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Traffic jams would be greatly reduced if people stopped tailgating.
2017 research from MIT shows that if we all kept an equal distance between both the car in front of and the car behind us, like how birds fly in flocks, we would get to our destinations nearly twice as fast. . https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/12/171214092319.htm |
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The loudest sound ever heard on Earth was the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883.
The Indonesian volcano ruptured the eardrums of sailors 40 miles away, and people 3,000 miles away reported it as “a distant roar of heavy guns.” To put that in perspective, it would be like sitting in Boston and hearing a noise that came all the way from Dublin. . http://nautil.us/issue/38/noise/the-sound-so-loud-that-it-circled-the-earth-four-times?utm_source=frontpage&utm_medium=mview&utm_campaign=the-sound-so-loud-that-it-circled-the-earth-four-times |
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Taking a week-long break from Facebook can give your social life a boost, make you feel happier, and improve your ability to concentrate.
. https://www.spring.org.uk/2015/11/this-is-why-you-should-quit-facebook-for-one-week.php |
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Contestants in the 2017 Miss Peru competition used their platform to bring awareness to violence against women.
Instead of stating their body measurements when they stepped up to the mic, the women reported statistics like “the 65% of university women assaulted by their partners” and “more than 80% of women in my city suffer from violence.” . https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2017/nov/01/miss-peru-2017-contestants-accuse-country-of-failing-to-measure-up-gender-violence |
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You get happier as you get older.
A 32-year study found that the largest percentage of people who reported being ‘very happy’ were over 80. Some of the factors that indicated happiness were having a significant other, being healthy, and having no children. . https://www.spring.org.uk/2017/12/age-happiest.php |
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Dogs sometimes lie awake at night worrying about their problems.
. https://www.ladbible.com/news/animals-weird-turns-out-dogs-also-lie-awake-at-night-thinking-about-their-problems-20171026 |
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Iridescent deli meat is perfectly normal.
A rainbow or ‘oil slick’ effect sometimes happens when meat is cut ‘against the grain,’ because slicing through bundles of muscle fibres can result in a greasy surface that is perfect for light diffraction- but it’s still safe to eat. . https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/519239/why-some-cold-cuts-make-iridescent-meat-rainbows-and-why-theyre-still-ok-eat |
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Anxiety and depression medications are 3 times more likely to make you feel better if you think they’re going to work.
. https://www.spring.org.uk/2017/12/reason-antidepressants-fail.php |
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There’s a section of Yellowstone National Park where you could probably get away with murder.
The ‘Zone of Death’ is a 50- square-mile area on the Idaho side of the park that’s entirely uninhabited. If you committed a crime within the zone, there could be no jury because nobody lives there, a trial would be impossible, and, therefore, you could not be convicted. . https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/zn8nnw/theres-a-50-square-mile-section-of-yellowstone-where-you-can-get-away-with-murder |
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Having frequent sex can boost brain activity in people over 50.
. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/06/170622083020.htm |
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People who find it easy to keep time musically are more likely to have a high IQ. Even if you’re not a ‘musical person’, if you can accurately tap out a beat, you’re probably more intelligent than someone who can’t.
. https://www.jneurosci.org/content/28/16/4238 |
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The inventor of rolled toilet paper filed an original patent in 1891 that included illustrations of the paper hanging OVER the roll, not under it.
. https://patents.google.com/patent/US447419 |
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A hummingbird’s tongue is so long that it curls up into its skull and around its eyes when not in use.
. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2017/07/the-science-of-hummingbirds/ |
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Kids who are ‘cool’ in high school are more likely to have social problems, struggle with substance abuse, and engage in criminal activity as adults.
. https://www.spring.org.uk/2017/10/cool-kids.php?omhide=true |
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The desire to lay in bed all day is called clinomania.
. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/clinomania |
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‘Grimalkin’ is an old word for a domestic cat, especially an elderly female one. It was used often during the 15th-18th centuries when women tried as witches were accused of having cats as their familiars. Even Shakespeare used it in Macbeth, when one of the three witches refers to her familiar, who takes the form of a cat, as ‘Graymalkin’.
. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grimalkin |
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Incompetent people are often so incompetent, they don’t even realize their own incompetence.
According to the Dunning-Kruger effect, people who are ignorant or unskilled in any area are too inept to notice, so they end up thinking they’re far more competent than they actually are. . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect |
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By the time you turn 5, you have already developed a sense of self-esteem as strong as an adult’s.
Because self-image plays a critical role in how children form social identities, this suggests that a child’s first 5 years are an extremely important foundation for life. . https://www.washington.edu/news/2015/11/02/childrens-self-esteem-already-established-by-age-5-new-study-finds/ |
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Nigeria has overtaken Ireland in Guinness sales and is the number 2 consumer of Guinness worldwide.
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On the DVD release of Borat, there is a language option for Hebrew, but choosing it only results in a warning screen reading " You have been trapped, Jew!"
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Alice Lee Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, was known for smoking in public, swearing at officials, riding in cars with men, late-night partying, and owning a pet snake during an era where women were expected to conform.
When an offended dignitary asked the president if he could control his daughter, he replied, “I can do one of two things. I can be President of the United States or I can control Alice. I cannot possibly do both.” . http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,950286,00.html?promoid=googlep |
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If you’re a woman, the scent of your husband or boyfriend can help lower your stress levels.
. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2017-57724-001 |
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There are tea bags shaped like little goldfish that swim around in your mug.
. https://www.amazon.com/Goldfish-Tea-Single-Champagne-Oolong/dp/B018Y1R6W6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&linkCode=sl1&tag=did09-20&linkId=f4c58db812b063e9356fdd961008d37d |
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Christina of Sweden was a 17th-century monarch who ruled as a king.
Born covered in hair, she had a cry so deep that everyone thought she was a boy. Happy to learn she was a girl, her father decreed she would have the education of a prince and made her his heir. She inherited the throne at the age of 6 and ruled for years as a blunt, unmarried, lady king who often disguised herself as a man for political and safety reasons. . https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/502047/retrobituaries-queen-christina-who-ruled-king |
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Abstinence-only-until-marriage programs are statistically ineffective.
Studies show they reinforce gender stereotypes, undermine public health programs, violate adolescent human rights by withholding accurate medical information, and they don’t actually delay sexual activity. . https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2017/08/23/research-confirms-the-obvious-that-abstinence-only-education-hurts-kids/#7e1dcd566615 |
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Studies show “being nice” makes women appear more attractive to men, but it makes men look less attractive to women.
. https://www.spring.org.uk/2017/12/quality-women-more-attractive.php |
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In Switzerland, you can be denied citizenship if your neighbours think you’re too annoying.
. http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/becoming-a-citizen/29288376 |
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1 dog year isn’t equal to 7 human years.
Dogs don’t age parallel to people, they actually age more quickly at first, then slow down. Depending on their size and breed, a 1-year-old dog is about the same as a 15-year-old person, a 2-year-old dog is like a 24-year-old person, and every year after that is equal to about 4-6 human years. . https://priceonomics.com/the-mythology-of-dog-years/ |
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The vocal distress signal ‘Mayday!’ comes from the French term ’M'aider,’ which means ‘help me.’
If you need to use it to call for help, be sure to say it 3 times in a row so potential first responders will know it’s a legitimate distress call. . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayday |
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Americans didn’t always place their hands over their hearts for the Pledge of Allegiance.
Originally, after saying “to the flag,” you were supposed to hold your arm straight out toward the flag with your palm facing up. Most people were too lazy or awkward to turn their palms up, and it looked more like a Nazi salute - so the gesture was officially changed in 1942. . https://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm |
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Have you ever wondered where the world’s biggest pop, rock, country and jazz fans are? They might not live where you expect. For example, while country music might seem like a genre that would be especially popular in the U.S, South Africa actually boasts the biggest love of twang: 49% of South Africans listen to country music, more than in the U.S! Besides country, 53% of South Africans listen to dance music and 20% listen to techno.
