A list of curious facts

One: The greatest explorer you’ve never heard of was Admiral Zheng He—“a six-foot-five Muslim eunuch” who sailed from China to the Horn of Africa—long before Vasco Da Gama set out for India. Born Ma He—Ma for Mohammed—he was the blue-eyed boy of the Ming emperor Yongle—and rose to the highest possible rank for a eunuch.

Zheng undertook not one—but seven epic voyages between 1405 and 1433—leading fleets of more than a 100 ships.  You can see an astonishing comparison between Columbus’ ship and his below:

This is one of the routes he took:

Yes, there’s an India angle. Zheng died in Calicut (Kozhikode) in 1433 on his last voyage. ABC News revisits the myth of Zheng He—and why he has become a symbol for Beijing’s 21st century foreign policy. Britannica put together an interactive map of the seven routes he took.

Two: Did you know the world's largest aircraft is a gargantuan reboot of the Hindenburg? The PathFinder is 124.5 metres by 20 metres—the size of four Goodyear blimps and longer than three Boeing 737s. The company LTA (Lighter Than Air) is founded by none other than Google legend Sergey Brin—who is betting on solar powered airships as the future of eco-friendly air travel. But, but, but, airships have one big problem: They travel about the same speed as a very fast car. So they may not get you to the work conference in LA on time. They will be more like fabulous airborne cruise ships—offering old timey—ok, space agey?—luxury. Check out the Pathfinder below. (BBC News)

Three: Autotrader put together this most awesome map of driving etiquette around the world. Did you know drivers are legally required to check under the vehicle to ensure there aren't any children or animals hiding underneath in Denmark? Or that giraffes have right of way in Botswana? The top of our list: La Paz, Bolivia—where people dressed in zebra costumes to help people at zebra crossings. The hi-res version of the map is over at Autotrader—which also offers an entertaining report to accompany the map.

Bonus fact: Sticking with travel maps, here are places to avoid if you hate loud automobile honking. Yes, India is on the top of that list.