Did you know? 20+ facts from different areas of our lives (30 photos)

In the bustle of days, our head is always busy with something. Especially now - many are actively addicted to daily reading of news. But sometimes it’s worth taking a break from this - and, for example, learning something new from different areas of life. Let's look at some interesting facts from the Today I Learned community.





At the ancient Olympic Games, dishonest athletes were punished with fines. In response to these fines, bronze statues were erected at the entrance to the Olympic stadium. On each was written the name of the “fraudster” and the reason for his punishment.



Hummingbirds have amazing memories thanks to their enlarged hippocampus. They can remember the exact location of special feeders for them along the migration route from North America to Mexico and Central America



In 400 BC. Persian engineers mastered the technique of storing ice in the desert in summer. For this purpose, special storage facilities were used, which are now called ancient refrigerators.



Even then, Persian engineers were able to preserve ice brought in winter from nearby mountains in the hot desert.

The Civilian Conservation Corps, a project for unemployed people founded by US President Roosevelt in 1933, has planted more than 3.5 billion trees and created more than 700 state parks in its 9 years of existence.



The program operated from 1933 to 1942, and during this time almost 3 million people took part in it.

A drop of water spends an average of 9 days in the atmosphere before falling back to Earth



If a drop falls into the ocean, it may take 3,000 years for it to evaporate again.

An electrician in the Indian village of Ganeshpur regularly cut off electricity to the entire village in the evenings. When residents began to complain, it turned out that the man was doing this so that his dates with his lover would remain secret



The villagers identified the lover on their own, and later forced the couple to get married.

Just before the disaster at a chemical plant in Bhopal, India in 1984, when a poisonous gas leak was discovered, the production manager decided to deal with the situation later - and went to drink tea



The leak of poisonous gas was discovered on December 2 at 23:45 - then the plant management was informed about it. However, the decision to do something was made only after the tea break, in the afternoon at 12:15. As a result of the disaster, about 18 thousand people died.

Gin and tonic originally appeared as a remedy for malaria. Until 1940, quinine, found in tonic water, was the only substance known to be effective against malaria.



The Desappouentman Islands ("Disappointment Islands") are a group of islands in French Polynesia. They were discovered by the British John Byron in 1765. He called them that because the locals were hostile towards him



The myth that salamanders can walk through fire without being harmed is just a legend. Perhaps the myth was born due to the fact that these lizards have smooth shiny skin that always looks wet



In 1783, British naturalist and geologist John Michell published a paper about objects he called "dark stars," referring to black holes in space. No one paid attention to his research... until the 1970s



Indian farmer Lal Bihari Mritak was officially declared dead from 1975 to 1994. Man fought Indian bureaucracy for 19 years to prove he was alive



When a donkey and a horse mate, the result is a mule. Although they are almost the same size, they are stronger than their “parents” and more resistant to disease



A person's fingertips can feel the difference between a smooth surface and a patterned surface just 13 nanometers deep. For comparison, a sheet of paper is about 100,000 nanometers thick.



On the mulberry farms of Italy in the 16th century, every effort was made to preserve the fragile eggs of the silkworm. Women wore them in small pouches next to their skin, sometimes between their breasts.



USS Constitution is the oldest ship in the world still afloat. It was built in the 1790s but is still in service with the US Navy.



The "rattle" at the end of a rattlesnake's tail consists of partially overlapping movable keratin segments.



The Second Congo War (1998-2003) was the deadliest conflict since World War II. It killed 5.4 million people



Empress (1730-1740) Anna Ioannovna was known for her cruel amusements. One of them is the Ice House for the wedding of her court jester and maid



The Ice House was erected right in the middle of the Neva River for the clownish wedding of Prince M. A. Golitsyn, who became Anna’s court jester, and the firecracker A. I. Buzheninova. Moreover, by order of the Empress, the “young” were supposed to spend the whole day in the Ice House.

Cyber ​​criminals used artificial intelligence-assisted fake voice to defraud UAE bank of $35 million



The criminals faked the voice of the company director and managed to convince one of the employees.

Fingernails grow 3 times faster than toenails



In the 1940s, the Japanese army developed special bombs filled with live mice. They were used to infect the inhabitants of China and Korea with the plague.



Heinrich Müller is one of the most mysterious figures of Nazi Germany. The fact of his death, as well as his exact location, could not be established, which gave rise to much speculation



At birth, babies have about 300 bones in their bodies. As the bones grow, they fuse together and become 206 bones by adulthood.

Marino Faliero, the only Doge of Venice in history, was executed for attempting a coup. The “rebel” was deleted from all official documents, and his portrait in the palace was covered with black cloth



A newborn baby has about 300 bones in its body. As we grow, our bones fuse together, and by adulthood we have about 206 bones.



The British Royal Family Owns a Stamp Collection Worth £100 Million



Mosquitoes do not always feed on blood. They mainly feed on nectar and plant juices. Only female mosquitoes bite us - they need blood to lay eggs.



According to the canons of Japanese cuisine, only men should cook sushi. This is due to the fact that women have higher body temperatures, which can affect the quality of the dish. Previously, women were prohibited from even helping men with cooking.



The most expensive photograph in the world costs $12.4 million. The photograph "Ingres' Violin" was taken by photographer Man Ray.