26 Apples’ Kazakhstan Origins and Variants
Apples originated in Kazakhstan, where wild varieties can taste like roses, strawberries, popcorn, anise, and more. Remarkably, 90% of modern apples can be traced back to just two trees.
27. The Great Vowel Shift, occurring between 1400 and 1700 AD, transformed English pronunciations into their modern form. This period marks the point beyond which communication with older forms of English becomes difficult.
28. Much of modern-day Texas was once called “New Philippines” under Spanish colonial rule.
29. Due to its isolated location, the Icelandic language has changed very little from its original roots. Modern Icelanders can still read texts written in the 10th century with relative ease.
30. The Ancient Olympics were held consecutively for at least 293 times (1,169 years), from 776 BC to 393 A.D., nearly ten times longer than the Modern Olympics, which have only been held since 1896.
31 Australia’s First Commercial Refrigerator
In 1856, Australia built the first modern commercial refrigerator with the explicit purpose of keeping beer cold.
32. The Knickerbocker Knitting Company, which later became the brand “Champion,” invented the modern hoodie in the 1930s.
33. Prehistoric hunter-gatherer tribes typically had a group limit of 50 people. Interestingly, modern research shows that in the video game World of Warcraft, the highest player cohesiveness occurs with a maximum of 50 players.
34. Modern roundabouts result in 40% fewer vehicle collisions, 80% fewer injuries, and 90% fewer serious injuries and fatalities compared to traditional junctions.
35. Antarctica was once referred to as Australia until modern-day Australia adopted the name in 1824. The continent remained nameless until the 1890s, when it received its current official name, Antarctica.
36 Bloodletting’s Modern Medical Use
Bloodletting, an ancient practice of withdrawing blood from a patient to treat illness, is still used in modern medicine to manage certain conditions, such as hemochromatosis, where there is excessive iron accumulation in the body.
37. Even when considering dinosaurs, the modern-day blue whale holds the title of the largest animal to ever live on planet Earth.
38. The diamond marketing campaign by the De Beers company in the late 1930s significantly shaped the modern American tradition of the engagement ring. Advertising executive Edward Bernays led this campaign, promoting the idea that an engagement ring should symbolize enduring love and represent a significant financial investment.
39. The sun will never set on the present-day British Empire due to the Pitcairn Islands, the smallest and most isolated of the 14 British territories, which has a population of only a few dozen people. Until an eclipse occurs there, Britain remains the empire on which the sun never sets.
40. Modern Hollywood began when a group of independent filmmakers moved to California in the 1910s to escape Thomas Edison’s monopoly on all aspects of the early East Coast film industry, including scripts, cameras, theaters, and actors.
41 Artificial Light’s Sleep Impact
Modern humans get similar amounts of sleep as those from pre-industrial times, but increased exposure to artificial light has led to a decline in sleep quality.
42. Alexander Cumming patented the first flush toilet in 1775, incorporating an S-trap to prevent sewer gases from entering the building. Modern toilets still incorporate this design feature.
43. In 1869, the poor state of Washington, D.C.’s infrastructure prompted a proposal to move the U.S. capital to St. Louis. This proposal’s failure led Congress to approve substantial funding to modernize the nation’s capital.
44. The King of Tonga maintains an official court jester, the only such appointment in any modern royal court.
45. For 20 years, Argentina was among the wealthiest nations, with the highest GDP per capita in 1895 and ranking among the top 10 richest until 1920. Today, the country faces severe economic challenges and is considered one of the biggest economic downturns in modern history.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Modern Samaritans’ Ancient Judaism
The ethnic Samaritans mentioned in the Bible still exist in modern-day Israel. They number about 900 people and continue to practice a distinctly ancient form of Judaism.
47. William Stewart Halsted, who is considered to be the father of modern medical “residency” programs, developed a system where doctors worked long, often unending hours per shift, believing that immersion in patient care would improve outcomes. He also used cocaine and routinely worked over 100 hours a week.
48. Golf balls were once smooth, but golfers discovered that older, worn balls traveled farther. Modern golf balls are now designed with dimples to increase turbulence and enhance flight distance.
49. In 1967, the widespread acceptance of plate tectonics marked a significant shift in modern scientific understanding and collaboration.
50. The Jerry can, a modern gas container, was invented in Germany in 1937. During World War II, the UK initially used flimsy tin containers called “flimsies” but soon captured and adopted the sturdier German jerry cans.
