Interesting Facts (20 pics)
"There is no evidence that Vikings wore horns on their helmets; this would have been highly impractical in battle. In fact, the image of Vikings wearing horned helmets stems from the scenography of an 1876 production of the Der Ring des Nibelungen opera cycle by Richard Wagner."
"Tomato juice is ineffective at neutralizing the odor of a skunk; it only appears to work due to olfactory fatigue. For dogs that get sprayed, The Humane Society of the United States recommends using a mixture of dilute hydrogen peroxide (3%), baking soda, and dishwashing liquid"
"Urine is not sterile, not even in the bladder."
"Although the Greek philosopher Pythagoras is most famous today for his supposed mathematical discoveries. He did not discover his famous theorem, because it was known and used by the Babylonians and Indians centuries before him, but he may have been the first to introduce it to the Greeks."
"Piranhas do not only eat meat but are omnivorous, and they only swim in schools to defend themselves from predators and not to attack. They very rarely attack humans, only when under stress and feeling threatened, and even then bites typically only occur on hands and feet."
"The Sun is actually white rather than yellow. It is atmospheric scattering that causes the sun to look yellow, orange, or red at sunrise and sunset."
"A person's hair and fingernails do not continue to grow after death. Rather, the skin dries and shrinks away from the bases of hairs and nails, giving the appearance of growth."
"Searing does not seal moisture in meat; in fact, it causes it to lose some moisture. Meat is seared to brown it, improving its color and flavor."
"The melody of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", the "Alphabet Song", and "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" was not composed by Mozart when he was 5 years old; it was already a popular French folk song when he composed a series of variations on the tune when he was 25 or 26."
"Female praying mantises rarely eat the males during coitus, especially in their natural environment. In a study in a laboratory at the University of Central Arkansas, it was observed that 1 out of 45 times the female ate the male before mating and the male ate the female with that same frequency."
"Napoleon Bonaparte was not short. He was actually slightly taller than the average Frenchman of his time. After his death in 1821, the French emperor's height was recorded as 5 feet 2 inches in French feet, which in English measurements is 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m).
"Henry Ford did not invent either the automobile or the assembly line. He did improve the assembly line process substantially, sometimes through his own engineering but more often through sponsoring the work of his employees. Karl Benz (co-founder of Mercedes-Benz) is credited with the invention of the first modern automobile."
"A penny dropped from the Empire State Building would not kill a person or crack the sidewalk, though it could cause injury."
"Snake jaws cannot unhinge. The posterior end of the lower jawbones contains a quadrate bone, allowing jaw extension. The anterior tips of the lower jawbones are joined by a flexible ligament allowing them to bow outwards, increasing the mouth gape."
"Turkey meat is not particularly high in tryptophan, and does not cause more drowsiness than other foods."
"Don't Worry, Be Happy", written and sung by Bobby McFerrin, is commonly believed to be sung by the reggae musician Bob Marley, but the song was written seven years after Marley died. "Three Little Birds," which Marley did write, includes a similar line: "don't worry about a thing, every little thing's gonna be all right."
"Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's Independence Day, but the celebration of the Mexican Army's victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. Mexico's Declaration of Independence from Spain in 1810 is celebrated on September 16."
"The Fisher Space Pen was not commissioned by NASA at a cost of millions of dollars, while the Soviets used pencils. It was independently developed by Paul C. Fisher, founder of the Fisher Pen Company, with $1 million of his own funds. NASA tested and approved the pen for space use, then purchased 400 pens at $6 per pen. The Soviet Union subsequently also purchased the space pen for its Soyuz spaceflights."
