All facts — Page 66
The complete ONAURE library, newest first. Every fact has an explanation and a source you can check.
2056 facts
The first floppy disk was 8 inches in diameter.
The first floppy disk was created by IBM in 1971 and was 8 inches in diameter. It stored about 80 kilobytes of data…
The Greenland shark is the longest-living vertebrate in the world, living more than 400 years.
The Greenland shark grows only about one centimetre per year and reaches sexual maturity at 150. Age is determined by…
Butterflies taste through their feet.
Butterflies have taste receptors on their legs. When landing on a flower or leaf, they taste it and decide whether it…
Crocodiles swallow stones to help with digestion and buoyancy control.
Crocodiles swallow stones, called gastroliths, which stay in the stomach. The stones help grind food and regulate the…
Elephant gestation lasts about 22 months.
Elephant pregnancy is the longest among land mammals, lasting between 18 and 22 months. The calf is born weighing…
Frigatebirds sleep while flying.
Frigatebirds can sleep during flight, using only half of their brain at a time. This phenomenon, called…
Sloths only defecate once a week.
The sloth has an extremely slow metabolism. It descends from the tree only once a week to defecate, losing up to a…
The human brain is the organ with the highest percentage of fat in the body.
About 60 per cent of the human brain is made up of fat. It is the fattiest organ in the human body. Fat is essential…
Babies are born with about 300 bones, but adults have only 206.
Babies are born with about 300 bones, many of which are cartilage. During growth, some bones fuse together. That is…
The nails on the dominant hand grow faster than those on the other hand.
The nails on the dominant hand grow faster because that hand is used more often, which increases blood circulation…
The acid in the human stomach is capable of dissolving a metal blade.
The hydrochloric acid in the stomach has a pH between 1 and 2, strong enough to dissolve a razor blade in about 24…
Wasabi loses its spicy flavour in space.
Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata discovered that wasabi loses its spicy flavour on the International Space Station…
Hawaiian pizza was invented in Canada.
Hawaiian pizza, with pineapple and ham, was invented in 1962 by Sam Panopoulos, a Greek who emigrated to Canada. The…
A bottle of champagne contains about 49 million bubbles.
A study from the University of Reims calculated that a bottle of champagne contains about 49 million bubbles. The…
Parmesan cheese contains crystals that are considered a sign of quality.
Parmesan and other aged cheeses develop crystals of tyrosine and calcium lactate during maturation. These crystals…
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world, with about 0.44 square kilometres.
Vatican City has an area of just 0.44 square kilometres, making it the smallest country in the world. The population…
Lesotho is one of three countries in the world completely surrounded by a single other country.
Lesotho is a mountainous enclave completely surrounded by South Africa. It is one of three countries in the world in…
Bolivia has a navy, despite having no sea coast.
Bolivia lost its access to the sea to Chile in 1884, during the War of the Pacific. It still maintains a navy of…
Alaska is both the easternmost and westernmost state in the United States at the same time.
Alaska s Aleutian Islands cross the 180th meridian, which marks the international date line. That is why Alaska is…
The University of Bologna, founded in 1088, is the oldest in the world in continuous operation.
The University of Bologna was founded in 1088 and is considered the oldest university in the world in continuous…
Mansa Musa, emperor of Mali in the 14th century, is often cited as the richest person in history.
Mansa Musa ruled the Mali Empire between 1312 and 1337. His wealth came from gold and salt. During his pilgrimage to…
Constantinople was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire for more than a thousand years.
Constantinople, now Istanbul, was the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire, also called the Byzantine Empire, from 330…
The Petrified Forest in Arizona has tree trunks more than 200 million years old.
The Petrified Forest in Arizona contains tree trunks that lived more than 200 million years ago, in the Triassic…
A rainbow is actually a complete circle, although we usually only see half of it.
Rainbows are complete circles formed by the refraction of light in raindrops. From the ground, we only see the upper…