26Jules and Gedeon Naudet
The only clear footage of the first plane hitting the World Trade Center on 9/11 was filmed by french filmmakers (Jules and Gedeon Naudet) who were making a documentary on a Manhattan firehouse.
27. In 408 B.C., a poet named Sannyrion playing a role mispronounced a word. Instead of saying “after the storm, I see again a calm sea,” he accidentally said, “after the storm, I see again a weasel.” This mistake was so mocked by other Ancient Greeks that over two millennia later we still know his name.
28. The famous Madame Tussaud started out in Paris during the French Revolution. Marie Tussaud used to make 'death masks' of famous people whose heads had been chopped by the Guillotine. She went on tour to Britain for 30 years with her collection before setting up her waxworks in London.
29. The movie Independence Day still holds the record for most miniature models to appear in one film. Approximately 95% of the movie's special effects were shot using miniatures and due to the advances in digital technology this record may stand forever.
30. Penguins can drink salt water because of glands near their eyes that remove salt from their bloodstream and then they can sneeze out the extra salt.
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31Year of Miracles
In one single year, Albert Einstein published 3 papers that changed modern physics. That year is known as Albert Einstein’s “Year of Miracles.” The first was about the particle theory of light (won him his Nobel Prize), the second led to people accepting the existence of atoms, and the third introduced special relativity (E=mc^2). He was just 26-year-old.
32. Lighthouses had different techniques for rotating the light, most being too slow, making the light less visible. Augustin Fresnel proposed a mercury flotation system in 1825. Despite some lenses weighing over 6,000 lbs. the design reduced friction, increased rotation, and ultimately saved lives.
33. Jesse Owens broke three world records and tied a fourth, all in less than an hour at the 1935 Big Ten track meet in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a feat never equaled since, and called "the greatest 45 minutes ever in sport". Owens went on to win four golds at Berlin the following year.
34. In 1975, David Bowie and Dennis Hopper broke into a psychiatric ward wearing spacesuits to deliver cocaine to Iggy Pop.
35. Texas has its own separate electrical grid from the rest of the US. This was done for political purposes so that they didn't have to deal with Federal regulations.