RE: Fact #25 (Modern Skeletons More Fragile) – I knew this powerlifter, right? He was saying a lot of young guys try to get huge too fast, you know? They use all that stuff to get jacked, and then they snap their bones lifting. Apparently, your bones have to get strong naturally and slowly.
Makes sense. Peter Attia’s Outlive is a good read about how to exercise and eat right to stay fit for longer. It talks about how important it is to be active and healthy into your later years, instead of just being healthy for a short time before things go downhill. One thing he mentions is that you can’t really build up your bones once you’re older. The best time to do that is when you’re growing up, especially in your early twenties.
It’s a good plan for getting ready for your 80s. Lift heavy stuff as a hobby when you’re young. That’ll help build up your bones while you can.
People didn’t have this info a few decades back. Nowadays it’s out there, but it’s easy to get lost in all the junk info.
Does being overweight or obese count as lifting heavy things for bone strength?
RE: Fact #13 (F1 Car’s Costly Engine) – They make these engines so precise, it takes like half an hour to get them going. They won’t even start until they’re totally warmed up and all the metal expands. They do this by pumping hot oil and coolant through it from this special cart for a while to heat it up, then it’ll finally start.
RE: Fact #35 (Antarctica’s Name and History) – So, Antarctica wasn’t actually called Terra Australis. That name was for a land that nobody actually found, they just thought it had to be there to make the northern hemisphere’s landmass even.
Australia was given its name before anyone even knew about Antarctica. Matthew Flinders, who explored Australia, was the first to use the name “Australia” in his book, “A Voyage to Terra Australis,” in 1814. That was six years before Antarctica was even discovered!
And by the way, as Europe was discovering more and more places in the southern hemisphere, they were calling a lot of those places “Australis.”
RE: Fact #31 (Australia’s First Commercial Refrigerator) – Back then, rich countries kept things cool by gathering ice during the winter. So it makes sense that Australia, which doesn’t have much natural ice, became a hotbed for new refrigeration ideas.
RE: Fact #22 (Irradiated Fruits from Gamma Gardens) – Heads up! Grapefruit has stuff in it that messes with how a bunch of medicines work. This is a big deal if you’re taking meds to keep your body from rejecting something, like a transplant. Always double-check your meds before you eat any grapefruit.
Thanks for the heads up!
RE: Fact #11 (AC Invented to Combat Humidity) – It’s basically made to dry out the air, which makes perfect sense.
RE: Fact #2 (Car Escape Tools Ineffective) – It’s a good idea to test those windshield wipers before you actually need them, just in case.
That’s a dumb idea, you’ll just end up with a busted window. Just find a car in the Walmart lot that’s like yours and test it out instead.
Even better if they have a package or backpack in the back!
RE: Fact #21 (TV Remote Control Origins) – I probably would’ve just sat closer to the TV. It’s so cool how some people come up with way more creative solutions to problems.
My dad used to say, “Let’s see who can change the channel the fastest!” We were little kids back then, before we even had a TV with a remote.
RE: Fact #42 (Cumming’s Flush Toilet Innovation) – My parents totally adored him. They’d fight over who got to be him when they played pretend!
RE: Fact #19 (Peanut Butter for Toothless) – It wasn’t invented by George Washington Carver.
RE: Fact #33 (Prehistoric and Warcraft Group Size) – Kanucknuk and Putek, chill out on the mammoth hunt. And Erguk, for the love of everything holy, you’re supposed to be healing with Bushlugg! So act like it, okay? I don’t want to wait ages for the respawn.
Leroy Jenkins!
He just ran in!
RE: Fact #10 (SUVs and Pickup Trucks Size) – You know, there were tanks of all shapes and sizes in World War II, from the little Italian L3/33 to the giant King Tigers and even the super-heavy Maus.
I’ve looked into it, and it seems like the Maus never actually saw combat. There were two prototypes at a German tank testing place, which the Soviets captured and destroyed some tanks around. But it’s unclear if the Maus actually destroyed them during testing, or if they were destroyed some other way.
RE: Fact #26 (Apples’ Kazakhstan Origins and Variants) – The title’s a bit off. Those flavors are just what they taste like, not unique to wild Kazakh apples. It’s not like you’re eating a Jelly-Belly that tastes like popcorn.
