Facts are what we do here, and there’s nothing that can make you feel just a little taller, and a little smarter, than learning a few new things every single day.
Personally, I think it’s one of the most important things people can do! So here are 17 facts that are interesting, a little less well-known, and easy enough to swallow in a single bite.
Enjoy!
17. There is a man with a voice so deep humans can’t hear him.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8TByoLqdEv/
His name is Tim Storms, and the lowest note in his voice – eight octaves below the lowest G on a piano – can be heard only by certain animals (like elephants).
16. Dogs use their left nostril for smelling good things.
When dogs encounter something to sniff, they first use their right nostril – and only switch to the left if the scent is something pleasant, like a mate or food.
15. “Fizzle” used to refer to a fart.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B6cVb8aFwrt/
In the 1400s, it was, specifically, a quiet breaking of wind.
14. # doesn’t mean “hashtag” or “pound.”
It’s called an octothorpe, with the “octo” referring to its 8 points.
13. The French have a different name for their signature kiss.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3DKjv4I1kP/
In France, a kiss using tongues is called a galocher.
12. That tiny pocket in your jeans was designed for your pocket watch.
Personally I think we should go back to carrying them, for tan-lines sake.
11. Cows don’t have upper front teeth.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8XBL_2gRUe/
Instead of upper incisors, cows, sheep, and goats have a thick layer of tissue called a dental pad that’s used to pull out grass.
10. Avocados were named after reproductive organs.
People indigenous to Mexico and Central America used the same word – ahuacatl – to mean both “testicles” and “avocado.”
9. You have two body parts that never stop growing.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8TZV6eF7Ul/
Your nose and your ears…so hopefully yours started off smallish.
8. Movie trailers originally played after the feature film.
Hence the name, as they “trailed” the move you came to see. The first trailer appeared in 1912, and teased a Broadway show, not a movie.
7. Turkeys can blush.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B5I0bk5n4zT/
The pale skin on a turkey’s head and neck – and the flap of skin over their beaks (called a snood) – can turn bright red, blue, or white when they’re scared or excited.
6. Only around 25% of the Sahara is sandy.
Most of it is covered in gravel, along with some mountains and oases.
5. T.S. Eliot wore green face makeup.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8P6o9Jn17D/
No one is sure why, but he liked dusting his face with green powder.
My guess is that he was just a really big Wizard of Oz fan.
4. No number before 1,000 contains this letter…
It’s “A.”
3. The U.S. government kept a copy of every public tweet published between 2006 and 2017.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B703pednQRY/
Since 2018, the Library of Congress decided to keep only select tweets, mainly ones dealing with things of national interest (like elections and public policy).
Yikes. They’ve got way too many of mine.
2. Disney characters wear gloves because they’re easier to draw.
Mickey Mouse and company wear gloves because they’re easier to animate and, according to Walt Disney himself, because “he was supposed to be more human.”
I guess mouse hands (or paws) would put a damper on that effect.
1. When dinosaurs were alive, there were active volcanos on the moon.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8XCroFDdrD/
New NASA findings suggest there might have been active lava flow 100 million years ago.
Did you learn something? Share something? Win another game of Trivial Pursuit?
Tell us which ones were your favorites in the comments!
