All facts — Page 42
The complete ONAURE library, newest first. Every fact has an explanation and a source you can check.
1196 facts
Hippopotamuses secrete a red, oily liquid that acts as a natural sunscreen.
Often mistakenly called 'blood sweat', this substance protects their sensitive skin from the harsh African sun and…
The longest mountain range on Earth is almost entirely underwater.
The mid-ocean ridge is a continuous submarine mountain system that stretches about 65,000 kilometers across the…
The Atacama Desert is the driest non-polar place on Earth.
Some weather stations in the Atacama have never recorded a single drop of rain. It is so arid and Mars-like that NASA…
Caesar salad was invented in Mexico, not Italy.
It was created in the 1920s by Italian-American chef Caesar Cardini in his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, to serve…
A day on Mars is called a 'Sol' and lasts 24 hours and 37 minutes.
Because a Martian day is slightly longer than an Earth day, scientists working on Mars rovers have to adjust their…
Goosebumps are an evolutionary leftover from when humans had more body hair.
The reflex makes body hairs stand up, which used to trap a layer of warm air for insulation or make our ancestors…
Sliced bread was invented in the United States.
Pre-sliced and packaged sliced bread was invented in 1928 by Otto Frederick Rohwedder, an American engineer. The…
Lemons have more sugar than strawberries.
Despite the sour taste, lemons contain about 2.5% sugar, while strawberries contain only about 0.6%. The sour taste…
Rice is the most consumed food in the world.
Rice is the staple food for more than half the world's population. About 90% of the world's rice production is grown…
Tomatoes were considered poisonous in Europe.
In the 16th and 17th centuries, Europeans believed tomatoes were poisonous because they belong to the nightshade…
Chestnuts are true nuts, but walnuts are not.
Botanically, chestnuts are classified as true nuts, as they are fruits with a hard shell that does not open to…
The first portable computer weighed 11 kg.
The Osborne 1, released in 1981, is considered the first truly commercial portable computer. It weighed about 11 kg…
The first CD was produced in 1982.
The first commercial CD was released on August 17, 1982 in Japan and contained the recording of 'The Visitors' by…
Mongolia has the lowest population density in the world.
Mongolia has about 2 inhabitants per km², making it the sovereign country with the lowest population density in the…
The city of Saint Petersburg was built on 42 islands.
Saint Petersburg, Russia, is composed of 42 islands connected by more than 300 bridges. The city is crossed by canals…
Egypt has only one railway station with high-speed trains.
Egypt's high-speed train station is located in Alexandria. The country has plans to expand the network, but currently…
Greenland is home to the world's largest national park.
Northeast Greenland National Park was established in 1974 and covers about 972,000 km², an area larger than 163 of…
The first person to survive going over Niagara Falls in a barrel was a 63-year-old woman.
In 1901, Annie Edson Taylor, a schoolteacher looking for financial security, famously took the plunge and survived…
The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood up to 30 feet.
When the left ventricle contracts, it pumps blood out to the entire body with enough force that, if unobstructed, it…
The average person will walk the equivalent of 3 times around the world in their lifetime.
Based on an average daily step count, humans will take over 100,000 steps every year, accumulating about 115,000…
In the 19th century, people hosted 'mummy unwrapping parties' as a form of entertainment.
Wealthy Victorians would buy Egyptian mummies and unwrap them in front of guests for amusement, unknowingly…
Water expands by about 9% when it freezes, which is why ice floats.
As water freezes, its molecules form a crystalline structure that pushes them further apart, making ice less dense…
The Earth's rotation is gradually slowing down, making days longer over time.
Caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the Moon (tidal friction), the length of a day increases by about 1.8…
Queen Elizabeth II served as a mechanic and military truck driver during WWII.
Then a young princess, she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945, becoming the first female member of the…