Pretty much anything you eat or drink has tasting notes, and apples are no different.
What’s a tasting note?
He’s probably talking about a subtle strawberry flavor, like a regular sweet and sour apple with a tiny hint of strawberry instead of the whole thing tasting like strawberries.
RE: Fact #20 (Singapore’s Unwanted Independence Story) – It’s kind of weird, right? The King of Bhutan basically shoved democracy down their throats, even though the people weren’t exactly thrilled about it. I mean, you’d think everyone would want more freedom, but apparently not!
RE: Fact #24 (Rodney Mullen’s Skateboarding Innovations) – Rodney Mullen was always coming up with crazy new tricks. He’d be practicing and then BAM! He’d figure out something totally new and then they’d call him up to do it in a competition. He was the first to do it! He might not be the best ever, but he definitely did a ton of things nobody had ever even imagined before.
RE: Fact #30 (Ancient Olympics’ Longevity vs. Modern) – I’m curious about some sports that didn’t make the cut over time.
RE: Fact #35 (Antarctica’s Name and History) – Australia was basically a prison island for criminals, right? Pretty funny they stole the name too!
Turns out my ancestors not only stole land and stuff from the natives but also the name of the whole country. FFS.
Apparently, there were some serious thieves who got shipped off to Australia. They were so good at stealing, they even nabbed the ship they were on in the middle of nowhere! The captain never even knew what happened. And, let’s be honest, Australians are pretty good at stealing hearts these days.
RE: Fact #1 (London’s Tower Bridge: Modern Yet Medieval) – Pictures have been around for ages, like almost two hundred years.
The Tower of London’s been around since the 1100s, though, so it’s all relative.
I was curious about what TV was like when my mom was a kid. Turns out, she was one of the lucky ones who got one of the first handheld video games from Japan. I guess I missed out on that!
It’s crazy how fast technology changes, right? Remember those old TVs that either had sound or picture? My family went for sound so we could hear what was going on while the picture warmed up. And then there was that one kid in the neighborhood who had a Game Boy – he was the coolest.
You don’t mean a Game Boy, right?
RE: Fact #40 (Hollywood’s Independent Filmmaker Origins) – Edison was a real jerk. He totally ripped off George Méliès, a French genius who made the first science fiction film, based on a Jules Verne novel. Edison bribed a distributor in Algeria to copy the film and showed it in the US, making a ton of money without giving Méliès any credit.
This just adds another reason to the list of why Edison was a jerk.
Edison was a master at getting things done, whatever the task.
Yeah, people know about that now. Tesla’s been making a comeback, even though he’s a bit out there.
Bob’s Burgers totally gave me the lowdown on that Edison dude. You should watch it, it’s hilarious.
RE: Fact #46 (Modern Samaritans’ Ancient Judaism) – This story is about a lawyer who tries to trick Jesus by asking who his neighbor is. Jesus tells him a story about a guy who gets robbed and left for dead. A priest and a Levite pass him by, but a Samaritan helps him. The lawyer gets the point and Jesus tells him to go and do the same.
RE: Fact #37 (Blue Whale’s Size Record) – Dinosaurs were land animals, so they had to carry their own weight. That means there’s a limit to how big they could get.
RE: Fact #32 (1930s Hoodie Invention by Champion) – I’d rather have a sweater that says Knickerbocker Knitter Company than one that says Champion.
KKC is like the KKK, but spelled correctly.
Yeah, that name is pretty classic.
RE: Fact #1 (London’s Tower Bridge: Modern Yet Medieval) – I remember seeing it in a movie with Jude Law.
RE: Fact #17 (Heart and Lung Transplants Pioneer) – Vladimir Demikhov, a Soviet scientist, was a real pioneer in the field of transplantation. From the 1930s to the 1950s, he performed some amazing surgeries on animals, including the very first heart, lung, heart-lung, and liver transplants. He’s probably best known for his two-headed dog surgeries – he did 24 of them, with the most famous being the one involving Brodyaga, a German Shepherd, and Shavka, a smaller dog.
The surgery involved taking Shavka’s head and neck and attaching it to Brodyaga’s body, with Shavka’s lower body removed. The surgery took about 3 1/2 hours and the two-headed dog was able to hear, see, smell, and swallow with both heads. But because Shavka’s head wasn’t connected to Brodyaga’s stomach, anything she drank just went out through a tube. Unfortunately, the dog only lived for 4 days because of a problem with a vein in its neck.
