Facts that sound false but are true — Page 16
Our highest surprise rating: the facts people most often refuse to believe until they read the explanation. Every one of them is documented.
627 facts
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
The fire rainbow is a rare atmospheric phenomenon caused by ice crystals.
The fire rainbow, also called a circumhorizontal arc, has nothing to do with fire. It is an optical phenomenon caused…
Morning Glory clouds form in Australia and can be up to a thousand kilometres long.
Morning Glory clouds are cylindrical rolls that form in the Gulf of Carpentaria, Australia, and can stretch for more…
The human body contains enough sulphur to make about 200 boxes of matches.
The human body contains about 140 grams of sulphur, present in amino acids such as cysteine and methionine. This…
Mars has the largest canyon in the Solar System, Valles Marineris.
Valles Marineris, on Mars, is about 4,000 kilometres long and up to 7 kilometres deep. It is the largest canyon in…
There are more stars in the universe than grains of sand on all the beaches on Earth.
The estimated number of stars in the observable universe is about 10 to the power of 24. The number of grains of sand…
The Milky Way has a supermassive black hole at its centre, called Sagittarius A.
The Milky Way has a supermassive black hole at its centre, called Sagittarius A star. It has about 4 million times…
Apple's first computer was sold in 1976 for 666.66 dollars.
The Apple I was Apple's first computer, sold in 1976 for 666.66 dollars. It was hand-built by Steve Wozniak and sold…
The.tv domain belongs to the small country of Tuvalu.
The.tv internet domain belongs to the small Pacific island country of Tuvalu. The country licensed the domain in the…
Cherry pits contain compounds that release cyanide.
Cherry, plum and apricot pits contain amygdalin, a compound that releases small amounts of cyanide when ingested and…
Lake Titicaca is the highest navigable lake in the world.
Lake Titicaca, between Peru and Bolivia, is at an altitude of 3,812 metres and is the highest navigable lake in the…
The warship Vasa sank on its maiden voyage.
The Vasa, a Swedish warship, sank on 10 August 1628, minutes after setting sail, due to instability and a gust of…
In 1919, a molasses wave flooded streets of Boston.
On 15 January 1919, a tank of 8.7 million litres of molasses burst in Boston harbour. The molasses wave reached…
The astronomer Tycho Brahe wore a metal prosthetic nose.
Tycho Brahe lost part of his nose in a duel in 1566 and had a prosthetic nose made of silver and gold. He was one of…
