Weird Facts
1. Squirrels are behind most power outages in the U.S.
The American Public Power Association (APPA) says that squirrels are the most frequent cause of power outages in the U.S. The APPA even developed a data tracker called “The Squirrel Index” that analyzes the patterns and timing of squirrels’ impact on electrical power systems. Turns out, the peak times of the year for squirrel attacks are from May to June and October to November.
Typically, the squirrels cause problems by tunneling, chewing through electrical insulation, or becoming a current path between electrical conductors. “Frankly, the number one threat experienced to date by the U.S. electrical grid is squirrels,” said John C. Inglis, the former deputy director of the National Security Agency, in 2015. And for some “facts” you only thought were true, ditch these 50 Well-Known “Facts” That Are Actually Just Common Myths.
2. Spider webs were used as bandages in ancient times.
In ancient Greece and Rome, doctors used spider webs to make bandages for their patients. Spider webs supposedly have natural antiseptic and anti-fungal properties, which can help keep wounds clean and prevent infection. It’s also said that spider webs are rich in vitamin K, which helps promote clotting. So, next time you’re out of Band-Aids, just head to your attic and grab some “webicillin.”
3. A woman who lost her wedding ring found it 16 years later on a carrot in her garden.
A woman in Sweden lost her wedding ring while cooking for Christmas in 1995. She looked everywhere for it, and even had her kitchen floor pulled up hoping she could find it. But she wouldn’t see it again until 2012.
While gardening 16 years later, the woman found the ring around a carrot that was sprouting in the middle of it. The only explanation was that the ring must have been lost in vegetable peelings that were turned into compost. Clearly, composting isn’t just good for the environment. And for more trivia to bring you joy, try these 50 Feel-Good Facts Guaranteed to Make You Smile.
4. One-quarter of all your bones are located in your feet.
There are 26 bones in each foot. That’s 52 bones in both feet, out of 206 total bones in your whole body, which is more than 25 percent. It may sound crazy at first, but think about it: Your feet support your weight and allow you to jump, run, and climb. Those bones and joints also allow your feet to absorb and release energy efficiently. It’s one of the reasons humans can outrun any other animal in an endurance race.
5. Blood donors in Sweden receive a text when their blood is used.
To encourage more young people to donate blood, Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg, Sweden, sends a text to donors when their blood has been dispensed to someone in need. A common issue with blood donation—along with other types of charitable donations—is that if a donor doesn’t know the recipient, it’s harder to convince them that donating is beneficial. But with this system, which started in 2012, potential donors in Sweden have proof that their contribution is going to good use. And for more quick trivia to kill some time, here are 35 Fascinating Fast Facts for When You’re Bored.
6. You’re more likely to get a computer virus from visiting religious sites than porn sites.
According to research from security firm Symantec, religious websites carry three times more malware threats than pornography sites. Symantec found that the average number of security threats on religious sites was around 115, compared to adult content sites which carried around 25. In fact, only 2.4 percent of adult sites were infected with malware. The researchers hypothesized that’s because porn sites need to generate a profit, so there’s a financial incentive to keeping them virus-free to encourage repeat business.
7. The inventor of the Pringles can is now buried in one.
In 1966, Fredric Baur developed the ingenious idea for Procter & Gamble to uniformly stack chips inside a can instead of tossing them in a bag. Baur was so proud of his invention that he wanted to take it to the grave—literally.
He communicated his burial wishes to his family, and when he died at age 89, his children stopped at Walgreens on the way to the funeral home to buy his burial Pringles can. They did have one decision to make, though. “My siblings and I briefly debated what flavor to use,” Baur’s eldest son, Larry, told Time. “But I said, ‘Look, we need to use the original.'” Fredric Baur, an American classic.
8. Sunglasses were originally designed for Chinese judges to hide their facial expressions in court.
Today, sunglasses serve as protective eyewear, effectively preventing bright sunlight from causing discomfort or damage to our eyes. Of course, they’re also a fashion accessory. But sunglasses were originally made out of smoky quartz in 12th century China, where they were used by judges to mask their emotions when they were questioning witnesses. And for more facts that are so cool they’re hard to believe, check out these 100 Fascinating Facts You’ll Want to Share with Everyone You Know.
9. Cotton candy was invented by a dentist.
Dentist William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton invented machine-spun cotton candy in 1897. It was first introduced at the 1904 World’s Fair as “Fairy Floss.” Then, another dentist, Josef Lascaux, reinvented the machine in 1921. He came up with the name “cotton candy,” which replaced “fairy floss.”