Demikhov’s work was controversial. A lot of people in the Soviet Union thought his surgeries were unethical, and it took a while for news of his work to reach the West. Even though he was criticized, he was also recognized as a true innovator, both in Russia and around the world. He was definitely ahead of his time.
This guy was like a wizard, messing around with magic, and he ended up changing the whole world.
RE: Fact #36 (Bloodletting’s Modern Medical Use) – Treating hemochromatosis is a little less dramatic. It’s mostly just donating a pint of blood regularly, and it’s way safer than the old method of bleeding people dry in a few days.
You’ve got too much blood in your system. We’ll thin it out so it’s healthier.
RE: Fact #6 (Traditional Katana Forging Requirement) – It’s hilarious how people talk about “superior Japanese metalworking.” Seriously, their steel is so bad they had to do all that extra work just to make a decent katana! I’m not bashing Japanese metalworkers, the joke’s on the terrible iron, not them.
RE: Fact #47 (Halsted’s Residency Program Innovations) – I’m a surgical resident, and things are pretty rough. We’re working crazy hours, like 80 to 100 hours every week. We’re constantly on 28-hour shifts, every three days, and often end up responsible for tons of patients overnight without any sleep. It’s so bad that some programs even pay for an Uber to take us home after a shift, which basically means they know we’re too tired to drive but still expect us to be in charge of people’s lives. I think it’s crazy that pilots have strict limits on how long they can work, but doctors don’t.
I’m shocked this hasn’t gotten more attention, especially during the pandemic. We haven’t gotten any overtime pay, hazard pay, or even the option to leave if we want to practice medicine somewhere else. We don’t get weekends or holidays off, and we’re only guaranteed four days off a month. We don’t get maternity leave. Oh, and we’re paid basically minimum wage with an average of $200,000 in student loan debt.
The worst part is we have no power. Before we even know where we’ll be living for the next few years, we have to sign a contract. We could be separated from our families with little say in the matter, just to get a job in our specialty. If we leave, it could really hurt our future career. It’s crazy, but the medical residency system was given an antitrust exemption in 2004 because it violates labor laws. Now, doctors have one of the highest suicide rates in the country, twice the rate of the general population. That’s almost one doctor every day.
We give up the best years of our lives trying to help people, but we get treated terribly in the process. Medical residency is inhumane, and it’s a huge part of the reason we have a doctor shortage, unhappy patients, and problems with the US healthcare system.
It’s not like this is something new, you know? People have been saying nothing about this for a while. It’s been a thing.
Residency isn’t the only disaster going on in healthcare right now. Paramedicine is another big one, and there are major problems with admin being completely disconnected from the medical field.
Our EMS system is in really bad shape, with low pay, awful working conditions, and things not being consistent across the country.
RE: Fact #45 (Argentina’s Wealth and Downturn) – Argentina’s super interesting! I read that a big chunk of the population is Italian, thanks to a lot of people moving there from Italy.
It sounds like they’re speaking Italian, but it’s actually Spanish.
The local sign language also has that hand gesture.
It was a super popular spot for Italian fascists. Argentine Spanish is totally influenced by Italian.
You’re right, but that’s not why so many Italians live there.
Argentina was a popular spot for fascists, since it had a ton of Italian influence.
If you meet someone with an Italian last name and a Spanish first name, there’s a good chance they’re from Argentina.
Diego Simeone, Javier Zanetti… those are a couple of names that jump out.
Alexis Mac Allister
My wife is from Argentina, and her name is totally Italian, but her last name is German. She always thought she was German, but we got her a DNA test, and it turns out she’s mostly Italian and Jewish.
RE: Fact #21 (TV Remote Control Origins) – It’s been ages since I watched regular TV, but didn’t those stations all get together and do the same commercial breaks? I know radio stations definitely did that.
RE: Fact #34 (Benefits of Modern Roundabouts) – Even when the power’s out, traffic’s still going strong.
They’re also better for neighborhoods, since they help stop people from speeding to catch every single green light.
That’s why they’re popping up in lots of new places around here. But in your typical big-city grid, they’re not as great for those main roads. The timed lights can handle a ton more traffic. I’m stoked they’re getting more popular, but some folks act like we should just put them everywhere. They take up a lot of space, though, which can be a pain in some areas, especially places that are already built up.
