- You thought flamingos had weird-arse knees that bent backwards,
like a possessed child in a horror flick? Nope, guess again. The curvy
birds actually get about on their tiptoes, making that fleshy joint
you can see mid-leg their ankle. Their real knees are buried way up
amongst their feathers. - It’s impossible to hum while holding your nose. Go on, give it a burl.
You see, when you hum, air escapes through your shnoz, creating the
buzzy sound we all hear. If your nostrils are sealed shut, no air can
escape – and the same goes for noise. - During World War II, bacon was used to make explosives in the US.
Housewives saved the excess fat from their fry-ups and donated it to
the army – it was then used to make glycerin, which is pretty ace for
making things blow up. - Spare a thought for the posties in Susami, a fishing town on the
central coast of Japan. The location is home to the world’s deepest
functional mailbox, which sits 10 metres below sea level, and receives
around 1000 pieces of (waterproof) mail each day. - Here’s some good news if you have a party coming up but you’re
prone to lightheadedness: on average, humans fart enough each day
to fully inflate a balloon. (Keep in mind, you may need to get some
pals on board, or start decorating a few weeks out from the big do.)
6.The Swiss have a whole lot of compassion for the guinea pig –
so much, in fact, that it’s illegal to own just one of the furry critters.
As social animals by nature, they seek out rodent company, and
denying them this is seen as an inexcusable act of cruelty.
7.Do you have a habit of buying loads of books and magazines,
then letting them pile up and gather dust without so much as
turning a page? Well, there’s a Japanese word for that: tsundoku.
8.If you happen to pass away in Amsterdam with no family or
friends around to say a final goodbye, you won’t shuffle off this
mortal coil all alone. Rather, a local poet will write a special ode
in your honour, and read it at your state-provided funeral.
9.Surprisingly, braces aren’t a modern-day torture device
dreamed up by evil orthodontists intent on ruining your first kiss
and emptying your parents’ pockets. They actually go way back
to ancient times – metal bands have been found on the teeth
of Egyptian mummies.
10.Cameras are so accessible these days that it’s estimated more
photos were taken around the world in the last two minutes than
in the entire 19th century. Numbering in the hundreds of millions,
that’s an awful lot of happy snaps.
11.Forget buttered popcorn – in Colombia, moviegoers are more
likely to munch on a handful of crunchy roasted ants. Known as
hormiga culona, the snack is also considered an aphrodisiac, which
is a handy bonus if you happen to be catching a flick on a date.
12.Oh, you took a trip outside the Earth’s atmosphere that was
watched by more than 530 million people? Cool, you still need to
sign a customs form, affirming the details of your journey. Such was
the case for Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins when
they returned from the moon in 1969. Their declared cargo? Moon
rock and dust samples.
13.Warm up those lips, chums – ‘the sixth sick sheik’s sixth
sheep’s sick’ is supposedly the toughest tongue twister in the
English language.a random
list of facts
TO GET YOU THROUGH
ANY AWKWARD SILENCE.
Words Sophie Kalagaslearn something new