10. Shakespeare’s epitaph contains a curse for grave robbers.
When William Shakespeare died at 52 years old on April 23, 1616, he was buried in a tomb that featured an epitaph meant to ward off grave robbers: “GOOD FREND FOR IESVS SAKE FORBEARE / TO DIGG THE DVST ENCLOASED HEARE / BLESTe BE Ye MAN Yt SPARES THES STONES / AND CVRST BE HE Yt MOVES MY BONES.” Or more clearly: “Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbear / To dig the dust enclosed here / Blessed be the man that spares these stones / And cursed be he that moves my bones.” And for more fun content delivered straight to your inbox, sign up for our daily newsletter.
Weird Facts About Life
1. Charles Darwin’s personal pet tortoise didn’t die until recently.
Okay, technically she wasn’t his pet, but after his tour of the Galapagos Islands, Charles Darwin brought back a 5-year-old tortoise he named Harriet. She outlived her adopter by 124 years, ultimately making it to a whopping 176 years old. Harriet lived out her final years as part of the family of Steve “Crocodile Hunter” Irwin in Australia, until she passed away in 2006. For fascinating info straight from the animal kingdom, don’t miss the 9 Animal Facts That Will Leave You in Awe of Mother Nature.
2. The average person will spend six months of their life waiting for red lights to turn green.
Driving can be a fun and liberating activity—until you get stuck at a red light, that is. The National Association of City Transportation Officials says that the average time spent waiting at a red light is 75 seconds, accounting for approximately 20 percent of all driving time. That’s a whole lot of time doing nothing and just another reason to switch to public transportation. For more crazy tidbits, check out the 55 Facts So Interesting You’ll Kick Yourself for Not Knowing Them.
3. A bolt of lightning contains enough energy to toast 100,000 slices of bread.
If you consider that each bolt of lightning contains more than 5 billion Joules of energy, then the average 1,000-watt, two-slice toaster could be powered for 84,000 minutes with just one strike. That’s just enough time to toast about 100,000 slices of bread, bagels, English muffins—whatever you prefer.
4. President Lyndon B. Johnson owned a water-surfing car.
Always the joker, Lyndon B. Johnson would surprise guests at his Texas ranch by driving them down the hill in his Amphicar, claiming the brakes had gone out. Once it hit the lake, their panic would subside when they realized the car had been designed to function on water. For more fascinating facts, check out 50 Facts About Life You Won’t Believe You Didn’t Already Know.
5. Cherophobia is the word for the irrational fear of being happy.
No, it’s not the fear of Cher, as the name might lead you to believe. It comes from the Greek word “chero,” which means “to rejoice.” People who suffer from cherophobia are often afraid, cripplingly so, of doing anything that might lead to happiness. This includes participating in fun activities and rejecting opportunities that may lead to positive outcomes. This form of anxiety disorder should be treated with medicine much stronger than laughter: love (and therapy).
6. You can hear a blue whale’s heartbeat from two miles away.
The blue whale is the largest animal on the planet, weighing up to 150 tons and measuring up to 90 feet long. Naturally, an animal this massive would have an equally huge heart. Roughly the size of a small car, the blue whale’s heart weighs about 1,300 pounds. To move blood through its colossal body and arteries, its heart beats so powerfully, you can hear it from two miles away. You just might miss it, though, as its heart only beats eight to 10 times per minute.
7. Nearly 30,000 rubber ducks were lost a sea in 1992 and are still being discovered today.
Over 25 years ago, a cargo ship traveling from Hong Kong to the United States accidentally lost a shipping crate in the Pacific Ocean. Inside that crate were 28,000 rubber ducks unwittingly about to embark on many long journeys across the globe. As rubber ducks continue to pop up on shores from Australia to Alaska, they’ve enlightened our understanding of ocean currents. Some have made it all the way to the Atlantic Ocean while others have been found frozen in Arctic ice.
8. There’s a Manhattan-specific ant.
On Broadway medians between 63rd and 76th streets, biologists discovered a new species of ant. They named it ManhattAnt, naturally. For more exciting information on animals, check out 75 Animal Facts That Will Change the Way You View the Animal Kingdom.
9. The inventor of the frisbee was turned into a frisbee after he died.
“Steady Ed” Headrick invented the frisbee in the 1950s, then went on to create the sport of disc golf in the 1970s. “He lived for frisbee,” his wife said of the inventor of the classic American toy. When he died in 2002, his final wish was to have his ashes turned into, what else, but a frisbee. His son said it was his father’s dream that they play with him after death and that he might even accidentally end up on someone’s roof.
10. There’s a bridge exclusively for squirrels.
To provide safe passage to squirrels attempting to cross the N44 motorway, Netherlands officials built a rodent-only bridge. While it may have been a kind-hearted gesture, it might not have been the most economically sensible one: costing £120,000, over a two-year span the bridge was used by just five squirrels. “In 2014 three squirrels, and in 2015 two squirrels, were spotted on the bridge,” the government said in a statement.