RE: Fact #50 (Jerry Can’s WWII Adoption) – Those names are pretty lame, honestly.
RE: Fact #48 (Golf Balls’ Dimples Effect) – The Mythbusters guys golf dimpled a car, and it actually helped with fuel economy! Weird that nothing came of it after all this time.
People are suckers for a sweet ride. They’ll drop more cash for looks than how well it actually works.
It makes the car lift up, which makes it harder to grip the road. Ever seen those big spoilers on cars? They do the opposite, pushing the car down for better grip. Most cars with spoilers don’t go fast enough to really need them though.
So, you know how dimples make a ball go farther? It’s all about the air. They create little swirls that help the air move past the ball easier. It’s kinda like tiny ball bearings, but for air.
That same idea works on cars too, helping them cut through the wind. But it won’t make the car fly, because that’s about the shape of the car, not just the surface.
Here’s the thing, though. Dimples don’t always help. At super slow speeds, they don’t really do much. It’s only when you really start to crank up the speed that they make a big difference.
And even then, there’s a point where too much speed makes dimples bad for your ball. It’s like the air gets really compressed, and the dimples mess things up. That’s why regular people don’t really need dimples on their golf balls. They just need to hit it hard.
Anyway, putting dimples on cars and airplanes isn’t really a good idea. Cars would get all dusty, and airplanes need smooth surfaces to get rid of ice.
It’s a pretty cool topic though, and there’s a lot more to it than just dimples!
RE: Fact #4 (Fruit Sweetness Surpasses Zoo Limits) – So, I went to the zoo once and they told me they only give the gorillas watermelon like, once in a blue moon because of all the sugar. The thing they really love, though? Pinecones with yellow mustard squirted in the cracks. Those gorillas go bananas for them!
I wonder if the gorillas ate the whole cone or just the mustard and pine nuts?
Who on earth thought gorillas liked pinecones with mustard? That Gordon Ramsay zookeeper is crazy!
RE: Fact #5 (Japanese Vocabulary’s Chinese Roots) – It cracks me up when people are surprised by that. You mean China, being the first big civilization in the East, influenced everyone else?
The Japanese Yamato people came from China, so it makes sense their cultures are similar.
The Ainu were already there before the Yamato arrived— China kind of took over like England did.
In the 1800s, they even had special schools where they forced the Ainu to give up their beliefs and speak Japanese. It’s pretty messed up.
Funny thing is, England was colonized three times— almost all of their original culture is gone, except for the Cornish language which is barely hanging on.
England’s name actually comes from the Angles, who conquered the land. Before that, the Celtic people living there were called Britons by the Romans.
Westerners don’t really know much about China’s history besides it being really long. They’re much more exposed to Japan and often assume everything similar is from Japan.
RE: Fact #7 (Victim-Activated Land Mines History) – These so-called ‘Confederates’ weren’t just trying to break up the country to keep people enslaved, they also came up with a truly awful weapon to use against their own people. Real nice bunch, huh?
Landmines are seriously powerful weapons. Even if the Confederates hadn’t made them, they would’ve been around by World War 1 for sure.
RE: Fact #38 (De Beers and Engagement Rings) – Ever tried selling a diamond?
I always post this when this subject comes up.
It’s like trying to get rid of a Zod rune. It’s super rare, but it’s only useful in one runeword.
RE: Fact #14 (Australia’s WWII Logistics Legacy) – Turns out there’s a whole group that runs the pallet world.
I was pretty surprised to find out how much thought actually goes into all that stuff.
When Brexit finally kicked in and they started checking food imports, it turned out UK pallets weren’t good enough for the EU. They’d been allowed before because of some special deal, but now they had to use pallets that met these super specific rules about the wood, mold, bug spray, all that jazz.
The problem was, the UK hadn’t gotten any of these new pallets ready, so there was a huge mess trying to get everything sorted out.
It’s pretty crazy!
RE: Fact #42 (Cumming’s Flush Toilet Innovation) – My friend’s dad had a super old toilet, like a real Thomas Crapper, on their family farm. The house was built way back in the late 1800s or early 1900s. The funny thing is, they never actually used it because it had this huge 10-gallon flush.
Is “Cummer” actually a better way to say “Crapper”?
RE: Fact #18 (Bikini Controversies and Debut) – I’ve got an idea for our next beach trip!