A whopping 73% of Greeks like to rock out compared to only 14% of the French. It turns out Sweden is a big fan of retro music, where 47% of Swedes listen to retro rock and roll and 38% listen to hard rock. That’s the highest proportion of retro rock fans found in any country! In Finland, it is fairly common to encounter a metalhead, with 28% of Finns listening to heavy metal. Pop music dominates Spain, with three-fourths of Spaniards listening to pop music. In the U.S. hip hop steals the show, with 27% of Americans as hip hop fans (that’s the highest percentage of anywhere in the world). The Japanese love listening to jazz, with a quarter labelling themselves as jazz fans. 44% of Indians listen to classical music while 34% of Brits listen to boy/girl bands – it would appear the legacy of the Beatles hasn’t worn off! Finally, 63% of New Zealanders listen to dance electronic music, where 36% enjoy dubstep and 38% techno. . https://blog.dashburst.com/infographic/most-popular-music-genres-countries/ |
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‘Pakistan’ is an acronym.
The word translates as ‘land of the pure’- but that’s just a coincidence, because the country’s name is based on the Muslim territories of Northern India in the 1930s: (P)unjabi, (A)fghani, (K)ashmiri, (S)indhi, and Balochis(TAN), with an extra ‘I’ to make it easier to pronounce . https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/12447/why-do-so-many-countries-end-stan |
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The streets are always wet in movies.
Wet pavement not only looks better on camera but, in the same way, that it’s hard to see road markings when you’re driving in the rain at night, the water diffuses reflections and helps eliminate shadows caused by filming equipment and multiple light sources. . https://parade.com/101364/marilynvossavant/wet-streets-in-movies-20/ |
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North Korea and Cuba are the only places you can't buy Coca-Cola.
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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.
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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 per cent," 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. |
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Did you know grapes light on fire in the microwave?
Back in 2011, a physicist at the University of Sydney went viral after he placed a grape in the microwave and filmed the fiery aftermath. And oddly enough, scientists couldn't explain the phenomenon until quite recently. A March 2019 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reported that the fruity fireball occurs as a result of the loose electrons and ions that cluster to form plasma when grapes get hot. |
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Did you know there are almost 8 million possible seven-digit phone numbers per area code?
Each area code has 792 possible prefixes or NXX codes (for example, NXX-XXXX or 555-1234), explains the Public Utility Commission of Texas. And each "NXX" has 10,000 possible phone numbers attached to it. So, with a little math, we know that theoretically, there are 7,920,000 possible seven-digit phone numbers in each area code. Obviously, not all of these numbers are put into use, so you don't have to try nearly 8 million numbers if you're trying to randomly dial a friend who lives nearby. |
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Did you know the average mammal takes 21 seconds to empty its bladder?
No one will blame you if you've never bothered to time yourself on the toilet. But you may be interested to know that researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology found that most mammals weighing more than six pounds take 21 seconds to pee. According to Live Science, this oddly consistent time is due to the fact that the urethra is "appropriately scaled" to be a "flow-enhancing device." And apparently, the perfectly enhanced flow takes 21 seconds to complete. |
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Mark Hughes once played for Wales and Bayern Munich on the same day
Hughes had just signed for Bayern and was due to play for Wales against Czechoslovakia in Prague in a Euro ’88 qualifier. “I had dinner with Uli Hoeness who asked me what time the Wales match was,” he said. “I told him it was around midday and he said: ‘That’s OK then, you can play in the evening as well.'” Hoeness watched the game and then flew him to the Bayern game on the other side of the Czech border where Borussia Monchengladbach were the opponents. “We actually flew over the ground and missed the first half, but I got there at the start of the second half.” Bayern won. |