The Indus Valley Civilization (fl. 2800 BCE–1800 BCE) was an ancient civilization that is so named because its first excavated sites, Harappa and Mohenjo-daro, were on the Indus river in the northwest of the Indian sub-continent in present day Pakistan. At its height around 2200 BCE, the Indus Civilization covered an area larger than Europe, centered on Mohenjo Daro on the Indus River. The nomenclature Sindhu-Sarasvati Civilization was introduced into Indian textbooks in 2002, as a new designation for the well-known Indus Valley civilization. The addition of "Saraswati," an ancient river central to Hindu myth, is meant to show (or make believe) that Indus Valley civilization was actually part of Vedic civilization. Research which identifies the civilization's location with the Vedic Sarasvati river system mentioned in ancient literature is speculative.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indus_Valley_Civilization

Today's selected anniversaries:

1718 Off the coast of North Carolina, English pirate Edward Teach (best known as "Blackbeard") was killed in battle by a boarding party from HMS Pearl. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackbeard)

1963 In Dallas, Texas, U.S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn-in as the 36th President of the United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_F._Kennedy_assassination)

1975 Juan Carlos was declared King of Spain following the death of Francisco Franco. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Carlos_of_Spain)

1986 Mike Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight-boxing champion. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Tyson)

Wikiquote of the day:

"Fame is something which must be won; honor is something which must not be lost." ~ Arthur Schopenhauer (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Arthur_Schopenhauer)