175 Random Facts So Interesting You'll Say, "OMG!" - Best Life

175 Random Facts So Interesting You'll Say, "OMG!" · 1. More human twins are being born now than ever before. · 2. A narwhal's tusk reveals its past living ... SmarterLiving 175RandomFactsSoInterestingYou'llSay,"OMG!" Thesefunfactsabouteverythingfromthecosmostotheinnerworkingsofyourbodywillblowyourmind. By BestLifeEditors AlexDaniel March19,2021 By BestLifeEditors AlexDaniel March19,2021 Shutterstock Oneofthebestthingsaboutbeingahumanbeingiscollectingallkindsofrandomknowledgeandtriviathroughoutourlives.Randomfunfactsaregreatforbreakingtheice,impressingadate,andwinningapubquiz.Butthere'syoudon'thavetohaveauseforthislittletidbitsofmind-blowinginformationtomakeknowingthemworthwhile.Justreadingthesetotallyrandomfactsaboutscience,history,food,celebrities,yourbody,thecosmos,andmorewillmakeyourjawdropatleastonce.Andformoreout-thereoddities,hereare50WonderfullyWeirdFactsThatWillMakeYouQuestionEverything. 1 Morehumantwinsarebeingbornnowthaneverbefore. beeboys/ShutterstockDoyougetthefeelingthattherearemoretwinsaroundthesedaysthanthereusedtobe?No?Well,youshould,becauseaccordingtoanewstudyinthejournalHumanReproduction,the"twinningrate"hasincreasedbyone-thirdsincethe'80s—upfrom9to12twinsper1,000deliveries.Currentlythataddsuptoabout1.6milliontwinsborneachyearacrosstheworld—meaningoneoutofevery42babiesisatwin.Helpingdrivethisistheincreasinguseofmedicallyassistedreproduction,andthedelayinchildbearing(twinninghasbeenfoundtoincreasewithamother'sage).Formorepiecesoftriviatoimpressyourfriends,hereare50FactsSoStrangeYouWon'tBelieveThey'reTrue. 2 Anarwhal'stuskrevealsitspastlivingconditions. DottedYeti/ShutterstockMuchliketheringsofatreecantellyouitsageandprovidecluesaboutthelifeithaslived,sotoodoesthelongtuskofthenarwhal.RecentresearchledbyabioscienceprofessoratDenmark'sAarhusUniversityhasshownthatthispeculiararcticwhaleaddsalayertoitsdistinctivetuskeachyear.Andnotonlydotheselayersofferinsightintotheageofthenarwhal(they'vebeenknowntoliveupto50years)buttheconditionsinwhichtheylived—suchaslevelofpollution,temperaturelevels,andevenwhattheirdietconsistedof.Youarewhatyoueat! 3 Thefirstpersonconvictedofspeedingwasgoingeightmph. GreenCam1/ShutterstockAccordingtoGuinnessWorldRecords,thefirstpersontobechargedwithspeedingwasWalterArnoldoftheEnglishvillageofPaddockWood,Kent.OnJan.28,1896,Arnoldwasspottedgoingfourtimesthespeedlimitinhis19th-centuryBenz—butsincethespeedlimitatthetimewasjusttwomilesperhour,thatmeanthewasnotgoingtoofastbytoday'sstandards.Theconstablehadtochasehimdownonhisbicycle,issuingaticketfor£47sandearningArnoldthespeedydistinction.Formoretriviatoimpress,hereare40RandomObscureFactsThatWillMakeEveryoneThinkYou'reaGenius. 4 "Newcarsmell"isthescentofdozensofchemicals. tommaso79/ShutterstockFewodorsareaspleasingas"newcarsmell"—andnotjustbecauseit'snicetobeinabrandnewcar.Butwhilethescentmaybestrangelysatisfying,thefactisthatit'sprettymuchjustacombinationof50+chemicals(knownas"volatileorganiccompounds")thatarereleasedintothecar,decayingquicklyovertime.Theconcentrationsfoundinatypicalnewcararen'tdangerous,butamongtheVOCsthatmakeupmuchofthatnewcarsmellarethosefoundinnailpolish,autofuel,andpetroleum. 5 Theworldwastesabout1billionmetrictonsoffoodeachyear. Andrey_Popov/ShutterstockFoodwasteisahugeproblem.Howbig?About931millionmetrictons.That'showmuchfoodthatresearcherswiththeUnitedNationsestimatewaswastedin2019,accordingtotheFoodWasteIndexReport2021,whichsurveyed54countries,findingthatthemajorityofwastedfood(61%)comesfromhomeswhilerestaurantsandotherfoodservicesproduce26%ofwastedfood.Grocerystoresmakeupjust13%offoodwaste.Ifyouneedapick-me-up,readthroughthese50Feel-GoodFactsGuaranteedtoMakeYouSmile. 6 Theseveredheadofaseaslugcangrowawholenewbody. Francesco_Ricciardi/ShutterstockItsoundslikesomethingoutofahorrorfilm,butit'salltooreal:TheElysiacf.marginata,atypeofseaslug,hasbeenfoundtonotonlysurvivedecapitation,buttobeabletogrowawholenewbodyfromit.EcologistsatNaraWomen'sUniversityinJapanfoundthat,afewhoursafterhavingtheirheadsseveredfromtheirbodies,thesnails'headswerealreadynibblingonalgaeasifnothinghadhappened.Inabout20days,one-thirdoftheseaslugsstudiedhadfullygrownbacktheirbodies—heartincluded. 7 Hairandnailsgrowfasterduringpregnancy. Asurprisingsideeffectofpregnancyisthatnailsandhairgrowfasterthanusual.Thisisduetochangesinhormonesaswellasincreasedbloodcirculationandmetabolismsupplyingnutrients.AccordingtoAmyO'Connor,writingforWhattoExpect,apregnantperson'shairalso"mightfeelthickerandlookmoreshinyandhealthythanusual."Thoughshewarnsthatitcanoccasionallymeanthattheexpecting"maysuddenlysproutstrandsinplaces[they'd]rathernot."Ifyouwanttoquestioneverythingyouknow,checkout50Well-Known"Facts"ThatAreActuallyJustCommonMyths. 8 Theworld'ssmallestreptilewasfirstreportedin2021. PavaphonSupanantananont/ShutterstockThosewhothinkeverythingontheplanethasalreadybeendiscoveredmightjustnotbelookingcloseenough.AtinychameleondiscoveredinnorthernMadagascarandmeasuringjust28.9millimetersisbelievedtobethesmallestreptileonEarth.TheittybittychameleonwasrecentlydiscoveredandreportedintheJanuary2021issueofScientificReports.Butthere'sonethingaboutthesecrittersthat'sbigforitssize:Thegenitaliaofthemalesmeasuresalmost20%ofitsbodylength. 9 Manyfeetbonesdon'thardenuntilyou'reanadult. MariaSbytova/ShutterstockFeetareenormouslycomplexpartsofthebody.Eachfootcontains26bones,aswellas33jointsand19muscles,whichworktogethertoallowforahugerangeofmotionandmovements.Butmanyofthesebonesremaincartilagethroughoutaperson'schildhood,slowlyossifyingintoboneastheyearsgoon.AccordingtotheOntarioSocietyofChiropodists,allofthebonesinthefootdon'tcompletelyhardenuntilapersonisabout21yearsold!Andformoretriviatokeepyousharp,signupforourdailynewsletter. 10 Someseasnakescanbreathethroughtheirskin. OksanaGolubeva/ShutterstockYoumightthinkthatit'sjustfishthathavegills,butthereareseveralspeciesofseasnakethatbreathethroughtheirskinaswell.Forexample,theHydrophiscyanocinctushasbeenfoundtobreathethroughthetopofitsownhead.Ithasasmallholeandcollectionofbloodvesselsatthetopofitsheadforpickingupoxygenfromtheseawaterandsendingittothereptile'sbrainwhileitmovesunderwater. 11 TheheadsonEasterIslandhavebodies. Shutterstock/AmyNicholeHarrisTheiconicstoneheadsprotrudingfromthegroundonEasterIslandarefamiliartomost,butmanydon'trealizewhatliesbeneaththesurface.Inthe'10s,archaeologistsstudyingthehundredsofstonestatuesonthePacificIslandexcavatedtwoofthefigures,revealingfulltorsos,whichmeasureashighas33feet. 12 Themoonhasmoonquakes. Shutterstock/taffpixtureJustasearthhasearthquakes,themoonhas—youguessedit—moonquakes.Lesscommonandlessintensethantheshakesthathappenhere,moonquakesarebelievedbyU.S.GeologicalSurvey(USGS)scientiststooccurduetotidalstressesconnectedtothedistancebetweentheEarthandthemoon. 13 Goosebumpsaremeanttowardoffpredators. Shutterstock/TunaturaWhydowegetgoosebumps?Inthisphysiologicalreaction,smallmusclesattachedtoindividualbodyhairscontract,whichleadsthehairtostandonend.Weinheritedthisabilityfromourancestorsinpartasawayforour(then)coatofbodyhairtocaptureairbeneathitandinthatwayretainheat.But,asGeorgeA.Bubenik,aphysiologistandprofessorofzoologyattheUniversityofGuelphinOntario,Canada,explainedtoScientificAmerican,italsocausedourancestorstoappearbiggerthantheywere,helpingtowardoffpredatorswhentheywerefrightenedoronthedefense.Withmodernhumanshavinglessbodyhair,goosebumpsnolongercauseustolookthatmuchmoreintimidating. 14 There'snosuchthingas"pearcider." Shutterstock/freeskyline"Wait,"you'reprobablythinking,"Ihadpearciderlastweek."Actually,"cider"isanalcoholicbeveragemadefromfermentedapples,andonlyapples.Alcoholicbeveragescanbemadefrompears,butthatdrinkisknownas"perry."ThedrinkwaspopularinEnglandforcenturiesbutfelloutoffavorduringthesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury.Thatturnedaroundinthe1990swhenthedrinkwasrebrandedaspearcider. 15 Pineappleworksasanaturalmeattenderizer. Shutterstock/zi3000Thefruitispackedwiththeenzymebromelain,whichbreaksdownproteinchains,makingitanidealmarinadeformeatswhenyoudon'thavealotoftime.Butforthesamereason,pineappledoesnotworkforjamsorjellies,sincetheenzymebreaksdowngelatinaswell.Thebromelainissostrongthatpineappleprocessorshavetowearprotectivegloves,otherwiseovertimetheenzymeeatsawayattheskinontheirfaceandhands,leavingdryskinandsmallsores. 16 Humansaretheonlyanimalsthatblush. Shutterstock/CookieStudioWearealsobelievedtobetheonlyanimalthatfeelsembarrassment—acomplicatedemotionrequiringunderstandingothers'opinionsandotherfactors.CharlesDarwincalledblushing"themostpeculiarandmosthumanofallexpressions,"whileMarkTwainsaid,"Manistheonlyanimalthatblushes.Orneedsto." 17 ThefeelingofgettinglostinsideamallisknownastheGruentransfer. Shutterstock/SydaProductionsWe'veallheardhowcasinosaredesignedtodeliberatelydisorientvisitors,causingthemtolosetrackoftimeandwhereexactlytheyare.Butdidyouknowthatthere'sasimilarstrategybehindthedesignofshoppingmallsaswell?Officiallyknownasthe"Gruentransfer,"thisphenomenonwasnamedafterAustrianarchitectVictorGruen,whoidentifiedhowanintentionallyconfusinglayoutcouldleadtoconsumersspendingmoretimeandmoneyinashoppingvenue(thoughhewouldlaterdisavowtheapproach). 18 Thewoodfrogcanholditspeeforuptoeightmonths. Shutterstock/JayOndreickaTalkabouthavingtogo!WoodfrogsinAlaskahavebeenknowntoholdtheirurineforuptoeightmonths,stickingitoutthroughtheregion'slongwintersbeforerelievingthemselvesoncetemperaturesincrease.Theurineactuallyhelpskeeptheanimalalivewhileithibernates,withspecialmicrobesintheirgutthatrecycletheurea(urine'smainwaste)intonitrogen. 19 ThehottestspotontheplanetisinLibya. Shutterstock/GiampaoloCianellaSpecifically,thehottestspoteverrecordedonEarthisElAzizia,inLibya,whereatemperatureof136degreesFahrenheitwasrecordedonSept.13,1922.Whilehotterspotshavelikelyoccurredinotherpartsoftheplanetatothertimes,thisisthemostscorchingtemperatureeverformallyrecordedbyaweatherstation.Formoreinfothatwillwrinkleyourbrain,hereare50AbsurdFactsThatWillMakeYouQuestionEverything. 