Weird Facts About World
1. North Korea and Cuba are the only places you can’t buy Coca-Cola.
No matter where you go, it’s comforting to know you can always enjoy a Coca-Cola. Well, almost anywhere. While this fizzy drink is sold practically everywhere, it still hasn’t (officially) made its way to North Korea or Cuba, according to the BBC. That’s because these countries are under long-term U.S. trade embargoes.
However, some folks say you might be able to snag a sip of the stuff if you try hard enough (although it’ll typically be a lot more expensive than what you would pay in the states—and probably imported from a neighboring country such as Mexico or China).
2. The entire world’s population could fit inside Los Angeles.
The world’s total population is more than 7.5 billion. And obviously, that number sounds huge. However, it might feel a little more manageable once you learn that if every single one of those people stood shoulder-to-shoulder, they could all fit within the 500 square miles of Los Angeles, according to National Geographic.
3. There are more twins now than ever before.
You might think twins are a rarity, but they’re actually becoming more common than ever. “From about 1915, when the statistical record begins, until 1980, about one in every 50 babies born was a twin, a rate of 2 percent,” writes Alexis C. Madrigal of The Atlantic. “Then, the rate began to increase: by 1995, it was 2.5 percent. The rate surpassed 3 percent in 2001 and hit 3.3 percent in 2010. [That means] one out of every 30 babies born is a twin.”
Scientists believe this trend is due to the fact that older women tend to have more twins, and women are choosing to start families later. Fertility treatments such as in-vitro fertilization likely also play a role.
4. The hottest chili pepper in the world is so hot it could kill you.
The “weapons-grade” Dragon’s Breath chili pepper is so hot it’s downright deadly. If you ate one, it could potentially cause a type of anaphylactic shock, burning the airways and closing them up.
“I’ve tried it on the tip of my tongue and it just burned and burned,” said Mike Smith, the hobby grower who invented the Dragon’s Breath along with scientists from Nottingham University. So why make such an impractical pepper? As it turns out, the chili was initially developed to be used in medical treatment as an anesthetic that can numb the skin.
5. More people visit France than any other country.
France is a beautiful country, filled to the brim with delicious wines, scrumptious cheese, and tons of romance. So it’s no surprise that more people want to visit France than any other country in the world, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
In 2017, the European country welcomed 86.9 million people. Spain was the second-most popular destination with 81.8 million visitors, followed by the United States (76.9 million), China (60.7 million), and Italy (58.3 million). La vie est belle!
6. The world’s most densely populated island is the size of two soccer fields.
Santa Cruz del Islote in the Archipelago of San Bernardo off the coast of Colombia may only be about the size of two soccer fields (AKA two acres), but the artificial island has four main streets and 10 neighborhoods. Five hundred people live on the island in around 155 houses. With so many people packed into such a small space, it’s the most densely populated island in the world, according to The Guardian.
7. The Canary Islands are named after dogs, not birds.
It might seem safe to assume that the Canary Islands were named after canary birds, but the location was actually named after dogs. Although it’s off the coast of northwestern Africa, the archipelago is actually part of Spain. In Spanish, the area’s name is Islas Canarias, which comes from the Latin phrase Canariae Insulae for “island of dogs.” World facts related to dogs? Now those we can get behind!
8. Indonesia is home to some of the shortest people in the world.
Though there are short people and tall people everywhere, Indonesia is home to some of the shortest people in the world, according to data compiled from various global sources by the Telegraph in 2017.
When taking both genders into account, the average adult is around 5 feet, 1.8 inches. People in Bolivia don’t tend to be much taller, with an average adult height of 5 feet, 2.4 inches. The tallest people among us live in the Netherlands, where the average adult height is 6 feet.
9. The Paris Agreement on climate change was signed by the largest number of countries ever in one day.
When 174 world leaders signed the Paris Agreement on Earth Day in 2016 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, it was the largest number of countries ever to come together to sign anything on a single day, according to the UN. The agreement aimed to combat climate change and accelerate and intensify the actions and investments needed to strengthen the global climate effort.
10. The world’s quietest room is located at Microsoft’s headquarters in Washington state.
Silence is golden, as they say. And while it may not be worth quite as much as jewels and gold to most people, it certainly was the primary goal for those who built the quietest room in the world. Located at Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington, the lab room measures a background noise of -20.35 dBA, which is 20 decibels below the threshold of human hearing and breaks previous records for spaces that were deemed the planet’s quietest places, according to CNN.
“As soon as one enters the room, one immediately feels a strange and unique sensation which is hard to describe,” Hundraj Gopal, a speech and hearing scientist and principal designer of the anechoic chamber at Microsoft, told CNN. “Most people find the absence of sound deafening, feel a sense of fullness in the ears, or some ringing. Very faint sounds become clearly audible because the ambient noise is exceptionally low. When you turn your head, you can hear that motion. You can hear yourself breathing and it sounds somewhat loud.”
