202/500
The Time of Year when the Jindo Sea Parts to Reveal a Pathway

Every year, the Jindo Sea, which is the northern section of the East China Sea, parts just enough to expose a 1.8-mile pathway that connects South Korea’s Jindo Island to the nearby island of Modo. The path remains visible for one hour around four days every year. There is also a festival around this phenomenon called the Jindo Sea-Parting Festival.

201/500
How Iceland Makes Use of Geothermal Energy

Iceland is a pioneer in using geothermal energy for space heating, and 25% of the country’s electricity comes from geothermal energy. Geothermal water is used to heat around 90% homes, and the pipes that carry the warm water keep car parks and pavements snow-free in the winter.

200/500
Dog Owners Can Trade Bags of Poo for Free WiFi in Mexico City

In 2012, Mexico City introduced the Terra campaign that allowed dog owners to trade in bags of poop for free WiFi. Special bins were installed in several parks, and the more poop (measured in weight) people would throw in the receptacle, the longer the WiFi would last. The idea behind the campaign was to encourage dog owners to clean up after their pets in public spaces.

199/500
Why Do Coins Make Your Fingers Smell?

Ever noticed how handling coins leaves a metallic smell on your fingers? Actually, it’s not the coins, it’s you! The funky scent is human body odor created by a chemical reaction that occurs when the oils in your skin come in contact with objects made of iron and copper.

198/500
Bill Gates Purchased the Codex Leicester

In 1994, Bill Gates purchased The Codex Leicester, a collection of scientific writings by Leonardo da Vinci, for US$30,802,500. He had all the pages scanned and turned into digital image files, some of which were released as part of Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 desktop.

197/500
Introverts are Better at Understanding Human Behavior

In 2018, a Yale psychology study found that introverts who are prone to melancholy are particularly capable of assessing the truths about humans’ “social nature” without formal training or tools. The study revealed that sad introverts are better at understanding how humans behave in groups than their extrovert peers.

196/500
Failed Amendment Aimed to Put War to National Vote

In 1916, a group of Nebraska residents acquired petition signatures and sent a constitutional amendment to Congress, demanding that the country would have to call a vote before declaring war. Furthermore, anyone who voted “yes” would have to register as a volunteer for service in the United States Army.

195/500
3D Printing Company Makes “Touchable Memories” for the Blind

Blind people often forget distant memories because they cannot rely on visual stimuli such as photos. That is why in 2014, a 3D printing company created the “Touchable Memories” experiment. Using 3D printing, they turned photos into plastic objects so that blind people could have a tangible means to relive their treasured memories.

194/500
Man Built Catapult to Fire Potato Dumplings at Noisy Aircraft

In 1967, a 48-year-old Munich resident named Helmut Winter built a catapult based on Leonardo Da Vinci’s design to fire potato dumplings at low flying, noisy aircraft. The potato dumplings could reach a height of 250 feet. Since he declared war on the air force, planes stayed away from the area where his house was located.

193/500
Milkmaid Arrested for Blocking Traffic with Her Beauty

Pilt Carin Ersdotter was a Swedish milkmaid who was described as extraordinarily beautiful. Between 1833 and 1834, she sold milk on the streets of Stockholm and attracted so much attention that large crowds would gather to see her. Once, she was arrested for a traffic violation because she “blocked the street with her beauty.” She became so famous that aristocrats would pay to display her in salons.

192/500
Three-Year-Old Bobby Tuft Became Mayor of Dorset

In Minnesota, there is a tiny unincorporated community called Dorset that elects its mayor by pulling a name out of a hat during an annual festival called the “Taste of Dorset.” In 2012, a three-year-old boy named Bobby Tufts became mayor, and he was elected for a second term the following year.

191/500
How Walt Disney’s Housekeeper Became a Multimillionaire

In 1951, Walt Disney hired a woman named Thelma Howard as his housekeeper and cook. She worked for the Disney household for 30 years and became a part of the family. Every year for Christmas and birthdays, Disney gifted her shares in his movie studio, but she never sold them. Eventually, her estate grew to be over $9 million, which was divided between her son and her foundation.

190/500
Your Walking Speed Can Differ Based on Who You Walk With

Research shows that our walking speed is affected by the person we are walking with. For instance, men tend to slow down pace by an average of 7% when walking with a female they are romantically interested in, women walking together move the slowest, and men walking with male friends walk the fastest.

189/500
Who was the Inspiration behind Popeye the Sailor Man?

A man named Frank “Rocky” Fiegel was the real-life inspiration for Popeye the Sailor Man. A laborer and bartender, Fiegel was from Chester, Illinois, which was the hometown of Popeye’s creator, Elzie Crisler Segar. Much like Popeye, Fiegel had a sinewy physique, prominent chin, characteristic pipe, and the agile skill and propensity for fist-fighting.

188/500
Luxury Car Brands Make Louder Horns for Indian Roads

Luxury car brands such as Audi and Mercedes Benz have to tweak their horns to be louder and more durable before the launch of a model in India simply because their standard horns cannot cope with the level of honking that occurs on Indian roads.

