We know a lot, have read dozens of books and reviewed hours of documentaries. But the world still does not get tired of surprises. Ferdio, an infographic Agency based in Copenhagen, Learns something new every day and collects dizzying facts about everything in the world in its Factourism project. After getting acquainted with it, we were amazed that 1 teaspoon of honey is the result of a lifetime of 12 bees. Now every morning at tea, we sincerely thank the hardworking insects.
22 Selfies kill more people than sharks
In September 2015, a 66-year-old tourist fell down a flight of stairs while trying to take a selfie at the Taj Mahal and died. This tragic case was the 12th fatal outcome due to selfies in a year, while sharks caused the death of only 8 people.
21 On the time scale, tyrannosaurs are closer to humans than to stegosaurs
Stegosaurs and their relatives (allosaurs, apatosaurs, etc.) lived approximately 155-145 million years ago. And tyrannosaurs only existed about 67 million years ago. It turns out that about 83 million years separated stegosaurs from tyrannosaurs. And the current era of the Earth’s geological history — the Cenozoic, which continues to this day — began 66 million years ago and was marked by the appearance of Homo sapiens.
20 Now planes fly slower than in the past
Today, a non-stop flight from new York to Houston takes 4 hours. In 1973, the same flight would have been completed in almost 3 hours. The fact is that over the years, the price of fuel has increased significantly. And airlines realized they could save millions of pounds a year just by flying slower than possible
19 Cleaning the house is just as bad for your health as Smoking a pack of cigarettes
Inhaling chemicals contained in cleaning products increases the risk of developing asthma by up to 43 %. Chemical substances irritate the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract and can lead to long-term changes in their work.
18 There are so many varieties of apples that if you eat 1 a day, it would take 20 years to try everything
There are more than 7,500 known varieties of apples in the world. And 20 years is 7,300 days. So it will take you even more than 20 years to try each variety.
17 Wine glasses are 7 times larger than they were in the past
At the beginning of the XVIII century, a wine Cup could hold only 66 ml of the drink. And today they often drink from glasses that hold half a liter. So over the past 300 years, they have increased in size by 7 times, and the most significant changes have occurred over the past 20 years, when wine consumption has increased.
16 Steve Jobs chose the Apple name to go before Atari in the phone book
There are several legends about how the name Apple was coined. The most plausible story is that Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak were driving in a car, and jobs said, “I came up with a name — Apple Computer.” The men kept going through their options, but no other ideas came up. Jobs will tell you later: “I kept in mind that I worked for Atari, and the Apple name allowed us to get ahead of Atari in the phone book.”
15 Cows that are called by a nickname give 258 liters of milk per year more than those that do not have a name
A study by scientists offers farmers a gentle way to get more milk from a cow: you just need to treat it with concern, stroke it and repeat its nickname more often. Researchers believe that a cow who is called by name feels more relaxed, while stress hormones lower milk production.
14 One pencil can draw a line 56 km long
The average size of a pencil can draw a line 35 miles long (just over 56 km) or write 45,000 words.
13 2,500 years ago China had money in the form of knives
Bronze knives were a commodity that performed the function of money in China between 600 and 200 BC, during the Zhou dynasty.
12 Thanks to the flat screen and high resolution, dogs can watch TV just like people
The image on a standard TV screen is updated 60 times per second. For the human eye, flickering at a speed of more than 50 HZ is perceived as continuous movement. And dogs can distinguish flickering at a frequency of 75 HZ, because their eyes are designed to respond to movement. Therefore, the image on the screen, most likely, just flashes for them: such an image seems unrealistic to animals, and therefore does not occupy their mind. But modern technologies now offer high-resolution TVs: such shots no longer seem too flashy and unrealistic to dogs, and this interests our Pets.
Another reason why dogs don’t watch even modern TVs is that the screen is at the level of human eyes. If you put it on the floor, most likely, the dog will be interested in watching what is happening on TV.
11 Ancient Egyptians played bowling 5,000 years ago
Bowling was popular in Ancient Egypt as early as 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians played it in a large hall, two people at a time (each was at the end of a 4-meter track). One man threw a big ball, and the other a small one.
10 Only 5 of modern countries have never been colonized by Europe
Almost every corner of the globe was colonized between about the beginning of the 16th century and 1960. Some were under a protectorate or mandate, others fell into spheres of influence. And only 5 modern countries have completely escaped European colonialism: South and North Korea, Japan, Thailand and Liberia.
9 Rabbits can smell their dead relatives in the feces of predators
European rabbits are prey for 30 different types of predators, so it’s not surprising that they have developed many adaptations for survival. New data from scientists has confirmed that rabbits can recognize the smell of their relatives in the feces of ferrets. This gives them the opportunity to avoid predator habitats in time.
8 All Nutella that is sold in the world for a year can cover more than 1,000 football fields
Nutella was first made in 1940 and was so loved by children and adults that they still consume this delicacy in huge quantities. And if every can of nut paste you buy in a year is put on toast, they can cover more than 1,000 football fields.
7 A teaspoon of honey is the result of a lifetime of 12 bees
During its entire life (bees live for 4-5 months), one average bee produces only 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. So over a spoonful of sweet product that you put in your tea in the morning, 12 bees worked all their lives.
6 Most people hear the difference between hot and cold water when it pours
96 % of people can distinguish between hot and cold by sound. This conclusion was reached during the experiment by a company specializing in sound design, Condiment Junkie.
5 We have 0.2 mg of gold inside us
A person weighing 70 kg contains 0.2 mg of gold. The volume of gold in refined form will be equal to 10 nanoliters. If you form a cube out of it, then each side of it would be 0.22 mm.
4 Gold is edible
Food can be incredibly expensive. For example, in new York, you can try a Burger for $ 666 — with lobsters, truffles and… gold leaf.
You can eat a serving of 24-Karat, or pure, gold and not get sick. Pure gold passes through the human digestive system without being absorbed. So the rich have nothing to fear.
3 Flamingos can drink boiling water
These birds can drink water at a temperature close to the boiling point. The fact is that most of the lakes where flamingos live have a very high concentration of salt. And the only source of fresh water is boiling geysers.
2 Being a bad driver is partly a genetic trait
A small study has shown that the inability to drive can be inherited. The experiment involved 29 people: 22 without the so-called driving gene and 7 with it. Participants with this gene performed 20% worse in the simulation test and other trials than the rest of the group.
1 Fanta was created in Nazi Germany due to problems with the supply of syrup for Coca-Cola
The drink appeared in 1940 in Germany. Due to the embargo imposed by the anti-Hitler coalition, the import of syrup necessary for the manufacture of Coca-Cola was suspended. Then a new syrup was created from the products available in the country. It is based on Apple cake and whey. The resulting drink was very different from the one we know today.
