1Tokyo's Binless Mystery
Tokyo's lack of public bins can be attributed to the Tokyo subway sarin attack.
2. In the 1700s, aristocrats began consuming tomatoes, although they harbored a belief that the fruits were poisonous because some people fell ill after consuming them. In reality, the acidity of the tomatoes reacted with the lead in their pewter plates, leading to lead poisoning and their subsequent deaths.
3. In certain parts of the Ruhr region in Germany, the ground has subsided by up to 30 meters (12 meters on average) due to extensive mining activities. Cities continuously run pumps to prevent flooding. If the pumps were ever halted, allowing the groundwater level to rise naturally, the homes of millions of people would be at risk of flooding.
4. During World War II, the U.S. Army devised four fictitious armies and more than 20 fake divisions, complete with insignia and fabricated documents, to confound and mislead the Germans.
5. A 2020 study revealed a connection between one's taste perception and their ethnicity and gender. Asians tend to experience taste more intensely, often being "supertasters" with a heightened sensitivity to compounds like 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and exhibiting thermal taste. In contrast, Caucasians generally exhibit lower sensitivity to these factors.
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15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Dental Hub "Molar City"
The town of Los Algodones, Mexico, situated on the United States border, boasts a population of over 350 dentists who cater to American visitors seeking affordable dental care, earning the town the moniker "Molar City."
7. Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker survived a plane crash in which four out of six occupants perished. The other survivor was DJ AM.
8. The Inca Empire boasted a messenger system so swift that it could deliver a message spanning over 300 km (190 miles) in a single day, thanks to a network of elite runners known as "chasquis." It was so efficient that even in Cuzco, hundreds of kilometers away from the sea, the Inca ruler could enjoy fresh fish.
9. The excessive number of turkeys offered to presidents on Thanksgiving surprised President Calvin Coolidge. He temporarily suspended the tradition until 1925, when he was presented with a live raccoon named 'Rebecca.' He declined to consume her and instead kept her as a pet at the White House.
10. The renowned B-movie director and cross-dresser Ed Wood served in the U.S. Marines during WWII. He later expressed greater concern about being wounded than killed because a combat medic might discover him wearing a pink bra and panties beneath his uniform during the Battle of Tarawa.
11U.S. Port Goods Requirement
The Merchant Marine Act of 1920 mandates that all goods transported between U.S. ports must be built in the U.S., bear the U.S. flag, and be owned and operated by U.S. citizens.
12. Philosopher Mencius, also known as Mengzi, was a Chinese philosopher of the Confucian school who lived during the Warring States period in the 4th century BCE. He relocated three times during his childhood as his mother sought a suitable environment. When they lived near a cemetery, his mother found him conducting burials. After residing near a market, he pretended to be a merchant. Ultimately, his mother moved him to a school, where he pursued his studies.
13. Bonus tracks are occasionally concealed after several minutes of silence on records or CDs.
14. The average adult human brain can store the equivalent of 2.5 million gigabytes of memory.
15. Vinegar isn't added to sushi rice solely for flavor; it also serves to inhibit the growth of harmful pathogens.
16Three Stooges Underpayment
During the 23 years that The Three Stooges worked for Columbia Pictures, they were repeatedly informed that their show was not performing well, resulting in them being severely underpaid.
17. The Roman public baths known as the Thermae were abundant and immensely popular, to the extent that senators aspiring to become a Tribune would cover all the admission fees for public access on their birthdays to gain fame. The Thermae also featured a gym equipped with weights and discus for throwing.
18. Gold is remarkably malleable, capable of being flattened to a thickness of .0001 inches, or three microns, in contrast to the average thickness of a sheet of paper, which is approximately .004 inches.
19. In 2019, Toyota released nearly 24,000 of their patents for royalty-free use, including patents related to modern electric and hybrid vehicle technology.
20. Airports employ ultrahigh-pressure washing trucks to remove rubber residue from runways. When an aircraft lands, the tires are not spinning and create drag, resulting in a puff of smoke. The accumulated friction causes the rubber to polymerize and harden, necessitating periodic removal.
21Avenue Victor Hugo Origin
Avenue Victor Hugo in Paris, named after the famous French author, was christened while he was still alive and residing on that very avenue. Victor Hugo playfully received mail addressed to him as "Victor Hugo, en son avenue," meaning "Victor Hugo, in his avenue."
22. The well-known chemical brand WD-40 derives its name from "Water Displacement-40," signifying the 40th attempt to develop an effective solution for water displacement, originally intended for aeronautics.
23. In a study, researchers discovered that intense sweetness can be more addictive than cocaine. When rats were given the choice between water sweetened with saccharin and intravenous cocaine, a significant majority (94%) preferred the sweet taste of saccharin.
24. At the Council of Nicea in 325 AD, a priest named Arius proposed a heretical belief so strong that he was punched by St. Nicholas, also known as Santa Claus. Legend has it that Arius later died from rectal prolapse, excreting parts of his organs.
25. The MS Hans Hedtoft, which was on her maiden voyage's return leg in 1959, was the last ship to hit an iceberg and suffer a fatality. She sank in four hours, resulting in the loss of all 95 people on board.
