of the world’s richest and most famous men. In 1956, he founded Olympic Airways, a hugely successful company that became the flag carrier airline of Greece and operates up to these days under the name Olympic Air. Onassis was also known for his affair with the famous Greek opera singer Maria Callas, as well as his marriage in 1968 to Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of the American President John F. Kennedy. He was greatly affected by the death of his 24-year-old son, Alexander, in a plane crash in 1973, and died two years later.

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7. The Greek flag consists of 9 equal horizontal stripes of blue color alternating with white (5 blue & 4 white,) as well as a white cross on a blue background in the upper left corner. The cross symbolizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity which is the official religion of Greece, and the nine stripes represent the nine syllables of the phrase “Ελευθερία ή Θάνατος” (“Freedom or Death”) & the nine letters of the word “Ελευθερία” (“Freedom.”) The blue and white colors symbolize the colors of the Greek sky, sea, and sea waves.

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8. Soutzoukakia Smyrneika (Smyrna Meatballs) is one of the most delicious and popular Greek dishes brought to Greece by Greek refugees from Asia Minor. They are spicy meatballs with cumin, cinnamon, and garlic, in tomato sauce. They are traditionally served with rice or mashed potatoes. The meatballs are made with ground meat (usually beef or a mixture of beef and pork), bread crumbs, eggs, garlic, and parsley and are spiced with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. They are floured and fried in olive oil. The sauce is made with tomato, wine, onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

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9. The Rio–Antirrio Bridge, officially the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge, is one of the world’s longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and the longest of the fully suspended type (2,880-metre-long / 9,449 ft.) It opened in August 2004, and it is considered an engineering masterpiece as several unique engineering problems needed to be considered and overcome. It is made to withstand major earthquakes of magnitude 7 and above, and adverse weather or other conditions. The bridge received the 2006 Outstanding Structure Award from the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering.

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10. The whole construction of the Parthenon lasted almost 15 years (447-432 BC) and gave that magnificent temple the privilege to proudly stand as one of the world’s most significant cultural monuments. It was a former temple for the goddess Athena, was also used as a treasury, was converted into a Christian church (end of 6th century AD,) was turned into a mosque in the early 1460s, was severely damaged by a Venetian bombardment in 1687, and finally lost many of its precious sculptures (1800-1803) which were removed by Thomas Bruce, 7th Earl of Elgin, and sold in 1816 to the British Museum. In 1983 the Culture Minister Melina Mercouri started an initiative for the return of the sculptures to Greece.

11. The small Santorini tomato is a unique species in the world that needs very little water and has a distinct and rich flavor. In the first half of the 20th century, along with grapes and wine, its cultivation and the production of tomato paste formed the basis of Santorini’s economy. In 2013, the Santorini tomato became a PDO product (Protected Designation of Origin).

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12. The Drachma, the silver coin of ancient Greece, was Europe’s oldest coin and one of the world’s earliest coins, dating back to the mid-6th century BC. Alexander the Great made the Athenian drachma the monetary unit of the Hellenistic world. In 1832, the drachma became the monetary unit of modern Greece, but in 2002, it was replaced by the euro, the monetary unit of the European Union.

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13. Stamatios Krimigis, born in Vrontados of Chios, Greece, is a Greek-American scientist who contributed immensely to the United States’ unmanned space exploration programs and exploration missions to almost every planet in the Solar System. That is why the International Astronomical Union named the asteroid 8323 “Krimigis” in his honor in 1999. He has received numerous other awards and honors.

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14. Mount Athos, a World Heritage Site officially recognized by UNESCO in 1988, is the only place of its kind in the world and one of the holiest places for the Orthodox Christian Religion. It hosts 20 Byzantine monasteries, over 2,000 monks, and a significant number of precious rare artifacts, books, documents, and artworks. It allows only males to enter.

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15. According to the British Council, an estimate has found that more than 150,000 English words are derived from Greek words. Technical, scientific terms and common everyday words are on that list. Words that start with “ph-,” “micro-,” and many others are usually of Greek origin. Expressions such as “Achilles’ heel” and countless others come from the Greeks, too.

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16. Agios Georgios Disalonas (St. George Disalonas) is the longest and most spectacular beach on the island of Symi due to the vertical rock on the site that reaches a height of up to 300 meters. It is located on the east side of the island, between Pedi and Marathounta, and it is accessible only by sea. The beach has taken its name from the little chapel of St. George, which was built in the area, and the word “Disalonas” that is derived from the word “disalotos” that means not easily accessible. The natural shade of the rock after noon, allows all to enjoy the sea the most.

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17. Maria Callas was one of the most renowned and influential opera singers of the 20th century. Her exceptional talent led to praise with words such as “La Divina,” “the Bible of opera,” “the definition of the diva as an artist,” and “one of classical music’s best-selling vocalists.”

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18. The way Greek octopus, calamari, and squid are cooked is unsurpassed. Many countries have dishes with them, but taste lovers turn their heads away. Whether with tomato sauce or another traditional way, Greeks know how to make those dishes the most delicious ever.

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19. Euboea island “hosts” on its southeastern tip the Cape Kafireas, mostly known as Cavo d’ Oro. The area in the sea close to it is one of the most challenging passages in the Aegean Sea. The winds there make their presence noticeable even when the weather is pleasant and calm.

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20. Eleftherios Venizelos (1864 – 1936) was a charismatic politician and leader of the Greek national liberation movement. He is mainly known for his prominent role in liberating many areas of Greece from the Ottoman Empire, reuniting Crete with the rest of the country, and signing the Treaty of Lausanne. He was elected many times as Prime Minister of Greece and is considered “the maker of modern Greece.”