Things you may not know about venus williams

Sisters Venus and Serena Williams have a long and storied rivalry on the court. Practice partners since they were toddlers, the two have met more than two-dozen times on the professional circuit. On Tuesday night, Serena and Venus Williams will face each other in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open with Venus as Serena’s biggest obstacle to achieving the calendar Grand Slam.

Ahead of the match-up, here are a few facts you may not have known about the Williams women:

Venus and Serena have played 26 times on the professional circuit

Serena leads 15-11 in these match-ups

The sisters have played eight Grand Slam finals against one another

Serena won six of them

Venus is the only person to beat Serena twice in the U.S. Open

In 2001 and 2005

Venus has a faster serve

Venus holds the record for second fastest serve in the history of women’s tennis at 129 mph, while Serena places third with 128.6 mph

Each sister has won four gold medals in the Olympics

The two have teamed up for three doubles gold medals, and each has a singles win as well

They largely stayed off the Juniors’ Tennis Circuit

Their father and coach, Richard Williams, focused on training the girls in Florida rather than on having them compete when they were young, which gave them the advantage of being better-rested than their competitors

They shared a house in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., for 15-plus years

The women, now in their 30s, moved into separate complexes in 2014, about 5 miles apart

Unknown facts about serena williams

In 22 days, Serena Williams will begin her quest for her 22nd major championship to tie Steffi Graf for most in the Open era. To celebrate the epic career of the legendary Williams, who also will be aiming for tennis' first calendar Grand Slam at the U.S. Open since Graf did it in 1988, we give you 22 fun Serena Williams facts.

1. Her middle name is Jameka.

2. She has played in 60 Grand Slam tournaments in her career and has won 21 of them.

3. Her favorite city in the world is Rome.

4. Her favorite sport to watch other than tennis is gymnastics.

5. Williams and Chris Evert have each won six U.S. Open singles titles -- the most in the Open era.

6. Other than dogs, her favorite animals are tigers.

7. She cranks David Bowie's "Fame" to power through a tough workout.

8. Her go-to gadget in the kitchen is the toaster oven.

9. She has been ranked No. 1 for 253 weeks in her career. Only three players -- Graf (377), Martina Navratilova (332) and Evert (260) -- have enjoyed the top spot longer.*

10. She is No. 47 on this year's Forbes list of highest-paid athletes. She raked in a reported $24.6 million between June 2014 and June 2015.

11. She has competed at three Olympics and won four gold medals.

12. Her favorite water sport is tubing.

13. She has lost just nine matches in her 15 U.S. Open appearances. The only person to beat her twice is sister Venus Williams (2001 and 2005).

14. She won her first major title in 1999 at the U.S. Open, beating Martina Hingis in the final.
15. At 15 years between her first (1999) and most recent (2014) titles, Williams holds the record for most years between U.S. Open singles championships.

16. When she won her first U.S. Open, "The Sixth Sense" was finishing its fifth week at No. 1 in the box office.

17. The song she is somewhat embarrassed to admit that's on her phone is "MMMBop" by Hanson.

18. The strangest thing in her gym bag is Opi Nail Polish.

19. She has won 21 straight matches at the U.S. Open. Her last loss was to Samantha Stosur in the 2011 final.

20. Her favorite food after a workout is a Gatorade bar to replenish protein and carbs.

All about Indian religion and their culture

India’s culture is among the world's oldest; civilization in India began about 4,500 years ago. Many sources describe it as "Sa Prathama Sanskrati Vishvavara" — the first and the supreme culture in the world, according to the All World Gayatri Pariwar (AWGP) organization.

Western societies did not always see the culture of India very favorably, according to Christina De Rossi, an anthropologist at Barnet and Southgate College in London. Early anthropologists once considered culture as an evolutionary process, and ”every aspect of human development was seen as driven by evolution,” she told Live Science. “In this view, societies outside of Europe or North America, or societies that did not follow the European or Western way of life, were considered primitive and culturally inferior.  Essentially this included all the colonized countries and people, such as African countries, India, and the Far East.".

