250/601
The Story Behind the Calhoun Shot

In 1993, Chicago Bulls fan Don Calhoun won the $1 million dollar free throw shot in a promotional event. The insurance company used a technicality that he was a basketball player in college to disqualify him, but the team and event sponsors paid instead. Years later, he met Michael Jordan who told him “We made them give it to you.”

249/601
Decline of Close Friendships in America

Over the past two decades, the number of Americans with no close friends has risen from 3% in 1991 to 12% in 2021 – that’s at least one out of every 10 Americans. The number of people with 10 or more close friends has declined from 33% to just 13%.

248/601
Two of the Biggest Series’ Budget

Both Game of Thrones and Friends had the same budget, $10 million per episode.

247/601
Alaska’s Absurdly Large Vegetables

With the Sun shining for over 20 hours a day, vegetables in Alaska can grow absurdly large. Many of these vegetables are record holders, like a 138-lb cabbage, a 65-lb cantaloupe, or a 35-lb broccoli. The extra sunlight provides them a photosynthesis bonus and, interestingly, also makes the produce much sweeter.

246/601
World’s Oldest Functioning Astronomical Clock

The Prague astronomical clock is the world’s oldest functioning clock built 613 years ago. Apart from time and date, the clock also shows the relative positions of the Sun, Moon, Earth, as well as zodiac constellations.

245/601
Nepal’s Festival of Man’s Best Friend

There is a Nepali festival known as “Kukur Tihar” dedicated to worshipping dogs as they are considered the messengers of Yama, the Hindu god of death. On this day, dogs are celebrated and pampered for their friendship and loyalty to humans.

244/601
Matt LeBlanc Changed how Joey Was Portrayed

Originally, Joey’s character in Friends was not meant to be dumb. But when Matt LeBlanc auditioned, he put a “different spin” on it and gave the character heart. Though the creators weren’t into it, the network insisted on casting him for the role.

243/601
Fascinating Friendship of Wolves and Ravens

Wolves and ravens have a symbiotic relationship. Ravens lead wolves to prey to hunt or to cadavers with tough hides so they could have the leftovers. They even play games, with the ravens pecking at the tails so the wolves chase them.

242/601
How Long Does It Take to Develop Different Levels of Friendship

A recent study out of the University of Kansas revealed that it takes approximately 50 hours of socializing to become a casual friend, 40 more hours to become a “real” friend, and a total of 200 hours to reach close friendship.

241/601
The Cruise Ship that’s also an Apartment Complex

MS The World is a cruise ship where residents can live permanently on board in apartments traveling the world.

240/601
Japanese Remote Village Train Station Stays Open for One Student to Commute

In 2016, a train station in a remote Japanese village was going to close for good. But when they noticed a single student using it to commute to school, they decided to keep it open until she graduated.

239/601
Dubai’s Quickly Growing Skyline

Dubai has grown incredibly fast over the last two decades. Until 1999, it had only one skyscraper, the DWTC. Now, there are over 251.

238/601
The Man-Versus-Horse Marathon

Since 1980, every year a horse with a rider and human runners have been competing in Man versus Horse Marathon races. Humans have only won three times – in 2004, 2007, and 2022. All other times, a horse did.

237/601
One of the Largest and Longest Owned Privately Owned Island

Off the east end of New York’s Long Island, there is an island that has been privately owned by the same family for almost 400 years.

236/601
Reducing Airborne Pathogens After Flushing a Toilet

Dispersal of airborne pathogens can be reduced by 30-50% when a toilet is flushed with the lid down.

235/601
Japan’s Museum for Rock Faces

There is a museum in Japan that’s dedicated to rocks that look like faces.

234/601
Healthcare and Pension Benefits of Major League Baseball Players

In MLB, playing just one day qualifies the player for lifetime healthcare. Being on the active roster for 43 days qualifies them for a minimum of $34,000 annual pension.

233/601
Engraved Guidelines for Humanity’s Restoration in Georgia

Nicknamed the “American Stonehenge,” the Georgia Guidestones provide instructions on building a better world after a catastrophic event. It also functions as a compass, calendar, and clock.

232/601
Does the “p” in “pH” Stand for Anything?

Nobody knows what the exact meaning of “p” in “pH” because the chemist who introduced the concept never explained what it stood for.

231/601
Vietnam Has the Lowest Obesity Rates in the World

At only 2.1%, Vietnam has the lowest obesity rate in the world. It’s less than the obesity rate of Uganda (5.3%) and far less than that of the USA (36.2%).

230/601
The Maldives’ Capital City Covers a Whole Island

The capital city of the Maldives, Malé, is so heavily urbanized that its built-up area covers the entire island it stands on.

229/601
Popularity of Pink Panther Character

The animated series, Pink Panther, was actually created because the character in the credit sequence of the films became so widely popular.

228/601
The Netherlands’ Love for Bicycles

In the Netherlands, there are 23 million bicycles and just 18 million people.

227/601
Amy Schumer Was the Original Barbie

Amy Schumer was originally cast as Barbie for a different version of the movie meant to premiere in 2018.

226/601
The 1920s Soviet Human Chess

Back in 1924 Leningrad, two chess masters had a match with real members of the Soviet Navy as white pieces and the Red Army as black pieces.