20 Youloseupto30percentofyourtastebudsduringflight. Shutterstock/norikkoThismightexplainwhyairplanefoodgetssuchabadreputation.Theelevationinanairplanecanhaveadetrimentaleffectonourabilitytotastethings.Accordingtoa2010studyconductedbyGermany'sFraunhoferInstituteforBuildingPhysics,thedrynessexperiencedatahighelevationaswellaslowpressurereducesthesensitivityofaperson'stastebudstosweetandsaltyfoodsbyabout30percent.Addthatdrycabinairaffectsourabilitytosmell,andourabilitytotasteisreducedfurther. 21 Yournostrilsworkoneatatime. Shutterstock/BigFootProductionsWhenwebreatheinandoutofournoseduringtheday,onenostrildoesmostoftheworkatatime,withthedutiesswitchingeveryseveralhours.This"nasalcycle"isdictatedbythesameautonomicnervoussystemthatregulatesheartrate,digestion,andotherunconsciousbodilyfunctionsandisthereasonwhy—whenournosegetsstuffedup—itdoessoonenostrilatatime. 22 Onlytwomammalslikespicyfood:humansandthetreeshrew. Shutterstock/VladimirWrangelWhilehumanshavelonghadtheraredistinctionofbeingtheonlymammalthatactuallyenjoysspicyfood,thatlisthasseenanewaddition,asastudybyChineseresearchersfoundthattreeshrewshaveamutationintheirionchannelreceptor,TRPV1,whichmakesitlesssensitivetothe"hot"chemicalinchilipeppers.Asaresult,theadorablecrittershappilygobbledupcornpelletslacedwithcapsaicin(thecompoundsthatgivepepperstheirspice)whileothermammalsinthestudyavoidedthem. 23 Achef'stoquecontains100folds. Shutterstock/SydaProductionsMostdinersaretoobusylookingattheirfoodtolookallthatcloselyatwhattheprepareriswearing,butthetoque—thetraditionalhatwornbychefs—actuallycontainsexactly100folds.Thisisnotjustanice,roundnumber:itissaidthatthesefoldsrepresentthenumberofwaystocookanegg,thoughaninvestigationbyBonAppetitfailedtotrackdownwherethatsayingoriginated.Needmoredistractions?Hereare35FascinatingFastFactsforWhenYou'reBored. 24 Rabbitscan'tpuke. Shutterstock/VictoriaPaladiyUnlikecatsorotheranimalsthatcancoughuphairballswhentheydigesttoomuchfurandotherindigestiblematerials,rabbitsareincapableofspewing.Theirdigestivesystemonlygoesoneway,sothefurrycrittersswallowplentyofroughage,whichkeepsthingsmovingintherightdirection. 25 The"M's"inM&Msstandfor"Mars"and"Murrie." Shutterstock/BORIMATPRAOKAEWThatwouldbeForrestMarsandBruceMurrie,thetwobusinessmenwhocreatedthecandy-coatedchocolates.Thetwoactuallyhadaverycontentiousrelationship,asMarsleveragedMurrieoutofhis20percentshareinthecompanyin1949—yearsbeforeM&Mswouldbecomethebest-sellingcandyintheU.S.,payinghimjust$1millionforashareofbusinessthatwouldquicklybeworthbillions. 26 Thehumanbodyliterallyglows. Shutterstock/PKpixItmightbehardtoseewithyournakedeye,buteveryoneyoupassbyeverydayisliterallyglowing.Thehumanbodyemitsasmallquantityofvisiblelight("visible"inthetechnicalsense—theilluminationisabout1,000timeslessintensethanlevelsoflightthatwewouldactuallybeabletosee).ResearchersinJapanusedaspecialcameratotrackthisglowandfoundthatitfluctuatesthroughouttheday,withthebodyemittingitslowestlevelsoflightaround10a.m.andhighestataround4p.m.,arhythmthescientistsattributetothechangesinone'smetabolism. 27 Copperdoorknobsareself-disinfecting. Shutterstock/topimagesCopperanditsalloys,suchasbrass,havelongbeenpopularmaterialsformanufacturingdoorknobs.Itturnsout,thismaynotjustbecausethemetal'shuemakesitlooknice.Infact,thematerialhasbeenfoundtokillbacteria.AccordingtoonestudyfromtheNationalCollegeofKathmanduinNepal,"themetalionsdenatureproteinofthetargetcellsbybindingtoreactivegroupsresultingintheirprecipitationandinactivation.Thehighaffinityofcellularproteinsforthemetallicionsresultsinthedeathofthecellsduetocumulativeeffectsoftheionwithinthecells."Inotherwords,brasssterilizesthebacteriathatcanbuildupfromallthose(potentiallyunwashed)handsthatgripit. 28 Cottoncandywasinventedbyadentist. Shutterstock/Vayupak2016ItisnotknownwhetherWilliamMorrisonhadanulteriormotiveforinventingthesoftconfection,butthedentistnodoubthelpedensureothersinhisprofessioncontinueddrawinginplentyofcustomers.In1897,hepartneredwithcandy-makerJohnC.Whartontodevelopthecottoncandymachine(whichatthetimewasknownas"FairyFloss"),andit'sbeenbringingkidscavitieseversince. 29 MarieCurieistheonlypersontoearnaNobelprizeintwodifferentsciences. Shutterstock/MorphartCreationThepioneeringresearcherwontheNobelPrizeinPhysicsin1903(sharedwithherhusband)forherstudyofspontaneousradiation,andthenwontheNobelPrizeinChemistryin1911forherworkinradioactivity.ThatmakesheroneofjustsixrecipientstoreceivemultipleNobelprizes,andtheonlypersontoreceiveitintwodifferentsciences.(ChemicalengineerLinusPauldingearnedaNobelChemistryPrizeandNobelPeacePrize,butallothermultiplewinnersreceivedtheirsinthesamecategory). 30 Fingernailsdon'tgrowafteryoudie. Shutterstock/woodpencilDespitewhatyoumayhaveseenonotherlistsofrandomtrivia,yourfingernailsandhairdonot,infact,continuetogrowafteryoudie.Togrow,thesemusthaveasteadysupplyofglucose,whichiscutoffaftertheheartstopsbeating,preventinganyfurthergrowth.Infact,theskinaroundthehairfolliclesandnailsdehydratesafterdeathandpartlyretracts,whichcanmakethemappearlonger. 31 TheEnglishwordwiththemostdefinitionsis"set." Shutterstock/oOhyperblasterAccordingtoGuinnessWorldRecords,"set"hasthelargestnumberofmeaningsofanywordintheEnglishlanguage,with430differentsenseslistedinthe1989editionofSecondEditionoftheOxfordEnglishDictionary.Theword"sets"therecordwithanentryrunning60,000words,or326,000characters,andnootherEnglishwordhascomeclosesince. 32 CreedenceClearwaterRevivalhasthemostNo.2Billboardhits—withouteverhittingNo.1. FantasyJohnFogerty'sswamprockbandhastheodddistinctionofhavingseenmoreofitssingleshitNo.2onthecharts,withouteverhittingNo.1,thananyothermusicalact.BetweenMarch1969andOct.1970,thebandscoredfiveNo.2singlesontheBillboardTop100—"ProudMary,""BadMoonRising,""GreenRiver,""Travelin'Band,"and"Lookin'OutMyBackDoor"—butneversawoneofitssongsgettothetopspot.Nootheracthastoppedthisdubioushonorsince. 33 PigeonscantellthedifferencebetweenapaintingbyMonetandPicasso. Shutterstock/BiruteVijeikieneIna1995studypublishedintheJournalofExperimentalAnalysisofBehavior,researchersreportedbeingabletotrainpigeonstodiscriminatebetweenpaintingsbyClaudeMonetandPabloPicassowhenshownslidesoftheirworksthattheyhadpreviouslyneverseenbefore.WhenthePicassoimageswereinverted,thelittleartconnoisseurscouldstilltellitwasaPicasso.Maybethat'swhytheylikelandingonstatuessomuch. 34 Thedotoverthelowercase"i"or"j"isknownasa"tittle." Shutterstock/ElizabethFosterThattinydotabovelowercase"I"and"j"lettershasanactualname:tittle.Itisthoughtthatthephrase"toaT"isactuallyderivedfromthephrase"toatittle"—aphrasethatwasusedinthesamesensedatingbacktotheearly17thcentury.(Thefirstrecordingofthephraseisinthe1607playWomanHaterbyFrancisBeaumontandJohnFletcher,inwhichthelinereads,"I'llquotehimtoatittle.") 35 Chewinggumboostsconcentration. Shutterstock/LookStudioNexttimeyouarehavingtroublefocusing,youmightwanttoreachforastickofgum.A2013studyintheBritishJournalofPsychologyfoundthatthosesubjectswhochewedgumwhiletakingpartinamemorychallengewereabletostayfocusedforlongerperiodsoftimethanthosewhodidnotchewgum. 36 Supermandidn'talwaysfly. TheoriginalcomicbookSupermancouldleaptallbuildingsinasinglebound.ButthenhehadtocomerightbackdowntoEarth—becausehedidn'tfly.Itwasn'tuntilthe1940s,whenanimatorsforanewanimatedseriesdecideditwouldbetoodifficulttoroutinelydrawhimbendinghisknees,thatitwasdecidedthatSupermancouldtakeoffintotheair.Readersgottoseesmoothanimation,andasuperherogainedanewpower. 37 Thefirstcomputerwasinventedinthe1940s. ShutterstockThesedays,supercomputersareeverywhere—andtheyreallydon'tneedmuchspaceatall.HaveanXboxOnepostedupinyourlivingroom?That'sasupercomputer.Alaptop-tablethybridinyourbag?That'sasupercomputer,too.(Don'tevengetusstartedonthethinginyourpocket…)Butwhensupercomputersfirstcamearound,theyneededmuch,muchmorespace.Justtakealookattheworld'sfirstone:TheElectronicNumericalIntegratorandComputer(ENIAC). OriginallybuiltattheUniversityofPennsylvania'sSchoolofEngineering,in1946,ENIACweighed60,000poundsandtookuparoomlargerthanmoststudioapartments(1,500squarefeet).Shortlyafterconstruction,ENIACwassentofftothemilitary,whereitwasusedtocalculateballistictrajectories(translation:launchmissiles)withfrighteningaccuracy.Today,computerexpertsatPenncreditENIACwithheraldinginthe"dawnoftheinformationage." 38 Spacesmellslikesearedsteak. ShutterstockWhenyouseefootageofastronautsfloatingpeacefullyinspace,doyoueverwonder,Whatdospacesmellslike?Well,accordingtosomeformerastronauts,spacedoeshaveadistinctodorthathangsaroundpost-spacewalk.They'vedescribeditas"hotmetal"or"searingsteak." 39 Thelongestweddingveilwasthesamelengthas63.5footballfields. ShutterstockWhenMariaParaskeva,awomanfromCyprus,gotmarriedinAugust2018,hergoalwasn'tjusttosay"Ido."Shewasalsodeterminedtosetarecord. "MydreamasachildhasalwaysbeentobreaktheGuinnessWorldRecordtitleforthelongestweddingveil,"sheexplained.Shefulfilledherdreambywearingalaceveilthatstretched22,843feetand2.11inches,oraslongas63.5footballfields. 40 TheunicornisthenationalanimalofScotland. ShutterstockWhileScotlandproudlyboaststheLochNessMonster,oneoftheworld'smostfamousfabledcreatures,thecountryoptedtomakeanothermythicalbeastitsnationalanimal:theunicorn.Althoughthismightseemlikeanoddchoice,VisitScotlandexplainsthatunicornsplayedanintegralroleinthecountry'shistory.Backinthe12thcentury,WilliamIusedthe"proudbeast"intheScottishroyalcoatofarms. 41 Beessometimesstingotherbees. Beesarenotoriousfortheirstings,buthumansaren'ttheonlyoneswhoexperiencethispainintheneck(orthearm,ortheleg…).Inprotectingtheirhivesfromoutsiders,some"guardbees"willstaybytheentranceandsniffthebeesthatcomein,saysMariannePesofromthebiologydepartmentofMacquarieUniversity.Ifthere'saroguebeefromanotherhivetryingtostealsomenectar,theguardbeewillbiteandevenstingtheintruder. 