From a politician with impressive vocals to an unsuspected allergen in every cup o’
joe, here are some crazy facts that sound too fake to be true:
Hey Guys, I'm Todd Green from The Trending and I'm hosting Factnomenal.
Headless Chicken
We’ve all heard about chickens running around with their heads cut off.
However, Mike the Headless Chicken, aka Miracle Mike, puts other brainless birds to shame.
In 1945, a farmer named Lloyd Olsen decided to enjoy a chicken dinner.
However, his misuse of the axe left Mike’s brain stem, jugular vein, and one ear intact.
So, even without his head, he lived for 18 months and became a sideshow star along the
way.
13.
OMG
You might think you're cool and hip when you use the acronym “OMG.”
But, think again!
This term made its first documented appearance in 1917.
In a letter to Winston Churchill, Lord Fisher wrote: “I hear that a new order of Knighthood
is on the tapis OMG - Shower it on the Admiralty!!”
12.
The Great Banyan
Did you know that there is a tree so large that it looks like an entire forest?
The Great Banyan tree is located in India.
It’s aerial roots grow vertically downward from its branches to the ground, giving it
the appearance of several trees.
The Great Banyan takes up a total of 4.67 acres or about 203,425 square feet.
That is much larger than the average Walmart, which takes up approximately 105,000 square
feet.
11.
Violet Jessop
It’s incredible to think that anyone survived onboard the sinking RMS Titanic; but, there
was one woman who survived the 1912 iceberg collision and the sinking of its sister ship,
the HMHS Britannic.
Violet Jessop was employed as a stewardess on both vessels during their accidents and
earned the nickname “Miss Unsinkable.”
Although most people would never board a ship again, Jessop continued working on passenger
liners.
10.
Pineapples
This tropical fruit is abundant at grocery stores, but did you know it can take over
two years to grow?
Depending on the method used to begin its initial sprouting, the plant can take anywhere
from 16 to 28 months to start flowering.
It then takes about six months longer to produce a ripe pineapple, making the total growth
period take about 2 to 3 years.
9.
Obama’s Grammys
Although he’s not a musician, Obama has two Grammys.
He has more than Katy Perry, who has yet to win.
He received the “Best Spoken Word Album” Grammy in 2005 for Dreams From My Father and
another one in 2007 for The Audacity Of Hope: Thoughts On Reclaiming The American Dream.
8.
Ancient Sharks
There are trees so old that they’ve turned to stone; but, did you know that sharks date
back further than the first tree?
That’s right, sharks have existed on Earth for longer than trees.
It may seem impossible, but aquatic creatures have been traced back 400 million years, while
the earliest tree lived about 360 million years ago.
7.
Pet Tigers
It might seem unlikely, but there are more tigers held in captivity in the United States
than there are left in the wild.
There are an estimated 5,000 to 10,000 of these creatures that are privately owned or
kept in zoos, whereas there are only about 3,890 that still live in the wild.
The actual number of tigers in the US is unknown due to weak regulations; but, because of their
scarce population in the wild, they are listed as endangered.
6.
Cockroach Coffee
People who are allergic to pre-ground coffee or chocolate might not actually be allergic
to either of those things.
Their real allergy could very well be to cockroaches.
These critters’ parts contaminate nearly every batch of pre-ground coffee and almost
all chocolate bars.
The FDA allows up to 60 insect parts per 100 grams of chocolate; so, think about that next
time you bite into a Hershey’s bar.
5.
Bangladesh VS Russia
This might seem crazy because of these two countries’ difference in size; but, Bangladesh
is is more populated than Russia!
The former is home to nearly 170 million people, while the latter has about 143 million people
living there.
Russia takes up about 6,601,668 square miles, and Bangladesh is only 57,320 square miles,
making it about 115 times smaller.
4.
Wyoming’s Escalators
You’re probably used to seeing escalators in nearly every sizeable building you enter:
malls, department stores, airports.
The list goes on and on.
However, in Wyoming, there are only a total of two sets of escalators in the entire state!
Its lack of escalators could be due to fire safety standards, cheaper building costs,
or that people simply prefer stationary stairs.
3.
Nintendo
This company has produced some of the world’s favorite video games, such as the Mario franchise
and The Legend of Zelda series.
But, you’d probably be shocked to know that Nintendo got its start long before the first
video game was invented.
Fusajiro Yamauchi founded it in 1889; they originally manufactured hanafuda cards.
2.
Freezing Hot
This phenomenon sounds like something that just can’t be true.
However, hot water is capable of freezing more quickly than cold water.
This strange occurrence is called the “Mpemba Effect,” named after Erasto Mpemba, who
described it in 1963.
It only happens under certain circumstances, and the specifications needed to cause it
are still under debate.
There are various explanations for this effect, including evaporation, hydrogen bonding, and
evaporation.
1.
Banana Berries
Opposed to common belief, bananas are berries.
Botanical berries grow from a single ovary of one flower; their seeds are on the inside
layer surrounded by their flesh and protective outer skins.
So, a banana is a berry scientifically speaking.
Strawberry seeds, however, are located on the outside and come from several different
ovaries; this means the strawberry is an aggregate fruit and not a berry.