Ban her in Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Australia so you can travel there without worrying.
He was just kidding, he meant to blend her into a smoothie and pour it through the wedding ring.
RE: Fact #37 (Blue Whale’s Size Record) – That image in the source totally flipped my understanding of things! I guess I always just assumed dinosaurs were enormous.
RE: Fact #50 (Jerry Can’s WWII Adoption) – If you have one of those new Jeeps with the LED lights, the taillights are shaped like a jerrycan.
RE: Fact #27 (Great Vowel Shift’s Language Impact) – I’m glad they didn’t call it the Great Vowel Movement.
RE: Fact #45 (Argentina’s Wealth and Downturn) – You know how they say some countries are developed, some are developing, and then there’s Japan and Argentina? Argentina’s kind of a weird case. They’ve got a lot going for them, but things haven’t quite worked out.
Still, they’re still having enough kids to replace the population, and if they get things sorted out, they could become a really popular place for people to move to in the future. We’ll see what happens.
Why do people say Japan and Argentina are so different?
Japan’s had its ups and downs, going from pretty poor to super rich a few times, like in the 1930s and 1980s. These days, though, their economy’s been stuck in a rut for the past 30 years. Imagine, they used to be the fastest-growing economy in the world from the 60s to the 80s!
RE: Fact #48 (Golf Balls’ Dimples Effect) – Spinning the ball backward makes the air move faster over the top, which helps it fly higher, just like a wing. But they’re way harder to control. If the spin isn’t perfect, the ball curves way off.
Dimples kinda scoop up the air and push it towards the back of the ball. This makes the air pressure at the back stronger, so there’s less drag pulling it back. It can cut drag by half compared to a smooth ball! A dimpled ball can fly three times as far as a smooth one.
RE: Fact #29 (Icelandic Language’s Ancient Continuity) – Icelandic is basically like Old English, but 1,000 years older.
RE: Fact #6 (Traditional Katana Forging Requirement) – It makes sense that they want to keep the old ways alive by licensing sword smiths. So it’s fair that they want to make sure you’re actually good at it to get licensed.
Germany’s all about beer, and Italy’s all about cheese.
Licensing is basically a way to keep other companies from competing. This law came about when the old-school sword makers started losing sales to the new guys.
But, someone pointed out that this isn’t really true. And the whole thing about everything being a lie is totally off base. Don’t believe everything you read on factrepublic!
RE: Fact #38 (De Beers and Engagement Rings) – De Beers is totally a marketing genius, right? They basically invented the whole engagement ring thing, and they made everyone think diamonds are super rare and worth all that money. Actually, the US government wasn’t too happy about their price fixing scheme and banned De Beers executives from the country.
RE: Fact #34 (Benefits of Modern Roundabouts) – Roundabouts are way safer, they can cut crashes, injuries, and deaths by a ton. But some people just hate them, no matter what the facts say. Whenever there’s talk of building one near me, these people just pop up and start complaining in the newspaper.
RE: Fact #35 (Antarctica’s Name and History) – Back in the day, the south pole was known as Terra Australis, sometimes called “Australia” like in this old book from 1545. Even though the fancy Latin name was more popular, people in Europe started calling the southern land “Australia”.
Then in the 1800s, the folks running Sydney decided to change the name of New Holland. Instead of making up a new name, they just stole the name “Australia” from the south pole, leaving it nameless for a long time. Geographers were stuck using awkward names like “the Antarctic Continent” for a while. They tried to come up with something better, like Ultima or Antipodea, but in the end, they settled on Antarctica in the 1890s.
Who knows? If the Australians hadn’t taken the name, maybe kangaroos would be hopping around Antarctica today!
It’s kind of funny, everyone thinks Antarctica was “discovered,” but it’s more like they figured out it was there and then went and found it. They thought there was a big land down south, called it Terra Australis, and then ended up finding Australia instead.
It’s weird how they just shortened “Terra Australis” to “Australia”, but couldn’t come up with a shorter name for “the Antarctic Continent”.
RE: Fact #24 (Rodney Mullen’s Skateboarding Innovations) – He’s right up there with Gretzky, in my book.
He’s totally got the skills in flatland and freestyle, and Tony Hawk’s amazing in vert, they’re definitely the best skaters ever.
