25 fascinating facts that will change the way you look at things
The world's full of mysteries that never cease to surprise or amaze us.
Some become old wives' tales or stories that are passed down from generation to generation. The problem is we often don't know if these snippets of information are true or not, even we sepend hours scouring the internet trying to separate fact from fiction.
So we've put together a list of 25 fascinating facts - ranging from fun trivia to useful tips - that will change the way you look at things!
1. Did you know that it's impossible to hum if you block your nose?
© Serdjophoto / Getty Images
Go on - give it a try!
2. When Star Wars burst into movie theaters, France still practiced the death penalty and had prisoners on death row!
© Fotokon / Getty Images
The last person executed in France died in September 1977 and the death sentence was finally abolished in 1981.
3. When the last mammoths roamed the Earth, some pyramids in Egypt had already celebrated their 1,000th birthday.
© Aunt_spray / Getty Images
4. Sticking with Egypt, Cleopatra's reign was closer in time to the launch of the iPhone than it was to the construction of the Great Pyramids.
© Frederick Arthur Bridgman / Via commons.wikimedia.org
5. Have you always imagined that the Giza pyramid complex is in the middle of a desert?
© Sculpies / Getty Images
Well, you'll be surprised to know that it sits on the outskirts of Giza itself!
© Raimond Spekking / commons.wikimedia.org / CC BY-SA 4.0 / creativecommons.org
6. The surface of Pluto is slightly smaller in size than Russia - although watch this space (excuse the pun), as this may have been recently debunked!
© NASA / Via commons.wikimedia.org
7. Sticking with Pluto, did you know that when it was discovered in 1930, this tiny 'planet' (yes, we believe it's a planet!) had still to complete a full orbit of the sun?
© BuzzFeed / Thinkstock
Pluto will complete its orbit in 2178 - something for later generations to witness
8. Think human beings and their Earth are really important? To put this into perspective, here's a graphic showing the Earth next to the Sun... the teensiest of dots on the stellar landscape!
© John Brady / Via astronomycentral.co.uk
9. And our Sun is minute in comparison to VY Canis Major, one of the biggest stars in the Milky Way!
© Oona Räisänen / de.wikipedia.org
10. Coming back to Earth, did you know that world maps don't show countries' actual size and spatial layout?
© Daniel RodrÃguez Quintana / Getty Images
It's true! Country sizes are incorrect as seen in this video!
© bpa77 / Via imgur.com
If you want to research this for yourself, there are plenty of online links. To help you out, here's the Gall-Peters projection - a map that shows the true size and spatial layout of each country and continent.
© lefruitbat / Via imgur.com
11. For any amateur biologists among you - here's a fully-intact child's skull. As you can see, all their adult teeth are in place for when each milk tooth falls out!
© oklahomarabbit / Via imgur.com
12. Q-tips aren't supposed to be poked in our ears!
13. Some fun trivia... Lou Bega, famous for the song Mambo n°5 (A Little Bit Of...) uses a stage name. His real name is David Loubega.
14. Watch out if you buy a Snickers double bar… they only contain the equivalent of 1 1/2 bars!
So not fair!
15. Here's a montage of Elijah Wood and Daniel Radcliffe being morphed into one - there's certainly some doppelganger stuff going on here!
© MrPhilomath / Via imgur.com
They may have both starred in blockbuster sagas, but they're definitely not the same person!
16. The Krusty Krab restaurant in SpongeBob SquarePants isn't a treasure chest but a crab trap!
© Nickelodeon / Thinkstock
17. Here's a pineapple plantation. No, they don't grow from trees, but rather from plants!
© kolla / Via imgur.com
18. Winnie the Pooh is a girl (or sow, to use the correct word)!
© Disney / Via buzzfeed.com
That one blew us away!
19. Less time separates us from T-Rex than T-Rex from Stegosaurus
20. In North Dakota, German is the language most often used after English.
© Rufus Young / Getty Images
21. In Back to the Future 2, Michael J. Fox plays Marty McFly as well as the character's son and daughter.
© Universal Pictures
22. Do you know Barbie's real name? 'Barbie' is just a nickname. The doll's full name is 'Barbara Millicent Roberts'.
23. The order of the alphabet is completely arbitrary.
© Netflix
24. Put your finger in your ear and have a scratch. Remind you of anything? You got it - Pac-Man!
© Namco
25. Even some hard-core gamers may not know that Mario hits blocks with his fist and not his head!
© Nintendo / Via Twitter: @NintendoUK
By Straker Julia
Writer
Passionate about writing, I write articles on the subjects that I love. Creativity and Animals themes are my favorites!