17/11/2021
Some hilarious facts to cheer you up and make you look smarter than your peers...
*Did you know bubble wrap was originally invented as wallpaper?
If you find popping bubble wrap one of the best things about getting mail, imagine it being plastered all over the walls of your home! Engineer Al Fielding and Swiss inventor Marc Chavannes invented bubble wrap by accident in 1957 while trying to create a textured wallpaper by sealing two shower curtains together to trap air bubbles.
*Did you know the longest place name in the world is 85 letters long?
Nearly impossible to pronounce, TaumatawhakatangiÂhangakoauauotamateaÂturipukakapikimaungaÂhoronukupokaiwhenÂuakitanatahu is a city in New Zealand and the name itself is 85 letters long. Good luck trying to repeat this did you know fact to your friends!
*Did you know lobsters have clear blood?
Many of us know that lobster shells change color when theyâre exposed to heat but only a few people know that the sea creatureâs blood is also intriguing! Lobster blood is initially clear and turns blue when it hits oxygen.
*Did you know chewing gum is banned in Singapore?
In efforts to keep up the cityâs reputation for being spotlessly clean, Singapore banned chewing gum in 1992, following laws against spitting and urinating anywhere but in a toilet. In 2004, the ban was slightly lifted for ther**eutic, dental, or ni****ne gums.
*Did you know gr**es light on fire in the microwave?
In 2011, a physicist at the University of Sydney went viral after he placed a gr**e in the microwave, filmed the blazing results, and stumped scientists until 2019! Published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, it was reported that the spontaneous combustion of gr**es occurs as a result of the loose electrons and ions that cluster to form plasma when the fruit gets hot.
*Did you know Santa Claus was given an official pilotâs license in 1927?
When the big man in red makes his annual trip around the globe on Christmas Eve, you can sleep even more soundly knowing heâs legal to drive. In 1927, Santa Claus was given a pilotâs license from the US Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, William P. MacCracken.
*Did you know spaghetto, confetto, and graffito are the singular forms of spaghetti, confetti, and graffiti?
Even though it sounds a little strange to say out loud, according to Merriam-Webster, a single piece of spaghetti is called a spaghetto. The same goes for confetti, which is confetto, as well as a single piece of graffiti, which is graffito.
*Did you know a single watermelon once sold for $6,125?
A man in Japan in 2008 bought a nearly black Densuke watermelon for „650,000 or $6,125. This special kind of watermelon is only grown on the island of Hokkaido and has a different kind of sweetness than the watermelon weâre used to eating!
*Did you know thereâs a precise speed where jogging becomes running?
Calling all fitness nuts! According to conditioning coach, Mike Antoniades, jogging means moving at âspeeds less than 6 mph.â Any faster than that, and youâre running for the hills!
*Did you know Antarctica is covered in a sheet of ice thatâs 7,000 feet thick?
Thatâs about 19 football fields thick! The US Antarctic Program also says that if the ice sheet ever melted, it would raise the sea levels all across the globe to an estimated 200 feet. Thatâs enough to submerge much of the Gulf and Atlantic coastal areas of the US!
*Did you know there is a species of jellyfish that never dies?
Turritopsis dohrnii aka The Immortal Jellyfish is known to be able to revert back into its adolescent state after going through adulthoodâmaking it basically eternal!
*Did you know birds in Minnesota get drunk off of berries?
In October 2018, the Gilbert Minnesota Police Department issued a notice to the public warning about birds that appeared to be a little under the influence. It turns out that the airborne animals were apparently eating berries that had fermented due to early frost, which was making them feel a little less than sober!