RE: Fact #39 (Britain’s Everlasting Empire Illusion) – It’s pretty cool that the people living on Pitcairn Island are all related to the Bounty mutineers.
RE: Fact #31 (Australia’s First Commercial Refrigerator) – Bob Hawke, who later became Prime Minister of Australia, made it into the Guinness Book of Records back in ’54 for downing two and a half pints of beer in just eleven seconds. Sir John Robertson, who was Premier of New South Wales five times, supposedly drank a whole pint of rum every morning for 35 years, and said that none of the country’s leaders were teetotalers. Australians drink an average of 83 liters of beer each year.
That’s like drinking a little less than a cup of water a day.
RE: Fact #20 (Singapore’s Unwanted Independence Story) – That’s definitely something they’d share on their National Day.
Probably someone checking out Wikipedia’s “On this day” page.
RE: Fact #14 (Australia’s WWII Logistics Legacy) – John Frum’s gonna come back someday and make Australia totally modern.
RE: Fact #41 (Artificial Light’s Sleep Impact) – So, why do I sleep for like 11 hours every day?
Maybe try starting earlier? Like, if you start drinking at noon, you can spread it out more and not get hammered so fast.
RE: Fact #48 (Golf Balls’ Dimples Effect) – Soaking in a cold bath supposedly makes your testicles shrink, and some people think that helps them run faster without clothes.
Absolutely
RE: Fact #41 (Artificial Light’s Sleep Impact) – It’s crazy how obvious this isn’t, right? Go camping and use only firelight. You’ll be crashing by the time the sun goes down, and there’s not much to do in the dark.
RE: Fact #5 (Japanese Vocabulary’s Chinese Roots) – There’s a whole lot more to it than just that. You know, Chinese culture has really shaped a lot of what we see in Japan today. It’s a long and complicated story, for sure.
RE: Fact #47 (Halsted’s Residency Program Innovations) – Halsted’s life in New York went downhill fast, and he was in and out of rehab. He got hooked on morphine to try and quit cocaine.
RE: Fact #22 (Irradiated Fruits from Gamma Gardens) – My father-in-law actually came up with a new kind of red grapefruit, the Texas Red, by using radiation.
That’s awesome! Did they talk about him in the article?
He should call his replacement Grapefruit Big Iron.
RE: Fact #3 (Currency Protection in Modern Tech) – Back when I was a kid, my dad made me go to work with him on a Saturday. This was waaaay before smartphones or anything like that, just books.
I was super bored so I wandered around the office and found a color copier. It didn’t take long to figure out how to make a perfect copy of a dollar bill, front and back. My dad showed up and went ballistic when he saw what I’d done, which cost him a grand. Good news is, I never had to go back to his office on a Saturday.
I remember when was a kid at my grandpa’s shop, we’d copy money, color it in, and laminate it so we could play with it. I’m cracking up thinking about how a modern copier would totally snitch on us!
Yeah, that’s totally something I would have done.
If I was a little kid and wanted to copy money, I’d probably try a $100 bill. It’s just bigger, you know? But then I realized, most kids don’t even see $100 bills. It’s normal for us adults, but not for them. And, parents wouldn’t give their kids that much money anyway.
Back in the day when colour copiers were new, they cost a fortune per copy. Your dad could have been in for a real shock.
The problem basically solves itself.
RE: Fact #20 (Singapore’s Unwanted Independence Story) – Singapore really wanted to be independent after World War II, but things were tough. We needed help, so we joined Malaysia in 1963. But Malaysia kicked us out in 1965, partly because of racial tensions and fear of communism. It was a really tough time for Singapore, we were pretty much a third-world country with no money or resources. Our prime minister said we were in a bad spot, so it felt like we got independence against our will.
RE: Fact #24 (Rodney Mullen’s Skateboarding Innovations) – Rodney Mullen is the absolute best. Here’s a bunch of tricks he invented:
Godzilla rail flip, 540 shove-it, 50/50 Saran wrap, 50/50 Casper, Helipop, Gazelle flip, No-handed 50/50, No-handed 50/50 kickflip, Kick flip, Heel flip, Double heelflip, Impossible, Sidewinder, 360 flip, Switch 360 flip, 360 pressure flip, Casper 360 flip, Half-cab kickflip, 50/50 sidewinder, One-footed ollie, Backside flip, Ollie Nosebone, Ollie finger flip, Ollie Airwalk, Frontside heel flip shove-it, Helipop heel flip, Kickflip underflip, Half-cab kickflip underflip, Casper slide, Half flip darkslide, Handstand flips.