42 Kidsask300questionsaday. ShutterstockA2013U.K.studyfromonlineretailerLittlewoods.comobservedyoungchildrenandrecordedthequestionstheyaskedtheadultsaroundthem.Thechildrentendedtoturntotheirmothersforanswers,andthesemomscouldendupansweringanaverageofnearly300questionsperday,oronequestioneverytwo-and-a-halfminutes,thestudyfound.Themomsreportedthatthehardestquestionstheywereaskedincluded"Whyiswaterwet?"and"Whatareshadowsmadeof?" 43 Thetotalweightofantsonearthonceequaledthetotalweightofpeople. ShutterstockEntomologistshaveestimatedthatthereareatleastonemilliontrillioninsectsandonlyonepercentofthatnumberisants,accordingtotheBBC.Andifyoutookallthoseants(abouttenthousandtrillion)andputthemononesideofagiantscale,youcouldalmostputallofthepeopleintheworldontotheotherandbalancethingsout.Unfortunately,ashumanshavebecomeheavier,thisprobablywouldn'tholduptoday—butitoncedid.FrancisRatnieks,professorofApicultureattheUniversityofSussex,toldtheBBCthismighthaveheldtruearound2,000yearsago. 44 "E"isthemostcommonletterandappearsin11percentofallenglishwords. ShutterstockTrywritingoutafewsentences—anythingatall.Nowtakeaminutetolookathowfrequentlyeachletterinthealphabetappears.Chancesareyou'llseealotoftheletter"e."That'sbecausethecommonlyusedvowelappearsinaround11percentofallwordsintheEnglishlanguage,accordingtoOxfordDictionaries.Thenextmostpopularletterwas"a,"whichappearsinaround8.5percentofallwords.Theleastcommonletteris"q,"whichappearsinjust0.2percentofwords. 45 AdozenbodieswereoncefoundinBenjaminFranklin'sbasement. ShutterstockButwereyouawareofthefactthatmultipleskeletonswerefoundinthebasementofBenjaminFranklin'sLondonhome?Theboneswerediscoveredduringa1998renovationofthehouseandwereidentifiedasbeingfromnearlyadozenpeople,includingsixchildren."Themostplausibleexplanationisnotmassmurder,butananatomyschoolrunbyFranklin'syoungfriendandprotege,WilliamHewson,"wroteTheGuardian. That'snottosaytherewasn'tanyfunnybusinessgoingon."TheresurrectionmencoulddeliverbodiesstolenfromgraveyardstotheThameswharfatthebottomofthestreet,whiletherewasaweeklypublicexecutionatthegallowsontheothersideofthegardenwall,"thepublicationreported. 46 ThehealthiestplaceintheworldisinPanama. AsmallvalleynearVolcáninPanamahasgarneredthedistinctionofbeingtheworld'shealthiestplacetolive,accordingtoa2018reportby InternationalLiving.CalledShangri-LaValley,theareaishometobeautifulscenery,alowcostofliving,andasignificantlylongerlifeexpectancythanthesurroundingareas.Allinall,theworld'shealthiestareashavesomecommonfactors,accordingtotheranking:awarmclimate,anactivesocialscene,healthyfood,andaslowerpaceoflifethatmakesforlessdailystress. 47 Apharaohoncelatheredhisslavesinhoneytokeepbugsawayfromhim. ThepharaohsofancientEgyptwerebelievedtobeliterallydivine.Thewordpharaohitselfmeans"greathouse,"asinthehouseofGod.Infact,KingPepiII,whosupposedlyruledfor90years,thoughtsohighlyofhimselfthatwhenhewasbotheredbyinsects,hewouldcommandthatoneofhisslavesbecoveredinhoneytolurethefliesawayfromhimself. 48 Somepeoplehaveanextraboneintheirknee(andit'sgettingmorecommon). ShutterstockIfyouwereundertheimpressionthatthehumanbodyhadfinishedevolving,thinkagain.Itturnsoutthatsomepeoplehaveaboneintheirkneecalledafabella.Andwhilethisparticularlittlebonewithanunknownpurposewasoncefadingaway,overthelastcenturyandahalf,it'sgottenmorecommon.Backin1875,nearly18percentofpeopleexaminedhadafabella.Thatnumberdroppedto11percentby1918.However,by2018,39percentofindividualshadthismysteriousbone. 49 Pringlesaren'tactuallypotatochips. ShutterstockThenexttimeyouseeacanofPringles,takeacloserlook—youwon'tseetheword"chip"anywhereonthepackaging.That'sbecausePringlesaren'tmadeofthinly-slicedpotatoes,butinsteaddehydratedpotatoflakespressedintotheirsignatureparabolicshape.That'swhatmakesthemlessgreasy.Butwhenotherpotatochipmanufacturerscomplained,theFoodandDrugAdministrationruledthatPringlescouldn'tbemarketedaschips.Thecompanyeventuallysettledon"potatocrisp." 50 There'sagiantfishwithatransparenthead. Thedeepestlevelsofouroceansaresomeoftheleastexploredareasoftheplanet.Becauseoftheextremepressure,cold,anddarkatthesedepths,onlytheverystrangestofcreaturescansurvivethere.Theseincludegianttubeworms,vampiresquids,goblinsharks,andviperfishwithteethsolongthattheycan'tclosetheirmouths.Perhapsthestrangest,though,isthebarreleye,alargefishwithacompletelytransparenthead.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb 51 There'sadecoratedwarherodog. ImageviaWikimediaCommonsWhileinthetrenchesofWorldWarI,theU.S.FirstInfantryDivisionfoundthemselvesunabletocommunicatewithothertroopsbecauseshellfirehaddamagedthetelephonewires.Ayoungprivatecameupwithauniquesolution:Rags,amixedbreedterrierwhomthesoldiershadadoptedinParis,wouldcarrythemessagesfromonedivisiontothenexttuckedintohiscollar.Hesavedmanylives,andwhenRagspassedaway—inMaryland,attheveryadvancedageof20—hewasburiedwithmilitaryhonors. 52 Showersreallydosparkcreativity. ShutterstockShowersaren'tjustgoodforyourhygiene—they'regoodforyourcreativity,too.Fora2012studypublishedinthejournal PsychologicalScience,researchersgavevolunteerscreativityproblemstosolvefollowedbyaperiodofrest.Duringthatperiod,somewereassigneddemandingtasks,whileothersdidsimplertasksthatallowedtheirmindstowander(justlikeashowerdoes).Thosedoingthesimplertasksduringtherestingtimeweremorelikelytosolvetheoriginalcreativityproblems. 53 AbrahamLincoln'sbodyguardlefthispostatFord'sTheatretogoforadrink. ShutterstockYoualreadyknowthatAbrahamLincolnwasshotandkilledbyJohnWilkesBoothwhilewatchingaperformanceatFord'sTheatreinWashington,D.C.,onApril14,1865.ButwhatyoumightnothavebeenawareofisthatthepresidenthadabodyguardnamedJohnFrederickParkerwithhimonthatfatefulnight,accordingtoSmithsonianMagazine. Unfortunately,Parkerwasapoliceofficerwithaless-than-stellarreputation.Afterarrivingthreehourslateforhisshift,theofficerlefthispostprotectingthepresidenttogetadrinkattheStarSaloonnextdoortothetheatre.ItwasduringthistimethatBoothenteredtheboxseatswhereLincolnwassittingandshotthepresident. 54 Dolphinshavebeentrainedtobeusedinwars. ShutterstockDolphinsareknownwidelyasadorable,intelligentanimals.WhatisnotaswidelyknownisthatthesecraftycreatureswereusedbytheU.S.andSovietUnionduringtheVietnamWarandtheColdWar.Bothcountriesstudiedthecreaturesfortheirsonarcapabilities,butalsotrainedthemtodetectmines,bringequipmenttodivers,findlostequipment,andguardsubmarinesamongstotherniftytricks. 55 PlayingtheaccordionwasoncerequiredforteachersinNorthKorea. ShutterstockThemostpopularinstrumentinNorthKoreaistheaccordion,somuchsothatallteachersusedtoberequiredtoplaytogettheirteachingcertifications.Becausetheaccordionisportableinawaythat,say,agrandpianoisn't,itwasthoughtofasthe"people'sinstrument"thatcouldbetakenoutsideandplayedforlaborersinthefields. 56 Children'smedicineoncecontainedmorphine. ShutterstockIfyouwereababyinthemiddleofthe1800sandyoucriedwhileteething,yourparentsmighthavegivenyouMrs.Winslow'sSoothingSyrup.This"medicine"claimedthat"itsoothesthechild,itsoftensthegums,[and]allaysallpain."Itmayhavedoneplentyofsoothing,butitwasalsoextremelydangerous—thisconcoction,likemanypatentmedicinesofthetime,containedmorphine. 57 PlasticEastereggsandplasticEastergrasswereinventedbyamanwhoholdsmorepatentsthanThomasEdison. ShutterstockIfyou'veeverenjoyedanEasterbasketwithplasticeggsandgrass,thenyoucanthankDonaldWeder,themanwhoinventedboth.Wedernotonlyholdsthepatentsontheseholidaystaples,healsoholdsatotalof1,413U.S.patents—includingonesforwater-basedinks,flower-potcovers,anddecorativewrappers.That'scomparedtoThomasEdison,whoheldjust1,093U.S.patents. 58 Watermakesdifferentpouringsoundsdependingonitstemperature. ShutterstockIfyoulistenveryclosely,hotwaterandcoldwatersoundslightlydifferentwhenbeingpoured.Theheatchangesthethickness,orviscosity,ofthewater,whichchangesthepitchofthesounditmakeswhenit'spoured.Whatwefeelasheatcomesfromthemoleculesofthewatermovingfaster.Coldwateristhickerandthereforemakesaslightlyhigher-pitchedsound. 59 Mostlaughterisn'tbecausethingsarefunny. iStockEverycultureintheworldlaughs,butsurprisingly,mostofourlaughterisn'tnecessarilyaresponsetohumor.Lessthan20percentoflaughtercomesafterjokes,accordingtoneuroscientistRobertProvine;therestisareactiontoregularstatementsandquestionslike,"Howhaveyoubeen?"Theensuinglaughter,howeverbrief,helpsformsocialbondssincepeoplewholaughtogethergrowcloser. 60 Onemanhassavedmorethan200peoplefromsuicide. It'sasadfacttheGoldenGateBridgeinSanFranciscoisasitewheremanysuicidestakeplace.However,oneCaliforniaHighwayPatrolofficerhasdonemoretocombatthisproblemthananyotherindividual.OfficerKevinBriggs,whobattlesdepressionhimself,haspersonallytalkedmorethan200peopledownfromtheproverbialledgethroughouthiscareer.Afterretiringin2013,BriggswroteabookcalledGuardianoftheGoldenGateandnowgoesonspeakingtourstoencouragepublicdiscussionofsuicideandmentalillness. 61 OurEuropeanancestorswerecannibals. In16thand17thcenturyEurope,cannibalismwasactuallyafairlycommonpractice,anditwasallformedicalpurposes.ThepracticeseemstohavestartedbecauseEgyptianmummieswerethoughttohavemagicalcurativeproperties—sotheyweregroundupandputinmanyremedies. Astheideaevolved,humanbone,blood,andfatwereallusedinmedicalconcoctions.Gotaheadache?Crushaskullandmakeitintotea!Whilemedicalcannibalismhasfallenoutoffavor,modernmedicinestillsometimesusesonehumanbodytohealanotherintheformofblooddonations,organtransplants,andskingrafts. 62 DogsactuallyunderstandsomeEnglish. Someownersofdisobedientdogsmayhavetroublebelievingthis,butdogscanlearntorecognizeavocabularyofabout165words.Unsurprisingly,dogsrespondbesttoshortwords,aswellaswordswithhardconsonantslike"t"or"r,"whichmayexplainwhytheycanhear"treat"fromthreeroomsaway. Ifyouwanttotrytoexpandyourdog'svocabulary,beconsistent—forexample,alwayscallameal"dinner"insteadofbreakfast,lunch,orsupper.Anddon'tbelievethemyth:Olddogscanlearnwordsjustaswellasyoungdogs. 