26Boeing 747's Extra Engine Capability
The Boeing 747 can carry an extra engine on its wing. Airlines used to use this capability regularly, when engines were less reliable, to deliver replacements to their stranded planes.
27. During King Louis XIV's reign, he popularized pairing salt with pepper since he disliked dishes with overwhelming flavors. Pepper was the only spice that complemented salt and didn't dominate the taste.
28. The Australian Ibis (also known as bin chickens) have learned how to eat the invasive and poisonous cane toad. They do this by picking the toad up, shaking it around to get it to expel its poison and empty its poison sacs, then washing the poison off with water.
29. New York's Paramount Theater would reek of urine after Frank Sinatra shows because the bobby-soxers, young female fans characterized by their enthusiasm and penchant for wearing rolled-down socks (bobby socks), would attend the first show at 9:15 a.m. and stay for subsequent shows, determined never to relinquish their precious seats even if it meant soaking in them.
30. Only about 20% of homes in the UK are completely detached with zero shared walls, whereas almost 85% of homes in the US are detached.
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31The Reusable Antimony Pill
The antimony pill, also known as the everlasting pill, was used in the 18th and early 19th centuries for stomach relief. Made out of the element antimony, they were taken orally as a laxative for constipated bowels. It was reusable after being expelled, making it very cost-effective. Entire families used the same pill, which sometimes went through multiple generations.
32. In 2017, Boeing pressured the US government to impose a 300% tariff on imports of Bombardier C-Series planes. The situation got bad enough that Canada filed a complaint at the WTO against the US. Eventually, Bombardier subsequently sold a 50.01% stake in the plane to Boeing's main competitor, Airbus, for $1, since Airbus offered to produce it for US customers in its US assembly line in order to circumvent the tariff.
33. David Bowie concluded the Ziggy Stardust persona and effectively disbanded The Spiders from Mars during their final performance at London's Hammersmith Odeon on July 3rd, 1973. Much to the astonishment of both fans and the band, Bowie declared, "Not only is it the last show of the tour, but it's the last show we'll ever do."
34. Despite consuming over 10,000 calories daily, sumo wrestlers have minimal visceral fat due to their rigorous training. The intensity of their workouts is such that they can lose over 10 pounds of sweat in a single session.
35. Modern Africa is associated with large mammals like elephants, lions, and rhinos, but large mammals had a global distribution until a mass extinction roughly 11,700 years ago, and Africa is simply the only continent that retained a large number of them.