Travel

Thanks to the internet and the age of statistics, we now know more on every subject than ever before. Some of this information is less useful than others. Here are 50 awesome (although not all that useful) facts about random stuff! 1. Yawning Cools Your Brain Research conducted at the University of Vienna suggests that yawning may play an essential role in cooling down our brains. 2. Penguins Used to Be 6 Feet Tall Those tiny tuxedo birds we know and love today used to be the size of a high school linebacker. According to a 2017 report published in Nature Communications, there’s evidence that extinct Kumimanu biceae penguins once stood close to 6 feet tall and weighed over 200 pounds. And for more crazy truth bombs, here are the 40 Lies Everyone Tells on a Daily Basis. 3. Facebook’s Blue Color Scheme is for Mark Zuckerberg’s Benefit The Facebook founder suffers from red-green colorblindness, and blue is the color he can see best. 4. Picasso Was a Suspect in the Mona Lisa Theft When da Vinci’s masterpiece was stolen in 1911, 30-year-old Pablo Picasso was questioned about its disappearance before being cleared as a suspect. 5. Male Monkeys Will Pay to Look at Female Monkeys Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have discovered that male rhesus macaques will pay—that is, give up their “juice rewards”—to check out the backsides of lady macaques. True story! And for fun trivia, here are 30 Things Americans Do That Foreigners Find Super Weird. 6. Early Pacemakers Had Wall Plugs According to research published in Images in Paediatric Cardiology, pacemakers in the 1950s required patients to be hooked up to wall sockets. Yes, we’ve come a long way. If you don’t believe us, check out What a “Diet” Looked Like 100 Years Ago. 7. Fleas Are Among the World’s Best Jumpers Take that, Olympians! Fleas use their toes and shins to jump, according to researchers at the University of Cambridge, which accounts for why they can spring up to seven vertical inches, more than 80 times their height. 8. Horseshoe Crabs Have Eyes All Over Their Bodies Horseshoe crabs have 10 eyes in total, including ones near their mouth, on the top of their shell, and down their tail. And for more mind-blowing knowledge, here are 20 Facts You Never Knew About Your Own Body. 9. Lenny Kravitz and Al Roker Are Cousins While the mild-mannered weatherman and the rock star may have drastically different demeanors, they’re actually pretty closely related. Roker and Kravitz share a great-great-grandfather. 10. Cheese May Prevent Nightmares According to research conducted by the British Cheese Board, no study subjects reported having nightmares after eating cheese, but blue cheese consumption had a tendency to make dreams a bit odd. And if you want to rest easy tonight, the 20 Nighttime Habits Guaranteed to Help You Sleep Better will help you hit the hay. 11. French Poodles Aren’t French The French Poodle is widely believed to have first been bred in Germany, not France. In fact, the word “poodle” comes from the German word Pudelhund, a combination of words meaning “dog” and “to splash.” And if you want some incentive to bring home a dog of your own, discover the 15 Amazing Benefits of Adopting a Pet! 12. Night Owls Tend to Be Smarter Than Early Birds Feel bad that you’re never well-rested enough to head out for a jog before the sun’s up? Don’t be. In fact, research published in Personality and Individual Differences suggests that night owls tend to have higher IQs than early risers. 13. Every Dutch Police Car Has a Teddy Bear in It Dutch Police carry teddy bears with them on the job in case they need to help out a traumatized child. 14. There’s a Patron Saint for Dentists Saint Apollonia is the patron saint of dentists and tooth problems. 15. Hawaiian Pizza is Canadian That pineapple-ham concoction named after America’s most scenic state was reportedly invented in Ontario in 1962. 16. The World’s Longest Fingernails Measure Over Two Feet Long Ayanna Williams, a resident of Houston, TX, hasn’t cut her fingernails in 23 years, and they now measure between 24 and 26 inches each. 17. A Shrimp’s Heart Is in Its Head A shrimp exoskeleton is divided into two distinct parts: one that contains its head and the other that the latter part of its body, including the tail. The shrimp’s heart is located in the former section, behind its face and stomach. 