63 Youhaveanailinyourbody. ShutterstockOr,atleast,thecomponentsofone.Ironisanimportantnutrientthatthehumanbodyneeds.Ithelpsyourredbloodcellscarryoxygen,whichisnecessaryforproducingenergythroughoutthebody.That'swhyanirondeficiencycanpresentitselfwithfeelingsofexhaustion.Amazingly,ahealthyadulthasaboutthreegramsofiron,enoughthat,ifitwerepulledoutandmelteddown,itcouldformanailuptothreeincheslong. 64 Redheadsaren'tactuallygoingextinct. Shutterstock/stockfourPeriodically,arumorstartsontheinternetthatsaysnaturalredheadswillbecomeextinctbytheyear2060.Luckyforgingerseverywhere,thisisamyth.It'struethatthegenethatcausesredhairisrecessive,meaningthatbothparentsmusthaveitfortheirchildtohaveredhair.However,evennon-redheadscancarrytheredhairgene,anditcanpopupunexpectedlyingenerationsdowntheline. 65 Probaseballoncehadwomenplayers. ShutterstockWhiletherearecurrentlynofemaleplayersinMajorLeagueBaseball,therehavebeenplentyofwomeninprofessionalmen'sleagues.ThefirstwasLizzyArlington,whopitchedduringtheninthinningfortheReadingCoalHeaversin1898andwonherteamthegame.Alittleover30yearslater,anAfrican-Americanwoman, JackieMitchell,pitchedagainsttheYankeesduringanexhibitiongame,strikingoutbothBabeRuthandLouGehrig.What'smoreimpressive:Mitchellwas17yearsoldatthetime. 66 Koalashavefingerprints. Chimpanzeesandgorillashavehuman-likefingerprintsandsodokoalas.Infact,koalaprintsareverysimilartohumanfingerprints,eventoexpertcrimesceneinvestigators.Asofyet,nokoalashaveframedhumansfortheircrimes,butnowweknowit'snotimpossible… 67 Humansarejustoneoftheestimated8.7millionspeciesonEarth. ShutterstockHumanbeingsmaydominatetheplanetwithoursprawlingcitiesandfar-reachingtechnology,butweare,infact,justonespeciesamongsome8.7millionthatlivetogetheronplanetEarth.One2011 studypublishedinthejournalPLoSBiologyestimatedthat"thevariousformsoflifeontheplanetincluded7.8millionspeciesofanimals,298,000speciesofplants,611,000speciesofmushrooms,moldandotherfungi,36,400speciesofprotozoa,and27,500speciesofalgaeorchromists."Andit'sworthnotingthattheresearchersdidnotventuretoputanestimateonthenumberofbacteria. 68 Ridingarollercoastercouldhelpyoupassakidneystone. ShutterstockAftermultiplepeoplereportedtheyhadpassedakidneystonewhileridingWaltDisneyWorld'sBigThunderMountainRailroadride,aresearchteamfromMichiganStateUniversitydecidedtoinvestigatethephenomenain2016.Theyconductedtestswithamodelkidneyandfoundthattherewasa64percentkidneystonepassrateforthoseseatedintherearoftheThunderMountainride.Thatnumberwasjust16percentforthoseseatedinthefront. 69 Dinosaurslivedoneverycontinent. ShutterstockBackintheirday,dinosaurslivedoneverycontinentonEarth, includingAntarctica.Thereasonweonlyfindtheirbonesincertainplaces,though,isthatweatherandsoilconditionsinthoseplaceswerejustrightforthebonestobefossilized.Scientistsalsospeculatethattheremaybemanysmaller-sizeddinosaursthatweknownothingaboutbecausetheirbonesweretoosmalltofossilizewell. 70 Beehummingbirdsaresosmalltheygetmistakenforinsects. ShutterstockHummingbirdsareknownforbeingitty-bittycreatures,butBeeHummingbirdsaretheteeniestversionsoftheseshockinglytinyflyers.They'reactuallythesmallestbirdintheworld.Theyaresominusculethattheyaresometimesmistakenforinsects(whichexplainstheirname),accordingtotheNationalAudobonSociety.Thebirdsarejusttwoandaquarterincheslongandweighlessthanadime. 71 Sealionscandancetoabeat. ShutterstockThereareonlytwomammalsonEarthwiththeprovenabilitytomovetheirbodiesintimewithanexternalbeat:humans(thoughnotallhumans,tobefair)andsealions.WhenresearchersattheUniversityofSantaCruzrescuedastrandedsealionin2013,theyfoundthatshewasverysmart,andshewasevenabletolearnhowtodance.Thoughparrotscanalsokeeparhythm,itwaspreviouslythoughtthatonlyanimalscapableofcomplexvocallearningcoulddothis. 72 Rolls-Roycemakesthemostexpensivecarintheworld. ImageviaYouTubeCurrently,themostexpensivecarintheworldisaRolls-RoyceSweptailthatsoldfor$13million.However,evenifyouhavethatkindofdoughlyingaround,youwon'tbeabletobuyit—onlyonewasmade,anditwascustom-builtfromthegroundupaccordingtothebuyer'sspecifications.Butbrand-newcustomcarshavenothingonusedclassics;therecentsaleofa1963FerrariGTOfor$70millionissupposedlythehighestpriceeverpaidforacar. 73 Thefamed"TyphoidMary"infectedmorethan50peoplebycookingforthem. ImageviaWikimediaCommons"TyphoidMary"wasarealhistoricalpersonwhobecamenotoriousintheearly1900s.ShewasanIrishwomannamedMaryMallonwhoimmigratedtotheUnitedStatesinthe1880s.Thoughshehadnosymptomsoftyphoidfever,shecarriedthebacteriainherbloodandcouldpassitontootherpeople.Becausenodoctorcouldconvinceherthatthiswastrueandshedidn'tfeelsick,sheinsistedonworkingasacook.Duringhercareer,sheinfectedatleast51people,threeofwhomdied,beforeshewasisolatedinenforcedquarantineforthelastdecadesofherlife. 74 ThelegendoftheLochNessMonstergoesbacknearly1,500years. There'satalewrittenintheyear565A.D.thatspeaksofanIrishmonktravelingthroughScotland.Whilethere,SaintColumbaheardstoriesofa"waterbeast"thatattackedandkilledthelocalpeoplewhentheywentintheriver.Wantingtohelp,themonkusedhisfriendasbaittolurethebeastintosight,atwhichpointColumbacommandeditto"gonofurther,"andthecreaturestoppedandswambackupstream.ThatriverisnowknowninScotlandastheRiverNess,whichflowsoutfromthefamousLochNess. 75 Nutmegcanbefatallypoisonous. ShutterstockAlittledashofnutmeginapumpkinpieoronyoureggnogcangiveitsomeextraflavorandalovely,spicyscent.Toomuchnutmeg,however,canbetoxic.Twotothreeteaspoonsofrawnutmegcaninducehallucinations,convulsions,pain,nausea,andparanoiathatcanlastforseveraldays.Actualfatalitiesarerare,buttheyhavehappened. 76 Chinesepoliceusegeesesquads. You'veheardofpolicedogs,butpolicegeese?Asof2013,12policestationsinaruralareaofChinahavebeguntousegeeseassentries.Theyarealertanimalsand,asyouprobablyknow,cancreatealotofnoiseandcommotion,whichcreativeChineselawenforcementofficersaretakingadvantageof.WhilethistrendhasyettospreadthroughoutChina,Dongwanpoliceclaimthatthegeesehavealreadystoppedatleastonetheft. 77 ThefirstiPhonewasn'tmadebyApple. ShutterstockThefirstmobiledevicetobecalledan"iPhone"wasmadebyCisco,notApple.ItallowedtheusertousethevoicefunctionsofSkypewithoutacomputer.Appleannounceditsownproductjust22dayslater,andCiscosuedfortrademarkinfringement.Thelawsuitwasultimatelysettledoutofcourtandbothcompanieswereallowedtokeepusingthename.However,you'veprobablyneverheardoftheCiscoiPhone. 78 There'sacountrywheretwinsaremostlikelytobeborn. ShutterstockBenin,acountryincentralAfrica,isnotableforhavingthehighestbirthrateoftwinsintheworld.Whiletheworldaverageisjust13twinsper1,000births,Beninmorethandoublesthatrate,atnearly30twinsper1,000births.There'snosinglefactorthatcausesthis,butgenetics,diet,andeventhemother'sheightarethoughttoplayarole. 79 TheComicSansfontcamefromanactualcomicbook. MostadultsnowadayswhoknowanythingaboutgraphicdesignsteerawayfromusingtheComicSansfontinformaldocuments.Thefontwas designedbyVincentConnare,whodrewdirectinspirationfromhisfavoritecomicbooks,includingAlanMooreandDaveGibbons'celebratedWatchmenseries. 80 For100years,mapshaveshownanislandthatdoesn'texist. ShutterstockAlmostnothingisknownaboutSandyIsland,alandmassaboutthesizeofManhattaninthePacificOceanoffthecoastofAustralia.Supposedly,explorerJamesCookdiscovereditin1774,anditbeganappearingonnauticalmapsin1908.Itwasn'tuntil2012,whenateamofAustralianscientistssetouttosurveytheisland,thattheydiscoveredtherewasnoislandthereatall.ThescientistsguessedthatCookmayhaveinfactspotteda"pumiceraft"offloatingvolcanicstoneandgas.TheSydneyMorningHerald evenpublishedanobituaryforSandyIsland. 81 Babiesarephysicalanomalies. Babies,particularlynewborns,aresurprisinglydifferentfromthechildrenthey'llgrowuptobe.Whenthey'reborn,theirheadsaccountforaquarteroftheirfullbodyweight,andthesizeoftheirbrainswilldoubleinthefirstyearoflife.Babieshave300bonesandaround10,000tastebudsallovertheirmouth.Someoftheboneswillfuseastheyage(into206,asanadult),butthetastebudsnotonthetonguewilleventuallyvanish. 82 TheQueenhassomehiddenhideaways. ShutterstockSincetheearly13thcentury,thecityofLondonhasofficiallypaidrenttotheCrownfortwosmallpiecesofproperty.Fortunatelyforthecity,thepricehasstayedthesameformorethan800years:oneknife,oneax,sixhorseshoes,and61nails,presentedeveryautumnintheCeremonyofQuitRents.AlthoughoneofthesepropertiesislocatedintheMoorsinShropshireandtheotherisneartheRoyalCourtsofJusticeinthecityitself,nooneknowstheexactlocationoftheQueen'sland. 83 ThemanwhowroteDraculanevervisitedTransylvania. BramStokerwasanIrishauthorwhoisnowbestrememberedforhisgothichorrornovelDracula.PartiallysetinTransylvania,amountainousregionincentralRomania,thestorycementedthelegendofthevampireinmainstreamEuropeanandAmericanculture.DespiteStoker'smanyworldtravels,henevervisitedEasternEurope—and,byvirtue,Transylvania—atall. 84 TheAustraliangovernmentbannedtheword"mate"foraday. ShutterstockThereareprobablyslangorinformalwordsthatgetonyournervesfromtimetotime,particularlywhenyouthinksomethingshouldbetakenseriously.In2005,AustralianParliamenttookafewcitizencomplaintsalittletooseriouslyandbannedanyoneontheirstafffromusingtheword"mate"whileatwork.Fortunately,PrimeMinisterJohnHowardobjected,claimingthat"mate"wasanimportantpartofAustralianculture,andthebanwasoverturnedwithin24hours. 85 Manylanguageshavethesameroots. ShutterstockEnglish,Portuguese,Latvian,Pashto,andGreekallsoundverydifferenttoday,buttheselanguagesallhaveacommonancestorcalledProto-Indo-European.Thoughwedon'thaveanywrittenexamplesofit,linguistshaveworkedbackwardsfromavarietyofmodernlanguagestotrytoreconstructit.Usingtheirreconstruction,thesentence"Thekingwantedason"wouldbewrittenas"H3rḗḱssúhxnumu̯l̥nh1to." 86 Atickbitecanmakeyouallergictoredmeat. ShutterstockPlentyofpeoplehavefoodallergies,butfewaretheresultofaninsectbite.Inastrangeandgrowingtrend,somepeoplewhogetbittenbytheLoneStartickcandevelopasuddenallergytoredmeat.Beef,lamb,andpork(whicharetechnicallyclassifiedasredmeat)canmakepeoplewiththisallergyexperienceheadaches,sneezing,arunnynose,andnausea.Inseverecases,itcancausethepersontobeunabletobreathe.Forsomesufferers,theallergyfadesovertime,butforothers,it'spermanent. 