20 interesting facts from the series “Today I learned” (21 photos)

It never hurts to learn more about the world we live in, even if just for fun and enjoyment. And for the brain, in order not to get rusty, it is useful to receive new pieces of information from time to time!





1. Erno Rubik, inventor of the Rubik's cube, took a month to solve his own puzzle



2. Triboulet, the court jester of King Francis I of France, who he “inherited” from Louis XII, was sentenced to death for inappropriate humor and ridicule of the monarch (namely, a kick in the ass)





The king allowed him to choose his method of death, to which Triboulet replied: “...I choose to die of old age.” He was spared and his execution was replaced by exile.

3. Man tamed the silkworm 5,000 years ago for sericulture



They have lost the ability to fly, are not afraid of predators and have lost their native color pigments - their camouflage is useless as they only live in captivity. Silkworms' survival, including finding a mate, is entirely dependent on humans.

4. Spock, the Star Trek character, was originally supposed to be a Martian.



But Gene Roddenberry changed Mars to the fictional planet Vulcan because he was afraid that people would already land on Mars during the show's run and the on-screen information about Mars would be outdated.

5. In 2005, in Turkey, one sheep jumped off a cliff and 1,500 sheep followed it one after another.



450 sheep died, but the rest survived, landing on a large soft pile of their companions.

6. When ants die, they secrete a special chemical that marks them as dead. One scientist recreated this chemical and placed it on a living ant



His fellow ants continued to bring him to the “graveyard,” no matter how hard he tried to return to the anthill.

7. The Japanese have a word "Bushu-suru", which translates to "Do like Bush" and means vomit.



The reference came after George HW Bush vomited into the lap of the Japanese Prime Minister.

8. The creators of Donkey Kong Country wanted real gorillas to voice the Kongs and spent a lot of time recording the voices of gorillas at the zoo.



As a result, they realized that gorillas are actually very quiet and all these recordings do not give the effect they need for the game. I had to ask the programmers to add artificial voice acting.

9. Elephants' trunks are strong enough to lift and hold 350kg, yet precise enough to crack peanut shells without damaging the kernels.



10. The movie “Jaws” directly contributed to the increase in shark hunting and, as a result, the decline in their population



Peter Benchley regretted writing the best-selling book Jaws, on which the film was based: “Knowing what I know now, I could never write this book today. Sharks don't attack people, and they definitely don't hold a grudge."

11. One in ten Icelanders will publish a book in their lifetime



12. Hawaii is considered the bird extinction capital of the world. Since humans arrived in Hawaii, 95 of the 142 bird species found nowhere else in the world have become extinct.



13. The myth that carrots improve vision and help you see in the dark was propaganda during World War II.



14. There is a coastline paradox: it is impossible to accurately measure the length of a country's coastline, and the more accurate the measurement, the longer the length becomes - up to infinity



15. There are over 30,000 lakes in Scotland with the word Loch in their name, but only one lake with the word Lake in its name.



16. Jim Carrey was paid $7 million for Dumb and Dumber, while his co-star Jeff Daniels earned just $50,000



17. At the 2022 World Cup, Qatar became the first host nation to lose the first match



Also the first host nation to lose all three matches, the first host nation to be eliminated from the tournament in two matches, and the first host nation to have zero points at the end of the group stage.

18. People with a normal weight and an apple body shape are at higher risk of death than overweight or obese people with a pear or hourglass body shape.



19. When Edwin Hunter McFarland couldn't fit all the letters into the first Thai typewriter, he left out two consonants, which eventually led to their obsolescence



20. Family members scattering the ashes of a deceased relative at Disney World attractions is a "common occurrence," especially at the Haunted Mansion attraction.