A fact is anything that is known to be exact or at least can be proven true. Its existence gleaned from reality. There are many forms of scientific, historical, linguistic, and astronomical facts, etc.A fact can be something simple like a sunny day to something mind-boggling like humans share 70 percent of their DNA with bananas.
We live in a world that is filled with questions and mysteries but also with facts. Here are the ten most amusing facts that are too interesting not to know.
1. Shortest War in History
When Hamad bin Thuwaini, the Sultan of Zanzibar died on the 25th, August 1896, his nephew, Khalid bin Bargash, immediately seized the control. And everything would have gone if it was not for just one tiny problem. Therefore, the British Empire regarded Khalid as too independent for their liking and did not want him on the throne. country power
So, on the morning of the 27th, August 1896, the Royal Navy issued an ultimatum, asking Khalid to surrender and leave the palace in an hour. Khalid refused to do any such thing. Therefore, when it expired at around 9 AM, five ships of the Royal Navy bombarded the Royal Palace and the Harem.
Approximately 40 minutes later, a white flag of surrender was over the destroyed palace. Soon, Khalid fled the place, and ultimately the country. Meanwhile, the British Empire installed their preferred ruler, Hamud bin Muhammed, as the new Sultan of Zanzibar.
The war resulted in the death of over 500 people and the injury of one British marine. Today, people know this war as the Anglo-Zanzibar War of 1896, and this was the shortest war in the history of humankind.
2. It Rains Diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter
You read that right! It rains diamonds on Saturn and Jupiter.Based on some new atmospheric data collected for the two outer planets, scientists believe that the lightning storms that occur on them turn the already present methane into soot, which then hardens into chunks of graphite, and finally into a diamond as it falls.
Dr. Kevin Baines and Ms. Mona Delitsky were the ones who first looked into this matter. They presented their findings at the annual meeting of the Division for Planetary Sciences of the American Astronomical Society in Denver, Colorado.
They concluded that stable crystals of the diamond hail down over a vast region of Saturn in particular. And at least 1000 tonnes of diamonds are being created on Saturn every year.
3. Robert G. Heft and the Great American Flag
In 1959, Hawaii and Alaska became the last two states added to the United States of America. Inspired by this event, Stanley Pratt, a teacher at Lancaster High School, Ohio, asked his students to design a flag for the nation.
Robert G. Heft, one of the students, did that. He chose fifty white stars for fifty states and arranged them on a blue background in alternating horizontal rows. Moreover, you will find five rows with six stars and four rows with five stars if you count them. Then, he added the alternating horizontal red and white stripes, representing the original thirteen colonies.
Reportedly, it took 12 and a half hours for Robert to sew the flag together. Despite such hard work, his teacher was only slightly impressed and gave him a B- as a grade. It lacks originality; he shrugged; Tell you what, you get this flag accepted as the United States National Flag, and I will raise your grade, he offered.
Robert, wanting the higher grade, sent his flag to Walter Moeller, the then Ohio congressional representative, and asked for his help. The Congressman was thoroughly impressed and so tried his best to get Robert his grade. All their efforts eventually paid off. And the design was as the new United States flag on July 4, 1960.
4. Photos Taken on Eiffel Tower at Night are Subject to Copyrights
The copyright law states that the original creator of a thing has exclusive rights to its sale and distribution for as long as they live, plus a certain amount of time.The copyright of the Eiffel Tower expired in the year 1993 and now is public property. It implies that you are lawfully allowed to take, share, publish, or sell as many photos and videos of the grand tower as you want.
The catch is you can do it only during the daytime; because the nighttime show was in 1985. Therefore, it is under Frances copyright law protection as an artistic work. Hence, making it illegal to share, sell, or publish photos, videos of the night-lit Eiffel Tower without prior permission from the Société Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel.
However, know that Eiffel Copyrights has never been in court and most likely will never be. That said, it recommends that you request necessary prior permissions before you use the photographs of the night-lit Eiffel Tower for commercial reasons.
5. Mammoths and the Pyramids!
Scientists have observed that around 1650 BC, at least 1000 Woolly mammoths were living on a small island called the Wrangle Island. The Great Pyramids of Giza were built sometime during 2550 to 2490 BC becomes clear that mammoths were still alive when the pyramids existed.
