1Tsar Cannon and Tsar Bell
The Kremlin is home to the Tsar Cannon, which was never fired, and the Tsar Bell, which has never been rung.
2. The reason that farmers flood rice fields isn't to water the plants, as you might expect. It's done to keep away pests and weeds and to protect against uneven rainfall.
3. As a result of the WARN Act, large companies are required to give states notice before massive layoffs, and most states allow you to look at which companies will be laying off employees ahead of time.
4. Fungi communicate with each other through electrical signals carried by underground filaments. Scientists studying these networks have identified common signal patterns that make up a vocabulary of up to 50 words.
5. Appetite control in the human body is so complex that there are 20 appetite inhibitory hormones and six appetite stimulatory hormones, all of which act to maintain our satiety. Because appetite biology is so complicated, it has been very hard to make drugs that help control hunger.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Lunatic Word Origin
For centuries, physicians blamed behavioral changes (especially among the mentally ill) on the pull of the moon. The word "lunatic" stems from this idea.
7. Aldgate Pump is a historic water pump in London. Its water was said to have a "bright, sparkling, cool, and pleasing taste." These characteristics were traced back to the decomposition of organic waste in nearby graves and the leaching of calcium from the bones of the deceased in numerous new cemeteries in north London. Hundreds of people died after it became contaminated in 1876.
8. The Qing dynasty of China forced their male subjects to wear a hairstyle called the queue. It featured a long braid and a shaved front of the head. Cutting the queue became seen as a symbol of rebellion against the empire. The "Queue Order" took around 10 years of military action and hundreds of thousands of deaths to enforce.
9. When Anders Celsius designed the temperature scale that bears his name, he chose 0° as the boiling point and 100° as the freezing point. It was not changed until after his death.
10. American World War II airplanes were sent to war unpainted starting in 1943. The polished surface made the planes faster and lighter, giving all planes more range and more cargo hold for the bombers.
11Great Sonderkommando Revolt
In 1944, a bunch of prisoners decided to revolt at Auschwitz by blowing up the crematorium and gas chambers. They were able to destroy one gas chamber and several crematoria, injuring and killing several SS guards. Ultimately, the revolt was unsuccessful, and all were caught and executed.
12. NBA player Lou Williams was almost carjacked in 2011, until the thief recognized him and stopped because he was a Lou Williams fan. As a thank you, Lou Williams took him to McDonald's.
13. In 1965, the Swedish government pledged to build 1 million new apartments in a country of 8 million people in 10 years. All in all, they built 1,006,000 apartments.
14. The Hocker Album, which was found in 2006, is one of the few photo albums that proves for sure that high-ranking Nazi leaders were at Auschwitz.
15. Our eyes have evolved to essentially hide from our own immune systems to avoid damage and blindness from inflammation. The main problem with this privilege is that most ways of giving medicine to the eye don't work. This makes it hard to treat any serious eye infections.
16Extra Seatbelt Loop
There is a reason for the loop we see on most modern seatbelts. During an accident, when the seatbelt is put under extreme pressure, the threading in the loops can rip, and the loop unfolds. This action adds a few extra inches to the belt and can absorb more energy to keep you safer and decrease the risk of injury.
17. Black Widow antivenom is made by injecting horses with the venom over a period of time. The horse develops antibodies against the venom. Then the horse is bled, and its antibodies are purified for later use.
18. When we need to find an address, we often turn the radio down or off so that our brains can focus on the most important task, i.e., finding the place we want to go.
19. Movie theater sound quality was greatly improved thanks to Star Wars. The audio quality of "Return of the Jedi" was generally inconsistent or low in movie theaters. George Lucas then co-created THX to fully project the audio quality of the film.
20. After the Titanic sank, one of its crewmen, Herbert Pitman, made an attempt to row his lifeboat over to rescue people in the water but was overruled by the other occupants of the boat, who were worried about people swarming them and duly complied. Pitman said that this haunted him throughout his life.
21Signals of Fullness
It takes approximately 20 minutes from the time you start eating for your brain to send out signals of fullness. When you eat slowly, your brain has plenty of time to send the message that you're full.
22. Thomas Edison tried to discredit Nikola Tesla's work with AC electricity by killing dogs, cats, cows, horses, and even an elephant with AC electricity.
23. Restaurants can lose their Michelin star(s). If there is an inconsistency and things become less than satisfactory in an awarded restaurant, Michelin stars can be taken away. Gordon Ramsay once equated losing his Michelin stars in 2014 to breaking up with a girlfriend.
24. Gilles Garnier was a recluse who lived in a forest in France in the 1500s. Due to his lifestyle, he had trouble finding food, so he began hunting children and eating them raw, like an animal. People initially thought the attacks were done by a werewolf, so he was convicted of lycanthropy and witchcraft and burned at the stake in 1573.
25. While filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), Graham Chapman developed delirium tremens (DTs) from a lack of alcohol on set. Even with treatment, DTs can be fatal. They typically affect habitual drinkers who have consumed 0.5 liters of liquor or 7-8 pints of beer per day for at least 10 years.
