10 Random but Not-So-Fun Facts
4 Dogs infected by parvovirus can die as there is no cure.
Canine parvovirus is a contagious virus that mainly affects dogs. It spreads when a healthy dog comes in direct contact with an infected dog or indirect contact with their feces. The virus can also infect other mammals like foxes, wolves, cats, and skunks.
The parvovirus is a particularly resilient virus that can survive for months in extremely low or hot temperatures and is resistant to cleaners and disinfectants. The symptoms usually begin with lethargy, diarrhea, fever, and vomiting. Though there are vaccines to prevent the infection, the mortality rate is high for untreated cases. There’s no cure or antiviral, just boosters and hydration IVs. The treatment often involves veterinary hospitalization. Even when the dog recovers from parvo infection, they’re still contagious for two weeks or more. The virus can survive in the fecal matter and other organic material such as soil for up to one year. (source)
5 There’s a planet where it rains molten glass horizontally at 5,400 mph (8,700 kph).
HD 189733b is an exoplanet approximately 63 light-years away from the Solar System in the constellation of Vulpecula. This exoplanet has a sun-like star, which it orbits every 2.2 days. Since it’s about the same size as Jupiter, it is also referred to as “Hot Jupiter.” To the human eye, this far-off planet may resemble Earth due to its deep-blue hue, but to confuse it with the friendly skies of Earth would be dangerous for space travelers.
The weather on planet HD 189733b is deadly. Its winds are composed of silicate particles that blow up to a speed of 5,400 mph (2 km/s) and at Mach 7. This world possibly rains glass – sideways – in its howling winds. It is the presence of silicate particles in the hot atmosphere that gives the planet the cobalt-blue color, unlike on Earth, where it is from the reflection of the oceans. (source)
6 The youngest person to ever give birth was five years old.
In 1939, Lina Medina, a Peruvian woman, became the youngest confirmed mother in history at the age of five. The child delivered a baby boy via a cesarean section, which was necessary because of her small pelvis. She was only five years of age when she gave birth. Her first menstrual cycle began when she was just eight months old, and she developed fully mature sexual organs by the time she was four. This early puberty is referred to as “precocious puberty”, and Lina is known to be one of the youngest cases of precocious puberty.
The baby boy named Gerardo grew up healthy and was raised believing that Lina was his sister. Only when he turned ten years old was it was revealed to him that she was his mother. He grew up normally but died at 40 from a bone-marrow disease. Lina never revealed the father of the child and the circumstances of her impregnation, but the doctors believe that she might not know it herself as she was too young to comprehend it. Her father was arrested on suspicion of child sexual abuse, but the charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. (source)
7 William the Conqueror’s body exploded during his funeral.
William the Conqueror was the first Norman King of England. He was often described as muscular and healthy during his early years. Over the years, however, he began to gain a lot of weight. It is said that he looked like a pregnant woman about to give birth. He was apparently becoming so dismayed by his size that he created his own version of a diet that involved only wine and spirits for a particular time duration. Still, it obviously didn’t help him much.
William died after his horse reared up during the seizing of Mantes, France, causing his intestines to be ruptured as he was forcefully thrown forward against his saddle pommel. An infection set in that killed him weeks later. His body was taken to Caen, where he desired to be buried in his church. But during his funeral, a man interrupted it by claiming that the land was rightfully his and that it was illegally taken from his family to build the church, which caused a delay in the funeral. The delay had disastrous consequences for the late king. His body had inflated due to the heat, and the corpse had to be forced into the tomb, which caused it to burst. The bursting resulted in a disgusting odor that spread throughout the church. The funeral was hurriedly finished, and the mourners supposedly ran for the door to escape the stench. (source)
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