87 HarrietTubmanwasevenmoreheroicthanyouthought. LibraryofCongressYouprobablyknowthatHarrietTubmanwasaformerslavewhobecameapoliticalactivistfortheabolitionmovement.ButinadditiontosmugglingescapedslavesthroughtheUndergroundRailroad,duringtheCivilWarshewasthefirstwomantoleadanarmedassault.Sheplannedandexecutedanumberofraidsandwasknowntocarryarevolverforpersonalprotection. 88 Tornadoescancause"fishrain." Tornadoescandevelopoverwaterjustaswellastheycanoverland.Whentheydo,they'recalled"waterspouts,"andtheysuckuplargeamountsoflakeorseawater—aswellaswhatever'sswimminginthatwater.Ifthewaterspouttravelsontothelandandthewindsdecrease,there'snowhereforthosefishtogobutdown.Asfarasweknow,there'snotornadopowerfulenoughtopickupsharks,butafish-nadoisentirelypossible. 89 Napoleonwasonceattackedbythousandsofrabbits. ShutterstockNapoleonBonapartewasonceoneofthemostpowerfulmeninEurope,buthesufferedanignominiousdefeatatthehands(orpaws)ofrabbits.Afteramilitaryvictory,Napoleon'schiefofstafforganizedarabbithunttocelebrate.Thousandsofrabbitswerebroughtintobesetloose,butinsteadofhoppingawaywhenthecageswereopened,theyturnedtoattack,swarmingthepartygoers.Aftertryingandfailingtoshoothemaway,thegreatEmperorNapoleonranforthesafetyofhiscarriage. 90 StarTrek'sScottystormedthebeachatNormandy. ShutterstockCanadianactorJamesDoohan,bestknownforplayingMontgomery"Scotty"ScottontheoriginalStarTrekseries,servedinWorldWarIIwiththe3rdCanadianInfantryDivision.Asacommissionedlieutenant,heledhistroopupamine-strewnJunoBeachaspartoftheAlliedForces'D-Dayinvasion.Laterintheday,hewaswoundedbyfriendlyfirethatcausedtheamputationofthemiddlefingeronhisrighthand.Youmightnothavenoticeditbecause,duringhistimeonStarTrek,directorsdidthebesttheycouldtoavoidshowingtheinjuryonscreen. 91 ApplePieisn'tactuallyAmerican. ShutterstockApplesoriginallycomefromAsia.ThefirstpieswerebakedinMedievalEurope.EventheconceptofputtingapplesinpietracesbacktoarecipefromEnglandin1381.Nevertheless,thephrase"asAmericanasapplepie" turnedupby1924andbecameacommonsayingduringtheyearsoftheSecondWorldWar. 92 PigsareconstitutionallyprotectedinFlorida. ShutterstockFirstwrittenin1838,theConstitutionofthestateofFloridaguaranteestherighttoprivacy,thefreedomofspeech,andtherightofpregnantpigstobefreefromcages. Unlikemanycrazyoroutdatedlaws,thisamendmentisrecent(passedin2002)andcomesfromawell-meaningplace:thepreventionofcrueltytoanimals.Duringpregnancy,apigmustnotbecagedoreventetheredsuchthatitcan'tturnaroundfreely. 93 Mr.Cherrybreaksalltherecordsyou'veneverheardof. ShutterstockJapan'srecordbreakerformostrecordsbrokenisCherryYoshitake,achildren'sentertainerwhogoesby"Mr.Cherry."In2018alone,Mr.Cherrysetone-minuterecordsforthemostpairsofunderwearpulledon(36),themostbakedbeanseaten(71),andthemostapplesbobbed(37). 94 Sweatdoesn'tactuallystink. iStockYoumightnoticethatanysweatyouproducerightafterashowerdoesn'tsmellsobad.That'sbecauseyoursweatitselfisn'tstinky; it'sthebacteriaonyourskinthatbreaksthesweatdownthatcausestheodor.Additionally,you'llfindthatthesweatonyourarmsandlegsdoesn'tsmellasmuchasyourarmpits.That'sbecausesweatglandsinyourarmpitssecretemoreproteinintoadark,dampenvironment—theperfectplaceandfoodforbacteria. 95 Someplanetsproducediamondrain. SaturnandJupiteraregasgiantplanetsthatproduceatrulyuniqueformofweather.Recently,scientistsdiscoveredthatthereisplentyofcarbonintheseatmospheres.Whencarbonsootgetshitbylightning,ithardensintographiteandfallsdownward,wherethepressureoftheatmospherehardensitfurther,untilitbecomes…adiamond! Stormsontheseplanetsmayliterallyraindiamondsasbigasacentimeteracross. 96 Sharkscanliveforfivecenturies. ShutterstockGreenlandSharksareknowntobesomeoftheoldestlivinganimalsinourworld.ResearchersdidcarbondatingonaGreenlandSharkthatwascaughtin2014andfoundittobearound392yearsold.Furthertestingrevealedthatourfishyfriendscouldbeupto500yearsold.Yes,thatwouldmeanthatourgeriatricfriendswouldhavebeenalivewhenLeonardoDaVincipaintedthe"MonaLisa." 97 There'sanentiretownunderarock. Ifyou'veeverbeenaccusedof"livingunderarock,"you'llfeelrightathomeinSetenildeLasBodegasinSpain.Manyofthistinytown's3,000residentsliveandworkandplayinagorgebeneathahugerockyoutcropping,wherehomesarebuiltrightintotherock.ItprovidessomuchshelterthathistoriansthinkthisareahasbeenoccupiedbyhumansettlementssincetheStoneAge. 98 Itisillegaltosella"bounceless"pickletosomebodyinConnecticut. ThislawputConnecticutLibrariansinquitethepickle.Thelawactuallyaroseasalegendandthepeopledemandedthetruth.Forhours,librariansinthestatescannedpastarchivesoflawswithinthestateuntilonelibrarianeventuallyfoundthetruthintheHartfordCourant.Thelawwasinfactanordinancethatwascreatedin1945tothwartpicklepackersMosesDexlerandSidneySparer.Thesetwomenweresellinginediblepickles,solaboratoriesconductedexperimentsandfoundthatifitdoesn'tbounce,don'teatanounce! 99 TheBermudaTriangleisn'tanymorelikelytocauseamysteriousdisappearancethananywhereelse. ThisareaintheNorthAtlanticSeaisalsocalled"TheDevil'sTriangle"becauseitisanareaoftheoceanthatstretchesbetweenthetipofFlorida,Bermuda,andPuertoRico.Ithasbeenthoughttoseeminglyswallowupshipsandaircrafts.ExplorersasfarbackasChristopherColumbushavereportedoddoccurrences,likefireballsinthesky(thatturnedouttobeameteorcrashing). Buthistorians,scientists,andtheU.S.CoastGuardhaveproventhatvesselsarenomorelikelytodisappearintheBermudaTrianglethantheyareanywhereelseintheocean.Manypriordisappearanceshavebeendemystifiedasremainsofnumerouswreckswerediscoveredorexplainedbyweatherpatternsintheareaatthattime. 100 There'saworldrecord—andahappyending—forthegreatestdistancethrowninacaraccident. ShutterstockThisisoneworldrecordyoumaynotwanttotryandtop.Acartraveling70milesperhourstruckMatthewMcKnight,anoff-dutyparamedic,whenhestoppedtohelpoutwithanaccidentonthesideofaninterstatein2001.Hewasthrown118feet,almosthalfafootballfield. EricBrader,hisemergencyroomphysician,toldMcKnightheshouldsenditintotheGuinnessBookofWorldRecords,butMcKnightbrusheditoffasajoke.Braderwassoimpressedbythefeatthathesentinthepaperworkanyways,whichwasapprovedin2003,butdidn'tmakethecutuntilits2008edition. 101 Youcansneezefasterthanacheetahcanrun. ShutterstockClockinginat100mph,wecansneezefasterthancheetahs run,four-and-a-halftimesfasterthanUsainBolt'srecord,and20 timesfasterthanMichaelPhelps.(Unfortunately,wealsoexpelabout100,000germswhenwesneeze.) 102 Thefirehydrantpatentwaslostinafire. ThefirehydrantpatentiscreditedtoFrederickGraffSr.,whowasthechiefengineerforPhiladelphiaWaterWorksduringtheearly1800s.UnfortunatelyforGraffSr.,thepatentwasdestroyedwhenthepatentofficeinWashington,D.C.,burneddownin1836.After100years,retiredfirefighterGeorgeSigelakisreinventedthehydrantaftertheyhadbeenfailingtoworkintoomanycriticalemergencies. 103 SaudiArabiaimportscamelsfromAustralia. ShutterstockSaudiArabiaisknownforitsvastexpanseofdesert,soitmayseemunbelievablethattheyrelyonAustraliatosupplythemwithanimalsthatdominatetheirlandscape. Australiaoriginallyhadcamelsimportedtobeusedfortransportingheavyloadsorforriding.Theywereletloosewhentheirworkwasdone,causinganunwantedspikeintheirpopulation.Australiansthensoldthecamelsbacktodesert-basedcountrieslikeSaudiArabia,whichusecamelsatamuchhighervolume. 104 Onemanoncesurvivedtwoatomicbombs. ShutterstockTsutomuYamaguchi survivedbothnuclearattackstoJapanwhentheU.S.droppedatomicbombsduringWorldWarII.Yamaguchi,senttoHiroshimaonbusinessonAugust6th,1945,sawtheU.S.dropthefirstatomicbomb.Miraculously,hesurvivedwithburnsacrosshisfaceandarms,butmadeithometoNagasaki.Threedayslater,thesecondatomicbombhit,flatteningYamaguchi'shome.Becausehisfamilywasoutfindingointmentstotreathisalreadyexistentburns,theyweresafeinatunnelandmiraculouslysurvivedaswell. 105 ThecastofFriendsstillearnsaround$20millioneachyear. IMDB/WarnerBros.PicturesWhentheshowcametoanend,thecastofthepopularTVshowFriends negotiatedsyndicationrightsforthemselves.Thatmeanstheyreceiveapercentageoftherevenue(twopercent)fromrerunsairingacrossallbroadcastingcompanies.Sincethemuch-lovedTVshowstillpullsinaround$1billionofrevenue,CourteneyCox,DavidSchwimmer,JenniferAniston,LisaKudrow,MattLeBlanc,andMatthewPerryallmakemajordougheachyearfordoing,well,nothing—$20millionistheestimate. 106 Plutotechnicallyisn'tevenayearold. ShutterstockPlutowasdiscoveredonFebruary18th,1930.Itisthefarthest(dwarf)planetfromtheSun,requiringittogoamuchfartherdistancethanweareusedtoonEarth.Ittakes248Earth-yearsforPlutotocompleteonerotationofitsownaroundthesun.ThisplacesPluto'sfirstbirthdaysinceitsdiscoveryonMonday,March23,2178. 107 CowskillmoreAmericanseachyearthansharksdo. ShutterstockWhilesharksaccountforabout53bitesperyear,onlyoneofthoseendsupbeingfatal.Cows,ontheotherhand(orhoof),killaround20peopleperyear. 108 Newbornsdon'thavekneecaps. Thisbeliefisonlyahalftruth,asbabiesactuallytechnicallydohavekneecapswhentheyareborn.Thosekneesjustaren'thardenedyet,andremainsoftcartilagethroughouttheirchildhooduntiltheyeventuallyturnintobone. 109 InGermany,peoplehelptoadscrosstheroad. ShutterstockYoumightnotwanttobringupthepopularvideogameFroggerinGermany.There,theyliketoprotecttheirfrogs,toads,andotheramphibians.Inordertosavethemfromharmwhencrossingthestreet,conservationorganizationsinstalledmorethan800fencesalongpopularroadways.Alongthesefencesarebuckets,sowhentheytrytocross,theyeventuallyhopintoone.Attheendoftheday,wildlifeconservationistscollectthebucketsandreleasefrogsacrosstheroadintoanearbyforestwithpondsandlakes. 110 Cheetahsdon'troar. ShutterstockCheetahscan'troar,buttheycanpurr,meow,hiss,bark,andgrowlinstead.Thistypeofbehaviorismuchlikethedomesticcatswekeepinourhomes. 