6 The population of the town Bellagio in Italy which inspires the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas is less than the number of rooms at the hotel.

The town of Bellagio is located in Lombardy, Italy on a landmass that divides the famous Lake Como into two parts. It has an area of ten square miles.

The town that is located on Lake Como with the Alps behind it has a population of 3,820 people as of August 31, 2013. But.the famous Bellagio Resort on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, has 3,950 rooms among all the other amenities. The luxury hotel which is famous for its elegance was inspired by the Bellagio town of Italy and opened for business on October 15, 1998. The main building of the hotel has 3,015 rooms spread over 36 floors. The spa tower of the building which opened on December 23, 2004, has another 935 rooms spread over 33 floors which makes a total of 3,950 rooms—slightly more than Bellagio’s population. (1, 2)

7 Bumblebees and solitary bees pollinate a potato.

The potato, which is a staple food in most cuisines, is pollinated mostly by bumblebees and solitary bees. A lot of self-fertilization occurs in the crop too, but the bees are important for cross-pollination. Without the involvement of the bees, the crop yield would be lower. The potato plant that grows in tropical, temperate areas is a seed, and the pollinator impact is 1 There are four grades of pollinator impact, 1 being the lowest and 4 being the greatest.

Not all bumblebee species are effective when it comes to the cross-pollination of potatoes. In a study published in the American Potato Journal, it was found that only a particular species of bumblebee, Bombus impatiens Cresson, is effective in the cross-pollination of potatoes in the field. The other bees require a honey stimulus, and when they do not find nectar in the plant, they do not indulge in pollination. (1, 2)

8 “Vinculum” is the name given to the line between two fractions.

We have all learned fractions in mathematics, but have you ever wondered what the line that separates the two numbers (the numerator and the denominator) is called? It is known as a “vinculum.” It is a line that can be placed over or under a number to indicate that the numbers are to be treated as a group. In the initial days of mathematics, the vinculum was used to join different items together in written mathematics, but in modern mathematics, it has been replaced by the use of parenthesis. “Vinculum” is Latin for “bond,” “chain,” or “tie.” It is also called a “fraction bar” or a “division line” more commonly. It has also been used in coding for computers. (source)

9 The “Jesus nut” is the only component holding the rotors to the body of some helicopters. If it were to fail, the rotors would separate causing an unplanned, rapid descent.

Also known as the “Jesus pin,” the Jesus nut is the main rotor-retaining nut that holds the rotors to the mast of some helicopters such as UH-1 Iroquois. It is symbolic of a single point of failure in some situations. If the nut fails to do its job, the rotors of the helicopter would detach, and the only thing the crew would then be able to do is to “pray to Jesus.”

The term “Jesus nut” is believed to have been coined by American soldiers serving in the Vietnam War. It was the first war where a large number of helicopters were used by soldiers. There are only a few examples of the Jesus nut failing, but it has happened and so the nut had to be checked before every flight. With the advent of more advanced technology, the need for the nut was done away with and a more stable apparatus was used which did not have single-point failures. Robert Mason, a pilot who served in the Vietnam War, made use of the term in his book Chickenhawk about his experiences during the war. (source)

10 The American Express card numbers start with “3,” Visa cards start with “4,” Mastercard cards start with “5,” and Discover cards (and store specialty cards) start with “6.”

The numbers on your cards mean something. Almost all companies have a numbering system that keeps them organized. In case of American Express cards, they always begin with a “3”—usually “37,” while Diners Club and Carte Blanch start with “38.” The third and fourth digits are the type and the currency, the fifth to the eleventh digit are the account number. Digits 12 to 14 are the card number within the account, and digit 15 is a check digit.

In case of Visa cards that start with a “4”, digits two to six are the bank number, digits seven through 12 or 15 are the account number, and the last digit is a check digit. In the case of Mastercard cards, they begin with “5” and then have the bank number, then the account number, and the last digit, like all the other cards, is a check digit. A check digit is used for error detection. (source)