Fridtjof Nansen was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and diplomat who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1922. In 1888 he led the first crossing of the Greenland interior on cross-country skis, and his 1893 to 1896 Fram expedition set a record northern latitude of 86°14′. He later switched to oceanography and did major work on the nervous systems of marine creatures. After 1921 he served as the League of Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, where he created the Nansen passport, a travel and identity document for stateless people. He worked for refugees until his sudden death in 1930, and the League then set up the Nansen International Office for Refugees, which won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1938.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.