Weird Facts Funny
Banging your head against a wall for one hour burns 150 calories.
Alternatively, you can walk your dog for 45 minutes, which also burns 150 calories – and is much less painful.
You can also check out these other weird ways to burn calories.
In Switzerland it is illegal to own just one guinea pig.
This is because guinea pigs are social animals, and they are considered victims of abuse if they are alone.
Why isn’t this a law everywhere?!
Pteronophobia is the fear of being tickled by feathers.
It’s also a fear of feathers themselves. The word “ptero” is the Greek word for feather, and “phobia” is also Greek, meaning fear.
Snakes can help predict earthquakes.
They can sense a coming earthquake from 75 miles away (121 km), up to five days before it happens.
Why not check out these other fun facts about snakes.
Crows can hold grudges against specific individual people.
Crows can very easily distinguish humans apart from each other, whereas humans find it nearly impossible to tell crows apart.
Fun Fact: This is known as The Crow Paradox.
The oldest “your mom” joke was discovered on a 3,500 year old Babylonian tablet.
It was discovered in Iraq in 1976, however since then the tablet has been lost, but the text remains preserved.
So far, two diseases have successfully been eradicated: smallpox and rinderpest.
The last naturally occurring case of smallpox was diagnosed in October 1977, and the last case of rinderpest was diagnosed in 2001.
29th May is officially “Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day”.
This strange holiday spans back to the early 1900’s, where families would place a piece of cloth in their larders.
It’s celebrated in Europe and the U.S.A to bring luck & wealth to the household.
Read more about Put a Pillow on Your Fridge Day right here!
Cherophobia is an irrational fear of fun or happiness.
That’s one phobia I wouldn’t like to have… it would probably mean they would fear these fun facts!
7% of American adults believe that chocolate milk comes from brown cows.
I know 7% doesn’t sound like a lot, but that actually works out at 16.4 million American adults.
Sounds like a lot now
Weird Facts In Hindi
एक वर्ष में इंसान औसतन 50 लाख बार सांस लेता है.
मानव शरीर की त्वचा से प्रतिदिन 10 बिलियन उत्तक/कोशिकाएं गिरती हैं.
जन्म के समय मानवीय शरीर में 300 हड्डियां होती हैं. व्यस्क होने तक शरीर में 209 हड्डियाँ रह जाती हैं.
औसत HB पेंसिल 35 मील लम्बी लकीर खींच सकती है और 50,000 शब्द लिख सकती है.
आपके शरीर की एक चौथाई हड्डियां आपके पैरों में होती हैं.
औसतन आदमी अपनी पूरी जिन्दगी के दो हफ्ते रेड ट्रैफिक सिग्नल को ग्रीन होने के इंतजार में व्यतीत करता है.
अजवाइन को खाने में इतनी कैलोरी लगती है जितनी अजवाइन में भी नहीं होती.
एक गधा रेत के दलदल में डूब सकता है परन्तु एक खच्चर नहीं.
सबसे बड़ा हिमपात खंड (बर्फ गिरते समय बर्फ का टुकड़ा या फाहा) 15 इंच चौड़ा और 8 इंच मोटा था.
कोड़े (Bullwhip) की नोक की गति इतनी तेज होती है कि इसकी आवाज़ किसी छोटे सुपरसोनिक बूम जैसी होती है.
अमेरिका के मूल निवासी अपने बच्चों का पहला नाम उस चीज के नाम पर रखते थे जिस चीज को वो अपने घर से बाहर निकलते ही सबसे पहले देखते थे.
पश्चिम अफ्रीका के मातमी जनजाति के लोग मर चुके मानव की खोपड़ी का इस्तेमाल फूटबाल खेलने में करते हैं.
कोका-कोला का रंग हरा होता अगर इसमें फ़ूड कोलोरेंट नहीं मिलाया होता.
17वीं सदी में तुर्की के सुल्तान ने अपने सेनिकों को अजीब सा आदेश दिया था. उसने आदेश दिया कि मेरी सारी पत्नियों को पानी में डूबा दो और उनकी जगह नई औरतों को ले आओ.
छींकते समय आपका दिल एक सेकंड के लिए रुक जाता है.
“almost” सबसे लम्बा अंग्रेजी शब्द है जिसमें सारे शब्द Alphabets के क्रम में आते है.
मानव की जांघ की हड्डी कंक्रीट से भी मजबूत होती है.
कोकरोच अपने सिर के बिना कई हफ़्तों तक रह सकते हैं.
आँख खोल कर छींक लगाना नामुमकिन है.
एक “टेन गैलन” नाम से मशहूर काऊब्यॉय टोपी सिर्फ तीन/चौथाई गैलन का भार ही उठा सकती है.