An article by the Medium on the same issue suggests that Woolly Mammoths are related to Asian elephants and maybe the ancestors of modern Asian elephants. They were about the same size as modern-day African elephants weighing about six metric tons. Moreover, while the ancient mammoths were even more significant, the Woolly mammoths are the only two species that coexisted with humans.
However, coexistence does not mean co-survival because humans voraciously hunted these mammoths for various purposes, combined with climate changes, and contributed to the ultimate extinction of the Woolly Mammoths.
6. The Longest, Deadliest Beard in the World
The Guinness Book of World Records is home for some of the most mind-blowing records, as well as some of the most bizarre manuscripts. And if this book existed in the 1500s, Hans Steinigers would have made it to the second category. records
Who is Hans Steinigers? Hans Steinigers was an Austrian man who set a record for having the longest beard in 1560. His beard was a whopping 4.2 feet! It was his most cherished treasure.
It brought him great pride too. However, his reason for pride soon became his reason for death, as one day, he accidentally tripped on his long beard, lost his balance, and fell. He broke his neck from the unexpected fall, which resulted in instantaneous death.
7. Weapons? No Thanks, the Sea Cucumber Got Their Organs
When it comes to defending yourself in threatening situations, anything and everything becomes a weapon. Most of the species will do anything to protect their lives. And this has led to the emergence of some vital defense systems in nature.
But by far, the most intriguing, and dare I say the funniest one of them, is the defense mechanism of the Sea Cucumbers. Sea cucumbers belong to the family of starfish and sea urchins. National Geography says: There are some 1,250 known species, and many of these animals look like soft-bodied cucumbers.
When threatened, some sea cucumbers resort to ensnaring their enemies, while the others mutilate their bodies and hurl their organs at them. And this category of sea cucumbers violently contract their muscles, and drop some of their internal organs out of their anus, and use them as weapons.
Ultimately, It is not much of a problem as the missing body parts get regenerated very quickly. You have to admit that this is one of the weirdest defense mechanisms that you come across, and if given a chance, you would use it!
8. History Is Not As Far As You Think It Is
And by history, I do not mean the Holocaust, the Rule of Cleopatra, or the Women Suffrage. Although, it is only beneficial to remember that these events are not that ancient either. Nonetheless, what I am talking about here is the Mesozoic Era.
An article by the Insider tells us: Contrary to what some cartoons, movies, and books would have us believe and not all dinosaurs lived together were vastly separated by time and geography.
When the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex first appeared on the planet, its supposed rival Stegosaurus had been extinct for approximately 80-90 million years. The more important thing to note here is that it has been only approximately some 65.5 million years since the extinction of the T-Rex to this day. Hence, less time separates the human existence and the Tyrannosaurus rex than the T-Rex and the Stegosaurus.
9.The Andromeda Galaxy
The Andromeda Galaxy is the nearest primary galaxy to our own. It is a majestic spiral-shaped galaxy, similar to our Milky Way, but contains many more stars. It is also about two and a half million light-years away from us.
The intriguing thing about the Andromeda Galaxy is that you can see its bright region with the naked eye as long as it is dark, and you know where to look. A pair of binoculars will aid you too. But do not expect to see something like the massively detailed pictures available on the net. Therefore, you will need the most advanced telescopes for that.
The most magical thing about this entire endeavor is that when we see the Andromeda Galaxy, we see the light that is 2.5 million years old. And as the article by PBS puts, that dates back to when the human species was just the beginning to establish a fragile foothold on planet Earth. And seeing this light helped humanity first comprehend the grand scheme of the universe.
10. Neuroplasticity
This one is quite popular. Our brain has something called neuroplasticity. It refers that it can adapt to its environment and change with experience. It also refers to the ability of the brain to form new connections and pathways and change how its circuits wire.
Therefore, it means that an adult brain can restore old, lost connections. And functions used in some time enhance memory and enhance overall cognitive skills. Moreover, neuroplasticity sometimes results in mind-blowing, unexpected recoveries after a traumatic brain injury, stroke, or any other brain damage.
Much research still needs to be done regarding this topic. But if it all works out well, there might be an entirely new branch of treatment centers opening soon. And as interesting as this was, and even more exciting topic called neurogenesis - the ability of the brain to grow new neurons. However, I will not tell you about that. I will let you look into it yourself. Therefore, you will do that, won’t you?
Written by - Chandana C.K
Edited By - Susan Ismail
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