India is one of the oldest and wealthiest civilizations in the world. It is home to the world’s first planned city, where every household had its own bathroom and toilet five thousand years ago. The ancient Indians not only gave us yoga, meditation, and complementary medicine, they also expanded our knowledge of science and mathematics — and invented four pillars of yoga, which later became the game of chess.
According to Albert Einstein, they “taught us to count” when they invented the numbers 1-9 and “zero”, without which computers and the digital age would not exist. We erroneously called this system of counting Arabic numerals improper credit.
Native Americans pioneered cosmetic surgery 2,000 years ago, rebuilding noses and ears for those disfigured by punishment or war. They performed eye surgeries like cataract removal and invented vaccines to protect their people from smallpox, saving thousands of lives.