187/500
This Japanese Train Station Stayed Open for Just One Passenger

In 2016, Japan kept an entire train station open for just one passenger named Kana Harada, who lived in a neighborhood of only 36 people. Every day, she took the train to school, which was 35 minutes away. So, the authorities kept the station operational just until she graduated.

186/500
How Two Video Poker Players Made Millions by Exploiting a Bug in the Game

Two men, who exploited a bug in casino video poker machines and won nearly half a million dollars, were charged with hacking, computer fraud, and wire fraud. However, their lawyer argued that the men simply pushed a sequence of buttons that they were legally allowed to. The case was dismissed.

185/500
What Does Crab Mentality Mean?

Crab mentality or crab theory refers to the way of thinking that can be best described by the phrase, “if I can’t have it, neither can you.” The metaphor comes from a pattern of behavior seen in crabs when a large number of them are trapped in a bucket. In this scenario, despite being able to escape on their own, the crabs grab each other and undermine the other’s efforts, making sure of the group’s collective demise.

184/500
The Perfect Place for Gun Enthusiasts

Drive-a-Tank, an action park in Minnesota, lets you shoot machine guns and drive military tanks and other armored vehicles around an old limestone quarry and smash junk cars and trailer houses.

183/500
What is Okinawa Island Known for?

Japan’s Okinawa Island is known as the “island of longevity” because of the highly unusual percentage of seniors who live to be over 100. Cases of dementia, cancer, and heart disease are also low among the residents of the island. Some say that the secret to the Okinawans’ longevity is their strong sense of ikigai (a unique purpose in life) and robust social life.

182/500
Why was Alice Roosevelt Banned from the White House?

Alice Roosevelt Longworth, the eldest child of U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, was known for her outspokenness and antics. When the Roosevelt family was moving out of the White House, she buried a Voodoo doll of the new First Lady, Nellie Taft, in the front yard. After this, she was banned from the White House.

181/500
Here’s What Happened when Steve Jobs Accused Bill Gates of Stealing from Apple

Apple got the idea for the graphical user interface from Xerox. Later, when Steve Jobs accused Bill Gates of stealing from Apple, Gates calmly said, “Well, Steve, I think there’s more than one way of looking at it. I think it’s more like we both had this rich neighbor named Xerox and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it.”

180/500
This Man Made Money Every Time Telemarketers Called Him

A man named Lee Beaumont got so sick of telemarketers calling him that he set up his personal 0871 line, which is a premium number. That meant calls made to that number cost 10p, from which he received 7p. In less than two years, the man had made £300 from calls made by marketing companies.

179/500
NYC Ballet Has an Annual Shoe Budget of $780,000

New York City Ballet has an annual shoe budget of approximately $780,000. Every year, the dancers go through 500 to 800 pairs of pointe shoes performing six weeks of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and they go through even more shoes by doing two weeks of Swan Lake.

178/500
Royal Births Were Once Public Spectacles

In certain periods, royal births were a public spectacle. Queens labored and gave birth in front of hundreds of courtiers including Dukes, Princesses, and Countesses. It is said that French Queen Marie Antoinette gave birth in front of 200 courtiers. The reason for this was to ensure that there were witnesses and the newborn was not substituted.

177/500
Book That Turns Dirty Water Clean

In 2015, a group of researchers came up with the “drinkable book,” which turns dirty water clean. The pages of the book contain silver nanoparticles that filter out sludge and kill bacteria, making the water safe to drink. A single page is capable of filtering up to 100 liters of drinking water, and may also provide a sustainable and cheap solution for communities that suffer from severe sanitation problems.

176/500
Laurence C. Jones’ Contribution to Education in Rural Rankin County

When Laurence C. Jones learned about the 80% illiteracy rate of rural Rankin County, Mississippi, he started the Piney Woods School with just $2 and three students at an abandoned sheep shed. In 1918, he not only survived a near-lynching, but he also managed to persuade the mob into collecting money to support his school. He also said, “No man can force me to stoop low enough to hate him.”

175/500
The Secret to a Long Life According to WWI’s Last Surviving Veteran

Frank Buckles, a US Army corporal and the last surviving veteran of World War I, lived for 110 years. When asked about the secret to his long life, Buckles said that being hopeful was a key trait, adding, “When you start to die … don’t.”

174/500
About the Capital of the Aztec Empire

Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire, was a large city with an estimated population of 140,000. The city was built on a man-made island in the middle of a lake. It was connected to shore by three causeways and had huge pyramids, aqueducts, floating gardens, and canals. It was captured and destroyed by the Spanish in 1521.

173/500
The Definition of Petty

There is a triangular tile mosaic set in a sidewalk in New York City that reads “Property of the Hess Estate which has never been dedicated for public purposes.” As the result of a surveying error, the small plot of land was left as part of an estate. The city asked the Hess family to donate it to the public, but they refused.