However, Indians made significant advances in architecture (Taj Mahal), mathematics (the invention of zero) and medicine (Ayurveda). Today, India is a very diverse country, with more than 1.2 billion people, according to the CIA World Factbook, making it the second most populous nation after China. Different regions have their own distinct cultures. Language, religion, food and the arts are just some of the various aspects of Indian culture. Here is a brief overview of the culture of India.

Language

India has 28 states and seven territories, according to the World Health Organization. There is no official language in India, according to a Gujarat High Court ruling in 2010. Many people living in India also write in Devanagari script. In fact, it is a misconception that the majority of people in India speak Hindi. Though many people speak Hindi in India, 59 percent of India residents speak something other than Hindi, according to The Times of India. Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu are some other languages spoken in the country. 

Religion

India is identified as the birthplace of Hinduism and Buddhism, the third and fourth largest religions. About 84 percent of the population identifies as Hindu, according to the “Handbook of Research on Development and Religion” Edited by Matthew Clarke (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2013). There are many variations of Hinduism, and four predominant sects — Shaiva, Vaishnava, Shakteya and Smarta.

About 13 percent of Indians are Muslim, making it one of the largest Islamic nations in the world. Christians and Sikhs make up a small percentage of the population, and there are even fewer Buddhists and Jains, according to the “Handbook.”

Food

When the Moghul Empire invaded during the sixteenth century, they left a significant mark on the Indian cuisine, according to Texas A&M University. Indian cuisine is also influenced by many other countries. It is known for its large assortment of dishes and its liberal use of herbs and spices. Cooking styles vary from region to region.

Wheat, Basmati rice and pulses with chana (Bengal gram) are important staples of the Indian diet. The food is rich with curries and spices, including ginger, coriander, cardamom, turmeric, dried hot peppers, and cinnamon, among others. Chutneys — thick condiments and spreads made from assorted fruits and vegetables such as tamarind and tomatoes and mint, cilantro and other herbs — are used generously in Indian cooking.

Many Hindus are vegetarians, but lamb and chicken are common in main dishes for non-vegetarians. The Guardian reports that between 20 percent and 40 percent of India's population is vegetarian.

Much of Indian food is eaten with fingers or bread used as utensils. There is a wide array of breads served with meals, including naan, a leavened, oven-baked flatbread, and bhatoora, a fried, fluffy flatbread common in North India and eaten with chickpea curry.

Architecture and art

The most well-known example of Indian architecture is the Taj Mahal, built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan to honor his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It combines elements from Islamic, Persian, Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles. India also has many ancient temples.

India is well known for its film industry, which is often referred to as Bollywood. The country's movie history began in 1896 when the Lumière brothers demonstrated the art of cinema in Mumbai, according to the Golden Globes. Today, the films are known for their elaborate singing and dancing. 

Indian dance, music and theater traditions span back more than 2,000 years, according to Nilima Bhadbhade, author of “Contract Law in India” (Kluwer Law International, 2010). The major classical dance traditions — Bharata Natyam, Kathak, Odissi, Manipuri, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam and Kathakali — draw on themes from mythology and literature and have rigid presentation rules.

Clothing

Indian clothing is closely identified with the colorful silk saris worn by many of the country’s women. The traditional clothing for men is the dhoti, an unstitched piece of cloth that is tied around the waist and legs. Men also wear a kurta, a loose shirt that is worn about knee-length. For special occasions, men wear a sherwani, which is a long coat that is buttoned up to the collar and down to the knees. The Nehru jacket is a shorter version of a sherwani.

Customs and celebrations

The country celebrates Republic Day (Jan. 26), Independence Day (Aug. 15) and Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday (Oct. 2). Diwali is the largest and most important holiday to India, according to National Geographic. It is a five-day festival known as the festival of lights because of the lights lit during the celebration to symbolize the inner light that protects them from spiritual darkness. Holi, the festival of colors, also called the festival of love, is popular in the spring.