111 Francehasadozentimezones. ShutterstockThecountrywiththewideststretchofland,Russia,spans11differenttimezones.France,though,technicallyhasthemost,clockinginat12—butthat'sduetothefactthatitsterritoriesaredispersedinvariouspartsoftheworld.TheU.S.tieswithRussiainsecond,butnotalltimezonesareinhabited. So,Russiaistheonlyplaceintheworldwhereonecitizencouldbewakingupat8:00a.m.andanothercouldbegoingtobedat11:00p.m. 112 Humansaren'ttheonlyspeciestoadopt. ShutterstockWe'veseentheheartwarmingvideosofdogsnursingbabysquirrelsbacktohealth—andthat'sactually muchmorecommonthanwethink.Itbecomesmutuallybeneficialtohavemorefurryfriendsinthegrouptotakeonotherrolesinsurvival—whetherthatbehunting,gathering,orjustsimplycutecompanionship.Thoughthephenomenonisn'tcompletelyunderstood,it'sclearthatbothhumansandanimalshaveaninstincttocareforothers. 113 BlueIvyCarteristheyoungestpersonevertoappearonaBillboardchart. ShutterstockInJanuary2012,Jay-Z releasedhishit"Glory,"adedicationtohisfirstbornchild, BlueIvyCarter.Therapperdecideditwouldmakesensetohaveherfeaturedonthesong,soheincludedaclipofhercryingbeforethetrackends.Becauseherdadofficiallycreditedherinthesong'stitle,shebecametheyoungestpersonevertohaveaBillboardhit—atameretwodaysold. 114 ThemajorityofAmericanschoosedogsoverlove. UnsplashDogshavebeenknownforthelongesttimeasman'sbestfriend,butAmericansareincreasinglytakingthattoanewlevel.A2017study fromRover.comconductedoverthreeyearsfoundthat54percentofdogownersarewillingtoendarelationshipiftheirpupdoesn'tliketheirpartner. Thestudyalsofoundthat94percentofdogownersconsidertheirdogstobeapartoftheirfamily,and78percentincludetheirpupsinmajorfamilymoments.Sinceoneinfourpeoplesaidtheybringtheircuddlycompanionsonfirstdates,maybeconsiderbringingdogtreatsinsteadofflowersnexttime. 115 ThefirstStarWarswasexpectedtobeaflop. ShutterstockTheoriginal1977 StarWarshadabudgetof$8million,whichdistributor20thCenturyFoxwasreluctanttogivetodirector/writerGeorgeLucas,soheacceptedalowersalaryinordertokeepthebudget.Themoviewentontomake$775millionaroundtheworld,andDisneypickeduptheentirefranchisefor$4billion.Forcomparison, StarWars:TheLastJedi,whichwasreleasedin2017, hadareportedbudgetof$317million. 116 Yourlivercanregrowitselfinthreeweeks. ShutterstockTheGreekshaditrightwithPrometheus,itturnsout.AccordingtoGreekmythology,thetitanwaspunishedbyhavinganeagleeathisliverdayafterday.Theliverwouldregrowatnight,leavingPrometheusatthebird'smercy. Itturnsout,theregenerativepropertiesofthisstoryarepartiallytrue:Doctorshavefoundthatthelivercanregrowinthreeweeks,notoneday. 117 Danesoncebredapigtolookliketheflag. Intheearly20thcentury,thosewhoresidedinNorthFrisiaunderPrussianrulewerenotallowedtoraisetheDanishflag.ButsomecraftyNorthFrisianstookactionbybreedingapig,knownastheDanishProtestPig,toberedincolor,withalargewhitestripearounditsbelly—thuscreatingananimalversionoftheflag.Astheytechnicallydidnotbreakthelaw,andbecauseitwouldn'thavebeenfeasibletobanthebreedingofpigs,theDanessuccessfullyprotestedPrussia. 118 A70-year-oldwomanoncecompletedsevenmarathonsinsevendays,acrossallsevencontinents. ChauSmithwasalwaysanavidrunner,and,in2017,shedecidedthatforher70thbirthday,shewouldcompletesevenmarathonsinoneweekacrossallofthecontinents.Travelingmadeitchallenging—forexample,SmithmadetheraceinEgyptjustminutesbeforethestartbecauseherplanetoCairowasdelayed.Butdespitetheobstacles,shecompletedhergoal. 119 Dogslikesqueakytoysforadarkreason. Everwonderwhyyourlittlepuppyobsessesoverthosesqueakytoys?Becausedogsaredescendantsofwolveswhoseinstinctsincludehuntingsmalleranimals.Thesoundasqueakytoymakesisverysimilartothesoundasmallanimalmakeswhenbeinghunted.WhenOl'Lassiehearsthat,shegetsexcitedbecauseofthesekillersurvivalskills. 120 ThemanwhofoundedAtarialsostartedChuckE.Cheese. In1972,NolanBushnellstartedthegamingcompanyAtari,whichgaveustheclassicarcadegamePong.Bushnellsoldthecompanyjustfouryearslaterandthefollowingyear,heopenedChuckE.Cheese!Infact,thereisonegameinChuckE.CheesethatactuallyiscalledPing,aknockoffofhisoriginalarcadegame,whichhecouldn'tusesincehenolongerownedit. 121 Onemanwasonceconstipatedfornearlytwomonths. In1965,26-year-oldAngusBarbieri,whoweighed456pounds,wasputonafastingprogram.Itwouldn'tbeethicaltoconductastudylikethistoday,butatthetime,thingsweredifferent,allowingBarbieri'sdoctor,WilliamStewart,toexperiment.Onastrictregimenofmultivitaminsandminerals,Barbierigothisnutrientswithouteatingascrapoffood,whichresultedinnearlytwomonthsofconstipation.Bytheendoftheyear,Barbieriwas180pounds.(Note:Fastingtothisdegreeisnotrecommended,asitcanleadtoserioushealthconditions.) 122 MostpeoplebreakuponMondays. iStockSearchingthroughpublicFacebookdata,LeeByronandDavidMcCandlessfoundthatrelationshipsstatuseschangedfortheworsetwoweeksbeforeChristmas,aroundEaster,andonMondays.Thoughthisdatamaybesomewhatmisleading,aspeoplemightnotbelive-updatingtheirbreakups,itshowsanobvioustrend. 123 Theremaybe2,000activeserialkillersintheU.S.rightnow. ShutterstockThomasHargrovehasbeenarchivinghomicidesforyearsthroughhisMurderAccountabilityProject.Throughhisexperience,hecameupwithanalgorithmthatfoundpatternsinrecentunsolvedmurderslinkedtoatleastoneothermurderthroughDNA.ThisallowedhimtoestimatethenumberofunsolvedcasesintheU.S.atanygiventime.AccordingtoTheNewYorker,hebelievesthatthenumberofactiveserialkillersintheU.S.isaround2,000. 124 Beethovencouldstillhearaftergoingdeaf. ShutterstockUpongoingdeaf,Beethovendiscoveredthatifhebitontoametalpolethatconnectedtothepianohewasplaying,hecouldhearalmostperfectlywell.Thisprocessiscalledboneconduction,andwhiletechnologyhasevolved,thescienceisthesame:Vibrationsaretransferredfromtheconductivemetalintoourbones.Whenthishappens,ourearspickupthesignalwithnosounddistortion. 125 Antshaveabuilt-inFitBit. Whilepreviousresearchfoundthatantsusevisualcues,a2007studydiscoveredthatdesertantshaveaninternalpedometerthathelpsthemkeeptrackoftheirtravelsandfindtheirwaybackhome. 126 Stressedmenhavealteredproclivities. ShutterstockA2012studypublishedinthejournal PLoSONE foundthatmenwhoarefeelingstressedoutpreferwomenwithcurvierfigures.Thestudyhadoneexperimentalgroupperformastressfulactivity,whiletheothercontrolgroupdidnot.Afterward,theywereshownpicturesofwomenwithvariousbodytypes.Whenthemeninthecontrolgroupwereaskedtoratethewomenonascaleofonetonine,theyratedpicturesofwomenwithhigherBMIsasthemostattractive. 127 Crowsholdsgrudges. ShutterstockIn2010,researchersinSeattlefoundthatformerlycapturedcrowswereabletorememberthefaceoftheirabductorevenyearsaftertheincident.Oncetheyidentifiedthesuspectinquestion,theywouldthreatenthembydivingdownandswarmingthepersonthattheyhadfeltthreatenedbyyearsbefore. 128 CanadaonceheavilytargetedLGBTQindividuals. ShutterstockOurCanadianneighborsmaynothavebeenasfriendlyaswethought.DuringtheColdWarera,Canadaspentthousandsonitshistoric"FruitMachine."Thisdevicewassupposedlyabletoidentifygaymenandlesbianwomenbymonitoringsubjectsastheywereshownpornographicimageswithhomosexualcontent. This,unfortunately,ledtothewrongfulpersecutionofmanyofCanada'sfinecitizens.In2017,PrimeMinisterJustinTrudeauapologizedforthemistreatmentofthesepeople. 129 BillGateshasdonatednearlyhalfhisfortune. ShutterstockMicrosoftfounderBillGatesencouragestheGivingPledge,anotionthat,ifyouarefortunateenough,youshouldbegiving50percentofyourwealthtothosewhoneeditmost.Asof2013,hehasdonated$28billionandhassavedaround6millionlivesbybringingvaccinesandbetterhealthcaretopeopleworldwide. 130 Youcanalways"see"yournose. ShutterstockThehumanbrainiscapableofamazingthings,butinordertodothosethings,itneedstoblockoutdistractionsthroughaprocesscalledunconsciousselectiveattention.Thenoseisoneofthosedistractions.Inhislandmark1960sstudy,UlricNeisserdiscoveredthisphenomenonafterheaskedparticipantstocountthenumberoftimesbasketballplayerspassedaballinavideo.Whatthelargemajorityfailedtonoticeinthevideowasagirlwalkingthroughthemiddleofthecourtwithanumbrella,becausetheyweresofocusedoncounting. 131 ArestaurantinNewYorkemploysgrandmasaschefs. ShutterstockItistruethateverybodythinkstheirItaliangrandma—or nonna—isbestcookaround.SoitwasageniusideawhenJoeScaravelladecidedtogatherupasmanynonnasashecouldtoworkinhisrestaurantinStatenIsland.EnotecaMariacombinestheskillofthesedelightful,talentedgrandmothersandhasthemcreateandcookrecipesfromtheirownfamilycookbooks. 132 Shaqonlyevermadeonethree-pointer. ShutterstockShaquilleO'Nealmadetheonlythree-pointshothewouldevermakeinhisentirecareer onFeb.16,1996.WhentheOrlandoMagicplayedtheMilwaukeeBucks,O'Nealreceivedanalmostfull-courtpassbeforeheshotthethree-pointer.Despitebeingtheonlyofficialthree-pointshotinhiscareer,hewentdowninNBAhistoryasoneofthegreatestofalltime. 133 America'sfirstbankrobberdepositedthemoneybackintothesamebank. ShutterstockAttheBankofPhiladelphiaonAug.1,1798,asumof$162,821wasstolenfromthevault.Therewasnosignofforcedentrysoitwasthoughttobeaninsidejob.PatrickLyonwasimprisonedastheprimesuspect,ashehadbeenthecarpenterthatworkedonthevaultdoors. Butthen,theyrealizedamannamedIsaacDavishadbeendepositinglargesumsofmoneyintotheBankofPhiladelphia.Itturnedout,hewasoneoftherobbersinvolved.In1799,Lyonwasfreed,andDavisonlyendeduprepayingthemoneywithoutservingadayinjail. 134 Germanyuncovers2,000tonsofunexplodedbombseveryyear. DuringWorldWarII,theAlliedforcesdroppedoveratotalof2.7milliontonsofbombsonGermany.Duetocertaindefectsintheirdelaytimers,alargenumberofbombsneverexploded—around10percent,or200,000tons. Asthey'vebeendiscoveredinyearssince,it'sroutineforGermancitizenstobeevacuatedfrombuildingsorsectionedoffonstreets,whilebombexpertshandlethedevices. 135 Sharksexistedbeforetrees. ShutterstockTreesareyoung'nscomparedtothegeezersharksthatrulethesea.Sharkshaveexistedforaround400millionyears,whiletreesbecametheirownofficialspeciesonly350millionyearsago.Othernotableanimalsthatoutliveourleafyancestorsarethehorseshoecrabaswellasthejellyfish. 