25/701
An Artist Created this Leaf Art to Cope with ADHD

A Japanese artist has created beautiful leaf art to cope with his ADHD. He has over 4,500,00 followers on Instagram (as of January 2023) and has even sold 30 of his works. One of them fetched him 150,000 yen ($1,355).

24/701
On Veterans Day, Sunlight Perfectly Aligns with the Anthem Veterans Memorial

Every Veterans Day, on 11 November, the Sun perfectly aligns with the Anthem Veterans Memorial in Arizona. At exactly 11:11 a.m., sunlight passes through the ellipses of the Armed Services pillars and forms a spotlight on the mosaic of The Great Seal of the United States.

23/701
The 1925 Serum Run to Nome, Alaska

In 1925, Nome in Alaska was struck by a diphtheria outbreak and had no antitoxin left. With air and sea routes being unavailable, 20 mushers and about 150 sled dogs traveled 674 miles in five-and-a-half days through near-blizzard conditions and sub-zero temperatures to transport the serum, successfully thwarting a developing epidemic.

22/701
A Hyundai/Kia Whistleblower Was Awarded More than $24 Million

In 2021, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the US announced an award of more than $24 million to a Kia/Hyundai whistleblower for notifying them about the companies’ failure to recall unsafe vehicles and share accurate information about the recalls with the government.

21/701
Twins Who Married Twins Have Sons Who Are Genetic Siblings

Identical twin sisters Brittany and Briana married identical twin brothers Josh and Jeremy. The couples later had a son each, and the two boys are genetic siblings.

20/701
Sri Lanka was Connected to India by a Shallow Land Bridge

Sri Lanka and India used to be connected by a shallow land bridge known as “Rama Setu” or “Adam’s Bridge.” Local records suggest that the bridge was completely above sea level before 1480 CE, when it was broken in a cyclone.

19/701
The Day Silence Falls over South Korea

Every November, there is a day when people in South Korea maintain silence to help students concentrate on an extremely important exam. Planes are grounded, construction work is stopped, banks are closed, and even military training is ceased. This is the day of the Suneung exam.

18/701
Who is Hikmet Kaya?

Hikmet Kaya, a Turkish man who transformed a barren land into a forest, stands with a before-and-after picture.

17/701
The Sea Slug Elysia chlorotica is “Solar-powered”

Elysia chlorotica, a sea slug, can become plant-like and survive solely on photosynthesis by ingesting millions of green-colored plastids (which are similar to tiny solar panels) from algae and storing them in their gut. This is highly unusual for an animal and suggests that we might be able to use isolated plastids to create energy.

16/701
Cigarette Butts Are the Most Littered Man-made Items.

With roughly 4.5 trillion cigarette butts polluting the environment every year, they are the most littered man-made items.

15/701
An interesting story behind the famous ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s.

In the 1970s, Ben Cohen was struggling to become a potter and Jerry Greenfield was being rejected by medical schools. The pair then thought of opening a bagel shop. But when the equipment expenses for bagels seemed too high, they instead invested in a $5 ice cream-making course. Not long after, they founded the Ben & Jerry’s brand.

14/701
Drivers Must Leave an Open Emergency Lane in Germany

Under German law, when traffic slows down or comes to a complete halt, drivers must move towards the edge of the road and create an open lane (between the leftmost lane and the one immediately to its right) for emergency vehicles.

13/701
Who was Robert Landsburg?

Robert Landsburg was an American photographer who died while documenting the eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980. But before the volcanic flow could get to him, he rewound the film into its case, placed the camera in his backpack and laid on top of it, preserving the film for future research.

12/701
Boy Born with Only a Two Percent Brain Functionality Defies All Odds

A boy born with only a two percent brain capacity defied medical expectations when his brain eventually grew to 80 percent. The parents had been asked five times if they wanted to terminate the pregnancy.

11/701
In July 2016, Prince Harry Took a Public HIV Test

On 14 July 2016, Prince Harry publicly took an HIV test in what was hailed as a “groundbreaking moment” in the fight against the virus. His intention was to encourage more people to get tested. As a result of this, the Terrence Higgins Trust, a sexual health charity, saw a 500% increase in the number of requests for an HIV test on their website.

10/701
Find a mate for jeremy

In 2016, scientists began an international search to find a mate for Jeremy, a rare left-coiling snail. Since its shell and organs are aligned opposite to that of most snails, it cannot mate with them. Two suitable snails were later found but they mated with each other instead of Jeremy.

9/701
When Bill Murray drove a taxi

Bill Murray once drove a taxi cab so that the cab driver could play the saxophone in the backseat. The driver told Murray that he didn’t have time to practice because he was driving the cab 14 hours a day. Murray then switched places with the driver so he could spend some time playing the instrument.

8/701
Adam Sandler’s movie 50 First Dates

Adam Sandler’s movie 50 First Dates inspired an actual experimental therapy program for patients in the early stages of dementia. Every morning, patients in this program would watch a video message of love and support from their family members to help break through their morning fog of forgetfulness.

6/701
In 2020, consumer goods company, Henkel

In 2020, consumer goods company, Henkel, installed liquid detergent refill stations in select drug stores across the Czech Republic so that customers can refill empty containers instead of buying new bottles. These refill stations dispense shower gels, shampoos, dishwashing liquids, fabric softeners, and liquid detergents.

5/701
Jules Verne’s novel, Paris in the Twentieth Century

Jules Verne’s novel, Paris in the Twentieth Century, was shelved because his editor felt that it was unnecessarily pessimistic about the future. Written in 1863, the novel described 1960s Paris, where gas-powered cars, high-speed trains, skyscrapers, electric lights, fax machines, elevators, primitive computers and even the internet exist. It was first published in 1994, 131 years after it was written.

4/701
Daisuke Inoue, the inventor of karaoke

Daisuke Inoue, the inventor of karaoke, did not patent the machine because he wanted to “teach the world to sing.” He never made any direct profits from the billion dollar industry that his invention created around the world, and he never regretted it. This is a photo of him with the very first karaoke machine ever made.

3/701
Taylor Swift was born into wealth

Taylor Swift was born into wealth. Her father is a descendant of three generations of bank presidents and worked for Merrill Lynch. At the age of 14, Swift moved to Nashville, where her father owns three percent of Big Machine Records, the label whose first client was Swift.

2/701
The superb large fan-throated lizard

The superb large fan-throated lizard (Sarada superba), described in 2016, is a species of agamid lizard found in Maharashtra, India. During the mating season, males will display their colorful fan-shaped “dewlaps” to attract females.

1/701
In 2019, a man robbed a bank

In 2019, a man robbed a bank, came out and threw the money in the air while enthusiastically wishing passers-by a merry Christmas. He then wandered over to a nearby Starbucks shop, sat down in front of it and waited to be arrested.