Mabel Stark, born Mary Ann Haynie around 1888, became one of America's most famous female tiger trainers. After nursing, she joined a circus in 1911 and went on to train tigers, lions and a dozen tigers at once, a first for a woman. Her wrestling act with her favourite tiger Rajah drew big crowds, and she later worked with Ringling Circus. She survived several serious attacks, including a 1928 mauling after a delayed feeding, which left her with multiple fractures and about 300 stitches. She toured until the late 1940s and then worked at Jungleland near Los Angeles until she was fired in 1967. Her autobiography Hold That Tiger was published 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.