172/500 The Heartwarming Story of Mim, the Kangaroo
Mim, an eastern grey kangaroo, was taken in by a family when she was young. The family hand-fed her and raised her until they released her in the wild. Years later, when bushfires ravaged the New South Wales central coast, Mim turned up at the family’s home for shelter. The family let her stay and kept her safe.
171/500 Man’s Xbox Account Got Suspended Because of His Fort Gay Address
In 2010, a 26-year-old gamer’s Xbox Live account was suspended because he had put Fort Gay as his address. When he called customer support, telling them that Fort Gay is actually a town in West Virginia and not a homophobic slur, they did not believe him. Ultimately, the town’s mayor and Xbox Live’s director of policy and enforcement needed to get involved before the matter was resolved and the man got his account back.
170/500 Peter Mayhew was Told Not to Wander During the Shoot of Return of the Jedi
While filming Return of the Jedi on location in the California redwoods, actor Peter Mayhew, who was over seven-foot-tall, was told not to wander off in his Chewbacca costume because the crew was afraid that he might be mistaken as Bigfoot and shot by hunters.
169/500 The Sound of Running Water Triggers Dam Building Instincts in Beavers
A study showed that the sound of running water triggers the dam building instinct in beavers. Beavers can be fooled into thinking that there is a leak if it is a speaker playing the sound of running water. In that case, they will build a dam over the speaker even if it is placed over concrete with no visible water or if an actual (silent) leak is visible nearby.
168/500 The Sweet Friendship between a Girl and Crows She Feeds
Since 2011, a young girl named Gabi Mann has been feeding the crows that come to her garden. The crows reciprocate by showing their affection through gifts they bring for her. Over the years, the girl has received little “treasures” such as a black button, a miniature silver ball, a blue paper clip, a blue Lego piece, a yellow bead, a pearl coloured heart among many other things.
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167/500 Why were WWI’s Warships Painted with Geometric Shapes?
During World War I, some warships were painted with complex patterns and geometric shapes in contrasting colors as a form of camouflage called dazzle camouflage. The intention of this form of camouflage was not to conceal a ship, but to make it difficult for the enemies to determine its speed, range, and heading.
166/500 The World’s First 3D Film Released in 1922
The first 3D feature film in the world was The Power of Love, which was released in 1922. For the 3D experience, the film used the red-and-green anaglyph system. The audience was also given the choice of viewing one of two different endings (both shot in 2D) by looking through only the green or red lens of their spectacles depending on whether they want to see the tragic or happy ending.
165/500 The Producers of Wizard of Oz Accidentally Bought an Old Coat That Belonged to the Author of the Books
During the filming of The Wizard of Oz, the wardrobe department needed an elegant but shabby-looking coat. So, they bought a whole rack of them from a second-hand store. The coat that they ultimately chose was later found to have belonged to L. Frank Baum, the author of the original “Wizard of Oz” books.
164/500 How Salvador Dali Duped Yoko Ono
Salvador Dali once duped Yoko Ono by selling her a single blade of grass for $10,000. Turns out, Ono had asked for a strand of hair from Dali’s mustache, but the Spanish artist thought that Ono was a witch and might use the hair in a spell. Instead of turning her down, he sent her a dry blade of grass in a nice presentation box.
163/500 Why is Female Voice Used for Automated Warnings in Combat Aircraft?
Research conducted during the era of all-male combat aircraft assignments revealed that a female voice was more likely to gain the attention of young men in distracting situations. That is why actress Joan Elms’ voice was used for the automated warnings for the Convair B-58 Hustler. Those who flew the B-58 called the voice “Sexy Sally.”
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162/500 Thomas Jefferson’s Love for Ice Cream
The Founding Fathers shared a love for ice cream, but no one was more devoted to it than Thomas Jefferson. He is credited with an 18-step ice cream recipe that resembles the modern day Baked Alaska. The hand-written recipe is kept at the Library of Congress. It is also said that George Washington spent around $200 on ice cream during the summer of 1790.
161/500 Researcher Proves Leonardo da Vinci’s Theory on Trees
Over 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci wrote in his notebook that, “all the branches of a tree at every stage of its height when put together are equal in thickness to the trunk.” Though many scientists verified Leonardo’s rule, French physicist, Christophe Eloy, was the first to investigate and discover that trees that follow this rule can withstand severe winds.
160/500 Temple Made of 1.5 Million Beer Bottles
Wat Pa Maha Chedi Kaew, which literally means Wilderness Temple of the Great Glass Pagoda, is a Buddhist temple in Thailand. Known as the Temple of a Million Bottles, the temple is made up of over 1.5 million empty Heineken and Chang beer bottles. Bottle collection began in 1984 and the temple was constructed over several years.