136 Andtreesweren'talwaysbiodegradable. ShutterstockToday,bacteriaandfungieatawayatfallentrees,butthatwasn'talwaysthecase.Bacteriahadtoevolvetoeatwood,sohundredsofmillionsofyearsgo,treeswouldfallatdeath,leavinglargepilesofdeadwood.Forestfiresofunimaginableproportionswouldburnthemassivemoundsofdeadwood.Andthat'swheremostofthecoaltodayonEarthcamefrom,accordingtoNationalGeographic. 137 Detroitundercovercopsinadrugringoncefoughtanothergroupofundercovercops. Shutterstock"Putyourhandsup!"…"No,youputyourhandsup!"That'slikelywhatwentdowninNovember2017whentwogroupsofundercovercopsinDetroitaccidentallymistookeachotherforthedrugdealersandbuyerstheywererespectivelytryingtobust.Whatensuedduringtheraidwasastand-off,resultinginfistsbeingthrownwhilegunswerepointedateachother. Internalaffairshadtobecontactedtoputtheofficersunderinvestigationinanattempttofigureouttheunfortunatemiscommunication. 138 You'repronouncingDr.Seuss'namewrong. ImageviaWikimediaCommonsDr.Seuss,thepopularchildren'sbookauthorwhoisknownforhisrhymingskills,wasbornwiththenameTheodorSeussGeisel.Seussishismother'smaidenname,andtheirfamilypronouncesitas"soice"(rhymingwithvoice).Seuss'collegefriendAlexanderLiangevenwroteapoemaboutthecommonmisconception. 139 NearlyallspeciestohaveeverexistedonEarthareextinct. WewalkanEarththathasseentheextinctionof99.9percentofallofthespecieswho'veeverlivedonit,accordingtoPBS.Congratulations—thatmeansyouaretechnicallyinthe.1percent…atleastfornow! 140 TheSilverbackgorillacanliftalmostaliteralton. Shutterstock/Onyx9TheSilverbackgorillacanliftupto10timesitsbodyweightonaverage:atotalofabout1,800pounds,accordingtotheGuinnessBookofWorldRecords.ThismakesthemoneofthestrongestlivinganimalspeciesonEarth.Thoughtheyarefeared,theSilverbackgorillaswillonlyusetheirstrengthwhentheyfeelthreatened. 141 Everytimeyoushuffleadeckofcards,yougetacombinationthat'sneverexisted. ShutterstockYourangstyteenagedreamsofbeingthemostoriginal,uniquepersonalivecouldactuallycometrue!Grabadeckofcardsandshuffle.Mostlikely,youwillhavecreatedacombinationofcardsthathadneverexistedyetuntilthatmoment.Anymathexpertsoutthereknowthatthisisbecausetheprobabilitycomesoutto52factorialor52!(52x51x50…x2x1).Theprobabilitythattwocardshufflesareexactlythesameissosmall,itlikelywillneverhappen. 142 Thereisanimmortaljellyfish. ShutterstockWhenit'sanadult,the"ImmortalJellyfish,"scientificallynamedTurritopsisdohrnii,cantransformitscellsbacktoitschildhoodstate.Thisusuallyhappenswhenitisphysicallyharmed,sick,orevenwhenitisstarving.Thejellyfishevolvedthisskillinordertosurvivethroughouthistory,specificallywhenlatchingontoships.Sinceitcanhitchhike,itsDNAhasspreadandthenot-so-rarespeciesisemergingallovertheworld. 143 AmericaaccidentallydroppedanatombombonSouthCarolinain1958. InMarch1958,aB-47planewasheadedtotheUnitedKingdomandwasarmedwithanatomicbomb.Thisbombwasevenbiggerthanthe"FatBoy,"theatomicbombdroppedonNagasaki. Duringtheflight,thepilotsnoticedafaultlight,sooneofthemdecidedtocheckitout.Indoingso,heaccidentallyreleasedtheemergencypin,watchinginhorrorasthebombdroppedtotheground.Thegoodnewswas,thecriticalpartofthebombneededtosetitoffwasstillontheplane,soitneverexploded. 144 Babybluewhalesgrow200poundsperday. BlueWhalecalvesgrow200poundsperdayforthefirstyeartheyarealive.Theycanmoveatabriskpaceoffivemilesperhourwhenfullygrown,butcangetupto20milesperhourifneedbe.Theycanalsohearupto1,000milesawayintheocean. 145 ActorBillMurrayusesa1-800numberinsteadofanagentormanager. ShutterstockBillMurrayisfamousforstarringinmoviesliketheoriginalGhostbusters(1984)andGroundhogDay(1993).ButanyoneinHollywoodwho'sinterestedinworkingwithhimmustfirstnavigateasomewhatstrangesituationinordertogethisattention.That'sbecausethestarusesamysterious1-800numberinsteadofanagentormanager. "Youjustcallthe1-800number,"filmmakerTheodoreMelfi,whodirectedMurrayinSt.Vincent(2014),toldUSAToday."Youhavetorecordthemessageandsendthemessage.Istartedcallingonceaweek…Henevercalledback.Ifinallycalledhislawyerandsaid,'I'mtrying[to]reachBill.'Andhegoes,'Whatnumberdoyougot?'AndIgo,'I'vegotthe800number.'Andhegoes,'Well,that'swhatIgot.'" 146 CatsoncedeliveredmailinBelgium. Inthe1870s,thecityofLiège,Belgium,attemptedtoemploy37felinesasmailcarriers,accordingtotheBBC.Messagesweretuckedintowaterproofbagsthatthekittieswouldcarryaroundtheirnecks.However,whileonecatapparentlymadeittoitsdestinationinunderfivehours,theotherfelinestookuptoadaytocompletetheirjourneys.Duetothefactthatthecatsweren'tparticularlyreliableanddefinitelyweren'tspeedy,theservicedidn'tlastverylong. 147 It'samyththatpeopleareeither"left-brained"or"right-brained." Shutterstock[/media-credit] Youmayhavebeentoldatsomepointinyourlifethatyou'reeitherleft-brainedorright-brained.Thestorygoesthat"peoplewhoareleftbraindominantaremorequantitative,logical,andanalytical,whileright-brainedindividualsaremoreemotional,intuitive,andcreativefreespirits,"writesPsychologyToday. However,thistheoryisn'ttrue."Onthecontrary,mostbehaviorsandabilitiesrequiretherightandleftsidesofthebraintoworktogethertoachieveacommonobjective,"thewebsiteexplains.Sowhileyoumayhavecertainqualitiesandcharacteristicsthatdefineyouwhoare,theyhavenothingtodowithwhichsideofyourbrainyouusemore.Youcanthankbothsidesofyournogginforcontributingtoyouruniquepersonality. 148 WomenareattractedtothescentofGood&Plentylicoricecandyandcucumber. Perfumesandcolognesofferalluringaromas,butitturnsoutthatthereisanothersmellcombinationthatislikelytoturnaladyon.One2005studyby theSmellandTasteTreatmentResearchFoundationfoundthatthemost"attractive"scentforwomenwasGood&Plentylicoricecandycombinedwithcucumbers.Thesmellsofcherriesandbarbecuewereturn-offs,but"banananutbreadalsohadpositiveeffects." 149 There'sadevicethatcreatesenergyfromsnowfall. It'sprettydarnimpressivethatscientistshavebeenabletoharnessenergyfromthesun,wind,andwater,providinguswithallkindsofalternativesourcesofpower.Andnowthey'vemanagedtocreateenergyfromsnowfall.Accordingtoa2019studyinthejournalNanoEnergy,engineersandchemistsfromtheUniversityofCalifornia,LosAngeles(UCLA)havedevelopedadevicemadeofsiliconethatcanharnessachargefromstaticelectricity. "Snowispositivelychargedandgivesupelectrons,whilesiliconeisnegativelychargedandacceptstheelectrons," IFLScienceexplains."So,asthesnowlandsonthesilicone,achargeisproducedandthencaptured."Thinkofitlikethesparkofenergyyoucreatewhenyourubaballoonagainstyourhair. 150 Amermaid"documentary"oncefooledsomanypeoplethattheU.S.governmenthadtoissueastatement. In2013,AnimalPlanetairedMermaids:TheNewEvidence,adocumentary—orrather,amockumentary—that"proved"thehalf-human-half-fishbeingsexist.Andwhiletheprogramwasfake,plentyofthe3.6millionviewersthatwatchedbelievedthatthefictionalclaimswerereal.Infact,somanypeoplewerefooledthattheU.S.government'sNationalOceanicandAtmosphericAdministrationreleasedastatementonitswebsiteaddressingtheconfusion,saying:"Mermaids:TheNewEvidenceisjustentertainment.Noevidenceofaquatichumanoidshaseverbeenfound." 151 TheIowaStateFairholdsquirkycompetitionslikeabeard-growingcontestandahusband-callingcontest. Ifyou'veeverbeentotheIowaStateFair,you'veexperiencedthesortofcarnival-basedfunthatit'sbeenprovidingsince1886.Andifyou'veneverbeentotheannualevent,thenyoushouldknowthatyou'remissingoutonquiteafewquirkycompetitions,includingcow-chipandrubber-chickenthrowingcontests,ahusband-callingcontest,andabeard-growingcontest. 152 There'satextbookwrittenentirelybyanAIauthor. ShutterstockPublishersarealwayseagertoreleasesomethingunique—andSpringerNaturedidjustthatwhentheypublishedatextbookbyanauthornamedBetaWriterin2019.No,that'snotacheekypseudonym;it'sthenameofamachine-learningalgorithmdesignedbyresearchersfromGoetheUniversityinFrankfurt,Germany.ThebookiscalledLithium-IonBatteries:AMachine-GeneratedSummaryofCurrentResearch.Andwhileitdoesn'tsoundlikethemostinterestingmaterial,itis"thefirstmachine-generatedresearchbook,"accordingtotheacademicpublishingcompany. 153 Earthwon'talwayshavethesameNorthStar. ShutterstockTheNorthStarmightseemlikeafixedmarkerinthesky.However,whatwenowrecognizeastheNorthStar,Polaris,hasn'talwaysbeenourguidinglight—anditwon'talwaysbeinthefuture.Bytheyear13,000A.D.,thestarVegawilltakeitsplace,accordingtoNASA.Andbytheyear26,000,PolariswillberightbackwhereitwasandreturntoitsstatusastheNorthStar.  154 There'sanentirefamilyinItalythatfeelsalmostnopain. ShutterstockMembersoftheMarsilifamilyhandleinjuriesremarkablywellandthat'sbecausetheyonlyexperiencepainforamomentbeforeitfadesaway.LetiziaMarsilitoldSmithsonianMagazine,"IjustthoughtofitaspartofwhoIwas.Iwasstrong,Iwasresilient.Ibouncedback." However,whenaresearcherattheUniversityofSiena,whereLetiziaworks,noticedherunusualtoleranceforpain—whichissomethinghermother,sister,andsonallshare—thetwodecidedtocollaboratetoseewhatwasgoingon.TheydiscoveredthatLetiziaexperiences"thegoodpain,thepainthatalertsustodanger.Thenitdisappear[s].Thebadkindofpain,thechronicpain,theongoingpainthatwetakepainkillersfor—shesimply[doesn't]feelthat." 155 Theword"hipster"goesallthewaybacktothe1930s. ShutterstockWhile"hipster"isusedthesedaystodescribesomeonewhotries(perhapstoohard)tobestylishandtrendy,thetermisactuallymucholder.AccordingtoDictionary.com,thewordwasoriginallyused(alongwiththesimilar"hepster")inthe1930storefertosomeoneinthejazzscene. 156 Guineapigswereoncesacrificedwearingearringsandnecklacesandwrappedlikesushi. ShutterstockLidioValdez,anarchaeologistfromtheInstituteofAndeanStudies,madeasurprisingdiscoveryinPeruwhenhecameacross100deadguineapigsthathadbeensacrificedbytheIncanpeopleduringthe16thcentury.Therodents,whichhadclearlybeenapartofsomesortofritual,wereadornedwithearringsandnecklacesmadefromcolorfulstring."Somewereevenwrappedincottonrugslikeasushiroll,"wroteGizmodoofthefindings,whichwerepublishedintheInternationalJournalofOsteoarchaeologyin2019. 