All facts — Page 64
The complete ONAURE library, newest first. Every fact has an explanation and a source you can check.
2056 facts
The world's first webcam was created to monitor a coffee pot.
In 1991, researchers at the University of Cambridge connected a camera to a computer to check whether the lab coffee…
The cuttlefish can change colour despite being colourblind.
The cuttlefish has only one type of colour receptor cell in its eyes, making it colourblind. Even so, it can mimic…
The blue whale's heart is the size of a small car.
The blue whale's heart can weigh about 180 kilograms and be the size of a small car. The aorta, the main blood…
The hummingbird is the only bird capable of flying backwards.
The hummingbird has a unique wing structure that allows it to rotate its wing at an angle that generates lift both…
The human nose can distinguish more than a trillion different smells.
A 2014 study published in the journal Science concluded that the human nose can distinguish more than a trillion…
The human body loses about 600,000 skin particles every hour.
The skin constantly renews itself. Every hour, the human body releases about 600,000 dead skin particles. Over a…
The human eye can distinguish about 10 million different colours.
The human retina has three types of cones, cells sensitive to red, green and blue light. The combination of signals…
The strongest muscle in the human body is the masseter, in the jaw.
The masseter is the strongest muscle in the human body relative to its size. It can exert a force of up to 90…
The sandwich was invented by an English aristocrat who wanted to eat without putting down his cards.
The Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, liked to play cards for hours. To avoid interrupting the game to eat, he asked…
Apples float in water because about 25 per cent of their volume is air.
Apples have air spaces between the cells of their tissue, especially near the core. These spaces make the average…
Saffron is the most expensive spice in the world, measured by weight.
Saffron is extracted by hand from the stigmas of the Crocus sativus flower. About 150,000 flowers are needed to…
The Maillard reaction is the process that makes bread golden when toasted.
The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars, which occurs when food is…
Africa is the only continent that extends across all four hemispheres of the Earth.
Africa is crossed by the equator and the Greenwich meridian, which means the continent has territory in the northern…
The Pacific Ocean is shrinking by a few centimetres per year.
The Pacific Ocean is shrinking by a few centimetres per year due to the movement of tectonic plates. The Pacific and…
The Bahamas are made up of more than 700 islands.
The Bahamas archipelago is made up of about 700 islands and more than 2,000 cays. Only about 30 islands are…
The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens.
The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece. A total of 241 athletes from 14 countries took…
The Great Fire of London started in a bakery on Pudding Lane.
The Great Fire of London started on 2 September 1666 in Thomas Farriner's bakery on Pudding Lane. The flames lasted…
Ada Lovelace wrote the first algorithm to be executed by a machine in the 19th century.
Ada Lovelace, an English mathematician, wrote in 1843 a series of notes on Charles Babbage's analytical engine. In…
The Earth is struck by about 100 lightning bolts per second.
It is estimated that about 100 lightning bolts occur per second across the planet, which adds up to about 8 million…
The largest living organism in the world is a fungus in Oregon, United States.
The fungus Armillaria ostoyae, in Oregon, covers about 9.6 square kilometres and is estimated to be between 2,400 and…
Trees communicate with each other through underground fungal networks.
Tree roots connect to networks of mycorrhizal fungi growing in the soil. Through these networks, trees exchange…
Water is the only substance that exists naturally on Earth in all three physical states.
Water exists naturally on Earth in solid, liquid and gaseous states. It is the only known substance found in all…
Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System, with surface temperatures of about 465 degrees Celsius.
Venus is the hottest planet in the Solar System, with surface temperatures of about 465 degrees Celsius. The extreme…
Jupiter has the shortest day of all the planets in the Solar System.
Jupiter completes one rotation on its axis in just 9 hours and 56 minutes. It has the shortest day of all the planets…