Demystifying World: 70 Reasons Why Things Are the Way They Are

The reason why Neanderthals are often depicted as hunched over and degenerate is due to the first discovered Neanderthal skeleton being arthritic.

2. The reason why there are fewer fireflies today is that one-third of North American firefly species are at risk of extinction, with some already being listed as "Critically Endangered."

3. The reason why Sherlock Holmes adaptations often portray him as cold and unemotional is that the Conan Doyle Estate owns the rights to later stories in which Holmes displays empathy and warmth, and they will take legal action against depictions that use these character traits.

4. The reason why Lyndon B. Johnson did not seek re-election was due to a study he commissioned that predicted his death at age 64, potentially preventing him from completing a second term. True enough, he passed away at 64, two days after what would have been the end of his second term.

5. The reason why hurricanes and cyclones are given human names is that the original meteorologist to name them, Clement Wragge, used the names of politicians he disliked to convey the idea that they were "causing great distress" or "wandering aimlessly."

In The Blair Witch Project, the reason why the witch is never shown on camera is that the cameraman forgot to pan to the left.

7. The reason why clocks run clockwise is that in the Northern Hemisphere, this is the direction in which sundials cast a shadow.

8. One reason why Greenland is considered the largest island and Australia is not considered an island, despite being entirely surrounded by water, is because Greenland is part of the North American plate, while Australia has its own separate tectonic plate.

9. The reason why NASA (and later the Russians) use specialized space pens instead of pencils in space is that pencil graphite is conductive and can cause short circuits and fires. These pens have been used since the Apollo era and are still in use on the ISS today.

10. The reason why many cartoons from the 1990s had an educational message for kids is that the 1991 "Children's Television Act" required children's TV programs to serve the "educational and informational" needs of children.

The reason why Ancient Greek male statues are depicted with small penises is that they were symbolic of the ideals of male beauty at that time, which emphasized youthfulness, strength, and modesty, and large penises were considered vulgar and associated with savagery and evil spirits.

12. The reason why pubs in England have such weird names dates back to medieval times when most people were illiterate but could recognize symbols, which is why they were given names like Boot and Castle or Fox and Hound.

13. The reason why Kinder Surprise eggs are illegal in the U.S. is due to the 1937 tragedy, in which over 100 people died from consuming a pharmacy drug containing highly toxic diethylene glycol, leading to the passing of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which made food products containing inedible items illegal.

14. The reason why Wine Coolers dropped in popularity in the USA after the 1980s was because of the 1991 excise tax hike on wine, which raised the tax from $0.17 per gallon to $1.07, making it uneconomical for Wine Cooler makers to produce at a palatable price for buyers.

15. The reason why driving long distances makes you tired is that your body is constantly fighting against the small vibrations caused by the car.

Deficiency in Vitamin D worsens respiratory tract infections, which is one of the reasons why there are fewer flu cases in the summer.

17. The reason why the snowman is sometimes called "abominable" is due to a mistranslation by a journalist; the local name for the creature was "metoh-kangmi," translating to "man-bear snow-man," but was later mistranslated to "filthy" and then changed to "abominable."

18. The reason why there are only two words for "tea" around the world ("tea" and "cha") is due to how tea is transported globally. Areas where tea is traded on land refer to it as "cha," while areas where it is shipped by sea call it "tea."

19. In woodpeckers, most of the energy from pecking that reaches the brain is heat, and the reason why woodpeckers peck in short bursts is to let their brain cool off.

20. The Purkinje Effect says that when the lights go down, our eyes become more sensitive to the blue end of the color spectrum. This is the reason why movie theater chairs are usually red: red is the first color we can't see when the lights go down, which makes it easier to see what's on the screen.

The reason why coffee makes you poop is because caffeine stimulates muscle contractions in the colon and intestinal muscles, leading to an increase in bowel movements.

22. Gastrodiplomacy, which aims to expand the number of international restaurants featuring a country's cuisine, is one of the main reasons why Thai food became so popular in the early 2000s, as the Thai government actively promoted the country's food.

23. The reason why Bill is a short form of William (Will) and Dick is a short form of Richard (Rick) is due to the popularity of rhyming nicknames in the Middle Ages.

24. One of the reasons why Northern Cheyenne reservation traditionalists oppose coal mining on the reservation is that the Cheyenne mystic Sweet Medicine prophesied that mining the "black rock" would bring significant negative changes to the tribe.

25. The reason why we dislike the sound of our recorded voice is because we are used to hearing it through the resonance created by our skull, which gives it more bass and depth, making it sound unfamiliar when played back through a recording.