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in Quick Facts, RandomPoison Apples
Americans thought tomatoes were poisonous until the early 19th century. Back in the 1700s, people deemed tomatoes “poison apples.” That’s because tomatoes are highly acidic, and so when European aristocrats ate them off their pewter plates, the food leached lead from the dish and passed it on to the diner. That resulted in lead poisoning, […] More
- in Quick Facts, WOW
Shemomechama – “I accidentally ate the whole thing”
If you’ve ever had the intention of enjoying a nibble or two of your favorite treat but ended up devouring every last bit, then you should add “shemomechama” to your vocabulary. The Georgian word, which doesn’t have an English equivalent, translates to “I accidentally ate the whole thing.” source More
- in Lifestyle, Quick Facts
Tootsie Pop Licking Challenge!
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pops? Yes, scientists literally took the time to determine how many licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop. According to the candy’s official website, students at Purdue University and the University of Michigan took on the […] More
- in Animals, Quick Facts
Cows moo in regional accents.
Language experts have suggested that cows have regional accents just like humans. According to the BBC, this phenomenon was first detected by dairy farmers who noticed that their cows had different moos, depending on what herd they came from. Very mooo-ving indeed. source More
- in Animals, Quick Facts
Butterflies taste with their feet
While you might think that a butterfly’s transformation from a caterpillar is the most amazing thing about them, it’s not the only incredibly cool fact about the tiny creature. For instance, thanks to sensors located at the end of their skinny little legs, butterflies taste with their feet. source More
- in Food, Quick Facts
The smell of chocolate makes people want to buy romance novels.
When you think about romance, you might imagine champagne and roses, sweet music, and even sweeter treats. And you’re definitely not alone. So many people associate the smell of candy with a lovey-dovey vibe that research published in 2013 in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that the smell of chocolate in a bookstore makes […] More
- in History, Quick Facts, Technology
The first time a toilet appeared on TV was in 1957.
In the early days of television, there were much stricter rules about what you could and couldn’t show onscreen. That’s why Leave It to Beaver ran into a problem in 1957 when one script included the show’s main characters keeping their pet alligator in a toilet tank. The issue was that they weren’t allowed to […] More
- in Quick Facts, Random
Black teeth in history
Black teeth were a sign of wealth in 18th century England. In 18th century England, sugar was a valuable commodity that was consumed in excess. Because it was expensive, it was mostly enjoyed only by the rich and rotten, like Queen Elizabeth I. As a result, if someone had black teeth, a sign of eating […] More
- in Lifestyle, Nature, Quick Facts
More people drown in deserts than die of thirst.
One would think that dying of thirst and dehydration would the leading cause of death in the desert, but surprisingly, it’s drowning, according to the United States Geological Survey. Though precipitation in the desert is infrequent, when it does rain, it comes on suddenly and very heavily. Since deserts don’t have water drainage systems in […] More
- in Animals, Quick Facts
Horses cannot physically vomit.
Why can’t horses vomit? Well, according to Equus magazine, horses have much stronger lower esophageal sphincters than other animals, and this makes it impossible for that valve to open under backward pressure from the stomach. source More
- in Lifestyle, Quick Facts, Random
That’s a BIG difference
A million dollars may sound almost as good as a billion, but that’s only because the average person has no concept of the staggeringly vast difference between the two amounts. However, The New York Times breaks it down for us by using time as an example. “It would take almost 12 days for a million […] More
- in Animals, Quick Facts
The largest turtle in the world
The largest and heaviest turtle ever recorded was a leatherback that washed ashore in the United Kingdom in September 1988 after it had drowned when it was trapped in a fishing line. Around 100 years old when it was found, the turtle was almost 9 feet long and weighed 2,016 pounds. source More
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