18. 750 Million People Tuned Into Charles and Diana’s Wedding The 1981 wedding was watched by more than double the number of people who tuned in for the Friends, Cheers, Seinfeld, and M*A*S*H finales combined. 19. Three Presidents Have Died on July 4th John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, and James Monroe all passed away on Independence Day. 20. A Blue Whale’s Heart is More Than 5 Feet Long It can weigh upwards of 400 pounds. 21. The World’s Largest Pumpkin Weighs More Than a Sports Car In 2016, Belgian native Mathias Willemijns set a new world record for growing the biggest pumpkin. The massive pumpkin weighed in at 2624.6 pounds—that’s 129.6 pounds more than an Alfa Romeo 4C sports car. And if you’re looking for a great ride (pumpkin-sized or not), check out our picks for the best new cars for 2018. 22. Barry Manilow Wrote the State Farm Jingle In addition to co-writing hits like “Copacabana,” Barry Manilow has authored a number of famous jingles. This includes the iconic “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” jingle and the classic, “I am stuck on Band-Aid brand ‘cause Band-Aid’s stuck on me.” And for more great fun facts, check out the 20 slang terms from the 1970s no one uses anymore. 23. Mr. Clean’s Name Changes Around the Globe In Germany, he’s Meister Proper, and in Spain, he’s Don Limpio. 24. Goats Have Unique Accents Their voices may sound largely the same to humans, but goats actually have distinct accents, according to researchers at Queen Mary University. 25. The World’s Oldest Tortoise is Twice as Old as Queen Elizabeth Jonathan, a Seychelles giant tortoise living on Saint Helena in the South Atlantic, is thought to be 183 years old. That makes him more than twice as old as Queen Elizabeth, who clocks in at 91. 26. 350 Slices of Pizza Sell Every Second in America To keep up with demand, approximately 17 percent of all American restaurants are pizzerias. 27. Ernest Hemingway’s Former Home is Overrun With Cats The famed author’s former home in Key West, Florida, is home to 54 cats. Hemingway was particularly fond of polydactyl cats, and these largely make up the population at Ernest Hemingway House today. And if you’re a cat person like Papa, check out the 20 amazing facts you never knew about your favorite feline. 28. Otters Hold Hands Otters like to keep close company, even in the water. Not only do otters link arms to avoid floating away from one another, the Asian small-clawed otter mates for life. And to win over your own lifetime partner, make sure you’re well-acquainted with the 20 Compliments Men Can’t Resist. 29. The Slinky Was Created by Accident Inventor Richard James, a naval engineer, was trying to create a spring that could help stabilize equipment on boats in choppy waters. However, his spring’s ability to move seemingly on its own proved more interesting and became the prototype for the Slinky in 1943. More than 300 million Slinkys have been sold since it hit the market in 1945. 30. Ketchup Used to Be Considered a Medicine In the 1800s, ketchup was sold as medicine and was even made into pill form to rid people of stomach ailments. 31. Polar Bears Don’t Have White Skin or Fur That white fur polar bears seem to sport is actually two layers of clear fur that appear white to the human eye. Underneath that coat, their skin is actually black. 32. A Sneeze Sounds Different Around the World While people in English-speaking countries tend to say “achoo” and French-speaking countries go with the similar sounding “atchoum,” Germans say “hatschi” and the Japanese say “hakshun.” And for more great trivia, here are the 30 major city names you’re pronouncing all wrong. 33. Barbie Has a Full Name Barbie’s full name is Barbara Millicent Roberts. Ken’s full name is Kenneth Carson. 34. T-Mobile Owns the Color Magenta The brand trademarked the color and a Texas judge ruled that similar colors, even with different names, can’t be used by other telecom companies. 