159/500 One of Nature’s Most Magical Creations
There is a tiny, rocky island in the Philippines called Vulcan Point that is located in the middle of a lake, which is in the middle of a volcano, which is in the middle of a bigger lake, which is the middle of a bigger island in an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
158/500 An Underground Fire That Has Been Burning for Approximately 6,000 Years
Coal seam fires, which burn low and slow on the dirty fuel in the Earth’s crust, exist throughout the globe. One such fire exists at a depth of around 100 feet under Mount Wingen in Australia. Known as Burning Mountain, the smouldering coal seam fire runs underground through the sandstone, and it has been burning for around 6,000 years, which makes it the oldest known coal fire.
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157/500 Is Milk Better for Hydration Than Water?
A new study revealed that milk, which is made up of around 87% water, hydrates you better than plain water does. That is because milk has a nutrient-rich composition. The protein, fat, and small amount of sugar lactose present in milk slow down the process of emptying fluids from the stomach and keep hydration occurring over a longer period.
156/500 Greenery Helps Students Perform Better
A 2016 study revealed that high school students, who are in a classroom with a view of a green landscape, perform better in tests. The study showed that the attention span of students increased by 13% if they had a green view outside of their classroom compared to those who were in a windowless room.
155/500 People Trained to Use an Extra Robotic Thumb Performed Tasks More Efficiently
According to a report published in the Science Robotics journal, researchers trained people to use a robotic extra thumb and found that they could efficiently perform dextrous tasks such as building a tower of blocks using one hand. The participants also revealed that the robotic thumb started to feel like an actual part of their body.
154/500 Marshall Field’s Clever Tactic to Make Disgruntled Customers Happy
In the early 1900s, Marshall Field’s department store hired professional scapegoats or “fired men” whose only job was to take the blame and be fired to appease disgruntled customers.
153/500 Sharks Found Living in The Crater of Active Underwater Volcano
In 2015, while working on a National Geographic expedition, scientists found sharks living in the crater of one of the most active underwater volcanoes on Earth! Due to the extreme temperature and acidity of the water, experts never expected anything other than bacteria to survive there.
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152/500 Gwyneth Paltrow’s Candle Called “This Smells Like My Vagina”
In 2020, Gwyneth Paltrow’s company, Goop, launched a $75 candle called “This smells like my vagina.” Needless to say, the candle sold out right away.
151/500 What Norway Did after Discovering Oil
Oil was first discovered in Norway in the 1960s, and soon after that, it became one of the top oil producing countries in the world. Knowing that the oil would run out someday, Norway established the Government Pension Fund Global or the Oil Fund in 1990. Today, it is the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world with over US$1.3 trillion in assets and 1.4% of global stocks and shares. That is enough to self-sustain the country for years.
150/500 Are Mountain Goats Real Goats?
Mountain goats are not truly goats, but they are close relatives. They belong to the family Bovidae, which also includes cattle, gazelles, and antelopes. A more accurate term for mountain goats would be goat-antelopes.
149/500 This Plant Developed Camouflage to Evade Humans
Fritillaria delavayi, a medicinal plant that grows on rocky alpine slopes, has been used in Chinese traditional medicine for over 2,000 years. Now, researchers have found that the plant may have developed camouflage to evade humans. In areas where it is harvested most aggressively, the plant has changed its color to better blend with the rocky environment.
148/500 What is the Streisand Effect and Where Does It Come From?
There is a social phenomenon called the Streisand effect, which occurs when an attempt to remove, hide, or censor information leads to the unintended consequence of further publicizing the information (often via the Internet). The phenomenon is named after Barbra Streisand, who tried to suppress a photograph of her Malibu residence, but ended up drawing more attention to it.
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147/500 The Lure of Manitou Springs Incline Hiking Trail
The Manitou Springs Incline is a popular hiking trail in Colorado. It is a remnant of a former cable railway whose tracks got washed out during a rock slide. The incline, which gains 2,011 feet of elevation, is famous for its steep grade and sweeping views, and it is also a fitness challenge for locals.
146/500 The Iron Pagoda Has Stood the Test of Time
The Iron Pagoda, built in 1049 during the Song dynasty of China, has survived six floods, 38 earthquakes, and various other disasters, but it has managed to remain intact even after nearly 1,000 years.
145/500 Why Do Some Buildings in the UK have the “Ancient Lights” Sign?
In many old buildings throughout the UK, you will find the “Ancient Lights” sign placed under windows. As per English property law, it gives the property owner the right to light received through and from the window. The law states that windows that have been used for light for 20 years or more cannot be obstructed by any new building, wall, or tree.
144/500 This Videotape Recorder was as Big as a Piano
The first commercially successful videotape recorder or VTR was the Ampex VRX-1000, which came out in the 1950s. It was the size of a piano and had a US$50,000 price tag. That is why only the largest individual stations and television networks could afford it.
143/500 Students Build Nuclear Reactor in their Dorm
In 1999, the University of Chicago’s annual scavenger hunt included the nearly impossible task of building a nuclear reactor from scratch. Fred Niell and Justin Kasper, two physics majors, gathered some spare junk from the dorm rooms and physics labs and actually built a plutonium-producing reactor.
