During this hard and testing time, all we want is a little bit of peace of mind and comfort. Here is a list of 10 facts that should comfort you. If not, I’m hoping it will at least make you smile.

1 Cheetahs are so shy that zoos have to give them support dogs.

While cheetahs may be a wild animal, when it comes to their nature, they are very sensitive beings. They do not know how to socialize with each other. They get stressed and anxious, which prevents them from breeding. This is why zookeepers have been assigning their own “emotional support” dogs. When they have a dog around, the cheetah mimics the various confident and friendly behaviors that dogs exhibit, and it also helps them to calm down and relax. This is helpful in their breeding as well! (source)

2 Pillow fighting is a real and recognized sport in Canada.

As surreal as it may sound, it’s true! Pillow Fight was founded in Toronto, Canada, in 2004 by Stacey P. Case and Craig Daniels. The Pillow Fight League is a semi-professional sports league centered on public pillow fights. Regardless of how much it sounds like a girls’ sleepover night, it’s a pretty intense fight with rules to ensure a fair match. Only women are allowed to participate in the match, and the competition is held in a fighting arena similar to that of a boxing ring. (source)

3 All of the cardigans Mister Rogers wore on camera were knit by his mother.

Yes! The centerpiece of the classic Fred Rogers look in the popular television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was his mother’s handiwork. Those colorful sweaters that he wore for hundreds of tapings were all knitted by his mother, Nancy McFeely Rogers. She knit him sweaters every year for Christmas until 1981 when she passed away. By the early 1990s, the production team had to go through a frantic search to replace these iconic sweaters as the yarn was wearing thin. (source)

4 The 10th Ebola outbreak has officially ended.

After nearly two years, the 10th outbreak of the Ebola virus in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has been raging since 2018 has officially ended. The outbreak declared on 1 August 2018, was the second largest in the world, and was particularly challenging as it took place in an active conflict zone. There were 3470 cases, 2287 deaths and 1171 survivors. Luckily the World Health Organization (WHO) and the DRC government announced the end of the 10th Ebola outbreak on 25 June 2020. While there is another virus – *cough* *cough* – corona currently spreading across the world, the fact that one outbreak has ended is still comforting! (source)

5 Bees take naps in flowers!

Bees are the major pollinators of food crops around the world. About one-third of the food that we consume every day relies on pollination by bees. While they are always buzzing and hard at work, they also need their beauty sleep, and it turns out they sleep in flowers! Joe Neely, a wildlife photographer, found these bees snuggling in the flowers. These specific bees, Diadasia dimunita, sleep in orange flowers called globe mallows. When it comes to bees sleeping, there are a few interesting details. They don’t have eyelids, so you can’t just look for bees with their eyes closed. Certain bees. like honey bees. stop moving their antenna and, in few cases, may even fall over sideways while sleeping. (source)

6 It’s highly likely your pet dreams of you in their sleep.

Similar to how humans dream about things they’re interested in during the day, it is highly likely that dogs also do the same. The latest research from Harvard claims that since dogs are generally extremely attached to their human, so, it is likely that your dog is dreaming of your face, your smell,, and of pleasing or annoying you. We already know that they are extremely loyal and show unconditional love, but realizing they also dream about us just takes it to the next level! (source)

7 Pakistan begins colossal tree planting campaign to help plant 10 billion trees as well as employ 60,000 daily wagers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plant for Pakistan (Plant4Pakistan), also known as 10 Billion Tree Tsunami, is a five-year project to plant 10 billion trees across Pakistan from 2018 to 2023. The campaign was started as a measure to increase forest coverage area which was dwindling to 2% at the time, according to World Bank. When the Global Climate Risk Index 2020, issued by Germanwatch, ranked Pakistan fifth on a list of countries most affected by planetary heating over the last 20 years, it accelerated the process.

Though the drive kicked off in 2018, the officials say it will now employ about three times (63,300) more people during the COVID-19 pandemic than it did the first year, to help support the unemployed daily wagers affected by the nationwide lockdown. Such “green stimulus” efforts are an example of how funds that aim to help families and keep the economy running during pandemic shutdowns could also help nations prepare for the next big threat: climate change. (source)

8 The official Space Jam website has not changed since 1996.

The official Space Jam website was created in 1996 to promote the hybrid, live-action/animated movie where the fate of the galaxy depends on teaming up the most recognizable athlete on the planet (Michael Jordan) with the most popular cartoon rabbit (Bugs Bunny).

The site remained unchanged since its launch. It was reborn as a viral sensation when it was rediscovered in the 2010s, the web’s equivalent of a recently discovered cave painting. It remains one of the most faithful living documents of early web design that anyone can access online. The site still lives on, aging for 24 years but free from influence, to our delight. (source)

9 Some fish like to be petted.

According to Balcombe, an animal ethologist, some fish (certainly not all) do enjoy being touched by humans. He says that it is the basic characteristic of animal behavior to approach the things they find desirable and retreat from the undesirable ones. If the fish appears to like the touch, it will swim back to the hand repeatedly. Balcombe notes that touch is a powerful de-stressor for animals, and fish are no exception to this phenomenon. (source)

10 It is never too late to start something new and get the most out of life!

I know most of us are stuck at home with a lot of time on our hands. So, maybe now is the time for you to start that thing that you’ve been putting off for years. Stan Lee started creating the Fantastic 4, Spider-Man, Iron Man, etc., at around 40. Van Gogh didn’t start painting until his late twenties. JK Rowling didn’t publish Harry Potter until her late thirties. Samuel L Jackson didn’t get his first big role until his 40s. So, it is clearly never too late to push yourself creatively and leave a lasting impact on the world even at a later stage in life. (1, 2, 3, 4)

And finally, the most comforting fact of all – 2020 is halfway over, guys!