35. The Spanish National Anthem Has No Lyrics Spain’s national anthem,“Marcha Real,” or “Royal March,” doesn’t have any official lyrics. It was written as a military march, and as such, was not intended to be sung. 36. A Cat’s Ear Has 32 Muscles If you’ve ever wondered how your cat seems to hear every little noise from rooms away, blame it on their highly-developed ears. A cat’s ear contains 32 muscles, some of which account for their aural aptitude, providing their ears with a wide range of motion to detect sound. 37. A Million Earths Would Fit Inside the Sun If the sun were hollow, you could fit a million Piles of earth inside it. 38. The Vatican’s ATMs Are in Latin Let’s hope you were paying attention in high school if you’re going to visit the Pope. 39. Spotted Skunks Do Handstands Unfortunately, this cute little dance only happens before it sprays you, so get out of there ASAP. 40. There’s a Town in Western New York Populated by Psychics Lily Dale, a town an hour southwest of Buffalo, New York, has a population of just 275, virtually all of whom are psychics and other spiritualists. 41. Female Lions Do More Hunting Than Males Take that, gender roles. Female lions tend to be the primary hunters in their pride, while male lions tend to enjoy the leftovers from the female lions’ hard work. 42. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights Was Originally a Political Movie The script the unpopular Dirty Dancing sequel was based on was originally a political romance. Written by NPR’s Peter Sagal, the original script was called Cuba Mine and told the story of the romance between a Cuban revolutionary and an American teen in the 1950s. Welcome to Hollywood, where a script for a political period piece can be transformed into a romantic dance-movie sequel. 43. San Francisco is Mostly Water The 232 square miles that make up this Bay Area city are 80 percent water, 20 percent land. 44. Shakespeare Popularized the Name Jessica Jessica, one of the most popular names in America for the better part of the 1980s and 1990s, was actually coined by Shakespeare. The first instance of the common spelling of this name comes from The Merchant of Venice, written by the bard in the late 1500s. 45. There is a Hot Pink Lake in Australia Western Australia’s Lake Hillier has a naturally-occurring pink hue. While scientists aren’t entirely sure why this is, it’s likely that it has to do with the carotenoid pigments produced by microalgae in the water. 46. Stephen King Bought the Automobile That Nearly Killed Him Prolific horror writer Stephen King laughed death in the face when he purchased the van that hit and nearly killed him. “We’ve got the van, and I’m going to take a sledgehammer and beat it!” King announced to Maine’s Bridgton News after shelling out $1500 for the car. 47. Chuck E. Cheese is a Nickname Chuck E. Cheese is just your favorite anthropomorphic mouse’s nickname. His full name is Charles Entertainment Cheese. 48. Each Dog’s Nose Has a Unique Pattern Your dog’s nose has a unique pattern to it, just like a human fingerprint. 49. The Color Orange Was Named After the Fruit In contrast to popular belief, the fruit wasn’t named for its color, but the other way around. The first known use of the word “orange” to describe a color in English took place in 1512. 50. George Washington Was a Prolific Whiskey Maker America’s first president was quite adept at making whiskey. In fact, his distillery at Mount Vernon produced close to 11,000 gallons of the stuff. The site of the former distillery now makes small-batch whiskeys. If whiskey isn’t your preferred method of relaxation, try a trip to one of these amazingly zen travel destinations instead. Credits: bestlifeonline.com

The Coolest Roadside Attractions In Every State

22 Photos Of Tiny Batman As He Takes On The World

Airplane Seats: How To Find The Best Airplane Seats For Every Single Need

The Hard To Pronounce Town In Every Single State

13 Things Queen Elizabeth Never Travels Without

10 Weird And Obscure Tourist Attractions In The USA

11 Valuable Coins That Might Be In Your Pocket

10 Valuable Coins That Might Be In Your Pocket

10 Airlines That Actually Existed In The 1980s

Outrageous Scenes That Would Never Fly In Real Life

The Robot Presidents Who Rule Disney World