RE: Fact #44 (Tonga’s Unique Court Jester) – The Jester’s story is pretty interesting too. He was a financial advisor for Tonga and got caught up in a big mess. He got accused of mismanaging a ton of money and ended up in a lawsuit.
RE: Fact #23 (Spotting Fake Rolexes Challenge) – Yeah, the fakes are still pretty expensive. But, what’s really wild is that these super-realistic fakes don’t come cheap. The fake Daytona still sets you back over a grand, but for that price, you’re actually getting a solid watch that keeps time almost as well as the real thing. And you’re saving a ton of money!
Yeah, it’s pretty accurate, like a real Rolex.
But seriously, a cheap Timex is way more reliable. Those fancy mechanical watches are terrible at keeping time.
You can get a cheap quartz watch for ten bucks that’ll keep better time than a ten-grand Rolex. Mechanical watches are cool, but they just can’t match quartz for accuracy.
RE: Fact #49 (Plate Tectonics Acceptance Milestone) – That’s pretty wild! I learned that today watching PBS Eons.
RE: Fact #29 (Icelandic Language’s Ancient Continuity) – So, you know how the Beowulf manuscript starts? It’s all about the Spear-Danes and their kings, all those years ago.
It’s not as bad as it seems. If you replace the words with their modern equivalents and rearrange them a bit, it’s actually quite understandable. “Hwat!” is just a fancy way of saying “What!”. “Gar-Dena” is just “Spear-Danes”, “year-dagum” is “yore-days”, and “theod-cyninga” is “people-kings”. So, the first line basically means, “What! We Spear-Danes in yore-days of people-kings’ glory heard…” The rest of the line is just as straightforward. You might be surprised at how much Old English is still recognizable in modern English!
Wow, the Gar-Dena people back in the day, they were strong and brave. They were always up for a challenge.
RE: Fact #5 (Japanese Vocabulary’s Chinese Roots) – Ancient Chinese culture was a big deal in East Asia, just like Greek and Roman culture was in Europe.
It’s no surprise that a lot of words in romance languages come from Latin.
Indian culture is super influential in South Asia.
So, the Romance languages are just Latin that’s kept changing. Those words weren’t “based from Latin,” they were already there and just changed a bit in different languages. Of course, they’ve borrowed words from Latin for fancy stuff.
English is different, though. It’s not a Romance language but it has a ton of Latin words. That’s because the Romans, the Normans, and French rulers all used Latin. Plus, Latin was the language of learning and science during the Renaissance and Enlightenment, so we got a bunch of those words too.
RE: Fact #33 (Prehistoric and Warcraft Group Size) – Finding 6 people to play Overwatch together who can actually work as a team? Forget it.
RE: Fact #28 (Texas’ “New Philippines” History) – It’s named after King Philip, not the country. The country was named after a different King Philip.
That’s about as creative as naming your kid Alexander the Great.
RE: Fact #2 (Car Escape Tools Ineffective) – Imagine being stuck in a sinking car, thinking “I never thought I’d need this,” but then realizing you have a window breaker. You start smashing the window, but it won’t break, and you’re going down…
RE: Fact #15 (Cruise Control Invented by Teetor) – It’s super annoying when people on the highway are constantly speeding up and slowing down, making me keep fiddling with my cruise control.
Adaptive cruise control is a must-have. It’s super convenient! I mean, it automatically keeps your car a safe distance from the one in front of you. So cool.
Adaptive cruise would be great, but wouldn’t people just cut in front of you in heavy traffic?
RE: Fact #7 (Victim-Activated Land Mines History) – The Civil War was a real game-changer, you know? It was like the first modern war, with railroads for moving stuff around, crazy combinations of new weapons and old tactics, and even the first iron ships and submarines.
The fighting around Vicksburg was brutal.
RE: Fact #39 (Britain’s Everlasting Empire Illusion) – The British Empire never went to sleep, because God didn’t trust them in the dark.
RE: Fact #17 (Heart and Lung Transplants Pioneer) – Those dog heads were always snapping at each other, if I remember right.
I saw a picture of him holding out a dish of water for the animal to drink. It was totally messed up.
RE: Fact #21 (TV Remote Control Origins) – Very Inriguing