This page is made for you the reader. If there are facts about the Middle East that you would like to share with us please feel free to post your comment starting with “did you know that …” and it will be published on this page.
So let me start,
* Did you know that WINE was first made by the Persians (Iranians).
Did you know that the word Paradise comes from the Persian word “Pardees” that was used to describe the vast flower gardens of Persepolis.
Did you know that labor laws (with minimum wage) and maternity leave for working mothers were first introduced in ancient Iran (Persia).
Did you know that during World War II Iranian diplomats based in France, after hearing that Jews were being shipped off to Nazi concentration camps, helped forge passports for them so they could hide their identity and travel to safety.
Did you know that ARTIMIS was the first female admiral of the Persian navy who not only defended Persia on the high seas but won victories in battle during the reign of Cyrus the Great from 480 to 465 BC.
One of her most famous battles was the battle of Salamis where she defeated the Greeks in battle.
Her famous quote upon defeating the enemy was “my women have turned into men and my men have turned in women”. Shortly after Athens was captured. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA9qaSI0MdQ
Did you know that Alcohol and Kerosene were first found by an Iranian physicist by the name of Zakaria Razi.
Did you know that Razi was the first person in medical history to differentiate smallpox from measles. You can see his biography here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muhammad_ibn_Zakariya_al-Razi
Did you know that Dr. Firouz Naderi is a famous Iranian scientist and the Associate Director of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), responsible for Project Formulation and Strategy.
He was named head of the Mars Exploration Program at JPL in 2000 after the Program had suffered two consecutive failures. He was instrumental in helped land the Rover on Mars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firouz_Naderi
Did you know that an Iranian by the name of Dr. Lotfi A. Zadeh is the father of Fuzzy Logic. A science used in many products from vacuum cleaners to digital cameras to home appliances. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ole__ho8mR0
Did you know that Anousheh Ansari born in Mashhad, Iran is the first self-funded women to fly to the International Space Station along with the Russian space team.
She is also an accomplished business women leading numerous technology companies to success. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anousheh_Ansari
Did you know that The Persian Gulf is the legal name for the body of water located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
It is historically documented as the Persian Gulf as far back as 3000 years and while some Arab countries controversially refer to it as the Arabian Gulf or simply The Gulf, neither of the latter two terms is recognized internationally.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_gulf
Did you know the first artificial heart in the world planted in the human chest has been designed and manufactured by an Iranian professor and researcher.
Professor Mousivand, a subspecialist in heart surgery and professor of heart surgery at Ottawa University School of Medicine is one of the most prominent medical figures of Iran and the world.
Did you know that Persians (Iranians) were the first people who made printed coins, known today as “money or currency”. This was an alternative and easier way to expedite trade across the Persian Empire.
Did you know that the first declaration of Human Rights was drafted by Cyrus the Great, King of Persia where he declared all men and women are to be equal under the law and that no man or women shall ever be a slave to another.
Did you know that in 1963, Farokhroo Parsa was elected to parliament (the Majles), and began petitioning Mohammad Reza Pahlavi for suffrage for Iran’s women. She was also a driving force for legislation that amended the existing laws concerning women and family.
In 1965 Parsa was appointed Deputy Minister of Education and on 27 August 1968 she became Minister of Education in the cabinet of the Amir-Abbas Hoveyda’s government. It was the first time in the history of Iran that a woman had occupied a cabinet position.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farrokhroo_Parsa