157 Hitlerhadaflatulenceproblem. GettyImagesIn2012,AdolfHitler'smedicaldocumentswerebeingauctionedtothepublicbyAlexanderHistoricalAuctions.Accordingtothefiles,TheTelegraphreported,flatulencehadbecomesuchapervasiveissueforHitlerthathehadtoregularlyingest28differentdrugstokeepitundercontrol.Butsomeoftheanti-gaspillsheusedcontainedabaseofstrychnine,apoisonthatcausedfurtherstomachandliverissues. 158 Scientistswereabletotakeapictureofanatom'sshadow. Whetheryou'reaprofessionalphotographerornot, you'llprobablybeimpressedbythephoto-relatedfeataccomplishedbyateamatAustralia'sGriffithUniversityin2012.Usinganelectricalfieldtosuspendachargedatominavacuumchamber,theteamshotalaserbeamattheatomandtookaphotooftheshadowitproduced.Whileatomshavebeenphotographedbefore,theirshadowshavenot,makingthisaccomplishmentunprecedented. 159 Maineistheonlystatethatbordersjustoneotherstate. Ifyou'reinMaine,you'llfindtheAtlanticOceantothesouthandCanadatothenorth.ButifyouwanttostayintheU.S.,you'llhavetoheadwesttoNewHampshire,becauseMaineistheonlystateinthecountrythatbordersjustoneotherstate. 160 TheTwitterbird'sofficialnameIsLarry. ShutterstockIfyoutrulywanttobeamongthesavviestsocialmediausersoutthere,youshouldknowthattheTwitterbirdhasanofficialname:LarrytheBird(yes,like LarryBird,theformerprobasketballplayerwhoplayedforTwitterco-founderBizStone'shometeam,theBostonCeltics). 161 Thelongestbooktitlecontains1,809words. ShutterstockThetitleofSrijanTimilsina's2014 GuinnessWorldRecord-settingbookispracticallyafulltextinitself.Including1,809words(or11,284characters)itbegins,ThehistoricaldevelopmentoftheBraini.e.fromitsformationfromAnnelida:Earthworm,Lugworm,Ragworm,Amphitrite,Freshwaterworm,Marineworm,Tubifex,Leech.etc,Arthropoda:Housefly,Butterfly,Honeybee,Fairyshrimp,Horseshoecrab,Tick,Bluebottle,Froghopper,Yellowcrazyant…,"andcontinuestolistprettymucheveryinsect,fish,andmammalyoucanthinkof,includinghumans. Itthengoesontoaskquestionslike,"Whatdidtheyfindandwhatdidtheyeat?Howdidtheydefendfromtheirenemiesandattackthem?Whichistheoldeststoneeverdiscovered?Whichancestorofhumanbeingfirststartedtowalkwiththehelpoftwolimbs?"Itfinallyendswith,"Solutionsofaboveinquisitivenessareincludedinthisbook,"whichyouthinkwouldgowithoutsaying,butperhapsnotifyouwantyourtitletosetaworldrecord. 162 Allergyseasonisgettinglongerandmoreintenseeachyear. ShutterstockIfyou'reoneofthemillionsofAmericanswhosufferfromallergies,we'vegotbadnewsforyou:Allergyseasonisgettinglongerandmoreintenseeachyear,accordingtoa2019studypublishedinTheLancetPlanetaryHealth.Likelyanotherunfortunateresultofclimatechange,scientistshavefoundthatpollencountsacrosstheNorthernHemispherehaveincreasedoverthelast20yearsandthatpollenseasonisincreasing0.9daysayearworldwide. 163 There'sareasonthere'saholeinyourpencaps. ShutterstockAndthat'sbecausethey'reachokinghazardwithoutthem."Inadditiontohelppreventthepenfromleaking,allofourBICcapscomplywithinternationalsafetystandardsthatattempttominimizetheriskofchildrenaccidentallyinhalingpencaps.Someoftheseventedcaps…havealittleholeinthetoptocomplywiththeexistingsafetystandards,"theBICpencompanyexplainsonitswebsite. 164 YoucanlearntheHighValyrianlanguagefromGameofThroneswithanonlinecourse. HBOFansofGeorgeR.R.Martin'sbest-sellingbooksandHBO'shitseriesGameofThroneswillbeabletotellyouthatHighValyrianistheLatin-likelanguageusedinformalcircumstancesbythefictionalnobilityofEssosandWesteros.Andwhilethestoriesmaybemake-believe,thelanguageisafullydevelopedformofcommunicationthatyoucanlearnyourselfthankstoanonlinecoursefromDuolingo.Bytheend,you'llbeabletosayphrasesinHighValyrianlike"kirimvose"(thankyou)and"avyjorrāelan"(Iloveyou),aswellas"bantiszōbrieissaseossȳngnotilēdys"(thenightisdarkandfullofterrors). 165 SomeMarylandresidentsaretaxedfortherain. ShutterstockAstheysay,"nothingiscertainbutdeathandtaxes."Dependingonwhereintheworldyoulive,rainmaybejustasmuchofaninevitability.AndforsomeMarylandresidents,rainandtaxesarebothinescapableandtiedtogetherthankstothe"raintax,"whichwaspassedbythestatelegislatureandsignedintolawin2012. Ninecounties,aswellasthecityofBaltimore,paytheannualfeethattheCenterforWatershedProtectiondescribesasa"userfeechargedtopropertyownersfortheserviceofmanagingthepollutedrunoffcomingfromtheirproperty." 166 Scientistshavepartiallyreviveddisembodiedpigbrains. ShutterstockInApril2019,ateamatYalewasabletorestorepartialfunctionalitytothebrainsofdecapitatedpigsfor10hoursormoreaftertheanimal'sdeath.NeuroscientistNenadSestan,whoparticipatedintheexperiment,explainedthattheresultmightallowusto"betterunderstandhowbraincellsreacttocirculatoryarrest"and"testwhethersomecellularfunctionscanberestoredinthebrainafterdeath." 167 Astronautsinspaceareexposedtothesameamountofradiationas150to6,000chestx-rays. WhenastronautsleaveEarth,theyfacearangeoffactorsthataffectthemphysically.Thatincludestheintenseamountofradiationthatthey'reexposed:AccordingtoNASA,it'stheequivalentofanywherebetween150toastaggering6,000chestX-rays. 168 Beaverbumgooisoccasionallyusedtoenhancevanillaflavorings. Thenexttimeyoueatsomethingthatflauntstherichflavorofvanilla,youmightwanttobeawareof—ordoyourbesttoignore—thefactthatcastoreum,agoothatbeaversexcretetomarktheirterritory,issometimesusedtoenhancetheflavorofvanillainfood,accordingtoNationalGeographic.Thegoois"generallyregardedasasafeadditive"bythe U.S.FoodandDrugAdministration,butyou'llprobablynevercomeacrossitinreallifebecauseit'sdifficultandexpensivetocollect. 169 TheU.S.almostwenttowarwithCanadaoverapig. ShutterstockIn1859,theU.S.almostwenttowarwithCanadabecauseofapig.JustafewyearsaftertheOregonTreatywassignedtoendaborderdisputebetweenAmericaandBritain(whichstillruledovertheareathatcametobeknownasCanada),thingsgotalittleheatedonSanJuanIslandwherecitizensfrombothcountrieswerelocated.HistoricUKexplainsthat"apigbelongingtotheBritishaccidentallywanderedontothelandofLymanCutlar,anAmericanfarmer.WhenCutlarnoticedthepigeatingsomeofhispotatoeshewasincensed,andinafitofrageshotandkilledthepig." Despiteeffortstoresolvethesituationbetweenthetwomen,thingsspreadintotherestofthecommunityandgottothepointwherethegovernorofBritishColumbiasentthreewarshipstothearea.ThetwosidescontinuedtoincreasetheirmilitaryforceoverthefollowingmonthuntilBritishNavyAdmiralRobertL.Baynesarrivedandendedthingsbystatingthathewouldnot"involvetwogreatnationsinawaroverasquabbleaboutapig." 170 Tornadosusedtobecalled"twirlblasts"and"twirlwinds"inthe18thcentury. Ifyoulivedinthe18thcentury,youmighthavereferredtotornadosusingthewords "twirlblast"or"twirlwind."Honestly,wemightneedtobringtheseback! 171 TheSundanceKidtookhisnicknamefromthetownofSundance,Wyoming. YoumaynotrecognizethenameHarryAlonzoLongabaugh,andthat'sbecausehewasfamously(orinfamously)knownbyhisnickname, theSundanceKid.TheAmericanoutlaw,whowasbornin1868andwaskilledin1908,tookhisnow-historicalmonikerfromtheonlytownthatputhimbehindbars:Sundance,Wyoming.Hewasjailedtherewhenhewasjust15yearsoldforstealingahorseandwassentencedto18months.TheSundanceKidwentontojointheWildBunch,agroupofrobbersandrustlerswhorangedthroughtheRockyMountainsinthelate19thcentury. 172 Eatingyouroffspringmaybeasignofgoodparentinginsomespecies. ShutterstockThethoughtofanycreaturedevouringitsbabiesmaybehorrifictous,butforsomeanimals,suchascertainfish,reptiles,andamphibians,that'snotthecase,accordingto2019researchpublishedinFrontiersinEcologyandEvolution.Amongthesecreatures,sacrificingsomeoftheiryoungviacannibalismmaybeawaytohelptheirotheroffspringsurvivewhenovercrowdingbecomesaproblem. 173 Theword"MacGyvered"isintheOxfordEnglishDictionary. ShutterstockTheoriginalMacGyverseriesthatranfrom1985until1992featuredamaincharacterwhocouldfashionprettymuchwhateverhisheartdesiredwithrandomobjects.Asaresult,we'vebeenusingtheword"MacGyvered"asanadjectivemeaning"adaptedorimprovisedinaningeniousorexpedientway."AndinMarch2019,thetermwasofficiallyaddedtotheOxfordEnglishDictionary.Itonlytook34years! 174 Kentuckyhasmorebourbonthanpeople. ShutterstockIfbourbonisyourdrinkofchoice,thenyoumightwanttoplanaroadtriptoKentucky.Thestateisnotonlyresponsiblefor95percentoftheworld'sbourbon,accordingtoTheAtlantic,butthereisalsosomuchofitthatthe4.7millionbarrelsinthestate'sdistilleriesoutnumberthe4.3millionpeoplelivinginthearea. 175 Jupiter'sredspotisgettingtallerandsmalleratthesametime. ShutterstockJupiter'sredspotisalmostaswell-knownastheplanet'sremarkablerings.Butthespot,whichis,infact,astorm,hasbeenshrinkingforacenturyandahalf.AlthoughNASAcan'tpredictwhatwillhappentothestormthatwas"oncebigenoughtoswallowthreeEarthswithroomtospare,"theydoknowthatit"seemstohaveincreasedinareaatleastoncealongtheway,andit'sgrowingtallerasitgetssmaller." FiledUnderFacts •FunFacts •Trivia ReadThisNext 28FactsThatWillGiveYou1990sNostalgia Webetyoudidn'tknowtheseweirdandwonderfulfactsfromthe'90s. September22,2020 40FactsSoFunnyThey'reHardtoBelieve SailtovictoryonyournextTriviaTuesdaywiththesefunnyfacts. September9,2020 30AmazingFactsYouNeverKnewAboutU.S.Presidents CanyouguesswhichPOTUSwasobsessedwithicecream,orwhichonehadapetalligator? February13,2021 LatestNews Travel IfYouHearThis,PrepareforBadTurbulence It'sasuresignyourflightisabouttogetbumpy. Health CancerSurvivorHughJackmanUrgesYoutoDoThis It'squick,easy,andabsolutelylife-saving. SmarterLiving USPSIsGettingRidofThisNow Andit'seffectiveimmediately. SmarterLiving WalmartIsNowFacingBacklashforThis Shoppersarecallingouttheretailer. Culture See'80sSupermodelKathyIrelandNow Themogulis58yearsold. Health ThrowThisAt-HomeCOVIDTestAwayImmediately Theseunauthorizedtestscouldpose"significantrisk." ReadThisNext 28FactsThatWillGiveYou1990sNostalgia Webetyoudidn'tknowtheseweirdandwonderfulfactsfromthe'90s. September22,2020 40FactsSoFunnyThey'reHardtoBelieve SailtovictoryonyournextTriviaTuesdaywiththesefunnyfacts. September9,2020 30AmazingFactsYouNeverKnewAboutU.S.Presidents CanyouguesswhichPOTUSwasobsessedwithicecream,orwhichonehadapetalligator? February13,2021